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The Cincinnati Bengals had an open practice on Saturday, one in which it seems like thousands stormed into Paul Brown Stadium. With players addressing the crowd, fans were able to get a nice picture of the comradery within the franchise.
On top of hearing from players, head coach Zac Taylor stepped up to the mic. Taylor may be on the hot seat this season after combining for six wins throughout his first two seasons with the Bengals after leaving his position with the Los Angeles Rams.
What Taylor said may not get the most cheers, but it is important and shows the type of character he believes this team has. He noted, per The Athletic’s Jay Morrison, that fans will be “very proud” of this team.
#Bengals coach Zac Taylor on the mic addressing the fans in attendance: "One thing I can promise you is you're going to be very proud of this team this year."
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) July 31, 2021
While that isn’t something unlikely like claiming the Bengals will be AFC North champions, Taylor did give the fans something that will allow them to continue representing their organization.
With an improved roster, Taylor will have his best chance yet to make noise in the division. Along those lines, Pittsburgh will be a worse team this season. Baltimore and Cleveland both marginally improved this offseason.
With Burrow healthy and with Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals should easily be considered the biggest winners of the offseason for the AFC North. The only question left is if they can translate that to wins.
For Taylor’s sake, let’s hope so.