Bengals
Bengals HC Zac Taylor praised DC Al Golden‘s ability to coach teams that tackle well and is excited to see things ramp up in the preseason.
“I know Al Golden has a tremendous plan, having been with us, having been to college, Notre Dame was an outstanding tackling team,” Taylor said, via Geoff Hobson of the team’s site. “There are a lot of things that I’m excited to watch, and I’ll do to make sure that we can continue to enhance that with our guys. 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.”
Taylor plans to detail their system in training camps and let players be involved in the process.
“It’s more football. It’s the playbook and the football IQ and the situational stuff,” Taylor said. “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.”
Taylor is looking forward to having players get to know each other in the offseason program.
“I’m excited to have everybody in the same locker room, everyone gets a chance to really know these free agents and rookies and build that bond,” Taylor said. “I don’t think we’ve had bad team cohesiveness, but I just want more of it. So that when we come out of the offseason program, Joe Burrow can tell you about the new rookies, such and such. The rookie can tell you a lot about Orlando Brown and the journey he’s been on. I think I want to go into training camp where these guys really know and understand.”
Browns
Browns QB Deshaun Watson is set to miss a large portion of the 2025 season after a torn Achilles, and his standing with the team is in question. On his Instagram, Watson expressed his belief in returning to form despite nobody else thinking it would happen.
“Everyone is doubting me. Everyone don’t believe in me,” Watson said. “Everyone don’t think I can get back to where I was. But I know, and I believe the work that I put in, that I believe in myself… I know, I’m gonna be way better than before.”
Ravens
Ravens HC John Harbaugh is heading into his 18th season with the team and is proud of what has been accomplished, yet he still doesn’t feel fulfilled, as he wants to win a Super Bowl with his current group.
“I feel like I have a lot more to prove,” Harbaugh told Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “Our team has a lot more to prove, and I feel like I have a lot of good ideas, and our group has a lot of good ideas. We’re still growing, big time. I just feel like there’s no stopping us, and I can’t wait to try this stuff out next year. As long as I feel that way, I think I’m going to keep coaching.”
“He’s been so steady,” Ravens president Sashi Brown said. “He’s helped us really establish ‘the Ravens’ way.’”
Harbaugh said the theme for this season is “to get of our own way and be on the same page.”
“In the playoffs, we haven’t been able to put it together for three or four games to win the Super Bowl championship, and that’s the hard thing,” Harbaugh continued. “That’s why only one team does it, so we understand that. That’s the way it’s set up, but we want to be that team, and we’re good enough to do it, so we want to find a way to do it. The challenge there — the not simple part of it — is setting everything up in a way that makes those things intent, so that we’re intentional about those things every single day. So, when those moments happen in the biggest moments, it’s something that we’ve been doing all along, and it’s normal for us. Then, we have the best chance to have it go our way in those games, and that’s what we’re really talking about right now as a coaching staff, is the best way to intentionalize all those things so that in those big moments, we can follow through and get to the end.”
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