Press Conference: Zac Taylor on Bengals Changes After Disappointing 2025 Season: Mike Brown's Decision to Keep Him

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Zac, this morning, Mike Brown announced that you and Duke will be coming back for next year. And he said that both of you are leaders that this team needs moving forward. What does it mean to you to have the owner come out and say such positive things?

Zac Taylor (0:17)

I'm appreciative of that. Again, I think when you're aligned, you get together like we get together, and we're on the same page.

I don't need those things said about me, but it's certainly helpful as we move forward and provides clarity. So again, I'm appreciative of that.

SPEAKER_3 (0:33)

Did you need that?

Zac Taylor (0:34)

No, I didn't need that. I've had plenty of conversations, so I didn't even.

SPEAKER_3 (0:41)

Why did you feel secure given how the season went?

Zac Taylor (0:45)

I guess more so I didn't need a statement, but I'll just continue my job, but I do appreciate him doing that. I just feel like we're on a path to really good things next year, and I think everybody that exited this building today feels that players, coaches, everybody involved with this thing, and that this season was a disappointment. It didn't go the way we wanted, but I'm already re-energized to get working on 2026 and get back to work. It doesn't mean I won't take a couple days, but I just feel like the energy of this group and the talent we have and the progress a lot of these guys made that we've got a chance to be back in the conversation of where we belong these last couple of years and have fallen short of that. And so I'm excited and I feel the excitement of all our players and coaches to get back to that.

SPEAKER_3 (1:32)

Given all the meetings you've had and discussions, what specifically do you think needs to happen to change to get to that?

Zac Taylor (1:38)

I think we'll have to just continue to grow. You know, I think that is, speaking of that, if you look at just our season this year, the last thing I left with our team is just the turnover differential.

Where we lost games, we weren't good enough on either side of the ball. And that was taking the ball away from teams in the games we lost. That was scoring points for the other team on our offense, you know, and we give up nine touchdowns on our offense this year. So there's things as simple as that. If you look at some of these one score games where we just, we didn't do enough, just possessing the ball and taking the ball away to win the game. And it was as simple as that. That doesn't mean that fundamentally, that doesn't mean that scheme will continue to evolve and our players will continue to grow. But just something as simple as the turnovers is a big key on why we weren't as successful as we should have been.

SPEAKER_3 (2:21)

Do you think you had enough talent on the roster this year to win?

Zac Taylor (2:24)

I do.

SPEAKER_4 (2:25)

How do you evaluate yourself as a head coach at the end of every season? How do you go back and look at whether you were successful or not personally?

Zac Taylor (2:30)

I feel critical about myself and decisions I made and ways I can help other people. And very open to the feedback. As we do the exit interviews with the players, so as part of it is how can I help you be a better player?

So always open to that. I really feel like I don't have an ego that way. I'm open to criticism. I give myself criticism. Hard on myself for decisions you make in games, hard decisions you made on personnel, decisions you made during the season, all that kind of stuff. And just want to improve and be better. And so just continue to work on that.

SPEAKER_4 (3:05)

What's the best thing you heard from a player that they said to you?

Zac Taylor (3:08)

That's a hard one. I'd have to cut a process. You'd go through about 40 something of them today. So I don't have that answer quite ready for you.

SPEAKER_3 (3:15)

And your exit interview with Joe.

Zac Taylor (3:17)

What's that?

SPEAKER_3 (3:17)

Your exit interview.

Zac Taylor (3:18)

That'll be later this week.

SPEAKER_5 (3:19)

As you went through why this season went the way it did, were there games, moments, trends that really stuck with you?

Zac Taylor (3:27)

It's what game? What game do you want to talk about? It was a different reason for every game it felt like. And that is frustrating because we've got to be able to put our finger on that. And I just feel like we have the talent in this building that's going to continue to grow. I think if you look at our defense, you look at all those guys that played yesterday.