You wanted it. You got it.
According to Chris Mortensen, the Bengals officially fired offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski on Monday. Once the Bengals coaching staff was guaranteed to be coaching the Senior bowl, the Bengals decided to hold off on any major coaching decisions until returning to Cincinnati.
Bratkowski has been a great source of frustration with Bengals fans because of questionable decisions. A great example of that was in 2010 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With only 2:28 left in the game, the Buccaneers used their final timeout in an effort to save some time for a game-tying drive. With thirteen yards to go on third down, the Bengals could have run the ball, which would have bled the clock to the two minute warning. A good punt and the Buccaneers would have been forced to play the length of the field to tie the game with under two minutes.
Not impossible, but definitely far more difficult than what really happened, thanks to Bratkowski.
Rather than running the football, Bratkowski calls a passing play, out of shotgun formation. Not only were the Bengals going to try and throw the football, they were announcing it's likelihood to the other team, increasing chances for an incomplete. The worst that could happen is to stop the clock before the two minute warning, giving Tampa Bay the football back.
Well, that wasn't the worst that could happen. The window was so tight around Terrell Owens, who stumbled, that Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib picked off the pass. Tampa Bay pushed the football to the Bengals 35-yard line when the two minute warning finally came. They scored a game-tying touchdown two plays later.
Again. If the Bengals ran the football, it would have pushed the clock to the two minute warning and the Bengals could have punted. Instead of 2:18, Tampa Bay would only have less than two minutes left. Kevin Huber averaged 41.8 yards/punt that day, including a 72-yard punt. Instead of starting the drive at the 50-yard line, Bengals punter Kevin Huber could have forced the Buccaneers cover nearly 80 yards to get a game-tying touchdown. Tampa Bay would win the game after another interception late in the game by Palmer (all his fault) put the Buccaneers into position to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired.
A favorite that could get the job is Ken Zampese, who has been the Bengals' quarterback coach dating back to 2003.