Back when Zac Taylor took the Bengals’ head coaching job, it looked like a coaching death wish. In 2019, no one was projecting Louisiana State as a national title contender. Mock drafts had Tua Tagovailoa as the clear-cut choice for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. Joe Burrow was an afterthought, nevermind a franchise savior. But Taylor took the job because he liked Cincinnati. His family fell in love with the place. The rest, you kind of figure out.
At the time, he was on the right hip of Sean McVay, arguably the best place to be for a prospective NFL head coach. The longer he remained in Los Angeles, the brighter his star would become and the wider breadth of choices he would have for a big job down the line. He knew that. His agents knew that. Still, replacing the institution who was Marvin Lewis, and inheriting a threadbare roster with a dwindling fan base (at least in terms of season ticket sales) was the call. It was a labor of love.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and Taylor popped into Mount Lookout Tavern in Cincinnati to deliver the city a game ball for its first playoff win in decades. Life has a way of working out sometimes.
