Bengals head coach Zac Taylor talks his rookies, how Joe Burrow's enormous talent can sometimes be bad for his coach's health and not his, and why Jim Turner was his only choice to coach an offensive line that on Sunday covered up the Titans with Turner's patchwork quilt.
GH: Going into the bye, this rookie class is really playing for you. Not only Burrow and second-round pick Tee Higgins, but what do you think about these other guys? They all played Sunday.
They get better every week. These reps they're getting right now are going to pay off in a major way. Everyone has played and everyone has been effective in their jobs when they've played. The challenge for them is don't wait until this offseason to reflect back on your rookie year on what you could do better.
Do it during the bye week. Watch every snap that you've played the first eight weeks and find ways where you can hit another level these last eight games. These last eight games I want those to be your year two. We drafted them for a reason. They're captains. They have a lot of talent. They understand how to manage that and we have high expectations for them because they can handle it.
GH: What does Burrow have to do the next eight games?
Keep leading this team to wins. That's it. In the fourth quarter it's been unfortunate because he took us down the field a few times and we had chances to win the game. He did it against the Chargers on the last drive. He did it against the Browns, really, in both games. It's just making sure you're making good decisions and eliminating the turnovers. He's had some pretty fluky ones this year, but just keep leading. Keep being more a leader for us, which he's done and has no reservations. We're kind of poking holes in what he can do better. He's done a pretty dang good job through eight weeks.
He's got half a season in. Anything he's doing that he's doing better than you thought he would at this point?
I have a heart attack every time he takes off running with the ball, but he makes me look good every time he does. There's just that balance you have to continue to find. You have to understand the flow of the game on both sides of the ball. He has to know, hey, our defense needs to protect the ball. They're playing really good. We have to protect the ball. Throw it away. Or, I need to be a playmaker right now. We need an explosive play and I'm going to hold on to this thing a little longer to get that explosive play for the team. That's a lot of being a quarterback, not just managing the offense, but kind of understanding the flow of the game as the game progresses.
I think he does have a pretty good sense for that and I think he understands that every defense is different. Some guys, if you extend plays, they will hunt you down and make you pay for it. And some other teams you're able to create a little more time.
You've got a lot of faith in him. You showed that Sunday. Fourth and five at their 43 with 2:36 left in the half. The defense has been struggling at the end of the half. Is that a product of your faith in Joe, or a product of where you are in the season and, hey we're going to fling it? What is that a product of?
Confidence in the offense. Confident in that moment they're going to make it right and they did that.
That's a big play. If you don't make it, they've got great field position and plenty of time left.
I'll be honest, I don't think that thought really crossed our minds. If we don't make it. It was just give them a call they're all comfortable with and they made it work.
If you feel confident, they have to feel that confidence.
They do. Trust me. They're a very confident group right now. Our stress level to them, there's another level there. We're not there yet. Just because we've done it a few times, we're not where we need to be. And that is something that is preached – and I promise you _ in every unit meeting we have with these guys. We are not yet a championship offense. We're a good offense, but we have another level to go for sure.
GH: And the third-and-eight with 2:08 left in the game, I think a lot of guys would have handed it off and punted up 11. I guess I have to realize this guy's not a game manager. Joe's a quarterback that can make plays and a back shoulder throw from Burrow to Auden Tate is probably like a handoff. Plus, the two-minute warning was coming anyway.
ZT: There's no doubt and we have plenty of receivers he can do that with and you don't know how many seconds the play is going to take. You hope it takes you all the way to the warning. I thought our guys managed it well.
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Taylor-Made Takes: Memo For Busy Rookies, 'Last Eight Games I Want To Be Your Year Two' - Bengals.com
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