PRIORITIZING DEFENSEThe Chiefs spent lavishly

When the new broke that the Bengals planned on hiring Rams’ quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as their new head coach http://www.thebengalslockerroom.com/auth...billings-jersey , there were some mixed feelings.Those who had reservations were concerned that Taylor barely has any experience as an offensive coordinator. The year and a half of experience he has between the NCAA and the NFL does not instill much confidence in his play calling abilities. But there is a common thread among the NFL’s best head coaches and offensive coordinators that Taylor shares: he is a great quarterbacks coach.Most offensive coaches in the NFL were quarterbacks at one time in their careers. Some coaches, like Doug Pederson and Jason Garrett, were former NFL quarterbacks (albeit not very good ones). Other coaches like Andy Reid and Bill O’Brien never played quarterback at any level, but served as quarterbacks coaches before being promoted to head coach.Of all active NFL coaches, Taylor would be the only head coach to be promoted directly from quarterbacks coach to head coach aside from Sean Payton, who was the Cowboys’ assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach before taking the Saints’ head coaching job in 2006.Other former quarterbacks or quarterbacks coaches who are active head coaches are Freddie Kitchens, Matt Nagy, Frank Reich, Kyle Shanahan, Bruce Arians, Jay Gruden, Adam Gase and Kliff Kingsbury.This seems to be an effective strategy because not only has nearly half of all NFL head coaches spent time in the quarterbacks room, but five of the head coaches to make it the divisional round of this years’ playoffs fit the bill.What is it that makes quarterbacks such good head coaches?For the most part, it has to do with the playbook. Quarterbacks have to learn the ins and outs of the whole playbook so they can run the offense and adjust accordingly in-game. Not only do quarterbacks have to throw the football Renell Wren Jersey 2019 , but they have to know all of routes and all of the blocking schemes. So usually, if a head coach or offensive coordinator is not a former quarterback, odds are they were probably a center at one point in their careers, since they also have to know a great wealth of the playbook.Also, when quarterbacks arrive at the line of scrimmage, they have to be able to read the defense and identify what they are throwing at him. So not only are they best positioned to run an offense, but they also are good with defensive schemes.Zac Taylor is a former quarterback himself. In his senior year of college in 2006, he lead the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the Big 12 Championship game while also earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. That season, Taylor threw for 3,197 yards with 26 touchdowns and only 8 interception, completing 59.6 and earning a 146.1 quarterback rating.Taylor failed to make his mark in professional ball. After he was cut by the Buccaneers in 2007, he became the fourth-string quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL.After serving as a graduate assistant for three years, Taylor got his first shot at coaching quarterbacks with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. After one season he was promoted from assistant quarterbacks coach to quarterbacks coach. He kept that job until the Adam Gase regime cleaned house and Taylor went on to call the plays for the Cincinnati Bearcats for a season. Taylor combined his offensive coordinator duties with coaching quarterbacks in 2016. The next season, he was hired as Sean McVay’s wide receivers coach for the Rams Color Rush Renell Wren Jersey , which would be his only stint in professional football where he was not involved with quarterbacks. Then of course, his title was changed to quarterbacks coach for this past season.While the joke is going around that anyone who has shaken hands with McVay is getting head coaching opportunities, Taylor is actually a strong candidate on his own. His experience with quarterbacks is one key factor in a formula that leads to success.But why would the Bengals hire such an inexperienced coach?They seem to think highly of Taylor, and believe he really his the next big thing. The Bengals didn’t want to miss their opportunity to hire the up-and-coming wunderkind. So his experience with quarterbacks will have to do for now. But that is nothing to scoff at, since most successful NFL head coaches were once in his shoes. Brett Veach has made so many maneuvers involving draft picks since taking over as the Kansas City Chiefs' general manager that it's hard to believe he's never led an actual draft.That changes this week.The young front office boss, who took over when John Dorsey was let go last summer, heads into the three-day draft Thursday without a first-round pick. But Veach has one in the second round and two more in the third, giving him ample opportunity to shore up a leaky defense on an otherwise deep roster."I am looking forward to it. I've been working up to it, been doing this for 12 years," he said last week. "I've been going to the draft room for a long time. Certainly, it will be different as a GM. I am surrounded by a lot of great people and trust those guys."The Chiefs clearly trust him. Dorsey did a good job of acquiring talent after taking over a 2-14 franchise, but his inability to manage the salary cap ultimately led to his ouster.Veach has quickly balanced the books, using draft choices to help the process. He sent a fourth-round pick next year to Buffalo to grab middle linebacker Reggie Ragland, who started right away last season Cheap Renell Wren Jersey , and a fifth-rounder this year to Cleveland for swing offensive tackle Cam Erving.Then, he dealt quarterback Alex Smith to Washington for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick this year, and cornerback Marcus Peters and a sixth-round pick this year to the Los Angeles Rams for a fourth-round pick this year and a second-round selection next season.Got all that?The upshot is that, while nobody is quite sure what Veach will do when he runs his own draft, the safe assumption is that he will move aggressively to nab a player he likes."That's just kind of who I am. I have a group of guys up there who are worried that I'm going to be too aggressive," he said, "so I'm glad I have those guys. Everyone does this, and we've done this the last five years, you go through mock drafts just like you see online. We kind of just play that game ourselves in regards to what do we do if, or what about if this guy slides."I think every scenario had me trading up and my guys were like, 'we have a lot of good picks here.' I think I'll have a good group of guys helping me out there."As Veach and the Chiefs prepare for the draft, here are some things to know:PRIORITIZING DEFENSEThe Chiefs spent lavishly on WR Sammy Watkins and are deep on offense, but there are holes across the board on defense. Look for them to target a pass rusher or cornerback with their first couple of choices, regardless of whether Veach decides to trade up."Brett puts his own flare on things here and there Renell Wren Jersey Womens ," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "I think he's very thorough. If I can tell you what he is, he's very thorough."BUT REMEMBER OFFENSEKansas City will have a young, largely unproven starter under center after Patrick Mahomes II took over. Veach and Reid both talked about surrounding him with talent, and that could mean more help with pass catchers and offensive linemen.LOCAL LOOKOUTThere are some local names that could fit nicely in Kansas City. Kansas DE Dorance Armstrong showed flashes of talent throughout his career in Lawrence, while Kanas State CB D.J. Reed has the speed to help on defense and special teams — he was a return ace with the Wildcats.HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINSThe Chiefs have landed at least one Pro Bowl player each of the past three drafts: Peters in 2015, WR Tyreek Hill the next year and RB Kareem Hunt last season. But they also have acquired other key guys, including Mahomes in the first round last year and DT Chris Jones in the second round in 2016.The misses have largely been on defense. CB KeiVarae Russell was cut in camp after going in the third round in 2016, while DE Tanoh Kpassagnon rarely saw the field as a second-rounder last year.Good luck finding bigger bargains than Hunt and Hill. Hunt was a third-round pick last year and led the league in rushing as a rookie, while Hill was a fifth-round pick with plenty of off-the-field issues, but has thrived as a wide receiver and return man.