Williams' inbox: Questions on Zac Taylor's use of Joe Burrow, Jonathan India's future
Email and ask me anything − sports or non-sports − and/or let me know if you agree or disagree with a column. I'll pick some of your messages and respond right here each week on Cincinnati.com. Send emails to jwilliams@enquirer.com. Readers have particularly flooded the inbox venting their frustration about the Bengals coach Zac Taylor:
Subject: Questioning Zac Taylor’s handling of Joe Burrow early on
Message: “Enjoyed your comments on the future of the Bengals. The roster issues may all be true, but the biggest problem with the Bengals is Zac Taylor. He mishandled Joe Burrow all season. Should have sat the injured Burrow the first game or two to start the season.
“The play calling is also an issue, way too predictable. Personnel issues aside, you cannot be predictable in the NFL. Even the best of offensive lines has its challenges when the defense knows your running up the gut every first down and its straight drop-back thereafter.
“Finally, it is just a general lack of toughness. The Steelers have what appears to be a completely mediocre roster, but they’re in the playoffs. Mike Tomlin infuses a toughness in that team that the Bengals lack. It is monumentally important. So yes, let’s improve the roster, but in the NFL, is almost always comes down to coaching.”
Reply: You make some valid points, but the coach is an easy scapegoat when a team falls short of expectations. Many of the same people who were hailing him as “Coach of the Year” in 2021 and 2022 now want to focus only on Taylor’s weaknesses.
Since we’re in a what-went-wrong mode, it’s fair to question how Taylor handled Burrow early in the season after he missed training camp with the bum calf. Burrow shouldn’t have started the first two games. It contributed to yet another 0-2 start, and this time it burned the Bengals.
But let’s not put this solely on Taylor. The Bengals didn’t have a proven backup quarterback at the time after the club let veteran Brandon Allen go in the offseason. Remember, Jake Browning was unproven then and was coming off a mediocre preseason.
It’s also fair to question what role Burrow himself and ownership had in the decision for the franchise quarterback to play hurt. We don’t know the answer, but cut Taylor a little break on this one.
As for your comment about toughness, I don't necessarily believe the Bengals lack toughness. It sounds like you’re getting at Taylor’s go-easy approach to training camp. The Steelers are the opposite. They go hard in training camp, and Tomlin has talked about how important that is to helping them fight through adversity during the season. The Steelers were able to overcome a lot this season. Maybe going hard in training camp played some role in helping them make the playoffs.
Lastly, I appreciate the thoughtful email with sensible points. I’ve received a bunch of emails from people simply saying: “Fire Taylor!” I get it fans are disappointed and some just want to vent. I’m cool with it, but those types of emails aren’t going to be highlighted here.
I’m looking for emails that raise good question and/or make arguments built on thoughtful points − and certainly I've gotten more than I can share in this limited space.
Subject: Jonathan India’s future with Cincinnati Reds
Message: “Do you think they should trade India?”
Reply: No, I don’t. As I explained in a recent Wittenmyer & Williams column, the Reds need India’s leadership, especially with Joey Votto gone. And I’m not just talking about India’s presence in the clubhouse.
The Reds need India’s bat in the lineup. He’s one of the few guys on the roster with much experience, though the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year is still only three seasons into his career.
Yeah, India struggled at the plate last season. But go back and read the comments from Manager David Bell and others in the clubhouse when India went down with an injury in late July and the team subsequently went on a six-game losing skid in early August. It’s a stretch that you could look back on and say cost them a playoff berth.
“He’s just in the middle of everything,” Bell said. “Middle of the field, middle of the order, middle of our clubhouse. We’ve missed him.”
Contact Enquirer columnist Jason Williams by email at jwilliams@enquirer.com.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Questioning Zac Taylor's decision on Joe Burrow, Bengals' 'toughness'
