Sometimes the truth can be a bit too harsh.
After the Cincinnati Bengals' 34-13 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, head coach Zac Taylor criticized his pass-catchers for allowing New England's secondary to push them around.
"(Quarterback) Andy (Dalton) had four picks," Taylor said. "Three of them were man-to-man coverage, one-on-ones. We got bullied. We did. Guys can go compete, knock the ball down.
"(Stephon) Gilmore had two of them. Their guys went and competed. It was tight man coverage. Gilmore is one of the best in the league. We saw what that looked like today."
Even if the stats back Taylor up, the Bengals head coach backtracked a bit Monday when asked about his comments.
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"I wish I wouldn’t have phrased it like that, to be quite honest with you,” Taylor said, via Cincinnati.com. “Because you’re emotional after a game like that. Then you watch the tape, and there’s… We’ve just got to correct the technique. That’s what the conversation needs to be.
New England Patriots
" ... Certainly, I have regret on how I phrased it. It will be a candid conversation in a sense. Accountable for what we can do better."
Regardless of how he phrased it, Taylor's observation was accurate. Cincinnati's wide receivers combined for just six catches on 15 targets, and both of Gilmore's interceptions came on passes intended for Boyd in tight coverage.
Curiously, Boyd didn't share the same view of his head coach, claiming after the game that he won the majority of his matchups with Gilmore.
The numbers don't lie, though -- Boyd caught just three passes for 24 yards on seven targets -- and Taylor's original message came through loud and clear, even if the first-year head coach thought it was a little too loud.