Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - MAKE OR BREAK Year For Zac Taylor, Coaching Staff

Starting point is 00:00:00 The front office went out and got a bunch of defensive talent for the Cincinnati Bengals. So the pressure is on more than ever for Zach Taylor in this coaching stuff. You are locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What up, Bengals fans. And welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. He's James Rapine. I'm Jake Lisco.

Starting point is 00:00:32 And the pressure is on. I'm not sure how much. to off-season acquisitions actually change the level of pressure, at least internally for the Cincinnati Bengals and their coaching staff this season, but certainly in the eyes of the public, it is now on the plate of this coaching staff of this team and a little bit less so on the front office for them to perform at the expectation level that has been following since Joe Burrow took them to two straight AFC championship games and one Super Bowl in 2021 and 2022. too. The addition of defensive talent certainly hasn't lessened expectations.

Starting point is 00:01:07 There are very few excuses out there, and you could quibble with the offseason, and we have, and talk about the linebacker situation and talk about what's going on in Slot Corner. But by and large, James, this front office went out and surpassed expectations by landing Dexter Lawrence in a trade. They've added a ton of pieces to that defense, Al Golden going into year two, and pretty out of excuses for Zach. Taylor's coaching staff at this point. But I'll say this, that's how we felt about it after last season, too, when they decided not to move off from Zach Taylor. We already saw this as a make or break season. I think what they did this off season is only added to that and removed even more excuses for this coaching staff. Yeah, I half agree with you. I have don't. They've never traded a top

Starting point is 00:01:56 10 pick for a player in franchise history. So that instantly adds 18 more levels of pressure. and Zach is very much in the prove it year and there won't be the excuse. Like the only excuse you could say, I guess, is injuries, but they've removed that. Like if Joe Burrow misses six games, I don't think that this roster should be poor enough to say, oh, well, Joe Burrow missed six games.

Starting point is 00:02:21 You've got to give us another year. Well, especially because they spent the money on Joe Flacker, which they haven't done. And that's it, right? There's so many things they've done to put this team in position to get back to where they were in 20. he wanted 22 and then some because Joe is better than he was then and that alone should give you

Starting point is 00:02:39 a chance in any game and I think they realized that is hey last year we had missed the playoffs back to back years one year due to Joe's wrist the other year because our defense wasn't good enough and we brought in a new defensive coordinator and we didn't give him the the tools to operate he was in the he he was in the the uh his workshop and didn't have the right pieces and clearly they they felt that way because what did they do they went out and they remade this defense in a major major way the the one spot they didn't address was linebacker and they were in on linebackers and we've gone over that a ton on this podcast and so they've done like as much as you realistically i think could have expected in January

Starting point is 00:03:26 when you're going into the offseason, we're starting to evaluate how this offseason is going to go. If I would have told you they'd be here on May 18th, I think we'd all take that. And that doesn't mean there isn't other things they could do. There isn't other things they could add. Of course there is. And there are. But when I think about Zach Taylor now, what is the excuse? And it's not just Zach.

Starting point is 00:03:52 Obviously, it's his whole coaching step. So when I say that, it's everybody. But like if you're Jerry Montgomery, you can't say all wife, Chris Jenkins and McKinley Jackson, and that's who I have to work with. No, no, no. Like you have dudes. You have dudes on the edge as well. If you're Zach Taylor, you've got to find ways to finish and close out some of these games as a head coach.

Starting point is 00:04:14 Part of that was the defense and the defense should be significantly better. The same thing goes for Charles Berks, who clearly got the most out of his cornerback room last year. and you look at really every layer, Jordan Kovacs. Well, now you have a guy and Brian Cook who, I'll be honest, I was surprised at how big Brian Cook was in person when I saw him last week. Like noticeably different compared to the Gino Stones. Dax Hill was obviously a former safety. He has Gino Stone's old locker.

Starting point is 00:04:45 And I just look, it's like way different. And I get it. You look at the measurables and that's one thing. But I just mean in person, you're like, oh, I wouldn't want to get hit by that guy. Well, now that guy's playing safety. He's one of the best tackling safeties in the league. So there's just a lot of layers where they've upgraded to where, yeah, the pressure's on. And I will say this.

Starting point is 00:05:03 I do think Zach Taylor and this coaching staff embraces that. And they're excited about that. They're like, yes, we have the tools. Now let's go to work. And that should mean that they get a heck of a lot out of this roster. We'll see. But I certainly think that's how the staff is approaching things. I think the one coach that might still have.

Starting point is 00:05:23 an excuse is Mike Hodges, the linebackers coach. But even there, there's pressure, right? Because they've essentially looked at that room, looked at Mike Hodges and said, all right, Mike, you got to get these boys ready to go. You got to get these guys into a place where they can be trustworthy on Sundays. After what happened last year, after the growing pains, we need to see those growing pains lead to goals because that's why we endured that last year. Not that Mike Hodges was making that decision, but he's obviously not immune. from the pressure that comes with it. And I think that the pressure is perhaps even greater on Al Golden.

Starting point is 00:05:59 We'll get to that in a little bit. But like Hodges, the one spot on the roster that was desperately crying for assistance did not really get it this off season. Yeah, it's a good point. And here's why there's pressure. And it kind of, it could stink depending on how you look at it. But there's pressure because those linebackers should be better because of everything around them. And that logic.

Starting point is 00:06:21 That logic does make sense. But are they good enough? Well, we'll see. But regardless, we should see significant growth from the worst linebacker tandem in the NFL just because of all the other pieces around them, unless they're just completely bad football players. And I'm not there on these two guys. Like, say what you want about Demetrius Knight is a draft pick and why they picked him.

Starting point is 00:06:45 And I can't let it go. I'm not sure I ever will. But can Knight and Carter be good enough? We'll see. I do think they're going to be better. So good enough to win and be a Super Bowl contender on defense? I don't know. Should they be better?

Starting point is 00:07:00 And do I expect them to be better? I do. There are ways you can be better that involve, like, think of some of the defenses on some of the better Bengals teams in the last 20 years. There have been opportunistic defenses that have been good defenses on good Bengals teams. There have also been defenses that have been a little bit. bit more consistent, but even in the Joe Burrow era, their defenses have been more opportunistic than consistently good than shut down defenses, right? And so if the linebackers, maybe some of that

Starting point is 00:07:33 inconsistency is still there, but if they make more plays and can make a few game-winning plays, that goes a long way. And that's one path to them getting better. The other path is that they're just incrementally better, and they're just a little bit better at tackling and a little bit better at being in the right place at the right time. So there's a number of different ways they could be better. And we'll see how or if that's realized. I want to ask you one question, James, about the initial partial disagreement, let's say, that we started this show with. So I will ask you that question here in just a minute about the pressure on Zach Taylor, the Dexter Lawrence addition, and how that's changed things or not changed things in some ways coming up next.

Starting point is 00:08:17 Today's show is brought to you by Game Time. Game Time is the app you need. It's going to make your life easier. And we can stream anything, order food and minutes, do everything from our phones. And somehow buying tickets to live events like the Eastern Conference Finals, which I'm hoping to go to, Jake, we'll see, or the Western Conference Finals, or who knows, maybe in the NBA Finals could be coming here to Ohio. The point is if you want to get tickets to your favorite live events, whether it's concerts, Kid Cuddy over the weekend, whether it's NBA games, whether it's major league baseball games, doesn't matter. Game time is going to give fans the advantage and give you everything you need to find the right tickets, the right price, and the seats that you want so you can

Starting point is 00:08:57 have the best experience. From their panoramic views from the seat, and I've used Game Time multiple times, and I love this feature because it gives you an exact idea of what it's going to look like when you arrive at that event. They're all in pricing, no hidden fees when you go to check out, but run up the price and make it feel much different when you're checking out versus what it is initially, or the zone deals that they give you. Game time is going to make your life easier. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets. Use GameTime today. Download the GameTime app.

Starting point is 00:09:24 Create an account. Use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Create an account in redeem code, L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Locked-on for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today. James, after the season, the expectations were that there would be real thought put into moving on from Zach Taylor, at least toward the end of the season.

Starting point is 00:09:48 And then when the Bengals chose to keep Zach Taylor, our opinion at the time was that you don't get more shots. There's no more remake the defensive coaching staff. You already use that one time, get out of jail free card. And that's kind of how it played out, right? So what realistically has moved the bar, if anything, because wasn't the expectation like success or you're out of here?

Starting point is 00:10:20 Like you're back to winning the division, certainly making the playoffs, not being a team that gets blown out in the first round. Like that's where the expectation was immediately for Taylor, regardless of what happened this off season, or the Bengals should move on. Right? Wasn't that where we were before the off season?

Starting point is 00:10:41 Where we were. But don't you think that's where the team was? Because Mike Brown puts out the statement of support and it's the whole thing. Like, we really thought there was a chance that this would be it for Taylor. Well, and then we came, then we heard the contract edition, right? And that's the problem.

Starting point is 00:10:58 I think that's what changes it, changes it. And honestly, had they not done the Dexter Lawrence trade, how did we feel? We felt like they did it a lot, but not enough, right? I mean, we're on the same page there. They had done a lot, not enough. It's great what they added, liked all those pieces individually and in a vacuum, but it just wasn't enough. Yeah, but I also still felt like this was a make or break season for Taylor before the Lawrence move. Like I still felt like that was the case inside the building and outside the building.

Starting point is 00:11:25 I felt like it was for us. I felt like inside the building there was still some wiggle room. And because two years left on his deal. Now it's now this year is, and part of it is, and to your point, a lot of these assistants are on in the last year of their deal. Al Golden isn't. It aligns with Zach where he got a three year deal. Zach had three years left.

Starting point is 00:11:51 I should have put that together long before late last year when Paul reported that, but with Zach that he still had three years left. But that's what's interesting about this is you're, if you're the Bengals, yeah, you're going to have to make a decision on a lot of these guys. You won't have to make a decision necessarily on Zach or Al if you want to go into lame duck situation. Not sure you want to do that. I don't think in today's league you want to do that.

Starting point is 00:12:15 I think that gets really uncomfortable. We've seen some teams do that. I think Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys did that. a few years ago, not necessarily the most fun. And so I don't anticipate that, especially now, with the Dexter Lawrence trade. And that's what I mean. Like, if you're this organization, could you have said, all right, well, we're rebuilding our defense, it's better.

Starting point is 00:12:36 We've seen some improvement. They're nine and eight. And it's not good enough or where they want to be, but it's good enough to keep Zach. This year, if they go nine and eight, it's going to be a huge disappointment. And the Dexter Lawrence trade is part of that. It's not the only thing. They've spent a lot of money. They've thrown a lot of resources at this defense.

Starting point is 00:12:54 This defense should be good. Maybe not right away. Maybe it'll take a little time, but they sure is hell should be a lot better than they were last year. And the offense, well, that's Zach's baby. And it better be dominant for most of the season, especially if Joe, either Joe, to be honest, is on the field. It should be a good offense. So that's where I'm at. I think it heightens it.

Starting point is 00:13:15 It heightens the realist, the reality for Zach. that I think a lot of fans wanted last year would have wanted this year had he struggled. Well, now, like, who do you point the finger at? It would have to be the coaching staff because there's no doubt they have enough talent to be a playoff level team. Last year, I could have argued without Joe,

Starting point is 00:13:38 they weren't close to a playoff level talent team. Some of their high-end talent might have hid some of the issues, but they didn't have enough of that. Now I think you could argue that they do have enough starter level or better talent on defense that should make it far more realistic that they're competing for championships and not just us wondering if they can stay in the playoff hunt. So before the Dexter Lawrence trade, what was the bar for Zach Taylor to keep his job in your opinion this year? Because to me it was still make the playoffs convincingly. Maybe just make the playoffs for them is probably just make the playoffs. I think for us, it's that, right?

Starting point is 00:14:20 I do wonder if it was for them, sure, make the playoffs sort of been the goal, but the how it would have mattered far more. Like if you miss a playoffs four straight years, you think that that's, I mean, we know that Mike Brown and this front office has been very patient. You think that's like, if they're nine and eight and missed the playoffs, like you think, you think they're keeping their. I think that was on the table.

Starting point is 00:14:46 I think that was on the table before Dexter. And now it feels much, much different. Because that's why you make that move. It's like, all right, well, we can win now. Let's do this. And let's really push. Like a window, like we've talked about. For sure.

Starting point is 00:15:04 And I think the other element of this, and I'm not trying to speak for Zach, so I want to be clear there. But I guarantee you, it's much like when we hear Joe Burrow about free agency and we're like, yeah, he's feeling what we're feeling. The coaching staff, how many times do we do this in free agency? Like, the coaches thought more was coming. A couple times at least in the Zach Taylor era. In this offseason, for sure. The coaches thought more was coming.

Starting point is 00:15:31 Well, it did. It was just a little later. It was delayed. And maybe that's why they make that move is because they realized they hadn't done enough. Well, now they sure is how it feel like they have done enough. It doesn't mean that they don't think they need to add a piece here or there, but from the grand scheme of things, their big swings. they've been made.

Starting point is 00:15:47 And so that's why I think the pressure is increased because of that. Like the narrative, just think about how we've shifted from had they haven't done enough. The coaches thought they were getting more. And now I guarantee if I ask any of the coaches, defense, offense, they're going to say, we have enough. And that's off the record, trying to give them truth to him, however you want to say it. They're going to say, oh, we have enough. We've got to go out there and do it.

Starting point is 00:16:08 That may be my cautious. I mean, he'd say that on the record for sure. Sure. I think he would have enjoyed one more piece. and still probably would. Yeah. Right? I think that's fair.

Starting point is 00:16:18 Yeah. And we'll see what direction that goes. The other part of this in terms of like the pressure cooker that is this season is Dan pitcher at the NFL's accelerator program, which apparently has changed. And obviously there were some some other names on that list, been head coaches in the league that are likely to return to head coaching positions in the league, a bunch of assistant GMs. No Bengals front office folks at the accelerator program this year. if Dan pitcher is part of a potential succession plan for the Bengals,

Starting point is 00:16:50 then there's another reason this is a make or break year for Taylor, right? Like if there's this idea similar to what the bills did with keeping Joe Brady attached to Josh Allen and that offense in Buffalo, the Bengals are entertaining that idea with Dan pitcher at all. Well, with pitcher attending the accelerator program with him continuing to have interest in head coaching jobs, I think that's part of it as well. and I think another part of this season that there's a ton of pressure

Starting point is 00:17:20 and this is kind of on Zach by proxy but a lot of this is going to come down to Al Golden too and those are two topics that I want to cover when we're talking about this coaching staff is both where pitcher fits into the future with the accelerator program with the interest that we've seen continued interest in him and head coaching opportunities around the NFL and then Golden where

Starting point is 00:17:40 yeah that's Zach Taylor's guy but how much success hinges for the Bengals this year on Al Golden's performance as DC. And I've mentioned this a few times in passing. Like one of the big strengths in the Lueira Rumo defensive tenure was his ability to put together those specialized game plans in the playoffs, the quarterback specific game plans, the things that earned him the mad scientist moniker of putting together these plans to help derail some of the high-powered offenses. And we didn't even get to talk about that

Starting point is 00:18:18 without Golden because it would just be functional was where we were last year. Now it's be functional and also like how are you going to prepare for these specific teams? So those are a couple topics that we can get into in a little bit more depth here, James, as we wrap up the conversation on the coaching staff,

Starting point is 00:18:35 the pressure that they're feeling this year and how they need to take the step with the rest of the roster to get the Bengals where they want to go this year. We'll go to those topics to finish up coming up next. Workplace chaos. Deadlines stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open, like the Bengals linebackers. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire, well, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for from skills, experience, location. So you're not just hoping

Starting point is 00:19:11 the right candidate stumbles into your linebacker. you can find that candidate. And in the minute we've been talking, companies like yours have made 27 hires on Indeed according to Indeed data worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates that check all your boxes with Indeed sponsored jobs. Spend less time searching and find the right candidates with Indeed sponsored jobs. And right now, listeners of Locked on Bengals get a $75 sponsored job credit to help you get

Starting point is 00:19:39 the premium status that your job deserves. Indeed.com slash podcast is where you go. That's Indeed.com slash podcast right now. Support locked on Bengals by saying we sent you again. That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed, sponsored jobs.

Starting point is 00:20:01 All right, James. Dan Pitchard the accelerator program with a bunch of prominent coaches, including former head coach, Mike McDaniel, was part of that this year, which is fascinating because he's been a head coach. I don't know that that's ever happened before. a former head coach at one of these, and the topic of the performance of Al Golden and that defensive staff, the two topics left today.

Starting point is 00:20:23 Where do you want to go first? Well, let's start with Golden with Al, because I think that, I think there is some real pressure on him, and the interesting thing is that contract, pay attention to that, right? He's got two years left. Zach has two years left. How you navigate that if he struggles,

Starting point is 00:20:44 but say the team's doing well, and Zach is doing well. And it's a really interesting proposition because obviously Al is Zach's guy. And by the way, I think Al's a good coach. Whether or not it works is a whole other thing. But I do think Al knows football and has coached well and was a good candidate for the job

Starting point is 00:21:03 based on what he did at Notre Dame and everything that he's done throughout his career. But is it going to work or not? We're going to find out this year. And so much of that to me is how many, steps does the defense take? Like I said, can they just get to functional out there? That's the first step. And they showed that they could do that against, albeit some bad offenses. They showed that they could do it down the stretch last year. And now what step can they take? Can they use all the toys

Starting point is 00:21:32 they've been given and all the overhaul that we've seen and put together significant improvements and answers to the ocean that is the league, the tide that is the tendencies around the the NFL where you're seeing more too tight end stuff, more attention on the running game and the need to be able to deal with the running game while staying over the top of the more explosive offenses in the NFL and the teams that want to punish you with play action and go over the top. And the schematic approach from Al Golden this year will be fascinating. The ability to put these guys in the best positions will be so interesting and to earn that trust of maximizing every single thing that they have now that they have a few things right

Starting point is 00:22:18 they have the brian cook piece in the secondary to go with dj turner and dax hill they've added all these pieces up front they give you and we've talked about it so much versatility in how you can package the defensive front with waves of substitutions and different looks that they can throw at opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks to try to confuse them to try to generate pass rush in a world that they don't have trey hendrickson anymore They don't have that single dominant player on the edge who's going to be a pass rushing menace, but they have different kinds of dominant players. Well, specifically, Dexter Lawrence and his ability to occupy multiple people on the inside

Starting point is 00:22:55 or toss the center into a quarterback's lap if you let him get that one-on-one opportunity. Those pieces and how they come together and how they come together against some of the better offenses the Bengals will face this year, how consistent they can be, how the tackling issue changes or doesn't change this year. Those are all things that are going to be critical. And yeah, some of that ultimately falls to the players, right? And the leadership and doing the right things, getting into the right checks. Because Al Golden does, and he's talked about it, like to empower his players to get into the right looks at the right times. But so much goes to how Al Golden prepares the defense this year.

Starting point is 00:23:35 And that ultimately, like I said, ultimately lands on. Zach Taylor's plate, right? Because that's his guy. That was the move that extended his life. Maybe not because I guess he had this extension. But like, that's what the Bengals chose to do to try to get things right while Zach Taylor was head coach. And so Al's unit has to get right this year, has to be at least in the middle of the league, right? Ideally better than that. Ideally, everything works out, right? But have to see massive strides from this defense in terms of consistency game plans and having the right answers at the right times for sure and i i think when it comes to to al it's uh it's so tough because last year if you would have told i wonder

Starting point is 00:24:23 there are a bunch of reasons to take the job but if you had told him hey it's going to be t j slayton orrin burks you're going to keep gino shamar stewart like if you had just told him hey this is what you're going to have the Trey Hendricks and things going to be weird. I wonder what he would have said in January, right? When he's weighing whether or not this is an option for him and he's at Notre Dame and he's helping them get to a national championship game. Like, you know, I mean, it was probably a really challenging year because he did not have enough.

Starting point is 00:24:55 You go into the draft knowing you need to get a linebacker like desperately need it. Right. And then a weak linebacker class. Like there's just a lot of layers to that. But now he may not have. Max Crosby on one side and T.J. Watt on the other and Jeffrey Simmons in the middle, but no defense does. And this defense should be significantly improved because of what they've added to what they already had. They're used to put life without Trey Hendrickson and significantly

Starting point is 00:25:27 upgrading the back end with a smart player like Brian Cook, who I referenced him like I saw him in the locker room last week and he's already jelling, already joking with the guys, It's already a part of that culture. And that matters. And last year, there wasn't really a veteran. And I'm trying to think. So I'm going to stumble here a little bit. Not stumble, but just pause and be slower with my thought process.

Starting point is 00:25:52 Because I don't want to insult any veteran, but I'm trying to think of the veteran that it would have been in that back end that could have done it. Like it should have been Gino, but when you don't play well, it cannot be Gino. And it wasn't Gino. So Brian Cook is that from the jump. Like I can just tell right away. I just saw a couple of interactions that he had in the locker room with multiple corners and multiple pieces of the secondary.

Starting point is 00:26:18 Like he's going to lead by example and lead from a culture standpoint and things like that. So if you're Al, you should feel like, hey, we have these veteran anchors that have been there done that have won that I can confide in. we can build the right culture. And if we stub our toe early, we're going to be able to rebound and perform well. And so, yeah, you're right. There are a lot of questions on what they can do, what they can't do schematically and what he's willing to do schematically now versus last year. And will tackling be the issue?

Starting point is 00:26:55 Like, tackling shouldn't be an issue now. It shouldn't. If Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight were worth the picks that you pick them at, they should not struggle nearly as much as they did last year. Gino Stone is way the hell away from Paycor Stadium, so that should matter a ton. Jordan Battle should be better because of Brian Cook and having him on the backhead. But we still have to see it. And that's it.

Starting point is 00:27:17 And I do think that's when you look at Al and you think, all right, how are you going to maximize everything here? If you asked him today, he would say, yeah, I'm working on an action plan for all these guys and what it's going to look like between now and training camp, which is just over two months away now. we'll see but it does need to come together and i expect it to i i think like i said i think i was a good coach and um if he is a good coach it's going to show because they do have the talent out and i think it'll be interesting to see where those captains he's land on the defensive side of the ball this year tray henderson lincoln no longer with the team bj hill was a captain last year so how many of the captains are additions dexter lawrence bryan cook does dj turn

Starting point is 00:28:02 get a captain role this year because I think that was kind of a trend toward the end of last last season. DJ Turner stepping into a bit of a leadership role there. And now in his fourth year, that's a possibility. So it'll be interesting to see where those captain votes land on the defensive side of the ball where, yeah, it seems like Dexter Lawrence would be a natural fit. Ryan Cook could be a natural fit, but they're new to the team. And that's always always a little bit interesting. Bengals did have four offensive captains last year.

Starting point is 00:28:33 Burrow, Chase, Caris, and Orlando Brown, only three of the defensive side of the ball. Historically, that's been a little bit more equal with the special teams captain. So from a leadership point of view, something this team has talked a lot about in terms of the players' role in leadership. I think that will be interesting.

Starting point is 00:28:51 Last topic here, James, and I think we've talked about most of the talking points here. Dan Pitcher, in his future with the team, I think that it kind of has worked out for the Bengals in terms of if this is in fact a make or break year for Zach Taylor and they get to a point where they're like, okay, it broke, we didn't make it. And they choose to move on from Taylor. There is, because pitcher has managed to stick around this whole time with the Bengals, the possibility that if they do want to keep that offense intact and have some offensive continuity, the guy is. in Joe Burroughs ear, maintaining a guy that has a great relationship with Joe Burrow and Dan Pitcher, that option is there for the Bengals.

Starting point is 00:29:38 We'll see how that all shakes out, obviously. But with pitcher, one of the attendees at the smaller group attending the accelerator program, I think that that succession plan, if it is needed, is very much in place if this season goes off the rails. What, yeah, what's more likely? pitcher coaching elsewhere or Al Golding coaching elsewhere next year or is it just both? I think it's pitcher coaching elsewhere because our expectations are that the season doesn't go off the rails, right? And if that's the case, then pitcher could get head coaching interviews again and end up landing one of those jobs.

Starting point is 00:30:19 Or maybe it's even an offensive play calling job again. But I continue to think that pitcher is going to be in demand for other jobs around the NFL. Yeah, I do wonder. And it sounds funny now, but what if, what if this defense is just awesome? How is Al Golden viewed? And how quickly does that, could that change? Like, we've, it's, it's funny what happened with Lou. Because Lou was close to being gone.

Starting point is 00:30:50 Like, they were close to being gone and it quickly changes. And one run can change that. And so if they go on a run, I just, you just wonder, that's all. Lou is still seen as a very popular defensive coordinator candidate last year. He was seen as one of the top guys out there after he was previously a head coaching candidate like you're alluding to. It can change quickly. I wonder if Al would stay in the NFL. Like if things go really well, I wonder if their potential college head coaching jobs are come calling for him.

Starting point is 00:31:17 I wonder if he's interested in returning to the college ranks for obviously he spent a lot of his career before this job in particular, the first NFL, DC job for Al Golden if things go really well there. But I still think, yeah, in terms of likelihood, like the way pitcher leaves is this season goes according to plan. And in May, we're going to talk about the season going according to plan, right? We don't know what the adversity to use a coaching staff term is going to be yet and how they're going to answer that adversity. But, yeah, Dan pitcher remaining a target for other teams wouldn't surprise me one bit if things

Starting point is 00:31:55 do go according to plan for the Bengals this year. Anything else on the coaching staff here, James, before we get out of here today? No, I think there's going to be more, you know, as we, as we go. And they wanted this. Just like, I think deep down, there's a lot of them that were like, man, we just didn't have enough. Not that they're yelling that behind the scenes or anything like that,

Starting point is 00:32:17 but you can just kind of read it. Joe felt the same way. And I think everybody in the building feels different right now than they would have three months ago or a year ago. And that's a heck of a thing. And we'll see how it lands. But I do think that they feel like they have the talent. Even if you want them to add another piece or two,

Starting point is 00:32:38 they have the talent to be much improved in the best they've been since making the ASC championship game in 2022. And along with having the talent comes to pressure like we've talked about. I want to thank everybody who's made Lockdown Bengals part of their daily routine that every day is out there. If you're interested in an ad-free version of this podcast, Check out LockdownBengles. On supercast.com for more details.

Starting point is 00:33:00 We're part of the Lockdown Podcast Network here on Lockdown Bengals, your team every day. And until next time, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Ho day and have a good.

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - MAKE OR BREAK Year For Zac Taylor, Coaching Staff

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.