Cam Taylor-Britt's honest admission is the first step for the Bengals' defense getting back on track
Nobody needed to wait and see the film copy first. Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was getting cooked by the Carolina Panthers.Five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown on six targets. Those are great numbers for a wide receiver to post, and a nightmare stat-line to allow as a cornerback, especially with a defensive […]
Nobody needed to wait and see the film copy first. Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was getting cooked by the Carolina Panthers.
Five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown on six targets. Those are great numbers for a wide receiver to post, and a nightmare stat-line to allow as a cornerback, especially with a defensive holding penalty added on for good measure.
Taylor-Britt was pulled from the game before those numbers became final as DJ Turner II ended up playing more snaps throughout the day. Such a humbling experience had never happened to him before, and he's on a mission to make sure it's never repeated.
Taylor-Britt kept it real this week when talking about last Sunday. While he's used past Wednesdays this season to make unfiltered comments about the upcoming opponent, he saved the brutal honesty for himself this time around.
"I put myself in that situation," Taylor-Britt said of getting pulled off. "I'm my biggest critic. I just have to come back here and I'm going to work."
The only thing more surprising that Taylor-Britt's uncharacteristic performance was the action that followed by defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. The willingness to sideline the team's lead cornerback was not expected until it actually happened.
But it wasn't a total shock to Taylor-Britt.
"Nah, not if you're messing the game up," Taylor-Britt said. "At the end of the day, it's a team game. It's not about one person. And if that one person isn't doing their job to the best of their ability, like I said before in OTAs, we have people who come in and make sure things are just the same."
The Bengals rank 27th in Expected Points Added per play allowed and 29th in success rate allowed. They're bad against the pass and even worse against the run.
At a time like this, humility is a great asset to have. Taylor-Britt showed it's the only way to dig yourself out of a self-dug hole.
Whether or not Anarumo turns to alternative options at other positions, such as Vonn Bell's spot at safety, remains to be seen. Making an example out of Taylor-Britt is a sudden manner was an eye-opening experience for everyone involved in the Bengals' defensive ineptitude this season.
Motivation for improvement couldn't be higher now that the high-powered Baltimore Ravens are coming to town. Taylor-Britt bouncing back with this mess behind him would be a monumental first step towards the defense as a whole making an upward surge from the basement of the league.
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