Exiciting as Bengals Introduce New Offensive Coordinator that will…
CINCINNATI — New Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher was officially introduced on Thursday morning. He spoke for roughly 19 minutes with head coach Zac Taylor sitting to his right.
The organization is hopeful that the Taylor-Pitcher combo can help take the Bengals offense to new heights.
Here are our top takeaways from his introductory press conference:
There were plenty of teams interested in Pitcher.
The Saints interviewed him multiple times and appeared ready to make him an offer. He met virtually with the Patriots and the Raiders were hoping to have an in-person interview with him in Las Vegas.
Are we sure he would’ve came back to Cincinnati without a deal?
That doesn’t include teams like the Buccaneers or Brian Callahan’s Titans. Pitcher was going to become an offensive coordinator this offseason. The Bengals made sure it was here.
Pitcher could’ve joined the Patriots or Raiders in hopes of resurrecting storied franchises that will likely address their quarterback situations this offseason.
“That challenge can be appealing as a competitor, but you gotta be careful. That’s a double edged sword,” Pitcher said. “There’s all sorts of pitfalls that come with that. Not that I wouldn’t have been willing to take those on and attack something like that with everything I had, but as you sit back and do the cost benefit analysis of all these potential options, I’ll just keep coming back to it. The leader in the clubhouse was right here. Just really thankful that it worked out this way.”
That last line speaks volumes. Pitcher never wanted to leave. And yet, if Callahan hadn’t gotten the offer from Tennessee on Monday, there’s a could chance Pitcher would’ve been hired elsewhere.
Timing is Everything
Callahan accepted the Titans head coaching job on Monday night. That gave the Bengals time to pivot, interview any outside candidates and zero in on Pitcher before he agreed to a deal with another team.
“I appreciate the Titans for their timeliness,” Taylor said. “That made things ideal for us because there were timeline issues and it worked out the way it needed to work out, thankfully and so we don’t have to think beyond that. But that’s the truth of the matter.”
Bottom line: Taylor wanted to promote Pitcher if Callahan left, but there was a very real scenario where Pitcher would’ve become an offensive coordinator elsewhere if Callahan didn’t get the Titans job early in the week.
Joe Burrow praised Pitcher in a statement that the Bengals included with their press release when they officially announced the news.
The Bengals wouldn’t have made this move if Burrow didn’t sign off. Much like Taylor, the star quarterback was hellbent on keeping Pitcher in town.
The two have grown together. Pitcher was promoted to quarterbacks coach just a few months before the Bengals took Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
“We’ve been tied at the hip from the moment he came into this building. I was hired into that role two months before that. I couldn’t have asked for a more ideal situation, and I love the fact I get to keep working with him,” Pitcher said. “Not only is he an elite player, but I’ve gotten to know him so well as a person. He’s a special person. He’s different. They don’t make many like him, and to get to continue working with him day in and day out, knowing that we have a guy that can win us a World Championship it’s hard to put a price in that.”
