The Cincinnati Bengals hope a Super Bowl rebound is in their future.
But one guy who just accomplished the feat — Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay — says Zac Taylor and the Bengals don’t need to worry about it.
McVay dropped the high-praise quote recently, as captured by Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“They were a lot more competitive than we were the first time. I don’t think he needs my advice. He was a big part of a lot of the things that have been good with LA in the five years we’ve been here. I’m rooting for the Bengals unless we see each other.”
“More than anything, (that I) just appreciate him. Our time together was really special. He’s such a great coach. Just the resilience. The way he’s led. It’s been so impressive. Some of the adversity they’ve been able to overcome is a real credit and testament to his leadership. I just told him, loved him, really appreciated him and they’re going to be a really good team for many years to come.”
That’s McVay praising Taylor, his former understudy. And it’s not just coachspeak — we know Taylor played a key role in the offense in Los Angeles before coming to Cincinnati and helping to modernize the program, never mind the on-field results.
It should be noted that it took a little while for McVay’s Rams to get back to the big game. They lost in 2018 and didn’t return again until this past season. But the fact they got back at all during a time when only Tom Brady seems to be routinely making the big games, is quite the feat.
And McVay says the Bengals are better positioned to make a return quicker, which might be true. They’ve got Joe Burrow, his core offense and defense and upgraded his offensive line three times.
In fact, the way McVay’s talking about it, maybe he’s keeping his head on a swivel for a rematch down the road.
