I am a pretty optimistic guy. Even if I don’t agree with decisions the Bengals make John Miller Jersey White , I can generally see a path where they can be successful if everything works out. I woke up on December 31st, and that feeling was gone. How could I look forward to the offseason if the Bengals were going to stay on the same path? We all appreciate Marvin Lewis and what he’s done for this franchise, but his time has long been passed. The problem was it seemed like the only person who didn’t know that was Mike Brown. Then a miracle happened. Bengals fans everywhere jumped for joy as the news of Lewis’ dismissal came out. No one thought that Brown would actually move on from Lewis, but the improbable has occurred. As the morning went on, the giddiness wore off and distrust of ownership set back in. This is a big moment for the Bengals’ franchise. What if they screw it up? Could it get worse?What if the Brown family is merely teasing us with hopes of legitimate hires such as Josh McDaniels, Zac Taylor or even maybe Eric Bieniemy? What if they make an awful hire that sends us pummeling back down to earth? With that in mind, here are the 10 worst hires the Bengals could possibly make.1. Hue Jackson - former Browns head coach/current made up position with BengalsObviously Jackson is the worst candidate. Not only did he go 0-16 in 2017 in 2018 the combined record of the Browns and Bengals while they employed him was 3-11-1 while the pair combined to go 10-7 without him. Losing seems to follow Jackson — whether that’s all his fault or not — and the Bengals just need to part ways for good now.2. John DeFilippo - former Vikings offensive coordinatorDeFilippo got a lot of buzz as quarterbacks coach of the Eagles on their Super Bowl run and capitalized days later by becoming offensive coordinator of the Vikings. Unfortunately he seemed more concerned with creative play design than utilizing his talent and was fired midseason. Some would say DeFilippo was the fall guy for his offense not having a competent offensive line, but this probably isn’t the time for him to make the jump to head coach.3. Bill Lazor - Bengals offensive coordinator or Darrin Simmons - Bengals special teams coordinatorLazor was impressive as an offensive coordinator for about 2 weeks in 2017, but as often happens with midyear replacements, once film got out on his offense he was unimpressive. As a loyal long-time employee, Simmons deserves his interview Geno Atkins Jersey , but it should be more of a courtesy than anything. Neither should be seriously considered because this team needs change and that is not going to come from an internal hire. 4. Mike Munchak - Steelers offensive line coach Offensive line coaches don’t generally fair well as head coaches, but more importantly Munchak is a retread. He was the head coach of the Titans for three seasons going 9-7, 6-10, and 7-9. This would be a devastating hire for a fan base that is tired of mediocrity. 5. Gregg Williams - former Browns interim head coach and defensive coordinatorSure he turned the Browns’ season around, but think about this: is it a smart idea to pair Vontaze Burfict with the guy who orchestrated bounty-gate? 6. Matt LaFleur - Titans offensive coordinatorAfter serving as Kyle Shanahan’s quarterbacks coach in Atlanta and Sean McVay’s offensive coordinator in Los Angeles, LaFleur is getting a lot of attention as the next great offensive mind. Unfortunately, in his first year on his own he did not put together an inspiring offense in Tennessee. This is a hot name with little substance.7. Dirk Koetter - former Buccaneers head coachKoetter is a classic example of just because their offense (or defense) is good, it doesn’t mean they can run the whole team. Lovie Smith got hosed.8. Jim Caldwell - former Lions head coachCaldwell is 0-4 in the playoffs and two of those loses came with Peyton Manning as his quarterback, This is not the guy to replace Lewis.9. Mike McCarthy - former Packers head coachIt is true that the Packers have had personnel issues, but coaching Aaron Rodgers his entire career and winning only one Super Bowl is not a good look. McCarthy could take a team with minimal roster talent and build a solid team, but he’s not what the Bengals need.10. Vance Joseph - former Broncos head coachJoseph made some questionable in-game decisions this season Womens Andy Dalton Jersey , but he isn’t the worst candidate out there. His prior stint on the coaching staff hurts him as well. Despite the fact that the result sent them to the Super Bowl, the NFC Championship game was rough for the Los Angeles Rams. The adversity that the Rams’ offense and quarterback Jared Goff had to face in that game gave us a glimpse of who they really are. It also says a lot about head coach Sean McVay and should give Bengals fans good feelings about hiring Zac Taylor.Home field advantage played a major role in this game. Domes are loud and when whistles brought in by fans aren’t confiscated, that makes things even more complicated. While home crowds are always encouraged to make noise when the opposing offense is on the field, this caused a unique problem for the Rams.Crowd noise makes it hard for offenses to communicate and make changes at the line of scrimmage. The offensive linemen have trouble calling out their double teams and even hearing the snap count. As it’s been well documented, McVay talks to his quarterback until the radio cuts out with 15 seconds on the play clock. After the Rams first drive (a three-and-out that resulted in an interception) Goff immediately took his helmet off to the get the receiver looked at. It was so loud in that stadium, that Goff literally couldn’t hear the voice in his helmet.Not only did Goff not have his McVay crutch to lean on, he didn’t have his most potent weapon offensively. Something was not right with Todd Gurley. They say the running back is healthy, but he looked off. He had four carries that resulted in just 10 yards, he was sloppy in pass protection and dropped the pass that resulted in Goff’s only interception. Goff was on his own.The offense struggled throughout the first half, but they adapted. The Rams offense came alive at the end of the half. After getting the ball back inside of the two-minute warning. Goff completed four of his next six passes and made a clutch throw on third down in the midst of a seven-play drive that resulted in a touchdown after taking up just 84 seconds of the game clock. This meant that despite struggling offensively through the half, the Rams would go into halftime down by only a field goal.The second half started with a three-and-out for the Rams. On the second drive the Rams were able to get the run game going with C.J. Anderson and Goff found his rhythm. This allowed them to match the Saints score Womens A.J. Green Jersey , remaining down a field goal. A pair of field goals in the fourth quarter, and one in overtime would be all the Rams needed to pull this one off. Goff showed a lot of guts and that he could handle himself when things weren’t going exactly as planned. He did not have Gurley’s run game or McVay’s last second audibles to rely on. He faced a lot of pressure from the Saints’ pass rush as well. Goff’s ability to be effective in this environment shows that he is getting good coaching on the sideline, which in turn, bodes well for Zac Taylor. McVay as the head coach can’t do much with his offensive unit when the defense is on the field. It was likely Taylor who was talking to Goff and getting his head screwed on right, so he could make the plays that he needed to make down the stretch. Whether it’s Andy Dalton, Ryan Tannehill, or a rookie that Taylor is guiding in 2019, the Bengals’ starting quarterback figures to be in good hands.