Zac Taylor on Bengals' Loss to Patriots, Joe Flacco's Performance, the Defense and More

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

Transcript

00:00We don't appreciate losing. It's an awful feeling. It's sick.

00:05But our guys, they just keep showing up, man.

00:08They keep doing a great job during the course of the week.

00:12They keep practicing their tails off.

00:14They're giving everything they can on the field. We just came up short.

00:17You saw a different game. You saw guys that have played all year for us.

00:19You saw guys that came in there and got their first opportunity.

00:21You saw guys that came in there on a one-play notice.

00:24And guys just kept fighting, and we thought we were going to win the game,

00:26and we came up short, and it's a sickening feeling.

00:28But you can't question the fight for one second,

00:32and at some point that's going to pay off for us.

00:34Can we get some help as to your decision as to why Joe Burrow didn't start today?

00:40Do you expect him to start on this season?

00:42We'll see. I'm not going to declare anything for Thursday yet.

00:44I thought he put himself in a great position to be ready to play this weekend,

00:47and the best decision for us was to wait a couple more days.

00:51How's T, Zach?

00:52He's in concussion protocol. T, Taj, Taj Brooks, Marker got a hamstring.

00:59And Flacco had an issue with his finger on his throwing hand.

01:03Dislocated? Popped back in?

01:05I don't remember.

01:06That's what it sounded like at the time.

01:08I can't remember what the trainers told me.

01:10How do you feel like he played overall today, Flacco?

01:12I think he continues to just fight for us, man, and give us a chance.

01:16And him and a lot of other guys in all three phases today, I thought, just kept fighting for us.

01:22And he gave us a chance there at the end of the game.

01:23He plays through a lot of pain.

01:26It just keeps giving us a chance to win.

01:28We just haven't been able to do it as a team yet.

01:30What did you see defensively from Al Golden?

01:32They fought like crazy.

01:34I mean, they fought in different ways.

01:36They didn't allow things to be easy for New England.

01:40Kept fighting them in the goal line stands.

01:41I think we represent who these guys are right now.

01:43Just keep coming back.

01:44Got a penalty.

01:45First and goal in the one.

01:46Kept fighting.

01:47Got to stop.

01:48And there's a lot of trust, you know, when they keep playing that way.

01:54You know, I factored in the fourth and one.

01:56You know, we didn't go for fourth and one kind of in our own field position.

01:59I think we're on the minus 40.

02:00And I felt like we could pin them down in there and get a stop and get the ball back right where we just kicked it from.

02:04And so, again, I thought those guys fought for us.

02:06Got a turnover, a pick six.

02:08Gave us some momentum early in the game.

02:10And just keep believing in those guys.

02:12They're going to keep fighting for us and find a way.

02:14Late in the game, you're out there trying to come back.

02:16Like, no Jamar, no T, no Joe Burrow, obviously.

02:21I mean, how does that challenge you?

02:23How does that change the way you approach the calls and how you do a drive like that?

02:26Yeah.

02:27Just a lot of credit to those guys out there because those personnel groupings aren't things that we've ever operated out of before.

02:33And so, guys, just understanding what position they're playing, who's in the game.

02:36Concepts that most of those guys have not worked all week, at least the position they were probably playing at the end of the game.

02:42I thought the coaches did a great job on the sidelines.

02:44The position coach is trying to cover every base.

02:46I mean, we have to cover the last plays on the move there inside the 30-yard line with guys that have –

02:50none of those guys have been in that position before.

02:54So, you still felt we were going to find a way.

02:57I mean, he takes an alert to Mitch for a touchdown, you know, and that's the kind of game it was.

03:02We guys just kept stepping up and you kept believing that eventually we're going to find a way to win it and just came up a couple years short.

03:08But, on the whole, what do you feel like kept the passing game for most of the game?

03:12I think you've got to give credit to New England, first of all.

03:15They're a well-coached group.

03:16They play hard.

03:17They try to keep you off balance as much as they can.

03:21So, you've got to give them credit.

03:23And, you know, there were some opportunities.

03:25I felt like there was a drive there in the second quarter.

03:26Some penalties just bit us.

03:28I felt like we were getting some good momentum and then ended up having to punt.

03:32So, just – I don't think there's one thing you can put your finger on that limited a rhythm.

03:38I do think you've got to give New England a lot of credit for that.

03:41And we just got to find a way to do a better job there.

03:44On the other side, what did you see out of Jalen Davis today, his first game up since the –

03:47Nothing that surprised me.

03:49That's J.D.

03:50I mean, J.D.'s had an unbelievable attitude.

03:51Every day he's been in this building, he's a fan favorite in the locker room because he just competes.

03:55He loves football.

03:56He embraces whatever role.

03:58Whether it's a scout team player on the practice – whatever it is.

04:00And then it's his opportunity.

04:02He hasn't played a game all season.

04:03He goes out there and fights like crazy, you know, and gets a sack and doing a great job fitting the run game.

04:08Draws a holding penalty on a run play, you know.

04:10So, there's a lot to love about J.D.

04:14I thought he stepped in there and did a nice job for us.

04:16What was your message to the team?

04:18The same thing I'm just saying.

04:19You know, these guys are – they're working.

04:21It's important to them.

04:23They're not giving up on each other.

04:25They keep trying to find a way to win.

04:27It's just been one of those years where we just haven't found a way.

04:30At the end of the game.

04:31And that's been frustrating.

04:32It's frustrating for everybody.

04:33But guys aren't losing hope.

04:36It's important to everybody to just keep at this thing and find a way to get some momentum here.

04:41And it's going to start with one win.

04:42And we just haven't found a way to get that in a while since that Thursday night game.

04:45And that's disappointing.

04:46It's frustrating.

04:47It's heartbreaking.

04:49I feel for these guys because they're giving us everything that we ask them to give us during the course of the week.

04:53And out there on Sunday.

04:55And just got to find a way to win so we can remember what that feels like.

04:59We've asked you about Geno Stone multiple times just for him to come out and play the way he did today.

05:05Real excited to see that.

05:06You know, it's – especially the turnover early in the game.

05:09Finish it in the end zone.

05:10Something we've been talking about like crazy is going to come to us.

05:12We've got to finish it in the end zone.

05:13We've got to finish through the back of the end line.

05:15All the things that we've been talking about, he did.

05:18And, again, he's just – he's one of those guys that's going to keep fighting for us

05:21and find a way to find a win here at some point.

05:24Zach, at three and eight, what are you all building momentum for?

05:27To just find a win.

05:29What have you appreciated the most about the way Flacco's battled through some injuries?

05:33I mean, you just – you can't put it into words.

05:37You know, he didn't know anything to this team.

05:39He just showed up, you know.

05:41And so he could take the easy way out and nurse an injury.

05:44And say, you know, I need more rest and all that stuff.

05:48And he hasn't.

05:48He just keeps walking on the field and pops his finger out.

05:52And whatever happened there, hurting your throwing hand is not easy, you know,

05:57to go out there and push through that.

05:58And Jake's response, he goes out there and throws one pass for 15 yards

06:02with not a moment's notice.

06:03And so just a lot of examples.

06:06The guys just want to do whatever it takes to find a win.

06:09He hasn't had to call a pass there with Jake coming in.

06:13I mean, he had to run and grab his helmet.

06:14There wasn't a lot of choice there.

06:17I mean, we were down two scores, I think, at that moment when Jake did it.

06:22And Jake went in there and did a great job.

06:24Bought some time.

06:25Found the backside crosser.

06:26Big completion.

06:28Appreciate that.

06:29What do you think of the big kicks from Evan?

06:31What's that?

06:32You've seen a lot of big kicks from Evan right before halftime,

06:35a 63-yarder, new franchise record.

06:37What are your thoughts on how he hit it?

06:41Yeah, he's in a great rhythm, has a lot of confidence.

06:43I think the operation's been really good.

06:45And so we have a lot of confidence in him.

06:48So it's not surprising, you know, for him to take that opportunity.

06:53What was it, 63 yards?

06:55Really didn't bat an eye at it.

06:58I double-checked with Darren just to make sure we were in good shape there.

07:01He didn't hesitate.

07:01And then once we line up for the kick, you just assume it's going in.

07:05That's the point you're at with Evan right now.

07:07Is that up?

07:08No, Hobson has.

07:09Thanks.

07:09Yeah.

07:10See Mitch's catch on 47.

07:13First of all, you have a impression of the catch,

07:15and then I guess they wanted to get the clock.

07:18That was the one right in front of me, our sidelines.

07:20Yeah.

07:22Yeah, I mean, just, you know, layered it right over the top.

07:25I think it was the nickel right there.

07:28Mitch did a great job securing it out of bounds.

07:30They didn't touch him, so they ended up putting the time back on the clock.

07:32But it's a big moment for us, you know, fourth down,

07:34and got to make a play.

07:36And happy that it stepped up for us.

07:38What's probably the most frustrating thing about not being able to get more wins

07:41with this stint with Flacco and go out?

07:43That is the most frustrating thing.

07:45Losing is the worst.

07:47I mean, it's the worst.

07:49And you were accountable for it.

07:54We make all the adjustments we got to make,

07:57and then you got to turn the page,

07:58and you got to get ready for the next week.

07:59That's life in the NFL.

08:00We're going to get ready for Thursday.

08:01So not a lot of time to sit here,

08:04and do we just got to move forward?

08:07And we got to go back to work,

08:09and I know these guys are going to do that.

08:11And we got to do it with great energy

08:12and belief that we're going to walk on that field

08:15and go find a win on Thursday night on the road.

08:18And that's what we're going to set forth to do,

08:20start tomorrow morning.

08:20With the Borough situation,

08:22when did Flacco know who was starting today?

08:24Flacco knew on Friday.

08:26He knew on Friday he was starting.

08:27Zach, with T going down when he did late in the game,

08:32they're obviously going into a short week now,

08:35and Mitch pops up a couple of big catches there

08:37in the last couple minutes.

08:39Does that feel like a reassurance just for the passing game overall?

08:46Yeah, I thought a lot of guys stepped up.

08:48So, again, they've shown that we should have confidence in them.

08:51You know, and I think that's just what's been built up over there

08:54with a lot of the skilled players on offense is you put them in,

08:57you expect them to make a play,

08:58and then they keep showing up for us.

09:00With the loss today, I'm sure this question is going to surprise you.

09:03There will be a lot of talk externally about why the organization feels

09:07that it's in the best interest of Joe.

09:10If you do decide to play him,

09:12can you just address what you guys are factoring in with that decision?

09:16Yeah, winning's important.

09:17We want to win, and Joe gives us a great chance to win.

09:20And, again, Flacco has given us every opportunity.

09:23We haven't lost games because of Joe Flacco.

09:25He's gone out there and given us everything, and he understands that.

09:29That being said, we'll also be excited to watch Joe Burrow.

09:32We've watched Joe Burrow now for six years

09:34and seen the things he can do as well.

09:37So, again, he's worked really hard to get himself back.

09:40He's a football player.

09:41He wants to play football.

09:42We want to win football games, and so that will lead into that decision.

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