Zac Taylor on Bengals' Win Over Colts
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00:00 obviously kind of an ugly end to the first half.
00:02 How did your guys kind of regroup
00:03 and turn that second half around?
00:04 Yeah, we talked about this last night.
00:08 We can't give them anything easy.
00:10 And that's kind of what it felt like there,
00:13 just the last defensive drive there.
00:15 Because we played great defensive football, really,
00:17 in the first half.
00:18 And so gave it up there.
00:19 And then they had a great job.
00:20 I think it was Harrison there on the pick for the pick six.
00:24 And so again, that's the way it goes sometimes, going in half.
00:26 You either have the momentum or you don't.
00:28 We didn't really have it at that moment.
00:30 Guys did a great job of just--
00:33 everyone had their poise throughout.
00:34 I wouldn't say that.
00:35 It was just two unfortunate events.
00:36 But did a great job rallying together at halftime,
00:38 knowing that we got to set the tone with the ball to come out.
00:40 Offense did a great job scoring coming out.
00:42 Defense did a great job getting a stop.
00:44 And we took control of the game in a moment
00:46 where we had to do that.
00:47 And really proud of the guys in all three phases
00:49 for being able to do that.
00:50 What has James Brown brought to this offense?
00:54 I mean, he's done a great job just controlling
00:56 what he can control.
00:57 And when he comes back off the injury,
01:00 great attention to detail as a rookie with the things
01:03 that we're asking him to handle.
01:04 He's made plays when his number's called.
01:05 And that's what you can do.
01:07 And again, he's had the right mind--
01:08 this whole rookie class really has had the right mindset
01:10 since the moment they walked in the door.
01:12 It's a really impressive class.
01:13 Obviously, we're talking about Chase right now
01:15 because he's had a great two games here.
01:16 But just as a whole, I think that that group
01:18 has done a great job of mentally being about the right stuff
01:21 in their rookie seasons.
01:22 What happened with James Pan?
01:24 I mean, I know it was Cramston.
01:25 But what did you think of his performance today?
01:27 Yeah, I thought Jake did a great job handling
01:30 all the different situations.
01:31 And Crampton, he came in and I think got an IV.
01:36 So yeah, that's what it was.
01:38 When you heard what I said, it was probably worse
01:40 than what it was when it happened.
01:41 No, no, no.
01:42 That wasn't-- no.
01:44 Thoughts on Zach D game that Trey Hendrickson had
01:48 and the way he bounced back from the penalty that was called.
01:52 Yeah.
01:53 Again, he's a force out there.
01:56 And you got to pay attention to him at all times
01:58 and does a great job.
01:59 Again, we talked about this a lot last year.
02:01 Even when he's not hitting the quarterback and making plays,
02:04 they feel him and they have to devote resources to him.
02:07 And it allows our other guys to step up as well when
02:09 they're doing that kind of stuff.
02:11 So I thought Trey did a great job today.
02:13 I thought our defense as a whole.
02:14 I mean, obviously, when they rushed for less than 50 yards
02:17 and got three sacks, that's a defensive effort overall.
02:19 Doing a great job on the coverage and the rush
02:21 and tackling.
02:22 What did you think of that penalty
02:24 and that situation in the game and how you guys rebounded
02:28 after that?
02:28 Yeah, we can't have it.
02:29 Trey knows that.
02:30 Trey's the first one to own up to it.
02:31 And it is what it is.
02:32 We move on from it.
02:34 I think we've done a great job keeping the penalties not
02:38 be a part of what we do.
02:40 And so again, that's just a learning moment for everybody.
02:41 And we'll respond the right way.
02:42 You guys have taken a little bit different of an identity
02:44 on offense to highlight Jake from what you know the best.
02:47 Why is that process with the coaches
02:48 and with Jake and that collaboration,
02:50 why is that what it's about?
02:51 I don't know that it's really been that different.
02:54 These are all things that we've done
02:55 over the course of the season.
02:56 And in each defense we play really
02:59 is a big driving force of how the game is played sometimes.
03:02 So I think everybody's just done a great job.
03:04 We haven't called a single play that we didn't rep,
03:07 all training camp and all fall.
03:08 And I think these guys believe in what we're doing.
03:11 And they've done a great job.
03:12 Each guy stepping up, we've really
03:14 called upon every resource we have on offense.
03:16 Everybody has stepped up.
03:17 I can think of so many guys that made catches today
03:20 and big plays.
03:21 We're not afraid to use everybody that's
03:23 on the roster and active and got faith that everybody can
03:25 step up and do their job.
03:26 Zach, Joe Mixon told us this week
03:28 that after the loss to the Steelers,
03:30 there was kind of an energy and a feel of,
03:32 hey, we're still the Bengals.
03:34 How much did you feel that energy and that message
03:36 permeating the last two games?
03:38 I felt it throughout the whole process.
03:41 Even in the midst of the losses, I
03:43 think that's what keeps me always optimistic is just
03:46 being around the guys and the way
03:48 that they continue to approach their job every single day.
03:50 And that's what we want.
03:51 That's why we built the team that way
03:52 that Duke and everybody has is for these types of moments.
03:56 Every team in the league faces adversity
03:58 over the course of the season.
03:58 And it's which teams can handle it and respond
04:00 at the right times, not crater.
04:02 And these are the guys that continue to respond.
04:05 And we have to prove it again next week.
04:07 It's not good enough just to do what
04:08 we've done these last two weeks.
04:09 It's not good enough.
04:10 And so we just got to continue to stack it.
04:13 We've got a history of doing that.
04:14 Obviously, this is a new team.
04:15 This is the 2023 team.
04:17 And we've got to go prove ourselves again
04:18 these next couple of weeks that we
04:21 can continue to play good football here in December.
04:24 You talked about your--
04:24 I spoke it.
04:25 Oh, yeah.
04:26 Kelsey, and I'll come back.
04:27 You talked about how good that defensive line was
04:29 for Indy coming in.
04:30 And you look at the stats, only three quarterback hits.
04:34 What did you think of the way that your offensive line--
04:37 Awesome.
04:37 Awesome.
04:37 Felt it.
04:38 Felt it throughout.
04:40 I think one of the hits really was on a cross-sift, which
04:43 is tough.
04:44 If they play it the right way, that's going to be tough.
04:46 And so we still hit TB for big end.
04:49 So I think those guys up front did a great job.
04:52 There's great camaraderie in that room.
04:57 They do a great job playing together.
04:59 They take a lot of pride in keeping the quarterback healthy,
05:02 getting the run game going, doing a great job
05:04 getting the perimeter on screens.
05:06 And so again, those guys have risen to the challenge
05:09 and are really helping us right now.
05:11 I know you guys focus on a week-to-week mindset.
05:14 But winning two games in very different ways,
05:17 I'm not sure, can you feel a moment
05:19 of starting to build at the right time?
05:22 This team is just-- the easiest way to put it
05:24 is we've had confidence throughout.
05:26 And we know reasons we've lost games.
05:29 We know reasons we've won games.
05:30 We know what our formula is.
05:31 We have to play discipline.
05:33 We have to protect the football, get the football out.
05:35 And different guys got to step up in different moments.
05:38 And today, a lot of guys stepped up.
05:40 I thought we did a great job protecting the ball.
05:43 Aside from one, Harrison, he made a great play
05:46 and got to pick six.
05:47 But we forced some turnovers as well.
05:49 DJ Ivy was one of those guys that did that today.
05:51 So again, different guys stepping up right now.
05:54 And that's what you need at this point in the season.
05:56 Do you feel the screen game would be as impactful
05:58 as it was?
06:00 I was hopeful.
06:02 That impactful?
06:03 Maybe not.
06:04 But again, that's not just chase and mix.
06:10 Ted had a huge block on the nickel
06:13 for Chase's touchdown run.
06:14 And a lot of guys getting out of space
06:17 and just making DBs have to move around a little bit,
06:19 even if they're not making the block.
06:21 Receivers doing a good job selling whatever they
06:23 need to sell on the play.
06:25 And Jake doing a good job holding the ball
06:27 until he can let it out with good ball placement.
06:29 So it's on everybody.
06:32 But it is part of our offense that's
06:34 really been impactful here these last couple weeks.
06:36 Brianna hit 30 points back that week.
06:38 [INAUDIBLE]
06:39 What does it do for you all as a team,
06:41 seeing that kind of performance as you all
06:43 get deeper to this playoff?
06:45 I mean, I really--
06:48 we felt like we were in a great flow on offense, really,
06:52 the last eight or nine weeks.
06:54 And so the Pittsburgh game was our outlier, really.
06:58 But I felt like we've been playing good football.
07:00 And so the quarterback jumps in there, and he's prepared.
07:03 And he needs to step up and play just as best as he possibly
07:06 can without our starter out there.
07:08 And Jake has done that.
07:09 And so the guys believe in him.
07:11 But it's not about just one guy.
07:12 It's the unit coming together and the defense supplementing
07:15 that, the special team supplementing that.
07:16 And I just think that the team effort has been outstanding
07:18 these last two weeks.
07:19 Chase Brown crossed 22 miles per hour on that touchdown.
07:23 Second fastest in the league.
07:24 You knew he was fast, probably.
07:26 Did you know he was that fast?
07:27 We've learned he's that fast.
07:28 We have learned-- we do the GPS in practice on kickoff return
07:32 and things like that.
07:33 So he's had opportunities to show how fast he is.
07:36 And he was the second in the league this year,
07:38 you're saying?
07:38 Yeah.
07:39 He's pretty good.
07:40 Yeah, he's a fast guy.
07:41 He's real fast.
07:42 Have you seen that number on the practice?
07:44 I think he's gotten to 22.
07:46 Yeah, I don't know how high it's gotten above 22.
07:48 But he's fast, fast.
07:50 He sparked the offense, obviously.
07:52 You think he sparked Joe Mixon?
07:53 I think Mixon's played pretty well in his last two games.
07:55 Again, I've sat up here and told you,
07:57 I think Joe Mixon's given us what we need to give.
07:59 And so that's maybe a different narrative.
08:02 But I continue to be pleased with what
08:04 Mixon brings to our offense.
08:05 And so again, it's a good combo we've got going right now.
08:10 And there's nothing wrong with that.
08:11 That's most teams in the league.
08:13 And so pleased with the job Justin Hill continues
08:16 to do with that room.
08:17 I mean, Justin, he's on it.
08:19 He does a great job developing those guys
08:20 and keeping them going.
08:21 And so pleased with what they've provided us.
08:24 Zach, you guys had today a 92-yard drive
08:27 in the first quarter.
08:28 And let me go back one step.
08:29 I mean, Travion on third down has got a role he plays as well.
08:32 It didn't come up as much today.
08:34 They've all got different roles.
08:36 And maybe sometimes they're magnified, sometimes they're
08:38 not.
08:38 But I think he's done a good job on that role too.
08:40 92-yard drive in the first quarter.
08:42 And then you had three more drives
08:45 after that touchdown drives of over 70 yards.
08:47 What does that say about Jake's ability
08:49 to put a lot of plays together?
08:53 Yeah, I mean, again, it's everybody.
08:58 The defense not giving them momentum.
08:59 It's the guys on offense making a lot of plays.
09:02 And Jake distributing it the way.
09:03 I felt good.
09:04 Other than that three and out to start the game,
09:06 there was a little clunky two-minute situation.
09:09 But we felt like we were scoring touchdowns in every drive.
09:12 Maybe it doesn't add up on that.
09:13 But I think at the end there when Jake got hurt
09:15 was our next punt maybe outside of two minutes.
09:18 So we felt like we had really good momentum
09:20 and our guys were doing a good job executing and just trying
09:23 to stay ahead there.
09:23 And so hats off.
09:25 The linemen started all that process.
09:27 They protect.
09:28 They get the run game going.
09:29 And all the other guys are making
09:31 the plays that come to them.
09:32 I just heard TJ Hill making a case for a few snaps
09:36 on offense ending after that.
09:37 I think interception.
09:38 Yeah.
09:39 Again, on the red zone defense.
09:41 I think it's 10 times now that this defense has come up
09:44 with no points there.
09:46 Yeah, that's something you feel when you get in there.
09:48 We don't just assume there's going
09:50 to be a field goal occurring or a touchdown.
09:53 Even the fourth down they scored on.
09:55 In my mind, we're getting the ball back on the two.
09:58 What are we going to call here?
09:59 And so that's just the mentality they've
10:01 instilled because of what they've done.
10:03 That's what the facts state.
10:04 And so there's a belief.
10:05 And I think because they've done it so many times,
10:07 the guys believe that they're not going to give up points.
10:09 And they find a way to get the ball back.
10:11 And it flows over to a guy like me
10:13 who's not sitting out there on defense doing anything.
10:15 I just feel like we're going to get the ball back or get a stop.
10:18 And that's how it goes sometimes.
10:20 Zach, when you have a young quarterback,
10:22 sometimes they practice one way.
10:23 And then when they get in the game, the game speeds up.
10:26 Are you surprised in any way how Jake's
10:28 been able to transition his decision
10:30 making for practice today?
10:31 I don't look at him as a young guy.
10:33 He's been here now for three years.
10:35 That's old in this league.
10:37 And so he knows what makes a really good backup
10:41 quarterback.
10:41 It's just it's being able to take the reps that you're not
10:44 getting mentally and manufacture them in practice.
10:46 And Dan Pitcher does a great job with him in that.
10:48 And so again, it's a little-- you'd
10:50 handle him differently if he was a rookie, maybe second year
10:53 guy.
10:53 But I feel like we've got a veteran quarterback out there
10:56 just getting his first action in front of the whole stadium
10:58 necessarily.
10:59 But this is why we've given him the opportunity
11:03 to compete for the job.
11:04 This is why he won the job.
11:05 This is why he stuck around for three years.
11:07 A lot of times, the guys on the practice squad,
11:09 you just kind of switch them out after two years
11:11 if you feel like, all right, two years.
11:13 But Jake had all the intangible stuff.
11:15 He had the skills that we saw that this guy can
11:18 be an effective player for us.
11:19 And all he's done is continue to prove it right.
11:23 He knows that the season doesn't end today.
11:25 He's got to continue to stack this and prepare.
11:27 And I'm sure we've got another tough defense coming in next
11:30 week with Minnesota.
11:32 But he's just controlled what he controlled to this point.
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