Bengals HC Zac Taylor thanks Titans for how quickly they hired Brian Callahan
In facing the first coordinator change of the last five years, head coach Zac Taylor admitted the last couple of weeks were at times stressful with Brian Callahan taking interviews to become a head coach. "It had moments," Taylor said to media members, sitting next to Callahan's replacement, Dan Pitcher. Callahan joined the Tennessee Titans […]
In facing the first coordinator change of the last five years, head coach Zac Taylor admitted the last couple of weeks were at times stressful with Brian Callahan taking interviews to become a head coach.
"It had moments," Taylor said to media members, sitting next to Callahan's replacement, Dan Pitcher.
Callahan joined the Tennessee Titans and became the third head coaching hire and first external hire of this year's cycle. Had it not happen as quick as it did, Cincinnati may not have been able to keep Pitcher.
Bengals' accelerated succession plan
Taylor and the Bengals knew that Pitcher was the best candidate for the OC gig once Callahan made it vacant. They had to undergo the process of interviewing external candidates first and comply with the Rooney Rule, but Pitcher was the target.
Other clubs felt the same way about Pitcher. The Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints all had interest in hiring Pitcher to coordinate call plays for their offenses.
Since Callahan was hired before most of those interviews were to take place, the Bengals were able to keep Pitcher from being offered the job elsewhere. This was not lost on Taylor.
"I appreciate the Titans for the timeliness," Taylor said. "That made things ideal for us. Because there were timeline issues, and it worked out the way that it needed to work out, thankfully. And so we don't have to think beyond that. But that's the truth of the matter."
The timeline issues were simple. If Callahan wasn't hired when he was, Pitcher could've taken his interviews outside of Cincinnati, not knowing if he'd get the promotion he wanted with the Bengals. The Titans didn't let Callahan leave after interviewing him. If Pitcher found himself in the same position with another team, the same result could've happened.
Callahan moving out in a timely manner allowed for the succession plan to unfold accordingly. Taylor and the Bengals are greatly appreciative of that.
Check out Pitcher's first presser as Cincinnati's offensive coordinator below:
Bengals get all the validation they need for recent hire
One voice matters more than most.
