0-8 Bengals are a disaster. Is Zac Taylor best they could do?

After 16 seasons without a playoff win under Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati was long overdue for a change at head coach. But instead of a breath of fresh air, his replacement has delivered a cascade of failures, prompting this question:

Is 36-year-old Zac Taylor, the Los Angeles Rams' former quarterbacks coach, really the best the Bengals could do?

He’s 0-8 after another loss, one in which Cincinnati surrendered 470 yards, a franchise-record fourth straight game an opponent has topped 450. It’s painfully obvious he isn't ready to be a head coach. Overseeing Ryan Tannehill’s “development” in Miami and a season as Rams offensive assistant -– but not calling plays -– aren't the greatest bullet points for a resume. Who knew?

Apparently not Bengals owner Mike Brown, who hitched his wagon to the latest trend and hired a buzz-worthy offensive "genius," qualifications be damned. There were plenty of better alternatives.

Cincinnati could have hired Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, a former Bengals player. He's a branch on the Andy Reid coaching tree that includes John Harbaugh and Doug Pederson, both of whom have won Super Bowls. Reid praised Bieniemy last year, after it was obvious the Bengals were going to hire Taylor.

“I sure was hoping for him. He sure is deserving,” he said of his offensive coordinator. Reid and Patrick Mahomes suggested that although Bieniemy didn't call plays on game day, he was an integral part of the Chiefs' offensive braintrust.

It’s hard to argue that race played a role in Taylor getting the job instead of Bieniemy, a minority candidate. Lewis was Bengals coach for an eternity, despite wallowing in mediocrity for the first half of his tenure and the bottom falling out over his final three seasons. Still, it is eye-opening that Taylor was hired despite having barely half as much NFL coaching experience as Bieniemy. Taylor had six years under his belt as an assistant; Bieniemy has 11.

If squeezing the most from veteran QB Andy Dalton is paramount, Brown could have tapped another coach with much more experience than Taylor: Jim Caldwell. Sure, he draws chuckles for his placid sideline demeanor, but the man delivers results. He  went 14-2 and 10-6 in his first two seasons as Colts head coach, then 2-14 without Peyton Manning, as Indy engaged in a robust “suck for (Andrew) Luck” campaign in 2011. Caldwell was fired after that season, despite his overall winning record.

Caldwell landed in Baltimore as quarterbacks coach, where he oversaw the best run of Joe Flacco’s career, one that culminated in a Super Bowl win.  After one more year in Baltimore, he got the Lions' head-coaching job, and despite a 36-28 record over four seasons, three of which were winning campaigns, he was canned again after the 2017 season. Caldwell, now a Dolphins assistant, may not have been the most inspiring hire for fans, but he'd have at least one win by now.

Given the ugliness of the Bengals’ defense, Brown could have zigged while most of the rest of the league zagged and hired a head coach with a defensive background. The Bengals' defense was awful last season too, ranking 30th in points allowed and last in yards allowed. (The offense was 17th in scoring in 2018.)

Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus would have been a good choice. The Colts have weathered Luck’s retirement to start 5-2, and Eberflus’ defense is a big part of that effort, despite not having Darius Leonard, Malik Hooker and Clayton Geathers for chunks of the season.

He could have considered Kris Richard. Currently the Cowboys’ defensive backs coach, he is a rising star in the coaching world. He was the defensive backs coach for the Seahawks in their Legion of Boom heyday, a stretch in which they led the league in scoring defense four straight years. Richard was the defensive coordinator for the final year of that streak, and the following one, when Seattle was third in scoring defense.

All of the above would have been better choices than the inexperienced Taylor, who has the Bengals challenging the Dolphins for worst team in the NFL. Instead Brown went with what's fashionable: a hot, young offensive assistant, a branch from the Sean McVay coaching tree. It's a lazy pick, a disaster.  

And Bengals fans suffer.