Ken Zampese Kenneth " Ken " Zampese ( born July 19 , 1967 in Santa Maria , California ) is an American football coach . He began his coaching career in 1989 coaching for the University of San Diego , and is currently the Quarterbacks Coach for the Cincinnati Bengals . Family Background . Zampese ’ s father , Ernie Zampese , spent 36 years as a coach in the NFL , spending time with the New York Jets , San Diego Chargers , Dallas Cowboys , New England Patriots , Washington Redskins , and both the Los Angeles Rams and St . Louis Rams . Ernie Zampese is known best for his role on the Chargers ’ offensive coaching staff in the 1970s and ’ 80s , when he helped engineer the famed “ Air Coryell ” offense . The “ Air Coryell ” offense — still considered one of the best passing offenses in NFL history — featured Hall of Famers Dan Fouts , Charlie Joiner and Kellen Winslow , along with John Jefferson and Wes Chandler . These dynamic players operated in a scheme that led the league in passing yards an NFL - record six consecutive seasons ( 1978 - ’ 83 ) . Early NFL Coaching . Ken Zampese began his NFL coaching career in 1998 as an offensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles under head coach Ray Rhodes . In 1999 , Rhodes became head coach of the Green Bay Packers , and Zampese followed . He again worked as offensive assistant , mentored by QBs Coach Mike McCarthy . Packer QBs of that era were Brett Favre , Matt Hasselbeck and Aaron Brooks . St . Louis Rams . Zampese joined the St . Louis Rams in 2000 as an offensive assistant under head coach Mike Martz . He was promoted the following season to WRs coach , and again the next season to WRs coach / passing game coordinator . During his stint in St . Louis , Zampese assisted Martz with the passing game of what became known as “ The Greatest Show on Turf ” – a nickname for the Rams ’ high - powered , record - setting offense . It was here that he gained additional exposure to the “ 3 - Digit ” passing system , pioneered by his father and expanded to new heights under Martz . QB Kurt Warner ( and backups Trent Green and Marc Bulger ) , Hall of Fame RB Marshall Faulk , and WRs Isaac Bruce , Torry Holt , Az - Zahir Hakim and Ricky Proehl made up what is widely considered the most prolific offense in NFL history . Although “ The Greatest Show on Turf ” began its record - setting run a year prior to Zampese ’ s arrival in St . Louis – the 1999 Super Bowl XXXIV Rams ’ Super Bowl Championship season – it lasted three seasons ( ’ 99 - 01 ) , and he was with the Rams for the final two seasons of the run ( 2000 - 01 ) . Some of the accomplishments of the Rams ’ offense over the three - season span ( 1999 - 2001 ) : Cincinnati Bengals . Zampese joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003 as quarterbacks coach at a time when the team was searching for a quarterback to lead the franchise . He aided in the scouting and evaluation of the QBs in the 2003 NFL Draft , as the team used its No . 1 overall pick to select ’ 02 Heisman Trophy winning QB Carson Palmer of Southern California . Jon Kitna Palmer ’ s rookie season was designated by Bengals management and coaches as strictly one for teaching and development , and he was held out of all regular season action . QB Jon Kitna took the reigns as starter , and , under Zampese ’ s tutelage , he posted then - career best marks in completions ( 324 ) , passing yards ( 3591 ) , TD passes ( 26 ) , completion percentage ( 62 . 3 ) and passer rating ( 87 . 4 ) . Viewed prior to the season as an aging QB on the downside of his career , Kitna earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors in ’ 03 . His success in ’ 03 as a starter , along with his key contributions as a backup in ’ 04 - 05 , would play a key role in his eventual signing with the Detroit Lions in 2006 to be the starting QB . Carson Palmer Zampese ’ s lead project took center stage in 2004 , when Palmer took over full - time as the Bengals ’ starting QB . By 2005 , Cincinnati ’ s passing attack was widely considered one the NFL ’ s best , combining Palmer with WRs Chad Johnson , T . J . Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry . Powered by Palmer and the offense , the Bengals finished first in the NFL ’ s AFC North division with an 11 - 5 record , earning the team ’ s first playoff berth since the 1990 season . A severe knee injury suffered by Palmer in the opening series of the first playoff game helped derail the team ’ s chances of advancing further into the postseason , leading to a 31 - 17 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers . Palmer returned in 2006 and continued his passing prowess , posting two of the top five per - game passing yardage totals in team history ( 239 . 6 in ’ 06 and 250 . 8 in ’ 07 ) . Palmer was named to the Pro Bowl in 2005 ( injury prevented participation ) and again in ’ 06 , when he earned game MVP honors . After an elbow injury prematurely ended Palmer ’ s 2008 season , he returned in ’ 09 to lead the Bengals to a 10 - 6 record , good for another division championship and playoff berth ( 24 - 14 loss to N . Y . Jets ) . Under Zampese ’ s watch , Palmer set Bengals records in career passer rating ( 86 . 9 ) and completion percentage ( 62 . 9 ) , as well as single - season marks for completions ( 373 ) , passing yards ( 4131 ) , TD passes ( 32 ) and passer rating ( 101 . 1 ) . Andy Dalton Zampese fielded his next challenge in the spring of 2011 , as a Palmer trade request created another search for a QB to lead the franchise . Zampese was again part of a scouting / evaluation effort that yielded another starting QB via the draft , as Andy Dalton of Texas Christian University was selected in the second round ( 35th overall ) . Upon being drafted , Dalton was named the Bengals ’ starting QB . The 2011 NFL lockout made the rookie learning process more difficult : It prevented communication between players and coaches and extended into late July . Despite having no offseason contact due to the lockout , Zampese guided Dalton to one of the best statistical seasons by a rookie QB in NFL history , and it was capped by an appearance in the Pro Bowl . Add that the Bengals ’ offense featured a new offensive coordinator ( Jay Gruden ) and new top receiving target ( rookie WR A . J . Green ) , and Dalton ’ s rookie campaign was considered even more remarkable . He became only the fifth rookie QB in NFL history to pass for 3000 yards ( totaling 3398 yards ) , and led a surprising Bengals team to a 9 - 7 record and a playoff berth ( 31 - 10 loss at Houston ) . In 2012 , Dalton topped his impressive rookie totals in nearly every category en route to another playoff berth ( 19 - 13 loss at Houston ) . Dalton joined Peyton Manning and Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino as the only QBs to top 20 TD passes in each of their first two NFL seasons . His total of 47 TD passes over his first two seasons is surpassed only by Marino ( 68 ) and Manning ( 52 ) . References . Ken Zampese Bengals Page Andy Dalton ' s Bengals page Jon Kitna ' s career statistics Carson Palmer ' s career statistics