Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, if nothing else, has a way with words.
Speaking with the media after players reported for workouts before the 2019 NFL draft, Taylor told Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer the following:
“We say it’s about us, right? So it’s how do we make our team the best and let’s make teams play us. If we can make our systems the best we can make them then that’s other people’s problems.”
Predictably, one of the most common questions Taylor has faced so far has been how he will adapt to the AFC North, which is usually the in-your-face football that sees teams beat the tar out of each other before the playoffs.
But Taylor has taken a refreshing stance in this regard, sort of brushing away the idea and turning it on its head. On paper, Taylor will look to do something similar to what he did with the Los Angeles Rams, leaning on a strong cast of running backs and keeping the defense guessing by running out of basic, versatile looks.
In reality, it isn’t easy to predict how the AFC North as a whole will evolve next year. Cleveland has Baker Mayfield leading a presumably pass-heavy attack. Baltimore is shifting fully to Lamar Jackson. Pittsburgh lost Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.
As for the Bengals,Taylor is operating more in the shadows right now, especially with the draft pending. But he’s clearly adamant on being a force of change within the division.
