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Bengals Booth Podcast: The Golden Age · Bengals Booth Podcast

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody on dan Hord and thanks for downloading
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth podcast The Let the Golden Age begin. Addition,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: as I go in depth with the Bengals new defensive coordinator,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Al Golden, The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by Paycore, Proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider,
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  Speaker 1: your home, business and community to a new level, and
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone,
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: tablet or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: It's the greatest thing since a pair of rock legends
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: coming to pay Core Stadium this year. In addition to
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: announcing the hiring of Al Golden on Thursday, the Bengals
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: also shared the news that Billy Joel and Rod Stewart
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: are coming to pay Corps Stadium on September twentieth. I'm
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: a sportscaster, so I like stats. Billy and Rod have
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: won a combined total of seven Grammy Awards. They are
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: both in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: they have combined to sell more than two hundred and
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: seventy million records. Tickets will go on sale next week, Friday,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: January thirty first, at ten am, and they will go fast.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: I've got my fingers crossed and my teams will be
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: home that weekend. If so, I will definitely be at
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: the show. Now let's get to my guest. Al Golden
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: was the Bengals linebackers coach in twenty twenty and twenty
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: twenty one, leaving after the Bengals played in Super Bowl
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: fifty six to become the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: His three years in South Bend ended with a trip
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: to this week's National Championship Game with a defense that
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: finished number two in the country in fewest points allowed.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Now he's returning to Cincinnati with the task of building
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: a solid defense to go with one of the NFL's
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: best offenses. After three years said Notre Dame, Al Golden
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: is back here in Cincinnati. Is the Bengals defensive coordinator?
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Does this feel like a homecoming? Absolutely?
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: This is really the only home my kids know, you know,
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: my son went to Saint X. My girls are at Summit,
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: you know, And this is the community that we didn't
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: want to move them out of when we did take
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: the new opportunity.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: So I don't even have to relocate.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: I'm the cheapest relocation in the history of coaching here
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: at Cincinnati. But it's a blessing to be home and
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: be surrounded by so many friends and family.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Well, it certainly suggests how much you and your family
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: loved it here. Why What was it about Cincinnati?
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: The community, the relationships starting with this building, starting with Zach,
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: and obviously the culture that he's created, you know, the
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Brown family and certainly the tentacles that you know that
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: reached out to my kids, friends, their parents, you know,
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: all of those things, the high school relationships, all those things.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: So it's it's a blessing to be back.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: What about the job itself. What appeals to you about
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: being the defensive coordinator of the Bengals?
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: Well, Number one, the organization.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: I loved the organization when I was here, and the
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: family atmosphere of it, the leadership of Zach. I enjoyed
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: going to work every day and working with Zach and
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: working with Darren Simmons and some of the people that
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: I'm I'm seeing already today upstairs. Duke and I can
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: go on and on, but that you know, at the
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: end of the day, everything's brick, brick and mortar, but
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: it's the people that endure in your mind and the
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: relationships and and for me that was a big part
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: of it. And obviously to be be here now with
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: what's already here and what's already set up, and obviously
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: having somebody like Joe being the leader of the organization
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: and being your quarterback makes it makes it ultra attractive.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: I've seen some of these words associated with you as
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: a football coach, flexible, energetic, collaborative. What are the core
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: principles of an al golden defense.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Well, it all starts with the acronym best, right, So
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: number one ball disruption. Put a premium on that. Our
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: number one job is to support our quarterback. And people
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: are like, you know, what does that mean As a
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: defensive coordinator, We've got to get him the ball.
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  Speaker 3: So that's our number one job.
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  Speaker 2: Give him opportunities, the e and best his effort and
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: attitude and finish s is.
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  Speaker 3: The situational masters.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Just being great in the red zone, being being awesome
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  Speaker 2: on third down, understanding how to conduct a two minute drill,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: and things of that nature.
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: And then t is tackling.
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  Speaker 2: So those are the things that we really private ourselves on.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: More than that, the overarching theme of our defense is empowerment.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: So at the end of the day, whether it's Logan,
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: the safeties, whoever it is, they have to make, you know,
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: the decisions on the grass, and we have to empower
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: them as coaches to make the decisions and get us
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: in the best defense and make sure everybody's playing.
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: You know, one unified call.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: You were here when the Bengals drafted Logan Wilson and
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: obviously helped develop him. How significant is it to have
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: him still here to incorporate your defense.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: I just can't wait to see him, to be honest
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: with you, he was one of my favorite players of
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: all time, just the way he conducted himself, the pro
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: that he is. I know he got banged up a
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: little bit last year, so I know he's gonna have
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: a little edge to him, and and I want to
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: help him every way I can maximize and become, you know,
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: the best player that he can possibly be, the best
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  Speaker 2: leader and I just can't wait to get to.
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  Speaker 3: Work with him.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Notre Dame was number one in the country each of
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: the last two years. And pass efficiency defense that is
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: obviously so important in the NFL right now, What are
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: some of the keys to defending the pass?
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: I think you have to be flexible. You said it earlier.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: I don't think you can be rigid in your system.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: And you have to have a you know, an offense.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: You know, you have to have a defense that looks
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: at the offense every week and says who and what
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: can cause you to lose, and then obviously be malleable
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: enough that you can adopt and adjust to what they
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: do best and try to eliminate that. So part of
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: being really good in past defense is you're not a
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: flight afraid to play different coverages. It can't just be
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: locked into one thing. But give the quarterback different looks
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: pre snap, change the look post snap, and just make
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: sure you have enough that you're trying to direct the
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: ball away from the things that they do best.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: How do you do that and be complex for the
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: opposing team's quarterback but still play fast?
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, I think the biggest part of that
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: is to understand that the off season is critical. If
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: you want to play fast during the season, you've got
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: to push yourself through the off season. So the teaching,
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: the OTAs, the mini camps, all of those things are
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: going to be critical. And I'm a big believer in
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: not walking in on a Tuesday and creating something, but
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: rather drawing from the reservoir and saying, Okay, this is why.
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  Speaker 3: We put this in.
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  Speaker 2: We put this in for this quarterback and this wide
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: receiver or this tight end, and this is the week
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: we're going to use it. And now all of a sudden,
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: the players have recall and that's what breeds you know, confidence,
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: that's what breeds success and ultimately allows them to play fast.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: How valuable is your time in the AFC North.
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: Well, I think it's really I think it's really valuable.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: Everything that we're going to do is on the backdrop
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: of the AFC North. So you know, how we take
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: the ball away, how we tackle, the drills that we do,
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: the things that we need to you know, defend are
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: all going to be on the backdrop of of the
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: AFC North in the off season. So everything starts with
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  Speaker 2: with the division. That's how we got there the last time.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: And you know, once you get in the tournament, we're
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: gonna be tough to beat with the quarterback that we have.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: How close these days are coaching at college defense and
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: coaching an NFL dese?
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: I think that's that's a great question, because it's really
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: it's blurred a lot more than it was a decade ago.
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  Speaker 2: You just see, you know, more quarterback runs now, more RPOs,
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: And I think the biggest thing that college teaches you
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: is you have to have a very very flexible system
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: because you could be playing Navy one week and and
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: then you know, Florida State the next week or USC
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: so every every every offense is is of its own DNA,
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: you know, and you've got to be able to be
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: flexible enough and have a system that that you know,
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: can bend and contort to solve the problems that each presents.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: You mentioned Joe Burrow earlier. You've got Joe, You've got Jamar.
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: You've got tremendous players on offense that are obviously well
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: compensated as they should be. They're worth every penny, but
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: that means there's less money to spend elsewhere, and the
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Bengals are going to have to have young players on
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: defense that's just the way it works. Is your college
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: experience helpful in developing those young guys?
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: I think development is at the core of everything that
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: we do on defense and making sure that we're great
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: at you know, ball disruption, we're awesome at tackling, and
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: that we understand the situations.
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: And then once the guys.
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: Understand that this is what we want, how do we
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  Speaker 2: refine it and quality control it and get better And
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: ultimately to empower means to give them the culture so
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: that they're handing it down to the next group, or
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: you know, if the veterans come in and they're learning
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  Speaker 2: it now, we draft some guys or bring some guys
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: in that they can manage it in the locker room,
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: and that's how it catches fire. And so I think
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: if we're going to be young, that's great, but it
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: doesn't mean we can't execute a really, really high level.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: And there are no excuses at this level. Certainly, you know,
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: we're on the clock and we got to get to work.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: As you know from your previous experience here, the assistant
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: coaches have a significant voice in the drafting process and
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: in the free agency process. Is that's something that appealed
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: to you about coming back.
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: No question.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: I think it's a very very collaborative, you know system
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: in terms of that process, you know, the free agency
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: and then ultimately the draft, and I love to be
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: in a part of that. I loved having a voice
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: and more than anything, just share the vision. It was
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: the vision of the linebackers, you know, four and five
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: years ago, and now it's more just the vision of
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: how we see the pieces coming together and what we
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: need to you know, to really operate.
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: You know, for a twenty one game season.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: What are some of the biggest things you look for
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: with evaluating defensive talent?
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: I think football IQ is really important, you know. I
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: always say, like it's pretty easy to see guys that
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: are outstanding on tape. You can look at them and
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: see that they're they're just different athletically. But what's going
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: to endure in in this locker room and in the
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: NFL in general is the process?
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: Right?
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: You know, do they have a process? Are they jim rats?
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Do they love being around the film room? Are they
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: are they hanging around the weight room or it's trying
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: to get extras, uh, stretching and things of that nature.
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: What's their football IQ like? You know, are they audible,
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: are they demonstrative? You know, did they lead their defense?
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: You know, if you're looking at linebackers, did you run
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: your defense? It's really important.
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: Safeties, communication, Those are just some of the things.
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: I mean, I can go on and on, but I
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: think ultimately, you know, you have you have to have one,
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: you know, a bunch of guys that are confident, that
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: are that we're leaders in their organization, that are verbal
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: and can solve problems on the grass because the way
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: offenses these days, a lot of you know, you can't
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: have the perfect call. You got to get us into
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: a call that everybody's on the same page and we
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: can operate as one on.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: With all in a moment. But first, a quick reminder
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider,
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: your home, business, and community to a new level, and
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: You've got the NFL SAC leader on your defense in
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: Trey Hendrickson. Obviously you worked with Trey in the Super
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: Bowl season in twenty twenty one. What's he mean to
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: the Cincinnati.
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: D fierce competitor. I just remember what a fierce competitor
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: he was and how much it meant to him. And ultimately,
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: you know, our job is going to be just you know,
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: number one, get them into passing downs, get them into
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: throwing downs, get them into third and longer so that
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: we can use his strengths. And then from there, our
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: job is to get him the matchup that we need
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: for him to continue to play at a really, really
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: high level. And I've always admired him from day one,
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: just how explosive he was and how tough he was
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: and how competitive he was. And you know, the one
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: thing about that Super Bowl year, Trey, you know, played
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: his best when his best was needed, and he he was,
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: you know, awesome there. And I can't wait to be
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: reacquainted with him.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: Is it a priority to add pass rushing help?
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: Always?
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: Always, if you have an offense that scores, uh, and
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: you could take the ball away and and and be
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: good in the red zone and be good on third down,
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: you know, you hope you're playing with the lead a lot,
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: and uh, if you're playing with the lead, you got
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: to have pass rushers and and that that that doesn't
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: just mean the four down pass rushers can come from
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: anywhere in terms of the linebacker group, longer linebackers, guys
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: that can move to the edge or move around and
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: give us rushes anywhere. But it's all about finding the
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: matchups that you need on third down and and obviously
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: make making sure that everybody that contributes on defense is
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: doing what they do best.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: Do you feel like it's important to add size inside,
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: particularly playing six games in the AFC.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: North, no doubt, especially with the running attacks that we'll see.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: I haven't looked at the schedule yet. Overall, that's something
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: we'll do in the off season. But obviously if you
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: can stop the run, and more importantly than that is
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: you can't always play an out number box in this
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: day and age in the NFL, and so you need
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: some guys that can gap in half or get the
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: ball on the ground without having an out number box.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: And I think that's where the scheme is important. That's
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: where having that size and strength and you know, those
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: are the guys that you know we're hoping to move
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: forward with you know, in the future, what's your base, Well,
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: for two nickels, the base if it was twelve or
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: twenty one personnel, probably four to three.
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: But it's going to be flexible.
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: It's not just you know, this is you know, we're
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: not just wooden statues.
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: We we try to provide different looks and be crafty
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: with that. And I think once we get in here
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: and we see our personnel, we'll go We'll do it
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: our what our guys do best.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: Notre Dame had viper position. What is that? And is
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: that something you will try to incorporate?
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: And since it is, what do we call him here?
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: The rush or what's he called here?
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: Do you know the combination kind of outside back rush
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: and yeah, so it's uh, I think that's what it
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: was called here when I left.
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: It's the same thing. It's just different nomenclature.
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: But at the end of the day, somebody that has
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: the flexibility to you know, rush the pasture, but enough
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: athleticism to drop and obviously enough length to set the
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: edge when when called on.
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: It's been reported that Jerry Montgomery is going to be
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: the defensive line coach. Do you have a pre existing
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: relationship with Jerry and what can you tell us about.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: Him just going against him when I was in the
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: NFC North with the Lions, just going against him, how
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: much respect we had for him, obviously had Mike Daniels
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: back then and Mike's hey day in his prime.
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: I know Mike thinks the.
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: World of him, and and I've had some interaction with
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: him and just really really impressed with the way he
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: operates his room, and and you know what he believes
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: in and how he operates on a daily basis.
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: So excited to get going with him.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: Any thoughts on how to try to avoid a slow start, Well,
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: I think, you know, when you talk about something like that,
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: I think that's more we get together, you know, you know,
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: pitch coach Simmons, myself, Zach, the staff in general, and
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: and that's kind of an in house thing, like what
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: do we need to do in house wise to solve
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: that problem because obviously that that's that's a sensitive subject
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: in terms of you know, we all know that that's.
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: Something that will be on the dock at this offseason
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: in terms of starting faster, But in terms of giving
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: you ideas, I think that would that would you know,
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: it's it's best to keep that in house and and
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: work through Zach on that.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: What are some of the first things on your plate
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: for this job.
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: Well, take a deep breath, you know, make sure we
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: get we get the right guys on the bus in
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: terms of hiring, and make sure everybody's compatible with what
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: we want to do.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: That's really important.
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: There's so many great coaches in the NFL, and the
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: most important thing is compatibility and supporting each other and
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: making sure you're all on the same page page in
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: terms of what you want to teach. I think the
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: other thing then is you know, the acquisition of talent.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: You know what where do we need to go, and
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: you know whether it's the retention of certain guys. But
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: those are all the decisions that are going to be
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: made here in the next month, and I'm looking forward
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: to getting to work on that and obviously getting reacquainted
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: with so many guys that we shared great things with
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: a couple.
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: Of years ago.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: How closely have you stayed in contact with Zach and
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: how closely have you followed the team.
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: I'm not a big.
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: You know, I'm not a big phone guy or whatever,
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: But I think the one thing is just how much
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: respect that I've had for Zach and just wishing him
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: good luck and then he doing the same. Or whether
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: you know Darren Simmons or Joey Bose or whoever it is,
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: you know, just guys that I have an incredible familiarity
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: with respect for. And then just knowing how hard to is,
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: you know, to win and win consistently, and and just
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: making sure those guys know we're always We're always thinking
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: of them. We were great fans when we weren't here,
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: and uh, just an honor to be back and uh
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: and and call ourselves Bangles again.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: What are your most vivid memories of Super Bowl fifty six?
• 18:17
  Speaker 2: The probably the most vivid memory is probably not a
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: great one.
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: It was when the confetti was falling.
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: Just it was surreal, you know, uh, that that it
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: was over and we and we came up short. And
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: I think, you know, having been in the last game
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: of the year, you know, three years apart is something special.
• 18:39
  Speaker 2: And uh, I know Zach feels this way. You know,
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: we got to do everything we can to get back
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: there and and hopefully rewrite that last little script.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: You came down to meet with me right after being
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: upstairs and meeting with Mike Brown. What is it about
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: Mike that allowed you to develop a tight bond with him?
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: Number One, He's so easy to talk to. It's like
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: talking to your father or grandfather. I just think he's
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: a people's person. You know, he's part of the fabric
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: of the community. And that's the thing I think, just
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: the family just you know, you're walking in you get
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: hugs from Katie and Troy and Elizabeth and Caroline and
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: PB and just it's just it's a you know, you
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: feel like you're part of a family and it makes
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: you feel good because you feel like that in some way,
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: maybe you improved it the last time you were here
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: and maybe that's why this opportunity was available now.
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: But mister Brown is.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: You know, it's amazing for him, you know, to be
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: you know, still hands on and it means the world
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: to him.
• 19:49
  Speaker 3: And what would be what.
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: Would be more meaningful for all of us to bring
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: a championship to him.
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: There are a lot of Cincinnati connections on the Notre
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: Dame staff, Marcus Freeman, obviously, Gino Goodueling, Mike Nickens and others.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: Did you guys talk about Cincinnati frequently?
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: Crazy?
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: We're all fans. I mean, we're all no, we all
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: wanted the Bengals to win, you know. And uh, you
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: know Doug Rossfeld, you know, he was coaching at Moeller
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: when I was, you know, head.
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: Coach in college.
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: You know, so I would I would you know, go
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: by there or he sent us some players and that
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: kind of thing. So just that the connections are are.
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: There's no escape in those connections. And the one thing
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: that everybody says is the same thing, the sense of
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: community here, how special the place is. And uh, it's
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: a place that a lot of people love to call home.
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: You know, these these high schools in this area. This
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: is like colleges in other places. The alumni, the sense
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: of family. Uh, and it doesn't matter, you know, where
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: you go in this area. It's just amazing how proud
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: people are to say that I went to mol I
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: went to say An, Next, I went to Elder. You know,
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: I can go on and on, but you get the idea.
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: It's just a it's just a really special place.
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: He been very successful college head coach at Temple in Miami.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: You coach offense and defense in the NFL. You've been
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: a defensive coordinator at a couple of stops in college football.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: How have all of these experiences added up to make
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: you the person that can help take the Cincinnati defense
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: to the next level.
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: Well, I think you know you talked earlier about being
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: flexible and being collaborative.
• 21:21
  Speaker 3: I think those are those are.
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: You know, everybody wants to be empowered, And how people
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: work best is when you give them a job to
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: do and then you give them all the resources, time,
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: energy they need to be successful on it. And for me,
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: I think I do a really good job and plotting
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: the course and then letting the guys work, you know,
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: and being there to support every every you know, every
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: step of the way. And I think whatever it takes
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: for us to add up to more. Like at the
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: end of the day, that's what the NFL is. It's
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: like Nascar, right, everybody's got the same car, everybody's got
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: the same tires, everybody's got the same gas. You know,
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: how do we how do how does our you know,
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: our culture to collect capacity of our people create more
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: value on any given Sunday than our opponents. And that's
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: what we're trying to do. And I think that starts
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: with our leadership in Zach and Darren and Pitch and
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: myself and obviously if everybody on the staff feels like
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: they have a voice and they feel like they have
• 22:18
  Speaker 2: something to contribute, then man, I'm going to you know, ideas,
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: ideas are important.
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: Great to have you back, Appreciate your time to work
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: with you again.
• 22:28
  Speaker 3: Great to see you.
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: That's going to do it for this episode of the
• 22:31
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• 23:00
  Speaker 1: I'm Dan Horde and thanks for listening to The Bengals
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: Booth Podcast.