Opinion: Play-calling is no drawback, Bengals OC position is one of the best in football

CINCINNATI — Every football coach has different personal goals and plans for their individual futures.

For the sake of this article, let’s assume most assistant coaches have a desire to, someday, become a head coach in the National Football League.

I believe, in current form, the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator position is one of the best of its kind.

"I get to stay here, and this has been ideal for me all along," said Dan Pitcher, who was promoted to Bengals offensive coordinator this week.

There’s one major factor, which could be considered a drawback – and that is the lack of play-calling duties — a responsibility which belongs to head coach Zac Taylor.

I’m not totally convinced it’s a drawback.

In mid-October of the 2022 season, some fans were calling for a change in play-calling duties.

When asked about the matter, head coach Zac Taylor insisted that play-calling is a “collaborative” art.

“Brian (Callahan) and I work side-by-side every hour of every single day,” said Taylor, in October of 2022.

Callahan was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator at the time, and remained in that position until this week, when he left to take the Tennessee Titans’ head coaching job.

Is there a world in which not being the primary play-caller allows a coordinator to spend more time focusing on things like player management? Maybe.

Those player management skills are widely considered to be an essential part of being a head coach.

So, is it possible that Callahan’s role with the Bengals actually prepared him, better than most others, to be a head coach? Time will surely tell in Tennessee.

But that doesn’t even make the list.

3 reasons I believe the Bengals have one of the most desirable offensive coordinator positions in the league:

1. Designing an offense around Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.
Nobody ever said running an NFL offense is easy, and that’s certainly not what I’m saying. But let’s pretend you’re a software developer (and maybe you are). You show up on day #1, and your company provides you with the fastest internet in town and a large-screen computer with the newest running system. You’re off to a pretty good start.
“When you have an elite QB, you hang on as long as you can," said Pitcher. "We have a guy that can win us a world championship.”

2. Upward mobility.
Isn’t that the primary goal here, anyway? Moving up. Getting that big head coaching job. Brian Callahan just did it, despite never having primary play-calling duties with the Cincinnati Bengals.

3. Support in advancement.
Titans General Manager Ran Carthon did my work for me on this one.

“Zac’s ability to communicate with us about Brian is unmatched,” said Carthon. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t say thank you to him. Thank you, Zac, for all the help you provided.”

Zac isn’t holding his assistants back. In fact, he’s considered “unmatched” in the way he helps them move up in the coaching world.

Dan Pitcher’s decision to accept the Bengals’ offensive coordinator position was a no-brainer; and not just for the reasons above.

“Anytime you find yourself a part of something you believe in, and you’re around really good people, and you love coming to work everyday — You’ve got to have a really good reason to leave that,” said Pitcher.

The validity of my opinions will be proven or disproven by the success of Callahan and Pitcher in their new roles.

But then again – If the primary goal is upward mobility (the focus of this exercise), Brian Callahan just showed you everything you need to see.