Latest / Bengals Booth Podcast / Bengals Booth Podcast: Welcome To The Working Week

Transcript

Bengals Booth Podcast: Welcome To The Working Week · Bengals Booth Podcast

0:03
Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
0:06
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast. The Welcome to the Working Week addition,
0:13
Speaker 1: as the Bengals moved to the next phase of their
0:15
Speaker 1: offseason workouts as offense faces defense for the first time,
0:19
Speaker 1: albeit without full speed contact. Coming up three one on
0:24
Speaker 1: one conversations with running back Chris Evans, veteran safety Michael Thomas,
0:30
Speaker 1: an undrafted rookie free agent tyrekas Tisdale. The Bengals Booth
0:35
Speaker 1: Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download Ultimate Bengals ahead
0:40
Speaker 1: of the twenty twenty two season. It's free to play
0:43
Speaker 1: next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get it
0:48
Speaker 1: now on the App Store and Google Play. And here's
0:51
Speaker 1: a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition
0:54
Speaker 1: of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or
0:57
Speaker 1: computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the
1:01
Speaker 1: greatest thing since Bengals Commemorative wine bottles. In honor of
1:07
Speaker 1: the Bengals trip to Super Bowl fifty six, a company
1:10
Speaker 1: called Manos Wine has released three officially licensed commemorative bottles,
1:16
Speaker 1: two with red wine and one with a sparkling white.
1:20
Speaker 1: The bottles are a beautiful keepsake and they sold out quickly. However,
1:25
Speaker 1: according to the website, you can be notified when they
1:28
Speaker 1: are back in stock. If you're interested, just do a
1:32
Speaker 1: quick search for Bengals Manos Wine. That's m A n
1:37
Speaker 1: Os Now. Time for this week's guests, beginning with running
1:41
Speaker 1: back Chris Evans, a sixth round draft pick out of
1:44
Speaker 1: Michigan last year who carried seventeen times for seventy seven
1:48
Speaker 1: yards as a rookie and added fifteen catches for one
1:51
Speaker 1: hundred and fifty one yards and two touchdowns. He also
1:55
Speaker 1: had a catch in the Super Bowl. And that's where
1:58
Speaker 1: I began our converse. So in the fourth quarter of
2:02
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl, angles are up by four key third
2:05
Speaker 1: down in two play they throw to you for a
2:08
Speaker 1: first down. From sixth round pick to rookie contributor to
2:13
Speaker 1: being counted on at a key Super Bowl moment, what
2:16
Speaker 1: did that mean to you? It means a lot coming
2:18
Speaker 1: from wrong, coming from and the adversity I went through,
2:21
Speaker 1: just being a little piece of the puzzle to you
2:23
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, Being a Super Bowl is huge
2:25
Speaker 1: to me. So I just my role, I just I
2:27
Speaker 1: was I was a superstar on my role. That's how
2:29
Speaker 1: I looked at it the whole season, especially to throw
2:31
Speaker 1: out the playoffs. I was just a superstar on my
2:33
Speaker 1: role and I just took that and I ain't do
2:35
Speaker 1: nothing too much and didn't do nothing too little. I
2:37
Speaker 1: just did whatever whatever they asked to me. And I
2:38
Speaker 1: was always ready when when they knew me. How long
2:41
Speaker 1: did it take for the Super Bowl sting to go away?
2:44
Speaker 1: If it has, it's ain'tle with you know what I'm saying.
2:46
Speaker 1: We we I think we'll get our slight revenge when
2:50
Speaker 1: we play them in the We practiced against them and
2:52
Speaker 1: play against them in the preseason. But other than that,
2:56
Speaker 1: we didn't get the job done. So, I mean, you
2:58
Speaker 1: get an AFC championship ring, but it what you can
3:01
Speaker 1: wear that for it. You ain't got a two ball
3:02
Speaker 1: ring saying, that's how I look at it. But chatting
3:05
Speaker 1: with Chris Savans, you had one kickoff return at Michigan
3:09
Speaker 1: as a freshman last year in the playoffs in the
3:11
Speaker 1: Super Bowl, you're the kickoff returner for this team. Did
3:14
Speaker 1: it come naturally? Did you know what you were doing?
3:17
Speaker 1: Tell me about that process, man, I wasn't even this
3:22
Speaker 1: time last year. I wasn't even on the depth chart
3:24
Speaker 1: the kickoff the time, but bodies bodies going down, injuries
3:27
Speaker 1: left and right, you know what I'm saying. And they
3:30
Speaker 1: told me this is what I need to do, and
3:31
Speaker 1: I stepped up and did it. First first playoff game
3:34
Speaker 1: against the Raiders, I was had the jitters. I'm missing,
3:36
Speaker 1: missing the missing, I'm not running to the right spot
3:38
Speaker 1: dropping the ball. It was just I'm like, how the
3:41
Speaker 1: first time be a kickoff returner in the in the
3:43
Speaker 1: playoffs and we ain't. I mean when Begles ain't been
3:46
Speaker 1: to the playoffs. I want a playoff game and forever
3:48
Speaker 1: so fore, like the pressure's own, you know what I'm saying.
3:50
Speaker 1: So I just made sure I got good to leave.
3:53
Speaker 1: I was eating right all that stuff because I like,
3:55
Speaker 1: nothing's gonna get in the way. It is because it
3:56
Speaker 1: accounting on me him saying I could um Darren said
4:00
Speaker 1: kick off returns the first playoff offense. You know what
4:02
Speaker 1: I'm saying. So if I can get Julie be in
4:04
Speaker 1: the right position, and you know what I'm saying, we can,
4:06
Speaker 1: that might be a different maker. Do you want to
4:09
Speaker 1: continue doing it or is it more of a Hey,
4:11
Speaker 1: if you need me to do it, I'll do it.
4:12
Speaker 1: And then I'm willing to do whatever they need me
4:14
Speaker 1: to do. They need me to hold the hold the kick,
4:16
Speaker 1: hold the kick forever, and they need me to a
4:18
Speaker 1: punt and whatever they need me to do, I'll do
4:19
Speaker 1: whatever it takes and whatever they need me to do
4:21
Speaker 1: to help the seem. You look stronger to me, particularly
4:25
Speaker 1: in the lower body. Was that something that you worked
4:27
Speaker 1: on in the offseason. Oh, yeah, I wasn't, especially before
4:30
Speaker 1: the preseason last year. I was I didn't know. I
4:34
Speaker 1: didn't know the rookies and the young guys and they
4:36
Speaker 1: guys some we're out there in the second half of
4:38
Speaker 1: the preseason game. We're out there the whole time. You
4:40
Speaker 1: know what it says, I'm out there. I was like,
4:41
Speaker 1: I gotta I gotta transform my body and get it
4:43
Speaker 1: ready and get it prepared for the preseason. So I'm
4:46
Speaker 1: ready to do that. We're chatting with Chris Evans. I
4:49
Speaker 1: have a hard time keeping up with your various endeavors
4:52
Speaker 1: the CE Stars. You're seven on seven football teams in
4:55
Speaker 1: four different states. It looks like you're involved with girls volleyball. Now,
4:59
Speaker 1: tell me a little bit about all you're doing in
5:01
Speaker 1: the off season. Yeah, I'm just I'm just trying to impact.
5:03
Speaker 1: I'm doing whatever I can to be able to help
5:07
Speaker 1: this next generation because you've got kids out here that
5:09
Speaker 1: even if they got their parents at home, it's different
5:11
Speaker 1: situations and stuff like that. So if I can be
5:13
Speaker 1: able to impact anything, and I impact the youth in football,
5:16
Speaker 1: So I'm like, I want to impact. The more I
5:18
Speaker 1: want to, I want to challenge myself to see how
5:20
Speaker 1: I campact. So I partnered up with some good people, um,
5:22
Speaker 1: and we started a volleyball club called all Out. I'm
5:25
Speaker 1: saying pretty much, if you if you go all out,
5:28
Speaker 1: that should answer all your problems in life. You know
5:30
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. Just whatever you do, go all out
5:31
Speaker 1: in it. And um just doing that and just tapping
5:33
Speaker 1: into the to the girls from the inner cities and
5:36
Speaker 1: stuff like that, and just being able to give them
5:37
Speaker 1: the opportunity to seane and be able to do what
5:39
Speaker 1: they say want to do and what the cable love.
5:42
Speaker 1: So this is more of a giving back thing for
5:44
Speaker 1: you than a growing business. Yeah exactly. I mean business
5:47
Speaker 1: comes with at the end of the day, but at
5:49
Speaker 1: the same time, like it's the main focus to get
5:51
Speaker 1: back into to to to push into the youth and
5:54
Speaker 1: then and get it from different angles. I can get
5:56
Speaker 1: football guys, guys on my team to help out blah blah,
5:58
Speaker 1: But how how can I challenge myself to go partner
6:01
Speaker 1: with girls who play volleyball and you know what I'm saying,
6:04
Speaker 1: volleyball coaches and stuff like that, because if I just
6:07
Speaker 1: want to impact football, that'd be different. I want to
6:09
Speaker 1: be able to go in a different I'm just impact
6:12
Speaker 1: in general, you know what I'm saying, Just impact, straight
6:14
Speaker 1: up impact. So so, yeah, we're talking to Chris Hevans.
6:17
Speaker 1: So we often hear about the difference between rookies and
6:20
Speaker 1: players in their second year. As a rookie, you don't
6:22
Speaker 1: know what you don't know, and then of the second
6:24
Speaker 1: year everything seems to make more sense. Is that the
6:27
Speaker 1: way of shaping up for you? Yeah? Uh, Darren said
6:32
Speaker 1: that the biggest improvements from the rookie year to your
6:34
Speaker 1: second year. So I'm looking into that and then getting
6:37
Speaker 1: ready to because there's stuff that like I didn't know,
6:39
Speaker 1: have no clue, no clue on last year, but now
6:42
Speaker 1: going into this year, and then the crazy thing I
6:43
Speaker 1: see the rookies this year, like I see like they're
6:47
Speaker 1: the wheel spinning in their head just like mine. Ware
6:50
Speaker 1: Like it's almost kind of funny to watch and that
6:53
Speaker 1: kind of like it's it's the best to kind of
6:56
Speaker 1: let them go through that so that they can understand
6:58
Speaker 1: it themselves, because if you tell them, then they won't
7:01
Speaker 1: fully truly understand it. You can't give him the chico,
7:03
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, giveing him the chico. It's
7:05
Speaker 1: kind of they gave me chicos, But like I had
7:08
Speaker 1: to alsome, I had to figure out on my own,
7:10
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. So they could help me
7:11
Speaker 1: and tell me to do this, to me to do that,
7:13
Speaker 1: but then the day I got to figure out what's
7:14
Speaker 1: best for me and what I can find him how
7:16
Speaker 1: I learn the best. So one of those rookies was
7:19
Speaker 1: a former teammate of yours it Michigan first ground draft
7:21
Speaker 1: pick Tax Hill. Where are the Bengals getting in? Dax
7:24
Speaker 1: hill Man, smooth, fluid dB who wanted to do whatever
7:28
Speaker 1: it takes, you know what's saying to help the team.
7:30
Speaker 1: And uh and man, Michigan man, you know what saying.
7:32
Speaker 1: Michigan Man, I always gonna do it right, you know,
7:34
Speaker 1: so I don't know about them more issue guys. But
7:36
Speaker 1: I'm saying, I don't know if we do it right,
7:37
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. So but yeah, you're getting
7:40
Speaker 1: that and just just a guy willing to you know
7:42
Speaker 1: what I'm saying, help the team and do whatever you can.
7:44
Speaker 1: And also like it's a good dude, you know what
7:46
Speaker 1: I'm saying, A good dude in the locker room. And
7:47
Speaker 1: he's not you know what I'm saying, show off your
7:49
Speaker 1: show body, you know what I'm saying. He just come in,
7:51
Speaker 1: get his job done it or keep it like that.
7:53
Speaker 1: That's what strikes me. He seems so humble and grounded
7:56
Speaker 1: for a first ground draft pack. It kind of carries
7:58
Speaker 1: himself like a five year vat exactly you I mean,
8:01
Speaker 1: I was. I just try to stay in there as
8:03
Speaker 1: much as I can. But the end of the day,
8:04
Speaker 1: like I said, he got to figure it out itself,
8:06
Speaker 1: and h like I can, you know, I can help him,
8:08
Speaker 1: and you know what I'm saying, got him and stuff
8:09
Speaker 1: like that, like a little different like massage therapy and
8:12
Speaker 1: like gave him, um, the guy gotta cut his hair
8:16
Speaker 1: around here, you know, so I can help him like that.
8:17
Speaker 1: But like as far as like your rookie year training camp.
8:20
Speaker 1: You gotta figure it out on your own because I
8:21
Speaker 1: had to figure it out to you know what I'm saying,
8:22
Speaker 1: that's the best way to learn. So when you're in college,
8:25
Speaker 1: they give you a little time off and then you're
8:27
Speaker 1: back on campus working with the strength and conditioning staff
8:30
Speaker 1: leading up to the draft, and you're trying to train
8:33
Speaker 1: and then position yourself as well as you possibly can.
8:36
Speaker 1: You probably got your first break after a football season
8:40
Speaker 1: this year in years. Did you were you able to relax,
8:45
Speaker 1: did you have some good downtime or did you do
8:46
Speaker 1: anything fun? Oh? I was. I was selling the running
8:50
Speaker 1: backs of the day when he was giving updates about
8:53
Speaker 1: what we're doing all season. I feel like I had
8:54
Speaker 1: a lot of time, but I didn't have a lot
8:56
Speaker 1: of time because in my first off season, I didn't
8:58
Speaker 1: have to go to class or nothing. So I'm just
9:00
Speaker 1: like and then for like, it took like three weeks
9:03
Speaker 1: for like my body to heal all the way because
9:05
Speaker 1: like you get, you get hurt, you get a little
9:08
Speaker 1: bruised in the divisional round against Tennessee. You gotta carry
9:11
Speaker 1: that because you can't stop because this is you know
9:14
Speaker 1: what I mean, You're going to the Super Bowl, I
9:15
Speaker 1: mean tight area thing. So I'm just like, I'm just
9:18
Speaker 1: gonna relax, stay off my feet until all like my
9:20
Speaker 1: wrists and my my antle thigh like Oliver was tight
9:23
Speaker 1: and sore. So I just did that and just spend
9:27
Speaker 1: time with family, went to Miamily with a couple of
9:29
Speaker 1: my college teammates, and you know, I mean, yeah, just
9:32
Speaker 1: kicked it and got back straight to work. Seems logical
9:35
Speaker 1: to me that you're probably going to play more significant
9:38
Speaker 1: role this year. Are you looking forward to more touches
9:40
Speaker 1: and the more chances to impact the game? Yeah, I'm
9:43
Speaker 1: just I'm really really just trying to m saying, like
9:46
Speaker 1: I said, do whatever it takes to to increase my rule,
9:49
Speaker 1: and really I want to. I want to make more
9:51
Speaker 1: of impact my special teams suit because I feel like that,
9:54
Speaker 1: like in the nuanced thing, I had a couple of
9:56
Speaker 1: tackles last year, but I never played special teams in college.
9:59
Speaker 1: So I wanted to do things to get the role
10:02
Speaker 1: because you know, when you had the back end of it,
10:04
Speaker 1: on the back end of roster, like at the end
10:06
Speaker 1: of the day, it's who who wants some more on
10:08
Speaker 1: supposal teams? You know what I'm saying, so if you're
10:10
Speaker 1: not getting thirty three as a game like Joe Mixon,
10:12
Speaker 1: you better be able to go down and get a
10:14
Speaker 1: couple of tackles. You know what I'm saying. Every week,
10:15
Speaker 1: So I feel like if I push that harder than anybody,
10:18
Speaker 1: then I feel like I can I can bump my
10:21
Speaker 1: roll up. And it's if I put my roll up once,
10:23
Speaker 1: however it sakes out, I'm saying, on the top end
10:25
Speaker 1: of the roster, whatever it is, you know, whatever they
10:27
Speaker 1: need me, I'm gonna be ready. So appreciate your time, Chris.
10:30
Speaker 1: Thank you. Appreciate you if you include the postseason. Last year,
10:34
Speaker 1: Joe Mixon led all NFL running backs with four hundred
10:38
Speaker 1: nineteen touches, three hundred and fifty nine runs, and sixty
10:42
Speaker 1: receptions and I'm not even counting his touchdown pass in
10:46
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl. I'm sure the Bengals are hoping that
10:50
Speaker 1: Chris Evans can play a bigger role this year and
10:52
Speaker 1: help lighten the workload on Jolton Joe. Before we get
10:56
Speaker 1: to my next guest, here's an invitation to grab your
10:58
Speaker 1: yoga mat and Joe Who Day On Saturday, June twenty fifth,
11:02
Speaker 1: at nine am for Namas Day Yoga on the field
11:06
Speaker 1: at Paul Brown Stadium. Register now at Bengals dot com
11:09
Speaker 1: Slash Yoga. It's presented by Cottonelle in partnership with Kroger
11:14
Speaker 1: and Title Babe Period Bank. My friend Chad Brendel, who
11:19
Speaker 1: does a great job of covering UC sports on his
11:21
Speaker 1: website bearcad Journal, pointed out something recently about the Bengals
11:25
Speaker 1: that I didn't realize. There are only three players on
11:29
Speaker 1: the roster over the age of thirty, holder Clark Harris
11:33
Speaker 1: who's thirty seven, Hunter Kevin Huber who's thirty six, and
11:37
Speaker 1: safety Michael Thomas who's thirty two. That's it. Three guys,
11:42
Speaker 1: and none of them on offense. I spoke to the
11:45
Speaker 1: effervescent Michael Thomas on Tuesday. So when I watch you
11:51
Speaker 1: at practice, the smile number never comes off your face.
11:54
Speaker 1: I mean, do you have bad days? Oh, man, like
11:56
Speaker 1: everybody as you go through stuff. But I can honestly say,
12:00
Speaker 1: going out there with these young dudes, with just just
12:02
Speaker 1: just being out there, man, it's it's it's what you
12:05
Speaker 1: dream of. Even in year eleven, No, I still get
12:08
Speaker 1: that joy. I don't want to be anywhere else, man,
12:10
Speaker 1: Like this. This is my passion and my love just
12:12
Speaker 1: being out there with the guys and seeing if I
12:14
Speaker 1: could get better, dude. So it's not too small about it.
12:17
Speaker 1: The younger guys seek you out during practice. They want
12:21
Speaker 1: to know things about the defense and so forth, and
12:24
Speaker 1: you are happy to help coach him. Yeah. I mean,
12:27
Speaker 1: I just think back to my rookie year I had,
12:29
Speaker 1: so I was blessed. I had so many like great
12:31
Speaker 1: vests that was like willing to teach me. And I
12:33
Speaker 1: remember what that made me feel like. It gave me
12:35
Speaker 1: confidence to go out there and play fast. So why
12:37
Speaker 1: would I not I don't care. You know, I don't
12:38
Speaker 1: look at us if I'm competing with a guy, Why
12:40
Speaker 1: would I not give them as much of a game
12:43
Speaker 1: that was giving back to me? Man? And I know
12:45
Speaker 1: this their dream, They're they're trying to pursue their passing
12:47
Speaker 1: so regards it's the first round draft pick to an
12:50
Speaker 1: undrafted guy like my that like how I experienced. Man,
12:53
Speaker 1: I'm just trying to help them out so they can,
12:55
Speaker 1: you know, live out their dreams. Gonna make a play
12:56
Speaker 1: in this preseason, trying to make it to them. And
12:58
Speaker 1: that's it. We're chatting this EIGHTE Michael Thomas, What are
13:01
Speaker 1: your impressions of the three defensive backs they draft at
13:05
Speaker 1: Dax Hill, Cam Taylor, britt Tyson Anderson One. First, yeah,
13:09
Speaker 1: first off, I was scout in the department they did.
13:12
Speaker 1: They don't help us, that's first off. And I'm talking
13:14
Speaker 1: about across the board character, talent, skill level. But what
13:18
Speaker 1: impressed me was their willingness to learn. They're asking questions
13:22
Speaker 1: if they messed up, like, hey, what did I do
13:24
Speaker 1: wrong here? How can I get better? If a coach
13:26
Speaker 1: tell them, hey, you f this up? You need to
13:28
Speaker 1: do this, I guarantee the next time they're coming out there,
13:30
Speaker 1: they're trying to like make that correction. May mess up
13:33
Speaker 1: else up, but they're gonna make sure they get that right.
13:35
Speaker 1: And when you have young dudes coming in like that,
13:39
Speaker 1: that gives you a chance to win because they're not
13:41
Speaker 1: looking or treating this like it's a red shirt gear.
13:43
Speaker 1: They got time. They're coming in. They're trying to compete now,
13:45
Speaker 1: so it's it's exciting. It makes an old dude like me,
13:49
Speaker 1: it's like, all right, well, yeah, I gotta make sure
13:52
Speaker 1: I'm on my game. Okay, I can't bys. But at
13:54
Speaker 1: the same time, it's also like encouraging because you know
13:56
Speaker 1: that won't be drop off. Watching Dax Hill a little
13:59
Speaker 1: bit today, they're moving them all over the place and
14:01
Speaker 1: they just got here. Are you amazed by the versatility
14:05
Speaker 1: of some of these guys. I mean you see him
14:07
Speaker 1: going red line and red line already. I mean, that's
14:10
Speaker 1: that's again, it's impressive. But at the same time, kudos
14:14
Speaker 1: to that, you know, to those guys upstairs, you know
14:16
Speaker 1: they win and found a guy that can come in
14:17
Speaker 1: here and played it, played his game, and I mean
14:20
Speaker 1: I've seen his versatility. I love his leadership too. I
14:23
Speaker 1: love his leadership. I love the way that he's asking questions.
14:26
Speaker 1: Even as a young guy. He understands the situation. But
14:28
Speaker 1: at the same time, he's going out here trying to
14:30
Speaker 1: learn and get better every single day. And when you
14:32
Speaker 1: see that, you're like, all right, I could respect you
14:34
Speaker 1: for that. You're not coming in like a you know,
14:35
Speaker 1: like a slap, like just some young dude, just you
14:37
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, like not taking this thing serious.
14:39
Speaker 1: You're coming in as a pro, and that's what you
14:40
Speaker 1: want to see. For chatting the safety Michael Thomas. You
14:43
Speaker 1: played on a playoff team in Miami. But I know
14:46
Speaker 1: for several years after that, the teams you played for
14:48
Speaker 1: did not win a lot of games. What did the
14:50
Speaker 1: Super Bowl mean to you in light of that? Man?
14:53
Speaker 1: I mean, you said I'd only played in one playoff
14:56
Speaker 1: game prior to last year, and I was on a
15:00
Speaker 1: super Bowl team, but I was gonna practice squad and
15:03
Speaker 1: I didn't play in that hurt. So to come here
15:05
Speaker 1: what some nine years later and ask you get a
15:08
Speaker 1: chance experience making a run to the super Bowl and
15:12
Speaker 1: contributing that. I mean, but I guess besides actually winning
15:17
Speaker 1: that Super Bowl, you know, like that meant everything to
15:19
Speaker 1: me because I just wanted to prove that I could
15:22
Speaker 1: help a team get there and help a team try
15:24
Speaker 1: to win, man, And that's that's all we ever want.
15:26
Speaker 1: We just want to prove ourselves right that we're good
15:28
Speaker 1: enough that we can play. And it felt great, But
15:31
Speaker 1: you got a lot more to prove this year too.
15:33
Speaker 1: Running out of the tunnel, did you feel like you
15:35
Speaker 1: could left the stadium? Oh? Dude, man, it's it's it's
15:38
Speaker 1: something you dream about since you're a kid, something I
15:40
Speaker 1: definitely dreamed about. I can't even describe that, dude, like
15:43
Speaker 1: it was. It was electric. It was electric. You felt
15:46
Speaker 1: like you could do anything, and you knew everybody, you know,
15:48
Speaker 1: all eyes on you. You got the rock coming out,
15:50
Speaker 1: you know, giving us an extra five minutes before we
15:52
Speaker 1: kick off. Were ready to go, but he's winking at
15:54
Speaker 1: us on the kick on team, like hey man, let's go,
15:56
Speaker 1: let's let's bring itself. It's a feeling that you can't
16:00
Speaker 1: even put words to clearly, like it wasn't the result
16:03
Speaker 1: we wanted, but I'm thankful and I'm thank God for
16:05
Speaker 1: that experience. Man. Yeah, So the Bengals win the toss
16:08
Speaker 1: and deferred, so you're out there for the opening kickoff
16:11
Speaker 1: with those flashbulbs popping. That must have been your heart
16:14
Speaker 1: must have been going five hundred beats a second exactly.
16:17
Speaker 1: It's like you don't even feel real. It felt like
16:19
Speaker 1: I was in the movie man. Like it's just it
16:22
Speaker 1: happened so fast. You know, you're trying not to blink,
16:24
Speaker 1: not trying not to think about it. But you can't
16:26
Speaker 1: help us see the lights. You can't help us se
16:28
Speaker 1: the lights go off. You're running down their full speed,
16:30
Speaker 1: dude high five and outterwards and stuff. But it's like, man,
16:33
Speaker 1: I could like all of us on the sideline. Once
16:35
Speaker 1: we went off to the sideline, you know, it's a
16:37
Speaker 1: million TV time outs and stuff. It's like, bro, we're
16:39
Speaker 1: really out here. We're really playing in the super Bowl.
16:41
Speaker 1: I can't like, is this real? Like it's a great experience, man,
16:45
Speaker 1: but we you know, gotta work, go through the process,
16:48
Speaker 1: try to get back there and go win it. He
16:51
Speaker 1: joined the team in the practice squad, wound up playing
16:53
Speaker 1: a significant role, and they resigned you right away? Are
16:56
Speaker 1: you I don't know it all surprised by how well
17:00
Speaker 1: things just seem to work out here. Man. It's from
17:03
Speaker 1: the time I got here, I realized one even though
17:07
Speaker 1: this team was young, they were hungry, and they were
17:09
Speaker 1: very talented. And then for me personally going into year
17:13
Speaker 1: ten last year, to get that to get that opportunity,
17:18
Speaker 1: even though it was unfortunate because guys ended up getting
17:20
Speaker 1: hurt Um to come in and contribute, and they actually
17:24
Speaker 1: leaned on me as a leader. Oh thank you. They
17:26
Speaker 1: actually leaned on me as a leader on special schenge.
17:28
Speaker 1: I can't think Darren enoughing, Well, I'm not surprised. I'm
17:31
Speaker 1: just happy that I even got that opportunity to go
17:34
Speaker 1: prove that can still play this game at a high level,
17:35
Speaker 1: to help a team win and to have these young
17:38
Speaker 1: dudes look to me as a leader the team want
17:41
Speaker 1: to sign me back. You know. It's it's humble, man,
17:43
Speaker 1: and I just want to keep giving them all every
17:45
Speaker 1: single day. You are the only non punter or long
17:50
Speaker 1: snapper on the roster over thirty. Here you're chuckling. Is
17:54
Speaker 1: that amazing team? You know? It is better. That's the thing.
17:57
Speaker 1: It's like, oh, uncle Mike, but it's it's really you know,
18:01
Speaker 1: the the NFL will continue to be a young man's game.
18:04
Speaker 1: They'll continue to get younger. But I just feel like
18:07
Speaker 1: I got so much more to get his game. I
18:08
Speaker 1: feel like I got a lot left in the tank
18:10
Speaker 1: for us just playing and even if it's leadership, even
18:12
Speaker 1: if it's just you know, wisdom, trying to help these
18:14
Speaker 1: young dudes who's going to eventually be the future of
18:17
Speaker 1: this game. You know, they are the future of this game.
18:19
Speaker 1: I just got so much more to give, man, and
18:21
Speaker 1: to be the only time fun slash kicker. I mean,
18:25
Speaker 1: it's one as a testament, especially going undrafted man like dude,
18:29
Speaker 1: I still remember conversations from my rookie year, you know,
18:31
Speaker 1: like it goes by so fans. I still feel like
18:34
Speaker 1: I'm young in my mind, but it speaks volumes to
18:37
Speaker 1: you know, just the respect that the organizations have for me,
18:40
Speaker 1: this team and my teammates have for me, man, and
18:42
Speaker 1: I don't take that for granning. Several years down the road,
18:45
Speaker 1: do you see your self coaching? I know, I know
18:49
Speaker 1: I could. I've enjoyed. I enjoyed being around the guy.
18:52
Speaker 1: I enjoy helping it that I get joy by telling
18:55
Speaker 1: a young dude something in him to actually tried, maybe
18:57
Speaker 1: for the first time, and it works, and how happy
18:59
Speaker 1: he gets. I get happy like I made to play.
19:01
Speaker 1: So maybe maybe I can see it. We'll see many
19:05
Speaker 1: years down the road, many years we'll see Michael. Appreciate
19:09
Speaker 1: your time. Thank you very much. Thank you. The Bengals
19:14
Speaker 1: have safety Michael Thomas as well as wide receiver Mike Thomas,
19:17
Speaker 1: and both of them are a joy to talk to.
19:21
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals, the
19:24
Speaker 1: free to play fantasy football game. This past season, Ultimate
19:28
Speaker 1: Bengals awarded a weekly winter during the course of the
19:31
Speaker 1: year with tickets, autographed merchandise, and money can't buy experiences
19:35
Speaker 1: all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals in the App
19:38
Speaker 1: Store and Google Play. My final conversation this week is
19:42
Speaker 1: with one of this year's most intriguing undrafted rookies, defensive linemen,
19:48
Speaker 1: Tyrekus Tisdale, out of All miss If you watch him
19:52
Speaker 1: at practice alongside the two defensive linemen the Bengals drafted
19:55
Speaker 1: this year, third round pick Zach Carter and seventh round
19:58
Speaker 1: selection Jeffrey Gunter, you might think that Tisdale was the
20:03
Speaker 1: most highly touted of the three. He's six five, two
20:07
Speaker 1: hundred and eighty five pounds with thirty five inch arms
20:10
Speaker 1: and ran a four six three forty. It is pro day.
20:13
Speaker 1: I spoke to Tyrekas about his path to Cincinnati. Tyrekas
20:19
Speaker 1: she signed to the Bengals as a college free agent.
20:21
Speaker 1: Why Cincinnati? What appealed to you about this franchise? Um?
20:23
Speaker 1: I just feel like, you know, this scheme fits me
20:26
Speaker 1: the best. On being versatile, Like if I could play
20:29
Speaker 1: inside and out on the coaches Coach Hobby On and
20:34
Speaker 1: Mark Duffner, I feel like those are great guys to
20:37
Speaker 1: learn from them, and great guys to get opportunity from
20:39
Speaker 1: him and the vets her great guys I could learn
20:42
Speaker 1: from down the road. So I know Coach Duffner in particular,
20:46
Speaker 1: was really excited that you signed with the Bengals. Tell
20:49
Speaker 1: me a little bit about your relationship with him leading
20:52
Speaker 1: up to a draft time. Um, so, men, Coach duff
20:55
Speaker 1: actually had a relationship for for a pretty good a
21:00
Speaker 1: while now. We stayed in touch, um from up until
21:04
Speaker 1: Pro day, from before Pro day up until Pro day,
21:07
Speaker 1: after Pro Day, up into the draft. Like, we stayed
21:09
Speaker 1: in touch, you know, talked on the phone, like tell
21:12
Speaker 1: me he'd love for me to be a Bengal and
21:14
Speaker 1: he wanted me here, And you know, I just felt
21:15
Speaker 1: like that relationship, in that connection really is what drew
21:18
Speaker 1: me here. You look the part. You're a big man.
21:22
Speaker 1: I know you ran a four six forty that you're
21:24
Speaker 1: pro day. Do you feel like, just based on the
21:28
Speaker 1: practices you've taken part in so far, that you belong Yes, sir,
21:31
Speaker 1: I would definitely feel like I belong here. I'm obviously
21:34
Speaker 1: still learning, trying to give him a learned the game,
21:36
Speaker 1: learn the scheme, and learn from the people around me
21:39
Speaker 1: for sure, like not you know, not trying to rush things,
21:41
Speaker 1: but also trying to stay stay ahead of things. At
21:44
Speaker 1: the same time, we're chatting with tyrekas Tisdale, you had
21:47
Speaker 1: some injuries at all, Miss, I think you only played
21:49
Speaker 1: eleven games the last couple of years. How is your
21:52
Speaker 1: health and how much did that impact like your draft stock?
21:57
Speaker 1: Do you think you would have been selected had you
21:59
Speaker 1: been healthy? On my I definitely feel like that if
22:03
Speaker 1: I if I stayed healthy and that I would have
22:05
Speaker 1: been I would have been a draft pick. But you know, God,
22:08
Speaker 1: God has a plan for everything, and everything happens for
22:11
Speaker 1: a reason. Though, um, I definitely feel like it. This
22:16
Speaker 1: happened for a reason and now I'm here for a
22:18
Speaker 1: reason today. One hundred percent now, yes, one hundred percent healthy.
22:21
Speaker 1: I'm ready to get to You're practicing with surreal pros
22:25
Speaker 1: Jay Reader, Sam Hubbard, B J. Hill. The list goes
22:29
Speaker 1: on and on. What are you picking up from being
22:31
Speaker 1: around those guys. I'm just just little things that that
22:35
Speaker 1: just can help my my hand placement, my footwork on
22:39
Speaker 1: pat love with just little things that I've always known
22:42
Speaker 1: I needed to work on. And they're just give me
22:44
Speaker 1: key tips that they learned over the years. Day helped
22:47
Speaker 1: them with it, and that's helping me a little more.
22:50
Speaker 1: How about coach Haba, well known as an excellent d line, coach,
22:53
Speaker 1: Is there anything that he's stressed to you so far,
22:56
Speaker 1: things that you picked up from him, just you know,
22:59
Speaker 1: just you know, not not overthinking, not thinking too much.
23:03
Speaker 1: He just tells me not to think too much. You know,
23:05
Speaker 1: just played a game and you know, hell, coach, up
23:07
Speaker 1: the little stuff. You've joined a team that went to
23:10
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl a year ago. Does anything stand out
23:13
Speaker 1: in this locker room? Do you get the vibe of
23:16
Speaker 1: a team that was less than two minutes away from
23:18
Speaker 1: winning it all? You can definitely tell that everybody in
23:22
Speaker 1: this building is about business. They mean business and that
23:27
Speaker 1: day they was supposed to be in a super Bowl
23:29
Speaker 1: when they was close to one and it last year
23:30
Speaker 1: and I don't and I definitely agree that that that
23:35
Speaker 1: this team can make it. Bag there as we're chatting,
23:38
Speaker 1: Aaron Donald got paid yesterday. I think I read an
23:41
Speaker 1: interview with you prior to the draft that that's your guy.
23:44
Speaker 1: That's so you admire the most. You know, you can't
23:48
Speaker 1: you can't win without the big boys up front, so
23:50
Speaker 1: you gotta pay. Yeah. Unfortunately, he made life miserable both
23:54
Speaker 1: for the Bengals in the Super Bowl, but he does
23:55
Speaker 1: that pretty much everybody as we're here in the locker room.
23:59
Speaker 1: You've got a twenty two necklace on. That was your
24:01
Speaker 1: number at all missed unusual D line number. I was
24:06
Speaker 1: a running back my whole entire career up until college,
24:10
Speaker 1: and twenty two was my number, and I stuck with
24:12
Speaker 1: it throughout high school throughout college. I knew coming to it,
24:15
Speaker 1: I knew that was finally going to change. But you know,
24:18
Speaker 1: I'm still rotting the necklace just for remember you must
24:21
Speaker 1: have been a big running back six four two forty,
24:25
Speaker 1: no doubt, do you miss him? I think I could
24:28
Speaker 1: still have told it a little bit goal line fullback.
24:31
Speaker 1: We might have a possible position for you. There's another
24:34
Speaker 1: old Miss guy that signed to the Bengals after the draft,
24:37
Speaker 1: Ben Brown. M Did you expect him to be selected
24:41
Speaker 1: and what do you think of his potential as an
24:43
Speaker 1: NFL old lineman? Um Um. I know being had an
24:47
Speaker 1: injury early mid season, and I definitely feel that if
24:52
Speaker 1: he didn't have the injury, he would have been a
24:54
Speaker 1: draft pick as well. He's one of the best best
24:57
Speaker 1: old lineman I played against throughout college. From the time
24:59
Speaker 1: I foot on campus, Um, I always thought he was
25:02
Speaker 1: the best old lineman I was going against every day.
25:04
Speaker 1: So I know that once he's once he gets his feet,
25:09
Speaker 1: when it gets back in the room, that you know
25:11
Speaker 1: this is gonna be a great opportunity for him as well.
25:14
Speaker 1: I know the real dream come true is playing in
25:17
Speaker 1: an NFL game, making the team. But what has practice
25:20
Speaker 1: been like and signing that contract and at least as
25:25
Speaker 1: of right now, being a Cincinnati Bagel A dream, a
25:28
Speaker 1: dream come true of a childhood dream. It's something that
25:30
Speaker 1: I've turned up my whole life. Me and my family
25:33
Speaker 1: had dreamed of a whole life. I mean, I always
25:35
Speaker 1: knew of a as a high school football player at
25:38
Speaker 1: this time will come. I knew junior college, college and
25:41
Speaker 1: SEC at this time will come. It's just a matter
25:43
Speaker 1: of way. Am I getting your first name right? Is it?
25:47
Speaker 1: Tyrekas Yes, sir, that's correct. I feel good. I imagine
25:51
Speaker 1: that's been said many ways, so that yes, the first
25:53
Speaker 1: is somebody to get it right at the first drive. Hey,
25:57
Speaker 1: best of luck to You're great to have you on
25:59
Speaker 1: the team that's going to do it. For this episode
26:02
Speaker 1: of The Bengals Booth podcast presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download
26:07
Speaker 1: Ultimate Bengals ahead of the upcoming season, It's free to
26:10
Speaker 1: play next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get
26:15
Speaker 1: it now on the App Store and Google Play. And
26:17
Speaker 1: if you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this
26:20
Speaker 1: podcast and if you have a minute, give it a
26:22
Speaker 1: rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans
26:26
Speaker 1: find us. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for listening to
26:29
Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth podcast