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Bengals Booth Podcast: We Got The Beat · Bengals Booth Podcast

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: I'm Dan Hoard and thanks for downloading the Bengals Booth
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: podcast the because we got the Beat, We got the Bead,
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: We got the Beat.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Addition, as seven Bengals Beat reporters answer five identical questions
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: about the upcoming season, followed by my answers to the
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: same questions. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you
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  Speaker 2: by pay Core, Proud to be the Bengals official HR
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  Speaker 2: to elevate your home, business and community to a new level,
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  Speaker 2: and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans.
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  Speaker 2: Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet,
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: the greatest thing seeing vents Blueberry Maple Breakfast Sausages. One
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: of my favorite places in Cincinnati is Findley Market and
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: whenever I go, I almost always make a stop at
• 1:11
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• 1:16
  Speaker 2: mild hot pork, chicken, lamb, you name it, They're turning
• 1:21
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• 1:24
  Speaker 2: I will try just about anything they have. But my
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: favorite product at LK is the Blueberry Maple breakfast sausage,
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: a sweet and savory blend of pork, maple syrup and blueberries.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: So for my Cincinnati listeners, the next time you visit
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Findley Market, pick up the blueberry Maple at ELK Sausages.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: It is seriously one of my favorite bites in Cincinnati.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: Now let's get to this week's guests. With training camp
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: roughly two weeks away, it's the perfect time to check
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: in with my friends on the Bengals beat. For the
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: second straight year, I reached out to seven reporters and
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: gave them five identical questions. After you hear their answers,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: i'll give you mine. Last year i went in alphabetical order, so,
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: in the interest of fairness, will go in reverse order
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: this year, Beginning with Richard Skinner, one of the most
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: versatile reporters in Cincinnati, having worked as a newspaper guy,
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: radio talk show host, and most recently for Local twelve
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: TV Skinny, what is your biggest question going into training
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: camp for the Bengals this year.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: I think it's the one that everybody's going to have
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: till it gets answered, is do those two linebackers take
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: a step forward in year two? You know, you've addressed
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: just about everything else. You have everything you need coming back,
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: knock on wood. Everybody came out of the off season healthy,
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: no contract squabbles at least of the moment some where
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: the DJ Turner situation goes, but really pretty drama free.
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: But those linebackers, they don't have to take a big
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: step forward. I think obviously, you know, with what they
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: did up front in the offseason, the hope is you
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: can mask some of that, you can help a lot
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: of that, and then maybe they can just learn to
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: roam freely because they're not getting hands on them very
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: quickly and they're not having to make really quick decisions
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: and try to make plays themselves. But if they don't
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: take a step forward, the problem at the moment as
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: we sit here on the day we're doing this is
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: the death behind it isn't great. I mean, Oron Burk's
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: was the worst rank linebacker in the NFL according to
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: Pro Football Focus last year, and you can take that
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: with a grain of salt, and then after that it's
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: a bunch of practice squad level players. Now there's some
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: veterans that are still hanging out there. The Bengals, obviously
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: because of the Joe Burrow restructure, have some money to
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: possibly play with. But they're banking. I know they're banking
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: on those two linebackers making a step forward. The fear
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: is if they don't, then what is Plan B.
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: You think they will if both.
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: Do, that's a big ask. But I both think they're capable.
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: I mean, Demetrius and people can make fun of the
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: age and they take them around too early. Demetriosite's a
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: good football player. I think I think he just you know,
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: he's a rookie. You got thrown in there and all
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: of a sudden, looking it's a rookie next to you,
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: and it's a rook fourth round pick next to you.
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: I think I think Demetrius can Again, talking Al Golden
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: at the combine, like he made a point of the
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: they had Demetrius set in the edge far too often
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: and really doing things that probably weren't overly in his
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: comfort zone, and it was by default. Well, now with
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: what you've done up front, you don't have to have
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: him do that so much anymore and probably getting back
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: to a more comfortable level.
• 4:20
  Speaker 5: And I do.
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: I think both of them take a step forward. To
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: the evange that takes the big step forward, it would
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: be Demetrius Knight.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: Who is Richard Skinner's breakout player in twenty twenty six.
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: Does Brown count because he had a good year last year?
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: Does he count around?
• 4:35
  Speaker 5: Yeah?
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: Can I count him as a break because here's my
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: hot take on him the last two years. I thought
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: this past year, because of the way he came off
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: of twenty twenty four, that he was gonna set the
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: single season Bengals all time yards from scrimmage record that
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: James Brooks holds. I didn't eve thought it was gonna
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: be shattered, like he might even approach two thousand yards.
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: I think. I think the way they kind of unlocked
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: the running game last year, the fact that defenses are
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: still playing them that too high shell and they started
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: to make them finally pay for that, I think Chase
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: Brown has a chance to not only break James Brooks's record,
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: but get to that two thousand yard mark. And that's
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: a big ass because of obviously it is a past
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: first team the past first options are number one and
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: number five. But I do think they need to find
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: a way to get chase his hands on the ball
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: twenty times a game. And that's not just running it,
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: that's running it and receiving. And I think if he
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: does that, I think he's got a legit chance to
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: approach not only the record, but two thousand yards. And
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: I thought that was an easy one though, to be
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: honest with you, because it's kind of It's not like
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: this guy's coming from nowhere, right, I mean, he has
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: a solid NFL running back and by all accounts, he's
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: close to making that next step. I'm gonna go one
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: one better for you, don't don't you dare laugh at this.
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: I'm going Jordan babble. I think with Brian Cook alongside
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: of him, it's gonna let Jordan Battle just play a
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: little more freely, probably do some more things in his
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: skill set. You know, I coach basketball, as you know,
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: Dan and I have kids where I call him plus
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: minus guys, like they give you twenty pluses in a
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: practice or game and twenty minuses. So there's a lot
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: of the pluses are great, right, but then they give
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: you mind. Jordan Battle is that guy like he'll have
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: a flash interception one moment, a mistackle or a misstep
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: the next, he'll force a fumble one moment and then
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: with on a tackle the next. I think if with
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: Brian Cook the solidness of him next to him, and
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: lets Jordan Battle just play a lot freer and I
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: think become almost a playmaker that on that defense and
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: in that secondary. So that's probably better than the Chase
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: Brown answer. But I just I got to give Chase
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: the love because I think he's going to break that record.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: I really do well.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: For Chase to be a breakout player, he would have
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: to do something like that, because obviously he's a one
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: thousand yard rusher. He's already a good player, but borderline
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: pro bowler a Challenge franchise record that would certainly qualify.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: Jordan Battle is interesting because he's one of those guys
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: that he gets so much praise from the coaching staff
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: that sooner or later you think, well, I don't think
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: they're just saying that. I think they genuinely believe it.
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: So that's actually a pretty good call.
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: Because I do think the thing he does, he does
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: make plays and you know, listen, if I have a
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: guy making ten interceptions in a year, but he's missing
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: every other pass route and guys are scoring seventy yard
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: touchdowns on him, but he's made Listen, I probably don't
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: even like that guy because of the ten interceptions, But
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: you also can't sneeze at things like that. I mean,
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: turnovers in this league are a big deal. You know.
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: Forcing teams to punt anymore is really really hard on
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: a consistent basis. You've got to force some turnovers, and
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: I think Jordan has the capability of doing that, and
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: so I'm gonna go with him as my guy.
• 7:28
  Speaker 5: All Right.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: Every year there's an intriguing long shot who winds up contributing.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: It was Mitch Tin's lead last year. It's the Muma
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: John Metta a couple of years ago. Who is this
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: year's intriguing long shot for Richard Skinner?
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: So I think it was the last training camp or
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: last June mini camp story I did. It's on a
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: free agent safety and I'm gonna mess up his last name.
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: You know what I'm talking about as soon as I
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: say it. Isaiah and nu Ol kobea who's a free agent,
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: undrafted free agent from SMU. He's a great story. There's
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: a great player from SMU you named Jerry Levias. I
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: even told Isaiah I was actually old enough to watch
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: Jerry Levias play in the NFL. He goes, man, you
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: old dude. I said, yes, I am. I said, now
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: I'll watch it when I was a little kid, And
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: I said, I actually watched Jerry leviis. But Jerry Levias
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: was a great wide receiver at SMU, and they have
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: a great tradition there where his uniform number number twenty
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: three because he was a a great player, uh being.
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: He stood for everything you want in a student athlete
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: to stand for. He was the first black player in
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: the Southwest Conference, not only at SMU, but in the
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: Southwest Conference. And so the honor is a player each
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: year is awarded the Jerry Levas jersey number twenty three
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: to wear Isaseiah got it the first time as a sophomore,
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: and you have to earn it every year. He earned
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: that award three hear in that honor three different times.
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: That tells you all you need to know about the
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: guy's character right there. If you look at his stats
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: at SMU, I mean you talk about a guy who
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: was a playmaker. He was a playmaker, and the one
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: knock on him is that he doesn't play with a
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: lot of suddenness. He's a willing tackler, but can sometimes
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: be a sloppy tackler. But talking to Jordan Kovacs, he said,
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: there are days when I see him trigger like that
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: and I go, that's the guy I think has got
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: a chance to be on this roster. And if you look,
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: you know three safeties are are solidified. Jordan Battle, Brian Cook,
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: and Kyle Dugger. And that for safety. PJ. Jewles, Dejhon Anthony,
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: Isaiah No, KOBEA. I mean, it's not like you're having
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: to break through. You know, veteran guys who've been there,
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: done that. You've got a chance and that's not not
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: gonna PJ Jewels Ord John Anthony. But you know they
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: haven't exactly opened wide eyes to coaching staff. So I
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: think you've got a chance to have a spot to
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: make this roster. If not certainly be on the practice squad,
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: then you're a quick injury away. So I'm going with
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: undrafted free agent rookie safety, Isaiah. Let's mess it up.
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: I can't wait for you to pronounce it in a game.
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: I'm gonna make fun of you. Noa Kobea en.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: Wa kobia kobe and is hard yep So okay.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: I tried to look up the pronunciation.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: He never found it. So thank you for that.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: M Kobe en Wa Kobea. Hopefully we're saying that name
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: and making you look good during the course of this season.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: All right, what must happen for the Bengals to win
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: the AFC North?
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: You know, And I'm not gonna give you the stock
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: answer because it's everybody's stock answer. If you can't get
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: get hurt, but I'll say you can't get hurt at
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: three position groups, and then I'll give you another reason
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: you can't get hurt at quarterback, although I still think
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: but Joe Flacto showed you last year as he's capable
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: of leading a team to wins. He obviously was only
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: one in five or whatever it was and starts, but
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: clearly two of those were not his fault whatsoever, so
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: he still had enough to bag. I'm really worried, Dan
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: about the tackle position. You had a Marius Mims start
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: all seventeen games. You had Orlando Brown Junior start all
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: seventeen games. I think Orlando took every snap and I
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: think a Marius took all but sixty snaps. Who's that
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: swing tackle? Because I listen, I'm gonna knock on wood
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: for Bengals fans. I don't want to talk this into reality,
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: but to have that happen a second straight year where
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: you have both of your tackles start every game and
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: take every snap with really not a great backup plan
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: on paper at the moment. I mean, maybe Cody Ford
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: shows us something he certainly looks like using better shape,
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: and maybe he takes that position seriously, like, Okay, I'm
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: the swing tackle. I'll get myself in condition to do that.
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: And maybe that's the case. Maybe there was a veteran
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: out there they they could still go get. And then
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: corner position. To me, you're an injury at outside corner
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: away from probably having to play a rookie or a
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: Josh Newton. And I know Josh actually had a nice
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: offseason camp, and I hope he has a great training
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: camp because he kind of I think, you know, the
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: coaches were really high on him to start last season.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: He started the OpenH in Cleveland and then went shoom
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: right like that to the point where you wondered how
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: much belief they had in him, and maybe I shouldn't
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: be so worried there, but it feels like to drop
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: off from Dax Hill and DJ Turner to an unknown
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: rookie you could be great, but he's also an unknown
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: rookie and then Josh Newton is a really scary proposition.
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: But other than that, Dan, let's just assume argument sake
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: that this team stays pretty healthy, you know, especially in
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: some of these key spots I'm talking about. I don't
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: do anything special. The offense is is top flight, top caliber.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: We know that, especially with Joe Burrow at the helm.
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: I think the return of Eric Hall, if he returns
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: to full health, is going to be a huge addition
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: to what they can do in that offense because he's
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: really the only three tight end down three down tight
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: end they have. And I know people always hate this that,
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: you know, if the defense could just be in the middle, well,
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: you know what, if the defense can just be in
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: the middle, that's gonna be pretty good because that's a
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: heck of a step up from this past year. And
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: I think with what they did this offseason, there's no
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: reason even if the linebackers don't take the huge step
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: forward there's no reasonablieve this defense can at least get
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: to average, and I think they do that. This is
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: a team's gonna win an awful lot of games.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: How many games could Joe Burrow miss where you would
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: feel comfortable? He missed nine last year, he missed seven
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: three years ago with Joe Flacco. Is it four?
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: Is it two?
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: What's that number?
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: And I'd have to look at this. There's a one
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: small stretch of the schedule that looks easier than the
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: rest over like a three or four game. Give me whatever.
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: I can't remember what the stretch is, but if you
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: give me that stretch of the schedule that I think
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: the Saints are included in that stretch. You know, I
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: think the Atlanta game in Madrid's in that stretch. You
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: give me that stretch, I think you can survive it.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: I do think they can survive it better this year,
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: because again, last year, the defense was so atrocious that
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: even though Joe Flaccu did come in and do some
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: really good things, and we also had some bad turnovers
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: and made some mistakes at times too. But you know,
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: you win games in this league scoring forty two points.
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: You win games in this league scoring thirty eight points,
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: but they lost both of them. You know, you win
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: those two games, there's eight right there. They take the
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: Cleveland game. Then seriously, probably at the end of the year,
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: there's back to nine right there, without really having to
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: do anything special. And so I give me the stretch
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: of games if he does and that's a big if people,
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: if he does get hurt, that the stretch is the
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: easiest stretch to get through.
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: He's not going to get hurt. His luck is bound
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: to be better this year. He's going to start every
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: game but the season finale when they're allowed to rest
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: him because they've already clenched the AFC North. How's that
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: for orange colored glasses.
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: Well, you're gonna lead me into your final question, so
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: go ahead and ask it.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: All right, here we go, give me your sizzling hot take.
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: The Bengals will clench the number one seed in the
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: AFC on New Year's Eve against the Baltimore Ravens, and
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: then Downtown will run them up and there will be
• 14:02
  Speaker 3: seriously over one hundred arrests. But that's my hot take.
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: That the next to the last game of the year,
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: that New Year's Eve game at home against the Baltimore
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: Ravens will not only clinch the AFC North, but will
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: clinch the AFC. I don't think the North. It's a
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: two team race. In my opinion. I can't come close
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: to making a case for Cleveland, although I think they're
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: actually not going to finish last because I think that
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: defense is really, really good. They just got the issues
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: of quarterback. And I'm sorry if your best option at
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: this stage of the game for quarterback is Aaron Rodgers
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: and Pittsburgh, I just can he pull you to the
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: five hundred mark? Great? Can he do? Can he continue
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: the winning streak? Maybe? I don't think so. I think
• 14:39
  Speaker 3: they're the last place team in the division. I think
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: it's the two teams. It's the Bengals and the Ravens.
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: I think the Bengals have a slightly better roster.
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: To be honest with you.
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: So if the Bengals are clinching the number one overall
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: seed in the AFC in the next to last game
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: of the regular season, are we talking fourteen fifteen wins?
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: I mean it's got to be a pretty big number.
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I've picked him at twelve and five. I mean
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: I could easily be swayed to the thirteen and four mark. Again,
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: this is super early. I'm sure you've seen this, Dan two,
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: and I'm sure a lot of the people listening to
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: seeing this. I mean, they're favored right now, and that's
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: right now in fifteen of the seventeen games. That's astronomical
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: to me. That's obviously going to fluctuate and change as
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: the season goes along. But to be favored in fifteen
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: of your seventeen games right now, that's almost unheard. And
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: the two that they're not favored inner logical reasons are
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: not favored on a playoff team in Houston and at Baltimore.
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: I mean, that's incredible. That thinks the other road games
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: that you play, you're favored in all of the rest
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: of those, and that just seems almost preposterous to me. So, yeah,
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: I've picked them at twelve and five because I always
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: go through it with a likely win, likely loss, and
• 15:42
  Speaker 3: then swing game scenario. And every year I do the exercise,
• 15:45
  Speaker 3: one of my likely wins becomes a loss just because
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: it's the NFL, and one of the likely losses becomes
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: a win because it's the NFL. Those swing games are
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: the ones that really come out in between you when
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: I did it this year, I only came up with
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: four swing games. I came up with I think light
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: likely losses the rest wins in four swing games. You
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: split the swing games, you're you're right there with a
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: twelve or thirteen win mark. And so I do think
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: that that's that's what this team is capable of. I
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: can't do anything. And you know me, I've been a
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: huge critic of this front office for a long time.
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: The way they do business, the way they did things.
• 16:16
  Speaker 3: They change their ways this offseason, they did stuff that
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: wasn't typical and maybe, as some suggest, Dextra Lawrence doesn't
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: pan out because he's on the back end of his
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: career and you know he's I don't think I believe that.
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: And even if he did, it was the right move
• 16:28
  Speaker 3: to make, you have to applaud him for being that
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: bold to go make it because if it does pan out,
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: just the difference that that guy makes, I think is
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: just it's huge. And then what they did elsewise at
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: the edge rusher spot with the way Mafe, what they
• 16:41
  Speaker 3: did at at the safety spot with Brian Cook resigning
• 16:43
  Speaker 3: Dalton Riser, I mean, they did a lot of what
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: seemed to be like adult Riiser would seems simple, right,
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: that was a simple thing. Yeah, Okay, it's simple, but
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: still got to go do it, and they did it.
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: And I think sometimes take the layup. I mean, you're
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: you're allowed to make layups, and if you take them,
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: you should make them. And so I just I can't
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: say enough about what I thought they did this offseason.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: I know people five years from now are going to
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: pull this out and go. They had a controllable pick
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: for five years at number ten.
• 17:07
  Speaker 5: They could have controlled us.
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I get you, I know that. But the swing
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: for Dexter Lawrence was a big swing that they needed
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: to take, and I think it's re energized everybody in
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: that building. I think you could feel it over the
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: last few weeks since that trade was made.
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: The number one seed in the AFC, with Isaiah Enlacobia
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: contributing at some point during the course of the season. Skinny,
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: this was great. Appreciate your time. Thanks so much.
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: Anytime, Dan, Thank you.
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: Up next, another reporter with a versatile skill set, James Rapine.
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: He hosts First Word with James Rapine, Cincinnati's new morning
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: TV sports show every weekday from seven to eleven, as
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: well as the Enter the Jungle show streaming every Tuesday night, James,
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: what is your biggest question going into training camp?
• 17:56
  Speaker 4: How good is this defense?
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: Really?
• 17:59
  Speaker 6: And it's that's something that will evaluate probably early on
• 18:02
  Speaker 6: and overreact Wade where or another day, one day two
• 18:06
  Speaker 6: of training camp and until we see them on the
• 18:09
  Speaker 6: field against Tampa Bay. I think that is the number
• 18:12
  Speaker 6: one question. Of course, you could say Joe Burrow's health.
• 18:14
  Speaker 6: It's always going to be the case for a star quarterback.
• 18:16
  Speaker 6: You need them to stay healthy. But as far as
• 18:18
  Speaker 6: the ceiling for this team, if they're going to reach
• 18:21
  Speaker 6: their ceiling and be a true Super Bowl contender, I
• 18:24
  Speaker 6: think their defense needs to be good. And there are
• 18:26
  Speaker 6: a lot of ways to say that, and we could
• 18:29
  Speaker 6: set expectations, and there are a lot of people listening
• 18:32
  Speaker 6: that have said if this defense is just middle of
• 18:34
  Speaker 6: the pack, well we'll see.
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: I think they have a chance to.
• 18:37
  Speaker 6: Be a good to really good defense, and so how
• 18:40
  Speaker 6: good they are it is going to be a storyline
• 18:42
  Speaker 6: in a theme throughout training camp, and I certainly think
• 18:45
  Speaker 6: throughout this season.
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: What is your confidence level that this is a top
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: half defense?
• 18:54
  Speaker 4: Pretty confident?
• 18:55
  Speaker 6: And I'm pretty confident because I think they have a
• 18:58
  Speaker 6: nice blend of proven, talented players that still have a
• 19:04
  Speaker 6: reason to have a chip on their shoulder or something
• 19:06
  Speaker 6: to prove, And it starts with Dexter Lawrence, but it
• 19:09
  Speaker 6: certainly doesn't end there. I think Jonathan Allen and Boye
• 19:11
  Speaker 6: Mafe are two guys that could either re establish or
• 19:15
  Speaker 6: establish themselves as stars this year with Dexter Lawrence alongside
• 19:20
  Speaker 6: that defensive front. But Brian Cook, like, could we have
• 19:25
  Speaker 6: not seen the best of Brian Cook in his first
• 19:29
  Speaker 6: four years of Kansas City. Could he be entering the
• 19:31
  Speaker 6: peak of his career right now where he becomes a
• 19:33
  Speaker 6: pro bowler. There's a chance that that happens, and I
• 19:36
  Speaker 6: think it's semi realistic, and it sort of reminds me
• 19:39
  Speaker 6: of Jesse Bates when he was here. He wasn't necessarily
• 19:42
  Speaker 6: a pro bowler, all pro and he goes to Atlanta
• 19:44
  Speaker 6: and he takes another step, and so can Brian Cook
• 19:48
  Speaker 6: be that. There are multiple guys like that, And then
• 19:52
  Speaker 6: you have the Miles Murphy's and Shamar Stewart's and I
• 19:56
  Speaker 6: know they're in a different category category there, but they're
• 19:59
  Speaker 6: both looking to establish themselves as pros. So I think
• 20:02
  Speaker 6: that's at Barrett Carter and Demetrius night Fall under that,
• 20:04
  Speaker 6: I think Jordan Battle somewhere in between. But everything everyone
• 20:08
  Speaker 6: has something on the line, and as of right now,
• 20:10
  Speaker 6: so do DJ Turner and Dax Hill. A huge seven
• 20:15
  Speaker 6: figure maybe eight figure in some scenarios deals on the
• 20:19
  Speaker 6: line for those guys. So there's a lot of guys
• 20:21
  Speaker 6: that have talent and have proven themselves but need to
• 20:24
  Speaker 6: reprove it or are looking to establish their value as
• 20:28
  Speaker 6: NFL players.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: Give us your breakout player in twenty twenty six.
• 20:35
  Speaker 6: This one's so interesting because in an ideal world, I
• 20:38
  Speaker 6: think it would be on defense, but breakout as in
• 20:45
  Speaker 6: vaults to the fourth best player on the roster potentially
• 20:49
  Speaker 6: or third best player on the roster. It's a Marius Mims,
• 20:53
  Speaker 6: and I think this was your guy last year, and
• 20:55
  Speaker 6: he did break out last year here locally, but he's
• 20:59
  Speaker 6: not being mentioned among the top offensive tackles in the
• 21:01
  Speaker 6: league yet, he's not getting that Pro Bowl type recognition
• 21:05
  Speaker 6: or consideration.
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: Yet.
• 21:06
  Speaker 6: I think that will and should change this year. I
• 21:11
  Speaker 6: expect that out of him, and I think he expects
• 21:14
  Speaker 6: that out of himself, and he's going to be their
• 21:17
  Speaker 6: best offensive lineman this year and this is the year.
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: When they picked him.
• 21:22
  Speaker 6: I think you're hoping he becomes the franchise right tackle
• 21:25
  Speaker 6: and the guy you associate with the Joe Burrow era
• 21:28
  Speaker 6: from an offensive line standpoint, I think this is the
• 21:31
  Speaker 6: year he hammers that home. And he has a hefty
• 21:33
  Speaker 6: contract potentially that he could be eligible for next offseason,
• 21:37
  Speaker 6: and I think he's going to earn it by being
• 21:39
  Speaker 6: a pro bowler and breaking out from a quality piece
• 21:44
  Speaker 6: to a star offensive tackle in this league.
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: I was really surprised by the recent ESPN ranking or
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: whoever did it in the last week, that not only
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: did not include him in the top ten, but didn't
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: even include him in the others gaining concitation. I thought
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: for sure he would have at least been in. Here
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: are other guys that are possible contenders to climb into
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: the top ten.
• 22:09
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I agree with you, and it's because of the
• 22:13
  Speaker 6: physical gifts. I mean, it's why they loved him so
• 22:16
  Speaker 6: much pre draft is. Yeah, he didn't play a ton
• 22:18
  Speaker 6: of Georgia, but it's hard to teach what he has.
• 22:21
  Speaker 4: And I think the thing that I was really encouraged
• 22:24
  Speaker 4: by last year was how.
• 22:27
  Speaker 6: Not that he was never tough, but I think he
• 22:29
  Speaker 6: understood how to play through things and to play nastier,
• 22:34
  Speaker 6: and I think he had that in him. And when
• 22:36
  Speaker 6: you're young and you haven't played a lot of football,
• 22:38
  Speaker 6: I think you have to learn that a little bit.
• 22:39
  Speaker 6: And he has learned it. In just talking to him
• 22:42
  Speaker 6: at his locker, you can see that and you can
• 22:44
  Speaker 6: see that confidence, and I think that is going to
• 22:48
  Speaker 6: spill into a career year, a breakout year for Mint.
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: We are visiting with James Rapine. Category number three is
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: a fun one. Who is this year's Mitch Tinsley? In
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: other words, that intriguing long shot who winds up contributing.
• 23:04
  Speaker 6: This is such an interesting one because there's one I
• 23:08
  Speaker 6: naturally always want to go receiver, and those familiar with
• 23:11
  Speaker 6: me know that, and Mitch Chimsley was certainly part of
• 23:14
  Speaker 6: that last year and I love that, and I think
• 23:16
  Speaker 6: Mitch is going to carve out his role. But I
• 23:20
  Speaker 6: have to go defense here, and it's tough because there
• 23:24
  Speaker 6: are two guys that I think could do this, and
• 23:27
  Speaker 6: it's just Sir Taylor and it's Braylin Lucks. And I
• 23:31
  Speaker 6: think one of those two guys, not that Jalen Davis
• 23:33
  Speaker 6: won't start at Nickel. I don't mean that, but injuries happen,
• 23:36
  Speaker 6: and maybe Davis does, or maybe he doesn't. I think
• 23:39
  Speaker 6: that that nickel job is very much up for grabs
• 23:42
  Speaker 6: with Lucks, I love him, I think he's small, and
• 23:45
  Speaker 6: I think Jaseer Taylor has the edge there. And so
• 23:48
  Speaker 6: for my official answer, I'll go JASEA. Taylor, and it's
• 23:51
  Speaker 6: because he has a ton of special teams experience and
• 23:54
  Speaker 6: he's going to get a real opportunity to compete for
• 23:57
  Speaker 6: that nickel spot. And if he gets his opportunity and
• 24:01
  Speaker 6: runs with it, we could be talking about him as
• 24:03
  Speaker 6: their starting nickel corner and so not just a contributor,
• 24:05
  Speaker 6: a special teams contributor, but a guy that we see
• 24:08
  Speaker 6: on defense regularly.
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: A topic number four, what must happen for the Bengals
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: to win the AFC North.
• 24:17
  Speaker 6: Joey b staying healthy and if that happens, well, good luck,
• 24:22
  Speaker 6: because they should win the AFC North. And this is
• 24:26
  Speaker 6: as talented of a roster as they've had around joe
• 24:30
  Speaker 6: probably ever, but certainly over the past few years where
• 24:34
  Speaker 6: they've been a problem at I mean even last year,
• 24:38
  Speaker 6: as rough as things were, the Baltimore Ravens had to
• 24:41
  Speaker 6: deal with them they beat the Steelers who won the division,
• 24:44
  Speaker 6: and so there isn't a team that the Bengals are
• 24:47
  Speaker 6: looking up at in this division and they shouldn't feel
• 24:50
  Speaker 6: that way. And so if Joe Burrow is healthy, they
• 24:53
  Speaker 6: should feel good about both matchups late in the season
• 24:55
  Speaker 6: against Cleveland, both matchups against Pittsburgh, and then certainly on
• 25:00
  Speaker 6: Years Eve, you're hoping you're playing for a top seed,
• 25:02
  Speaker 6: and not just the AFC North, but a huge matchup
• 25:05
  Speaker 6: against Baltimore. So I think if Joe Burrow stays healthy,
• 25:08
  Speaker 6: they win their first division title since twenty twenty two.
• 25:11
  Speaker 6: And even if the defense isn't as advertised, or even
• 25:15
  Speaker 6: if this offensive line isn't as good as we're expecting,
• 25:18
  Speaker 6: the margin for error is there now where the eighteenth
• 25:22
  Speaker 6: ranked defense in the league and the twentieth ranked offensive
• 25:24
  Speaker 6: line in the league is enough. As long as Joe
• 25:27
  Speaker 6: Burrow stays healthy to win this division and be back
• 25:29
  Speaker 6: in the playoffs.
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: I say that Joe Burrow, please stay healthy. Prayer every night. Yes,
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: we have seven we have seven beat writers beat reporters
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: involved in this podcast. Our fifth and final category is
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: Tailor made for James Rapine, the host of First Word
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: Cincinnati the publisher of Bengals Talk dot Com, give me
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: your sizzling hot take for twenty twenty six.
• 25:56
  Speaker 6: Well, Dan, I think that as high as I can
• 26:00
  Speaker 6: go in this one.
• 26:02
  Speaker 4: I hope your vocal cords are ready.
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: I'm ready because.
• 26:08
  Speaker 6: Calling sixty Joe Burrow touchdown passes is going to take
• 26:12
  Speaker 6: a lot of oomph, and it's gonna take You're gonna
• 26:15
  Speaker 6: there's gonna be a lot of creativity that goes into that.
• 26:18
  Speaker 6: But I I think it's extremely realistic and it's funny.
• 26:23
  Speaker 6: I didn't really think about this until Joe Burrow back
• 26:26
  Speaker 6: in May said doable when he said he's gonna shooting
• 26:30
  Speaker 6: to break Andy Dalton's all time Bengals touchdown record and
• 26:34
  Speaker 6: he needs what is a forty seven to tie forty
• 26:37
  Speaker 6: eight to beat it, something in that range. And I
• 26:40
  Speaker 6: thought about the twenty twenty four season and he got
• 26:43
  Speaker 6: in the forties, and I think about this team, in
• 26:46
  Speaker 6: this offense and specifically this offensive line, and that when
• 26:52
  Speaker 6: Joe was on the field in the second half of
• 26:54
  Speaker 6: the season, there were so many times Dan where I
• 26:57
  Speaker 6: was like, man, he's just standing there in the pocket
• 27:00
  Speaker 6: and I'm not used to seeing that. It is a
• 27:03
  Speaker 6: unique situation that we haven't seen. And if you give
• 27:06
  Speaker 6: Joe that kind of time at this stage of his career,
• 27:10
  Speaker 6: it's gonna be much better than it was when we
• 27:12
  Speaker 6: were saying that two three, four years ago about time
• 27:15
  Speaker 6: and give him time and just wait and see what
• 27:17
  Speaker 6: he does. And his weapons are better as well, because
• 27:19
  Speaker 6: Jamar and t are in the prime of their career.
• 27:21
  Speaker 6: So sixty touchdowns, he sets the NFL single season mark,
• 27:26
  Speaker 6: not just Bengals all time, but the NFL single season remark.
• 27:31
  Speaker 4: Move over, Peyton Manning. Joe Burrow throws for sixty.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: You have a championship belt displayed behind you. This is
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: a championship belt level hot take. Because that Peyton Manning
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: single season record is fifty five. You are calling for
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: Joe Burrow with this sizzling hot take, to not only
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: break it, but to break it by five touchdowns.
• 27:55
  Speaker 6: The more I think about it, it's just, yeah, I
• 27:59
  Speaker 6: think think this offense should be the best. And we've
• 28:02
  Speaker 6: talked a lot about the defense and I let off
• 28:03
  Speaker 6: the keys, and this offense should be awesome.
• 28:07
  Speaker 4: It really should.
• 28:08
  Speaker 6: And I think Joe is entering his prime now, Jamar
• 28:12
  Speaker 6: entering his prime now, and so why wouldn't they go
• 28:16
  Speaker 6: off for a crazy amount where t has twelve touchdowns
• 28:20
  Speaker 6: double digit touchdowns again, Jamar breaks his seventeen touchdown record
• 28:25
  Speaker 6: from a few years ago.
• 28:26
  Speaker 4: And we see these guys. I think he threw for
• 28:29
  Speaker 4: sixty at LSU as well. So he does for sixty again.
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: In fifteen games.
• 28:34
  Speaker 4: See if he does it in fifteen games, then.
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: In a seventeen game NFL regular season, that would be
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: three point five to three touchdown passes per game. Tremendous
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: hot take. If he does it, I will play this
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: clip endlessly doable.
• 28:54
  Speaker 4: That's how I view it. And honestly I.
• 29:00
  Speaker 6: Haven't covered anyone like Joe and so like. If you
• 29:03
  Speaker 6: tell me his ceiling is sixty, you can tell me
• 29:05
  Speaker 6: a ceiling sixty five, and I you know, that's probably
• 29:07
  Speaker 6: about where I would start to pause it at. But no,
• 29:10
  Speaker 6: I think sixty certainly is doable in this offense with
• 29:13
  Speaker 6: his weapons.
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: James Rpene, you are off the hot seat. I appreciate
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: your hot take and much more. Thanks so much for
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: your time, pal, thanks for having me. My next guest
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: is Mike Petralia aka Trags. He writes about the Bengals
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: for CLNSSINCI dot com and host the Jungle Roar podcast.
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: Mike Petralia, what is your biggest question going into Bengals
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: training camp?
• 29:41
  Speaker 7: Hand this defense Dan Horde be as good as advertised
• 29:45
  Speaker 7: in the offseason rebuild. I want to see how the
• 29:49
  Speaker 7: defensive front comes together and what they're going to look
• 29:53
  Speaker 7: like when they start playing eleven on eleven in training
• 29:57
  Speaker 7: camp with the pads go on. How will Dexter Lawrence
• 30:01
  Speaker 7: look in the middle of that defensive line, who will
• 30:04
  Speaker 7: be playing with him and what kind of impact that
• 30:07
  Speaker 7: can have throughout the rest of the defense, not only
• 30:09
  Speaker 7: on the edges but also on the back end. To me,
• 30:13
  Speaker 7: that is the biggest question I have going into training camp.
• 30:17
  Speaker 7: How is this defense going to look on pa look
• 30:20
  Speaker 7: on the field after we've spent so much time talking
• 30:24
  Speaker 7: about it in the offseason retooling.
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: We all think it's going to be better. Will it
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: be good?
• 30:32
  Speaker 7: I think this defense will be good because of this
• 30:35
  Speaker 7: fact two things. Actually, I think you have demonstrated pros
• 30:41
  Speaker 7: veterans who have accomplished a lot already in the National
• 30:44
  Speaker 7: Football League in people like Dexter Lawrence, but not only him,
• 30:48
  Speaker 7: but you have a guy like Jonathan Allen. Both of
• 30:50
  Speaker 7: those players dan are hungry to make the playoffs and
• 30:56
  Speaker 7: win that elusive Super Bowl ring. To me, that part
• 31:00
  Speaker 7: of the ambition and the drive of this defense is
• 31:05
  Speaker 7: going to be very, very critical. I think you also
• 31:09
  Speaker 7: sprinkle in a guy like boy A Mafe and Brian
• 31:12
  Speaker 7: Cook to veterans who have won Super Bowl rings. I
• 31:15
  Speaker 7: think that is a tremendous experience to add to the defense.
• 31:20
  Speaker 7: And then you have players entering their prime. You have
• 31:23
  Speaker 7: DJ Turner and Dax Hill. Both of those guys are
• 31:27
  Speaker 7: coming into their own on the back end of the defense.
• 31:30
  Speaker 7: Jordan Battle is somebody who I expect to raise his
• 31:33
  Speaker 7: level of play this year. I think a lot of
• 31:35
  Speaker 7: eyes are going to be on Jordan Battle, and deservedly.
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: So, Craigs, who is your breakout player in twenty twenty six?
• 31:44
  Speaker 7: I think my breakout player this year for the Cincinnati
• 31:47
  Speaker 7: Bengals is going to be DJ Turner. And I know
• 31:51
  Speaker 7: DJ Turner certainly exhibited some Pro Bowl caliber level of
• 31:57
  Speaker 7: play in the last half of last season, but I
• 31:59
  Speaker 7: think DJ Turner is going to pick it up just
• 32:02
  Speaker 7: another level.
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: He is coming into his own.
• 32:05
  Speaker 7: I expect a number of interceptions rivaling perhaps even double digits,
• 32:11
  Speaker 7: but I expect him to be around the number of
• 32:14
  Speaker 7: seven or eight interceptions, including perhaps a couple of pick sixes.
• 32:19
  Speaker 7: I really expect big time things from DJ Turner at
• 32:24
  Speaker 7: the outside corner position.
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: Do you expect the contract extension?
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: I do.
• 32:30
  Speaker 7: I think the Bengals realize what kind of value he
• 32:33
  Speaker 7: brings to the defense on the back end, what of
• 32:36
  Speaker 7: number one corner quality of play he brings to the defense.
• 32:40
  Speaker 7: And I think Dan it is a very encouraging sign
• 32:44
  Speaker 7: that DJ Turner reported to the Bengals when he didn't
• 32:48
  Speaker 7: necessarily have to be there. He said that he wanted
• 32:52
  Speaker 7: to work on his football craft. He loves being around
• 32:55
  Speaker 7: this team. He loved being in the locker room, even
• 32:57
  Speaker 7: throughout the offseason, workout periods, the OTAs, the mini camp,
• 33:03
  Speaker 7: all of those activities DJ Turner was willingly a part of,
• 33:07
  Speaker 7: really participated and participated at a very active level. And
• 33:12
  Speaker 7: I would expect given those two factors, given the attitudes
• 33:17
  Speaker 7: of both sides, I would expect a deal to get
• 33:19
  Speaker 7: done at least before the.
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: First regular season game.
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: Question number three for Mike Petralia is a fun one.
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: Who is this year's Mitch Tinsley that intriguing long shot
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: that winds up making a contribution at some point.
• 33:35
  Speaker 7: I don't know if a seventh round draft pick is
• 33:39
  Speaker 7: a long shot, but in this particular case, the pick
• 33:44
  Speaker 7: that I think could be very very interesting to watch
• 33:47
  Speaker 7: his land and Robinson. I know you've spent a good
• 33:50
  Speaker 7: deal of time getting to know Landon Robinson, but I
• 33:52
  Speaker 7: think the kind of disruption and his stature at Navy
• 33:59
  Speaker 7: and what he brings to the Bengals is fascinating to watch.
• 34:02
  Speaker 7: And I think given the fact that we've talked so
• 34:05
  Speaker 7: much about all of these veterans that have been brought
• 34:08
  Speaker 7: in Dan along the defensive line, especially at the defensive
• 34:11
  Speaker 7: tackle position, to me, he is somebody who could come
• 34:14
  Speaker 7: in and contribute. And we're talking about a defensive group
• 34:18
  Speaker 7: that is of right now still has not only the
• 34:22
  Speaker 7: new players, but bj Hill, Chris Jenkins, Junior, TJ. Slayton,
• 34:27
  Speaker 7: Landon Robinson, to me, is somebody who could come in
• 34:30
  Speaker 7: on the back end as a seventh round draft pick
• 34:33
  Speaker 7: and rick make a really big impact on this defense.
• 34:36
  Speaker 2: Does he make the roster from day one or is
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: he a practice squad at the beginning of the year
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: who eventually gets his shot I'm.
• 34:44
  Speaker 7: Going to say he is a practice player who eventually
• 34:47
  Speaker 7: gets his shot. I think that at this particular point,
• 34:52
  Speaker 7: it's going to be hard to find enough space for everybody,
• 34:54
  Speaker 7: barring a trade, of course, and that could always happen.
• 34:57
  Speaker 7: But at this point, I think he gets through waivers
• 35:01
  Speaker 7: and I think the Bengals find a way to sneak
• 35:04
  Speaker 7: him onto the practice squad and he makes impact from there.
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: We're visiting with Mike Petrellia, the host of the Jungle
• 35:11
  Speaker 2: Roar podcast. Question number four, What must happen for the
• 35:14
  Speaker 2: Bengals to win the AFC North.
• 35:18
  Speaker 7: They must defend home turf in the division. They have
• 35:22
  Speaker 7: not done a good job dan of that over the
• 35:24
  Speaker 7: last couple of seasons. Last year, they were shut out
• 35:27
  Speaker 7: in that hideous game in the ice cold against Baltimore,
• 35:30
  Speaker 7: and of course they lost the last game of the year.
• 35:33
  Speaker 7: Granted everything was determined they were not going to the playoffs,
• 35:37
  Speaker 7: but they lost two of their three games in the
• 35:40
  Speaker 7: division at home. They must defend their turf against Pittsburgh,
• 35:44
  Speaker 7: Baltimore and Cleveland. I think certainly they're fully capable of
• 35:48
  Speaker 7: doing that, and I think they steal a road game
• 35:52
  Speaker 7: in the division, and perhaps that game comes in the
• 35:55
  Speaker 7: third week of the season at Pittsburgh. I think that's
• 35:58
  Speaker 7: a very real possibility. I think they could go five
• 36:01
  Speaker 7: and one in this division. I think if they do that,
• 36:05
  Speaker 7: that would be good enough given how I project them
• 36:08
  Speaker 7: to play in the second half of the season, I
• 36:10
  Speaker 7: think that would be good enough to win the AFC North.
• 36:13
  Speaker 7: And Dan, I do think they will win the AFC North.
• 36:17
  Speaker 2: Do you have a win total in mind?
• 36:19
  Speaker 7: I do twelve and five to me. And what's interesting
• 36:23
  Speaker 7: about that pick from my point of view, dan is
• 36:26
  Speaker 7: I think the first six games of the year are
• 36:28
  Speaker 7: going to be very difficult. I actually project them going
• 36:31
  Speaker 7: three and three in their first six games, because when
• 36:34
  Speaker 7: you take a look at a team like Tampa Bay
• 36:37
  Speaker 7: or their first road game of the year on the
• 36:39
  Speaker 7: road at Houston, a very good up and coming team
• 36:43
  Speaker 7: in the AFC, I think it's going to be a
• 36:45
  Speaker 7: tough start for the Bengals. There's gonna be a lot
• 36:49
  Speaker 7: of challenges early on, but I think the middle portion
• 36:52
  Speaker 7: of the season should favor them. I think the game
• 36:56
  Speaker 7: in Madrid could be a turning point in a positive fashion,
• 37:00
  Speaker 7: and I think they're going to finish the season with
• 37:02
  Speaker 7: a great deal of momentum twelve and five is what
• 37:04
  Speaker 7: I have in mind.
• 37:06
  Speaker 2: All Right, we have arrived question number five. Give me
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: your sizzling, sizzling hot take.
• 37:14
  Speaker 7: All right, I am, here's my sizzling hot take. And
• 37:17
  Speaker 7: I love this secondary. I think the Bengals wind up
• 37:19
  Speaker 7: with not one, but two Pro bowlers on the back
• 37:22
  Speaker 7: end of the second back end of the defense in
• 37:26
  Speaker 7: the secondary. I think DJ Turner and Dax Hill are
• 37:31
  Speaker 7: Pro Bowl caliber players and I think one of them
• 37:34
  Speaker 7: will wind up with double digit interception totals and the
• 37:39
  Speaker 7: other one will challenge that number. I think it's going
• 37:41
  Speaker 7: to be a tremendous year for the Bengals secondary because
• 37:45
  Speaker 7: of what they have been able to do and retool
• 37:47
  Speaker 7: upfront on the defensive line. I think that is going
• 37:50
  Speaker 7: to pay off significantly on the back end. And I
• 37:53
  Speaker 7: think the Bengals and Al Golden are going to be
• 37:56
  Speaker 7: able to play a lot more man than I think
• 37:57
  Speaker 7: people anticipate, and I think that's going to lead to
• 38:00
  Speaker 7: a lot more ballhawking opportunities in that secondary.
• 38:04
  Speaker 2: It is like Ken Riley Lamar Parish two point uh
• 38:08
  Speaker 2: where I was going Dan.
• 38:09
  Speaker 7: As a matter of fact, you know my propensity and
• 38:13
  Speaker 7: my love of the nineteen seventies. Yes, Ken Riley and
• 38:17
  Speaker 7: Leap and Lamar Parish. I don't know if they approach
• 38:20
  Speaker 7: that yet. Certainly I'm not going to go down that
• 38:23
  Speaker 7: path yet, but I think I'm very excited about what
• 38:27
  Speaker 7: Dax Hill and DJ Turner can provide this defense. Two players,
• 38:31
  Speaker 7: of course, teammates at the University of Michigan, two teammates
• 38:35
  Speaker 7: that have gotten along fabulously well in that locker room.
• 38:38
  Speaker 7: And I think when you keep teammates like that together,
• 38:41
  Speaker 7: I think good things can happen.
• 38:43
  Speaker 2: All Right, he has two Bengals cornerbacks going to the
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: Pro Bowl. He's got the team winning twelve games in
• 38:48
  Speaker 2: the AFC North. My guy, Mike Petrelia very high on
• 38:53
  Speaker 2: the Bengals for twenty twenty six. Let's hope you're right.
• 38:56
  Speaker 2: Appreciate your time, Trags, and see you a training camp.
• 38:59
  Speaker 7: As always a pleasure, Dan, thank you for having me.
• 39:02
  Speaker 2: Our fourth Bengals beat reporter is Jay Morrison, who covers
• 39:05
  Speaker 2: the team for Bengals Talk dot Com and appears regularly
• 39:09
  Speaker 2: on the Growler Podcast with Paul Daanner.
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: Junior.
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: J Morrison, what is your biggest question going into training
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: camp for the Bengals this year.
• 39:18
  Speaker 8: Well, I don't think I'm going to be alone in
• 39:20
  Speaker 8: this one, but it's I'm gonna say, is the faith
• 39:23
  Speaker 8: and Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter warranted? And it's important
• 39:28
  Speaker 8: to phrase this as it's my biggest question, not my
• 39:31
  Speaker 8: biggest doubt. I don't doubt whether they can show tons
• 39:36
  Speaker 8: of improvement not be a liability, but I do have
• 39:38
  Speaker 8: questions about it. And I don't necessarily blame the front
• 39:42
  Speaker 8: office for seeing that faith in them as well. I
• 39:45
  Speaker 8: don't know that I would have, you know, one of
• 39:46
  Speaker 8: your jobs on the line not had some sort of
• 39:49
  Speaker 8: backup there. That may be the big question because if
• 39:52
  Speaker 8: they're wrong, they could be spectacularly wrong and it could
• 39:55
  Speaker 8: really derail the season. But I don't think they will be.
• 39:59
  Speaker 8: I like what those guys are about. I did see
• 40:02
  Speaker 8: some improvement in the second half last year, and then
• 40:04
  Speaker 8: you get the pieces around them that's gonna help them
• 40:07
  Speaker 8: as well.
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: I love how they conduct themselves.
• 40:10
  Speaker 8: I love how they stood up to the criticism and
• 40:13
  Speaker 8: the mistakes last year. I think there's a lot there
• 40:15
  Speaker 8: with those guys, but there's no way around it. That
• 40:18
  Speaker 8: is a big question went into the season. Do you
• 40:21
  Speaker 8: think it's.
• 40:22
  Speaker 2: As simple as the Bengals didn't think the available guys
• 40:25
  Speaker 2: were upgrades over those two young guys.
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's part of it.
• 40:30
  Speaker 8: And then even like I said, you can have the face,
• 40:34
  Speaker 8: they didn't need to look for upgrades and look for
• 40:36
  Speaker 8: anybody better. They invested in those guys with draft picks
• 40:39
  Speaker 8: and they stuck them into the fire. And but it
• 40:42
  Speaker 8: just doesn't feel like if they fall flat on their face,
• 40:45
  Speaker 8: which I don't think they will, but the backup plan
• 40:49
  Speaker 8: isn't there. I mean, I don't know that Arren Berg's
• 40:51
  Speaker 8: and Shakaheward and those are the guys that you want
• 40:53
  Speaker 8: to stick in there if something goes wrong, and it
• 40:56
  Speaker 8: doesn't even have to go wrong, this is football.
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: One of those guys could get hurt.
• 41:00
  Speaker 8: I just I know you can't be deep at every position,
• 41:02
  Speaker 8: but that's that's kind of staggering that they don't have
• 41:06
  Speaker 8: depth that what was such a glaring issue last year.
• 41:11
  Speaker 2: I think everybody would agree that that is a legitimate
• 41:14
  Speaker 2: question going into training camp. Question number two for you
• 41:17
  Speaker 2: give us your Bengals breakout player in twenty twenty six.
• 41:22
  Speaker 8: You know I would have gone with Amarus Mims had
• 41:25
  Speaker 8: Paul Danner Junior not written about him a couple days ago,
• 41:29
  Speaker 8: so I don't want to piggyback on that. And maybe
• 41:31
  Speaker 8: I'm gonna piggyback on somebody else's who I have. I
• 41:33
  Speaker 8: don't know where they went, but I'm gonna go with
• 41:36
  Speaker 8: boy A Mafe. I think it's crazy how under the
• 41:40
  Speaker 8: radar he's flown after he won the Super Bowl and
• 41:42
  Speaker 8: signed this huge deal. It was almost like as soon
• 41:45
  Speaker 8: as the Bengal signed Dexter Lawrence, he just became an
• 41:47
  Speaker 8: afterthought on that defensive line. And with the addition that
• 41:50
  Speaker 8: he's gonna make and I just I think he's gonna
• 41:53
  Speaker 8: have a huge year and it's gonna be similar to
• 41:56
  Speaker 8: what the Seahawks defensive line was. Bengal fans hope that
• 42:00
  Speaker 8: this there's gonna be enough pass rush juice on this
• 42:04
  Speaker 8: defensive line where guys can kind of play off of
• 42:07
  Speaker 8: each other and pick up some scraps when other guys
• 42:10
  Speaker 8: get the initial pressure. And maybe it's him, Maybe he's
• 42:12
  Speaker 8: the one that's getting the initial pressure and it's the
• 42:14
  Speaker 8: other guys that are cleaning up. But I just maybe
• 42:17
  Speaker 8: maybe the breakout doesn't come in the terms of actual snaps,
• 42:20
  Speaker 8: but I think pressures and pressure pressure percentage is really
• 42:23
  Speaker 8: gonna be up there. And you know last year he
• 42:25
  Speaker 8: only played fifty percent of the snaps and the year
• 42:27
  Speaker 8: before are only fifty three point seven. And I don't
• 42:29
  Speaker 8: think that's going to be the case with this Bengals team.
• 42:31
  Speaker 8: I think he's gonna get more in line what he
• 42:33
  Speaker 8: did in twenty twenty three he played sixty eight percent
• 42:36
  Speaker 8: of the snaps. And if he can if he can
• 42:38
  Speaker 8: get more snaps, and if this Bengals team as we
• 42:41
  Speaker 8: all expect and have leads in the fourth quarter and
• 42:44
  Speaker 8: let that defensive line just kind of tee off, I
• 42:47
  Speaker 8: really do think he can break out.
• 42:49
  Speaker 2: Is he the team leader in sacks?
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: That's a good question.
• 42:57
  Speaker 8: Would I would put him and Miles Murphy as the
• 42:59
  Speaker 8: co favorites, and then a dark horse and Shamar And
• 43:02
  Speaker 8: that's the great thing about it.
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: You knew in years past was Trey Henderckson. It's him.
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: He's the one that's gonna be it.
• 43:08
  Speaker 8: And speaking of Trey Hendrickson, the last three years had
• 43:11
  Speaker 8: twenty fourth quarter sacks, which was tied for the most
• 43:15
  Speaker 8: in the league and by a lot. The next highest
• 43:18
  Speaker 8: was Miles Garrett fifteen to five, So that's almost, you know,
• 43:21
  Speaker 8: to what seventy five percent less? So if this team
• 43:25
  Speaker 8: is really holding onto Leeds, yes, I think he's the
• 43:29
  Speaker 8: kind of a closer type rusher that can lead this
• 43:33
  Speaker 8: team in snaps and really clean up in the fourth quarters.
• 43:37
  Speaker 2: All right, Who is this year's Mitch Tinsley, that intriguing
• 43:41
  Speaker 2: long shot who contributes?
• 43:44
  Speaker 8: You know, this is hard because I don't see a
• 43:45
  Speaker 8: lot of those people on this roster, a lot of
• 43:48
  Speaker 8: long shots. You kind of know what the fifty three
• 43:51
  Speaker 8: is gonna look like. But I'm gonna go with seventh
• 43:54
  Speaker 8: round pick Jack Endrees. It's probably gonna take Eric All
• 43:59
  Speaker 8: getting hurt again for Jack to get a real shot,
• 44:02
  Speaker 8: and certainly don't want to root for that, but maybe
• 44:05
  Speaker 8: injury opportunity comes at the expense of Tanner Hudson or
• 44:08
  Speaker 8: maybe Drew Sample. I just I loved what we heard
• 44:12
  Speaker 8: from him after the draft. You don't hear a lot
• 44:13
  Speaker 8: of seventh round picks. You hear second round picks, maybe
• 44:16
  Speaker 8: saying I'm gonna make everybody but skip me in the
• 44:18
  Speaker 8: first round pay for it. But he comes out and
• 44:20
  Speaker 8: his frustration and his disrespect were so palpable, and you know,
• 44:24
  Speaker 8: he's got this huge chip on his shoulder. And we
• 44:26
  Speaker 8: know what Joe Burrow can do for tight ends. If
• 44:29
  Speaker 8: he gets the opportunity, he can make plays like Mitch Tinsley.
• 44:32
  Speaker 8: Mitch Tinsley Young. I've been watching the Quarterback Series and
• 44:36
  Speaker 8: forgot some of the big plays that Mitch Tinsley made
• 44:38
  Speaker 8: with Joe Flacco. And I think Jack injuries could get
• 44:41
  Speaker 8: some real shots to make some plays if he can
• 44:44
  Speaker 8: get an opportunity on the field.
• 44:47
  Speaker 2: All right, what must happen for the Bengals to win
• 44:50
  Speaker 2: the AFC North.
• 44:52
  Speaker 8: I'm gonna say Brian Cook has to stay healthy. It
• 44:55
  Speaker 8: seems kind of simple, but for years we always say
• 45:00
  Speaker 8: the key to the Bengals fortunes is Joe Burrow staying healthy.
• 45:04
  Speaker 8: I don't necessarily think that's a prerequisite anymore. After seeing
• 45:07
  Speaker 8: what Flacco did last year, I mean, yeah, no, that's
• 45:11
  Speaker 8: gonna be a huge hurdle if something happens to Burrow.
• 45:13
  Speaker 8: But you saw what this offense could still do with Flacco.
• 45:17
  Speaker 8: And if this defense is better, I mean, look at
• 45:18
  Speaker 8: how many games they would have won last year if
• 45:20
  Speaker 8: the defense was mid last year. So and even I
• 45:26
  Speaker 8: don't even know if Dexter Lawrence would be next in line.
• 45:28
  Speaker 8: There is the guy that the Bengals can't afford to
• 45:31
  Speaker 8: lose for an amount of time, because, as I said before,
• 45:34
  Speaker 8: you've got all this new pass rushing help and he's
• 45:38
  Speaker 8: a unique unicorn. But still I think they could make
• 45:41
  Speaker 8: up for him missing a few games. But you know,
• 45:44
  Speaker 8: safety is kind of like linebacker is not deep, and
• 45:47
  Speaker 8: Kyle Duger could possibly slide in there. But I just
• 45:51
  Speaker 8: think Brian Cook is gonna bring so much to this defense,
• 45:54
  Speaker 8: and if they lose him for an extended point of time,
• 45:57
  Speaker 8: I think Jordan battlebackslides, and I think this whole defense
• 46:00
  Speaker 8: it goes back to those linebackers too. If you lose
• 46:03
  Speaker 8: Brian Cook, it's gonna have a ripple effect on those
• 46:05
  Speaker 8: guys in the middle of the field. And I just
• 46:07
  Speaker 8: think he's the one guy that they really need to
• 46:10
  Speaker 8: stay healthy for the entire season.
• 46:12
  Speaker 2: I said going into free agency that Brian Cook was
• 46:15
  Speaker 2: the guy that I most wanted the Bengals to sign.
• 46:18
  Speaker 2: Did you have similar feelings about him going into free agency?
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah? I did.
• 46:23
  Speaker 8: I mean just the connection alone at playing at U see,
• 46:25
  Speaker 8: being from Cincinnati, the position of need, I mean, we
• 46:28
  Speaker 8: knew it. It was kind of like the way linebacker
• 46:31
  Speaker 8: was this year. Safety was the year before where they
• 46:34
  Speaker 8: didn't do anything and you felt like that could really
• 46:36
  Speaker 8: cost him and it did. So maybe it's a year
• 46:40
  Speaker 8: too late, but he just felt like the perfect fit.
• 46:43
  Speaker 8: And I know a lot of people are on his
• 46:45
  Speaker 8: teammate in Kent City, Lushanaal at linebacker, but I still
• 46:48
  Speaker 8: think Cook was the big, the big signing of this offseason.
• 46:54
  Speaker 8: I know Dexter Lawrence the trade that's a huge splash,
• 46:57
  Speaker 8: but Mafe is a nice signing.
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: Jonathan Allen, it's a nice signing, but.
• 47:01
  Speaker 8: Brian Cook could really really unlock this defense for Al
• 47:05
  Speaker 8: Golden and this entire team.
• 47:07
  Speaker 2: He's been durable going back to his college day, so
• 47:09
  Speaker 2: hopefully he does stay healthy. Fifth and final topic, give
• 47:13
  Speaker 2: me your sizzling hot take.
• 47:16
  Speaker 8: Well, if Brian Cook does stay healthy, Al Golden will
• 47:19
  Speaker 8: win the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award and
• 47:22
  Speaker 8: get head coach interviews.
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: He's been a head coach before. People know what this
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: team was last year.
• 47:28
  Speaker 8: They're gonna if they make improvement, even if they get
• 47:30
  Speaker 8: to the halfway point of the you know, finished sixteenth,
• 47:33
  Speaker 8: that's a huge lead.
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: That's fifteen spots.
• 47:35
  Speaker 8: The highest this team has ever jumped in total defensive
• 47:38
  Speaker 8: ranking is nineteen, and I just I think that he's
• 47:42
  Speaker 8: got a track record and I don't think that twenty
• 47:47
  Speaker 8: twenty five is going to be any more than a
• 47:48
  Speaker 8: blip on his resume. And it wasn't just the personnel,
• 47:51
  Speaker 8: it was what he was limited to scheme wise because
• 47:55
  Speaker 8: of that personnel. And I just think all the additions
• 47:57
  Speaker 8: they brought in, the talent, the versa untility, it's really
• 48:00
  Speaker 8: going to unlock something. And just being second year getting
• 48:03
  Speaker 8: more comfortable with the system. I know he was here before,
• 48:06
  Speaker 8: but I think this is going to be a huge
• 48:08
  Speaker 8: year for Al.
• 48:08
  Speaker 2: Golden head coaching interviews. That is a good hot take.
• 48:13
  Speaker 8: For a fifty seven year old defensive guy, it would
• 48:16
  Speaker 8: be rare, but we saw what Lura Ana Roumo did
• 48:18
  Speaker 8: with a couple of nice runs. He parlaid that into
• 48:20
  Speaker 8: some interviews, and you know, Al Golden's right there kind
• 48:23
  Speaker 8: of in that same age range.
• 48:25
  Speaker 2: Al Golden won at Temple, so despite last year, he's
• 48:29
  Speaker 2: a good coach. I think that's a really interesting take. Jay,
• 48:32
  Speaker 2: This has been great, appreciate your time. Look forward to
• 48:34
  Speaker 2: seeing you at camp soon.
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: Sounds good. Thanks Dan.
• 48:38
  Speaker 2: Before we get to our next guest, here's a quick
• 48:40
  Speaker 2: reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you
• 48:42
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  Speaker 2: Kettering Health is the official health provider of the Bengals.
• 49:02
  Speaker 2: Between newspapers and websites, Paul Dayner Junior has been covering
• 49:05
  Speaker 2: the Bengals since two thousand and nine. You can read
• 49:08
  Speaker 2: him in The Athletic and you can listen to him
• 49:11
  Speaker 2: several times a week on the Growler Podcast. Okay, Paul
• 49:16
  Speaker 2: Dayner Junior, what is your biggest question going into training camp?
• 49:21
  Speaker 9: Well, I think for me, I think everybody has spent
• 49:25
  Speaker 9: some time yelling and screaming about the linebacker position, and
• 49:29
  Speaker 9: I'll get to that in a minute. That's not my
• 49:32
  Speaker 9: biggest question going into this camp.
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: For me. My biggest question going.
• 49:37
  Speaker 9: Up into this camp is the makeup and quality of
• 49:41
  Speaker 9: the cornerback room behind DJ Turner and Dax Hill. You know,
• 49:45
  Speaker 9: last year they both played seventeen games, and that was
• 49:48
  Speaker 9: sort of a best case scenario. If you're looking what
• 49:50
  Speaker 9: this year could look like the rest of the group
• 49:53
  Speaker 9: behind them last year played one and forty nine snaps.
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: That group this year is Jalen.
• 50:00
  Speaker 9: Davis, Takario Davis, Jaseer Taylor, Josh Newton, dj Ivy, and
• 50:05
  Speaker 9: maybe some combination of Kyle Dugger and Cash Just how
• 50:08
  Speaker 9: depending on how you're looking at their subpackages. Most years
• 50:11
  Speaker 9: you're gonna have some kind of an injury or a
• 50:14
  Speaker 9: nick at that position. You're probably gonna be looking at
• 50:16
  Speaker 9: closer to fifteen hundred snaps from that group.
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: What do we know about that group?
• 50:23
  Speaker 9: I don't necessarily know a ton about some of them.
• 50:26
  Speaker 9: One of them's a third round pick. Another guy's a
• 50:28
  Speaker 9: journeyman that seems pretty happy to be here. And just
• 50:31
  Speaker 9: see your Taylor and maybe he could help. Josh Newton
• 50:33
  Speaker 9: hasn't played all that well the last couple of years,
• 50:35
  Speaker 9: and he's.
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: Been in there.
• 50:36
  Speaker 9: What is dj I like all of these guys. This
• 50:40
  Speaker 9: is what other team's offensive coordinators are gonna be targeting
• 50:44
  Speaker 9: when they play the Bengals this year is whatever these
• 50:47
  Speaker 9: guys are that are out there on the field. Whenever
• 50:49
  Speaker 9: they're out there. And Jalen Davis for all as good
• 50:52
  Speaker 9: as he was and everybody loves his story, he's a
• 50:53
  Speaker 9: great guy.
• 50:54
  Speaker 1: You have to say that is a practice squad player.
• 50:58
  Speaker 9: You hope can continue with some of the good vibes
• 51:01
  Speaker 9: and magic that he kind of brought the second half
• 51:03
  Speaker 9: of last year. There's no saying that's definitely gonna happen.
• 51:06
  Speaker 9: What does that group look like in camp? Do you
• 51:10
  Speaker 9: see emergence of a player who makes you really confident
• 51:15
  Speaker 9: if they have to start a game, if DJ gets
• 51:17
  Speaker 9: a knack, if they are gonna take over the slot position. That,
• 51:21
  Speaker 9: to me is the biggest question about this entire team
• 51:27
  Speaker 9: right now is what exactly is happening?
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: And at a position, let's be.
• 51:30
  Speaker 9: Honest, almost always has injuries and have two guys that
• 51:33
  Speaker 9: do have an injury history there in the starting spots.
• 51:36
  Speaker 2: I don't remember who told me this, but somebody years
• 51:38
  Speaker 2: ago said cornerbacks are little guys tackling big guys. They
• 51:44
  Speaker 2: sprint up and down the field on virtually every snap.
• 51:48
  Speaker 2: They get hurt more frequently than any other position. So
• 51:52
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna knock on wood as I say this. You
• 51:55
  Speaker 2: hope the DJ Turner and Dax Hill can play every game,
• 51:59
  Speaker 2: but chances are they won't. The best case scenario for
• 52:02
  Speaker 2: most NFL teams is that those guys only miss a
• 52:06
  Speaker 2: game or two just by the nature of the position.
• 52:08
  Speaker 2: So it is a very valid concern.
• 52:11
  Speaker 9: Yeah, I that's just what it's it's always been. I mean,
• 52:14
  Speaker 9: you go back to Bengals history and some of their
• 52:17
  Speaker 9: best defenses. Boy, they have loaded up on depth at
• 52:21
  Speaker 9: that position, the pac Man Joneses of the world, like
• 52:23
  Speaker 9: when they would you'd have five first round picks in
• 52:27
  Speaker 9: that cornerback room under Mike zimmer. I go back to
• 52:30
  Speaker 9: those days and that that depth is playing. And if
• 52:33
  Speaker 9: you're a team that wants to be playing your best
• 52:36
  Speaker 9: football in December and playing into February, those are the
• 52:40
  Speaker 9: guys that get you there. Those are the ones that
• 52:42
  Speaker 9: get you home. Is your third and fourth corner. Eli
• 52:45
  Speaker 9: Apple's gonna be out there, you know, Cam Taylor britt
• 52:48
  Speaker 9: Is a rookie's going to have to play in your
• 52:50
  Speaker 9: strip down the stretch because that's what happens here. And
• 52:53
  Speaker 9: that group, what do they look like? Can anybody emerge
• 52:57
  Speaker 9: from that or do they need to add to it?
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 53:01
  Speaker 2: Is cornerback this year's early training camp, late training camp.
• 53:07
  Speaker 2: Who's out there position where they wind up adding somebody,
• 53:10
  Speaker 2: because there still are some pretty well known corners out
• 53:13
  Speaker 2: there now a little bit older than you would like,
• 53:16
  Speaker 2: but they are out there.
• 53:17
  Speaker 9: I love I'd love to see a veteran with skins
• 53:21
  Speaker 9: on the wall show up as an insurance policy for
• 53:23
  Speaker 9: all those guys. You know, beat that guy out and play.
• 53:27
  Speaker 9: Go go, get ahead of him and you'll play. But
• 53:31
  Speaker 9: if you can't, you know you have a serviceable level
• 53:34
  Speaker 9: in the background. That's the one thing that I feel
• 53:36
  Speaker 9: like is really missing from their rebuild on defense.
• 53:40
  Speaker 2: Topic number two, give us your breakout player in twenty
• 53:44
  Speaker 2: twenty six.
• 53:45
  Speaker 9: Okay, I have to give you two here because I
• 53:48
  Speaker 9: feel like I won.
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 53:50
  Speaker 9: I know the hardcores listen to your podcast, so I
• 53:54
  Speaker 9: know that they don't want to hear me say a
• 53:55
  Speaker 9: Marius Mims. But when I write about this for the Athletic,
• 53:59
  Speaker 9: I have to remind people that this guy has become
• 54:02
  Speaker 9: a dude and you better be ready for what he's
• 54:05
  Speaker 9: about to look like this year, because he's gonna look
• 54:06
  Speaker 9: like he did most of last year. Specifically, the second
• 54:09
  Speaker 9: half of Burrough came back when he didn't allow him
• 54:11
  Speaker 9: to get touched. He's playing into his body, all the
• 54:16
  Speaker 9: things that Bengals fans know. So I know, though I
• 54:18
  Speaker 9: don't have to talk to those people on your podcast.
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: They already know.
• 54:23
  Speaker 9: So I'm gonna go deeper cut and I'm going to
• 54:26
  Speaker 9: go on something I spent a lot of time researching
• 54:28
  Speaker 9: and write about this year. I'm gonna say, Barrett Carter,
• 54:31
  Speaker 9: I think the history of off ball linebacker improvement from
• 54:37
  Speaker 9: year one to year two has been consistent throughout this league.
• 54:41
  Speaker 9: I think the history of linebackers when they get put
• 54:44
  Speaker 9: in behind a quality defensive line and you see these
• 54:48
  Speaker 9: huge jumps occur, has been clear. I direct people's attention
• 54:54
  Speaker 9: to a guy named Drake Thomas that you've never heard of,
• 54:57
  Speaker 9: who played for the Seattle Seahawks last year. He was
• 55:00
  Speaker 9: an undrafted free agent in his third year with forty
• 55:03
  Speaker 9: two career snaps. He took over the starting position in
• 55:07
  Speaker 9: week three. He played eight hundred and seventy one snaps.
• 55:12
  Speaker 9: He was great in some of their biggest games and
• 55:14
  Speaker 9: had a seventy three PFF grade.
• 55:17
  Speaker 1: There are cases of this across the league.
• 55:19
  Speaker 9: You put players that seem like run of the mile
• 55:22
  Speaker 9: average players, you put them behind a quality defensive line
• 55:26
  Speaker 9: and they end up playing great. Nate lambmnon with the Rams,
• 55:30
  Speaker 9: Nikobe Dean with the Eagles had hardly played and he
• 55:32
  Speaker 9: was thrown in there behind that Eagles line and played great.
• 55:35
  Speaker 9: Devin Bush popped around and kind of wasn't much anywhere.
• 55:38
  Speaker 9: Then all of a sudden, he goes to the Browns.
• 55:40
  Speaker 9: When you're behind that line, Guess what, he's great, and
• 55:42
  Speaker 9: he's just got a thirty.
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: Million dollar contract.
• 55:44
  Speaker 9: Houston had examples of that, Like you just see this
• 55:48
  Speaker 9: happen a lot, and when you take I think the
• 55:51
  Speaker 9: lessons from last year, Barrett seems really built of the
• 55:54
  Speaker 9: right stuff, like and mentally his approach. He's not somebody
• 55:59
  Speaker 9: I think I have to worry about and beaten down
• 56:00
  Speaker 9: by it. He certainly didn't sound that way when you
• 56:02
  Speaker 9: talk to him this offseason. I kind of believe in
• 56:04
  Speaker 9: his makeup. And then you take the situation and how
• 56:08
  Speaker 9: drastically it's changed around him.
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: I'm buying, And so I'm buying.
• 56:14
  Speaker 9: Barrett Carter taking the step in year two and being
• 56:17
  Speaker 9: the next and a long line of linebackers that play
• 56:20
  Speaker 9: a lot better when they have help in front of them.
• 56:23
  Speaker 2: His breakout player in his case, good enough or good.
• 56:28
  Speaker 9: Average, Like I mean last year, you know, no one
• 56:32
  Speaker 9: needs to remind people of what it looked like with
• 56:34
  Speaker 9: him and Night next to each other for that string
• 56:36
  Speaker 9: of games. I mean, they were probably the two worst
• 56:39
  Speaker 9: linebackers on football. The second half, you saw his improvement.
• 56:42
  Speaker 9: I mean, you saw last year his misstackle rate went
• 56:44
  Speaker 9: from twenty four percent the first half of season to
• 56:47
  Speaker 9: around thirteen percent the second half of the season. You
• 56:50
  Speaker 9: saw some of the airs be less. He wasn't great though,
• 56:54
  Speaker 9: like he was. Clearly it was a baby step towards
• 56:58
  Speaker 9: I think what he hopes to be this but if
• 57:00
  Speaker 9: he is the thirty fifth best linebacker in football when
• 57:06
  Speaker 9: you consider he was the you know, the bottom of
• 57:08
  Speaker 9: the bottom when he was first thrown to the Wolves
• 57:10
  Speaker 9: last year, unfairly might I had like that was unfortunate
• 57:13
  Speaker 9: for anybody to have to do that.
• 57:16
  Speaker 1: That's a success, that's a breakout.
• 57:17
  Speaker 9: That's solid linebacker play, and that's that's really when you
• 57:20
  Speaker 9: consider what's happening around them, with the improvements at safety
• 57:24
  Speaker 9: and a defensive line, what you have on the edges,
• 57:26
  Speaker 9: that's really enough. And I would you know, I would
• 57:29
  Speaker 9: say that I debated between him and Night Like, I
• 57:32
  Speaker 9: think you can say a lot of the same things
• 57:34
  Speaker 9: for for Demetrius. I just I'm just gonna go with
• 57:38
  Speaker 9: Barrett because I think that would be a bigger breakout
• 57:40
  Speaker 9: than Demetrius, who was a second round pick and did
• 57:43
  Speaker 9: have some moments last year.
• 57:44
  Speaker 2: We are chatting with Paul Dayner Junior from The Athletic
• 57:47
  Speaker 2: and from the Growler Podcast topic number three. Who is
• 57:51
  Speaker 2: this year's Mitch Kinsley? In other words, an intriguing long
• 57:55
  Speaker 2: shot who contributes.
• 57:57
  Speaker 9: Okay, well, technically I gotta go two directions at one.
• 58:02
  Speaker 9: I don't know that this guy counts as this year's
• 58:05
  Speaker 9: Mitch Tinsley, but I want to get credit for talking
• 58:07
  Speaker 9: about him, so I'm throwing him in here.
• 58:09
  Speaker 1: Uh Shaka Hayward. Okay, I just mentioned to you.
• 58:15
  Speaker 9: Drake Thomas, very similar background to where Shaka Hayward currently.
• 58:21
  Speaker 9: Shaka has improved his standing on this team every year
• 58:24
  Speaker 9: he's been here.
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: He's entering year four.
• 58:27
  Speaker 9: He was kind of the talk of the preseason last year,
• 58:30
  Speaker 9: you know, and at a position where they're looking for
• 58:32
  Speaker 9: just about anybody that can step up, there's opportunity there
• 58:36
  Speaker 9: for him. He could be a guy that benefits from
• 58:39
  Speaker 9: the line in front of him, that takes a step
• 58:41
  Speaker 9: from Hey, this guy earned Zach Taylor last year when
• 58:44
  Speaker 9: he made the fifty three. Was Shaka earned this. He
• 58:47
  Speaker 9: came in, he showed maturity, he developed. He had an
• 58:50
  Speaker 9: injury in the middle last year. He never that never
• 58:52
  Speaker 9: really kind of came to much more than the preseason
• 58:56
  Speaker 9: and him being a special teams guy. But like the
• 58:59
  Speaker 9: opportunities there, if he can take another step this camp,
• 59:02
  Speaker 9: he could certainly be a guy that you could see
• 59:05
  Speaker 9: come in and challenge either to the starters if they falter,
• 59:09
  Speaker 9: or be that third guy which is kind of wide
• 59:11
  Speaker 9: open in the death linebacker. But if you want to
• 59:13
  Speaker 9: go deeper cut again your people demand a deeper cut.
• 59:18
  Speaker 1: I will say this.
• 59:20
  Speaker 9: I will give some love to Jamal Haynes, the running
• 59:22
  Speaker 9: back from Georgia Tech. Is a deep cut because the
• 59:28
  Speaker 9: again the positions open, you could make something for the
• 59:32
  Speaker 9: like giant mass of humanity happening at the back of
• 59:36
  Speaker 9: the defense offensive tackle room, Like there's a bunch of
• 59:39
  Speaker 9: those guys that any of those guys could probably be
• 59:41
  Speaker 9: your Heck, they could beat out Cody Ford, whether you're
• 59:43
  Speaker 9: talking about Christian Jones, or Robinson or Javon.
• 59:47
  Speaker 1: Foster or whoever.
• 59:48
  Speaker 9: But also the running but there's three running backs and
• 59:52
  Speaker 9: you know the one could make this team and they'd
• 59:55
  Speaker 9: be like, well, let's just have a fourth, or that
• 59:57
  Speaker 9: you have one nick to a guy like samaj or
• 59:59
  Speaker 9: Taj Rooks, and you're someone amongst that running back group.
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 9: It's all undrafted free agents could make this team. More importantly,
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 9: his mom, a Net, played tackle football running back for
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 9: the Atlanta Explosion, and that's where he developed his love
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 9: for running back. And I love that nugget so much
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 9: that I have to make sure that I get a
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 9: chance that that I don't care somebody who learned how
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 9: to play running back from his mom's semi pro career.
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 9: I'm on board for him. He played great at Georgia Tech.
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 9: Give me, give me some of that.
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 2: Jamal Hines, So Jamal Hayes. Is it Hayes or Haynes?
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 1: I forget? Oh did I write it?
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 10: No?
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 2: You you got it right. I'm I'm questioning myself here.
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: It's Jamal Haines, a j y n E s.
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 2: This kind of fits two categories then, So he is
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 2: your kind of Mitch Tinsley and his mom a Net
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 2: is the breakout player.
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 9: Yes, oh, oh, the features I will write if this
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 9: thing comes to fruit.
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 1: That's all I have to say. I'm gonna go I'm
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 1: gonna go down and find a net and we're gonna
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: hang out for a weekend. Love it.
• 1:01:05
  Speaker 2: Topic number four, What must happen for the Bengals to
• 1:01:08
  Speaker 2: win the AFC North.
• 1:01:10
  Speaker 9: I think that everyone is gonna spend time talking about
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 9: the defense, and that's obvious your.
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: People demand more Dan, I'm making it clear.
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 9: I think that this is gonna be about the offense
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 9: becoming true top tier and they have been very good
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 9: and with Burrow, without Burrow, even if you're just filtering
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 9: out for Joe playing, they have been very good. They
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 9: have not been a top three offense. And I think that,
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 9: you know, for this team to make the run, they
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 9: want to not just win the North, They've just got
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 9: to be more explosive and improve with explosives on both
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 9: sides of the ball, and not just on offense, but
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 9: particularly on offense. You know, twenty second in explosive rate.
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 9: What was happening last year The trend in the league
• 1:01:57
  Speaker 9: that you saw was all these teams that own this
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 9: explosive either mitigation or creation were the teams that were
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 9: playing at the end.
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 1: It was the trend of last year. The final four teams.
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 9: I mean, you're talking about rams Seahawks, who were probably
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 9: the two best teams in football. We're right, We're both
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 9: in the top eight. The Patriots were in the top two.
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 9: Denver wasn't, but they were top two in mitigating it
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 9: because of their defense.
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 1: You've got to.
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 9: Manage that in today's game and the way that it's
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 9: made up. And the Bengals did a terrible job of it.
• 1:02:28
  Speaker 9: They were twenty second in creating them and they were
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 9: in the bottom two and allowing them. I think they've
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 9: made the moves on defense to get that back to
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 9: a respectable number. But I think they have to be
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 9: a truly explosive team. And I've spent a lot of
• 1:02:40
  Speaker 9: time talking with Dan Pitcher and the quarterbacks and investigating
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 9: what are they exactly doing with this under center stuff
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 9: that we saw them experimenting with, How much of an
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 9: impact will it have. It's largely driven by a search
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 9: for explosives. Maybe that ends up being what they use
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 9: or not. It's gonna be a tool that they feel
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 9: like they can go to if they're trying to create explosives,
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 9: and that can help them create explosives. Also when they're
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 9: running four minute trying to finish games, that can be
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 9: the thing. It can certainly be a driver of it,
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 9: and maybe it'll be something else. But in today's day,
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 9: like all those teams I mentioned offensively, we're all in
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 9: the top of the league and under center usage, all
• 1:03:17
  Speaker 9: in the top of the league and under center play action.
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 9: Pitch told me it smacks you in the face when
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 9: you see the numbers. Yes, the explosive teams, they're under center,
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 9: the under center play action. We see the Bengals willing
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 9: to do it. Joe Burrow is willing to do it,
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 9: and I'm curious to see if that is the piece
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 9: that takes in there. But regardless of why, it has
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 9: to be better. They have to be more explosive. They
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 9: have to do a better job of not allowing them.
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 3: All.
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 2: Right, we've hit our fifth and final topic. I know
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 2: you're bringing something to the table here. Give me your
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 2: sizzling hot take for the Bengals in twenty twenty six.
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 9: I'm a little concerned in my lack of sizzle here
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 9: because you know, I want to sizzle, but I feel like,
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 9: here's the thing.
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: We mentioned this a little bit earlier.
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 9: If the Bengals have changed the way they operate to
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 9: maybe just two years ago, this would have been a
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 9: sizzling take, but now doesn't feel a sizzling.
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: The Bengals are not done trading. I think a deal
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 1: is coming.
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 9: I think one more what I mentioned, whether it's a corner,
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 9: whether somebody that becomes available, I think they have overage
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 9: to trade from on their defensive line. Who whatever happens
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 9: with these battles at the back of the defensive line room,
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 9: you know you have Chris Jenkins is in there. Is
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 9: he a piece that someone would be willing If he
• 1:04:37
  Speaker 9: can't take the next step, you could I mean teams
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 9: are interested in young defensive linemen that were second round picks.
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 1: You could maybe get some.
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 9: If McKinley Jackson can take a step and suddenly you
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 9: feel comfortable with him as your backup.
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 1: TJ.
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 9: Slayton is a dependable veteran, you could deal and get
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 9: something significant back for or they could do I mean,
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 9: last two years, the Bengals, who never traded the trade deadline,
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 9: have traded in season for Joe Flacco for Khalil Herbert.
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 9: When they've needed guys if they feel like something arises,
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 9: and let's go back to the history of the last
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 9: time in the Super Bowl.
• 1:05:11
  Speaker 1: BJ Hill for Billy Price, they made that move.
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 9: I'll go all the way back because I'm an oldhead
• 1:05:16
  Speaker 9: now to Reggie Nelson for David Jones, which is one
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 9: of the best trades they've made right before the season started.
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 9: Some of their best seasons, some of their best teams,
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 9: some of their best moves have come when they've done that.
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 9: They've been willing to do more lately. I feel like
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 9: there could be a very real opportunity for them to
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 9: land a, if not a starter, a real rotational contributor
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 9: in the BJ Hill twenty twenty one mode sometime this
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 9: camp or into season, and they have a deeper roster
• 1:05:44
  Speaker 9: than they've probably had the last two or three years.
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 9: Burrow alluded to that last time we talked to him,
• 1:05:48
  Speaker 9: So I think that's something to deal from. They've shown
• 1:05:52
  Speaker 9: more of a willingness to do, so give me one
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 9: more deal not done, Dexter Lawrence, wasn't the end.
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 2: It's got some pretty good You downplayed the sizzle factor.
• 1:06:02
  Speaker 1: Did I?
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 9: I feel like it's obvious that you have the potential
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 9: to make what I mean, because it doesn't it doesn't
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 9: have to be a huge deal, but if you get
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 9: a solid contributor. Again, it's the same conversation we've had
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 9: about Corner, the guys that will get you through January.
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 9: You know, you trade for bj Hill in August, and
• 1:06:25
  Speaker 9: guess who's carrying you through the playoffs right when Ogunjobi
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 9: goes down or or you sign somebody at Corner And
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 9: if you get a I mean, that's the type of
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 9: thing that a deaf deal, something that you make right
• 1:06:38
  Speaker 9: now can be the one that you're spending a lot
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 9: of time talking about in January, and I think that
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 9: there there's an opportunity for it.
• 1:06:46
  Speaker 2: Paul Danner Junior from The Athletic and The Growler podcast
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 2: came prepared with much respect for my audience and I
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 2: greatly appreciate it. Thanks Pal, Always go deep for your people.
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 2: I'm here for it.
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 2: We turned to the only former Division One athlete on
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 2: the list, Kelsey Conway, a former University of Cincinnati lacrosse
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 2: player who covers the Bengals for the Cincinnati Enquirer. All Right,
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 2: Kelsey Conway, what is your biggest question going into training camp?
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 10: So I thought about this for a little bit, and
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 10: there were a few that just seemed like very obvious.
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 10: So I wanted to challenge myself to think of something else.
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 10: And so I think my biggest question is going to
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 10: be For years we've talked about what's the right balance
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 10: for Zach Taylor and the team as far as starters
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 10: getting reps in preseason games and like the volume of
• 1:07:42
  Speaker 10: work in training camp to get ready. But I'm especially
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 10: interested to see with so many new faces on defense,
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 10: does he change his approach as far as more reps
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 10: in practice, more reps for the starters in preseason games
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 10: because you've got, you know, new players at almost every
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 10: single position. Does that change his philosophy knowing how important
• 1:08:09
  Speaker 10: the first three games of the season are going to
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 10: be for them. Does he play the starters more on
• 1:08:14
  Speaker 10: defense because they need time to work together on the field.
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 10: So I think my biggest question is what does training
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 10: camp look like for Zach Taylor for the defensive guys
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 10: with how many new additions they've made.
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 2: Do you think he will?
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 11: I think he's going to have to.
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 10: You know, it will be interesting because remember last year
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 10: he changed a little bit as far as Joe's.
• 1:08:41
  Speaker 11: Volume of work.
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 10: But remember that whole debacle of like the team wasn't
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 10: really tackling well, and we all have these questions about, like,
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 10: why doesn't the defense look any better, And then they
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 10: told us it's because we're not showing anything.
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 11: We don't want anybody to know.
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 10: That didn't really manifest itself well throughout the season. Obviously
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 10: they played a little bit better. They played well in
• 1:09:04
  Speaker 10: Cleveland in Week one. So I go back and forth
• 1:09:08
  Speaker 10: because it's like part of me thinks, like he has
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 10: his process, he sticks to it. What's most important that
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 10: these guys are healthy. But everybody knows the importance of
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 10: this season, and everybody knows the importance of starting off
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 10: the season strong. So I do think he'll actually play
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 10: the defensive starters a little bit more because they need
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 10: the reps. There's only so much you can do in
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 10: those walk through scenarios.
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 2: Give us your breakout player in twenty twenty six.
• 1:09:38
  Speaker 10: My breakout player is going to be Dylan Fairchild. So
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 10: as the season went on, we didn't really talk about
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 10: him much, which, as you know, is always a really
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 10: good sign. But I've had a few conversations with offensive
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 10: linemen on the team in the off season, just checking
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 10: in and say, you know who's playing really well? You
• 1:09:59
  Speaker 10: know what should I be looking for? And Dylan Fairchild
• 1:10:02
  Speaker 10: has been one that people really believe, you know, he
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 10: can really be good. And I think they've got some
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 10: things to look forward to on the offensive line with
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 10: him and Mims, even though you know they are getting
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 10: older with Ted and Orlando, I'm expecting Dylan Fairchild to
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 10: be someone where we're like, they really nail that pick.
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 10: And I remember I talked to a few people around
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 10: the league that really study offensive lineman and coming out
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 10: of the draft, they said Dylan Fairchild was the best
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 10: pass blocking guard and so obviously at the beginning of
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 10: the season it was kind of drinking from a fire hose,
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 10: but he really settled in and so I'm expecting him
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 10: to be a big time player for the Bengals and
• 1:10:46
  Speaker 10: someone where at the end of the season we're talking
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 10: about him being a really good draft pick for the Bengals.
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 2: This is good because people keep bringing up a Marius Mims.
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 2: So you've identified somebody else on the offensive line.
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 1: We like a little bit of variety.
• 1:11:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, Question number three, who is this year's
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 2: Mitch Tinsley in other words, an intriguing long shot that
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 2: winds up contributing.
• 1:11:10
  Speaker 10: It's easy to pick a receiver, it's easy to pick
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 10: a linebacker because you know there's so many questions there.
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 11: I'm going to go with Russ Yeast.
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 10: So when you look at the safety room, you are
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 10: expecting Brian Cook to be like, you know, potentially next
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 10: to Dexter Lawrence, the biggest acquisition of the off season,
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 10: Jordan Battle. You're expecting consistent play, but you just never know,
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 10: and injuries happen. And obviously Kyle Dugger being there, I'm
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 10: fascinated to see, like if you know how they use him.
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 10: But how many times last year during training camp did
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 10: we talk about that fourth safety spot, whether it be
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 10: Dejon Anthony, PJ Jeules like all of those guys. I
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 10: don't think that they have their answer with you know,
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 10: those two guys as the fourth safety spot, we'll see,
• 1:12:03
  Speaker 10: you know how they play on special teams. But I
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 10: think that because Russ Yeast has experience in the NFL,
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 10: I think they're going to lean towards taking a guy
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 10: like that to round out that safety room. And so
• 1:12:16
  Speaker 10: although he's not like a long shot where people don't
• 1:12:19
  Speaker 10: know his name. He's not someone that we're talking about
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 10: every day as far as you know, these are definites.
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 11: To make the team.
• 1:12:26
  Speaker 10: So I think he is going to play himself into
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 10: a roster spot. And so that's who I'm going to
• 1:12:32
  Speaker 10: go with. Who's like my Niche Tinsley of the preseason
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 10: where we end up, you know, talking about him a
• 1:12:37
  Speaker 10: lot after training camp practices because of course he's going
• 1:12:40
  Speaker 10: to get in fun of reps because they're not going
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 10: to put starters as much.
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 11: So that's my pick.
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 2: All right, Fans watch number thirty nine in the preseason
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 2: games Russ Yeast as Kelsey Conway's picked to be this
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 2: year's intriguing long shot. We are visiting with Kelsey Conway
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 2: from the Cincinnati Inquirer, where we removed the question number
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 2: four what must happened for the Bengals to win the
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 2: AFC North.
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 10: So the Bengals to win the AFC North have to
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 10: sweep the Steelers this year. I'm anticipating them splitting with
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 10: the Ravens, and I think that it's you know, a
• 1:13:16
  Speaker 10: guarantee that not a guarantee. Nothing's guarantee in the NFL.
• 1:13:20
  Speaker 10: It's very strong chance they sweep the Browns. The Steelers
• 1:13:25
  Speaker 10: for them, have been won the last couple of years.
• 1:13:27
  Speaker 11: Where how many games?
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 10: Where are they on paper, you know, better than the Steelers,
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 10: And they just haven't been able to dominate the Steelers
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 10: and take care of business against that team to allow
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 10: themselves to you know, be able to split with Baltimore
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 10: or god forbid, you know, lose both.
• 1:13:44
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 10: So I think that in order for them, and especially
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 10: with the Steelers game being in September, I think on
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 10: the road, I think in order to set the team
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 10: up to win the division again, they have to sweep
• 1:13:56
  Speaker 10: the Steelers and obviously take care of business against clear
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 10: Elen in Baltimore. But I think if they do that,
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 10: and I do think that finally like they have the
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 10: team to do it on defense.
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 11: I'm not buying really anything about.
• 1:14:08
  Speaker 10: The Steelers this year, but I think if the Bengals
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 10: sweep the Steelers and they go to Pittsburgh in September
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 10: and win that game, I think the Bengals will have
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 10: a good chance to win the division.
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 2: I expected the Steelers to drop off last year, they
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 2: wound up winning the division. Is this the year that
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 2: they drop off? Did they finally have a losing record
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 2: without Mike Tomlin as head coach.
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 11: I think so.
• 1:14:33
  Speaker 10: And their defense is just old, and I'm not you know,
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 10: other than DK Metcalf, you know, they've got good tight ends.
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 10: But I just think at some point, and there's also
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 10: the factor of like could Aaron Rodgers get hurt again.
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 10: There's just kind of been nothing that's impressed me about
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 10: the Steelers offseason, and there was so much of that
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 10: Mike Tomlin factor, and so I do think this is
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 10: the year where Pittsburgh maybe has a losing record for
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 10: the first time in years. And I think this would
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 10: be the year for the Bengals to capitalize on the
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 10: Steelers getting older and Aaron Rodgers wasn't there all off season.
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 10: So I think everything has gone right for Cincinnati this offseason,
• 1:15:15
  Speaker 10: and Pittsburgh's kind of had a little bit of a
• 1:15:18
  Speaker 10: strange off season with not knowing if Rogers is going
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 10: to come back. So I do think this is the
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 10: year that Pittsburgh isn't the leader in the division. But
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 10: it's easy, like Pittsburgh and Baltimore huge rivals, so you know,
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 10: rivalry games, you know, weird stuff happens. But for Cincinnati,
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 10: you know, There's been some games against Pittsburgh, as you know,
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 10: the last couple of years that they should have won
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 10: and they just haven't played their best. So I think
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 10: that if the Bengals take care of business in September
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 10: and then again on Sunday Night Football and sweep the Steelers,
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 10: that's really going to set them up well in the
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 10: month of December.
• 1:15:52
  Speaker 2: All Right, we hit our final question. Give me Kelsey
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 2: Conway's sizzling hot take about the upcoming season.
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 10: I don't know how sizzling this is going to be.
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 10: I think you've got some other people on the beat
• 1:16:06
  Speaker 10: that probably would give you a more entertaining take.
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 11: Than me, but I'll do my best.
• 1:16:11
  Speaker 10: I'm going to go with the Bengals are going to
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 10: have a top eight defense in points allowed.
• 1:16:18
  Speaker 11: Per game, and yes, we're.
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 10: Gonna go with when they were really good with lou
• 1:16:25
  Speaker 10: Ana Rumo. I believe they've ranked in like the thirteen
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 10: to fifteen range as far as like where they ranked
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 10: in most of the important defensive metrics. I think that
• 1:16:37
  Speaker 10: all of the stars are going to align for them.
• 1:16:40
  Speaker 10: And my take is that for once we're talking about
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 10: not just like a middle of the pack defense for Cincinnati,
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 10: that they have a defense that they can lean.
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 11: On when the offense isn't clicking.
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 10: And so my big take is that in the top
• 1:16:58
  Speaker 10: bait I don't think they're top five defense, but in
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 10: the top eight they will finish as far as points
• 1:17:03
  Speaker 10: allowed per game and the Bengals will finally have a
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 10: defense that they can count on and we won't be
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 10: talking in July about the Bengals defense being an issue
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 10: next year.
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 2: If this team has a top eight defense and Joe
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 2: Burrow is healthy, they are going to win a lot
• 1:17:21
  Speaker 2: of games.
• 1:17:22
  Speaker 11: Yeah, agreed, and they should.
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 10: You got to see how it goes, you know, all
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 10: it meshes together, which goes back to my first point.
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 10: I do think July is important for this group, and
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 10: I'm fascinated to see how Zach Taylor manages it. You
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 10: know him, He's kind of not one to make sweeping
• 1:17:39
  Speaker 10: changes year after year with his process because he has
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 10: had success. But this is a different year for everybody involved, players, coaches.
• 1:17:48
  Speaker 10: It's very well known that if things don't go well,
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 10: you know, this year, there could be serious questions about
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 10: what the future in Cincinnati looks like for coaches, players,
• 1:17:57
  Speaker 10: a lot of different people, And so I think everybody
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 10: is going to be engaged at a different level in August,
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 10: and I think it would probably be good to see
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 10: some change and you know, maybe a heavier workload. Obviously
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 10: you don't want to do too much, but there's guys
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 10: on defense need to play together more than just in practice,
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 10: and so I'm fascinated to see how that looks in
• 1:18:21
  Speaker 10: those preseason games.
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 2: Kelsey Conway, he recalled upon and delivered and that was
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 2: a sizzling hot take. So I'm impressed. I appreciate what
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 2: your time and look forward to seeing the camp.
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 11: Thanks so much for having me on.
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 10: I always love coming on this like helps me get
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 10: my brain ready for training camp and forces me to
• 1:18:39
  Speaker 10: think about some good questions.
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 11: So thanks so much for having me on.
• 1:18:42
  Speaker 2: Our seventh and final Bengals Beat reporter in reverse alphabetical
• 1:18:46
  Speaker 2: order is Ben Baby, who has covered the Bengals for
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 2: ESPN since twenty nineteen. Ben, what is your biggest question
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 2: going into training camp.
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 5: Yeah, that's a good one, Dan.
• 1:18:58
  Speaker 12: I think that I'm going to be a little bit
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 12: different from the others in the beat. Shocker for me,
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 12: I just have so many questions about this offense, and
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 12: I think that we have all these all these takes
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 12: about the defense and whether it can be better, and
• 1:19:10
  Speaker 12: I think that it should end up being better, and
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 12: we'll talk about that a little later on. But you know,
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 12: one of the things that I think they've struggled with
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 12: over the years is finding a nice blend between the
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 12: run and the pass and making sure that all of
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 12: that maybe works cohesively. I know that Bengals offensive coordinator
• 1:19:26
  Speaker 12: Dan Pitcher, you know, to me and to others, have
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 12: talked about, you know, maybe they tweak some things this year.
• 1:19:30
  Speaker 12: Whether that's maybe expanding their personnel packages, whether that's you know,
• 1:19:34
  Speaker 12: shotgun versus under center, all of that remains to be seen.
• 1:19:37
  Speaker 12: I think that'll play out over the course of training
• 1:19:40
  Speaker 12: camp and as they really do team drills this this
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 12: camp will get a sense of what they're really trying
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 12: to install for those first couple weeks of the year.
• 1:19:48
  Speaker 12: But you know, I think that's been a lingering question
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 12: for this offense over the handful of years, is can
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 12: they find a way to punish teams for playing these
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 12: light boxes that when they take away when they double
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 12: team Jamar and when they double teams, can you go
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 12: out and make them pay? And I think towards the
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 12: end of last season, you started to have a little
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 12: bit of that, but there probably needs to be a
• 1:20:08
  Speaker 12: bit more. And something that Pitcher said that was really
• 1:20:10
  Speaker 12: interesting when he talked to a few of us at
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 12: the end of the of the offseason workouts was that,
• 1:20:17
  Speaker 12: you know, they have been really good at getting efficient runs,
• 1:20:19
  Speaker 12: and I think that you know, when you look at it,
• 1:20:21
  Speaker 12: and I never thought about this, is that teams that
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 12: tend to have a lot of explosive runs also tend
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 12: to have a lot of tackles for loss in that way,
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 12: so it can be a boom er Bus proposition when
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 12: playing the run game, which I found fascinating.
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 5: I never thought of it that way.
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 12: And the Bengals have been really efficient in the way
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 12: that they've ran the ball, but I think they need
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 12: to become more explosive and make teams really think about
• 1:20:42
  Speaker 12: whether the run game can beat them. And I think,
• 1:20:44
  Speaker 12: you know, finding a way for all of that to
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 12: work schematically is going to be my biggest question for
• 1:20:49
  Speaker 12: this team.
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 2: More under center stuff. It seems like we talk about
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 2: it every year. Do you expect it?
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 5: Yeah, that's the thing, Like we talk about it every year.
• 1:20:57
  Speaker 5: So what's new this year.
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 12: It's not like this is a common it's something new
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 12: that we haven't talked about or discuss.
• 1:21:03
  Speaker 5: They've known this for so long. You know, maybe this
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 5: is the year.
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 12: That Joe Burrow and the offense decide that they want
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 12: to go under center a little bit more. But you know,
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 12: I think that, you know, I'll believe it when I
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 12: see it is probably the best way to put it.
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 12: I wonder if maybe they don't lean into thirteen personnel
• 1:21:19
  Speaker 12: a little bit more.
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 5: You know, they drafted another tight end.
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 12: They have a lot of tight ends on the roster,
• 1:21:23
  Speaker 12: a lot of guys who can be versatile, I think
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 12: in what they do, so that ed is interesting. Maybe
• 1:21:28
  Speaker 12: even just more twelve personnel where you have one running
• 1:21:30
  Speaker 12: back and two tight ends on the field, and not
• 1:21:32
  Speaker 12: one running back end three tight ends on the field,
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 12: All of that is very fascinating. I think when you
• 1:21:37
  Speaker 12: look at how the Bengals have used their personnel as well.
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 12: You know, even if they're in you know, let's say
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 12: one with one running back and one tight end, if
• 1:21:45
  Speaker 12: that tight ends might get sicky. You know, it's essentially
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 12: having four receivers on the field. So can you find
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 12: a way to maybe blend things a little bit better,
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 12: maybe find that balance, you know, with Eric all, you know,
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 12: feeling as good as he's ever felt, even before he
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 12: got to the NFL. I'm curious to see how he
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 12: fits in because when we saw him as a rookie,
• 1:22:03
  Speaker 12: when he was healthy, it was a very different offense.
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 12: So I think that could be a clue as to
• 1:22:08
  Speaker 12: what they might want to change schematically going into the season.
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 2: Give us your breakout player for twenty twenty six, Dan.
• 1:22:15
  Speaker 5: I'm going with Shamar Stewart.
• 1:22:16
  Speaker 12: I maybe after talking to Shamar this offseason, hearing him
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 12: and just see here in the mindset that he's in,
• 1:22:22
  Speaker 12: you can tell that it's a lot different and last
• 1:22:24
  Speaker 12: year with all of the contract stuff that was going
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 12: on around him, you know, and then you had the
• 1:22:29
  Speaker 12: injuries on top of that, he just never really got
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 12: settled into that first year. And I think it's hard,
• 1:22:35
  Speaker 12: you know, I tell this to people all the time,
• 1:22:36
  Speaker 12: you know, even in my career, I think that first time,
• 1:22:39
  Speaker 12: first year on, you're on the job, You're just trying
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 12: to figure out what the heck is going on. You're
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 12: trying to figure out how to acclimate into this new
• 1:22:45
  Speaker 12: environment that you're in, and you're not really able to
• 1:22:48
  Speaker 12: ascend until you get to that second year. Once you
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 12: get that second year, you understand kind of the nature
• 1:22:53
  Speaker 12: the rhythms of the calendar year, what you're supposed to
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 12: be doing on a daily basis. And then once you
• 1:22:58
  Speaker 12: have all that tackled, then you can really focus on, Okay,
• 1:23:02
  Speaker 12: what can I do to make myself better? And I
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 12: think that in talking to Chamar, you can tell that
• 1:23:07
  Speaker 12: he's really finding ways to become a pro as he's
• 1:23:10
  Speaker 12: as he's kind of ascending as he's maturing in the league.
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 12: One of the things he told me he's up to
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 12: was that up to two seventy five in weight this summer,
• 1:23:18
  Speaker 12: you know, so one you know, put the weight on
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 12: work on his past rusher moves. Was was keen on
• 1:23:22
  Speaker 12: cutting down sugar. He said that getting rid of the
• 1:23:25
  Speaker 12: Jolly Rancher gummies and the Life Saver gummies has been
• 1:23:28
  Speaker 12: hard to do. But he cut sugar, cold turkey and
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 12: and that kind of stuff. I think shows the mentality
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 12: of what it takes to be in the NFL, and
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 12: it's it's interesting. The edge rusher is one of the
• 1:23:38
  Speaker 12: positions I think I've come around on over the years
• 1:23:41
  Speaker 12: on it's not just because you're supremely talented. There does
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 12: take probably a great mentality to be an excellent NFL player,
• 1:23:49
  Speaker 12: because you know, at the lower levels you can generally
• 1:23:51
  Speaker 12: be stronger, faster, bigger than somebody else and really impose
• 1:23:55
  Speaker 12: your will without having the technique or game plan to
• 1:23:58
  Speaker 12: really beat offensive tackles. And I know we say that
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 12: offensive tackles have probably one of the toughest jobs in
• 1:24:03
  Speaker 12: the NFL, and it's never been tougher for them given
• 1:24:05
  Speaker 12: the quality of defensive linemen.
• 1:24:07
  Speaker 5: But you look at.
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 12: Guys who have come in the league, will have been
• 1:24:10
  Speaker 12: five star recruits, you know, top five, top ten picks,
• 1:24:13
  Speaker 12: haven't really panned out, And you wonder is that because
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 12: sometimes they just haven't had, you know, the attention to
• 1:24:19
  Speaker 12: detail and really been committed to being a pro. And
• 1:24:22
  Speaker 12: in this offseason, I think you're really starting to see
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 12: that from Schmore. I don't think that was ever a
• 1:24:26
  Speaker 12: doubt from him. I think he's always wanted to be
• 1:24:28
  Speaker 12: really good. I think this year now, without any of
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 12: the distractions with having the contract situation settled, now, you know,
• 1:24:34
  Speaker 12: being healthy, I think he'll be someone that if he
• 1:24:37
  Speaker 12: plays well, you know, could be a big boost for
• 1:24:39
  Speaker 12: this defensive line who I think will have great expectations
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 12: going into this year.
• 1:24:44
  Speaker 2: His breakout in his case five sacks, seven sacks, ten sacks.
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 12: What do you think, I think, I think I'm gonna
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 12: go eight and a half. I think I think I
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 12: think over under eight and a half feels pretty good
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 12: because I do think. I mean, before he got hurt,
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 12: guys or raving about his potential and just the raw
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 12: talent that he has, and I think if you have.
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 5: Those things, you're able to build.
• 1:25:07
  Speaker 12: You know, he's putting a lot of work with Jerry
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 12: Montgomery and Mike Moon in the offseason, and now you know,
• 1:25:13
  Speaker 12: if he's able to kind of unlock that next level
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 12: of being a pro. I think there's a lot of
• 1:25:17
  Speaker 12: potential there and I think you're going to see that
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 12: come to fruition.
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 2: We're chatting with ESPN's Ben Baby. Give us this year's
• 1:25:24
  Speaker 2: Mitch Tinsley, that intriguing long shot who winds up contributing.
• 1:25:28
  Speaker 12: Yeah, this is always a tough one, Dan, because to
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 12: be in the Mitch Tinsley category, it's got to be
• 1:25:33
  Speaker 12: an undrafted guy. Can't be someone who just was drafted already.
• 1:25:37
  Speaker 12: Mitch was as long shot as it gets reminds me
• 1:25:40
  Speaker 12: a lot of Damian Willis, who you know, came out
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 12: of nowhere to be a.
• 1:25:43
  Speaker 5: Week one starter. So I think when when you think
• 1:25:45
  Speaker 5: of a.
• 1:25:45
  Speaker 12: Long shot, it's somebody who's really coming from the back
• 1:25:48
  Speaker 12: of the pack to make an impact. And I think
• 1:25:50
  Speaker 12: you'll like this one. My long shot candidate, Jack Dingle
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 12: from Right Love a Bear Katts. I thought that if
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 12: correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he was at.
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 5: The local pro day.
• 1:26:01
  Speaker 12: Correct, that's correct, And I thought that he looked very fluid.
• 1:26:05
  Speaker 12: You could tell that the Bengals were at that local
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 12: pro day. They were really keeping a close eye on him.
• 1:26:10
  Speaker 12: So it was not a surprise that he.
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 5: Was a college free agent that they signed.
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 12: When you look at the linebacker room, obviously a lot
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 12: of questions about that room, and there are a lot
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 12: of veterans there. And if I think if Jack can
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 12: play well enough as a special teamer and really do
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 12: some good things in these preseason games, because I think
• 1:26:27
  Speaker 12: that's where it's going to make a big impact, I.
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 5: Could see him really contending to.
• 1:26:32
  Speaker 12: Maybe making the fifty three is a stretch, but I
• 1:26:35
  Speaker 12: could see him being a definite practice squad guy who
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 12: plays himself into a role as the year progresses, if
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 12: he continues to do what he does. I mean, I
• 1:26:44
  Speaker 12: thought that he looked really good at times in workouts,
• 1:26:47
  Speaker 12: and you know, you know him better than I do, obviously,
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 12: and so what I think that there is a candidate
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 12: on the roster he's really intriguing. I find Noah Thomas
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 12: out of Georgia really intriguing. And I might be a
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 12: little biased because he has an SEC background as well
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 12: as from the great state of Texas, played three years
• 1:27:02
  Speaker 12: at Texas A and M. But you know, the Bengals
• 1:27:04
  Speaker 12: are going to be really deep at receiver, you know,
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 12: I think it's going to I'm interested to see what,
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 12: you know, how that room shakes out.
• 1:27:09
  Speaker 5: Colby Young is someone who I believe.
• 1:27:12
  Speaker 12: Could you know, I'm gonna have a close eye on
• 1:27:14
  Speaker 12: him to see what he might be able to do.
• 1:27:16
  Speaker 12: I think that Pitcher opened the door early in the
• 1:27:18
  Speaker 12: offseason for Coolby Young to potentially get a real shot
• 1:27:22
  Speaker 12: at wide receiver three if if he does what he
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 12: needs to do at certain points throughout the year.
• 1:27:26
  Speaker 5: But again, Kolby was drafted.
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 12: They took him in the fourth round, So I don't
• 1:27:29
  Speaker 12: think that's a long shot. So my long shot, give
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 12: me Jack Dingle.
• 1:27:33
  Speaker 2: Jack Dingle is definitely an NFL athlete. He's got the
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 2: measurables of a drafted player. He had an issue in
• 1:27:41
  Speaker 2: a sense that you see that the offense, I'm sorry,
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 2: the defensive coordinator changed almost every year, so it seemed
• 1:27:46
  Speaker 2: like he was constantly trying to learn the finer points
• 1:27:49
  Speaker 2: of the position. But that's obviously not a problem in
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 2: the NFL. I think that's an interesting call, and it's
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 2: certainly at the position group on this team where you
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 2: think at some point during the course of the year,
• 1:28:01
  Speaker 2: somebody on the practice squad is going to get elevated
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 2: and wind up contributing.
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 12: Yeah, listen, if you're going to take a long shot,
• 1:28:07
  Speaker 12: make an educated long shot here. So I think that
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 12: Jack makes a lot of sense, especially given the roster.
• 1:28:13
  Speaker 2: All Right, Ben Baby, what must happen for the Bengals
• 1:28:16
  Speaker 2: to win the AFC North.
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 12: I think they just don't need to step on rakes.
• 1:28:21
  Speaker 12: I think if you just go out do what you're
• 1:28:22
  Speaker 12: supposed to do, I think this should be pretty.
• 1:28:24
  Speaker 5: Cut and dry.
• 1:28:26
  Speaker 12: You know, they have a very easy schedule, a team
• 1:28:29
  Speaker 12: that has a lot of continuity, essentially, as long as
• 1:28:32
  Speaker 12: they don't screw something up drastically, this should be their
• 1:28:35
  Speaker 12: division to lose. I think when you look at it,
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 12: you know, it's not out of the realm of possibility
• 1:28:39
  Speaker 12: that they go you know, thirteen and four. You know,
• 1:28:41
  Speaker 12: fourteen and three is a little optimistic, but given how
• 1:28:44
  Speaker 12: I think they might start the year, But I do
• 1:28:47
  Speaker 12: think that this should be a very good team, and
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 12: when you combine that with how easy the schedule is,
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 12: they should go out and really it should be dem
• 1:28:56
  Speaker 12: in Baltimore playing for the division, if not already locked
• 1:28:59
  Speaker 12: up by then. We'll see how the Ravens look under
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 12: first year coach Jesse Minter, who I think will do
• 1:29:03
  Speaker 12: a phenomenal job there. I think that Baltimore defense, if
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 12: they are able to ascend, that could be a big
• 1:29:10
  Speaker 12: problem for teams. But Baltimore is gonna have the tougher
• 1:29:12
  Speaker 12: schedule given where they finished in the division last year,
• 1:29:15
  Speaker 12: and so I think that, you know, the Bengals should
• 1:29:17
  Speaker 12: be able to take care of things. You know, I
• 1:29:19
  Speaker 12: think the defense will be improved. I think that defensive
• 1:29:22
  Speaker 12: line will be a massive position of strength when you
• 1:29:25
  Speaker 12: look at all the guys. I know, we talk a
• 1:29:26
  Speaker 12: lot about you know, Dexter Lawrence. And it's interesting because
• 1:29:29
  Speaker 12: you know, he did not have a very good year
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 12: last year. I think it's something that has been maybe
• 1:29:33
  Speaker 12: flown under the radar, was how bad sack wise the
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 12: year was. But when I asked him about it, he said, listen,
• 1:29:38
  Speaker 12: you turn on the tape, you'll see what you need
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 12: to see. And he doesn't believe this is going to
• 1:29:42
  Speaker 12: be a fresh start for him. He feels like this
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 12: is something where he's going to continue to play at
• 1:29:46
  Speaker 12: the level he's played at it and Dan I remember
• 1:29:49
  Speaker 12: talking to him as a high school kid when he
• 1:29:51
  Speaker 12: was in San Antonio for the All American Bowl because
• 1:29:53
  Speaker 12: I was there working at the San Antonio Express News,
• 1:29:55
  Speaker 12: and you know, they used to get they still do
• 1:29:57
  Speaker 12: get a lot of the best players in that game.
• 1:30:00
  Speaker 12: I was like, well, we got the number one recruit
• 1:30:01
  Speaker 12: in the country. Here, let's go and see what he
• 1:30:02
  Speaker 12: was about. And I think I remember going back and
• 1:30:05
  Speaker 12: pulling up the story. I think he had quit football
• 1:30:07
  Speaker 12: at some point, ended up getting back into it as
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 12: a sophomore and what have you. But he's always been
• 1:30:12
  Speaker 12: an elite player, you know, from the entire time he's
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 12: played the game.
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 5: At a high level.
• 1:30:16
  Speaker 12: Was that way at Clemson as well, and so he
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 12: believes that this is going to be a continuation of
• 1:30:21
  Speaker 12: his legacy and what he's going to do in his career.
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 12: But it's not just Dexter, right, it's boy Mafe got
• 1:30:26
  Speaker 12: Cash is how second round pick who obviously a lot
• 1:30:28
  Speaker 12: of people are big fans of, including Orlando Brown, who
• 1:30:30
  Speaker 12: told us that's the guy the Bengals should have got,
• 1:30:32
  Speaker 12: and then they went out and got him, and then
• 1:30:34
  Speaker 12: you know, I think Jonathan Allen is going to be
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 12: a great addition for them as well. A guy who
• 1:30:38
  Speaker 12: I covered in college. I still remember him. I think
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 12: one of my favorite plays in my three years covering
• 1:30:42
  Speaker 12: the SEC is when he leaped over an offensive lineman
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 12: to get a sack fumble in a game that I
• 1:30:48
  Speaker 12: think ultimately had National Championship implications, and so that was
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 12: I mean, the athleticis has been there. His numbers have
• 1:30:54
  Speaker 12: been strong throughout his whole career. So I think that
• 1:30:57
  Speaker 12: with the defense being good, if the offense can figure
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 12: things out and really just play at the level we
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 12: think they can play at, this should be one of
• 1:31:03
  Speaker 12: the best teams in the NFL.
• 1:31:05
  Speaker 2: What did Dexter Lawrence look like as a sixteen or
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 2: seventeen year old high school kid.
• 1:31:11
  Speaker 5: He was still very large.
• 1:31:12
  Speaker 12: I ran it.
• 1:31:13
  Speaker 5: Those all those kids who come down.
• 1:31:14
  Speaker 12: For that game, they're all large because they're all five
• 1:31:16
  Speaker 12: shark kids, but Dexter was still I mean it was
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 12: it was for me.
• 1:31:19
  Speaker 5: I was like, well, we got to write about something.
• 1:31:21
  Speaker 5: I'm like, well, how about this guy.
• 1:31:22
  Speaker 12: So it turns out that age pretty well, which not
• 1:31:24
  Speaker 12: everything does, but I'm glad that did.
• 1:31:26
  Speaker 2: Have you reminded him of that visit since he's joined
• 1:31:29
  Speaker 2: the Bengals, I did.
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 5: Of course, he has no recollection of it. I'll be honest.
• 1:31:33
  Speaker 12: I barely had any recollection of it because when they
• 1:31:35
  Speaker 12: traded for him, I was like, because, I mean, that
• 1:31:38
  Speaker 12: was like ten years ago.
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 5: And a lot's happened between now and then.
• 1:31:41
  Speaker 12: But I was like, I'm pretty sure I wrote about
• 1:31:43
  Speaker 12: dex Was when he was a recruit, and sure enough
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 12: I did. So, Yes, he's been prolific throughout his entire career.
• 1:31:50
  Speaker 12: I'm excited to see what he does. And really I
• 1:31:53
  Speaker 12: just need someone to keep bj Hill in line because
• 1:31:55
  Speaker 12: sometimes he just likes to get a little too much
• 1:31:57
  Speaker 12: banter in the locker. Room, and at some point I
• 1:31:59
  Speaker 12: think Joe Borrow is gonna get sick of me and
• 1:32:01
  Speaker 12: bj just yelling at each other for fun every day
• 1:32:03
  Speaker 12: for three months.
• 1:32:05
  Speaker 2: Fifth and final topic for Ben Baby, give me your
• 1:32:07
  Speaker 2: sizzling hot take for the upcoming season, Dan, it.
• 1:32:12
  Speaker 12: Will surprise you. This is the thing I've probably had
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 12: the toughest thing. This was probably the toughest of this assignment.
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 12: Normally I'm very good with these things that they tend
• 1:32:19
  Speaker 12: to maybe get under people's skin a little bit and
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 12: rise some folks up, yourself included, But ultimately I do
• 1:32:26
  Speaker 12: not have a really scorching take. If it's one thing,
• 1:32:29
  Speaker 12: I do think that the ceiling is really high for
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 12: the Bengals this year. I don't know that they'll achieve it.
• 1:32:36
  Speaker 12: I do think that there have been so many prolonged
• 1:32:39
  Speaker 12: questions for me about the offense that I'm just I
• 1:32:42
  Speaker 12: don't know why it hasn't been figured out fully yet.
• 1:32:46
  Speaker 12: You know, at this point, you have the same play caller,
• 1:32:48
  Speaker 12: you know, the offensive coordinator has been on staff the
• 1:32:50
  Speaker 12: entire time that Zach Taylor has been here. Joe Burrow
• 1:32:54
  Speaker 12: is now going into a seventh year, which makes me
• 1:32:56
  Speaker 12: feel incredibly old as I go into my eighth on
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 12: the beat, and so I think that they will probably
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 12: win the division. I do not see them getting past
• 1:33:05
  Speaker 12: the divisional round. I think because you do need high
• 1:33:09
  Speaker 12: level playoff execution, and if.
• 1:33:11
  Speaker 5: We're being honest, I think that's something they've.
• 1:33:13
  Speaker 12: Lacked offensively when they've made these deep playoff runs in
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 12: twenty one and twenty two. Now, granted, that might as
• 1:33:19
  Speaker 12: well be an eternity ago at this point, so much
• 1:33:21
  Speaker 12: has changed in the NFL in the three years that
• 1:33:23
  Speaker 12: the Bengals have not been postseason contenders. But for me,
• 1:33:26
  Speaker 12: again going back to what I said earlier, I'll believe
• 1:33:28
  Speaker 12: it when I see it, and I need to see
• 1:33:31
  Speaker 12: this Bengals offense playing at the level that they've played
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 12: at before and when Joe Burrow is cooking, when this
• 1:33:36
  Speaker 12: offense is really playing well, there is not a team
• 1:33:39
  Speaker 12: in the league that can defend them. But when you
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 12: have the firepower that they have offensively, the expectation should
• 1:33:46
  Speaker 12: be greater for this offense. And I just don't know
• 1:33:49
  Speaker 12: if they're going to hit that mark that they need
• 1:33:51
  Speaker 12: to in order to make a deep run. I don't
• 1:33:53
  Speaker 12: think that's a scorching hot take. I don't have anything.
• 1:33:56
  Speaker 5: Else for you.
• 1:33:56
  Speaker 12: But you know, it's a boom or bust year, so
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 12: you know, either one way or the other. So I'm
• 1:34:01
  Speaker 12: excited to see which way this thing, this thing shakes
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 12: out for the Bengals season.
• 1:34:06
  Speaker 2: I think your scorching hot take actually came in question
• 1:34:09
  Speaker 2: four when you said if they don't step on rakes,
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 2: they're going to go thirteen and four or fourteen and three.
• 1:34:17
  Speaker 2: That was pretty high.
• 1:34:18
  Speaker 5: How was that a hot take?
• 1:34:19
  Speaker 1: I was good.
• 1:34:21
  Speaker 12: I feel like they should be fine. I mean, it
• 1:34:23
  Speaker 12: feels like a very manageable schedule.
• 1:34:25
  Speaker 5: Am I wrong?
• 1:34:26
  Speaker 2: You are not wrong? But to some I'm sure that's
• 1:34:30
  Speaker 2: still going to seem like a hot take, which is fine.
• 1:34:32
  Speaker 2: That's that's the assignment.
• 1:34:34
  Speaker 5: Listen, Dan, you.
• 1:34:35
  Speaker 12: Know me, I try to call it like I see it,
• 1:34:37
  Speaker 12: so if I try not to be overly effusive with praise,
• 1:34:40
  Speaker 12: and so I genuinely believe this could be one of
• 1:34:43
  Speaker 12: the best teams in the league if everything comes together,
• 1:34:46
  Speaker 12: and it should shape up pretty well for them, so
• 1:34:49
  Speaker 12: you know. But also that's a lot of pressure because
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 12: when you know you have a lot of expectations, can
• 1:34:53
  Speaker 12: you handle them? I think that's always it's always not
• 1:34:56
  Speaker 12: as easy to to lead from the front, and I
• 1:34:58
  Speaker 12: think the Bengals know that.
• 1:34:59
  Speaker 5: You know, they to go out.
• 1:35:00
  Speaker 12: And I will say this, I give Zach Taylor a
• 1:35:02
  Speaker 12: ton of credit over the years. I think he has
• 1:35:04
  Speaker 12: handled pressure and adversity really really well. I think every
• 1:35:08
  Speaker 12: time he's come under fire, he's had the ability to
• 1:35:12
  Speaker 12: do his job still really well and not let that
• 1:35:14
  Speaker 12: get to him. And I've always thought that that actually
• 1:35:17
  Speaker 12: is the number one along with being a great manager.
• 1:35:20
  Speaker 12: The ability to handle and compartmentalized pressure is what makes
• 1:35:23
  Speaker 12: head coaches.
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 5: Really really good.
• 1:35:25
  Speaker 12: And I think there are very a lot of guys
• 1:35:28
  Speaker 12: who are good at x's and o's, play calling, schematics,
• 1:35:31
  Speaker 12: all these things.
• 1:35:32
  Speaker 5: They would pay millions upon millions of dollars to have
• 1:35:35
  Speaker 5: that trade innately, and they just do not.
• 1:35:37
  Speaker 12: And I think Zach does. And so I think that
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 12: if the Bengals are going to be successful and handle
• 1:35:42
  Speaker 12: all of the pressure that's going to be on them
• 1:35:43
  Speaker 12: this year, I think that's going to be a.
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 5: Big part of it.
• 1:35:46
  Speaker 2: Enjoy the last two weeks of your downtime, your summertime.
• 1:35:50
  Speaker 2: We'll see a training camp soon.
• 1:35:52
  Speaker 5: Sounds good, Dan, Thanks for having me.
• 1:35:54
  Speaker 2: You've heard from seven reporters who are around the Bengals
• 1:35:57
  Speaker 2: on a regular basis. Now time to share my answers
• 1:36:00
  Speaker 2: to the same five questions. My biggest question going into
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 2: training camp is who is still going to be added
• 1:36:06
  Speaker 2: to the roster, because there is almost always somebody who
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 2: joins the team in camp that winds up playing a
• 1:36:13
  Speaker 2: significant role. Last year, they signed Noah Fant after camp
• 1:36:17
  Speaker 2: started and he led Bengals tight ends and catches. Dalton
• 1:36:21
  Speaker 2: Reisner joined the team about a week before the opener
• 1:36:24
  Speaker 2: and wound up starting eleven games and earning a contract extension.
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 2: Two years ago, Ryan Rico joined the team at the
• 1:36:31
  Speaker 2: start of camp and he's punted in every game since.
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 2: And if you go all the way back to the
• 1:36:36
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty one Super Bowl team, bj Hill arrived on
• 1:36:39
  Speaker 2: August twenty fifth and wound up intercepting a pass in
• 1:36:42
  Speaker 2: the AFC Championship Game. So, whether it's due to injury,
• 1:36:47
  Speaker 2: the sudden availability of a player they like, or a
• 1:36:50
  Speaker 2: free agent's price tag coming down, mark my words, somebody
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 2: will be added to the roster who makes a contribution.
• 1:36:58
  Speaker 2: My breakout player this year year is Dax Hill. When healthy,
• 1:37:03
  Speaker 2: the former first round pick has been a solid starter
• 1:37:05
  Speaker 2: for the last three years, but over the final month
• 1:37:08
  Speaker 2: and a half last season, we saw the Dax as
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 2: capable of being an elite cornerback now that he's found
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 2: the right position. For much of last year, Dax started
• 1:37:18
  Speaker 2: at slot corner, but following an injury to Cam Taylor,
• 1:37:22
  Speaker 2: britt Jalen Davis took over in the slot and Dax
• 1:37:26
  Speaker 2: moved outside, where he thrived over the last six weeks
• 1:37:29
  Speaker 2: of the season. PFF grated Dax as the fifth best
• 1:37:34
  Speaker 2: cornerback in the NFL. He's still only twenty five years old,
• 1:37:38
  Speaker 2: and he's had nearly two years to recover from a
• 1:37:40
  Speaker 2: torn ACL. It's also a contract year, plus a better
• 1:37:45
  Speaker 2: pass rush should make his job easier. I'm predicting that
• 1:37:49
  Speaker 2: Dax Hill goes from good to great this season. For
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 2: my under the radar player, I'll go with wide receiver
• 1:37:57
  Speaker 2: slash return specialist Dante Admittedly, it's going to be almost
• 1:38:03
  Speaker 2: impossible for him to make the roster to begin the
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 2: season since wide receiver is one of the deepest and
• 1:38:08
  Speaker 2: most established groups on the team, and if any newcomer
• 1:38:12
  Speaker 2: is going to make the roster on opening day, it's
• 1:38:15
  Speaker 2: likely to be fourth round draft pick Colby Young. But
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 2: every time I watched Dante Myers during offseason practices, I
• 1:38:22
  Speaker 2: came away impressed. The former Canadian Football League standout who
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 2: had one fifty six receiving yards and eight touchdown catches
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 2: for the Gray Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders last year, has
• 1:38:36
  Speaker 2: lightning quick feet and caught the ball well. This category
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 2: is for an intriguing long shot, so I'll pick Dante
• 1:38:44
  Speaker 2: Myers to start the season on the practice squad and
• 1:38:47
  Speaker 2: eventually get a chance to contribute. Question number four, what
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 2: must happen for the Bengals to win the AFC North.
• 1:38:55
  Speaker 2: My answer is to thrive when they score twenty five.
• 1:39:00
  Speaker 2: I started broadcasting Bengals games in two thoy eleven Andy Dalton,
• 1:39:04
  Speaker 2: AJ Green's rookie year. In my first thirteen years behind
• 1:39:08
  Speaker 2: the mic, the Bengals were seventy six seven and two
• 1:39:13
  Speaker 2: when they scored at least twenty five points. That means
• 1:39:16
  Speaker 2: they won roughly ninety one percent of those games. They
• 1:39:20
  Speaker 2: basically averaged one loss every other year when they scored
• 1:39:25
  Speaker 2: twenty five or more points. Well, in the last two years,
• 1:39:28
  Speaker 2: they're just ten and nine when scoring twenty five plus,
• 1:39:32
  Speaker 2: including seven losses where they scored at least thirty three points.
• 1:39:37
  Speaker 2: To put that in further perspective, two years ago, if
• 1:39:41
  Speaker 2: the Bengals had won all of the games where they
• 1:39:44
  Speaker 2: scored twenty five or more, they would have been fifteen
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 2: and two. Last year's Super Bowl teams were Seattle and
• 1:39:50
  Speaker 2: New England. Both of them were thirteen and one when
• 1:39:55
  Speaker 2: they scored twenty five or more. For the Bengals to
• 1:39:58
  Speaker 2: win the AFC North giveaway games when they score twenty
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 2: five or more points. Finally, it's time for my sizzling
• 1:40:07
  Speaker 2: hot take.
• 1:40:08
  Speaker 1: Here goes.
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 2: The Bengals will lead the NFL in scoring this year
• 1:40:12
  Speaker 2: and will average more than thirty points a game for
• 1:40:16
  Speaker 2: the first time in their fifty nine year history. All right,
• 1:40:20
  Speaker 2: maybe that's not sizzling. The Rams did it last year,
• 1:40:23
  Speaker 2: and back in twenty twenty five, teams averaged thirty plus,
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 2: but the Bengals have never done it. Two years ago,
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 2: when they scored a team record four hundred and seventy
• 1:40:33
  Speaker 2: two points, they averaged twenty seven point eight, and the
• 1:40:37
  Speaker 2: team record for points per game was set by the
• 1:40:40
  Speaker 2: eighty eight Super Bowl team. Boomersiasin in company average twenty eight.
• 1:40:46
  Speaker 2: This is the year they top thirty points a game,
• 1:40:49
  Speaker 2: and like that nineteen eighty eight Super Bowl team lead
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 2: the NFL in scoring, that's going to do it. For
• 1:40:56
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