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Bengals Booth Podcast: A Wishin' and Hopin' · Bengals Booth Podcast

0:03
Speaker 1: I get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
0:06
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast. The wishing and hoping and thinking
0:12
Speaker 1: and praying addition, as the Bengals look to stun the
0:16
Speaker 1: NFL by climbing into a first place tie with Baltimore
0:19
Speaker 1: after the first seven weeks of the season, coming up,
0:22
Speaker 1: I'll talk to the person I consider to be the
0:25
Speaker 1: best ever at calling football games on the radio, Kevin Harlan. Kevin,
0:29
Speaker 1: of course, also calls games on TV, and he'll have
0:32
Speaker 1: the Bengals and Ravens this week on CBS. My one
0:35
Speaker 1: on one player interview is with rookie Chris Evans, who
0:38
Speaker 1: had a huge game last week in the same stadium
0:41
Speaker 1: where he works security two years earlier. He'll share that
0:45
Speaker 1: remarkable story. Dave Lapplom joins me to discuss the latest
0:48
Speaker 1: Bengals news and share some keys to beating Baltimore. And finally,
0:52
Speaker 1: it's our Know the Faux segment as we discuss Lamar
0:55
Speaker 1: Jackson in the first place Ravens with former Ravens linebacker
0:59
Speaker 1: Brad Jax. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals,
1:04
Speaker 1: the free to play next level fantasy football game downloaded
1:08
Speaker 1: now from the App Store and Google Play. And here's
1:11
Speaker 1: a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition
1:14
Speaker 1: of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or
1:17
Speaker 1: computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the
1:21
Speaker 1: greatest thing since the kindness of Kevin Harlan. You'll hear
1:27
Speaker 1: my interview with him in just a moment, but first
1:29
Speaker 1: a quick story. Kevin's been a friend of mine for
1:32
Speaker 1: a few years and we usually catch up whenever he
1:34
Speaker 1: calls a Bengals game. That was the case back in
1:37
Speaker 1: Week three, and I mentioned then that I would love
1:40
Speaker 1: to get him on the podcast the next time. He
1:42
Speaker 1: was assigned to call Cincinnati, So when I saw that
1:45
Speaker 1: he was doing this week's game, I emailed him and
1:48
Speaker 1: asked if he had time available on Tuesday. He got
1:51
Speaker 1: right back to me and said sure. What I didn't
1:54
Speaker 1: realize is that he had just done the NFL game
1:57
Speaker 1: in London and was flying all the way to Los
2:00
Speaker 1: Angeles to call an NBA game later on Tuesday night.
2:04
Speaker 1: He could have easily said, hey, can we do it
2:07
Speaker 1: another time, and I would have completely understood, But despite
2:11
Speaker 1: his globe trotting schedule, he made time for me and
2:14
Speaker 1: now you You might say that Kevin Harlan has regard
2:20
Speaker 1: for human life. Look it up. Now here's our conversation.
2:27
Speaker 1: He has my son, Sam's favorite broadcaster, and Sam has
2:31
Speaker 1: impeccable taste. The two time National Sportscaster of the Year,
2:35
Speaker 1: Kevin Harlan, Kevin, great to have you on with us.
2:38
Speaker 1: You called the Bengals game in Week three when they
2:40
Speaker 1: went to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers. What impressed you
2:43
Speaker 1: that day and what's impressed you about Cincinnati so far
2:46
Speaker 1: this year? Always Dan a pleasure to join you, and
2:48
Speaker 1: you tell Sam thank you, But he's got the best
2:51
Speaker 1: dad in the world. But thank you for that comment.
2:53
Speaker 1: And I'm anxious to see the Bengals again this weekend.
2:57
Speaker 1: I just see him with the different swagger defensively. Certainly
3:00
Speaker 1: we know the improvements Burrow, the response he has made
3:05
Speaker 1: to the blown knee and subsequent rehab. Dan has been
3:09
Speaker 1: has been one of the most untold stories as well
3:12
Speaker 1: as he's been able to come back and find his
3:15
Speaker 1: paces after what was a great rookie year until it
3:19
Speaker 1: ended so abruptly in November. Um, I'm impressed with everything.
3:23
Speaker 1: It seems like there's just a better link, a communicative
3:28
Speaker 1: way of operating on both sides the ball that maybe
3:32
Speaker 1: had not quite been there in the last couple of years.
3:35
Speaker 1: It just seems like they're really all on the same page.
3:37
Speaker 1: It's reflected I believe in their record and it's it's
3:42
Speaker 1: good to see them, I think have some payoff for
3:45
Speaker 1: what they've put into it with the new staff a
3:47
Speaker 1: couple of years ago, the chances I'm taking a Heisman
3:50
Speaker 1: Trophy winner, but the number one overall picking on an
3:53
Speaker 1: Ohio kid like Joe Burrow, and then and then to
3:57
Speaker 1: have just you know, some response in this year for
4:03
Speaker 1: Zach and what he's trying to build and put his
4:05
Speaker 1: fingerprints on everything. Joe Burrow has now played in sixteen
4:10
Speaker 1: NFL games, so he's played a full season, twenty seven
4:13
Speaker 1: touchdown passes, a passer rating over ninety five. You've seen
4:16
Speaker 1: him a few times. You called his debut last year
4:18
Speaker 1: at Paul Brown Stadium. What do you find special about
4:21
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow? I like his composure in the pocket. I
4:25
Speaker 1: like his ability to pull the trigger and find the
4:28
Speaker 1: escape atch. His timing is usually right on. He makes
4:32
Speaker 1: the reads I think faster than a lot of second
4:36
Speaker 1: year quarterbacks. But as you say, he's only really got
4:38
Speaker 1: one full season in his pocket. I think he has
4:43
Speaker 1: commanded the respect of the locker room, and you can
4:45
Speaker 1: see that by the way the team responds to him
4:48
Speaker 1: on the sideline and on the field. I love his
4:51
Speaker 1: demeanor when we get the close ups through the face
4:53
Speaker 1: mask of a expression that does not change. He always
4:58
Speaker 1: seems to be And that's what you want, right, I mean,
5:00
Speaker 1: you want a quarterback whose pulse does not quicken, and
5:04
Speaker 1: whose pulse is basically the same. Good player, bad big
5:08
Speaker 1: completion or interest or you know whatever. And he's he's
5:11
Speaker 1: got that. He's found that nice space. Now listen, this
5:14
Speaker 1: kid's gonna play many years in the NFL, hopefully all
5:18
Speaker 1: with the Bengals. But if the early returns are anything
5:22
Speaker 1: to gauge on what's ahead, I mean, this is going
5:25
Speaker 1: to be a wonderful story, a paid off number one
5:28
Speaker 1: overall pick and a nice continuation of what he finished
5:31
Speaker 1: at LSU and has started in the NFL's He is
5:35
Speaker 1: a special quarterback and you can see a foundational piece
5:39
Speaker 1: we are visiting with a greade Kevin Harlan. It's Burrow
5:42
Speaker 1: versus Lamar Jackson. This Sunday in Baltimore. No player in
5:46
Speaker 1: the NFL has provided more great highlights over the last
5:49
Speaker 1: three plus years than Lamar Jackson. And if there's a
5:51
Speaker 1: signature play so far, it was probably his forty seven
5:55
Speaker 1: yard whirling dervish run at Paul Brown Stadium a couple
5:59
Speaker 1: of years ago. As you famously called it. He is Whodini.
6:04
Speaker 1: You've been doing this for a long time. Have you
6:06
Speaker 1: seen an NFL player more exciting than Lamar Jackson. It's
6:11
Speaker 1: hard to compare. I mean, I know people will will
6:13
Speaker 1: drift back to Michael Vick, Randall Cunningham, and I hope
6:17
Speaker 1: they're not doing it because they were runners almost first
6:19
Speaker 1: before they threw. I think this kid is different. I
6:25
Speaker 1: do think he is still the single most elusive player
6:28
Speaker 1: at any position right now in the league. I think
6:30
Speaker 1: he has that god given ability. I think also he's
6:34
Speaker 1: a football junkie. I sense dan that he's a kid
6:38
Speaker 1: that loves a lot of time in the film room,
6:40
Speaker 1: extra practice time after it's all over, a lot of
6:44
Speaker 1: time in the books, studying the plays, a lot of
6:47
Speaker 1: questions for his coaches. I just think he's not that
6:50
Speaker 1: the other guys weren't. I just think we're in an
6:53
Speaker 1: era of NFL football where the quarterback has got to
6:58
Speaker 1: be so ubiquitous in his feel and touch of all
7:01
Speaker 1: elements of that offense that you can't just be a
7:04
Speaker 1: singular kind of player. You can't be an A or B.
7:08
Speaker 1: You've got to be like the entire alphabet, and I
7:10
Speaker 1: think he encompasses a lot of that. When he was drafted,
7:14
Speaker 1: it was, oh, you're getting a running quarterback. Can you
7:16
Speaker 1: change him? They thought, you know people, maybe they wouldn't,
7:20
Speaker 1: maybe they couldn't, But clearly he has shown he's got
7:25
Speaker 1: a huge appetite for the entire offense. Greg Roman, as
7:29
Speaker 1: the coordinator, you're familiar so much with that Baltimore's team
7:32
Speaker 1: and what they do and the quality of the coaching
7:34
Speaker 1: and the organization. You know, they don't leave many stones unturned.
7:39
Speaker 1: Clearly they had to see something when he was playing
7:41
Speaker 1: at Louisville that he could hit this type of target,
7:47
Speaker 1: and he has, and I think it's only expanding. As
7:50
Speaker 1: high as I am on Borrow, and I am very
7:53
Speaker 1: big on him, I'm just as or not more so
7:56
Speaker 1: on Lamar. I think he has done everything that they've
8:00
Speaker 1: asked them to do and then some. And I don't
8:02
Speaker 1: think that story is near complete. So this brings together
8:07
Speaker 1: two of the wonderful young quarterbacks in the weird in
8:10
Speaker 1: this league. You know, old Roethlisk. Burger's going to retire,
8:13
Speaker 1: and Rogers is soon to go, and Brady's gonna go,
8:15
Speaker 1: and Breeze is gone and there goes Manning. And like,
8:17
Speaker 1: we lose all these names that are like historic NFL quarterback,
8:22
Speaker 1: high accomplished guys, and now we've got this whole other,
8:27
Speaker 1: brand new wave. The Burroughs, the Jacksons, you know, the Murray's,
8:32
Speaker 1: Like all these kids are now filling in that supposed
8:36
Speaker 1: void that all these veterans were going to leave. It
8:38
Speaker 1: just goes to show you, in this league, with great coaching,
8:42
Speaker 1: the right pick in the right system, and then the
8:44
Speaker 1: right makeup of these kids coming out of school, there
8:47
Speaker 1: is every bit as much in that well as it
8:50
Speaker 1: was when the Mannings and the Bradies and the Rodgers
8:52
Speaker 1: were all drafted themselves. It's wonderful to see sure he is.
8:57
Speaker 1: We're visiting with Kevin Harland, who will call Sunday's game
9:00
Speaker 1: on CBS. The Ravens are in first. They're five and one.
9:03
Speaker 1: The Bengals are in second. They're four and two. Cincinnati
9:06
Speaker 1: about a seven point underdog in the game. If the
9:10
Speaker 1: Bengals could pulled off the upset, what do you think
9:13
Speaker 1: that would say about where Cincinnati is right now? Huge?
9:16
Speaker 1: I think it would say a lot, because there is
9:18
Speaker 1: no team hotter right now than Baltimore and with only
9:21
Speaker 1: a loss. And I did that game in Las Vegas,
9:24
Speaker 1: DAN on Monday night to begin the season, and it
9:28
Speaker 1: was a weird, you know, confluence of events that they lost,
9:31
Speaker 1: like they played exceptionally well. No team has had a
9:36
Speaker 1: backfield as devastated. No team has probably lost as many
9:40
Speaker 1: key defensive players in a year's time. They lost Marcus
9:43
Speaker 1: Peters before that first game out for the year, and
9:47
Speaker 1: then they lost Judon who was a terrific edge rusher
9:49
Speaker 1: for him to free agency. He went to New England
9:52
Speaker 1: and those are two pretty big defensive signature players for him.
9:56
Speaker 1: So they've come back losing their backfield they got they
10:00
Speaker 1: got kissed with Latavius Murray being out there after has
10:04
Speaker 1: let go by New Orleans fits perfectly with their scheme
10:08
Speaker 1: and running the ball, so like everything has kind of
10:11
Speaker 1: gone back into place. We know they're a winning organization
10:15
Speaker 1: with a terrific resilience certainly by what they've shown, and
10:19
Speaker 1: I think right now no team is hotter in the
10:22
Speaker 1: NFL than the Baltimore Ravens. So if the Bengals go
10:26
Speaker 1: in there and can capture a division win, I think
10:29
Speaker 1: it puts on very firm footing a notice to the
10:34
Speaker 1: entire league. This is a different Cincinnati team, albeit with
10:38
Speaker 1: a young quarterback and maybe overall with the years that
10:41
Speaker 1: Zach has been there, kind of a young developing program.
10:44
Speaker 1: But clearly they have hit on all the free agent
10:48
Speaker 1: for the most part, all the free agent signings. The
10:51
Speaker 1: rebuild is intact, the direction is firm, and like I said,
10:55
Speaker 1: I think it sends a very distinct and loud message
10:58
Speaker 1: to the NFL. Thank for Kevin Harlan. I do a
11:01
Speaker 1: college game on Saturday and the Bengals on Sunday. People think,
11:05
Speaker 1: I'm busy. You did an NFL game in London last weekend.
11:09
Speaker 1: You're doing the NBA game tonight. You'll have the Bengals
11:12
Speaker 1: and Ravens on Sunday. How do you do it? Just
11:16
Speaker 1: like you do? What do you mean? What are you
11:18
Speaker 1: talking about? I follow you, I look at your schedule. Now,
11:21
Speaker 1: how how is he going to get from that night game?
11:23
Speaker 1: To the Bengals the next afternoon. I think about that
11:25
Speaker 1: all the time. Plus I'm such a fan, so I am.
11:28
Speaker 1: I am in that world following your travels, and boy,
11:31
Speaker 1: you've got two fun teams to call. Um, you know
11:34
Speaker 1: it's it's it's not. It looks a lot worse, I
11:37
Speaker 1: think on paper than it really is. You prioritize. I
11:41
Speaker 1: know you do the same thing. You prioritize with what's
11:43
Speaker 1: coming up. You fill your head with as much as
11:46
Speaker 1: you can before the kickoff or the tip off, and
11:50
Speaker 1: you'll let it rip. And I think there probably is
11:53
Speaker 1: is no other I mean, you know we could. There
11:55
Speaker 1: are only so many hours in the day, and then
11:58
Speaker 1: the other hours you're sleeping or eaten, we're staying hydrated,
12:01
Speaker 1: which I know both you and I do so um,
12:05
Speaker 1: you know it's but listen, you know, I think I
12:09
Speaker 1: speak for you. But we're both living the lives we
12:13
Speaker 1: dreamt about living and feel so unbelievably lucky and blessed
12:18
Speaker 1: to be in this position to call multiple games and
12:24
Speaker 1: be in the kind of position we're in. This is
12:26
Speaker 1: what we dreamt of. So if we have understanding homes,
12:29
Speaker 1: and I think we both do. In families, they're letting
12:32
Speaker 1: us kind of live out this this dream that you
12:35
Speaker 1: and I had both we were fourteen years old, and
12:38
Speaker 1: here we all are in our fifties and sixties and
12:40
Speaker 1: we're still doing it. I don't know if that speaks
12:42
Speaker 1: ill of us or like that they're nuts, but for
12:44
Speaker 1: some somehow right it all works, which we're very thankful for.
12:47
Speaker 1: I couldn't have put it any better myself. This has
12:50
Speaker 1: been a treat. It's always so great to hear your voice.
12:52
Speaker 1: Have a great call tonight and the NBA, and I
12:55
Speaker 1: look forward to seeing you in Baltimore. I'll look for
12:57
Speaker 1: you in the press box. Dan, you know how much
12:59
Speaker 1: I think of you, know and I respect more. Thank
13:01
Speaker 1: you for your time. And I am a big Bengals fan,
13:05
Speaker 1: but maybe a bigger Dan Horde fan, so it's it's
13:07
Speaker 1: always fun to visit. Thank you. Kevin will do a
13:10
Speaker 1: great job on Sunday, as he always does, but he
13:12
Speaker 1: will truly shine on Monday night when he calls the
13:16
Speaker 1: Seahawks Saints game on the radio for Westwood One. He
13:20
Speaker 1: is the gat at calling football games on the radio.
13:25
Speaker 1: Up next, my one on one visit with Ricky running
13:27
Speaker 1: back Chris Evans, who had a great game last Sunday
13:30
Speaker 1: in Detroit, and as we later learned, it was the
13:33
Speaker 1: perfect place for him to shine. There's anybody that stared
13:37
Speaker 1: at a light bulb knows that it takes a second
13:40
Speaker 1: or two for your eyes to adjust after that happens.
13:43
Speaker 1: That basically happened to you on your touchdown catch last
13:46
Speaker 1: week in Detroit, Right, yes, sir, Yes, sir. It was
13:48
Speaker 1: those running and I went through the lights, and I
13:51
Speaker 1: was kind of like, I kind of seen it come out,
13:53
Speaker 1: but see it go into lights, but I didn't see
13:56
Speaker 1: it come out, and I was just tommed it up
13:58
Speaker 1: right and just hopefully came down with us said, that's amazing.
14:02
Speaker 1: Did you basically put your hands in the spot that
14:04
Speaker 1: you thought the ball was going to be and then
14:06
Speaker 1: more or less hope that they would stick. Yeah. I
14:09
Speaker 1: kind of like it was kind of like a quick
14:11
Speaker 1: calculation of how like the trajectory of the ball, how
14:14
Speaker 1: fast I was running and winning to go through the
14:16
Speaker 1: light because I knew it was gonna go to the light,
14:17
Speaker 1: so I just just pin my hands out and just
14:20
Speaker 1: it was a prayer. Really, I sat on the radio
14:22
Speaker 1: that very few running backs in the NFL could have
14:25
Speaker 1: made that catch. Do you juggle? Were you a center
14:29
Speaker 1: fielder as a kid? Is there an explanation for why
14:31
Speaker 1: you have such good hands? I grew up playing quarterback,
14:36
Speaker 1: and then as soon as I got transitioned to UM,
14:41
Speaker 1: my position was receiver. So I was. I was a
14:43
Speaker 1: receiver all throughout the high school Michigan, and I'm saying,
14:46
Speaker 1: was recruit me as a receiver, slot type of guy.
14:49
Speaker 1: And then when I went to Michigan, they pissing weight
14:51
Speaker 1: on me and then wanted me to play running back.
14:54
Speaker 1: But I always had the fundamentals, and I learned the
14:56
Speaker 1: fundamentals a receiver, and I always I know, if you
14:58
Speaker 1: can kiss the ball like you can, you know what
15:00
Speaker 1: I'm saying, he can solve half of your problem, especially
15:02
Speaker 1: being a receiver. You know what I'm saying. So I
15:04
Speaker 1: just did that to that and and I use it
15:07
Speaker 1: not to this day. We're chatting with Chris Evans. So
15:10
Speaker 1: on that play, you're out wide to the left, Jalen Reeves, Maybeen,
15:13
Speaker 1: a two hundred and thirty pound linebacker, gets right up
15:15
Speaker 1: in your grill and press coverage. Do you know right
15:18
Speaker 1: away he's toasted? Yeah? I was on same thing happened
15:23
Speaker 1: in um at the Miami game when um, the linebacker
15:27
Speaker 1: pressed to me, and I was just as soon as
15:29
Speaker 1: he pressed me. It was we kind of got out
15:31
Speaker 1: in the set and like there wasn't a play call,
15:33
Speaker 1: but I kind of looked at him like, okay, we
15:35
Speaker 1: might audible to something, you know, I'm saying that this
15:38
Speaker 1: good to this look, and then he gave me the
15:40
Speaker 1: slang go and I just hit him with the one
15:42
Speaker 1: too and then got out of it. You certainly hit
15:46
Speaker 1: him with a one too. We're talking to Chris Evans.
15:48
Speaker 1: You spoke to reporters on Monday, and we learned that
15:51
Speaker 1: scoring your first touchdown at Ford Field in Detroit was
15:55
Speaker 1: almost like a Hollywood script. Can you explain the remarkable
15:59
Speaker 1: significance of wing at there? Yeah, definitely. Um. After my
16:03
Speaker 1: twenty eighteen season in Michigan, I got suspended, and UM,
16:06
Speaker 1: I was I was working a couple of jobs and
16:10
Speaker 1: I did some things in the community with some with
16:12
Speaker 1: some UM some athletes and some younger kids from eight
16:14
Speaker 1: year olds and stuff, and UM, they um, there's a
16:18
Speaker 1: fundraising opportunity that we could go to for the field
16:21
Speaker 1: and help work to work the security and raise money
16:24
Speaker 1: for the program. So in twenty nineteen, I did that.
16:26
Speaker 1: I got to see one of my teammates play Jabrill
16:28
Speaker 1: Peppers when I was the Giants versus the Lions. Got
16:31
Speaker 1: to see that, and I was always like, you knowna
16:32
Speaker 1: be out there one day, you know what I'm saying,
16:34
Speaker 1: And I just gotta get through this stuff. You know,
16:36
Speaker 1: I'm gonna get through the process and stuff like that.
16:38
Speaker 1: So going going to Detroit, I was, I was so
16:41
Speaker 1: hype for the game and I walked through. I told
16:43
Speaker 1: one of my teammates like, man, I can't wait for
16:45
Speaker 1: this game, Like I just can't wait for it. Um,
16:47
Speaker 1: those eight year olds I was talking about their parents
16:49
Speaker 1: got a suite at the stadium and I got to
16:51
Speaker 1: score in the opposite ends alone to where I was
16:53
Speaker 1: working at in twenty nineteen. So that that just meant
16:57
Speaker 1: a lot to me, just so I could the kids
16:58
Speaker 1: got to see me score and they was and I'm
17:00
Speaker 1: saying it was with me through twenty nineteen. So it
17:02
Speaker 1: was kind of you know what I'm saying, It was
17:03
Speaker 1: good for me and and happy they got to see that.
17:06
Speaker 1: So twenty nineteen, you're wearing a vest work in security.
17:09
Speaker 1: Two years later, you're scoring a touchdown in an NFL game.
17:12
Speaker 1: Does that seem as amazing to you? Is it? That's
17:14
Speaker 1: to me? Yeah, it's I mean, I always it was
17:19
Speaker 1: during that twenty nineteen it was hard to see it. It
17:20
Speaker 1: It was really really hard to see it. But I
17:23
Speaker 1: just try to, you know what I'm saying, keep the
17:24
Speaker 1: distractions out and just try to lock in and just
17:27
Speaker 1: being I really didn't think about it as much because
17:29
Speaker 1: I didn't want to end I'm saying, like get emotional
17:31
Speaker 1: or nothing. So I just know what I'm saying, stayed
17:33
Speaker 1: locked in and just because like who knew I was
17:35
Speaker 1: gonna like be here at this point at this point
17:38
Speaker 1: in time. So I'm just blessed for the opportunities. So
17:41
Speaker 1: in addition to scoring the touchdown, you made three tackles
17:43
Speaker 1: and special teams and made a heck of a block
17:46
Speaker 1: picking up a blitzing cornerback on a fifty three yard
17:49
Speaker 1: pass to Jamar Chase. Was that block a big deal
17:53
Speaker 1: to you? Yeah? I think the block in a couple
17:57
Speaker 1: of tackles that I had, I really like, I feel
17:59
Speaker 1: like that meant more to me because the touchdown. I've
18:02
Speaker 1: been doing that since training camp, So I don't think
18:05
Speaker 1: that was like a surprise to anybody. But the block
18:08
Speaker 1: is something that I really like been focusing on and
18:11
Speaker 1: it's kind of hard to like get the opportunity because
18:13
Speaker 1: you can be out there, but like, you know what
18:15
Speaker 1: I'm saying, you might not get this. You know what
18:17
Speaker 1: I'm saying, you might not get an opportunity. Always got
18:19
Speaker 1: to be ready. So when I seen that, when I
18:21
Speaker 1: seen him blitz, I was like, listen, I got one
18:23
Speaker 1: shot at this, you know what I'm saying, because I
18:25
Speaker 1: might not get another shot at this, and if I do,
18:27
Speaker 1: it might not be the you know what I'm saying.
18:29
Speaker 1: So it was it's so much stuff going on, so
18:30
Speaker 1: and I knew that the you know what I'm saying,
18:32
Speaker 1: the geo role and what they're trying to you know
18:34
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. And for me into I just that
18:36
Speaker 1: was a big That was a big play for me,
18:38
Speaker 1: just to prove them that I could do it the
18:40
Speaker 1: geo role. So you were wearing the number twenty five,
18:42
Speaker 1: Giovanni Bernard's old number, and at some point this year
18:45
Speaker 1: the coaches gave you some clips of him showing off
18:48
Speaker 1: his ability as a blitz peck up guy. He was
18:50
Speaker 1: always really good at that. What did you learn from
18:53
Speaker 1: watching him. He was always at the right place at
18:55
Speaker 1: the right time. Um. I mean he's undersized, and there
18:59
Speaker 1: was some some bigger he had to block some defensive
19:01
Speaker 1: linements sometimes and he just knocked up and just blocked him.
19:04
Speaker 1: But most most most thing I learned about him, it's
19:06
Speaker 1: it's a mindset, you know what I'm saying, Like, you
19:08
Speaker 1: can't just go out there and like halfway do it.
19:10
Speaker 1: Like if you're gonna do it, you gotta take pride
19:12
Speaker 1: in it and anything that comes. And I think it's
19:15
Speaker 1: really in the preparation, you know what I'm saying, Because
19:17
Speaker 1: I mean we've been Today's Wednesday. We had a day
19:20
Speaker 1: off yesterday. I kind of looked at the ravens Is
19:22
Speaker 1: Blitzes and it's like I don't even know where to start,
19:26
Speaker 1: Like how like I and then you know what I'm saying,
19:28
Speaker 1: And when you're out there, it's a million times faster.
19:30
Speaker 1: And then the guys are Klai's Campbell's six eight, and
19:33
Speaker 1: it's it's like a whole bunch of stuff going on.
19:35
Speaker 1: So it's gotta it's just the preparation. I think it's
19:37
Speaker 1: the preparation of the mindset, is what I learned from him.
19:39
Speaker 1: All right, last thing for Chris Savings. You share a
19:42
Speaker 1: name with the actor who plays Captain America. Do you
19:45
Speaker 1: have a favorite superhero that we should start thinking about
19:48
Speaker 1: for this Chris Savings, Uh, I don't know. I don't
19:53
Speaker 1: I'm necessary I got a favorite superhero, but I gotta
19:55
Speaker 1: you know, I like Batman. Um. One thing I like
19:58
Speaker 1: Batman is because he doesn't have a super like necessarily
20:01
Speaker 1: like everybody else. So he kind of like is uniquely
20:04
Speaker 1: like getting it out, getting out the mud, you know
20:06
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. Like, however, you gotta save the day.
20:08
Speaker 1: He saves the day, but he doesn't have any superspeed
20:10
Speaker 1: or does he can fly and stuff like Kenny fly.
20:13
Speaker 1: Oh not not on his own. He needs, you know,
20:16
Speaker 1: the Batmobile or the other things that help him do
20:19
Speaker 1: those things. You So he just he just making it work,
20:21
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, with the tools that he got,
20:23
Speaker 1: and he's saving the day. So that's why that's that's
20:25
Speaker 1: Batman for all right. We're gonna flash the bats signal
20:28
Speaker 1: into the Cincinnati sky when we need a big play
20:31
Speaker 1: out of Chris Evans. How's that? Yes, sir, I like
20:33
Speaker 1: you to like it. Appreciate your time congrats in a
20:35
Speaker 1: great game last week. Yes, so appreciate it. The Bengals
20:38
Speaker 1: drafted Chris in the sixth round with a pick they
20:41
Speaker 1: acquired from the Houston Texans in March. They traded Ryan
20:45
Speaker 1: Finlay to get that pick. The Bengals Booth Podcast is
20:49
Speaker 1: presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play fantasy football game.
20:54
Speaker 1: Ultimate Bengals will be awarding a weekly winner during the
20:57
Speaker 1: course of the season, with tickets, autographed merchandise, and money
21:01
Speaker 1: can't buy experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals
21:05
Speaker 1: in the app stores. Now. Now time to bring him
21:09
Speaker 1: my broadcast partner Dave Lapham to discuss the latest Bengals
21:12
Speaker 1: news and look ahead to Sunday's game in Baltimore. Lap
21:16
Speaker 1: I watched Inside the NFL last night and your pal
21:20
Speaker 1: Phil Simms drop this gem about Joe Burrow. When you
21:23
Speaker 1: watch Joe Burrow, you know what you're watching. You're watching
21:26
Speaker 1: the modern day Joe Montana. He's smooth, he's athletic, even
21:31
Speaker 1: got a little better arm than Joe did. Sorry Joe,
21:33
Speaker 1: but but he's doing a lot of great things. Joe
21:35
Speaker 1: Burrow is Before anybody says, how about winning a playoff game? First,
21:40
Speaker 1: we all know it's going to be hard for Joe
21:42
Speaker 1: Burrow to match Joe Montana's career achievements. But Phil Simms,
21:46
Speaker 1: a Super Bowl MVP quarterback, says he sees similarities in
21:52
Speaker 1: watching them play. What's your reaction. I can understand totally
21:55
Speaker 1: what he's saying. They're both Joe cool as well. I
21:58
Speaker 1: mean they have the same type of demeanor. Joe Montana
22:02
Speaker 1: never changed expression, Joe Barrow never changed his expression. The
22:07
Speaker 1: more crunch time of a game, the lower their heart
22:09
Speaker 1: rate gets. I mean they have they have a lot
22:11
Speaker 1: of similarities. I think. I think Phil Simms is onto
22:14
Speaker 1: something as he usually is. Plus, you know, he is
22:17
Speaker 1: a great quarterback himself, so he knows what he's looking
22:19
Speaker 1: at there in terms of physical attributes the quarterbacks have
22:23
Speaker 1: and what leads to success and that sort of thing.
22:27
Speaker 1: I can't disagree. And um, you know, you look at
22:31
Speaker 1: it and you say, man, what about the football intelligence.
22:34
Speaker 1: Joe Montana's was way up there. Joe Burrows is way
22:37
Speaker 1: up there as well. I mean there's there's a ton
22:40
Speaker 1: of similarities. Now, I just hope that that Zach Taylor
22:43
Speaker 1: and Joe Burrow have the same kind of run that
22:45
Speaker 1: Bill Walsh and Joe Montana had. That would be nice. Um.
22:48
Speaker 1: Like you said, there's there's a lot of extenuating circumstances.
22:52
Speaker 1: A surrounded quarterback that leads to you know, his overall success,
22:56
Speaker 1: but raw talent, standpoint, intangibles, physical attributes. There's a lot
23:02
Speaker 1: of similarities. I agree with them. Joe Montana cost you
23:05
Speaker 1: a Super Bowl ring as a player. It would be
23:07
Speaker 1: nice if Joe Burrow allowed you to call a Super
23:10
Speaker 1: Bowl title. Absolutely, he lost me a ring and also
23:15
Speaker 1: lost me a victory as a broadcaster when they lost
23:19
Speaker 1: Super Bowl twenty three as well to Joe Montana led
23:23
Speaker 1: minnesot excuse me to San Francisco forty nine ers. Bill
23:26
Speaker 1: Walsh and Joe Montana have some hardware like to have,
23:30
Speaker 1: that's for sure, all right. Let's transition to Jamaar Chase.
23:35
Speaker 1: In Week one, with thirty five seconds left and a half,
23:38
Speaker 1: he catches a fifty yard touchdown pass against the Vikings.
23:41
Speaker 1: The Bengals lead by seven at halftime. Week three, a
23:44
Speaker 1: thirty four yard touchdown pass with thirty seven seconds left
23:47
Speaker 1: in the half in Pittsburgh. The Bengals lead that game
23:50
Speaker 1: fourteen seven at a half. Week five, thirty six seconds
23:53
Speaker 1: left and a half a seventy yard touchdown pass to
23:56
Speaker 1: pull the Bengals within two. Against Green Bay last week,
24:00
Speaker 1: seventeen seconds left and a half a thirty four yard
24:03
Speaker 1: catch sets up a field goal as the half expires.
24:06
Speaker 1: These are incredibly important plays. What has Jamaar Chase meant
24:11
Speaker 1: to this team through six games? I mean a ton,
24:14
Speaker 1: it really has. I mean, you look at it. You're
24:17
Speaker 1: talking about a trend. I mean, all all those plays
24:20
Speaker 1: happen in six and six, his first six games of
24:23
Speaker 1: his NFL career. It's just it's it's remarkable how those
24:27
Speaker 1: guys um they're on They're on the same mental telepathy,
24:31
Speaker 1: you know, and they're on the same wavelength. Some of
24:33
Speaker 1: those plays were designed, some of those plays it was like,
24:37
Speaker 1: all right, I'm gonna I'm gonna come all the way
24:39
Speaker 1: across the football field and create a play and I'm
24:42
Speaker 1: gonna run in the same directions as Joe Burrows running,
24:45
Speaker 1: and I'm gonna make myself available to him and see
24:48
Speaker 1: if he finds me. And it's just amazing what they
24:51
Speaker 1: have going on. And they have complete trust in each other,
24:54
Speaker 1: complete faith in each other that they can they can
24:56
Speaker 1: make those kind of plays, and they're going to continue
24:58
Speaker 1: to make those kind of plays. I think. I mean,
25:01
Speaker 1: they're the biggest reason. You look at the numbers two
25:05
Speaker 1: minutes before half five of the six games, three touchdowns,
25:09
Speaker 1: two field goals that they've scored. It's really Joe Barrow
25:15
Speaker 1: or Jamar Chase. The only other team that's done what
25:17
Speaker 1: the Bengals have done at the end of the second
25:19
Speaker 1: quarter to be in the third quarter the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
25:22
Speaker 1: Other teams have been one of the other Tampa Bay
25:25
Speaker 1: shows up in the top five along with the Bengals
25:27
Speaker 1: in both categories. You start getting compared to Tom Brady
25:31
Speaker 1: and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That's high cotton. Next topic,
25:35
Speaker 1: Chris Evans. He got significant playing time for the first
25:39
Speaker 1: time last week since some i JP Ryan was on
25:41
Speaker 1: the COVID list. Caught a touchdown pass on the opening drive,
25:45
Speaker 1: the Bengals first opening drive score of the year. He
25:47
Speaker 1: had three special teams tack on. He had a great
25:50
Speaker 1: blitz pick up on the fifty three yard pass. Did
25:52
Speaker 1: Jamar Chase what do you think that's going to mean
25:55
Speaker 1: to his playing time going forward? Yeah, I think I
25:58
Speaker 1: think there was a lot of motivation and for him,
26:00
Speaker 1: you know, playing up in Detroit, there was a lot
26:02
Speaker 1: of personal motivation. I mean, you know, going back to
26:06
Speaker 1: his collegiate career, what happened to him at Michigan, and
26:09
Speaker 1: you know, things he was doing at that stadium as
26:12
Speaker 1: a result of what happened to him at Michigan as
26:14
Speaker 1: he's working you know, in the security team, trying to
26:18
Speaker 1: raise money for a charitable cause. I mean, it's just
26:22
Speaker 1: it's just remarkable. So I think he had a you know,
26:25
Speaker 1: in his mind, he had a lot on the line
26:27
Speaker 1: personally and individually. Now the key for him is going
26:30
Speaker 1: to be that that was his own like mini super Bowl.
26:33
Speaker 1: Now he's going to have to say, all right, that's
26:36
Speaker 1: what I'm gonna have to that's the bar that I'm
26:37
Speaker 1: going to have to try to get to every single week,
26:39
Speaker 1: and the coaches are going to be able to count
26:41
Speaker 1: on me for that kind of production on a week
26:43
Speaker 1: by week basis. You know, doing it once is phenomenal,
26:47
Speaker 1: but don't be in one trick pony. Don't do it once.
26:50
Speaker 1: Continue to do it, you know, again and again and again,
26:53
Speaker 1: and that's when you really start to earn a confidence
26:57
Speaker 1: of the coaches and they can trust what you're doing,
26:59
Speaker 1: and I think he's got the capability to do it.
27:02
Speaker 1: I think he's he's an unbelievable route runner and has
27:06
Speaker 1: got ball skills as good as you know a lot
27:08
Speaker 1: of wide receivers in the in the National Football League,
27:10
Speaker 1: And he's shown that he's got the intelligence and they
27:13
Speaker 1: want to to be good in blitz pick up. He's
27:17
Speaker 1: he's going to be, I think, another weapon to this
27:21
Speaker 1: offense that already has so many weapons. You start throwing
27:24
Speaker 1: him in there in the mix as well, My goodness, man,
27:27
Speaker 1: it's going to become a snootful to try to defend.
27:29
Speaker 1: I think a lot of people scoff when they hear
27:31
Speaker 1: coaches talked about running backs and say, hey, there's more
27:34
Speaker 1: to it than running the ball. They've got to be
27:36
Speaker 1: able to handle the blitz. Why is that such an
27:39
Speaker 1: important thing in the NFL in particular. Yeah, I mean
27:43
Speaker 1: that's where you can get your quarterbacks in a lot
27:46
Speaker 1: of trouble, you know, with free runners and unnecessary hits
27:49
Speaker 1: and open up a new canter quarterbacks. And you know,
27:51
Speaker 1: I've seen I've seen many times where you know, young
27:55
Speaker 1: running backs will go the wrong way, the exact opposite
27:57
Speaker 1: of what they should be doing. They just totally you know,
28:01
Speaker 1: in their mind inverted and have those kind of issues,
28:04
Speaker 1: and you get guys that are just bearing down on
28:06
Speaker 1: the quarterback and the quarterback initially thinks that it's going
28:10
Speaker 1: to get taken care of. So now it's like if
28:13
Speaker 1: there's a reaction at all, it's a very late reaction.
28:15
Speaker 1: It's like, oh man, that was a that was a
28:17
Speaker 1: brain cramp there, but there's nothing I can do about
28:20
Speaker 1: it now. So, um if that, quarterbacks and coaches get
28:25
Speaker 1: queasy when when those kind of things happen. So he
28:29
Speaker 1: has shown that he understands it, understands all the concepts
28:34
Speaker 1: that go along with why he's doing what he's doing
28:36
Speaker 1: in blitz pick up, and he's he's able to execute
28:39
Speaker 1: it physically, So that that was the final component. I
28:43
Speaker 1: think now that they feel comfortable that he can execute
28:45
Speaker 1: that part of things, I think this guy's going to
28:47
Speaker 1: be the limit for him. Let's turn to the Bengals defense,
28:50
Speaker 1: fifth in the NFL and points allowed number two and
28:53
Speaker 1: yards allowed per play. However, they have not faced a
28:57
Speaker 1: prolific offense yet. Even the Packers are fifteenth and scoring
29:01
Speaker 1: twenty thirds in yards so far this year. The Steelers, Jags, Lions,
29:05
Speaker 1: and Bears are all in the bottom ten in scoring.
29:08
Speaker 1: Is the Bengals defense really good or have they feasted
29:12
Speaker 1: on offenses that aren't. Yeah, They're going to see much
29:15
Speaker 1: better offenses than they've seen, There's no question about it.
29:18
Speaker 1: And that's including this upcoming opponent. I think schematically that
29:26
Speaker 1: Greg Roman has done a phenomenal job building an offense
29:29
Speaker 1: around the talents that Lamar Jackson has instead of going
29:34
Speaker 1: the other way trying to cram him into a pro
29:36
Speaker 1: style offense that, particularly early in his career when he
29:41
Speaker 1: came from college to the National Football League might have
29:43
Speaker 1: been very, very difficult for him. He's basically said, all right,
29:46
Speaker 1: I know what his major attributes are with his skill set,
29:50
Speaker 1: and I'm going to build and create around that. And
29:52
Speaker 1: I think he did him an enormous favor and it
29:56
Speaker 1: goes I mean, Bishotti, the owners needs to take some credit.
30:00
Speaker 1: You know, Ozzy Knewsom that the general manager at the
30:04
Speaker 1: time when he was he was drafted, Ozzy said, you know,
30:07
Speaker 1: this is this the last pick of the draft. I
30:09
Speaker 1: got I gotta jump on this guy. This guy, this
30:12
Speaker 1: guy's too good. Eric de Costa has been involved in
30:14
Speaker 1: the thing, John Harbaugh, Greg Roman, I mean the entire
30:18
Speaker 1: organization made a commitment to building an offense around Lamar
30:22
Speaker 1: Jackson and has paid huge dividends. I mean, this offense
30:26
Speaker 1: has got a lot going on. I mean there are
30:29
Speaker 1: as creative in the running game in terms of personnel formations, motion,
30:33
Speaker 1: window dressing. They can do a lot of things. I
30:36
Speaker 1: mean they can run the option, they can run a
30:38
Speaker 1: power running game. And then not to mention, when he's
30:41
Speaker 1: throwing the football, and he's better throwing the football than
30:44
Speaker 1: people think, and he has gotten better every single year.
30:48
Speaker 1: When he gets out and extension creates, I mean, you know,
30:51
Speaker 1: you have to defend the first play and then there's
30:53
Speaker 1: a second play a lot of times that you have
30:54
Speaker 1: to defend because it's Lamar Jackson doing what he's doing
30:57
Speaker 1: in the magic that he's spinning out there. So puts
31:00
Speaker 1: a lot of pressure on a defense. And this will
31:02
Speaker 1: be the biggest challenge the Bengals have had defensively in
31:05
Speaker 1: terms of, you know, trust your eyes, make sure that
31:10
Speaker 1: you're where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to
31:12
Speaker 1: be there, and have confidence doing it, because hesitancy is
31:15
Speaker 1: the worst thing. If you're like stuck in your mind
31:18
Speaker 1: between a rock and a hard place. Should I do this?
31:20
Speaker 1: So should I do that? And you don't do anything,
31:23
Speaker 1: you're killing the football team. You have to make a decision,
31:26
Speaker 1: be confident it's the right decision, and go one hundred
31:29
Speaker 1: thousand miles an hour and so doing. We've got some
31:32
Speaker 1: roster news on Wednesday, as second year offensive lineman came
31:36
Speaker 1: identity was cleared to practice. He tore a pectoral muscle
31:40
Speaker 1: during OTA's I thought he was out for the year.
31:44
Speaker 1: Maybe he's not. Can he help? I think he can.
31:47
Speaker 1: I think that. You know, it is the beginning of
31:51
Speaker 1: the evaluation process for him, because, like Zach Taylor was
31:54
Speaker 1: saying this week, you know, he hasn't even put pads
31:57
Speaker 1: on yet. He did it in training as you mentioned,
32:00
Speaker 1: in the offseason toward the pectoral. So he hasn't really
32:04
Speaker 1: had any live activity on the practice field with Frank
32:08
Speaker 1: Pollock with his new techniques and everything else. Now, he
32:11
Speaker 1: has been very diligent you know, as a as a
32:15
Speaker 1: student of that mentally doing that kind of thing. I mean,
32:17
Speaker 1: he's been all over it. I was standing right next
32:20
Speaker 1: to him a training camp. A lot of a lot
32:22
Speaker 1: of the practices the Frank was out there at the
32:24
Speaker 1: offensive line. He was he was soaking it all in
32:26
Speaker 1: so and he's a pretty intelligent kid. So I don't
32:29
Speaker 1: think that's going to be a huge issue. But it's
32:31
Speaker 1: just going to be back to you know, now you
32:34
Speaker 1: have to get those guys. Think of all the reps
32:36
Speaker 1: they've had Dan muscle memory wise, I mean thousands of
32:40
Speaker 1: reps all through training camp now six games going into
32:43
Speaker 1: the seventh, you know, game of the season. The footwork
32:46
Speaker 1: and the hand place and all that is like automatic
32:49
Speaker 1: second nature with him. It's not quite yet, so he's
32:52
Speaker 1: got some catching up to do, you know, in that regard.
32:54
Speaker 1: But he's a talented kid. I mean, he's got some
32:57
Speaker 1: sweet feet now. I think he's got as good feet
32:59
Speaker 1: as any offensive line they got on the football team.
33:02
Speaker 1: It's going to be interesting to see how quickly he
33:04
Speaker 1: can progress and how far he can progress. So it's
33:07
Speaker 1: the Bengals and Ravens this week. Baltimore is the only
33:10
Speaker 1: five and one team in the AFC. There were four
33:13
Speaker 1: in the NFC, plus the Cardinals who are six and o,
33:15
Speaker 1: but Baltimore is the only five and one team in
33:17
Speaker 1: the AFC. Having said that they could be maybe even
33:21
Speaker 1: should be three and three. They kicked a sixty six
33:23
Speaker 1: yard field goal at the gun to beat the Lions
33:25
Speaker 1: in Detroit two weeks ago. If Colts kicker Rodrigo black
33:29
Speaker 1: and Ship didn't hurt his hip during the pregame warmups,
33:32
Speaker 1: there's probably no way they come back from a sixteen
33:34
Speaker 1: point deficit in the second half. So I guess the
33:37
Speaker 1: question is how good is Baltimore and what do the
33:41
Speaker 1: Bengals need to do to have a shot this week? Yeah,
33:45
Speaker 1: that's that's the big question. How good is Baltimore? You know,
33:49
Speaker 1: they're good enough to win those football games in some way,
33:52
Speaker 1: shape or form. I think they have, you know, immense
33:55
Speaker 1: confidence in themselves. They should, I mean, the organization there
34:00
Speaker 1: is they're as strong as anybody in their National Football League.
34:03
Speaker 1: And bottom line is they have a quarterback that's thirty
34:06
Speaker 1: five and eight in his first forty three starts, and
34:09
Speaker 1: you can, you know, evaluate and grade all the things
34:12
Speaker 1: you want to grade. The bottom line is scoring points
34:15
Speaker 1: and winning football games, you know, and scoring more points
34:17
Speaker 1: in the opposition. And he's done that, you know, better
34:20
Speaker 1: than anybody since the merger a seventy merger, thirty five
34:25
Speaker 1: wins before the age of thirty five. He's the only
34:27
Speaker 1: one to do before the excuse me, before the age
34:30
Speaker 1: of twenty five. Thirty five wins before the age of
34:32
Speaker 1: twenty five, the only one to do it. Dan Marino's
34:35
Speaker 1: next with thirty four, but he has won at a
34:38
Speaker 1: very very high rate. So I think, you know, they've
34:42
Speaker 1: got they've got immense confidence that no matter what the situation,
34:45
Speaker 1: whatever the circumstance, they're gonna win the football game, including
34:48
Speaker 1: a sixty six yard field goal by the greatest kicker
34:51
Speaker 1: ever playing in the National Football League, in my opinion,
34:54
Speaker 1: justin Tucker, when things like that happen, you know, you say, wow,
34:58
Speaker 1: you know, maybe destined, Maybe this is uh, this is
35:02
Speaker 1: our year. Maybe we are in for something uh special.
35:06
Speaker 1: But as a as a team that's watching it as
35:08
Speaker 1: an opponent, you say, they're not invincible. You know, they
35:11
Speaker 1: have to they have to pull rabbits out of the
35:13
Speaker 1: hat to win football games. You know, we can beat
35:16
Speaker 1: these guys. We need to go out there and what
35:18
Speaker 1: the Bengals need to do Dan is uh is most
35:22
Speaker 1: specifically than anything and this matchup is win the turnover battle.
35:27
Speaker 1: You know, as we know, it's been it's been crazy,
35:30
Speaker 1: uh When the Bengals win the turnover battle in this
35:33
Speaker 1: matchup against the Rains, they're fourteen and three when they don't.
35:36
Speaker 1: When they don't, they're two and twenty. So that's the reverse.
35:40
Speaker 1: When when Baltimore wins the turnover battle, they're twenty and two.
35:44
Speaker 1: When they lose it, they're three and fourteen. And then
35:46
Speaker 1: the Bengals when it's even Stephen, the Bengals haven't had
35:49
Speaker 1: seven seven four. So the bottom line is you don't
35:54
Speaker 1: want to be negative. You want to be even or
35:56
Speaker 1: plus in the turnover ratio. Uh first and four almost
36:00
Speaker 1: against these Baltimore Ravens. And then you know things like
36:07
Speaker 1: they're on both sides of the football, they're going to
36:09
Speaker 1: do something they haven't done all season long. So you
36:12
Speaker 1: have to know your rules and you have to be
36:14
Speaker 1: able to apply your rules. The great Paul Brown when
36:17
Speaker 1: he was coaching, I can vividly remember him saying, men,
36:21
Speaker 1: we've got a few rules here that we know are
36:25
Speaker 1: going to be able to apply to a myriad of
36:27
Speaker 1: different things that are going to happen to you out
36:29
Speaker 1: in the football field. And that's the key with this
36:31
Speaker 1: Baltimore raven deal, because they have all these different personnel
36:35
Speaker 1: groups and formations and window dressing motion everything offensively defensively.
36:40
Speaker 1: They are all different kinds of personnel packages and blitz
36:44
Speaker 1: packages and everything that goes along with it. And they
36:47
Speaker 1: blitz like forty five percent of the time. They've led
36:49
Speaker 1: the National Football League and blitz percentage the last three
36:52
Speaker 1: years and right now I think they're in the top
36:54
Speaker 1: four in terms of blitzing. So you know, you know
36:57
Speaker 1: they're going to come from everywhere. So I think if
37:00
Speaker 1: the coaches can come up with some sort of a
37:02
Speaker 1: game planer that has rules in it to say, all right,
37:06
Speaker 1: no matter what they do, we've got a core bunch
37:10
Speaker 1: of plays we can go to. When it starts to
37:13
Speaker 1: hit the fan, we can just say we're going to
37:16
Speaker 1: one of these guys, and we have all these rules
37:18
Speaker 1: that apply to everything, particularly on the road when it's loud,
37:21
Speaker 1: everybody's losing their mind. You know, if you've got if
37:24
Speaker 1: you've got a handful of plays that no matter what
37:27
Speaker 1: the circumstance they line up in, you can go execute
37:30
Speaker 1: and feel confident that at least you can, you know,
37:34
Speaker 1: hang in there, that's I think a big key in
37:36
Speaker 1: this football game. And they have to, you know, they
37:39
Speaker 1: have to be able to find I think that kind
37:41
Speaker 1: of formula. You know, no no turnovers, minimize penalties, minimize explosives,
37:49
Speaker 1: you know, all all the things you have to do.
37:50
Speaker 1: You can't let Lamar Jackson run all over the place.
37:53
Speaker 1: I mean, the last time these two teams played, the
37:56
Speaker 1: Ravens only got four hundred and four yards Russian. I mean,
37:59
Speaker 1: my goodness, you know, four football fields on the ground.
38:02
Speaker 1: That's that's I don't know, high school college mismatch stuff
38:07
Speaker 1: that doesn't happen in the National Football League, and it's
38:09
Speaker 1: not going to happen this week. I think, you know,
38:11
Speaker 1: it's going to be. I think it's going to be
38:13
Speaker 1: a really good football game. I think it'll probably come
38:16
Speaker 1: down to the gun. I think it'll be a one
38:18
Speaker 1: score game, and I think it's going to be one
38:20
Speaker 1: of those one of those type of slugfests that that
38:23
Speaker 1: you see in this division. When c j Uzamo was
38:27
Speaker 1: asked about handling Baltimore's blitzing, he said, I feel good
38:30
Speaker 1: about it because we have the smartest guy on the field,
38:33
Speaker 1: obviously referring to Joe Burrow. But last year, when Joe
38:36
Speaker 1: Burrow faced the Ravens defense for the one and only time.
38:39
Speaker 1: He wasn't around for Game two last year. That was
38:41
Speaker 1: the shakiest he's ever looked in an NFL game. How
38:45
Speaker 1: much does it help to have seen it once? I
38:47
Speaker 1: think it helps. He gets sacked seven times, you get
38:50
Speaker 1: hit fifteen times. But if I'm an offensive lineman that
38:53
Speaker 1: played in that game, I am personally apologizing to Joe
38:56
Speaker 1: Burrow for such a terrible performance because they just miscommunicated.
39:01
Speaker 1: There were more free erunners in that game than than
39:04
Speaker 1: there was in the Boston Marathon. I mean it's like
39:07
Speaker 1: they were everywhere. I mean they were. It was incredible.
39:11
Speaker 1: So they tighten that part of it up. And that's
39:14
Speaker 1: where I mean the communication and the first of all,
39:18
Speaker 1: on both sides of the football, recognition of what the
39:21
Speaker 1: hell they're doing to you and being able to communicate
39:23
Speaker 1: it up and down the line of scrimmage to each
39:25
Speaker 1: other and between position group levels. Defensively, that's going to
39:30
Speaker 1: be huge in this football game, and the biggest challenge
39:32
Speaker 1: is going to be offensively because of the crowd noise,
39:34
Speaker 1: they'll be quiet when the Ravens have the football. Defensively,
39:37
Speaker 1: they'll be able to communicate a hell of a lot
39:38
Speaker 1: easier than they'll be able to communicate offensively, but recognition
39:42
Speaker 1: of what they're doing and be able to pass it
39:44
Speaker 1: along and communicate it out is going to be is
39:47
Speaker 1: going to be huge because that was that was the
39:49
Speaker 1: biggest problem in that football game for Joe Burrow is
39:53
Speaker 1: he was ducking and dodging, bobbing and weaving. People are
39:56
Speaker 1: all over him. Um and then you know, turn the
39:59
Speaker 1: football over as result of it. So it starts up
40:02
Speaker 1: front like it always does. And I think if that
40:06
Speaker 1: group plays as one, five components playing as one, like
40:11
Speaker 1: making that fist that we talk about, I think they'll
40:13
Speaker 1: be off to a good start because I trust that
40:15
Speaker 1: if you give Joe Burrow an opportunity, he will capitalize.
40:20
Speaker 1: If you don't give him an opportunity, He's not superman.
40:23
Speaker 1: He's not superhuman. I mean, he can only he can
40:26
Speaker 1: only do so much. It doesn't take much chicken pooh
40:31
Speaker 1: to erect the chicken salad. You know knows a lot
40:33
Speaker 1: of chicken poo in the early States. Is that football
40:35
Speaker 1: game last year. That's a good segue to the final
40:39
Speaker 1: thing I have for you today. This is something I've
40:41
Speaker 1: never shared with you before. I hate tuna fish. The
40:46
Speaker 1: smell of tuna fish makes me gag. And you've befriended
40:50
Speaker 1: people that sit right in front of our broadcast location
40:53
Speaker 1: in Baltimore that inevitably turn around and hand you tuna
40:58
Speaker 1: fish sandwiches. Can you tell them this year you like
41:01
Speaker 1: roast beef, you like turkey, you like peanut butter and jelly,
41:05
Speaker 1: anything but the dreaded tuna fish sandwich. Oh? That that
41:08
Speaker 1: group of people, they're just incredible. Man, They're huge, They're
41:11
Speaker 1: huge fans. Got to be good buddies with them. Over
41:13
Speaker 1: the year. Has been there a lot, Now, I've been
41:15
Speaker 1: in Baltimore lot every single year. Yeah, I guess I
41:20
Speaker 1: don't know. Can you handle a crab cake? Absolutely? All right? Well,
41:24
Speaker 1: maybe we'll just say, hey, you know Baltimore. Baltimore is
41:26
Speaker 1: not known for tuna guys, how about a crab legg
41:30
Speaker 1: or a crab cake? What do you think about that?
41:33
Speaker 1: I will bear that in mind, though, and I will
41:35
Speaker 1: not open that tuna fish sandwich if they throw one
41:37
Speaker 1: up there, And I will respect my partner and not
41:41
Speaker 1: have you feeling queasy before the game. You're a good man.
41:44
Speaker 1: It's never been disputed, Thank you, Yes, sir, Let's take
41:48
Speaker 1: a closer look at this week's opponent. Lamar Jackson has
41:51
Speaker 1: started five games against the Bengals, in one all five.
41:55
Speaker 1: The first two were close is Baltimore won by three
41:57
Speaker 1: and six points. The last three have not been close.
42:01
Speaker 1: The final scores have been forty nine to thirteen, twenty
42:05
Speaker 1: seven to three, and thirty eight to three. This year,
42:09
Speaker 1: the Ravens are five and one, but could be maybe
42:12
Speaker 1: even should be three and three. Former Ravens and you
42:15
Speaker 1: see Bearcats linebacker Brad Jackson joined lapping me on the
42:19
Speaker 1: Bengals Game Plan show, and I asked him just how
42:22
Speaker 1: good he thinks this year's Ravens are. Well, the record is,
42:27
Speaker 1: as you guys know, it is what it is. You know,
42:29
Speaker 1: you'd rather be five and one than three and three
42:31
Speaker 1: or one to five. We all know how that goes.
42:34
Speaker 1: But right now they're still figuring things out. On Defense Week,
42:37
Speaker 1: Martinal obviously, who grew up in Dayton, went to Defiance
42:39
Speaker 1: and was a Bearcat coach of mine when I played
42:42
Speaker 1: at Universe Cincinnati, is our great defensive coordinator here, at
42:46
Speaker 1: least for one more year because there he'll probably be
42:49
Speaker 1: a head coach in the National Football League in the
42:51
Speaker 1: next year or so. But the defense has kind of
42:54
Speaker 1: been struggling. There's no you know as the inversion of
42:56
Speaker 1: run where they're third against the league against the past,
42:59
Speaker 1: which is probably going to be something that could be
43:02
Speaker 1: an advantage for the Bengals and Joe Burrow, you know,
43:05
Speaker 1: them being twenty fifth in the league and past defense
43:08
Speaker 1: has been kind of something that you know has people
43:11
Speaker 1: scratching their heads, you know here in Baltimore, but you
43:14
Speaker 1: know they stayed aggressive. You have you know what fourteen
43:17
Speaker 1: sacks by nine different players. Three of those players with
43:20
Speaker 1: sacks are defensive backs. So you know Wink is going
43:24
Speaker 1: to draw you know, crazy exotic Rex Ryan type of
43:29
Speaker 1: schemes to come at Joe Burrow, who you know, Marlon
43:32
Speaker 1: Humphrey said today. I don't know if you guys had
43:33
Speaker 1: a chance to hear it, but he gave he gave
43:35
Speaker 1: a lot of praise to Joe Burrow from watching the
43:37
Speaker 1: film to see that he is a tough guy, guy
43:41
Speaker 1: that will standing in there and has actually improved from
43:45
Speaker 1: last year to this year and his reason to throw.
43:47
Speaker 1: So a lot of compliments out of Baltimore, and even
43:50
Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson said today out here that you know, this
43:53
Speaker 1: is not a game that they can take the Bengals lightly,
43:56
Speaker 1: you know, maybe in the past, because obviously the last
43:58
Speaker 1: you know, three games I think it is, and outscored
44:00
Speaker 1: one hundred and fourteen to nineteen. So you know, going
44:04
Speaker 1: into the buyeweek coach hardball, uh and obviously the players
44:08
Speaker 1: are buying into that. You know, the Bengals are something
44:10
Speaker 1: to be reckoned with, obviously because the immense amount of
44:13
Speaker 1: talent that they have, uh, you know, on the offensive
44:16
Speaker 1: side the ball, and the fact that you know, the
44:18
Speaker 1: defense has played pretty well being fifth. I think you
44:20
Speaker 1: guys are fifth or six in the league right now,
44:23
Speaker 1: which you know, here we are in Baltimore, the defensive
44:25
Speaker 1: Star Wars, we're sitting around at eighteen. So um, you know,
44:28
Speaker 1: a lot of football have to be played, but those
44:31
Speaker 1: are that's the nutshell of what's going on. The offensive
44:34
Speaker 1: special the defense is kind of trying to come along.
44:37
Speaker 1: And obviously you already talked about Justin Tucker, you know,
44:39
Speaker 1: the all world kicker, uh that that has won the
44:43
Speaker 1: Ravens a few games with some you know, NFL record
44:46
Speaker 1: type of kicks you know that he had in Detroit.
44:50
Speaker 1: I think one of the interesting mix as you're getting
44:54
Speaker 1: ready to play the Baltimore Ravens. You know, you have
44:56
Speaker 1: to come out and be physical because the Ravens are
44:59
Speaker 1: that's that's for men tally, They're going to hit you
45:01
Speaker 1: in the mouth. But then you have to have your
45:03
Speaker 1: mind right because Greg Roman gives you so many different
45:07
Speaker 1: personnel groupings, formations, motion, window dressing, and then defensively, Don
45:13
Speaker 1: Wake Martindale gives you all these different looks, pressure packages.
45:16
Speaker 1: I mean, you have to be on your game mentally,
45:19
Speaker 1: and it's like, man, if you're not. If you're not
45:23
Speaker 1: up to snuff mentally, you're in trouble. If you're not
45:26
Speaker 1: up to snuff physically, you're in trouble. Some weeks you're
45:29
Speaker 1: only you only have to really focus in one area.
45:31
Speaker 1: But when you play the Ravens, you have to be
45:34
Speaker 1: right mentally, physically, emotionally, every way there is. You're gonna
45:39
Speaker 1: have to be right to go up against that football team. Yeah,
45:43
Speaker 1: and it was a great points lap. I mean, you
45:44
Speaker 1: know what you're talking about is what we all know
45:47
Speaker 1: is the toughest division in football, you know, for years,
45:52
Speaker 1: and that's the AFC North, you know, I mean you're
45:54
Speaker 1: talking about you have to have those same type of
45:58
Speaker 1: you know, principles, discipline and toughness, being physical, you know, uh,
46:02
Speaker 1: you know, making sure that you're handling your business and
46:05
Speaker 1: doing your job. You have to do that versus Pittsburgh,
46:07
Speaker 1: you know, versus you know, Cleveland is now coming along,
46:10
Speaker 1: you know, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Uh.
46:13
Speaker 1: You guys down there, you know, the Queen City, the Bengals,
46:15
Speaker 1: you know, now they're not just like, okay, we can
46:17
Speaker 1: just roll out of bed and you know, let's just
46:19
Speaker 1: take care of business. They'll they'll fold by halftime. You know.
46:22
Speaker 1: Now you have to play the entire four quarters. And
46:25
Speaker 1: it comes down to me, guys. I think that the
46:27
Speaker 1: key of this, and I know talking with Weink Martindale
46:30
Speaker 1: is going to be the turnover battle. So you know,
46:33
Speaker 1: when you dive into the numbers, I went back and
46:35
Speaker 1: looked at it all time. I'm sure you guys, because
46:38
Speaker 1: you guys are well versed and your profession as well,
46:41
Speaker 1: you know, have already done so. But it's one of
46:43
Speaker 1: the things that the team that wins the turnover battle.
46:45
Speaker 1: So going off what Lap says, you have to be physical,
46:48
Speaker 1: you have to be disciplined, but it also comes down
46:51
Speaker 1: to who can take care of the football. We know
46:53
Speaker 1: it sounds cliche, you know, got to score more, don't
46:56
Speaker 1: turn the football over, win third down. But in this case,
47:00
Speaker 1: with these two teams, the Bengals and the Ravens, thirty
47:04
Speaker 1: nine all time games going back to nineteen ninety five.
47:07
Speaker 1: Obviously the Ravens came in Baltimore ninety six. The whoever
47:10
Speaker 1: wins it is thirty four and five. So when the
47:14
Speaker 1: Bengals when the turnover battle, they're fourteen and three, and
47:18
Speaker 1: when the Ravens win it, they're twenty and two. Conversely,
47:22
Speaker 1: you know, this was the one that kind of shot,
47:24
Speaker 1: you know, snuck out to me when I was talking
47:25
Speaker 1: with Chris Hewitt, you know, former Bearcat teammate, and obviously
47:28
Speaker 1: our passing game coordinated here. You know, in Baltimore Underwinke Martindale,
47:32
Speaker 1: the Bengals are actually seven and four when the turnover
47:36
Speaker 1: battle is tied. So now you look at the turnovers
47:38
Speaker 1: this year, both teams are sitting here, you know, at
47:42
Speaker 1: minus two. So all that being said, Lamar having a
47:45
Speaker 1: couple of great games against Denver, and obviously what he
47:48
Speaker 1: did against Indianapolis coming back for overtime was special, you know,
47:51
Speaker 1: but you're looking at a young man that has turned
47:55
Speaker 1: the football over and that's one of the keys with
47:57
Speaker 1: five interceptions. Yeah, he had two last week versus the Chargers,
48:01
Speaker 1: but he's also had five fumble and loss three. So
48:03
Speaker 1: that's eight turnovers that Lamar has had himself to go
48:07
Speaker 1: along with sixteen sacks so every game the season, six
48:10
Speaker 1: of them so far that there's only been one game
48:13
Speaker 1: that he hasn't been sacked at least twice. So when
48:18
Speaker 1: you pull all that together, physical, being tough, doing your job,
48:23
Speaker 1: you also have to really really take care of the
48:25
Speaker 1: ball on Sunday, and unfortunately, the turnover battle, especially in
48:31
Speaker 1: this case, pretty much is going to determine the outcome.
48:33
Speaker 1: Now we know there's the you know, the three you
48:36
Speaker 1: know the Ravens won to get the Bengals and the
48:38
Speaker 1: two that the Bengals won. You know, but when you
48:41
Speaker 1: look at it, you have to take care of the ball.
48:43
Speaker 1: So you have to be physically tough. You have to
48:45
Speaker 1: do those things because you know it's going to be
48:47
Speaker 1: sixty minute dog fights and you have to make sure that,
48:50
Speaker 1: especially right now for the Ravens because the team goes
48:53
Speaker 1: on their bye week next week and you guys know
48:55
Speaker 1: that can kind of be a track game where you're
48:57
Speaker 1: already looking about thinking getting out of town, but on
49:00
Speaker 1: away for a week or so, getting on, you know,
49:02
Speaker 1: getting on the beach somewhere, let the mind and the
49:04
Speaker 1: body recover, so you can come in here and be
49:07
Speaker 1: a little loose with the football. Maybe drop a couple
49:10
Speaker 1: of keys, pick catches on third down, you know, dB,
49:13
Speaker 1: maybe bit a little short in this coverage, you know,
49:16
Speaker 1: taking a look away and all of a sudden, that
49:17
Speaker 1: can be the difference between winning and losing a football
49:20
Speaker 1: game and having a good bye week or a sour
49:23
Speaker 1: bye week, you know. And conversely for you guys out
49:25
Speaker 1: there to be a huge win in the division and
49:28
Speaker 1: the maturation process of the young Bengals team with Joe Burrow,
49:31
Speaker 1: you know, obviously an up and coming quarterback and who
49:34
Speaker 1: I feel will be, you know, a star and a
49:36
Speaker 1: big time winner in this league. Our guest is former
49:40
Speaker 1: Ravens and UC Bearcats linebacker Brad Jackson, a member the
49:44
Speaker 1: UC Athletic Hall of Fame. Let's talk just a moment
49:47
Speaker 1: about Lamar Jackson, the MVP of the NFL a couple
49:49
Speaker 1: of years ago. So far this year, he's ninth and
49:52
Speaker 1: passing yards per game two eighty one. He's seventh in
49:55
Speaker 1: the NFL and rushing with three hundred and ninety two yards.
49:58
Speaker 1: When teams have success, for lack of a better word,
50:02
Speaker 1: against Lamar Jackson, what do they do defensively that works? Well?
50:09
Speaker 1: The thing that works the best is obviously you have
50:12
Speaker 1: to have your pass rushers be able to get up field,
50:15
Speaker 1: but not go past the quarterback. You know, you can't
50:17
Speaker 1: go rush after him, even if it's a passing situation,
50:21
Speaker 1: because you know, Lamar has the ability to break down defenses.
50:24
Speaker 1: Secondaries have the ability. They don't have the ability to
50:27
Speaker 1: cover that long. And then he's got a great you know,
50:32
Speaker 1: he's synchronized very well and a great relationship with it. Well,
50:35
Speaker 1: I'd like to call his two blankets. You know what
50:37
Speaker 1: I'm saying. We're about to be on Halloween, and you know,
50:39
Speaker 1: the great Pumpkin and all that type of stuff, and
50:42
Speaker 1: you know, thinking that when you look at it. Marquise
50:45
Speaker 1: Brown thirty two catches four eighty six eighty one a
50:48
Speaker 1: game fifteen you know per catch. Mark Andrews thirty four
50:52
Speaker 1: four sixty eight actually leads the team in reception of
50:55
Speaker 1: seventy eight yards, so of the one hundred and thirty
50:57
Speaker 1: one completion that Lamar has rown. Sixty six guys have
51:02
Speaker 1: going to these two players. So what do you have
51:05
Speaker 1: to do. You have to eliminate Mark Andrews because he's
51:08
Speaker 1: a huge weapon, you know, and a comfort and a
51:11
Speaker 1: blanket almost like Lyn has had, you know with the
51:13
Speaker 1: Charlie Brown crew that that's just safety net. That's just
51:17
Speaker 1: safety blanket. And then Mark Keith makes big plays later
51:21
Speaker 1: you know, down the field, not as many as the
51:23
Speaker 1: Ravens will want. But if you can keep Lamar, have
51:26
Speaker 1: for events, rush up field, keep him in the phone booths,
51:29
Speaker 1: as we like to say, because soon as you let
51:31
Speaker 1: Superman out the phone book, he becomes Superman. But if
51:33
Speaker 1: you can keep him in the phone book, he's just
51:35
Speaker 1: Clark Kent. That doesn't mean he's still not an MVP
51:38
Speaker 1: and a special player, but it makes it extremely difficult.
51:40
Speaker 1: And now he's thrown from different angles, not able to
51:43
Speaker 1: set his feet. Hence is why you know, a lot
51:45
Speaker 1: of teams have been able to get their hands on
51:47
Speaker 1: a lot of footballs. And as I just alluded to,
51:49
Speaker 1: you know, five interceptions in six you know six games.
51:53
Speaker 1: You know, two Verse Kansas City the second week of
51:55
Speaker 1: the season and then two last week versus the Charges,
51:58
Speaker 1: because they did a pretty good job of keeping them
52:00
Speaker 1: in the box and then almost taking away to tie
52:03
Speaker 1: it in until later on in the game. Final question,
52:07
Speaker 1: and appreciate your time as always your the best special teams.
52:11
Speaker 1: Let's hit that all important third phase. Chris Horton does
52:14
Speaker 1: a great job. Darren Simmons does a great job of
52:16
Speaker 1: the Bengals. The Ravens special teams. Number one in the
52:21
Speaker 1: NFL returning punts, number two in the NFL covering kickoffs,
52:26
Speaker 1: number three in the NFL returning kickoffs. They have the
52:29
Speaker 1: best kicker in the history of the National Football League,
52:32
Speaker 1: and Justin Tucker got one of the greatest punners of
52:35
Speaker 1: all time in Sam Cook. Special teams. If they've been
52:38
Speaker 1: dominant this year in terms of establishing field positions, Yeah,
52:42
Speaker 1: And that was going to be my third point. You
52:44
Speaker 1: were reading my mind, Dave. You know when you're talking
52:46
Speaker 1: about what could be the difference in this game. Well,
52:49
Speaker 1: one we talked to me personally, I think it's turnovers,
52:51
Speaker 1: you know, and then the other part is going to
52:53
Speaker 1: be the kicking game. You know, you have to be
52:55
Speaker 1: physical offensively, you have to be physical defensively. You have
52:58
Speaker 1: to win third down on both sides of the ball,
53:00
Speaker 1: but it comes down to special teams. Devin DuVernay, the
53:02
Speaker 1: wide receiver, has done that fabulous job, like you said,
53:05
Speaker 1: in sixteen and sixteen point six, almost seventeen yards per
53:09
Speaker 1: punt return. This year he has a long of forty two.
53:12
Speaker 1: You look at what he's been able to do on kickoffs.
53:14
Speaker 1: We know they're not the same because of you know,
53:16
Speaker 1: the new rule, they moved the ball up, but he's
53:18
Speaker 1: still averaging twenty six every time he takes it out
53:21
Speaker 1: and most of those have been where he's catching it
53:23
Speaker 1: on the three to five yard line where the kicker
53:25
Speaker 1: miss hit it. So he's still being able to get
53:27
Speaker 1: that to the thirty plus yard line. And of course,
53:30
Speaker 1: justin Tucker, what more can you say? Three for three
53:32
Speaker 1: on fifty plus. You know the kid has ice and
53:35
Speaker 1: water in his vein. He's been like that since he
53:38
Speaker 1: got here, an undrafted guy. So that's the funny thing
53:40
Speaker 1: where you're looking like, how did thirty one other teams
53:43
Speaker 1: miss on on this young man? But you got to
53:45
Speaker 1: give credit to you know, a former you know, Bearcat
53:48
Speaker 1: coach and obviously our former secondary coach, Jerry Rosster, who
53:51
Speaker 1: has since retired. And then John Harball, you know, his
53:54
Speaker 1: background in the league for a long time was being
53:56
Speaker 1: a special teams coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, So it
53:59
Speaker 1: takes great pride for him. You know, obviously he's still
54:03
Speaker 1: helping out and doing a lot of things, but you know,
54:05
Speaker 1: that still is his baby, as far as making sure
54:08
Speaker 1: that Sam Cook, who's averaging forty seven, and Justin Tucker,
54:11
Speaker 1: those guys as we called them out here, the Wolfpack.
54:14
Speaker 1: You know, those guys do a fabulous job of snapping, holding, kicking,
54:18
Speaker 1: and making sure that they take care of situational football
54:21
Speaker 1: by not out kicking the coverage on the punt, by
54:23
Speaker 1: making sure that they're getting aside to twenty. And then
54:26
Speaker 1: Justin Tucker just does Justin Tucker things, you know, thirteen
54:29
Speaker 1: or fourteen, you know. And then of course, as you said,
54:32
Speaker 1: NFL record probably the greatest kicker in the history of
54:35
Speaker 1: the National Football League. So the units are all working
54:38
Speaker 1: in unison. There's a lot of young guys, you know,
54:41
Speaker 1: on this team that are willing to play special teams
54:43
Speaker 1: because that's their opportunity to get on the field. And
54:46
Speaker 1: it's kind of like if you do good on special teams,
54:48
Speaker 1: you know, then you're going to get opportunities on defense,
54:50
Speaker 1: which was similar to what we had, you know, doing
54:53
Speaker 1: our great runs of great defense and great special teams
54:55
Speaker 1: you know in ninety nine, two thousand and two thousand
54:57
Speaker 1: and one. There there was a lot of similarities of
55:00
Speaker 1: young players that you know, if you did good on
55:03
Speaker 1: special team, you were going to get an opportunity to
55:05
Speaker 1: address it. And obviously being certain packages defensively, you know,
55:09
Speaker 1: especially on Sunday, So some of the guys are taking
55:12
Speaker 1: great Friday. That thanks to Brad Jackson. And here's a
55:16
Speaker 1: quick reminder to join Lap and Wayne box Miller for
55:19
Speaker 1: the Bengals pep Rally Show this Friday from three to
55:21
Speaker 1: six on ESPN fifteen thirty. That's going to do it
55:25
Speaker 1: for this episode of the Bengals Booth podcast, brought to
55:28
Speaker 1: you by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play Next Level
55:32
Speaker 1: Fantasy Football game. Download it now from the app Store
55:35
Speaker 1: and Google Play. If you haven't done so already, please
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Speaker 1: subscribe to this podcast and if you have a minute,
55:41
Speaker 1: give it a rating or share a comment that helps
55:44
Speaker 1: more Bengals fans find us. I'm Dan Horde and thank
55:48
Speaker 1: you for listening to the Bengals Booth Podcast