{"id":101328,"date":"2021-01-05T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=101328"},"modified":"2021-03-20T16:07:14","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T20:07:14","slug":"cincinnati-bengals-firings-of-coaches-stops-too-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/01\/05\/cincinnati-bengals-firings-of-coaches-stops-too-short\/","title":{"rendered":"Cincinnati Bengals Firings of Coaches Stops Too Short"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a putrid loss to the Baltimore Ravens<\/a>, the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>\u2019 firings began in the coach\u2019s room. While the roster has its shortcomings, the recent shake-up doesn\u2019t address obvious staffing issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the Dust Settles, Cincinnati Bengals Firings Seem to Miss the Mark<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the early hours of the NFL\u2019s Black Monday for coaches, the Cincinnati Bengals stood by head coach Zac Taylor. The team\u2019s owner and general manager, Mike Brown<\/a>, released a statement announcing his confidence<\/a> in Taylor moving forward. However, recent development revealing a number of other Cincinnati Bengals staff firings show that confidence isn\u2019t booming inside the team\u2019s front office.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A report late last week<\/a> from Sports Illustrated<\/em>‘s Elise Jesse revealed a slew of coaching cuts. Most notably, the team moves on from controversial<\/a> offensive line coach Jim Turner<\/a> after two bad seasons. Other firings include defensive line coach Nick Eason<\/a>, wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell, and defensive assistant Gerald Chatman. Running backs coach Jemal Singleton also departs, filling the same role at the University of Kentucky<\/a>. All those firing were issued before the Bengals took a walloping from the Baltimore Ravens, losing 38-3 on their home field in the season finale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In his second season as the Bengals\u2019 head coach, Taylor lead the team to a 4-11-1 record. In two years, Taylor owns a 6-25-1 record as the team\u2019s lead man. As the team returns to the top five in the NFL Draft<\/a> for a second consecutive year, the results haven\u2019t been good enough. However, wins over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> in Week 15 and Houston Texans<\/a> in Week 16 did enough to save the coach\u2019s job<\/a>. Further, the team encountered a slew of injuries to key players throughout both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two Good Bengals Assistants Lost in the Wreckage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Among the aforementioned departures, two staffers seem unjustly ousted. The team moved in the right direction on the offensive side this year. Particularly at their offensive skill positions, the Bengals were finding a lot of positivity. Thus, the firing of Bicknell and the departure of Singelton hurt this team and coaching staff. While the team will search for better coaching options, those losses could hurt some of the positive developments from this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Singleton heads to the University of Kentucky to work with their talented rushing core. It leaves a sizeable hole in the team\u2019s coaching staff. Breakout performances in the running back room highlighted the team\u2019s recent home win over the Steelers. The team rushed for 152 yards in the game and helped control the clock. Giovani Bernard<\/a> ran for 83 yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts. Quarterback Ryan Finley<\/a> ran for 45 yards and a touchdown on ten attempts. Samaje Perine<\/a> ran for 14 yards on four attempts. The experimental nature of the attack showed the creativity and versatility amongst the team\u2019s rushers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the receivers, it\u2019s been a hit-and-miss bunch, but the hits have been outstanding. Tee Higgins<\/a> is rising as one of the league\u2019s young stars after a great rookie season. Tyler Boyd<\/a> is one of the best slot receivers in the league. Auden Tate<\/a> looks like an emerging red zone menace. However, a big red mark hurt Bicknell, as he failed to make John Ross<\/a> III even a mid-level contributor. In two seasons with Bicknell, Ross was targeted 63 times and only caught 30 of those for 523 yards and three touchdowns. His 2020 season ended after three games and a public airing of the grievances with the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Retaining Lou Anarumo Among Cincinnati Bengals Firings An Illogical Move<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While the offensive side of the ball had their struggles, the defense was a rocky group at best. According to Football Outsiders<\/em>\u2019 DVOA rankings<\/a>, the Bengals finished with the 27th overall defensive group in 2020 and the 30th overall group in 2019. Considering the growth expected from the group this season, that\u2019s a disappointing metric. The team also spent a lot of money and draft assets this offseason to improve their run defense. In turn, they allowed the fourth-most rushing yards (2,368) in the league and second-most yards per rushing attempt (5.1).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The defense also failed to make many big plays for the second consecutive season. They finished sixth in turnovers, only creating 17 on the season. The group also couldn\u2019t get to the quarterback despite having competent edge rushers in Carl Lawson<\/a> and Sam Hubbard<\/a>. They finished last in sacks with 17 and second-to-last in quarterback pressures with 102 on the season. Overall, it just wasn\u2019t good enough from a group with some really good emerging talent. It makes justifying Lou Anarumo\u2019s return pretty difficult for Taylor and the Bengals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Players Still Support Zac Taylor<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Regardless, there are key members of the team who still hold ample confidence in the 37-year-old head coach. Last month, a report revealed that Joe Burrow<\/a> has his coach\u2019s back and wants to continue his growth with Taylor. Bernard, a longtime member of the team and locker room leader, continues to provide effusive praise of the coach. Tyler Boyd<\/a> is another key Bengal endorsing Taylor. Asked about Taylor in his 2020 exit interview, Boyd said, \u201cHe\u2019s a players coach. He relates to everybody in different ways. He\u2019s going to coach to your ability. He knows a lot. He knows so much and I trust in this offense and I feel we can be the best offense next year.\u201d Hubbard, Xavier Su’a-Filo<\/a>, and Logan Wilson<\/a> are other key Bengals to endorse the team’s standing head coach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Couldn\u2019t be more excited about the future of our organization. We have a great foundation and great people at the top. Look forward to giving the fans what they deserve. Also hopefully that\u2019s the last time I ever have to watch a game on tv\ud83e\udd1f<\/p>\n

— Joey Burrow (@JoeyB) January 4, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n