Zac Taylor’s wife is pregnant.
A new child is on the way for Zach Taylor and his spouse.
The Taylor Bros. Bowl Trophy sits atop a wooden desk in Sherwood Taylor’s workroom in Norman, Oklahoma. The dates, teams, and results of every NFL game the Taylor brothers have coached against one another are engraved in gold on a black name plate.
Since having it manufactured in 2017, Sherwood has loved it as a memento of his two kids, Press Taylor, the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Zac Taylor, the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. The award further emphasizes the importance of competition in the Taylor home.
The fifth Taylor Bros. Bowl will take place in Jacksonville on Monday night between the Bengals and Jaguars, and it promises to be the biggest and most significant matchup yet. The 8-3 Jaguars and the 5-6 Bengals are both contenders for the AFC playoffs. The competition will air on national television. Additionally, both brothers are calling plays for their teams offensively for the first time.
In our household, it makes for interesting discourse. Zac Taylor informed me over the phone the previous weekend that there had been a lot of trash talk around the award. “It’s not a big deal anymore between Press and me. In board games, we fight more. However, I am certain of the record’s existence.”
I mentioned the award to Press, who is five years younger than Zac, and he chuckled and chirped that he hoped his dad still had it. Press has a 2-1-1 advantage in the series; the four prior games were played when Press was the Philadelphia Eagles’ assistant coach. Zac can tie it up on Monday.
Left: Press (right) and Zac (left) are sitting with their father, Sherwood Taylor. To the right: A trophy displays the outcomes of every NFL game in which Press and Zac coach against one another. (Photo courtesy of Sherwood Taylor and Julie.)
Nothing would please me more than to defeat my older brother. Growing up, that didn’t happen very often,” Press informed me last weekend. “However, these days, the trophy trash talk is primarily between Zac’s sons and me. My nephews give it to me when I lose and I give it to them when I win over the summer.”
Or, as Zac expressed it afterward, “More than anything, it’s the press spewing garbage at my kids.”
Press and Zac won’t be worrying about the trophy right now on Monday. However, they might have a brief meeting before the game to relish the exceptional honor of taking on each other as siblings with a strong affinity who have ascended to become elite NFL coaches.
In Trails, their Norman neighborhood, twenty to thirty years ago, winning their “cutthroat” pickup games of baseball, basketball, and football was undoubtedly the most important thing in the world. It’s a moment that neither of them could have imagined fantasizing about 25 years ago.
“He is my closest pal.”
Sherwood Taylor, a former starting safety at Oklahoma in the 1970s and an assistant coach at Kansas State in the 1980s, is credited with igniting the football fixation among the Taylor family. In order to spend more time with his wife Julie and their expanding family of athletes—Press, Zac, and daughters Quincy and Kathryn—Sherwood gave up his job as a college coach.
Kathryn, with Down syndrome, is an accomplished swimmer who has won numerous gold medals at the local and state Special Olympics. Sherwood refers to Kathryn as their family’s “heart.” Sherwood went on, “People treat her the way we treat them.” The youngest, Quincy, excelled in volleyball, track, and high jumping while in high school.
Press and Zac became quarterbacks when Sherwood started coaching them on their youth football teams because of their insatiable curiosity about the game. They both participated in collegiate athletics, one at Marshall and the other at Nebraska.
The press claimed that Zac had “ten times” the collegiate career he had and was a far superior quarterback and passer. Press, who is more athletic than his older brother, does have one playing distinction: before moving on to Marshall, he helped Butler Community College in Kansas win back-to-back NJCAA national titles. Zac, on the other hand, lost in the championship game during his one and only year at Butler. Press approaches Zac about it without holding back.
Press told me that despite the lighthearted jabs, his goal of imitating Zac is what got him a job calling plays into Trevor Lawrence’s helmet from the Jaguars sideline.
“Zac is an inspiration to me; he accomplished all I set out to do and did it honorably. I don’t know if I would be a coach right now if my brother hadn’t been one,” Press remarked. Growing up, I was always the goofy, tag-along younger brother, but eventually our friendship really took off. I see him as a mentor. I go to him when I need advice. We are peers who share ideas with each other when it comes to coaching. But he’s my best friend outside of my wife.”
“Our tones are the same. We both write in the same way. Some claim that we have the same appearance. The way we work and coach is extremely similar.”Zac Taylor, speaking about his brother Press.
The brothers discussed numerous times during Press Taylor’s first season as the Jaguars offensive coordinator last year about what Zac did to forge an offensive identity in his first two seasons in Cincinnati with quarterback Joe Burrow. The press asked Zac for specifics on how he launched the offense with Burrow because he was trying to figure out how to get inside Lawrence’s game. Despite the differences in their QBs and offensive styles, Zac told the press stories about how he integrated Burrow’s comfort level with his own offensive philosophy.
The Taylor brothers have benefited from each other’s assistance this year as they strategize against opposing defenses. For instance, they shared ideas about how to take advantage of the Houston Texans defense in particular circumstances, as the Bengals played the Texans in Houston on November 12 and the Jaguars play them twice a season. The resource sharing isn’t one-sided, as the brothers made clear, and it only occurs when it benefits neither of their teams.
In addition, Zac frequently calls the press to ask for assistance in locating a particular play from years past when he wants to change up his offense or assist the Bengals in getting ready for a game. Zac is in awe of Press’s tape collection, which includes recordings from Press’s more than ten-year tenure as the Eagles’ quality control coach. Some Philly coaching assistants referred to Press’ collection as “Press’ vault.”
“Our tones are the same. We both write in the same way. Some claim that we have the same appearance. Our approaches to coaching and working are extremely similar,” Zac remarked. “One distinction is the press’s meticulous organization. I frequently switch between tasks without becoming sidetracked.”
“Tape, learning, and organization are all things I can control,” stated Press, whom Doug Pederson has acknowledged as the mastermind behind the Philly Special trick play that helped Pederson and the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2017. My youth has always been utilized as a counterbalance to my experience.
startling parallels
Press is a little kid at heart, and she wants to walk in Zac’s footsteps.
Press, 35, is a strong contender to interview as early as this offseason for head coaching jobs. He will be comparable to Zac in age and experience when the Bengals bring him in to manage the team in 2019. The similarities are striking, in fact.
Following their playing careers, both Taylor brothers began working as graduate assistants in college: Press at Tulsa and Zac at Texas A&M, where he assisted his father-in-law, former Packers coach Mike Sherman. When Chip Kelly was appointed head coach of the Eagles in 2013, Press was hired, and Zac went with Sherman to the Dolphins to work as offensive coordinator in 2012.
The press got to Philadelphia thanks to common contacts. In 2013, Greg Austin, a former teammate of Zac’s from Nebraska, was heading out of Oregon, where Kelly had been the head coach, to become Kelly’s assistant offensive line coach with the Eagles. Kelly urged Austin to recommend young men who could work hard for little money for the position of quality control coach.
Austin asked Zac over the phone if Press, his younger brother, would be interested.
“Zac informed Greg that “he best be.” Julie Taylor laughed as she remembered. “Press fell in love with his wife while working as a graduate assistant at Tulsa at the time. Zac pushed Press to accept the position.”
Press recalls, “I said yes right away. I was unaware of it, but that was how I got into the NFL. I went to see Zac at the Dolphins facility the previous year on his last day of work before the holidays. Chip was present. After spending some time together, Zac and I started asking him football-related questions, and we did so for forty-five minutes. That was my first encounter with Chip. I was planning to collaborate with him the next time.”
In football, paths frequently come full circle. Austin is now the Jaguars’ offensive quality control coach.
Press and Zac both had extremely successful Super Bowl-winning head coaches who served as important allies in their rise to prominence. Zac’s star brightened after spending four seasons in Miami and one at the University of Cincinnati. In 2017, he joined the Rams for Sean McVay’s first season as head coach.
The Bengals hired 35-year-old Zac as head coach in 2019 after hiring McVay for two seasons, one as quarterbacks coach and one as an assistant wide receivers coach. Critics questioned Zac’s experience, and their concerns only grew after his first two years of play. However, in 2021, he led Cincinnati to their first division titles, AFC Championship Game appearances, and Super Bowl berth since the 1980s, demonstrating his readiness.
Press was elevated because Pederson trusted him, both in Philadelphia (where he remained on staff after Pederson assumed the head coaching position in 2016) and Jacksonville. Press played for the Colts in 2021 and then joined Pederson with the Jaguars in 2022. This offseason, Pederson gave Press full-time play-calling duties to demonstrate his tremendous belief in Press.
Given that Pederson thrives in this role, it’s clear from the decision how Pederson views Press as an offensive coordinator and coach. Following their two finest offensive games of the season—victories over Tennessee and Houston—which gave them a clear lead in the AFC South, the Jaguars are 12th in the NFL in terms of scoring offense.
The moving of Calvin Ridley into tighter formations to help him get loose for explosive plays after opponents started to increase press coverage to thwart him is one example of the Jaguars coaching changes made under Pederson and Press Taylor. Another illustration of how they are positioning Lawrence for success is the range of play-action passes and man-coverage-beater throwing designs that have him ranked fourth in the NFL in terms of anticipated completion percentage (67.3%) this season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Regarding Zac, following a defeat to the Ravens two weeks prior, he and his team received heartbreaking news: Burrow sustained a season-ending wrist injury that severely damaged Cincinnati’s chances of winning a title. After the game, Press texted Zac to see how he and Burrow were doing, but Zac didn’t reply until the news was made public.
Consistent with his image, Zac displayed no emotion in public and offered no justifications. The season wasn’t over, he asserted. “What better opportunity to go out there and change that narrative in prime time with our backs against the wall?” he asked reporters this week prior to Monday’s game.
“We’ll be cheering on the offensive team.”
Julie and Sherwood watch Bengals and Jaguars games at home most Saturdays. In the event that two teams play at the same time, they have two TVs. According to Sherwood, Julie frequently yells at the TV within the first few minutes, and everyone agrees that she exhibits her strongest emotions during sports. Like most mothers, Julie is horrified when her children suffer harm. Before every game, she texts them both with words of love, support, and prayer. They then wait for Press and Zac to call them later.
Julie remarked, “If they lose, I listen to praise and worship.” “I watch the NFL Network if they win.”
However, the fifth Taylor Bros. Bowl will take place in Jacksonville on Monday night, when the Taylor family will be present. Parents who know they have to feel happy for the winner and sorry for the loser are the ones who suffer the most. Sherwood and Julie will be seated among the wives of Jacksonville coaches in the Jaguars section alongside Press’s family. Split jerseys, such as the ones worn by Travis and Jason Kelce’s mother when her sons battle one another, are not acceptable. Julie is going to dress in black.
Julie declared, “We’ll be cheering for the offensive.” It will be difficult, but I’ll try to enjoy it. I’m not sure how the mother of the Kelce brothers managed to do it so joyfully. I think highly of her.”
“I’ll probably detest every minute of it,” Sherwood continued. Although I don’t become anxious, I don’t want one of them to lose.”
Whatever the result, everyone in Norman may be happy about the Taylor brothers’ achievement, especially those who lived in the Trails area, which helped to create Zac and Press.
Before a game between the teams their sons were coaches for at the time—Press’s Eagles and Zac’s Dolphins—Sherwood and Julie Taylor are shown with Press (left) and Zac (right). (With thanks to Julie Taylor.)
Julie Taylor told me last week that the starting quarterback for Norman High hailed from the Trails neighborhood ten times in a row. Former Oklahoma and Lions receiver Ryan Broyles, former Sooners and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Mossis Madu Jr., former Wake Forest tight end and current Mississippi state athletic director Zac Selmon, former Wake Forest basketball starter and Houston assistant coach Kellen Sampson, and former Sooners soccer star Jordan Gibbs, the daughter of longtime NFL coach Gary Gibbs, are just a few of the kids who played in the pickup games Zac and Press grew up playing in.
Together, Zac and Sarah, who is the daughter of Mike Sherman, have four children: Brooks, Luke, Emma, and Milly.
For his family, Zac had long searched for a cul-de-sac with lots of children, hoping to give them a little taste of the childhood he enjoyed. They failed several times. Zac and his son Brooks used to stroll the area before they purchased their current house, counting all the basketball hoops—a telltale sign that there were children around. They answered, “Perfect,” after observing eight or nine. Zac’s kids now play pickup games throughout the neighborhood.
In addition, Press and his spouse, Brooklyn, have four children: Teale, Carolina, Woods, and Billy. The two boys and two girls who make up his parents, along with his brother Zac,.
“I’m a huge football fan. I’m totally devoted to football. However, it won’t compare to family. Family came before football in my parents’ approach, and it served as our role model,” Press remarked. “I’m sure that I want to recreate our early years.”
