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Bengals Booth Podcast: Can't Hold Us · Bengals Booth Podcast

0:03
Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
0:06
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast. The like the ceiling can hold us. Addition,
0:14
Speaker 1: as the Bengals look to advance to the AFC Championship
0:17
Speaker 1: Game for the second straight year by knocking off the
0:19
Speaker 1: Buffalo Bills on the road, coming up, I'll talk to
0:23
Speaker 1: a fan favorite in Judai Nation, Kay Adams, who says
0:27
Speaker 1: that serving is the ruler of the jungle at pay
0:29
Speaker 1: Course Stadium was her favorite day since covering the NFL.
0:34
Speaker 1: We'll look at the state of the Bengals offensive line,
0:36
Speaker 1: and then we'll hear from the guy who yells in
0:42
Speaker 1: the locker room after wins, veteran coach Mark Duffner, who
0:45
Speaker 1: discusses that as well as why he calls Joe Burrow
0:49
Speaker 1: butt kiss. And finally, in this week's No The Faux Segment,
0:52
Speaker 1: Adam Benini from w g r ZTV and Buffalo explains
0:57
Speaker 1: why the Bill's most recent wins have been too close
1:00
Speaker 1: for comfort. The Bengals Booth Podcast has brought to you
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Speaker 1: more at paycorp dot com. Now here's a quick reminder
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Speaker 1: that you can have the latest edition of this podcast
1:18
Speaker 1: delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing
1:22
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since
1:27
Speaker 1: seventy four Things that blew Our Minds in twenty twenty two.
1:31
Speaker 1: Atlantic Magazine published a list with that title at the
1:34
Speaker 1: end of December, and it includes some really weird and
1:37
Speaker 1: interesting facts. For example, woodpeckers can smash their heads against
1:42
Speaker 1: trees and go unharmed because they have small brains. That
1:47
Speaker 1: makes sense. How about this? A two thousand and six
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Speaker 1: effort to automatically take down Internet porn by detecting repetitive
1:55
Speaker 1: noises ended up snagging a lot of tennis videos. I'll
2:00
Speaker 1: give you one more. In twenty twenty one, ninety five
2:04
Speaker 1: of the top one hundred most watch telecasts in the US,
2:08
Speaker 1: we're sporting events. I'm guessing that one doesn't surprise anybody
2:12
Speaker 1: listening to this podcast. Again, it's Atlantic Magazine's list of
2:17
Speaker 1: the seventy four Things that blew Our minds in twenty
2:20
Speaker 1: twenty two. If you'll look forward online, it might be
2:23
Speaker 1: behind a paywall, but you can sign up for a
2:26
Speaker 1: free trial. Now, let's get to football. In the two
2:30
Speaker 1: year history of the Ruler of the Jungle Ceremony, the
2:33
Speaker 1: Bengals have had a great mix of people leading the
2:35
Speaker 1: Hooday chant, including a popular NFL TV host who I
2:40
Speaker 1: caught up with this week. She is the host of
2:44
Speaker 1: Up and Adams on fan Duel TV, and she is
2:47
Speaker 1: universally loved by Bengals fans, with my wife Peg at
2:51
Speaker 1: the top of the list. She is k Adams. K
2:55
Speaker 1: you have referred to the Bengals as my Bengals on
2:58
Speaker 1: your show. How is the stress Level? Last Sunday night?
3:02
Speaker 1: In the game against the Ravens? Very stressful, but also
3:07
Speaker 1: so fun. I think it was the best wild Card
3:08
Speaker 1: weekend ever. A play with Logan Wilson and Sam Hubbard
3:14
Speaker 1: that will live in infamy. And I don't mean that
3:16
Speaker 1: in Cincinnati, I cover all thirty two teams. It's one
3:19
Speaker 1: of those. It's the immaculate reception, elite tier of plays,
3:22
Speaker 1: and that something to be excited and proud of as well.
3:24
Speaker 1: So sure was I worried? Was I jumping up on
3:26
Speaker 1: my couch? And was I hiding behind the couch when
3:28
Speaker 1: things weren't going so well? Absolutely, but there's a lot
3:31
Speaker 1: to look forward to, and but a lot that needs
3:33
Speaker 1: to be worked on as well, Dan, and thank you
3:34
Speaker 1: for having me. Just hearing your voice say my name
3:36
Speaker 1: is really crazy. Do you have a preference between the
3:40
Speaker 1: fumble in the jungle or the Hubbard yard dash as
3:43
Speaker 1: a nickname for the play. Fumble in the Jungle rolls
3:46
Speaker 1: off the tongue. It's fun, it's easier. The Hubbard yard
3:50
Speaker 1: dash sounds a little harder to say, the immaculate rejection.
3:53
Speaker 1: I also don't like, Yeah, I'm with you. Fumble in
3:55
Speaker 1: the Jungle I think is the winner. So the win,
3:58
Speaker 1: unfortunately for the Bengals, came with the cost is Jonah
4:01
Speaker 1: Williams suffered a knee injury. You tried to help. You
4:04
Speaker 1: found a flight from LA to Cincinnati and offered to
4:07
Speaker 1: pay for it for Andrew Whitworth, where you had disappointed
4:10
Speaker 1: when he turned you down. I just don't quite understand
4:13
Speaker 1: why he turned me down. He had some riff raff
4:17
Speaker 1: about how he has giraffe legs and he's trying to
4:19
Speaker 1: say that he's not in shape like this is there's
4:21
Speaker 1: no so let's wait a week. Then let's get past
4:23
Speaker 1: the bills and when things get dirty in Kansas City,
4:26
Speaker 1: like you need to be there, then you'll be one,
4:28
Speaker 1: even if it's just for the Super Bowl. Stand there
4:30
Speaker 1: block of guys be a big velveta cheese block. I
4:33
Speaker 1: know you have it in you and I really but sincerely,
4:37
Speaker 1: it's not just a cute storyline. Dan. You think about
4:39
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor, he has familiarity with him. Zach Taylor comes
4:42
Speaker 1: from the Shaw McBay coaching tree, and there is connective
4:45
Speaker 1: tissue there. It wouldn't be the craziest thing for him
4:47
Speaker 1: to step in and have success. But luck, I mean hopefully,
4:50
Speaker 1: we don't need it. Right we don't know what's going
4:52
Speaker 1: on with the knee of Jonah Kappa. There's a chance
4:55
Speaker 1: they can be back, and I do want to say
4:57
Speaker 1: digging into the numbers, I surprised myself because I gave
5:00
Speaker 1: the Bills a lot of credit for how well they've
5:02
Speaker 1: played without there one hundred twenty six million dollars edition
5:05
Speaker 1: in von Miller. But if you'd scratch into the numbers
5:08
Speaker 1: a little further, and NFL research did a really good
5:09
Speaker 1: job at this, you know the pass rush is weakened
5:13
Speaker 1: without him. They haven't been able to generate a ton
5:14
Speaker 1: of pressure without the blitz, so it might equal itself
5:18
Speaker 1: out as we have this issue lingering against Buffalo. So
5:22
Speaker 1: with the starting three offensive lineman out for the Bengals,
5:26
Speaker 1: is there anything about the Bengals, whether it's Joe Burrow
5:28
Speaker 1: or something else about the team that makes you think
5:31
Speaker 1: that this is a group that might be able to
5:33
Speaker 1: overcome something like that. Of course, the passing game looked
5:37
Speaker 1: great in the first quarter between these two teams before
5:39
Speaker 1: the action got suspended in that regular season game. I
5:44
Speaker 1: think Bengals fans are going to travel and that's going
5:46
Speaker 1: to be meaningful. You heard Zach Taylor sort of asking
5:49
Speaker 1: willing for that. And you know, you can look at
5:52
Speaker 1: a weakness on the Bengal side and you can equal
5:55
Speaker 1: it out by looking at a weakness on the bill side,
5:57
Speaker 1: which is their turnovers two pick and a fumble return
6:01
Speaker 1: last week. And the issue with that is that the
6:05
Speaker 1: Dolphins weren't able to capitalize on that. You have to
6:08
Speaker 1: cash in. The Dolphins didn't Jesse Bates let's go. You know,
6:11
Speaker 1: we got to Sam Hubbard these opportunities into the end
6:14
Speaker 1: zone and with Josh Allen most interceptions now all year,
6:18
Speaker 1: most fumbles, I absolutely think they can get it done
6:22
Speaker 1: if they capitalize on those opportunities, which seem like we'll come.
6:25
Speaker 1: We are visiting with Kay Adams. You were the ruler
6:28
Speaker 1: of the jungle before the home game against the forty
6:30
Speaker 1: nine ers last year. You really seem to love the experience.
6:34
Speaker 1: Did that forge a connection for you with Bengals fans.
6:38
Speaker 1: It is my favorite day in my NFL career. And
6:41
Speaker 1: I know I wasn't even working and I was just
6:43
Speaker 1: having fun. But I've been to Super Bowls, I've been
6:46
Speaker 1: on the field after Super Bowls, I've been all over
6:50
Speaker 1: the place interviewing them. It was so fun. The energy
6:54
Speaker 1: was so welcoming, so full of gratitude for the moments
6:58
Speaker 1: and enjoying the moment, which is something that I think
7:00
Speaker 1: NFL fans struggled to do. And yeah, just from getting
7:04
Speaker 1: to the airport to the hotel, to walking around and
7:08
Speaker 1: trying everybody's different chili and snacks and playing cornhole and
7:12
Speaker 1: being in the studio in that stadium and hearing the
7:15
Speaker 1: music and feeling the energy like there's just nothing better.
7:17
Speaker 1: It was a day that I'll never forget. And when
7:22
Speaker 1: I saw even Hush on the broadcast on Sunday, night
7:24
Speaker 1: doing it, I was like, I wish it was great. Well,
7:28
Speaker 1: you know, there's an open invitation for you to come
7:30
Speaker 1: back in the future and be the ruler of the
7:31
Speaker 1: jungle again. We've got an interesting matchup coming up this
7:34
Speaker 1: Sunday in Buffalo with two teams that just went through
7:37
Speaker 1: a traumatic experience together. What did you think of how
7:41
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor, the Bengals players and the Bengals fans conducted
7:44
Speaker 1: themselves after the collapse of Damar Hamlin, Oh with complete class,
7:49
Speaker 1: in the perfect right way. It was. You know, in
7:52
Speaker 1: those moments when those things happen, you would expect there
7:56
Speaker 1: to be already guidelines of what's going to take place.
7:59
Speaker 1: No one can predict that that would happen or something
8:02
Speaker 1: like that would happen, but it has to be if
8:03
Speaker 1: you're you know, as an organization, the NFL has to
8:06
Speaker 1: anticipate things happening, bad things, disasters, good things. What do
8:09
Speaker 1: you do? What's the checklist that we go to? And
8:12
Speaker 1: it seemed a bit in disarray, and I think everyone
8:15
Speaker 1: can agree with that. In those moments, you look to leadership,
8:18
Speaker 1: You look to leadership from the NFL, and you look
8:20
Speaker 1: to who am I looking at on the field, and
8:22
Speaker 1: that was Zach Taylor and Sean McDermott, who I think
8:25
Speaker 1: deserves so much credit and are getting that credit for
8:28
Speaker 1: how they conducted themselves and knowing it was the right
8:30
Speaker 1: thing to not play the game or to at least
8:33
Speaker 1: take a while and go into the locker rooms. And
8:35
Speaker 1: you know, Zach Taylor, I sometimes not a gripe, but
8:39
Speaker 1: I sometimes think like, do you have that demonstrative like
8:42
Speaker 1: fight in you? And you know, everyone from t Higgins
8:45
Speaker 1: to Joe Burrow told me, of course he does. And
8:47
Speaker 1: you saw it in the weeks after. Once you know
8:50
Speaker 1: that everything settled and fans were so gracious, and you know,
8:53
Speaker 1: this Bengals team knew we're going to not play this
8:56
Speaker 1: game and it's probably going to take away, you know,
8:59
Speaker 1: some of our options as far as our seating with
9:02
Speaker 1: what the rule book said in the off season and
9:04
Speaker 1: those things that were decided upon, and then for that
9:07
Speaker 1: to get flipped. I loved seeing Zach Taylor come out
9:10
Speaker 1: and you know, really say his peace on it, because
9:12
Speaker 1: I think it's important and I think it's danger as precedent,
9:15
Speaker 1: which I talked about a lot on my show. But
9:17
Speaker 1: Bengals fans, you know, I Blackbourne said it best. You
9:20
Speaker 1: still got to play us. You still got to play us.
9:22
Speaker 1: We'll go over there and we'll whoop on you two. So,
9:25
Speaker 1: if anything, if there's any team that I think that
9:27
Speaker 1: could handle the adversity and the ups and downs, it
9:30
Speaker 1: is a team that needs to get it going and
9:32
Speaker 1: needs to get it going. Now, well, on that topic,
9:34
Speaker 1: you said on your show recently you thought the Bengals
9:37
Speaker 1: got a raw deal when the NFL tweaked its rules
9:39
Speaker 1: and Cincinnati really didn't have much of an opportunity to benefit.
9:43
Speaker 1: What do you think would have been fair? I think
9:45
Speaker 1: it would have been fair to adhere to what the
9:46
Speaker 1: rule book said and what I'm sure that everyone making
9:49
Speaker 1: those decisions in the moment, you know, wasn't thinking about
9:52
Speaker 1: because everyone was just thinking about DeMar Hamlin, and that's
9:55
Speaker 1: what it should have been. But the gripe I have
9:57
Speaker 1: with it is that there's all of the con sequences
10:00
Speaker 1: that everyone had. Everyone got knocked around by this, but
10:02
Speaker 1: then or something bad happened the Ravens, though, having inability
10:06
Speaker 1: to account for the what if? That's what the playoff.
10:09
Speaker 1: That's what Week eighteen is, That's what Week seven it's
10:11
Speaker 1: what if? What if? We can still possibly get this.
10:14
Speaker 1: Like you look at the Steelers, we can still get in.
10:17
Speaker 1: All we have to do is this we need. It's
10:19
Speaker 1: all about hope. That's what you account for in those games,
10:22
Speaker 1: and I felt like the league accounted for that with
10:24
Speaker 1: the decision to change the rules for pretty much all
10:26
Speaker 1: of the other teams in the AFC except for the Bengals.
10:29
Speaker 1: All of the consequences, none of the potential benefits. And
10:32
Speaker 1: I didn't find that to be particularly fair, And I
10:34
Speaker 1: think everybody has a bit to complain about with it.
10:37
Speaker 1: But the complaint by everyone should be there should never
10:39
Speaker 1: been the vote. There should never have been a change
10:41
Speaker 1: in this until the off season, because I do believe
10:45
Speaker 1: that it's the responsibility of the NFL to account for
10:48
Speaker 1: and anticipate these sort of things happening with all the
10:51
Speaker 1: stakes that could potentially happen, and they didn't for this one.
10:55
Speaker 1: So a trip to the AFC Championship Game will be
10:57
Speaker 1: on the line this Sunday in Buffalo. What are a
11:00
Speaker 1: couple of your keys to the matchup? Oh my gosh,
11:02
Speaker 1: I just want T Higgins to go off. Like I said,
11:04
Speaker 1: I think when you were watching the passing game in
11:08
Speaker 1: the first quarter before this horrible thing happened that stopped
11:12
Speaker 1: the play. Burrow was not missing. He looked really, really good. Now,
11:16
Speaker 1: I will say I'm a little worried about Tradabus White
11:19
Speaker 1: if I'm a Bengals fan, because he came back from injury.
11:21
Speaker 1: He was hurt towards acl week twelve. I think last
11:24
Speaker 1: year has come back and he wasn't, you know, jumping
11:27
Speaker 1: out the gates looking like shutdown corner like we expect
11:31
Speaker 1: him to look. But he's looked better every week. He
11:33
Speaker 1: looked really good last week as well. And when you
11:36
Speaker 1: do have what has been a pass rush that can't
11:38
Speaker 1: generate as much pressure, I'm looking at those corners in
11:41
Speaker 1: that secondary to really bring it and have that happened.
11:44
Speaker 1: So I would say capitalizing on the turnovers that are
11:46
Speaker 1: going to come your way from Josh Allen because for
11:48
Speaker 1: whatever reason, that's what's happening. And I also feel like
11:51
Speaker 1: this team, this Bill's team, when they play with a lead.
11:56
Speaker 1: I think Dable was very let's go get foot on
11:59
Speaker 1: the gas, and I don't know the Dorsey. I think
12:01
Speaker 1: he gets a little bit more conservative, and I just
12:03
Speaker 1: hope that Zach Taylor matches that conservative behavior with more
12:08
Speaker 1: aggressive behavior. That's what I'll say. Hey, you are an
12:11
Speaker 1: honorary member of Hu Day Nation. Like I said, Bengals
12:14
Speaker 1: fans love you and we love having you on the show.
12:16
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time, and I hope
12:17
Speaker 1: we crossed path soon. Dan. I want you to sit
12:20
Speaker 1: there and every night before you go to sleep, I
12:22
Speaker 1: want you to think about and manifest what calling that
12:25
Speaker 1: Super Bowl winning game for the Bengals for this twenty
12:29
Speaker 1: twenty two season will sound like and look like, and
12:31
Speaker 1: then we'll get there. Okay, that sounds like a great idea.
12:35
Speaker 1: And as I said before we started this interview, I
12:37
Speaker 1: cannot be helped responsible for my lack of professionalism. If
12:41
Speaker 1: that happens, I can't wait to hear it, and I'll
12:44
Speaker 1: probably be there in person, so I'll have to listen
12:46
Speaker 1: to it the next day. But we are looking forward
12:48
Speaker 1: to it, of course. Good luck, Bengals fans, go travel.
12:51
Speaker 1: I know Bengal Jim already boys tickets. He's headed up
12:54
Speaker 1: there to Orchard Park. So dress warm, but be loud,
12:57
Speaker 1: and I wish I could be there, of course, cheering
12:59
Speaker 1: these Bengals. As I mentioned at the beginning of that interview,
13:03
Speaker 1: Kay recently started hosting her own show, called Up and Adams,
13:07
Speaker 1: every day at eleven am Eastern on fan Duel TV.
13:11
Speaker 1: One of her regular guests his former Pro Bowl safety
13:14
Speaker 1: Eric Weddle, who I should point out spent three seasons
13:18
Speaker 1: late in his career playing for the Baltimore Ravens. He
13:22
Speaker 1: might have provided some bulletin board material on Thursday when
13:25
Speaker 1: he said this on K's show. Honestly, they should have
13:30
Speaker 1: lost the Ravens and they got outplayed by the Ravens.
13:34
Speaker 1: They snuck that through. They weren't scorn or sniffing another
13:37
Speaker 1: point once those linemen went out and everyone knew it,
13:40
Speaker 1: and then that play happened at the goal line, which
13:43
Speaker 1: is really unfortunate for the Ravens and everyone involved. Tyler
13:49
Speaker 1: Huntley played a great game, and you wonder why those
13:53
Speaker 1: things happen. That's the great game. That's why the sports
13:55
Speaker 1: are great. You never know what's going to happen or
13:57
Speaker 1: why guys make decisions like that. But they got I'm sorry,
14:02
Speaker 1: I say they got zero chance gets the bills here.
14:04
Speaker 1: This is a very distressing interview. We try to be nice.
14:09
Speaker 1: We made protect Joe, we made it. Okay, they can't
14:15
Speaker 1: they can't protect them. They're they're playing without any lineman.
14:18
Speaker 1: How are how do you expect that team to go
14:21
Speaker 1: in there get quick? Yeah, that's gonna last. This is
14:25
Speaker 1: a top five defense. This is this is listen. They
14:29
Speaker 1: have they've had the numbers, say, trouble generating pressure without
14:36
Speaker 1: von Miller so and but to day this white looks
14:38
Speaker 1: better than ever. So they might pick it up in
14:39
Speaker 1: the second are great and all, but when you're playing
14:42
Speaker 1: with second and third stringers, it doesn't matter. That's the
14:45
Speaker 1: reality that the Bengals are facing right now. How do
14:49
Speaker 1: you manufacture not turn the ball over? How to be
14:52
Speaker 1: able to give your defense and give your team the
14:54
Speaker 1: best shot of winning with that with playing with a
14:58
Speaker 1: mangled old line in the playoffs against one of the
15:00
Speaker 1: best teams in the league. Like, I don't know they
15:04
Speaker 1: got through it last year. I just don't see it happening.
15:09
Speaker 1: You're telling me, you're telling me, and I like the
15:11
Speaker 1: Bills a lot. You're telling me. You don't see a
15:13
Speaker 1: couple wonky turnovers by Josh Allen company who Josh Allen
15:18
Speaker 1: who now leads the league and fumbles turnovers all of
15:21
Speaker 1: the interceptions, leads the league. You don't see a couple
15:23
Speaker 1: of funny things happening with Jesse. Jesse Bates catches one
15:26
Speaker 1: and takes it to the house and they win the game.
15:28
Speaker 1: Come on, Okay, I know your hearts pulling for the Bengals.
15:32
Speaker 1: I know it deep down. I'm not saying any of
15:35
Speaker 1: that that could happen, may very well happen, Okay, and
15:38
Speaker 1: it will happen, and they're still not gonna win because
15:43
Speaker 1: of the fact that they're playing with them a deteriorated
15:47
Speaker 1: old line. I mean, they're not gonna be able to
15:49
Speaker 1: run the ball. How they're going to protect and take
15:51
Speaker 1: some shots up the field. It's gonna be a minimized
15:54
Speaker 1: game plan of quick game and shots go balls to
15:58
Speaker 1: Chase and Higgins Like, yeah, it's just not going to work. Well,
16:01
Speaker 1: It's true, It's true. I mean, mixing two point eight
16:03
Speaker 1: yards per Kerry couldn't get it done now with another
16:05
Speaker 1: offensive lineman I were defending, you know, AFC chance like
16:12
Speaker 1: they're battle tested. They got an amazing, incredible big game quarterback. Like,
16:17
Speaker 1: I'm not just craying any of that. I just looking
16:20
Speaker 1: at the facts. And if I was a betting man,
16:23
Speaker 1: I'm putting a lot of money on the bills because
16:25
Speaker 1: of those reasons. Do you know the only thing? Obviously
16:28
Speaker 1: I have like an unrealistic, you know, not very objective
16:32
Speaker 1: love for this team. But when I look at this
16:34
Speaker 1: offensive line, it's not that different than the one that
16:38
Speaker 1: took them to the super Bowl last year. So they
16:40
Speaker 1: have the same issues. They might not win it, but
16:42
Speaker 1: to you know, like, it's not that different. I'm worried,
16:46
Speaker 1: but saying there's no chances mean a lot of people
16:50
Speaker 1: don't like what I say. Not always right too, so
16:53
Speaker 1: I can admit when I'm wrong. How great would it
16:56
Speaker 1: be to see Wettle have to eat his words on
16:59
Speaker 1: her ship next week? And I would like to point
17:02
Speaker 1: this out. Eric Wettle said the Bengals weren't sniffing another
17:06
Speaker 1: point once the lineman went out, and everybody knew it well.
17:10
Speaker 1: On the Bengals first drive of the third quarter, with
17:13
Speaker 1: Jackson Carmen at left tackle, the Bengals went eighty three
17:16
Speaker 1: yards on twelve plays for a touchdown and added a
17:20
Speaker 1: two point conversion. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to
17:23
Speaker 1: you by Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're free to
17:26
Speaker 1: play with tickets inside merchandise up for grabs find both
17:30
Speaker 1: inside the Bengals app While Wettal's comments probably got under
17:35
Speaker 1: your skin, it's obviously fair to wonder if the Bengals
17:39
Speaker 1: can overcome losing three starting offensive linemen over the last
17:43
Speaker 1: four weeks. Hakimadenagy will be making his third start at
17:46
Speaker 1: right tackle, Max Sharping will be making his second start
17:50
Speaker 1: at right guard, and Jackson Carmen will be making his
17:53
Speaker 1: first start at left tackle. Joe Burrows says the team
17:57
Speaker 1: has no doubt that this group can do the job.
18:01
Speaker 1: It's really not. All the guys that are playing have
18:03
Speaker 1: played a lot of football for us. They're playing some
18:05
Speaker 1: different positions now, but you know, last year a Kim
18:08
Speaker 1: was a starter, Max was a starter, and Jackson was
18:10
Speaker 1: a starter at at some point in the year. So
18:13
Speaker 1: we have a lot of faith in all those guys.
18:15
Speaker 1: Harman six starts as a rookie last year all came
18:18
Speaker 1: at guard. Now he's back at his college position at
18:22
Speaker 1: Clemson left tackle. Here's Jackson, followed by Zach Taylor. You know,
18:27
Speaker 1: I'm a whole year more experience. I think my body's better. Yeah,
18:31
Speaker 1: you know, Sam, we got a great squat, so I'm
18:33
Speaker 1: decided to be able to go out there and compete.
18:34
Speaker 1: My budgess, his attitude has been great. He's continued to
18:37
Speaker 1: work knowing that his opportunity to can come at any
18:39
Speaker 1: moment at any position really happens to be a left
18:41
Speaker 1: tackle right now, and I think he's really taking hold
18:44
Speaker 1: of it and worked and listening to Frank and Derek
18:46
Speaker 1: and you know, proud of the progress that he's made.
18:49
Speaker 1: Anytime a player goes through their first second year in
18:51
Speaker 1: the league, you know, it can be different from college
18:54
Speaker 1: and and just playing offensive line. It's difficult. You know,
18:57
Speaker 1: your your pointing gets a whole different breed of player,
19:00
Speaker 1: you know, when you get up to this level. And
19:01
Speaker 1: I think Jacksons did a great job of taking everything
19:04
Speaker 1: he's learned from his first year and putting himself in
19:06
Speaker 1: a great position to be successful. The Bills are a
19:09
Speaker 1: middle of the pack pass rushing team. They're tied for
19:12
Speaker 1: fourteenth and sacks and ranked fourteenth in pressure percentage, and
19:16
Speaker 1: those numbers have dropped since they lost von Miller when
19:19
Speaker 1: he tore his ACL on Thanksgiving, but Buffalo has an
19:24
Speaker 1: excellent defense overall. The Bills were second in the NFL
19:27
Speaker 1: in points allowed. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to
19:31
Speaker 1: you by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet capable of
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Speaker 1: delivering multi gigabit speeds designed to take your home, business,
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Speaker 1: and community to a new level. Le h your connection
19:42
Speaker 1: with all to Fiber. Bengals fans are still buzzing about
19:46
Speaker 1: Sam Hubbard's game winning ninety eight yard fumble return last
19:49
Speaker 1: Sunday against the Ravens. For perspective on that play and
19:53
Speaker 1: more on this week's game, I caught up with the
19:56
Speaker 1: most experienced member of the Bengals coaching staff, sixteen nine
20:00
Speaker 1: year old Mark Duffner, who is now in his forty
20:03
Speaker 1: eighth year of college or pro coaching. Duff in your
20:08
Speaker 1: many years in football, have you seen anything comparable to
20:12
Speaker 1: Sam Hubbard's ninety eight yard fumble return game winning touchdown. No, Dan,
20:16
Speaker 1: I haven't, and thank god that it occurred as it did,
20:20
Speaker 1: and of course we were cheering for him to get
20:22
Speaker 1: it to the ends, on which he in fact did so. No,
20:24
Speaker 1: I've never seen anything like it. Was unbelievable. I know
20:27
Speaker 1: some football fans around the country might be saying, oh,
20:29
Speaker 1: the Bengals got a little bit lucky or something like that.
20:31
Speaker 1: But when you do that, game after game after game
20:34
Speaker 1: and come up with a takeaway when you absolutely have
20:36
Speaker 1: to have it defensively. At that point, can we safely
20:39
Speaker 1: say it's no longer luck? Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, frankly,
20:43
Speaker 1: this team has bought into understanding the value of takeaways
20:46
Speaker 1: and winning the turnover battle, and they practice it, you know,
20:50
Speaker 1: in terms of so it's not by accident. You can't
20:52
Speaker 1: get turnovers unless you try to get them, and they
20:55
Speaker 1: practice that in the practice routine and it carries over
20:57
Speaker 1: to the games. And the thing that too is just
21:01
Speaker 1: the awareness. I mean the awareness that Logan Wilson had
21:04
Speaker 1: that and he's a very bright player and an aware player,
21:07
Speaker 1: but could get the ball off him as he did.
21:10
Speaker 1: And yes, we got a good bounce that came right
21:12
Speaker 1: to Sam, but we see that in our opponents oftentimes too,
21:16
Speaker 1: the lucky bounce. But then Sham who went to do
21:19
Speaker 1: with it as did the rust of him in terms
21:21
Speaker 1: of an escort to the end zone. So it was
21:23
Speaker 1: well done. We're visiting with defensive assistant Mark Dufner. I
21:26
Speaker 1: want to turn the clock back a little bit. Back
21:28
Speaker 1: in twenty fourteen, you took a job as the linebackers
21:31
Speaker 1: coach for the Miami Dolphins. And the quarterbacks coach was
21:34
Speaker 1: thirty one year old Zach Taylor. What were your early
21:37
Speaker 1: impressions of Zach and did you have any inkling that
21:41
Speaker 1: someday this guy could become an NFL head coach. Well, first,
21:46
Speaker 1: my early impressions and opinions were I saw a very
21:51
Speaker 1: bright guy, a very energetic guy, a very positive guy
21:54
Speaker 1: in the way that he taught, in the way he
21:56
Speaker 1: presented himself to his quarterbacks and also to the office
22:00
Speaker 1: of staff and our offensive team, and also to the
22:02
Speaker 1: team in general. So I was very impressed with him.
22:05
Speaker 1: He seemed to be to have an awareness that was
22:09
Speaker 1: well beyond his ears. If you will, you know, he
22:11
Speaker 1: was a pretty mature young man for coaching, and showed
22:15
Speaker 1: that in a way not only in the football in it,
22:17
Speaker 1: but just in the way he presented himself. And yeah,
22:21
Speaker 1: I could see that. He I thought, Okay, this guy's
22:24
Speaker 1: got a chance to be a coordinator, and of course
22:26
Speaker 1: if that goes well and he could have a chance
22:28
Speaker 1: of being a head coach. Did I know it would
22:30
Speaker 1: happen as fast as it did. I can't say. I
22:33
Speaker 1: can't say that, but certainly you had a you know,
22:36
Speaker 1: I had him circled if you will, as a guy
22:38
Speaker 1: that looked like he was going to move and move
22:39
Speaker 1: pretty quickly. What did you think people across the country
22:44
Speaker 1: learned about Zach with the way that he conducted himself
22:47
Speaker 1: after demorrow Hamlin's collapse. Well, I think they learned the
22:51
Speaker 1: genuineeness of him, the character of him. And that's what
22:55
Speaker 1: I'm so pleased for him, is that he's even though
22:59
Speaker 1: those he's had some really tough situations and occurring as
23:04
Speaker 1: coaching as a head coach, a couple of tough seasons
23:06
Speaker 1: early on in different all kinds of the COVID thing.
23:09
Speaker 1: Everything that could you could think of that's happened has happened.
23:12
Speaker 1: But I've said to him before, I said, look, these
23:15
Speaker 1: are going to pay back big time, big dividence for you,
23:18
Speaker 1: because if everything was peaches and cream, you wouldn't know
23:20
Speaker 1: how to react to tough situations. Well, you know, with
23:25
Speaker 1: a Mars situation, and there's no playbook manuel for that.
23:29
Speaker 1: But he acted on his own character, his own genuineness,
23:34
Speaker 1: as I said before, and obviously made a terrific and
23:38
Speaker 1: rightful decision. And I think that I couldn't be more
23:42
Speaker 1: proud of him for that, And and he's endeared himself
23:45
Speaker 1: to the country in the world with that, and that's
23:48
Speaker 1: what it's all about. And sometimes we forget those things,
23:51
Speaker 1: but that's the most important thing, and obviously that was
23:54
Speaker 1: first and foremost in Zach's mind. So here we are
23:57
Speaker 1: just a few weeks later, and the Bengals and Bills
23:59
Speaker 1: are going to meet and the play off game. Last
24:01
Speaker 1: week he faced a bitter division rival and those games
24:04
Speaker 1: are always nasty. The Bengals and Bills went through a
24:07
Speaker 1: traumatic experience together, they helped each other through it. Does
24:11
Speaker 1: it feel unusual going into this game, Maybe a little bit,
24:16
Speaker 1: But I think that what's the best thing is that
24:19
Speaker 1: it feels great because Damar Hamlin has recovered into a
24:23
Speaker 1: point where it looks like he's going to be in
24:25
Speaker 1: pretty good shape moving forward. And I think that's taken
24:29
Speaker 1: a lot of concern and feeling off of a lot
24:33
Speaker 1: of people, and so we're particularly excited about that. That's
24:37
Speaker 1: first and foremost. But we're also very respectful for the
24:41
Speaker 1: talent this team has we're going to face and excited
24:44
Speaker 1: about having that competition. We couldn't wait to have it
24:48
Speaker 1: on that Monday night, and we're pretty excited about having
24:51
Speaker 1: it on Sunday afternoon, we're chatting with Bengals coach Mark Duffner.
24:55
Speaker 1: I'm turning the clock back now even further to nineteen
24:58
Speaker 1: ninety seven, your first year and since and Addie, that
25:00
Speaker 1: was the year that Boomer assias and ended his career
25:03
Speaker 1: with a flourish. He famously took over with about a
25:06
Speaker 1: month to go and sparked to turn around with his leadership.
25:09
Speaker 1: How does Boomer's approach compared to what you've seen out
25:13
Speaker 1: of Joe Burrow in his first three years? Very similar
25:16
Speaker 1: in a lot of ways, and that they were both
25:17
Speaker 1: They're both very confident, very detailed people. I think Boomer
25:24
Speaker 1: at that time I saw quite a bit of strong
25:27
Speaker 1: leadership from him. You know, he he was not afraid
25:30
Speaker 1: to address a lot of situations, and I think Joe
25:34
Speaker 1: does that in his way too. But you know, there's
25:37
Speaker 1: a lot of similarity in them. Mind. I just know this.
25:40
Speaker 1: I think our team rallied around Boomer that year and
25:43
Speaker 1: they felt very confident with him and the driver's seat,
25:46
Speaker 1: if you will. And I know that our football team
25:48
Speaker 1: feels that way about Joe Burrow and how he conducts
25:51
Speaker 1: the team and himself on and off the field. Do
25:54
Speaker 1: you have a favorite Burrows story or memorable moment so
25:58
Speaker 1: far from being around him for three years, Well, I
26:01
Speaker 1: you know, I affectually call him buckas, you know, because
26:05
Speaker 1: he's as tough as nails, you know, and and he
26:08
Speaker 1: would be a great middle linebacker if, in fact he
26:11
Speaker 1: opted to play on defense. So I oftentimes after a
26:15
Speaker 1: game just because of his not I mean, I admire
26:17
Speaker 1: his playing and his decision making, he's throwing all the
26:19
Speaker 1: things that he does offensively, but I also have great
26:22
Speaker 1: respect for the toughness, both mental and physically that he
26:26
Speaker 1: hasn't demonstrates. So that's why I said, I call him Buckas,
26:28
Speaker 1: And I've talked to him a couple of times about here.
26:30
Speaker 1: He said, okayy course, coach, I love it, and you know,
26:32
Speaker 1: he loves the fact that I throw that out to
26:34
Speaker 1: him once in a while. But I'm so pleased that
26:39
Speaker 1: the ownership in this franchise and this city has a
26:43
Speaker 1: player and person of the depth of Joe Burrow where
26:46
Speaker 1: we're blessed. So Bucas is a very appropriate nickname for
26:51
Speaker 1: you to bestow on somebody. Since you coach linebackers for
26:54
Speaker 1: most of your NFL career and the Bengals have two
26:56
Speaker 1: starters right now that are playing at a very high level.
27:00
Speaker 1: Let's start with Logan Wilson. What makes him special? Well,
27:03
Speaker 1: I think, I think is an awareness and certainly his athleticism.
27:07
Speaker 1: I remember when we when I watched his film at
27:10
Speaker 1: YO mean, I watched two series of plays and stopped
27:13
Speaker 1: it and went upstairs and said, the Duke and the
27:15
Speaker 1: staff upstairs, boy, we got to get this guy, because
27:18
Speaker 1: you just he had everything you were looking for. He
27:21
Speaker 1: had the certainly the physical traits and the range and
27:23
Speaker 1: the quickness and change of direction. But he could play run,
27:26
Speaker 1: hand pass equally well. And his awareness was excellent. So
27:29
Speaker 1: I mean, I love him, and I love him as
27:33
Speaker 1: a person suit too, but I mean he's he is
27:35
Speaker 1: everything you want as a as a linebacker and as
27:37
Speaker 1: a defensive player, and then some and then there's Germain Pratt.
27:41
Speaker 1: Is he one of the most unsung linebackers in the NFL?
27:45
Speaker 1: I think he is. And I really want to compliment Jermaine.
27:48
Speaker 1: I thought I liked what we saw when we were
27:51
Speaker 1: looking at him prior to the draft, in his first
27:54
Speaker 1: year or prior to being here. And I liked his
27:57
Speaker 1: height in fact, that he'd been a safety early in
27:59
Speaker 1: his career at NC State. I like that part of it.
28:02
Speaker 1: He came in in his rookie year. You know, it
28:04
Speaker 1: was a little tough for him initially, as it is
28:07
Speaker 1: for most rookies, and uh, you know, I think that
28:10
Speaker 1: he was trying to trying too hard in a lot
28:12
Speaker 1: of ways to make plays. And thank god that he's
28:15
Speaker 1: you know, he's now kind of seen the bigger picture
28:18
Speaker 1: of playing this cat. Now he studies, his preparation is terrific.
28:23
Speaker 1: He's constantly communicating what the play is about to be
28:26
Speaker 1: and that happens through great study in the classroom and
28:29
Speaker 1: on the field. And then the fact that he's he's
28:31
Speaker 1: got big playability. I mean the interceptions that he's made,
28:34
Speaker 1: the one last year against Las Vegas, the ball, the
28:37
Speaker 1: ability to get the ball off of people in Kansas City, etc.
28:40
Speaker 1: I mean, so I can't be more pleased for a
28:44
Speaker 1: young man who has talent who's continuing to develop it.
28:47
Speaker 1: I think where you see where he started, where he
28:49
Speaker 1: is today again, that's due to one his efforts and
28:53
Speaker 1: certainly the coaching staff. So well done for Jermaine Pratt.
28:57
Speaker 1: We're chatting the defensive coach, Mark Duffner, Back in late November,
29:01
Speaker 1: the night before the Tennessee road game, Zach Taylor pointed
29:04
Speaker 1: out the team meeting that all the experts were saying
29:06
Speaker 1: how hard the Bengal schedule was, and he reminded the
29:09
Speaker 1: players that they got to play us. That's become the
29:13
Speaker 1: motto and you become the guy who yells it in
29:16
Speaker 1: the locker room after victories. Is it just a fun
29:19
Speaker 1: thing or has that rallying cry had a real impact.
29:24
Speaker 1: I think that I think perhaps the ladder, I think,
29:28
Speaker 1: and that's again attributed to the outstanding team meeting that
29:32
Speaker 1: Coach Taylor had, putting that in perspective with him and
29:36
Speaker 1: really bringing that to the forefront, that that's an important thing.
29:39
Speaker 1: I mean, we can hear about this and hear about that,
29:41
Speaker 1: but it's really all about us. And you see that
29:45
Speaker 1: that's that standard all around the building, all around the
29:48
Speaker 1: locker room. It's about us and it is and he
29:51
Speaker 1: you know, he kind of tied that into the scheduling
29:53
Speaker 1: part of the thing, and so I think that the
29:56
Speaker 1: players understand that it's helped to kind of bring to
30:00
Speaker 1: the forefront just that point it's about us and it's
30:03
Speaker 1: really what we do in the game for sixty minutes.
30:06
Speaker 1: It matters the most, and if we continue to do
30:08
Speaker 1: our best in terms of fundamentals and effort and playing together,
30:12
Speaker 1: that things will generally turn out the way we want.
30:15
Speaker 1: Do your friends and family get a kick out of
30:17
Speaker 1: hearing you yell that in the locker room in these
30:21
Speaker 1: celebration videos, they perhaps do? I hope that, you know,
30:24
Speaker 1: it's I kind of get a little emotional at times,
30:27
Speaker 1: and so that's kind of a blurting if you will.
30:29
Speaker 1: But ill anything that that that's happened from that certainly
30:34
Speaker 1: has attributed to coach Taylor and his message has been
30:37
Speaker 1: and if I somehow add to that in some way,
30:40
Speaker 1: then good, you know. But I mean, yeah, they'll occasionally
30:44
Speaker 1: laugh or something about that. So yeah, final thing for
30:47
Speaker 1: coach Mark Duffner. You've had a long and distinguished career
30:50
Speaker 1: in college football and in the NFL. You've worked with
30:53
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame coaches like Woody Hayes and Dick lebou.
30:55
Speaker 1: You've been around tremendous players. You were there when Archie
30:58
Speaker 1: Griffin won his second straight Heisman. You helped when Brett
31:01
Speaker 1: Farve was in Green Bay. What did it mean to
31:03
Speaker 1: you to be on a Super Bowl staff last year,
31:06
Speaker 1: and what would a super Bowl ring mean if you
31:09
Speaker 1: can win one. Well, first of all, to be on
31:12
Speaker 1: a Super Bowl staff last year and have that opportunity,
31:14
Speaker 1: that's after I think twenty six years in the NFL,
31:17
Speaker 1: and you know so many people work hard to get
31:21
Speaker 1: to that opportunity and to have that feeling and that experience,
31:24
Speaker 1: I'll be forever grateful. I mean, I just it was
31:27
Speaker 1: I didn't want I didn't want the days to end.
31:30
Speaker 1: I wanted them to try to milk every minute out
31:32
Speaker 1: of the each day we possibly could, and to you know,
31:36
Speaker 1: be in position to perhaps have another swing at it
31:39
Speaker 1: is just unbelievable. So it's it's something you're all everybody
31:43
Speaker 1: strives for. You're striving, you know, to do the best
31:46
Speaker 1: you can, to be the best you can, to have
31:47
Speaker 1: a chance to play in that which is kind of
31:50
Speaker 1: the symbol of the best. Uh. You know, we're very
31:54
Speaker 1: thankful and grateful for and we're hoping like crazy we
31:56
Speaker 1: can get there. Always great to visit with you. Thanks
31:59
Speaker 1: so much for your time and best of luck against
32:00
Speaker 1: the Bills. Thanks Dan, appreciate being with you. The Bengals
32:04
Speaker 1: Booth Podcast has brought to you by Kettering Health the
32:07
Speaker 1: official healthcare provider of the Bengals. With more than one
32:10
Speaker 1: hundred twenty care facilities and fifteen hundred care providers. Kettering
32:14
Speaker 1: Health is committed to guiding you to your best health.
32:17
Speaker 1: Visit ketteringhealth dot org to learn more. Now time for
32:22
Speaker 1: this week's Know the Faux segment and for the latest
32:24
Speaker 1: on the Buffalo Bills. I spoke to my longtime friend
32:27
Speaker 1: Adam Benini, the sports director at w g r ZTV
32:32
Speaker 1: in Buffalo. Adam, before we get to the nuts and
32:35
Speaker 1: bolts of the matchup on Sunday, let me ask you
32:38
Speaker 1: this question. Do you think there's a chance that DeMar
32:40
Speaker 1: Hamlin will be there on Sunday for the coin toss
32:43
Speaker 1: or in some sort of capacity. Well, it's interesting, Dan,
32:47
Speaker 1: because today we got kind of an update on that.
32:51
Speaker 1: Sean mcderman didn't indicate that he would be at the game,
32:53
Speaker 1: but thankfully, DeMar Hamlin continues to make a lot of progress,
32:58
Speaker 1: and McDermott revealed that he's in the building. He was
33:02
Speaker 1: here today at Bill's headquarters. Right now as we record this,
33:06
Speaker 1: he's in the building. Mcdermot's said almost daily players had
33:10
Speaker 1: seen him. Mitch Moore said he was a little bit tired.
33:12
Speaker 1: You know, you can tell he's recovering, but he's making
33:16
Speaker 1: a lot of progress. Wants to be He wanted to
33:18
Speaker 1: be at the game last weekend, and I think they
33:20
Speaker 1: convinced him out of it that they didn't want him
33:22
Speaker 1: to push himself too far, too fast. So I don't
33:25
Speaker 1: have a definitive answer for you, Dan, but it would
33:27
Speaker 1: not surprise me, given everything that transpired a couple of
33:31
Speaker 1: weeks ago Monday night and how quickly he's recovered. I
33:34
Speaker 1: know he wants to be there. It wouldn't surprise me
33:36
Speaker 1: to see him make some type of an appearance. Bring
33:38
Speaker 1: some Kleenex for me if that's the case. I tend
33:42
Speaker 1: to cry like a baby anyway, So that would be
33:44
Speaker 1: very emotional to see that the Bengals played a team
33:47
Speaker 1: last week that they despise and the Baltimore Ravens, and
33:50
Speaker 1: the Ravens feel the same way about them. I don't
33:52
Speaker 1: know if it's the same thing with the Bills and
33:54
Speaker 1: the Dolphins being division rivals, but this is unusual. These
33:58
Speaker 1: two teams went through a trem experience together. There's a
34:01
Speaker 1: sense of brotherhood camaraderie between these two teams. How do
34:07
Speaker 1: the Bills and Buffalo fans feel about the Bengals at
34:11
Speaker 1: this point. Oh, I think they hold them an extremely
34:14
Speaker 1: high regard. I mean that dates back to twenty seventeen
34:19
Speaker 1: and Andy Dalton and all of that history and donations
34:23
Speaker 1: to his charity and everything. But obviously the situation with
34:26
Speaker 1: the Mark Hamlin took things to a whole new level.
34:30
Speaker 1: Sean McDermott has talked repeatedly about how well he thought
34:35
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor handled himself in that whole situation came over
34:38
Speaker 1: the compassion that he showed. How Joe Burrow led the
34:43
Speaker 1: Bengals captains into the Saber excuse me, into the Bills
34:47
Speaker 1: locker room at that time that night, as they're all
34:50
Speaker 1: kind of absorbing everything and wanted to check on the
34:53
Speaker 1: Bills players to see how they were dealing with that situation,
34:57
Speaker 1: what their emotions were like, and to show them how
35:00
Speaker 1: much they care. So I think there's a level of
35:02
Speaker 1: respect that's unusually high between these two teams. I don't
35:07
Speaker 1: think it takes anything away from the intensity of what
35:10
Speaker 1: we're going to see on the field here at Orchard
35:12
Speaker 1: Park on Sunday. It may add to it, in fact,
35:15
Speaker 1: but I think it's very unique. I mean, it was
35:16
Speaker 1: an unprecedented set of circumstances, and I know it was
35:20
Speaker 1: greatly appreciated by the Bills. The degree to which and
35:24
Speaker 1: how the Bengals players and coaches handled that situation and
35:27
Speaker 1: kind of helped them through that night. All right, let's
35:30
Speaker 1: get to the matchup with Adam Bannini from w GRCTV
35:32
Speaker 1: and Buffalo. The Bills of one eighth straight. But the
35:35
Speaker 1: last two games have been too close for comfort, especially
35:38
Speaker 1: if you talk to my mom down in Lakewood, New York.
35:41
Speaker 1: Is anxiety running high in Buffalo? And should it be?
35:47
Speaker 1: I think the turnovers are the biggest you right, Dan,
35:50
Speaker 1: I mean three of them against the Dolphins here on Sunday.
35:55
Speaker 1: They've had nine in the last three games. So a
35:58
Speaker 1: ball security. A lot of times that players will brush
36:01
Speaker 1: that off. And Shuan McDermott even said today I asked
36:03
Speaker 1: him directly about it, and he said that it's a
36:06
Speaker 1: very valid question given away. This thing has been trending.
36:09
Speaker 1: He says he trusts his players at this point, and
36:12
Speaker 1: it really a lot of it comes down to Josh Allen. Look,
36:16
Speaker 1: this offense has not been as diverse, has not been
36:22
Speaker 1: as efficient as you know, you think back to that
36:25
Speaker 1: Kansas City game last year, the Divisional round, this same
36:28
Speaker 1: stage and the thirteen seconds and you know, gave Davis
36:33
Speaker 1: and the four touchdowns and that sort of a thing.
36:35
Speaker 1: You know, the explosiveness we saw from this Bill's team,
36:39
Speaker 1: it's not there right now. They're still very effective. Dawson
36:43
Speaker 1: Knox has begun to emerge. He has touchdowns now in
36:45
Speaker 1: five straight games. That's been important. Davis was solid. He's
36:49
Speaker 1: not the same player as he was last year, but
36:51
Speaker 1: he was solid against the Dolphins on Sunday. So it
36:55
Speaker 1: is a concern ball securities at the top of the list,
36:57
Speaker 1: but there are other factors as well. So I think
37:01
Speaker 1: everyone here has the sense, but the dynamic is different
37:04
Speaker 1: with this Bill's team. Yet they continue to win. And
37:07
Speaker 1: I think there's also a level of grit with all
37:09
Speaker 1: they've endured this year as a group, from the mass
37:14
Speaker 1: shooting this past summer, tragically, the way they kind of
37:18
Speaker 1: bonded with the community. Dawson Notch lost his brother, they
37:21
Speaker 1: helped him through that. Two historic snowstorms that sort of
37:26
Speaker 1: a thing, and then the Hamlin situation in Cincinnati a
37:29
Speaker 1: couple of weeks ago. Monday is at the top of
37:32
Speaker 1: that list as well. They've been able to battle through
37:35
Speaker 1: a lot and I think that counts for something. But
37:38
Speaker 1: in terms of xs and o's, they are not operating
37:40
Speaker 1: the same way they did at this stage last year.
37:43
Speaker 1: Let me dive further into the turnover specifically where Josh
37:46
Speaker 1: Allen is concerned. Sixteen interceptions if you include the playoff game,
37:51
Speaker 1: fourteen fumbles, six that have been recovered by the other team.
37:55
Speaker 1: Is he forcing things? Is he sloppy? What explains all
38:00
Speaker 1: of these turnovers for one of the best quarterbacks in
38:02
Speaker 1: the NFL? I think, and this is kind of a
38:04
Speaker 1: deep dived in in this take, but I think when
38:07
Speaker 1: you're talking about the season and the trend you just
38:10
Speaker 1: referred to, I think they had a lot of trouble
38:14
Speaker 1: coming up with an answer at the slot receiver position.
38:18
Speaker 1: Right when Cole Beasley moved on in March and they
38:23
Speaker 1: thought Isaiah McKenzie would be that player. Didn't work out
38:26
Speaker 1: that way. They went out and got Jamison Crowder. He
38:28
Speaker 1: broke his ankle against the Baltimore Ravens, so they really
38:33
Speaker 1: didn't have an answer, and I think that affected a
38:35
Speaker 1: lot of things. Suddenly they became a lot easier to
38:38
Speaker 1: defend you know, teams could just take away digs and
38:41
Speaker 1: suddenly Josh didn't have that option, like he was so
38:44
Speaker 1: effective with Beasley all that time. So they bring Cole
38:46
Speaker 1: Beasley back, right, he comes out of retirement after a
38:51
Speaker 1: brief stint with Tampa Bay and it's taken some time,
38:54
Speaker 1: but he hit him for a touchdown this past weekend
38:57
Speaker 1: against the Dolphins, and so he hasn't really put on numbers.
39:00
Speaker 1: He played in just like two or three games during
39:02
Speaker 1: the regular season, but he was effective, had a couple
39:05
Speaker 1: of big receptions, one for a touchdown. So I think
39:08
Speaker 1: the pendulum is starting to swing back in a positive
39:12
Speaker 1: way in terms of that relationship and its impact on
39:15
Speaker 1: the offense. But before that, absolutely forcing the football. What
39:21
Speaker 1: was the expression from the original top gun Son, your
39:24
Speaker 1: egos writing checks your body can't cash. I mean there's
39:26
Speaker 1: a lot of because we call him Wyoming Josh here
39:30
Speaker 1: in Buffalo when he reverts back to that kind of
39:33
Speaker 1: and they don't want to coach that completely out of
39:35
Speaker 1: him because it's part of what makes him great. But
39:37
Speaker 1: he walks right down that fine line of effectiveness and recklessness.
39:44
Speaker 1: He even talked about that today, So I feel like
39:47
Speaker 1: that's something that's really those two factors. I think that
39:52
Speaker 1: those are the biggest factors behind him, you know, forcing
39:55
Speaker 1: the football, turning the football over, and I'm sure that's
39:59
Speaker 1: something that the Bengals are well aware of from a
40:01
Speaker 1: defensive standpoint. We're talking to my friend Adam Benini, who
40:04
Speaker 1: covers the Bills. As you know, the Bengals have a
40:07
Speaker 1: battered offensive line. The Bills lost their best pass rusher,
40:11
Speaker 1: Von Miller. How good has the pass rush been since
40:15
Speaker 1: Von Miller went out? It's been pretty solid. I don't
40:18
Speaker 1: think it was as effective as it needed to be
40:20
Speaker 1: against the Dolphins this past week. You didn't really hear
40:22
Speaker 1: Greg Russo's name, for example, but they do have a
40:26
Speaker 1: strength in numbers approach there. You know, I think prior
40:31
Speaker 1: to the Von Miller signing, they had really invested for
40:34
Speaker 1: a number of years. You know, you go back to
40:38
Speaker 1: the loss of the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game
40:41
Speaker 1: a couple of years back. That was the real indicator
40:45
Speaker 1: where you know that they were not well equipped enough
40:48
Speaker 1: upfront from a pass rush perspective to deal with Mahomes.
40:52
Speaker 1: And so they went out and they invested in the
40:55
Speaker 1: draft a aj Epinessa who was their first pick a
40:58
Speaker 1: second round pick, as it happened, because they lost the
41:01
Speaker 1: first rounder in the trade for Stefan Diggs that particular year.
41:05
Speaker 1: But then they go out and they get Rousseau in
41:07
Speaker 1: the first round, Basham in the second round, you know.
41:11
Speaker 1: The following year, so they have and they bring back
41:13
Speaker 1: a shack Lawson. They got Jordan Phillips, the defensive tackle
41:17
Speaker 1: at Oliver has really kind of come on this year,
41:20
Speaker 1: a former first round pick, and so they'll rotate. It's
41:24
Speaker 1: a strength and numbers type approach. But I think that
41:27
Speaker 1: at understanding, the Bengals are dealing with injuries on the
41:30
Speaker 1: offensive line. We talked before the last game. I thought
41:33
Speaker 1: that was the key matchup how effective the Bills could
41:35
Speaker 1: be from a pass rush perspective against that Bengals offensive line. Now,
41:39
Speaker 1: the dynamic might change a little bit in terms of
41:41
Speaker 1: the injury situation, but they do have guys that can
41:44
Speaker 1: get home. The way in which Borrow gets that ball
41:48
Speaker 1: out so quickly and efficiently I think presents a problem
41:51
Speaker 1: for Buffalo. I think this is a game where they
41:56
Speaker 1: really begin to feel the absence of von Miller on
42:00
Speaker 1: the field. I think the Bengals, with that passing game,
42:02
Speaker 1: the timing, those receivers are in a position to really
42:06
Speaker 1: exploit that, and by extension, the youth and the secondary.
42:10
Speaker 1: You know, Dan Jackson limited to start the week with
42:13
Speaker 1: a knee injury. Kaira tire Eelam, their first round pick
42:17
Speaker 1: this year, has been very vulnerable at times, had an
42:19
Speaker 1: interception to his credit against the Dolphins. Trey White coming
42:22
Speaker 1: off the ACL injury last year. Not the same player
42:26
Speaker 1: he was in the past, but kind of rounding into form.
42:29
Speaker 1: He's looked pretty solid out there. But the Bills vulnerable
42:32
Speaker 1: in the secondary as well, so both in terms of
42:35
Speaker 1: the pass rush despite the injuries on the offensive line,
42:38
Speaker 1: in the way things shape up in the secondary. Dan,
42:41
Speaker 1: I think Buffalo, they're vulnerable. I think this is a
42:43
Speaker 1: nightmare matchup in terms of what the Bengals bring offensively
42:47
Speaker 1: for this Bill's defense. How about safety, because Micah Hyde
42:50
Speaker 1: isn't back yet and obviously Damar Hamlin is out. Where
42:54
Speaker 1: do they stand at that other safety spot? Well, you've
42:57
Speaker 1: got they brought Dean Marlow back, you know, so he's
43:01
Speaker 1: a veteran five six years experience in the league. Came
43:04
Speaker 1: up with an interception in this past weekend, but again
43:07
Speaker 1: you're dealing with Skyler Thompson. I mean a guy, look
43:11
Speaker 1: a rookie seventh round pick, talk about telegraphing the ball,
43:16
Speaker 1: talk about hanging on to it forever. I mean Vic Prucci,
43:19
Speaker 1: my Sports Talk Live counterpartyer and I are counting four
43:23
Speaker 1: plus seconds he's hanging onto the ball. You know, he's
43:25
Speaker 1: not obviously, he's probably a career backup type player. He's
43:30
Speaker 1: not an anticipatory quarterback. Right. So Burrow is the exact
43:37
Speaker 1: opposite of that. I mean, Joe is throwing that ball
43:40
Speaker 1: to a spot right and the receiver is going to
43:42
Speaker 1: be there, and it's all timing based. So it's the
43:44
Speaker 1: polar opposite of what they faced this weekend. So I
43:48
Speaker 1: do think that they're vulnerable in the safety spot as well.
43:52
Speaker 1: Also from the communications standpoint, they've really missed Micah Hyde,
43:56
Speaker 1: who went down with a neck injury after Week two,
43:58
Speaker 1: and he was so good that at making sure players
44:02
Speaker 1: are in the right position pre snap and that sort
44:04
Speaker 1: of a thing. I mean, I think if you look
44:06
Speaker 1: at some of the timeouts this past weekend where have
44:09
Speaker 1: been kind of controversial among the fan base, here, Hide's
44:12
Speaker 1: absence contributes to some of that, where they're just not
44:15
Speaker 1: mcdermot's not comfortable with what he sees how they're aligned
44:17
Speaker 1: defensively and they have to burn a time out. So
44:21
Speaker 1: I think it affects that that lack of a veteran
44:24
Speaker 1: safety in that spot. Of course, Hamlin had done a
44:26
Speaker 1: very good job of filling in extremely competent in that
44:31
Speaker 1: role prior to what happened with him and his collapse.
44:34
Speaker 1: So I think they're vulnerable. I guess what I'm saying
44:37
Speaker 1: at a number of levels, both from an execution standpoint
44:41
Speaker 1: and from a precep pre snap communication standpoint at that
44:45
Speaker 1: safety position. Last thing for Adam Benini, what do we
44:49
Speaker 1: know about that famous Buffalo weather on Sunday? Interesting We
44:54
Speaker 1: had our chief meteorologist, Patrick Hammer, who is very popular
44:59
Speaker 1: here in Buffalo, for our sports show Monday Night. I
45:02
Speaker 1: had him do it like a long range forecast, and
45:05
Speaker 1: he said, there's a system coming in here. You're not
45:08
Speaker 1: going to really know until Thursday or Friday, but we
45:11
Speaker 1: could be dealing with a mix of rain and snow
45:15
Speaker 1: for that game. It's still they're not sure on when
45:17
Speaker 1: it's going to arrive. It could arrive, they thought initially
45:23
Speaker 1: maybe like on late Sunday, night into Monday, and now
45:26
Speaker 1: it was trending earlier in the week that possibly it
45:28
Speaker 1: could be you know, typical Orchard Park, whether something you're
45:32
Speaker 1: very familiar with from your background here. I don't know
45:35
Speaker 1: that it necessarily affects. I mean, the Bills have been
45:39
Speaker 1: very effective dealing with severe weather situations, and they've had
45:43
Speaker 1: a number of them to deal with. They're pretty good,
45:45
Speaker 1: don't I don't have a sense. I don't think it's
45:47
Speaker 1: going to affect the Bengals all that much. I would
45:50
Speaker 1: ask you that question. I mean, how do you think
45:52
Speaker 1: that would affect the timing? Maybe that Bengal passing game.
45:55
Speaker 1: Wind is the only thing that bothers me. They can
45:58
Speaker 1: deal with cold, they can deal with precipitation. Wind is
46:01
Speaker 1: always the wild card because you never know how the
46:03
Speaker 1: wind is going to affect the ball from play to play,
46:06
Speaker 1: and they are such a passing dependent team that I
46:09
Speaker 1: would be more worried about wind than anything else. All Right,
46:13
Speaker 1: So we'll see. I mean that's that. Obviously, wind is
46:17
Speaker 1: a primary feature here. They can plan on some of it.
46:20
Speaker 1: We're not sure at this point how severe it's going
46:22
Speaker 1: to be. Hi. Thanks to Adam Benini, and here's a
46:25
Speaker 1: quick reminder to join Lapping Me on Friday for the
46:28
Speaker 1: Bengals pep Rally show at the Wings and Rings location
46:32
Speaker 1: in Fairfield. The show runs from three to six and
46:35
Speaker 1: the legendary Bob Trumpy will be our guest in the
46:39
Speaker 1: final hour. That's going to do it for this episode
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