Zac Taylor went 6-25-1 over his first two seasons as the Bengals head coach and that led some to wonder if he’d be fired before he got a chance at a third season in Cincinnati.
Bengals owner Mike Brown ended that speculation the day after last season ended with a statement saying the team remained “bullish on the foundation Zac is building, and we look forward to next year giving our fans the winning results we all want.” Taylor and the rest of the team made that look like a wise decision this season.
The Bengals won the AFC North and then won their first playoff game in 31 years by beating the Raiders 26-19 on Saturday. Taylor gave Brown a game ball after the win and said he didn’t think other teams would have been as patient with him after the way his first two years went.
“We just owe so much to that man for being patient with us,” Taylor said. “Personally, if I coached in any other organization in football, I probably wouldn’t be here right now in my third year. That’s the truth.”
One need only look at the Dolphins, Giants, and Texans to see that Taylor’s right about patience not being a given for head coaches around the league. The Bengals went the other way and the decision has paid off for them.