The Cincinnati Bengals are not off to a great start to the season, with the team currently teetering on a 2-2 record. The record may not be too ugly when seen from the outside, but is obviously not great while considering the talent and the powerhouses that the franchise currently has.
Most of the blame has been on Joe Burrow, that the signal-caller has not been playing smartly and that the team has been relying too much on him. However, Stephen A. Smith recently said something out loud that many Cincinnati fans have been praying for silently this whole time.
SAS feels that the Bengals need to get rid of Zac Taylor as head coach and that too, quite soon. According to Smith, Taylor has not used the potential that his team has, with the veteran being surprised that he has not been blamed for the shoddy way Cincinnati has been playing.
“Bengals need a new head coach…What has Zac Taylor done as the head coach?… We talk about Joe Burrow, Joe Burrow, Joe Burrow… When do we get to talk about Zac Taylor? With the weapons that you have at your disposal, compared to what you’ve actually achieved, when? How come we never mention Zac Taylor?” Stephen A. Smith asked.
If Zac Taylor does lose his job with the Cincinnati Bengals, it won’t be the first time that an NFL team has fired their head coach in the middle of the season. However, from a sport psychological stand-point, I wonder how such a huge change will affect the players.
In case Taylor is fired, one thing that Bengals fans can expect is the players to play with more motivation, at least for the first few games. Studies have shown that players often lead more heavily onto each other when a coach departs, leading to more team-spirit and better performance.
At the same time, Taylor’s possible departure may also allow other underused players in Cincinnati to perform better. This in turn will reduce the team’s over-dependency on Joe Burrow, which can be beneficial since his heavy load is often the cause of his fumbles.
Cincinnati Bengals Aren’t Only Team Who Might Fire Their HC
The Cincinnati Bengals are not the only team who are likely to fire their head coach at this point in the season. Apart from Zac Taylor, a number of other coaches are also in the hot seat after abysmal performances this year.
The coach whose job might fly at any moment is none other than Todd Bowles, with the Bucs seeming like they have already contacted head-hunters. Another coach who might soon give his exit interview is Aaron Glenn, with the Jets failing to impress in this season, just like the last one.
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