Zac Taylor on Bengals' Loss to Bears, State of Defense

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

Transcript

00:00Yeah, just I can't believe it.

00:02I can't believe it.

00:04Everything is right there, and then we just –

00:06we don't find a way to get it done.

00:08And win a game, we just got to make one play, just one play.

00:10And some of these losses turned into wins.

00:12And so, again, we just got to – as coaches,

00:16we've got to spend this week finding a way –

00:19finding a way to help everybody and get it done because this is –

00:24it's sick.

00:25It's sick to lose like that.

00:26It's sick.

00:28So, that's what happened.

00:30So, we've got to own it.

00:31And we've got to keep finding ways to improve

00:32and keep finding ways to find a win.

00:34Just – these last two weeks, it hasn't happened.

00:37Zach, are you surprised, frustrated, answering whatever?

00:40Well, we've got to find a way to get them fixed.

00:45We are.

00:46I mean, we're like crazy.

00:47We're trying to do everything we can to get it done.

00:50And so, again, that's not because of a lack of work, lack of effort,

00:54lack of trying to cover every single stone to get it done.

00:58But it is tough.

01:00This has just been the result that we're dealing with.

01:02Is there anything you just feel the defense has been missing?

01:06We just got to find a way to make a play, get off the field.

01:08I mean, it's no turnovers today.

01:10You know?

01:11And this is a team that's – you know,

01:13they're going to finish plus two in the turnover battle today.

01:15Chicago is.

01:16And that's where all their wins have come from.

01:17And so, you lose the game by five points.

01:19They're plus two in the turnovers.

01:20They've been plus three, but they've been plus four.

01:21They've been plus three.

01:22A lot of their wins.

01:23And so, kind of more of the same for that.

01:25Zach, it's a tough game.

01:26Plus three today, I guess, is what they were probably.

01:28Sorry, Zach.

01:29Tough game to play at the nine-yard line there.

01:31Were you thinking about possibly trying to force them into their final timeout?

01:34We ran the ball.

01:35I mean, that's what we did on the first play.

01:36Ran the ball.

01:37So, you get cute, and you force them to do that,

01:40and then you have no points, and then the game's over.

01:42So, we just trust our guys to get out there and make a play.

01:46So, that's just the way it goes.

01:49Is it as simple as bringing Colston down after he makes that catch there,

01:52just someone tackling him?

01:53Yeah.

01:54Get him on the ground.

01:55Force him into a tough field goal.

01:57You know, at that point, once the play's been completed, make him execute.

02:01Man, again, we just didn't get him on the ground.

02:03Scored a touchdown.

02:04Game over.

02:05Has he been around and come back like that?

02:07I mean, the Houston game a couple years ago, it was very similar.

02:12We were right there a couple years ago.

02:15So, it's a tough one to stomach, but the result is the result.

02:22And so, again, I feel sick right now,

02:27but all we can do is pick ourselves up and keep fighting.

02:30And that's the beauty of being in this profession

02:32and being in this locker room is we see what we're made of.

02:35We're going to keep fighting.

02:36We know there's going to be pretty loud noise out there.

02:38Criticism, it's deserved when we're the record we are

02:42and the results we've had.

02:44We're going to keep showing our character and keep fighting

02:46and find a way to lead these guys and find a way to make some plays

02:50and get some wins and keep the season alive.

02:53That's what we're going to do.

02:54Can it be fixed on defense?

02:55We're going to find a way.

02:56We're going to find a way.

02:57We're going to do everything we can to find a way.

02:58I think it's impossible for me to say yes or no.

03:00We've been trying everything we can.

03:02So, we'll just keep working at it.

03:04You scored 38 points last week, 42 this week.

03:08Most would say in the NFL that's more than enough points to win a game.

03:12How do you manage the locker room in not having the offensive players feel any sort of resentment?

03:19Yeah.

03:20We fight like hell every single day to maintain the culture we have.

03:22Fight every single day.

03:24Talk to everybody I can possibly talk to.

03:26And we're fighting.

03:28And these guys, if you watch them practice, they are like hell,

03:31working like crazy in practice.

03:33And so, again, we just got to get some momentum.

03:38Got to get a play.

03:39Someone builds off that play and we find a way to get some momentum on defense.

03:43And just haven't found a way to do that lately.

03:45Coming into the season, there's a lot of talk about the defense potentially being better.

03:48Through nine games, why do you think that hasn't materialized?

03:51You just got to find a way.

03:52You know, we're working hard at it.

03:53And I know that's a hard thing to listen to me say over and over.

03:57But that's the answer.

03:59There's not a magic formula that we're just going to – we would do it if we could.

04:02And so, we're just going to keep finding ways.

04:04We've got the bye week.

04:05We've got to keep working through it.

04:06See if there's something we're missing.

04:07See if there's something we can enhance.

04:08We'll work at it.

04:11How frustrating is it that Joe Flacco plays through the injury,

04:13has the performance he does and, you know, that to go to waste essentially?

04:17How tough is that given what he's playing through?

04:19I mean, there's a lot of great performances today.

04:20What Joe Flacco did for us this week, you'll never forget, you know.

04:24And, I mean, just knowing what our quarterback room is working through right now,

04:29what Joe Burrow's doing too and Joe Flacco and what Jake's – all the things he's done,

04:33it's a really mentally tough room that leads by example.

04:36Joe Flacco got the opportunity to show that this week.

04:39That's him.

04:40Joe Burrow working like crazy behind the scenes to do everything he can to help our team.

04:44You know, Flacco, I mean, he couldn't – he barely lift his arm this week, you know,

04:49and he's willing to go put himself out there for a bunch of teammates that he's been with for three weeks.

04:53You know, he's a football player.

04:56That's what he's out of here instead.

04:57He said, I play football for a living.

04:58That's what I do.

04:59And oftentimes you need that throughout the locker room.

05:02Guys that are just football players and they remember that.

05:05And they'll go out there and do whatever it takes to help their team win a game no matter what,

05:08no matter the circumstances.

05:09Got a bye week next week, get a chance to get rested up.

05:11That's how Joe Flacco looks at it.

05:13And so he went out there and put himself on the line.

05:16I'm sure he's going to be in a ton of pain tomorrow.

05:18And we'll give him 10 days off and see if he can come back and do it again.

05:22The offense had a terrific game.

05:24But what happened on the intentional round there on third down?

05:26It kind of looked like a weird thought.

05:27A miscommunication.

05:28Yeah, we were checking to play and didn't everybody get it.

05:33Field goals.

05:34It was after that.

05:35The decision, was that a tough decision?

05:37Yeah.

05:38It's a tough decision.

05:39It's a tough decision.

05:40You know, you're – it's tough.

05:41You know, whether that was the right thing to do or not, I'll have to reflect on that.

05:45It's a split-second decision because now, you know, you're in your head

05:48you're thinking fourth and three or less potentially.

05:52And so then you've got to shift very fast to the decision to kick the field goal.

05:57And, okay, now you're down four and hope to get another possession, get a stop and go win the game.

06:00So it was tricky.

06:02That was a decision we made.

06:03Obviously it didn't work out.

06:04And I'll have to digest if I made the right one there.

06:08What is your message to the team heading into a bye?

06:11Yeah, I'm going to keep fighting.

06:12The coach is going to keep fighting.

06:13I know these players have shown that they're going to keep fighting.

06:15It's frustrating for everybody to put in the work that's being put in

06:18and this is the result we've had.

06:20It's frustrating.

06:21And, you know, sometimes you've got to take a deep breath

06:24and then come back to work and try to uplift others.

06:28That's – I face a lot of adversity here.

06:32And the only thing I know how to do is keep trying to lift people up.

06:36That doesn't mean we run from corrections.

06:38That doesn't mean we don't give criticism.

06:41But at the same time, the easy thing to do is question everything

06:43and point fingers and be negative and be an energy vampire in a lot of ways.

06:49And I think we've got enough guys that just want to continue to lift people up

06:52and find answers, find solutions, help where they can, make myself better,

06:57make the person next to me better.

06:58And that's all I know how to do.

07:00That's how we built a coaching staff that does that too.

07:03We built a locker room full of leaders and great men that are following suit there.

07:07And that's what I've seen from them.

07:08And that's just what we're going to continue to do.

07:10And I don't have something I can say that's going to say,

07:13hey, we're just going to fix this and things are going to be better.

07:16It's not that simple.

07:17I wish it was.

07:18But I can promise you we're going to fight like hell to keep finding wins here

07:22and get the season turned around.

07:23Are you surprised to see, like, the tackling issues, especially when –

07:27Yeah, we work like crazy at it.

07:28I mean, it's all we seem to talk about and work on and we have to improve.

07:34After losses, like especially these last two, do you now – going into the buy,

07:38are you looking at all personnel for trades, for switches in-house?

07:42No, I keep working with the players we got.

07:44That's what we're going to do.

07:45We're going to keep finding solutions with the guys we have.

07:47And if something else comes at us, so be it.

07:49But that's – I'm going to work with the players we got in here

07:54and we're going to keep finding solutions to what's going on right now.

07:57It's been tough here at home really going back to the start of last year.

08:00Does that add just a little more frustration to this whole thing, big picture,

08:04just how tough it's been to win here?

08:06Yeah, it's frustrating.

08:07I mean, you just – our fans, they show up for us

08:10and you've got to give them something.

08:12You've got to give them something.

08:13And, you know, you did have the Pittsburgh game and then you come back

08:17and, you know, the last two weeks have been what they've been.

08:20So, that is tough.

08:23It's tough losing at home.

08:24That's not what we want.

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