CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals liked Zac Taylor the first time they talked to him Jacob Bailey NFL Draft , but there was one overriding concern when they discussed offering him their head coaching job. He’s 35 with only a few games as a coordinator on his NFL resume.Would it be too much, too soon, to make him a head coach?“Our big question was: Is he ready for this opportunity?” player personnel director Duke Tobin said.Taylor convinced them during their two meetings, and the Bengals introduced him as their 10th head coach on Tuesday.Having answered the Bengals’ overriding question, Taylor now gets to deal with another, more persistent question that’s confronted all of his predecessors: Can this head coach get the Bengals to a place that none of the others could reach? Or will he run into the same walls?In Cincinnati, it’s always bigger than the head coach. In a league set up to help struggling teams rise quickly, the Bengals have managed only seven winning seasons in the last 28 years, a reflection on ownership.Quarterback Carson Palmer sensed the built-in walls and asked to be traded after the 2010 season. During his 16 seasons in Cincinnati, coach Marvin Lewis raised the organization to a competitive level but couldn’t get it any further.Quarterbacks and coaches have come and gone, but the futility has endured. Cincinnati’s failure to win a playoff game in 28 years matches Washington for the fifth-longest in league history.Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet, Dick LeBeau and Lewis all came up short during the streak of futility. Lewis finished 0-7, the worst postseason coaching record in NFL history. Now Jacob Bailey Buffalo Bills Jersey , it’s Taylor’s turn.He’s not only charged with trying to break through those barriers, but also winning back fans who abandoned the team because of its reluctance to make necessary changes.How’s that for a first NFL head coaching job?“I know this will not be easy,” Taylor said.He has to hire a coaching staff, a job made more difficult by the timing. Under NFL rules, the Bengals couldn’t hire him until his team was eliminated from the playoffs. They got to interview him during the Rams’ bye weeks.Taylor hasn’t committed to a particular style of defense. He’s looking to overhaul an offense that will be on its third coordinator in the last three seasons.Taylor endorsed quarterback Andy Dalton, saying he fits what he’s trying to do with the offense. Taylor intends to call the plays. He’ll import features from the Rams’ offense to Cincinnati: “I think it would be silly to scrap it, so that will be a big part of what we do.”He spoke repeatedly about establishing a culture.“It’s getting the right people and having high standards and holding people accountable,” Taylor said.The Bengals have been through a lot of dysfunction lately. They fired their offensive coordinator only two games into the 2017 season. Last year, they fired their defensive coordinator midway through his first season. They fielded the youngest team in Lewis’ 16 seasons last year, and the results weren’t good.Brown finally decided to replace Lewis when attendance fell to the second-lowest level in the NFL. Fans’ anger and indifference tipped his hand.“We had lost some of the faith in our fan base,” Brown said Tuesday, his first public comment about the coaching change. “That was clear. That sent a loud message.”So, they decided to go in a very different direction with a young coach who will bring new ideas to a button-down organization.Taylor wore a three-piece suit to the news conference Tuesday, the first time he’s been so buttoned down. The session ended with Taylor posing for photos with Brown Color Rush Jacob Bailey Jersey , who joked with photographers as they snapped away.“I keep looking for the flashbulbs,” Brown said. ATLANTA (AP) — The Super Bowls have become a yearly ritual for the New England Patriots under Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.They’re back for the third straight year and the ninth time overall despite a taxing season that seemed doomed after Julian Edelman’s four-game suspension for performance-enhancers, a 1-2 start to the regular season, various injuries and the arrival and abrupt departure of Josh Gordon.Yet, as they prepare for Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, it’s hard to imagine New England, which is a slight favorite, not walking out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium without their sixth Lombardi Trophy.The reasons begin in the place that matters most: with quarterback Tom Brady.Yes, he’s 41 years old. And yes, he showed some slight signs of decline during his 19th season. But he’s also coming off two impressive playoff wins, which doesn’t bode well for the Rams.He bested Philip Rivers in the divisional round. Then he helped the Patriots overcome their playoff road woes by leading 12th postseason game-winning drive of his career to defeat Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City in the AFC championship game.Brady averaged 267.5 passing yards per game in the postseason before turning 40. Since hitting that milestone, he’s thrown for 364.6 yards per game.“It’s a long season. It’s a lot like climbing a mountain,” Brady said. “You have some really great moments and you have some disappointing things that happen. You gotta kind of figure out your way as you go. The goal is to reach the top and only one team really reaches it.”Linebacker Elandon Roberts said trying to quantify Brady’s impact this season is impossible.“I can make a list, but I might run out of paper Youth Jacob Bailey Jersey ,” Roberts saidWhile there have been times during the Patriots’ run of championships in which they have been dependent on Brady’s arm, this season has been notable for the help he’s had and continues to lean on during the postseason.Rookie Sony Michel has reinvigorated the run game, rushing for an NFL rookie record five touchdowns. He’s gotten support from Rex Burkhead (three postseason rushing TDs), James White and even fullback James Develin .It’s added up to fast starts.The Patriots have been outscored 24-3 in the first quarter of their previous eight Super Bowl appearances. They are poised to change that, having outscored the Chargers and Chiefs 49-7 in the first quarter in their first two victories this postseason.The defense has also stepped up. First-time All-Pro Stephon Gilmore has helped steady a secondary that ranked as low as 27th in the NFL against the pass at midseason.There is also the undeniable experience factor that heavily favors New England.This will be the ninth Super Bowl appearance for Belichick and Brady. But it is the third straight for the Patriots overall.Safeties Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung and kicker Stephen Gostkowski are preparing to play in their fifth Super Bowls. And they have 25 players who have appeared in at least two Super Bowls.By comparison, the Rams have only four players on their entire roster that have played in this game.Brady went on the record this week saying there is “zero chance” that he will retire at the end of this season, adding his plan is still to play until age 45.“He works, plays hard, he probably will,” Belichick said.While he isn’t thinking about the end anytime soon, Brady said he isn’t taking his latest opportunity for granted either.“I just love it and I love playing,” Brady said. “I think everyone at this point is tired and worn down but at the same time, you have one of the great opportunities in your life. … It’s a very difficult game to win. I’m excited for it.”