The current head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals is the 40-year-old Zac Taylor from Norman, Oklahoma. The 6 feet 2 inches coach played quarterback on his high school team. Norman High School. Unfortunately though, Taylor's college career never really took off despite putting in some good performances in high school.
Taylor first started out his college days at Wake Forest University where he redshirted his freshman year and threw only one pass in his next year. He then transferred to Butler Community College in Kansas where he had a great season passing for over 2,600 yards in 10 games. Once again he transferred to the University of Nebraska for his final two years and his overall performance was mixed as he started out slow but picked up pace during his final year.
When Taylor went undrafted in the 2007 NFL draft, the writing seemed to be on the wall regarding his playing career. Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him, he was cut even before he could make the training camp. Taylor then decided to join the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL where he was a member of the practice squad for one year. After the 2007 season, Taylor didn’t return to the team, instead opting to join Texas A&M as a graduate assistant and then becoming the tight ends coach.
Zac Taylor as a coach
From 2008 to 2012 Zac Taylor was at Texas A&M, and in 2012 he got his chance at becoming a coach in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins gave him his first opportunity and was appointed as the assistant quarterbacks coach and in 2015 he was made the interim offensive coordinator for the first time.
The Bengals’ head coach then got an offer to join the University of Cincinnati as the offensive coordinator. 2017 was the start of great things to come for Taylor as Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams head coach offered him the role of assistant wide receivers coach and was later promoted to quarterbacks coach. Taylor helped develop Jared Goff, the starting quarterback at the time and the Rams made it all the way to Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots in which they lost 13-3.
In 2019, the Bengals liked what Taylor had done in Los Angeles and offered him the head coach job for the Bengals. Taylor’s first year as a Bengals coach and as a head coach could not have gone any more horrible. The team finished 1-14 and rock bottom of the league. And although their struggles continued the following season, Taylor has turned things around in 2021 and 2022 as they have finished first in their division in both years.
Zac Taylor Super Bowl
The 2021 NFL season was an extraordinary one for Taylor and his Bengals. The previous year the Bengals drafted Joe Burrow with the number one overall pick and things started to change drastically. In the 2021 season, the Bengals went 10-7 and defeated the Raiders, Titans, and the mighty Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs in the playoffs.
Super Bowl LVI saw the Bengals take on the Rams from the NFC for the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. This time it was Taylor going up against his former head coach McVay with the Rams. The game was played at SoFi stadium, the home of the Rams and thus there was added motivation for them to win this game.
The game remained close throughout as the Rams took a slender 13-10 lead at the half. Nothing noteworthy took place in the first half but a couple of penalties did affect both sides. Coming out in the second half, the Bengals immediately took the lead on the first pass of the third quarter and Burrow found Tee Higgins for a 75 yard bomb.
With the score 17-13, the Bengals then intercepted Matthew Stafford and kicked a field goal. The Rams also responded with a field goal of their own and going into the fourth quarter the Bengals still held a 20-16 lead. Unfortunately for the Bengals though, the Rams were able to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter and Cincinnati weren’t able to put more points on the board. As a result of which the Rams went on to win Super Bowl LVI.
With a quality team still together and Burrow looking like a top-three quarterback, the Bengals still have a great shot at getting back to the Championship game and hoisting the Super Bowl in the 2023 season.
FAQs
A. Currently, Zac Taylor is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. He has been in the position since the 2019 season.
A. In his four seasons as a head coach, Zac Taylor has a record of 28-36-1.
A. Zac Taylor was born in Norman, Oklahoma.
A. Zac Taylor is 40 years old as of September 2023. He was born in Norman, Oklahoma.
A. Zac Taylor has been to two Super Bowls, one as a quarterbacks coach with the Rams and the recent one as the head coach of the Bengals. Unfortunately, he was on the losing side both times.
