The Cincinnati Bengals, who failed to score a touchdown in losing their first two games of the NFL season, sacked offensive coordinator Ken Zampese on Friday.
The team confirmed the move the day after a lackluster 13-9 loss to the Houston Texans.
Bengals quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor, a former NFL offensive coordinator for three teams, was named as Zampese’s replacement.
Photo: David Kohl-USA TODAY
“Ken Zampese has done a tremendous job for us for my 15 years here and I have the utmost respect for Ken as a person and as a coach, but I feel it best for the football team to breathe new life into the offense and that’s why I am making the change,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said.
Zampese served as Bengals quarterbacks coach for 13 seasons before being named offensive coordinator last year when Hue Jackson left to coach the Cleveland Browns.
However, the team struggled last season to establish a consistent ground game and to protect quarterback Andy Dalton, who passed for 4,200 yards, despite being sacked 41 times.
Photo: David Kohl-USA TODAY
Dalton threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in the season opening 20-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
“It’s difficult to win many games when we don’t score touchdowns,” Lewis said on Friday, before the team announced Zampese had been fired. “That’s execution and how we attack. We’re not doing a good enough job.”
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