The Taylor Bowl: Bengals' Zac Taylor set to take on brother Press’ Jacksonville Jaguars
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is getting ready for a primetime matchup against his brother, Press, who happens to be the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator.
As both teams prepare for the Week 13 matchup, Julie and Sherwood Taylor, the parents of Zac and Press, joined the Bengals Beat Podcast to discuss their emotions heading into the game.
It will be a family affair on Monday night in Jacksonville as Julie and Sherwood will be in the stands watching their sons compete against one another. They’ll be dressed in neutral colors and Julie’s nerves are at an all-time high.
“I’m already nervous,” Julie Taylor said. “My stomach is doing flip flops. I don’t care for it at all. I want them to both do well. I just want both offenses to do well, that’s what I want.”
This isn’t the first time the Taylor brothers have squared off against one another. Press holds the advantage over Zac with a record of 2-1-1. However, this is the first time the brothers are facing each other since Zac became a head coach and Press became an offensive coordinator. Press calls the offensive plays for Jacksonville.
Zac is the eldest of the four Taylor kids at the age of 40. Press is 35 years old and has created his own path in the NFL coaching circles. The Taylor brothers have never worked together on the same staff in the NFL. Press started his coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles where he first connected with former Eagles head coach and current Jaguars’ head coach, Doug Pederson.
Both Zac and Press call plays in the NFL and have four kids of their own and have similar personalities.
“I don’t think they look alike, but when they come back to Norman, people can’t tell who’s who,” Julie Taylor said. “Their sense of humor is exactly the same. They’re both sweet boys, they are both very organized and very detail oriented.”
If the Jaguars continue to have success, Press will likely start getting interviews for head coaching vacancies. Zac was Press’ age when the Bengals hired him to be their head coach in 2019. Jacksonville ranks No. 12 in the NFL in scoring this year (23.1). Press is similar to Zac in that his journey as a coach started with working with quarterbacks. From 2016-2020, Press worked specifically with quarterbacks in Philadelphia.
Given the trend in the NFL currently with owners favoring offensive minded coaches, specifically ones with a track record of developing quarterbacks, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Press gets his shot as an NFL head coach. Press and Zac’s journeys in coaching are similar in that both play a massive role in the development of their franchise quarterbacks that were picked No. 1 overall. For Zac it’s Joe Burrow (2020 first-round pick) and for Press, it’s Trevor Lawrence (2021 first-round pick).
Burrow and Lawrence are two of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks in the game right now and one of the biggest draws to this matchup was the thought of both of these former No. 1 picks going up against one another. But it won’t happen due to Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury.
Julie and Sherwood don’t think their sons will communicate much with each other prior to the game – they say that’s not uncommon because of how busy both are getting their teams ready to go. The Jaguars are 8-3 and looking to continue to stack wins in hopes of clinching a second consecutive playoff berth. Cincinnati is 5-6 and hoping to snap a three-game losing skid and keep their season alive.
And even though Zac and Press will be pulled into several directions prior to the game, Julie is hoping the family can get together for a meal before the craziness.
For more on the conversation, be sure to check out the full episode of this podcast available wherever you get your podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor vs Press Taylor in Bengals-Jaguars on MNF
