Zac Taylor says that he goes back with Dan Campbell even further than anybody realizes. <\/p>\n
The two were on the same Miami Dolphins staff for four seasons where Taylor eventually became offensive coordinator and Campbell the interim head coach.<\/p>\n
But before that, they spent a spring together in 2010 as Campbell returned to his alma mater, Texas A&M, to get a taste of what it was like to be a coach. <\/p>\n
Before diving into the profession he wanted to see what it entailed and he was assigned to work with a graduate assistant at Texas A&M \u2014 Taylor.<\/p>\n
Since, the pair have risen up the coaching ranks to become premier NFL head coaches, Taylor with the Cincinnati Bengals and Campbell with the Detroit Lions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve known Zac a long time,\u201d Campbell said Wednesday. \u201cWhat he\u2019s done out there has been pretty amazing and they\u2019ve built something pretty special over there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two are set for their second meeting going head-to-head out in Cincinnati on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Taylor\u2019s memories of the Bengals\u2019 34-11 victory in 2021 aren\u2019t so much about his team routing a winless Lions, but seeing the first traces of greatness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do reflect back on in 2021 when we went up there his first year. I don\u2019t think they\u2019d won a game yet,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cKnowing what they were building, you could tell. They played with a lot of undrafted free agents on defense and you could just tell they had the identity of their coaching staff, their head coach, the way that they played. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey might not have had all the talent in the world then and we got the best of them that day, but you could see something that was building in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lions were pretty thoroughly outdone in that game, being outgained 398-228, rushing for 36 total yards and committing nine penalties in the game.<\/p>\n
Detroit would also lose four more games and tie another before finally getting the first win of the Campbell era in Week 13 of the 2021 season.<\/p>\n
But we all know the next few years became some of the most fruitful in the franchise\u2019s history. <\/p>\n
Taylor, somehow, could see it in the likes of guys like A.J. Parker and Jerry Jacobs during that first season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether people believed it at the time or not, it was very clear,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cNow you\u2019re here in 2025 and they\u2019ve had the success they\u2019ve had over the years. They have the success they\u2019ve had this year winning three in a row. It\u2019s a really good football team.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Lions and Bengals couldn\u2019t be entering the game in much different spots. Detroit is riding high of three straight wins while the Bengals have lost two straight since quarterback Joe Burrow went down with an injury that will take a few months to get him back.<\/p>\n
But for Taylor, the opportunity to face a team like the Lions is exactly what he\u2019s looking for. And he knows a Campbell-coached roster is going to bring a necessary challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love, personally, playing these types of games. These are my favorite games to play,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThis is why we do it. Our backs up against the wall a little bit going in this game off of two losses. That\u2019s perfect. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I like to see how everybody responds, who lives in fear, who thrives in the adversity. It\u2019s a great opportunity for a coach to really assess what guys are made of.\u201d<\/p>\n
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