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In his first two years, they were 6-25-1,
and people were questioning whether he was up to the job.
And today, after his third season in the league, he just got a long-term contract extension through 2026 to coach his team.
Talking about Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor.
I remember early in his tenure, one former NFL GM said to me, “You’re more qualified to coach the Bengals than Zac Taylor.”
But this year he proved he’s more than qualified leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
So maybe in a couple of years we will be having the same conversation about Robert Saleh.
Two important points to make here about a young coach turning a rough start into being a successful coach.
First off, the job is really hard, and in your first year or two, you are hit with so many curveballs you don’t expect. You can prepare for the day you get a HC job for years, taking tons of physical and mental notes from current head coaches trying to help you prepare. However, when you start the job, so many things come out of nowhere you didn’t expect. So sometimes, it takes a year or two to get truly comfortable in a head coach’s skin.
Saleh is a very smart man, so expect him to move up the growth curve in Year 2 and beyond.
But, obviously, just as important, to a young coach being successful, is finding a franchise QB, along with his GM.
It’s not rocket science to realize that Taylor’s ascendency as a coach this year was in large part connected to second-year QB Joe Burrow being healthy and playing like a franchise QB.
So while Saleh should continue to learn and improve on the job, that will only take him so far, unless Zach Wilson or Mike White turns into the Jets franchise QB.
That remains to be seen. A key here is to keep White around, so if Wilson struggles, they have another young promising QB to turn to. Saleh should not put all his eggs in the Wilson basket and chase that project forever. I’m not saying Wilson can’t be special, but he’s not there yet, and needs to take that next step in Year 2.
One other key to Saleh taking that next step, like Taylor did, is brutally honest evaluations of his players and staff at all times.
“I’m an eternal optimist, so I always see the good in people,” Saleh said at the Senior Bowl.
As I’ve mentioned before, that is a wonderful attitude in life, but can be dangerous in the NFL, if it impacts your evaluations.
The way Saleh speaks about players and coaches, sometimes you wonder if there is a little blind loyalty. However, it must be pointed out, these are public states to the media, we aren’t sure what he’s saying behind the scenes in meetings.
The bottom line is some players and coaches aren’t going to cut it, and you might need to move on, and being an eternal optimist perhaps can get in the way of that, at times.
Last off-season, Taylor moved on from four assistant coaches, including the offensive and defensive line coaches.
So in summation, if Saleh can take that next step as a head coach like Taylor, by continuing to improve with experience, finding a franchise QB and not letting enteral optimism get in the way of making tough decisions on people.
February 16, 2022
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