The Tennessee Titans are set to host the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round. Tennessee is favored to win the matchup, but Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has an advantage against the Titans that many people don’t know about.
According to NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Taylor is quite familiar with quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Schefter tweeted their history ahead of the Titans vs. Bengals matchup Saturday morning.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor knows Titans QB Ryan Tannehill well. Taylor was a Grad Asst at Texas A&M from 2008-11, the same four years Tannehill was there. When Miami drafted Tannehill in 2012, Taylor followed him there, serving as his QB Coach from 2012-14, and Tannehill’s OC in 2015.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2022
Taylor spent 2008-2011 as a Graduate Assistant at Texas A&M while Tannehill was their quarterback.
He also joined Tannehill when he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Taylor was the Dolphins’ assistant quarterbacks coach in 2012 and was promoted to quarterbacks coach from 2013 to 2014. He was Miami’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2015 before holding the same titles with the Bengals in 2016.
The Bengals have a huge advantage with their head coach having such a deep history with their opponents’ starting quarterback. Taylor spent four years with Tannehill while he was developing as a quarterback in college and worked with him during the first four years of their professional careers.
This experience definitely gave Taylor a great understanding of how Tannehill works as a quarterback and a leader, which could very well give the Bengals the competitive edge they need to upset the Titans on Saturday.