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Bengals Booth Podcast: One Hundred Ways · Bengals Booth Podcast

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Hoard and thanks for downloading
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth Podcast. The Fine one hundred Ways. Addition,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: as multimedia reporter James Rapine joins me to discuss a
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: wide variety of possible ways for the Bengals to get
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: better this offseason, some very realistic and some long shots perhaps,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: but it's a fun conversation nonetheless. The Bengals Booth Podcast
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: is brought to you by pay Corps, proud to be
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: the Bengals official HR software provider, by Ulta Fiber, future
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  Speaker 1: proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a quick
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: reminder that you can have the latest edition of this
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or can by
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: since Cincy Shirts. In my first season of broadcasting Bengals
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: games with Dave Lapham, Cincinnati made a big play near
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: the end of the game to clinch a win and
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: I yelled coffin nails and Lap immediately exclaimed Bam Bam bam.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: After the game, they replayed that on the postgame show
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: and I thought, hmm, that worked, and thus a tradition
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: was born. It's our version of and this one belongs
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: to the Reds. A few years ago, my friend Josh
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Sneid and the folks at Cincy Shirts put that phrase
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: on a T shirt along with cartoon images of me
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: and Lap. I've joked that the Sinsey Shirts coffin Nails
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Bam Bam Bam T shirt is right up there with
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: a Master's green jacket and Paul Brown's sideline fedora as
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: one of the greatest items of clothing in sports history.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: All joking aside, Josh recently shared on social media that
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: Cincy's shirts could use a boost. It wasn't a plea
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: to help them stay in business. It was more of
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: a reminder of the great work that they do. So
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: if you're in the market for a cool T shirt,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: check out the Cincy Shirts website or visit one of
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: their stores in Loveland or Fort Mitchell. And yes, in
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: case you're wondering, if you go to the website, the
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: coffin Nails Bam Bam Bam design is still available on
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: a T shirt or hoodie. Now time for this week's
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: guest in Cincinnati. We love hustle, and that's a great
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: word to describe writer, podcaster, and reporter James Rapine. Through
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: his hard work and determination, James has become an important
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: source of information for Bengals fans. He is the publisher
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: of Bengals Talk dot com, discusses the team every weekday
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: on the Lockdown Bengals podcast, and co hosts the Enter
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: the Jungle Show on YouTube. I sent James ten questions
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: this week and we shared our answers. All Right, James,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: let's start with Super Bowl sixty. The Seahawks are champs
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: after bullying New England twenty nine to thirteen. The game
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: didn't even really feel that close. What is the biggest
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: lesson the Bengals can learn from this year Super Bowl?
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: I think a lot of people will say defense wins
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: championships or it starts in the trenches, and you can
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: obviously say that. I think, really any year. My biggest
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: takeaway is that flawed teams usually win, and you can
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: win when you're flawed. And the Seahawks, as good as
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: they were, as dominant as they were, their quarterback completed
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: fifty percent of his passes in the Super Bowl in
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: the biggest game of the year, and you wouldn't have
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: mistaken what they did on offense to be this standout performance.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: And it's because that running game and obviously the defense
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: was extremely disruptive. But year in and year out, you
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: see these teams win that you probably wouldn't have predicted
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: a few months prior, and certainly have flaws, have notable
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: things that are wrong with them. And I was thinking
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: about the twenty one Bengals and the twenty two Bengals,
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: and they're like five quarters and a play or two
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: away from back to back Super Bowls, and I think
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: the twenty one team, which got closer, was more flawed
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: than the twenty two team, which had some injuries down
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: the stretch. So the Bengals don't have to be perfect
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: to get there and to win, especially when they have
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: a quarterback that's going to complete more than fifty percent
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: of his passes in any game.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: My biggest takeaway is this, and it's a little more
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: obvious than yours, but here's why I'm going to say it.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: I feel like it wasn't this Super Bowl. It's every
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: single Super Bowl where we learn that you not only
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: need a pass rush, you need a four man pass rush.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: So Seattle sacked Drake May six times, they hit him
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: eleven more times. They only blitzed on thirteen percent of
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: New England's dropbacks. During the regular season, Seattle was twenty
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: sixth lowest in the NFL in blitz percentage. Remember last
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: year's Super Bowl, the Eagle sacked Patrick Mahomes six times,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: they didn't blitz once, and midway through the fourth quarter
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: of that game, Mahomes was getting pressured on fifty two
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: percent of his dropbacks. The numbers got a little bit
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: better during garbage time. Go all the way back to
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: the two thousand and seven season. The Patriots are one
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: win away from going nineteen and zero. They were favored
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: by twelve and a half against the Giants. How did
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: the Giants pull off the upset by pulverizing Tom Brady
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: with a four man pass rush Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, etc.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: They sacked him five times, they hit him nine times.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: And of course, in Super Bowl fifty six, Joe Burrow
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: got sacked seven times, times hit eleven times. On the
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: final offensive play, Jamar Chase is running down the sideline
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: free if the Bengals could just give Joe Burrow one
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: more second to throw. So it's not just this Super Bowl,
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: it's every super Bowl. You got to have a pass rush,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: you got to have a four man pass rush. As
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: Duke Tobin said in his news conference after the season,
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: pass rush is king. So that to me is not
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: the lesson from this super Bowl. It's the lesson of
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: every Super Bowl.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's fair, and that's that's why when we talk
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: and we're going to have this conversation about what they
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: should do in all of these things, it's going to
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: come back to pass rush. And I think defensively you
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: start there with this Bengals defense. Even though you could
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: look at all three levels and say, ah, well you
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: might want to address this or that, I certainly do
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: think it starts with that defensive front.
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: All right, Topic number two with my friend James Rapine.
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: The Bengals Talk feed on x or Twitter does a
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: tremendous job of sharing the craziest that's out there courtesy
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: of the national media, and they always have interesting things
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: to say about the Bengals during Super Bowl Week. It's
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: like a Petri dish of hot takes. So what's the
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: silliest thing out there these days that that people might
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: actually believe about the Bengals that Joe.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: Burrow is available, like that that you could trade for
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: Joe Burrow, Like I, I really don't know what you
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: could give up where the Bengals would entertain it, Like
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: I fifty years of draft picks, Like it would have
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: to be something so insane, Like there's earlier this week
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: it was like, oh, well, they're voting maybe five years
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: of picks. If you called Mike Brown right now and
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: offered five drafts, five full drafts, he would he wouldn't
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: even seriously consider it, and he shouldn't, by the way,
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: because think about how hard it is to find a
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: Joe Burrow. That's much harder than finding good players at
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: other positions. So, yeah, that is the It's the craziest,
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: most wild outlandish thing that that will We'll hear all
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: of season. I think I think it's going to continue
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: to be chirped about, at least until the Draft.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: I'm right there with you. Ian Rappaport and others had
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: reports during the Super Bowl where essentially the quote was
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: several teams are expected to call the Bengals to see
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: if they would consider a Joe Burrow trade. I don't
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: even believe that. I don't think teams are calling the
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: Bengals about a Joe Borough trade because they know it's pointless.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: There was a report out there from I think it
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: was a Vikings specific site saying insider reveals Vikings massive
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: trade package for Joe Burrow. And here was the quote
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: unquote massive trade package. JJ McCarthy edge rusher, Jonathan Grenard
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: and two number one picks. Nobody wants JJ McCarthy, including
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: the Vikings. Jonathan Grenard was awesome last year in the
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: previous year, but he had I think three sacks this year. Sure,
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: two number one draft picks would be nice, but that's
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: not even a starting point for a Joe Burrow trade.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: So it's just comical. I really question whether teams actually
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: waste their time to even make the call.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I get trying. If I didn't have a
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: Joe Burrow, I would want to Joe Burrow. So if
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: they do, fine, But that package you just mentioned throwaway.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: JJ McCarthy wouldn't even get Jamar Like, it's not the
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: franchise quarterback. It's like the franchise receiver a face of
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: it's just it's not close. And I still like, I
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: think about how Mike views quarterbacks, and he's right about
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: this one, right, and it's the most important position in sports,
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: and he's been really good at identifying it for the
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: past two plus decades of having a franchise quarterback, and
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: you have Joe Burrow, who went healthy you could say
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: is the best in the sport. You're not giving that
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: up because you know what it's like when you don't
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: have someone like that, and it's it's really, really, really
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: hard to win.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: Our guest is James Repeaine from Bengals Talk dot Com,
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: the Lockdown Bengals podcast, etc. You can follow him on
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: x at James Rapine r api e n Question number three.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: NFL Network insider Mike Gara follow reported recently that the
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Bengals are considering a franchise tag for Trey Hendrickson. I
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: am one hundred percent sure that that's true, but I
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: think it is strictly in the sense of a tag
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: in trade scenario, not franchise tag to have him come back.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: I could be wrong about that, but in any case,
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: you recently strongly advocated for tagging and trading Trey explain why.
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: The Bengals have significant needs. You need to maximize your assets,
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: maximize your ability to get it right in the draft.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: Trey Hendrickson is an asset. There are very few free
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: agents that will command the attention that he does. If
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: he does make it to free agency.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: I get it.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: It's run its course here and he wants the multi
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: year extension. They've tried it a couple of years. It
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: isn't going to work. Last season was what it was.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: Fine tag him. The tag window is February seventeenth through
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: March fourth. You have the cap space to do so initially,
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: but you're not even gonna have to worry about that
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: because there are going to be teams with this free
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: agent class that look at it and say, would we
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: want to give up a mid round pick for Trey
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: Hendrickson for the sole purpose of negotiating without having to
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: compete for his services in free agency or compete for
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: some of these other free agent defensive ends. Because there
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: aren't a ton out there that can boast our pass rush,
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: and so I think that there would be multiple suitors,
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: and certainly a team willing to give you a third
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: or fourth round pick something like that where you can
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: give him up, free up your cap space long before
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: free agency officially opens or the tampering period opens, and
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: be good to go there and have an extra draft
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: pick to show for it. It just it makes so
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: much sense to me, and I totally understand the compensatory
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: side of things in twenty twenty seven if that works out.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: But I think we both know the Bengals plan on
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: being aggressive here in free agency, and you don't want
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: in the back of your mind, ah, well, well we
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: get something for Trey, will we not?
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: This way, you already secure it.
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: You go into free agency with an extra draft pick
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: and you shed tray, but you have something to show
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: for it.
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: I agree with you, But I saw our mutual friend
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: Richard Skinner and Mike Petrelliu's podcast a few days ago
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: strongly say that the Bengals shouldn't do it. And his
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: fear is that Trey is not going to get thirty
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: million dollars on the open market, which would be the
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: franchise tag number, and if he went ahead and signed
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: it and came back to the Bengals again on a
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: thirty million dollar deal, that really hamstrings. What you could
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: do in free agency is that a legitimate concern. I
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: don't want to call out Skinny without him being here
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: to join us on this podcast. But should the Bengals
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: be concerned about that?
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: I get why you would be on the surface, if
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: Trey's actions over the past couple of years show us anything.
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: He wants a multi year deal, he wants guaranteed money
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: past this initial tag, and so I don't think he
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: would have really any incentive to sign it because you
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: would tag him with the idea of going to the combine,
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: which I hope to see you at a couple.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: Of weeks here.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: You will to chat.
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: With teams and say, hey, this is what we're gonna
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: do with Trey. Let's work out a trade now, and
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: then you can negotiate with him and he can get
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: that long term deal. Have the open line of communication
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: where it's like, look, we get it. It hasn't worked.
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: We're going to get you somewhere where you're going to
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: get paid the way you want. And here's the other
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: element here. If you go to the combine and it
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: doesn't work, it doesn't feel like you have the suitors,
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: or you tag him and he goes to sign it
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: and it doesn't feel like that there's any interest in
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: a possible trade, you can rescind it. You can rescind
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: that tag. You can be in control there if you
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: get that nervous about it to where it doesn't eat
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: up your cap room. And he does go into free
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: agency anyway, So I don't think he has the incentive
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: to sign it in the first place, because he wants multiyear,
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: a multi year deal, and I think I'll get it.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: At the same time, if he did say, hey, I'm
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: on my way to Cincinnati, which you just never know,
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: you could always say, eh, it's all right, we're going
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: to re send it. But I don't think that that
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: would be the case. I would imagine he would have
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: multiple suitors and there would be someone. Even if it's
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: two years fifty five million, where he gets guaranteed money
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: in that second year, that makes it worth his while.
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: But I wouldn't be shocked if he hits free agency,
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: if he gets a three year extension or a three
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: year deal.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: The point about rescinding the cap is a great point.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: Just because you fran are the tag rather just because
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: you franchise tag him doesn't mean that you are automatically
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: committed to doing it. They can rescind up until the
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: point where he signs, and I don't think anybody expects
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: him to sign right away, so they would have time
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: to negotiate with other teams, which is what Trey would
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: want to And while the Bengals have been reluctant to
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: give him a long term deal, we assume largely because
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: if his age, somebody out there is willing to give
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: him a multi year deal close to the figure that
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: he's looking for. So you would think the Bengals would
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: be able to get a pick for that. You said
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: mid round, Are you thinking third, fourth somewhere in there?
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so, and I'll throw a team out.
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: What about the Bears. I think they have the eighty
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: ninth pick. If you're Chicago, you're coming off of a
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: good year, you want to bolster your pass rush a
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: bit more. Maybe that's a team that does it. And
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: the other element here, dan is you control his destination
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: a little bit. He doesn't end up in Baltimore, where
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: you're on the road Sunday night or Thursday night again
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: for a fourth straight year.
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: Heaven forbid that happens right in Baltimore.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: Joe Burrow won't be happy about that, but you have
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: to deal with number ninety one like that would be
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: the last thing that you would want.
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: It's him sticking in the division.
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: Yep, you're free to now go play for John Harbaugh
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: with the Giants, not the Baltimore Ravens. And if the
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: Bengals do get I think a third round pick is
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: probably the best case scenario. They tried to get a
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: one for him previously. Maybe they would have taken a
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: high two. That seems to be out the window, but
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: I think three is realistic. Dylan Fairchild was a third
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: round pick this year. You know, if you can get
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: somebody that's similarly active to that or some of the
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: good third round picks they've had in the past, Sam Hubbard,
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: et cetera. At this point, great, and now take that
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: money that you will not be paying Trey to use
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: it in free agency to try to get another pass rusher.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: That's exactly it.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: And you do that before the legal tampering period even opens,
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: so when they go to negotiate with these free agents,
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: they won't have to worry about this cap hit weighing
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: on us, which Trey have it done in early March,
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: so you don't have to focus on it all.
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: Right, question number four for James Rapine. Another interesting report
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: that got traction in the last week is that Max
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Crosby told Raiders part owner Tom Brady that he does
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: not want to return to Vegas. Jay Glazer had previously
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: reported that Max Crosby wants out, and of all of
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: the quote unquote insiders out there, I think Jay Glazier's
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: percentage for being accurate might be the highest. Here's my
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: question for you. What would James Rapine be willing to
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: give up to get Max Crosby?
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: See Dan, you know me and I am certainly willing
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: to put the chips in when it comes to roster building,
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: and in Max Crosby, it's someone I think the Bengals
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: would just be drooling to get because he plays all
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: three downs relentless, one of those guys that they probably say,
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: you know what, he could be someone even with the
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: injuries the past couple of years, that we could build
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: our identity around on defense. And so if assuming they
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: view him that way, what's the max you'd be willing
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: to give up? So you want to protect the tenth pick,
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: and I would too. The Raiders certainly want probably would
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: want that, and we'll get back to the tenth pick
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: in a second. But my plan would be, all right, Raiders,
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: you want a first rounder, what about next year's first
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: with the Bengals certainly planning on being in Super Bowl
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: sixty one, so that would be a late first in
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: their mind and an idea. And this year's second, which
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: is forty first overall, and if you could do that
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: and get this guy that you feel I can be
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: a three down defensive end that fits your scheme and
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: is going to be this key piece of the next
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: three ish years, basically the next Tray Hendrickson, well that's
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: well worth it.
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: And so I think.
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: That that would be the first offer, maybe the best
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: offer that I'd be willing to do. I don't think
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: two ones is something that I would I would embark
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: on or entertain if on the Bengals, but if on
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: the Raiders and flipping it, I would say, I want
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: the tenth pick and just straight up Max for the
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: tenth pick. And that's where it gets hard, because if
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: that offer came and you're the Bengals, it's like you're
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: hoping to find the next Max Crosby at ten. You're
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: hoping that guy is there, and you could just have him,
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: and I think that's something that if you're the Bengals,
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: you entertain. I'm not sure you do it. I looked
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: at the Raiders' picks this morning. They have multiple four
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: round picks. Maybe you say, hey, throw one of those
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: in to sweeten the pot, and it's Max and a
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: fourth for the tenth pick. It would be tough for
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: me to say no to it, because I would very
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: much treat this like a win now window and Max
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: could be that third best player on your roster, supplanting
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: t most and a key piece of your defense moving forward.
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: I'm shocked. I am shocked that riverboat gambler James R.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: Peene draft lover James R. Peene is not eagerly willing
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: to give up number ten overall in a straight up
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: swap for Max Crosby. I would do that in a heartbeat.
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: What are you hoping for with the tenth pick in
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: the draft. You are hoping for a difference maker on defense?
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: What is Max Crosby the ultimate difference maker on defense? Plus,
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: he's twenty eight five time Pro bowler, basically averaging ten
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: sacks a season in seven NFL seasons. He's signed for
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: the next four years for one hundred and eighteen mil,
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: which is pretty reasonable for a guy of you know,
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: his caliber. So I would do that. I don't think
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: the Raiders would do that. So the public reports, again
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: we don't know if these are entirely accurate, but the
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: reports are they want two number ones and a starting
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: defensive player, something similar to what the Cowboys got for
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: Michaeh Parsons. He's not Michael Parsons. He's not that good.
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: He's awesome, but he's not that good. Plus he's a
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: little bit older. If I'm the Bengals, there's no way
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: I'm giving up two number ones to get Max Crosby.
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: But here's what I would do. It's kind of the
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: reverse of what you said you would be willing to do.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: I would be willing to give up the tenth pick
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: in the draft, which is like a first round plus,
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: you know, top ten pick. I would be willing to
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: give up my second round pick next year, and I'd
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: be willing to give up Chris Jenkins. Now, people might
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: be saying, well, so what Chris Jenkins hasn't been that
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: great in his first two seasons, but he was a
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: second round pick. He's only got two years of NFL experience,
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: so a lot of tread left on the tires. And
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: he's a Michigan guy, so Tom Brady probably has a
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: high opinion of Chris Jenkins. So that's giving up a ton,
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: probably more than the Bengals would be willing to give up.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: But that's what I think of Max Crosby and what
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: he would mean to the Bengals. I would be willing
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: to do all of that to get them.
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I get it, I do get it. And I
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: think the other element here, combining the past two topics,
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: if you did this year's two, next year's one, or
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: vice versa. But if you're tagging Tray already, it'd be
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: really easy to sell the Raiders if they're interested in Trey,
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: and they totally could be get a pass rusher back
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: in a tag Trey Hendrickson where they could work out
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: a deal where Trey would love a similar deal to
• 23:02
  Speaker 2: what Max Crosby has over the next two years, you know,
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: or anything close to that. So I if you could
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: sweeten it with that, and it would probably be easy
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: for the Raiders to sell their fan base on we
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: get an all pro defensive end and Trey Hendrickson, we
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: have a first or second round pick and maybe another
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: pick in there. So depending on the scenario, I would
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: be willing to do that as well. But yeah, I'm
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: surprised that you're just throwing the tenth pick in there.
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: I'm all in it's it's just such a key piece
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: of things, and you'd have to show me once Max
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: is here without the tenth pick, how else the roster,
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: the plan for the rest of the roster in free agency,
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: I think that would be a big part of it
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: for me.
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: I'm hoping the Bengals get an impact player with the
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: tenth pick. I think there's a very good chance they will,
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: but you don't know. You never know with the draft
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: with Max Crosby, you know, which is why I'd be
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: willing to do it. And incidentally, the final question that
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: we are going to tackle later on the podcast is
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: our hot take. You just spoiled mine, so that's coming
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: up a little bit later on this podcast. Question number five.
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: Free agency is less than a month away. Most people
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: expect the Bengals to be active. I certainly do. I
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: want names give me your top two free agents that
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: you would like to see the Bengals sign that you
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: consider to be realistic based on their budget and on
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: the multiple needs that they have.
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: Well, just to quadruple down on Trey. I don't think
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: there's a free agent that shouldn't be within budget because
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: of where the free agents are this year, and obviously
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: their targeting defense, and we're gonna focus on defense here,
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: but someone's gonna want Trey anyways. Uh odafe Oway would
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: be my guy, and he's the next best pass rusher
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: behind Trey Hendrickson. First round pedigree, someone that's been productive,
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: got traded, but is familiar with the division, and is
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: someone that you could look at and say, well, maybe
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: he's not the next Trey Hendrickson, but maybe he's entering
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: his prime. Maybe he's a signature piece of this pass
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: rush moving forward. You mentioned the four man pass rush
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: could always be part of that. I think he could.
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: I think he's going to get paid significant money. But
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: if it's twenty two million for the next four years
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: average annual value versus the thirty plus Trey wanted, and
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: you're getting a guy that should be ascending, you hope
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: is ascending. That guy's at the top of my list.
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: I wish that there was a game changing Milton will
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: Williams type defensive tackle. I don't really see that in
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: his freegent class and you see the bear cat on
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: my hat here.
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: The other one's easy. Brian Cook, It's time to come home.
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: He's got the Cincinnati skyline still on his ex background.
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: They need to solve safety. You bring Brian Cook in.
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: I don't think it needs to impact the tenth overall
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: pick either. You could still be open for business there
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: when it comes to positions, but he comes in and
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: stabilizes the safety position.
• 26:02
  Speaker 3: Those are my two.
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: And if suddenly you have a Dafeoway and Brian Cook
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: on defense, your front end and your back end have
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: improved tremendously.
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: Brian Cook is what of mine? So I'm totally with
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: you there. Twenty six years old, this will be his
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: second NFL contract. Pro Football Focus is fifth ranked safety
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: last year. The projection for him, according to PFF is
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: three years thirty six mil. Very affordable with the money
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: that the Bengals have to spend. Pair him with Jordan Battle,
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: and I think you've got a great safety combo. Brian
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: Cook's a big hitter, great attitude, great work ethic. He'd
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: fit in the locker room perfectly. I loved him from
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: his time at Cincinnati again, hometown kid. Maybe get him
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: for a tiny bit less as a result. I don't know,
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: but I'm right there with you where he is concerned.
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: I'm also going for an edge rusher with my other guy,
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: but it's a different one, maybe a little bit cheaper,
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: but also expected to be one of the higher paid
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: guys that's out there. I like Boye Mafe from Seattle
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: projected three years forty nine. Mili from PFF, another ascending guy,
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: second contract guy in his twenties. He's got a proven
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: track record, seemed to fall out of favor a little
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: bit in Seattle just because of the sheer number of
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: really good defensive players they have. So those would be
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: my two. And I'm glad you mentioned off the top,
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: like you know what the Bengals would be willing to spend,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: because I think that there's an assumption out there that, wow,
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: they always settle for the mid tier guys. I think
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: that's exaggerated to an extent. And I'm going to bring
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: up in example that I never here mentioned by anybody,
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: and that is their twenty twenty free agent draft class. Now,
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: this is the beginning of Joe Burrow's contract, so they
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: were able to spend a lot because he was in
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: his rookie deal. But that year they signed DJ Reader
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: and they also signed Trey Waynes. We forget about Trey Waynes.
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: He was one of the most expensive cornerbacks on the market,
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: and obviously it didn't work out. He missed the first
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: year with an injury, he barely played in the Super
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: Bowl year. He was gone in the next year, but
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: they gave him a three year, forty two million dollar deal.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: They gave DJ a four year, fifty three million dollar deal.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: They went for it in that free agency class. So
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: when they have money to spend and obvious needs, they
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: have shown the willingness to do it if the circumstances
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: are right. I think the circumstances are right. So the
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: two names you mentioned, the two names I mentioned as
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: the team with this seventh or eighth most cap space,
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: depending on which website you look at. They've got the
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: lady to do that.
• 29:00
  Speaker 3: If they choose to, they do.
• 29:02
  Speaker 2: There's no doubt. And I think I think they know that.
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: I think that's the most important element here. They know
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: that they need to spend. They know that the window
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: is now in. With Jamar and T and Joe under contract.
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: It's like, all right, everybody, somebody's looking to see what
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: you add to the defense. And the other thing they
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: did in twenty twenty they went out and got von
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: Bell and I don't think that was in their initial
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: their initial plan, and they were looking at the linebackers
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: and you look at that that draft in what they
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: did and added in the linebacker room, but the linebackers
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: class it was higher than they expected.
• 29:40
  Speaker 3: They pivoted to safety.
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: They get another piece there, and then the next year
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: Dan even though Traye didn't work out, and I think
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: they very quickly knew that it was going to be
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: not fun. DJ Reader has the injury, but they dove
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: right back in and had a great free.
• 29:52
  Speaker 3: Agency in twenty twenty one.
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: So yeah, that's that's what they need and we'll see
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: if they can get it done.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: We are halfway through ten questions with James Raupine. We'll
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: hit the draft next. But first, here's a quick reminder
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by
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• 30:25
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• 30:30
  Speaker 1: Topic number six for James Rapine, We're sticking with free agency.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: But everybody's focused on fixing the defense. They have maybe
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: lesser needs on offense, but there are needs. Give me
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: a free agent target on offense.
• 30:45
  Speaker 3: See this is up my alley, right.
• 30:47
  Speaker 4: And while I want to go and say, oh, well,
• 30:50
  Speaker 4: you know, Rashid Shaheed would be so much fun and
• 30:53
  Speaker 4: you know that there are options like that, I'm gonna
• 30:56
  Speaker 4: go one realistic would need, but most people probably would
• 31:02
  Speaker 4: roll their eyes a bit.
• 31:04
  Speaker 3: Dallas Goddard M Eagles tight end.
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: Wow, three down tight end would help them in the
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: run game. Can block and line up in line, but
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: is a pass catching threat, can run routes, can do
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: a little bit of everything. He's got some Gisicki to him,
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: He's got some Drew sample to him, and it's all
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: in one. That would be a guy that I think
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: he would look at him like I want to catch
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: passes from Joe Burrow. What tight end wouldn't but would
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: be a really good fit here in Cincinnati.
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: I just gave you a Lance McAllister. Wow ah, yes
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: you did, Dallas Goddard, all right, that is a very
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: interesting call. I'm going to go back up tackle because
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: this is a huge need. They have to upgrade from
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: Cody Ford for their backup number three swing tackle. And
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: maybe Jaylen Rivers could be that guy, but I think
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: we've learned that he's better suited to be a guard
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: in the NFL. In a pinch, maybe he can play
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: tackle because he did it in college. But I want
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: somebody proven and reliable as that third tackle. They were
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: very fortunate this year that Orlando Brown junior, well, they
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: played every game. I'm Arius Mams very durable and consistent,
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: but the odds of that happening and back to back
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: seasons are slim. One of those guys is probably going
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: to miss a game or two. That's usually the way
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: it goes. So I want somebody who's experienced, who's proven,
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: who can be that guy who probably comes to Cincinnati
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: on a one year deal. So I've got a few
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: veteran names. Maybe these guys are too good. I don't know.
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: Jermaine Iluminor he's been a starter for the last four years,
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: but he's been with the Giants and the Raiders, So
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: maybe he wants to sign for a short term with
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: a good team. It's got a chance of getting him
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: a ring Rob Havnstein or having Stein from the Rams.
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: Another guy who's mostly been a starter in his NFL career,
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: but he's gonna be thirty four. Maybe his next contract
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: is a one year deal with somebody as a backup.
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: Elijah Wilkinson with the Falcons again, thirty plus year old
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: guy starter last year, not great, but certainly reliable enough
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: to plug in as a swing backup tackle. I think
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: they need to sign somebody like that as part of
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: this free agent class.
• 33:40
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree with you.
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: And as as you were listing off those names, I'm like,
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: did I miss someone? Because they're just there aren't many,
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: and it's even thinner having Stein retired officially late Tuesday.
• 33:54
  Speaker 2: My second name after Goddard is a familiar face. It
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: was Trent Brown. It was Trent Brown because of that,
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: because I'm like, he's played pretty well at Houston. He
• 34:05
  Speaker 2: doesn't have to play every week, and he can pass,
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: protect and he's a big bodied guy that can play
• 34:10
  Speaker 2: both sides. Like he's hard to find and if he
• 34:14
  Speaker 2: could come in and be her Cody Ford.
• 34:16
  Speaker 3: I'd be fine with that.
• 34:17
  Speaker 2: Outside of you know, I might not throw him a pass,
• 34:19
  Speaker 2: but other than that, I think his blocking ability's pretty good.
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: I would like to see Trent Brown catch a pass.
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: I thought Cody Ford was entertaining. Trent Brown would really
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: be entertaining. Yes, all right, James, let's move to the draft.
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: Your specialty. I don't know a wide receiver you have
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: ticketed to the Bengals with a tenth pick. But give
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: me your top three draft picks in order, and then
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: give me the pick if all three of those guys
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: are gone.
• 34:51
  Speaker 2: I don't know how Ruben Bayne wouldn't be one. I
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: we obviously watched him, at least I did in the
• 34:58
  Speaker 2: College Football playoff and then the National t Championship game,
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: and you notice him a lot. He looks he's built
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: kind of funny, right, but he's productive and he reminds me.
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: I know he's an end, and I think he'll be
• 35:11
  Speaker 2: an end in the NFL. But he's just got some
• 35:13
  Speaker 2: gino to him where he's built differently than most people
• 35:16
  Speaker 2: at his position.
• 35:18
  Speaker 3: And and that's it.
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: That's where I'll stop with the gino comparison, you know,
• 35:21
  Speaker 2: the arguably the greatest defensive tackle in team history.
• 35:25
  Speaker 3: It's to me, if he's there at ten, it would
• 35:28
  Speaker 3: be great.
• 35:28
  Speaker 2: I think it's unlikely, especially in this draft class, but
• 35:32
  Speaker 2: Ruben Bain is clearly number one for me.
• 35:33
  Speaker 3: Good against the run, good pass rush.
• 35:35
  Speaker 2: Caleb Downs is two, and part of why I put
• 35:38
  Speaker 2: him to I wanted to make sure I talked about
• 35:40
  Speaker 2: him because I think that even if you do sign
• 35:42
  Speaker 2: a Brian Cook, you don't know if Caleb Downs is
• 35:44
  Speaker 2: going to be there. It's a good safety draft. Just
• 35:47
  Speaker 2: everything I hear about Downs is his leadership, in his
• 35:51
  Speaker 2: ownership of the defense, and how intelligent he is and
• 35:54
  Speaker 2: how he can essentially put out fires. And I hear that,
• 35:58
  Speaker 2: and I think about how coach just talked about Jesse Bates,
• 36:01
  Speaker 2: and then I look at evaluations of how he can
• 36:04
  Speaker 2: play in the box and do all of these things
• 36:06
  Speaker 2: and be this versatile piece, and I'm like, you know
• 36:08
  Speaker 2: that fits with whoever you have back there. So Caleb
• 36:12
  Speaker 2: Downs is number two for me. I think he could
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: be one of those foundational pieces on defense. And then three,
• 36:17
  Speaker 2: and I think it's an underrated topic that we'll probably
• 36:21
  Speaker 2: target discuss more so between now and the draft. But
• 36:24
  Speaker 2: it's corner and it's not corner because I don't want
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: them to resign DA sil or DJ Turner. Hopefully both
• 36:30
  Speaker 2: are done before the draft. It just might be the
• 36:33
  Speaker 2: best player available. And that's where I always default to
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: that I want the best guy because if you get
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: the wrong edge rusher, well then it's just the wrong
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: edge rusher. If you get the right corner, then that's
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: gonna happen in a good way. That's gonna have a
• 36:47
  Speaker 2: positive impact. And so mansor Delaney or Delayne excuse me
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: from LSU. Really interesting, there's another corner from Tennessee that's interesting. Like,
• 36:56
  Speaker 2: just keep corner in the back of your mind, because
• 37:00
  Speaker 2: I get it. Everyone's all in on defense at ten.
• 37:03
  Speaker 2: It might not be an address or might not necessarily
• 37:06
  Speaker 2: be a linebacker or Caleb Downs.
• 37:08
  Speaker 3: It may be a corner.
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: So since you named two corners, is one of those
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: two your pick if the others are gone? Or do
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: you assume that those corners are there?
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: Oh, I got you know the pick if all three
• 37:23
  Speaker 2: are gone? And this might be my pick anyway, you
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: know what I'm going with here. It's Jeremiah Love. It's
• 37:34
  Speaker 2: the guy that can take take the top off of
• 37:38
  Speaker 2: a defense from the running back position and catch the
• 37:41
  Speaker 2: ball and be a weapon out of the backfield, but
• 37:43
  Speaker 2: also pop runs for eighty plus yards and just be
• 37:47
  Speaker 2: a complete weapon. I was looking up different things on him,
• 37:50
  Speaker 2: and I'm still doing a lot of initial research. And
• 37:53
  Speaker 2: you know how much I love Jamiir Gibbs a few
• 37:55
  Speaker 2: years ago. I mean, I was trying to speak it
• 37:58
  Speaker 2: into existence, even though I I knew it was unlikely
• 38:01
  Speaker 2: even if you fell to twenty eight that they would
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: take him. And that's his comp you know, people are
• 38:06
  Speaker 2: comparing him to Jamir and if you could add that,
• 38:10
  Speaker 2: you just do it, especially because I'm hoping that they
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: do have the Odafeoa Brian Cook, multiple key free agent
• 38:18
  Speaker 2: additions on defense that make you feel different about this defense.
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: So yeah, Jeremiah Love is someone that I would certainly
• 38:23
  Speaker 2: be considering, at least at this point at number ten.
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: Notre Dame running back, Jeremiah Love the Heisman runner up,
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: smoking hot take. I love it. Can't see it happening,
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: but I knew I could count on you throw out
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: something great, all right. My top three picks in order
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: are as follows like you. Number one Ruben Bain. Ruben
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: Bain looks like a centaur to me, half human, half
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: horse from the waist down. It is an unusual physique,
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: but golly, is that guy good. My number two is
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: David Bailey, the pass rusher Texas Tech, probably the best
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: traditional edge rusher in this draft, and then Caleb Downs
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: is my number three. I would love any of those three.
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: I took a look today at a consensus mock draft
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: counting or combining the results of ninety three big boards
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: and five hundred ninety eight first round mock drafts. Ruben
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: Bain is number three, David Bailey is number five, Caleb
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: Downs is number eight, So according to that consensus mock
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: they would not be available to the Bengals at number ten. However,
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: forty three percent of the five hundred ninety eight first
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: round mock drafts have the Bengals taking Caleb Downs, So
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: there's certainly a scenario out there where because he is
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: a safety and safeties traditionally are not taken in the
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: top ten, he will be there if it happens. I
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: would love it for many of the reasons you described,
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: even if they go sign a great free agent safety
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: like Brian Cook. Or somebody else. You'll find plenty of
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: ways to get Caleb Downs on the field. And then
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: after this year, I mean, does Jordan Battle come back.
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: With all of the players you're trying to sign as
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: part of that twenty twenty three draft class, who knows.
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: But if you get a guy like Caleb Downs, you're
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: certainly going to find ways for him to have an impact. Now,
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: the other part of my question, if all three of
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: my guys are gone, who is my fourth guy? I've
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: landed on. Peter Woods, whose name comes up frequently, the
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: defensive tackle from Clemson, widely considered to be the best
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: defensive tackle in this draft. Joe Goodberry, our mutual friend
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: Joe Goodberry, did a great video studying his play at Clemson,
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: and it was interesting to see because early in his
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: college football career he spent three years at Clemson. Early
• 41:01
  Speaker 1: in his career, tremendous pass rush productivity, and then it
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: decreased a little bit every season, which is a bit
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: of a concern. But he's only twenty years old. He's
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: one of the youngest guys in this draft class. Plenty productive,
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: super twitchy, and athletic. They haven't had that guy a
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: defensive tackle in a long time. So he's number sixteen
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: out the consensus mock, a little bit lower than you
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: would like with the tenth pick, but again the number
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: one defensive tackle according to most of the experts. It's
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: a position of need. I'm okay with Peter Woods as
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: my fourth guy.
• 41:39
  Speaker 2: I agree with a lot of what you said. You
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: take the swing on the twenty year old productive has
• 41:43
  Speaker 2: shown the flashes. Can he be consistent? But this is
• 41:46
  Speaker 2: a good way to point out why you'd be willing
• 41:49
  Speaker 2: to give up ten for a Max Crosby, because it
• 41:52
  Speaker 2: might be a year or two before Peter Woods is
• 41:54
  Speaker 2: who Peter Woods is going to be. And that's realistic
• 41:56
  Speaker 2: when you're a twenty year old prospect and you're coming
• 41:58
  Speaker 2: into that situation and we've kind of seen it to
• 42:01
  Speaker 2: a degree with Miles Murphy to this point and what
• 42:03
  Speaker 2: happened in year three. Whoever they pick at ten, you
• 42:07
  Speaker 2: can't wait a couple of years for that guy to
• 42:10
  Speaker 2: make an impact, and so they need to get an
• 42:12
  Speaker 2: instant impact type guy at ten, and that might be
• 42:15
  Speaker 2: Peter Woods.
• 42:15
  Speaker 3: I'm not trying to dismiss that.
• 42:17
  Speaker 2: It's just a good point, like you never know, it
• 42:20
  Speaker 2: may take a year or two for whoever you get
• 42:22
  Speaker 2: it ten to pan out.
• 42:24
  Speaker 1: We're gonna move to a coaching topic. Zach Taylor is
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: the only returning head coach in the AFC North. I
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: want you to rank the hires by Baltimore, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.
• 42:37
  Speaker 2: This one is interesting because I think I hold Mike
• 42:41
  Speaker 2: McCarthy in higher regard than the average human that follows
• 42:45
  Speaker 2: the NFL. I guess I because everyone laughed at Pittsburgh
• 42:50
  Speaker 2: and it's like, yeah, you look at his numbers, and yeah,
• 42:54
  Speaker 2: he doesn't look like Sean Payton, but he's had pretty
• 42:57
  Speaker 2: much the same success as Sean Payton, and he's not
• 42:58
  Speaker 2: considered to be that same stratosphere of coach, but I
• 43:03
  Speaker 2: think he is. I think he's in that same realm,
• 43:04
  Speaker 2: which might say as much about Sean as it does
• 43:07
  Speaker 2: about Mike, but I'm gonna put Mike second. I think
• 43:09
  Speaker 2: Jesse Minner's first curveball because it's a nice it's a
• 43:14
  Speaker 2: nice swing where you could look up and you have
• 43:18
  Speaker 2: the next harrorball, the next guy that's going to be
• 43:20
  Speaker 2: there for the for a decade and a half two
• 43:23
  Speaker 2: decades and be the face or one of the faces
• 43:27
  Speaker 2: of the Baltimore Ravens. So I get why you would
• 43:29
  Speaker 2: go with a younger guy like that and up and
• 43:31
  Speaker 2: comer that you think can win right away because you
• 43:34
  Speaker 2: have a win now roster. But I think Mike McCarthy's
• 43:37
  Speaker 2: right there is number two and he is proven and
• 43:40
  Speaker 2: the hometown connection doesn't hurt.
• 43:43
  Speaker 3: But if you don't want to tank.
• 43:44
  Speaker 2: In the Steelers, I don't think we're in any shape
• 43:47
  Speaker 2: or for him trying to do that. I think they
• 43:48
  Speaker 2: want to continue to be at the top of the division.
• 43:51
  Speaker 2: Go get a coach that has done it. And Mike
• 43:53
  Speaker 2: McCarthy has won in Green Bay, he went, he won
• 43:58
  Speaker 2: in Dallas, and we'll see if he can.
• 43:59
  Speaker 3: Win in Pittsburgh. And then the third one.
• 44:02
  Speaker 2: And it's a tough one because heck, I wrote Dan Pitcher,
• 44:05
  Speaker 2: there's no way, and heck, you should take that job
• 44:06
  Speaker 2: in Cleveland. But it's Todd Munkin, It's Monkin is someone
• 44:10
  Speaker 2: who you could tell really wanted it to be an
• 44:13
  Speaker 2: NFL head coach, goes back to the league trying to
• 44:15
  Speaker 2: get his opportunity.
• 44:16
  Speaker 3: Now he gets it.
• 44:18
  Speaker 2: It's just a really tough job and we'll see what
• 44:21
  Speaker 2: they do at the quarterback spot. So That's that's how
• 44:25
  Speaker 2: I would rank them.
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: All right, I'm going McCarthy one, mentor two, Monkin three.
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: You drew the comparison between Sean Payton and Mike McCarthy.
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: It's really eerie. Their career stats are virtually identical. Regular
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: season record, playoff record. Each guy has one Super Bowl ring.
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: And yet when the Broncos hired Sean Payton, I mean,
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: everybody went crazy, what a great hire. It's going to
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: completely change the franchise, and it did. And then, like
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: you said, when the Deelers hired Mike McCarthy, the national
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: reaction was meh, retread not a great hire. Uninspired. I
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: think it's a tremendous hire. His tenure with the Cowboys
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: is so much better than anybody gives him credit for.
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: I mean, they had three straight twelve win seasons, right,
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: they didn't have playoff success, and you know that's part
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: of the overall picture. But he scares me as the
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: coach of the Steelers because as great as Mike Tomlin
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: was post Ben Roethlisberger, their offenses were never good. Mike
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: McCarthy's always had good offensive teams. I think the Steelers
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: are going to be a team to be reckoned with
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: with Mike McCarthy as head coach, assuming that they get
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: a quarterback, and maybe that's a big assumption. As for
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: Jesse Mentor, I moved to Cincinnati in nineteen ninety six.
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: It was Rick Minter's third year as head coach, and
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: I was chosen to be the radio play by play
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: announcer that first year because Paul Keels was hired to
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: be the voice of the Bengals. Paul did it for
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: one year, then the Bengals radio station situation changed and
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: he was out after one year. Pete Arbogast came in
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: and Paul went back to doing University of Cincinnati games
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: until he was hired by Ohio State. So I actually
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: had this one year period where I did the games
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: on the radio, then I didn't for several years, and
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: then I came back when I became the full time
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: voice of the UC Bearcats. So backtracking, I got to
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: know Jesse Minter when he was thirteen years old. Great kid.
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: He's clearly become a fantastic defensive coordinator. I suspect he's
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: going to be a really good head coach, but I
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: don't know if he will be right away. John Harbaugh
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: is a great coach. I think that there might be
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: a little bit of a step back before Jesse Mintor
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: becomes what he ultimately becomes. It typically takes a little while.
• 47:07
  Speaker 1: Now this year there were exceptions. Ben Johnson huge exception,
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: Liam Cohen huge exception. But more often than not, when
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: these young guys get their first chance, it takes a
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: little while to grow into the job. So that is
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: my suspicion my anticipation for Jesse Mentor. The one thing
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: I will say for him is he's hired a tremendous
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: coaching staff, so that might allow him to hit the
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: ground running. We'll see. As for Todd Munkin, I'm not
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: sure how many people know it, but when the Bengals
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: hired Zach Taylor, Todd Munkin was one of the guys
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: they interviewed, so they believed in his potential to be
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: a good head coach. And he might be. But I
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: think in the short term the Browns actually got because
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: Kevin Stefanski's a really good coach. Maybe Todd Munkin is
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: as good. But they lost Jim Swartz as part of
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: the deal, and we know Jim Schwartz is an awesome
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: defensive coordinator. So for all of the things that I mentioned,
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: I go McCarthy one mentor two, Monkin a pretty distant three.
• 48:23
  Speaker 3: It's fair. It's fair.
• 48:24
  Speaker 2: And as you were going over the McCarthy stuff, I'm like, man,
• 48:26
  Speaker 2: I should have just stuck to my guns and kept
• 48:29
  Speaker 2: him at one, because I do think that it is
• 48:31
  Speaker 2: the narrative around him, and I don't know what it is, but.
• 48:34
  Speaker 3: It's like he's a punchline.
• 48:36
  Speaker 2: And you're right, he went to Dallas and won with
• 48:38
  Speaker 2: dak And was anyone expecting him to win a Super
• 48:41
  Speaker 2: Bowl in Dallas?
• 48:41
  Speaker 3: I wasn't.
• 48:42
  Speaker 2: And so yeah, well we'll see hopefully that they just
• 48:46
  Speaker 2: have Aaron Rodgers for the next six years and don't
• 48:48
  Speaker 2: have a long term future quarterback.
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: All right, we've got two topics left with my guy,
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: James Rapine. Question number nine. The big storyline for the Bengals.
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: Obviously this offseas and it's all about fixing the defense,
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: But what about the offense? What could and should get
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: better for the Bengals offensively?
• 49:09
  Speaker 2: Every time I hear like, oh, well, the offense is fine,
• 49:15
  Speaker 2: I just think back to Week eight and they move
• 49:18
  Speaker 2: the ball. But it just seems like anytime they play
• 49:21
  Speaker 2: the Browns, it's just a nightmare. And I get it,
• 49:24
  Speaker 2: it's tough dealing with those guys that they have, but
• 49:28
  Speaker 2: I just it's a reminder that they can improve and
• 49:32
  Speaker 2: it's not just against the Browns.
• 49:34
  Speaker 3: This offense can be better.
• 49:36
  Speaker 2: And part of that is if Joe does go down
• 49:39
  Speaker 2: having enough pieces to where it works and it is consistent.
• 49:44
  Speaker 2: And so the first thing is first, Dalton Reisner is
• 49:47
  Speaker 2: the topic that everyone wants.
• 49:49
  Speaker 3: To talk about, and rightfully so.
• 49:50
  Speaker 2: And you need stability there at that right guard spot
• 49:53
  Speaker 2: and you can bring back those starting five offensive linemen.
• 49:56
  Speaker 3: I think you feel good about that.
• 49:58
  Speaker 2: But just from a sk old position perspective, I already
• 50:01
  Speaker 2: mentioned Dallas Goddard like they could absolutely you use a
• 50:04
  Speaker 2: boost at tight end, and I think they know that.
• 50:08
  Speaker 2: I think that from a running back or wide receiver standpoint,
• 50:12
  Speaker 2: specifically wide receiver, I get it, Chase Brown's handle a
• 50:15
  Speaker 2: lot of snaps and you feel good about what Samaji
• 50:17
  Speaker 2: p Rying did, and rightfully so. But at wide receiver,
• 50:20
  Speaker 2: that wide receiver three spot, that's a lot of snaps.
• 50:23
  Speaker 2: If you find the right piece, and maybe it's not
• 50:26
  Speaker 2: wide receiver three, maybe it's wide receiver four behind Andre
• 50:29
  Speaker 2: and it's a quick, shifty yards after catch player that
• 50:34
  Speaker 2: isn't Jamar Chase.
• 50:36
  Speaker 3: I think that would be nice to have in this offense.
• 50:38
  Speaker 3: So there are things that they can improve.
• 50:40
  Speaker 2: Obviously, swing tackle is another one that I think a
• 50:42
  Speaker 2: lot of people will focus on. They focus on their trenches,
• 50:45
  Speaker 2: but the other pieces on offense could be.
• 50:47
  Speaker 3: Upgraded as well.
• 50:48
  Speaker 2: And that doesn't include backup quarterback, which is obviously a
• 50:51
  Speaker 2: big topic point.
• 50:54
  Speaker 1: So the biggest area of improvement that the Bengals must
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: have on offense is increasing the likelihood that Joe Burrow
• 51:00
  Speaker 1: plays seventeen games. And this is something that we've talked
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: about for years and years and years, and I'm hoping
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: that one of the biggest contributions that Joe Flacco made
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: in the games that he started for Cincinnati was showing
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: Joe yet again that it's okay to live for the
• 51:16
  Speaker 1: next play. Joe Flacco made six starts for the Bengals.
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: Here were the number of sacks in those six games,
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: one two, one, three one one the time he was
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: sacked three times. He threw forty seven passes against the Bears,
• 51:34
  Speaker 1: so there were a lot of opportunities to get him down.
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: Nobody wants to take away from one of Joe Burrow's superpowers,
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: which is his ability to extend plays and turn nothing
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: into something often something great. But continuing to learn when
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: to pick his spots is going to be very important
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: for him going forward, and I think we saw it
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: to a certain extent once he returned from his toe
• 51:59
  Speaker 1: in He didn't stop looking to make plays, but I
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: do think that maybe he was picking his spots a
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: little bit more than he did prior to the injury,
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: and I'm hoping that that continues to happen for the
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: rest of his career. You can never completely eliminate the
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: possibility of injury. The play where he suffered his turf
• 52:19
  Speaker 1: toe injury this year was just a normal play that's
• 52:21
  Speaker 1: going to happen in every game. But anything that Joe
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: can do and the Bengals can do to at least
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: minimize the chance of it happening again is the single
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: biggest thing that they can do to improve their offense.
• 52:35
  Speaker 2: When you have Joe, you're always going to feel like
• 52:37
  Speaker 2: you have a shot. You just are, and that's whether
• 52:42
  Speaker 2: or not they have a better roster. They put it
• 52:44
  Speaker 2: as a better roster, you feel like it's the best
• 52:46
  Speaker 2: coach on the planet, or whatever the case is. It
• 52:48
  Speaker 2: you feel like nine is out there, then you're you're
• 52:52
  Speaker 2: gonna think you have a puncher's chance, and I agree
• 52:54
  Speaker 2: with you. Plus, it's it's more fun when he's out there,
• 52:57
  Speaker 2: even if there's nothing on the line. Right watching him
• 53:00
  Speaker 2: down the stretch, I do think that he adjusted his
• 53:02
  Speaker 2: play some and there was multiple times where he would
• 53:04
  Speaker 2: throw the ball away, which really wasn't in his vocabulary
• 53:07
  Speaker 2: for most of his career. Throwing the ball away, throwing
• 53:10
  Speaker 2: it into the ground, doing those type of things. Sliding,
• 53:13
  Speaker 2: even if it is still kind of awkward at times,
• 53:17
  Speaker 2: doing those things would certainly go a long way.
• 53:20
  Speaker 1: All right, we're going to wrap this up with our
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: hot takes. We chokingly refer to you as hot take
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: James in the Bengals press room. You generate a lot
• 53:32
  Speaker 1: of great content all over the place. I don't really
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: think of you as a hot take specialist, but I know,
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: if called upon, you will come up with something good.
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: So fire away, give me your best hot take.
• 53:43
  Speaker 2: I still have it at me, for sure. I try
• 53:45
  Speaker 2: to taper it down right and keep it in the
• 53:48
  Speaker 2: keep it shelled as much as I can. But if
• 53:50
  Speaker 2: we need to get the fire out we can. Wide
• 53:54
  Speaker 2: receiver should be in play at ten, Dan whoa of course,
• 53:58
  Speaker 2: of course wide receiver should be in play at ten.
• 54:00
  Speaker 2: And I know I didn't mention them, but that doesn't
• 54:03
  Speaker 2: mean that makay Lemon wouldn't come in. I almost gave
• 54:06
  Speaker 2: it away with that last answer. McKay lemon comes in
• 54:09
  Speaker 2: and plays eight hundred snaps tomorrow. And I think that's
• 54:12
  Speaker 2: the interesting part of this is you look at impact
• 54:17
  Speaker 2: at ten, and you could certainly get major impact with
• 54:23
  Speaker 2: the right fit at wide receiver. And I think whether
• 54:25
  Speaker 2: it's mackay Lemon, Carnel Tait, pick your flavor, those are
• 54:29
  Speaker 2: the two for me at least at this point that
• 54:30
  Speaker 2: stand out the most to be in consideration at ten.
• 54:34
  Speaker 2: It would take a lot no doubt in free agency
• 54:38
  Speaker 2: to feel like, all right, we're going with this and
• 54:42
  Speaker 2: we're going to do this. But if that player has
• 54:46
  Speaker 2: an instant impact. When's the last time they had a
• 54:47
  Speaker 2: top ten pick. They took Jamar It was kind of
• 54:49
  Speaker 2: caught a little controversial at the time and it worked
• 54:53
  Speaker 2: out really well. I just I don't want to rule
• 54:55
  Speaker 2: it out in mid February that they go offense at ten,
• 55:00
  Speaker 2: and I would certainly be open to the right wide receiver.
• 55:04
  Speaker 1: So I'll say this, by the time the draft rolls around,
• 55:08
  Speaker 1: we will have already seen free agency. So if they
• 55:12
  Speaker 1: are able to add multiple guys that project to be
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: starters on defense, why not. I mean, it certainly fits
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: best player available. If you think that that wide receiver
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: is as close to a sure thing as you can get,
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: and nobody on defense fits that description, then as crazy
• 55:32
  Speaker 1: as it sounds, as hot taky as it sounds, you
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: can't roll it out.
• 55:38
  Speaker 3: Let's go. That's it. That's it.
• 55:40
  Speaker 2: Because of that, Like, if you get the wrong guy
• 55:43
  Speaker 2: on defense, does it really matter that you address the defense?
• 55:46
  Speaker 2: And the answer is no, you want to get it right,
• 55:48
  Speaker 2: and so that's all that is. That's why you draft
• 55:50
  Speaker 2: the best player and you try to stick to your board,
• 55:53
  Speaker 2: and if you do that, you can live with the results.
• 55:56
  Speaker 3: Mackay Lemon.
• 55:57
  Speaker 2: Everyone knows about Carnel tat Ohio, but McKay lemon, that
• 56:01
  Speaker 2: would be a fun one. Every first down Lemons show
• 56:03
  Speaker 2: up on the jumbo tron.
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: I could see it if it happens. This is the
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: ultimate clip and save moment. February eleventh, Rappine called it
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: all right, you kind of stole my thunder earlier when
• 56:14
  Speaker 1: we were talking about Trey Hendrickson and Max Crosby. But
• 56:17
  Speaker 1: my hate, my hot take is that it is a
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: trade without being a trade. Trey goes to the Raiders,
• 56:26
  Speaker 1: Crosby comes to the Bengals. And here's the scenario. So
• 56:31
  Speaker 1: the Raiders don't want to lose Max Crosby, They've made
• 56:34
  Speaker 1: that abundantly clear. But if he simply doesn't want to
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: come back and they decide that, you know, it's not
• 56:39
  Speaker 1: worth the headache to have a guy here making that
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: kind of money that doesn't want to be here, They're
• 56:44
  Speaker 1: going to need somebody that can offer them similar production.
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: Trey Hendrickson can do that. He's done that. He's had
• 56:51
  Speaker 1: two seasons with seventeen and a half sacks. Max Crosby
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: has never done that, even though he's essentially averaged ten
• 56:59
  Speaker 1: in his seven NFL seasons. So the process begins with
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: the tag in trade, and the Bengals are ultimately able
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: to get that done with the Raiders because the Raiders
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: have a lot of picks. They've got ten draft picks
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: and they've got three picks in the top sixty seven.
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: So you're not going to get one of those picks.
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: But because the Raiders have three picks that high, that
• 57:24
  Speaker 1: makes the picks after that a little bit more expendable.
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: They've got pick number one oh two, they have pick
• 57:32
  Speaker 1: number one seventeen. One oh two is essentially either a
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: late third round or kind of early fourth round pick,
• 57:42
  Speaker 1: depending on how many compensatory picks there are in this
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: year's draft. So I'd like one oh two, but I
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: would consider one seventeen. That's going to be, you know,
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: kind of early fourth round ish. That's what the Bengals
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: are able to get in a tagg In trade scenario
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: with the Raiders, and the Raiders wind up giving Tray
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: three years seventy eight mil. I don't know whatever it is,
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: but a multi year deal that Trey is willing to accept.
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: Now that the Bengals have done that, they turn around and,
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: as I said earlier, give up the tenth pick in
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: this year's draft, maybe a slightly later pick than I
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: suggested earlier, So a third round pick in next year's draft,
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: plus Chris Jenkins because Tom Brady is a Michigan man,
• 58:36
  Speaker 1: to bring Max Crosby to Cincinnati. So that's my hot take.
• 58:41
  Speaker 1: A trade without being a trade where the Bengals give
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: up Tray and get Max Crosby.
• 58:47
  Speaker 3: That would just be fun.
• 58:49
  Speaker 2: It would be fun and to see how this defense
• 58:52
  Speaker 2: would look built around that. And with a guy in
• 58:55
  Speaker 2: Max Crosby, that wouldn't be thinking, cause I get it.
• 59:00
  Speaker 2: I get thinking about your contract and everything that went
• 59:02
  Speaker 2: into it with Trey like, that's tough.
• 59:04
  Speaker 3: It was a tough situation. If you somehow end up with.
• 59:07
  Speaker 2: Max Crosby, that would be that would be a heck
• 59:10
  Speaker 2: of a result, especially if it's before before free agency.
• 59:13
  Speaker 2: So then you can go get Brian Cook and go
• 59:15
  Speaker 2: get go get boy a Mafe and now suddenly now
• 59:20
  Speaker 2: really cooking really.
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, m Plus, you don't have to worry about negotiating
• 59:27
  Speaker 1: with Max because he signed for four years, so that
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: potential headache of trying to, you know, retain one of
• 59:34
  Speaker 1: the best defensive players in the league going forward. The
• 59:37
  Speaker 1: job's already done for you.
• 59:39
  Speaker 3: It is.
• 59:39
  Speaker 2: And then he has I think there's guaranteed money next
• 59:43
  Speaker 2: year in twenty seven from an injury guarantee. It gets
• 59:46
  Speaker 2: guaranteed later this offseason, So that would be great because
• 59:51
  Speaker 2: then he's, yeah, if he has twenty five Sacks and
• 59:54
  Speaker 2: he gets frustrated. Well, you have that conversation then, but
• 59:57
  Speaker 2: for now, go out and get twenty five sacks.
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 1: James Rapine is one of the best content creators out
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: there where the Cincinnati Bengals are concerned. I don't have
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 1: to tell you that, but you already know it. You
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: can find him at Bengals Talk dot com, Lockdown Bengals Podcast,
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 1: and elsewhere. Follow him on x at James Rapine r
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 1: API E N. I appreciate your time. I know you're
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 1: busy as a content creator and as a dad, so
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: thanks for giving me so much time today.
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 3: Of course, Dan, thanks for having me.
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 1: That's going to do it for this episode of the
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