Zac Taylor, Lou Anarumo shoulder blame amid Bengals' skid

[Arkansas Bengal]

• 
  Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterDec 2, 2024, 06:06 PM ET

 

 

CINCINNATI -- Coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn't shy away from shouldering their share of the blame for the Cincinnati Bengals' three-game losing streak and a season that has slipped away from them.

 

After a disappointing loss to the Stealers on Sunday, one that Taylor said the team believed it could have won, he took responsibility for how the team has fared amid a four-win season.

 

"I'm not going to sit here and put this on the players. As the head coach, you sit there and you're 4-8," Taylor said Monday. "You're a 4-8 head coach. And that starts with you. To get the most out of everybody, that's my job."

 

Anarumo also opened his session with reporters with a similar message after a 44-38 defeat to Cincinnati's AFC North rival.

 

"Obviously all of this starts and ends with me," Anarumo said. "How we play is certainly my responsibility. I think the players have done a fantastic job of preparing, practicing with energy, giving us their best. I'm proud of the way we've gone about that.

 

"We need to do a better job -- I need to do a better job of making sure it shows up on Sundays."

 

Cincinnati's defense has struggled over the course of the season and voided standout performances from quarterback Joe Burrow and the offense. With the loss to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati became the first team in NFL history to lose four games in a season while scoring at least 33 points in those contests.

 

Many issues led to the Bengals being unable to limit a Stealers offense that ranked 25th in the league in touchdowns per drive and 30th in red zone efficiency entering Sunday. Taylor said that details were lacking and tackling was insufficient. Anarumo counted at least 12 missed tackles, an issue that has occured over the course of the season. Those issues contributed to 37 offensive points allowed in the loss.

 

Anarumo repeatedly took responsibility for the defense's ineffectiveness during his 20-minute session with reporters Monday. It comes with the territory, he said.

 

"We all know, as NFL coaches, what we signed up for," Anarumo said when asked if this was the most pressure he has felt in his six-year tenure with the club. "And like I

said, my concerns are our players and getting them in the best position to be successful on Sundays. That's all I think about."

 

Since Sunday's loss and throughout the season, players have indicated that the blame on the defensive coordinator has been unwarranted. Second-year safety Jordan Battle, who made his first start of the season against Pittsburgh (9-3), reiterated that point Monday.

 

"He's always going to put the blame on himself," Battle said. "In reality, it's not Coach Lou. It's all of us as one. We have to do our job when Coach Lou calls the play. And we can always save the down with any call that we have."

 

Battle said he felt the team had great effort at practice, a lot of energy and solid enthusiasm -- all traits of a team that was still playing hard despite a 3.7% chance of making the playoffs. In his postgame comments Sunday, Burrow made it a point to say the rest of this season will be about finding out which players handle adversity well and should be part of roster moving forward.

 

Taylor and the majority of this coaching staff know the situation well. In 2019 and 2020, the Bengals won a combined six games before going to the Super Bowl in 2021 and the AFC Championship Game in 2022.

 

All of those experiences were indirectly referenced by Taylor on Monday as the Bengals attempt to chart their path forward.

 

"Oftentimes, you all have watched me sit up here for six years and fight through a lot of adversity," Taylor said. "I see what's on the other side of it. You see the people you want to do it with. Right now, this serves as an opportunity to evaluate the people you want to continue to do it with."

 

That process will continue next week, when the Bengals face the Dallas Cowboys on "Monday Night Football," a prime-time matchup that Taylor and the team are relishing.

"It's a great opportunity," Taylor said. "What more really can you ask for? I think our guys will respond well to that."

 

 

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/espns-stephen-smith-blasts-biden-after-pardoning-son-youre-full-it

[LostInDaJungle]

"Sure, so we might have not paid the Visigoths and they're here sacking Rome, and that's on me. My bad guys. I guess I should have done that instead of paying for all of the orgies."

Second year centurion Jordanius was quick to absolve Caesar, "That's just how Caesar is, but we centurions are still shining our armor and harassing peasants with good energy. At the end of the day, we have to repel the Visigoths as Romans, not just as legionnaires. You can't just say 'Oh, it was this orgy, it was that orgy...' We have to come together as a legion. I believe that we can still save Rome."

That will be hard work with only 3.7% of Rome left unsacked after a humiliating defeat of the Roman legions by a bunch of Visigoth kindergartners out on a field trip. "Dem Kids man. They got the ball out fast every time, and that's just impossible to stop." said 7th year centurion Germanius Prattus. "We'll get them next week. I think guys are finally figuring out which end of the sword is the stabby one. 🩸"

"It's tough but we'll find out who the real Romans are." said Jesus Burronious.

"It's a great opportunity," Caesar said. "It's good to get out of the city for a while. I think the legion will respond well to that."

[Le Tigre]

Brilliant! 😂
 

(I’ll come up with a Goebbels newsreel slant for April 1945) 

[Shebengal]

9 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said:

"Sure, so we might have not paid the Visigoths and they're here sacking Rome, and that's on me. My bad guys. I guess I should have done that instead of paying for all of the orgies."

Second year centurion Jordanius was quick to absolve Caesar, "That's just how Caesar is, but we centurions are still shining our armor and harassing peasants with good energy. At the end of the day, we have to repel the Visigoths as Romans, not just as legionnaires. You can't just say 'Oh, it was this orgy, it was that orgy...' We have to come together as a legion. I believe that we can still save Rome."

That will be hard work with only 3.7% of Rome left unsacked after a humiliating defeat of the Roman legions by a bunch of Visigoth kindergartners out on a field trip. "Dem Kids man. They got the ball out fast every time, and that's just impossible to stop." said 7th year centurion Germanius Prattus. "We'll get them next week. I think guys are finally figuring out which end of the sword is the stabby one. 🩸"

"It's tough but we'll find out who the real Romans are." said Jesus Burronious.

"It's a great opportunity," Caesar said. "It's good to get out of the city for a while. I think the legion will respond well to that."

Almost as good as the Colonel Joseph Lee Burrow posts.

[T-Dub]

Anarumo: "It's on me"

 

Taylor: "Sure is, buddy."

[|BlackJesus|]

Not having the league MVP in the playoffs is an insult to every football fan ...

 

[claptonrocks]

Tom Brady lost 4 games in 23 yrs when scoring 33 pts in a game.

 

Joe Burrow has lost 4 games this year scoring 33..

 

[|High School Harry|]

6 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

Tom Brady lost 4 games in 23 yrs when scoring 33 pts in a game.

 

Joe Burrow has lost 4 games this year scoring 33..

 

Yes, but did Tom Brady have a Batmobile?

[TigerJ@w]

On 12/3/2024 at 1:15 PM, BlackJesus said:

Not having the league MVP in the playoffs is an insult to every football fan ...

 

Stats like that would get someone Fired but, here we are once again with the Brown family doing nothing. 

[claptonrocks]

6 hours ago, High School Harry said:

Yes, but did Tom Brady have a Batmobile?

No but he had a moat around his home..😎

[Arkansas Bengal]

14 hours ago, High School Harry said:

Yes, but did Tom Brady have a Batmobile?

 

[|High School Harry|]

18 minutes ago, Arkansas Bengal said:

 

Holy Haberdasher, BatJoe, is that what you're wearing to the next Bengals home game?

 

Why, yes, Ja'Robin.  How did you guess?

[Le Tigre]

On the sort of OT front (and in relation to awful play calling: 

 

Was just watching the Ohio High School Division V Championship…Ironton vs Liberty Center. Ironton had gone ahead 21-9 with under 4 mins left. Center puts in their “throwing” QB, and promptly goes the length of the field in less than 2 mins …throwing every down. Ironton didn’t have an answer for it. 
 

Center tries an onside kick (they have 3 TO’s left), but it failed. Ironton, inexplicably, tries some misdirection play, and the QB fumbles at midfield. Center recovers. Then it gets maddening. 
 

The coach puts the “starting QB” back in—who was basically just a runner—and they run 2 straight plays into nothing. They burn 2 TO’s. Then, instead of at least trying to throw, Center tries this jet sweep on 3rd and 10…and the runner not only gets stuffed…but also fumbles. Game over. 
 

If I’m sitting around the coffee shop in Liberty OH tonight or tomorrow: I’m asking “why, with 2 mins to play and 3 TO’s, do you not only go away from your hot “throwing QB” to the ineffective “running QB” and run 3 straight running plays at midfield? 
 

Yeah, just mid-level Ohio HS football, but questionable play calling is universal! 
 

 

 

 

[esjbh2]

55 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

On the sort of OT front (and in relation to awful play calling: 

 

Was just watching the Ohio High School Division V Championship…Ironton vs Liberty Center. Ironton had gone ahead 21-9 with under 4 mins left. Center puts in their “throwing” QB, and promptly goes the length of the field in less than 2 mins …throwing every down. Ironton didn’t have an answer for it. 
 

Center tries an onside kick (they have 3 TO’s left), but it failed. Ironton, inexplicably, tries some misdirection play, and the QB fumbles at midfield. Center recovers. Then it gets maddening. 
 

The coach puts the “starting QB” back in—who was basically just a runner—and they run 2 straight plays into nothing. They burn 2 TO’s. Then, instead of at least trying to throw, Center tries this jet sweep on 3rd and 10…and the runner not only gets stuffed…but also fumbles. Game over. 
 

If I’m sitting around the coffee shop in Liberty OH tonight or tomorrow: I’m asking “why, with 2 mins to play and 3 TO’s, do you not only go away from your hot “throwing QB” to the ineffective “running QB” and run 3 straight running plays at midfield? 
 

Yeah, just mid-level Ohio HS football, but questionable play calling is universal! 
 

 

 

 

Coaching is sooooooo complicated and hard...except when it isn't.

[claptonrocks]

3 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

On the sort of OT front (and in relation to awful play calling: 

 

Was just watching the Ohio High School Division V Championship…Ironton vs Liberty Center. Ironton had gone ahead 21-9 with under 4 mins left. Center puts in their “throwing” QB, and promptly goes the length of the field in less than 2 mins …throwing every down. Ironton didn’t have an answer for it. 
 

Center tries an onside kick (they have 3 TO’s left), but it failed. Ironton, inexplicably, tries some misdirection play, and the QB fumbles at midfield. Center recovers. Then it gets maddening. 
 

The coach puts the “starting QB” back in—who was basically just a runner—and they run 2 straight plays into nothing. They burn 2 TO’s. Then, instead of at least trying to throw, Center tries this jet sweep on 3rd and 10…and the runner not only gets stuffed…but also fumbles. Game over. 
 

If I’m sitting around the coffee shop in Liberty OH tonight or tomorrow: I’m asking “why, with 2 mins to play and 3 TO’s, do you not only go away from your hot “throwing QB” to the ineffective “running QB” and run 3 straight running plays at midfield? 
 

Yeah, just mid-level Ohio HS football, but questionable play calling is universal! 
 

 

 

 

Marion Local won Division 7 championship 74-0

It extends their record setting consecutive wins at 64.

[stan]

On 12/3/2024 at 11:53 AM, T-Dub said:

Anarumo: "It's on me"

 

Taylor: "Sure is, buddy."

Who picked Anarumo,as his def coordinator? Zac Taylor.So it's on him to.

[Shebengal]

11 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

Marion Local won Division 7 championship 74-0

It extends their record setting consecutive wins at 64.

I think that every year my nephew was coaching at Mechanicsburg and they made the playoffs, Marion Local ended their run. They’ve had a good program for a long time.

[Le Tigre]

Ohio High School Football Scores

Championships

Division II – Avon 20, Cincinnati Anderson 13 – Recap

Division VII – Maria Stein Marion Local 74, Jeromesville Hillsdale 0 – Recap

 

Division III – Columbus Bishop Watterson 19, Toledo Central Catholic 14 – Recap

 

Division I – Powell Olentangy Liberty 28, Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller 14 – Recap

 

Division VI – Coldwater 31, Kirtland 7

 

Division V – Ironton 28, Liberty Center 17

 

Division IV – Gnadenhutten Indian Valley 37, Sandusky Perkins 36

 

(Ohio has become so diversified…when I played, there were no divisions, and the state championship participants were determined by the newspapers. Every game (all 4 of them) were played in one day at Ohio Stadium.)

[T-Dub]

12 hours ago, stan said:

Who picked Anarumo,as his def coordinator? Zac Taylor.So it's on him to.

 

Woah there, slow down..  If Zac's responsible for hiring Anarumo, that would mean someone else is responsible for hiring Zac.  That's a lot of responsibility you're throwing around there!

 

Nope, can't have that. 

 

[claptonrocks]

20 hours ago, stan said:

Who picked Anarumo,as his def coordinator? Zac Taylor.So it's on him to.

When he had the horses all was good

The Mad Scientist he was called.

 

He now has no rush so his backfield is covering beyond their limits 

His backfield ( put together by Tobin)

Is over their head..

Fire him if they will but no other DC could turn this unit  into an above average .

 

[sparky151]

On 12/9/2024 at 1:58 AM, claptonrocks said:

When he had the horses all was good

The Mad Scientist he was called.

 

He now has no rush so his backfield is covering beyond their limits 

His backfield ( put together by Tobin)

Is over their head..

Fire him if they will but no other DC could turn this unit  into an above average .

 

 

Not sure about that. Apart from the talent level, there are also issues with brain farts and intensity. IMO other coordinators could fix those. Lou claims the players are listening to him but the video says otherwise. 

[Jamie_B]

Looks like Belichick has agreed to be the next HC of UNC

[claptonrocks]

On 12/10/2024 at 12:06 PM, sparky151 said:

 

Not sure about that. Apart from the talent level, there are also issues with brain farts and intensity. IMO other coordinators could fix those. Lou claims the players are listening to him but the video says otherwise. 

Could be a case of brain farts..