The Cincinnati Bengals notably had some problems during the Marvin Lewis era with game management.
Granted, this is an issue shared by all teams and coaches at times, with some blunders worse than others. But Lewis and his staff had a reputation for odd challenges and timeout usage, which was particularly odd for such a veteran coach.
New Bengals coach Zac Taylor is working overtime in an effort to prevent these issues, appointing Dan Pitcher as the head of game management, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
And Taylor knows the importance of it. He appointed Dan Pitcher, an offensive assistant, to be in charge of game management and situational issues and devoted an OTA practice to Pitcher’s checklist. One veteran NFL coach who has been with several teams said he’d never seen such an extensive situational period this early in the season.
Running a game itself is going to be a big challenge for a mostly new coaching staff, besides longtime special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.
That Taylor is taking an aggressive approach here is at least a good sign given the newness of the staff and the past issues the team has faced here.
Granted, it won’t always be perfect in Year 1 — but the early returns are at least proof enough that Taylor is taking the challenge seriously.
