We now know a little more about how Zac Taylor and the Cincinnati Bengals will change the offseason program in an effort to avoid slow starts to seasons.
The effort to fix this major problem of the Taylor era starts by upping the intensity during spring work away from the field to move those closer to training camp levels.
"It's more football. It's the playbook and the football IQ and the situational stuff," Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "Letting guys be involved in that and as coaches we're going to do that all season. We're going to get up in front of the room and explain it and there'll be sometimes maybe the players can get up there and join in the fun and explain it a little bit … It'll build the football IQ and the situational awareness and also get to know your teammates a little bit better. "
What fans will really want to hear, though, pertains to training camp and the summer just before a season.
There, Taylor told reporters that an uptick in playing time for starters will happen in preseason games, per Hobson: "We don't do a lot of (tackling) to the ground in training camp. That's what the preseason games are for. I see our guys playing more in the preseason this year than we have in the past."
To be blunt, the Bengals have been horrific at the start of seasons under Taylor. The less impactful approach to the offseason was aimed at reducing injuries and wear and tear, yet the Bengals entered last season with a few serious injuries, anyway.
At this point, the Bengals clearly want to find a better balance. Last year, the Bengals started 0-3, with the Week 1 loss to an eventual four-win New England team crippling the entire season. Whether the team can avoid similar issues again could end up saying much about hot seats in Cincinnati.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals signal plan to change offseason approach
