Zac Taylor on Bengals' Mindset After Loss to Steelers, Injury Updates and More
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00:00How's Joe's leg feeling?
00:02He hasn't said anything to me about it.
00:04So I talked to him after the game.
00:06Again, we'll see where he's at on Wednesday and Thursday.
00:08How's Orlando coming out of the game?
00:10He was struggling at the end.
00:12So again, we'll let some time pass.
00:13The bonus day this week should help us with a couple of guys.
00:17He's fighting through it.
00:18He's a guy that he wants to play.
00:21He's been trying to play.
00:22Try to protect him from himself as best we can.
00:25You could see there at the end of the game,
00:26he was really struggling with it.
00:28So I appreciate his effort.
00:29And we'll just see where he's at as the week goes.
00:31Was that a tough decision, or were there
00:33conversations from at that point,
00:34like, man, I don't know if he's going to make it through?
00:36It's a tough point in the game to start
00:38making all those changes.
00:39And so you just count on him to keep fighting through it.
00:43How's Logan coming through the week?
00:45We'll see.
00:46We'll see.
00:47Really sore.
00:48And we'll just see where he's at this week.
00:50When you went back and watched the game,
00:52what part of the defensive performance bothers you most?
00:57We've got to tackle better.
00:58There's no question.
00:59We've got to be on the same page with all the details.
01:02I think it's as simple as that.
01:03Find ways to create turnovers, get stops.
01:06Guys are accountable for it.
01:07Guys feel like they get punched in the gut.
01:10We all feel that way.
01:13As I said, all three phases, there's
01:14things that we can do better to help us win a game.
01:17It's not just on one unit.
01:18And when a season's gone the way this is,
01:20it's everybody's got to take accountability for that.
01:22And I feel that from this team.
01:24It's a team that's hurt.
01:25I mean, quite frankly, we all expected to win yesterday,
01:28expected to win a lot more this season.
01:29It hasn't gone our way.
01:31We've got to take accountability for it, pick ourselves up,
01:34and go find a way to have a better performance this weekend.
01:37How do you explain a team not being on the same page
01:40with all the details in week 13?
01:42I wish I could explain it.
01:43It's something we work through.
01:45I do feel good about the preparation,
01:47but that hasn't shown up on game day as much as it needs to.
01:51And we'll keep working through it.
01:54We've got guys that care.
01:56That's obviously an important part of it
01:59is it means something to everybody out there.
02:01It's not guys that are putting in half effort
02:04and pointing fingers at each other.
02:06It's guys that are hurt and care and take
02:09a lot of pride in their performance,
02:10in the unit's performance, in the team's performance.
02:13And so again, we just got to find a way to improve.
02:16Is there extra concern that it's been the first half recently
02:20and a lot of these games that ultimately the defense hasn't
02:25been there?
02:27It's a concern that we're fornate
02:28and our whole team hasn't done enough to find more wins.
02:31I think that's the biggest issue.
02:35Joe, after the game, says that he's
02:37going to closely watch everyone to see who's with us
02:41and who's not with us going forward.
02:43What does that mean to you?
02:44I think at this point, it says a lot
02:46about the leadership on the team.
02:48And it's what happens.
02:51You see who can handle the adversity, who's
02:53got thick skin, who's willing to go through this.
02:57Because we've had good times here
02:58and you got to work through the bat.
02:59And I hope you appreciate it when things
03:01are going really good.
03:03But I do appreciate Joe saying that.
03:05That's where the leader's got to step up and hold everyone
03:08accountable, hold themselves accountable.
03:10Joe's the guy that does it the right way.
03:12And so when he says something, it means something.
03:14Because guys look at him and say, OK,
03:16this guy puts in extra work.
03:17He does all the things.
03:18He plays at a high level.
03:20He's put himself in a position to do that.
03:22And so when a guy like that speaks, it carries its weight.
03:26And those are the kind of things you
03:28need from the leadership on the team.
03:29And Joe's willing to step up and say
03:31the things that need to be said.
03:32Have you seen that kind of behind the scenes
03:34as well this year?
03:34Absolutely.
03:35Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of guys
03:36that I meet with privately, meet within groups.
03:38And so again, my belief in them hasn't
03:44wavered from a leadership perspective, certainly.
03:46And I stand in front of the team.
03:52And I'm not looking at guys that have checked out,
03:55guys that it doesn't mean something to.
03:59And sometimes when you have losing seasons,
04:01you do get that sense from people.
04:03And it's hard to sit here and say
04:06I'm encouraged by something when we've
04:08lost three games in a row.
04:11But again, when I look at these guys,
04:13I know they take a lot of pride in what we're doing.
04:15And you're going to get their best effort going forward.
04:17Could there be any thought of making a change at safety
04:21with Geno Stone and letting Dejon or Tyson
04:23see what they can do?
04:24We'll just keep working through every position.
04:26You know, that's something we spend time every Monday
04:28after a game talking through.
04:30Who needs more snaps or where?
04:31And so that doesn't change this week.
04:33Yeah, but if you want changes, go ahead.
04:35How do you feel like the changes work on Sunday?
04:37Yeah, I mean, the line of changes on defense,
04:40obviously, we still give up 37 points.
04:43So we're accountable for that.
04:44We won't get into player by player.
04:47Obviously, we've got to improve.
04:48Without Cordell, the change with Cordell and Cody,
04:51how do you evaluate how that went?
04:54That was an opportunity that Cody has earned.
04:56And he's played well stepping in at left tackle,
05:00well enough to get an opportunity
05:02to be one of the five linemen that walk on the field.
05:05And so again, it was probably more about Cody
05:07than anything else.
05:08And tough matchups this week, and so again,
05:11we get in a situation where we're throwing it a lot more
05:14than we're not afraid to throw the ball, certainly.
05:16But you get to a point in the game
05:18where it really does become that.
05:19They get a chance to spin their ears back,
05:20and it becomes tough matchups for the linemen.
05:22So they know that.
05:23They go out there, and they fight their tails off
05:25and give us some opportunities to keep scoring points
05:28and appreciate that about them.
05:29Do you feel good about that configuration moving forward?
05:32I do.
05:33What are your discussions with you after a game like this?
05:35Just finding solutions.
05:37And again, here on December 2, whatever it is,
05:43there's no magic formula that's going to fix everything
05:45and change everything.
05:46So we've got to get guys playing detailed, playing fast,
05:49be in a great position to make the tackles,
05:51get guys on the field to create stops.
05:54Yeah, the penalties and the penalty yards
05:56were the highest in your time here.
05:58Was that a product of frustration
06:00with the way the game was going, or the kind of attention
06:02to detail you were talking about before?
06:04They were all a little bit different.
06:08I wish I could just say this is all one thing.
06:10There was a couple of things, certainly,
06:12but they had a lot of penalties as well.
06:15So I thought it was an evilly officiated game that way.
06:18And so there's not a lot of complaint for how that occurred.
06:22We take all your pride in being disciplined,
06:24and so it's way more penalties than we're comfortable with.
06:27But again, that was kind of just the way the game
06:29was played on both sides.
06:32What was your thought on Hakeem's penalty
06:35in that game, and what kind of message it sent?
06:39Bang, bang, play.
06:42You watch the tape, it's a tick early.
06:43And so he had a good view of it.
06:46He called it.
06:49It's just one of those plays that you can go either way.
06:52I guess what I'm really asking is,
06:54can a message, a hit like that, deliver a positive message
06:58of aggression to the defense?
06:59There's no question.
07:00Guys feed off of that.
07:01Cam had a great one in a cover zero look on a quick out
07:04concept, where he hit the receiver.
07:06So there was certainly a tone on plays.
07:09It's just got to be more consistent,
07:10and it's got to carry over for the length of the game,
07:13the length of a half.
07:14It can't just be some one-offs, and our guys
07:16are accountable for that.
07:20What's the biggest thing you're going to gauge
07:22over the next five weeks?
07:23Well, keeping everybody in this thing,
07:26and making sure everybody's continuing
07:28to do the right things.
07:29And I haven't gotten any notion that that's not the case.
07:32I think that's Joe's message, is when you're here
07:35and you're forced to focus on just one game at a time here
07:39and can't look too far down the road,
07:42you get a chance to observe people
07:43and how they handle adversity.
07:44And so again, when you're in the position we're in,
07:48it says a lot about people about how to handle it.
07:51And it's a great opportunity for us
07:52to be able to observe everybody and make
07:55sure everyone's built for this and can handle the adversity.
07:57And oftentimes, you all have watched
07:59me sit up here for six years and fight
08:01through a lot of adversity.
08:02And I see what's on the other side of it,
08:04and you see the people you want to do it with.
08:06And so right now, this serves as an opportunity
08:08to evaluate the people you want to continue to do it with.
08:11And that's the opportunity that's in front of us.
08:15And we also get to go and try to win games, too,
08:18and kind of get the stink off of us of losing three in a row
08:21and not having won a game for a month.
08:22We feel that.
08:23And it builds over time.
08:25And one win can rectify a lot of that.
08:27It doesn't cover up issues, but it
08:30does get that feeling back in you,
08:31and it starts to create some momentum.
08:33And we got to do everything in our can these next seven days
08:36to find a way to put our best effort, our best performance
08:38this season in all three phases on Monday night
08:41football in Dallas, Texas, and find a way to get a win
08:43and continue to build off that.
08:47It's a great opportunity.
08:48I mean, what more really can you ask for?
08:50And so I think our guys will respond well to that.
08:54How different is it?
08:55I mean, obviously, in 19 and 20, you
08:57may be more looking forward to maybe what's to come.
08:59You all have now experienced it, and maybe now
09:01in a similar situation as you were back then.
09:03I mean, how maybe unique is it because you guys have been
09:05where you all wanted to go, and now kind of maybe
09:07progressed a little bit.
09:08Yeah, you know what it looks like.
09:09And so you know how to get back to where we need to be.
09:12And it doesn't happen overnight.
09:15Trust me, if it happened overnight,
09:16we would have flipped this thing weeks ago.
09:19But we're going to continue to work.
09:20We know what championship level football looks like.
09:23We know what it's going to take.
09:24It's going to take a lot of hard work and guys
09:26all being on the same page and doing it.
09:28And I'm excited to get back to that.
09:29You were a lot about building the right culture
09:32over the last three years and making sure everybody
09:36had the right attitude.
09:38How much are you leaning on that now in more difficult times?
09:40Quite a bit.
09:41Quite a bit.
09:42Do you guys feel like you need to start rebuilding that again
09:45to get guys that are more guys that are about the right stuff
09:48and figure out more guys that aren't?
09:49I don't look around the locker room
09:51and think that we got guys that aren't in this thing together.
09:53And so again, we got to play at a higher level.
09:56I don't think we've got the wrong people.
09:59We just got to get guys to play at a higher
10:01level in all three phases.
10:02We got to coach at a higher level.
10:04I'm not going to sit here and put this on the players.
10:08As a head coach, you sit there and you're a 4 and 8 head
10:11coach, and that starts with you.
10:12And to get the most out of everybody, that's my job.
10:16And I don't take that lightly.
10:18There's a lot that comes with that.
10:20I love the responsibility.
10:22But with you, there come moments like this
10:24where you got to put it on your shoulders
10:26and find ways to motivate everyone and get
10:28the most out of everyone.
10:29And there's a lot of work that goes into that.
10:32Along those lines, how much responsibility
10:34do you feel over the defense?
10:37You let Luke do his thing on that side.
10:40How much responsibility as a head coach
10:41do you feel over that defense?
10:43A lot.
10:43A lot.
10:44You can't shy away from that.
10:45And just because most of my knowledge is on offense
10:50and that's how I came up, as the head coach, that changes.
10:53And you answer to everything.
10:55And so again, obviously, there's challenges
10:58when you're calling plays and you're on the offensive side
11:01of the ball, but there's no excuse for it.
11:03You got 24 hours in a day and you got to make the most of it.
11:05And I do everything I can to spend time with Lou
11:07and have knowledge of what's happening
11:10and what the issues are over there
11:11and doing everything I can to help them.
11:13Has your process changed in that regard
11:14over the course of this season, spending more time over there
11:17or anything like that?
11:18I certainly think when things are going really
11:21well on the other side of the ball, it's easy to say, well,
11:23OK, I'm just going to continue to spend
11:25most of my time on offense.
11:27So I think that's a natural thing.
11:30Any time there's any phase that's facing a challenge,
11:35you tend to lean towards that direction.
11:37That's no different when we were really struggling on offense
11:39once upon a time and you're trying to spend everything,
11:42trying to find a way to get a first down
11:43and get points on the board.
11:44And so again, sometimes this, I've
11:47had experience doing it in all areas and continue to do that.
11:53Andre had a touchdown yesterday.
11:54How do you feel like he's developed this year?
11:56And the receivers really behind Tee and Jamal.
11:59How do you feel like they handled that role
12:01over the course of the season?
12:02I think Dre is making the most of his opportunities.
12:07It's circumstantial sometimes that it's just not
12:10coming his way because we've got two of the best
12:13receivers in the NFL.
12:14And so you're spending a lot of time and effort
12:16making sure that they get the ball
12:17and you're trying to put them in a position.
12:20Mike Gusecki is a tremendous matchup for us
12:22as well at the tight end position.
12:24So we've got an abundance of talent over there.
12:27And so you focus a lot of your energy
12:29on making sure they're one, two, three in the progression.
12:32And so again, Dre's ready.
12:35When the ball comes his way, he's
12:36ready to make the most.
12:37Like at the end of the game, he gets that opportunity.
12:39He makes the most of it.
12:40A ton of confidence in Dre.
12:42Love his work ethic.
12:43Love his passion.
12:43Love how much it means to him.
12:45He wants to do it exactly how we want it done.
12:47He can play all three positions, which is critical.
12:49So you're not worried about if you
12:52get an issue at another receiver spot,
12:54Dre can go in there and fill that role
12:56and be a primary target, be a secondary target,
12:58be a guy who catches the ball and scramble
13:00drill against the Giants for big play.
13:02And when his number's called, he has
13:04stepped up in some big moments.
13:05I mean, the throw down the middle
13:06at the end of the half against Carolina,
13:07the scramble against the Giants, the touchdown
13:09the other day, the touchdown in Kansas City.
13:12So again, it's those guys just being patient and works hard.
13:16And so you know you can count on him.
13:17When his number's called, he steps up and makes that play.
13:20I know you might not be ready to talk big picture yet,
13:23but when you look at the defensive last year,
13:25you guys were across the board pretty sure
13:28that if you guys fixed the communication on the back end,
13:30it would elevate the play across the board on defense.
13:33Is it communication still?
13:35What would you say is kind of the crux
13:37of your defensive issues this year?
13:41The simplest thing to say is it just hasn't been good enough.
13:43And you can look at tackling.
13:45You can look at technique on a play, communication on a play.
13:51I think it's a little bit of everything.
13:53And it's not that we're not capable of playing better.
13:56It's not because guys don't care and guys
13:58are practicing hard and meeting and doing all the things.
14:01And so again, it just hasn't been up to our standard,
14:03and we've got to find a way to get it up there.