WEBVTT - Sports Talk with Mike Petraglia -- 12/19/25 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:08.000 The following takes place between six pm and seven pm. 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:09.080 Do you want answers? 0:00:09.280 --> 0:00:10.280 I think I'm entitled. 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:12.440 You want answer the truth? 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:14.320 You can't handle the truth? 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:15.520 Truth, the truth. 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:22.079 Happy Holidays, everybody. My name is Mike Petralia. You know 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:24.919 me better on social media and maybe if you're a 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:29.440 close personal friend by the name Trags. I am in 0:00:29.720 --> 0:00:33.160 tonight for the one and only Lance McAllister. And this 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:37.960 is the RNL Carrier's sports talk program presented by Kelsey 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:42.440 Chevrolet here on news radio seven hundred WLW. As I 0:00:42.520 --> 0:00:46.480 tweeted out this afternoon, it's been a week. It's been 0:00:46.520 --> 0:00:51.000 a week of ups and downs, psychoanalysis, back and forth, 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:55.120 trying to read the personalities not only of a famous 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:59.960 franchise quarterback, but the coaching staff, the very quiet front 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:05.280 office and ownership group of one Cincinnati Bengals franchise. And 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:07.880 we've actually probably been doing I say, one week, it's 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:11.280 probably been the last two to three weeks. Trying to 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.920 read body language is a dangerous business to begin with. 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:18.920 Trying to do it in the NFL in this particular 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:24.440 town is another challenge altogether. And we're gonna talk a 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:27.039 lot about the Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, they have been 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:30.400 eliminated at four and ten on the season. They have 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:34.480 to finish out the string, and that string begins in 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.679 the heat this Sunday at one o'clock here on seven 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:40.840 hundred WLW, Dan Horde and Dave Lapham on the call, 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:43.800 of course, Bengals four and ten taking on the six 0:01:43.840 --> 0:01:47.200 and eight Miami Dolphins, another team that is playing out 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:50.440 the string. They were eliminated with their loss in the 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:54.280 Frozen Conditions in Pittsburgh on Monday night. We'll also talk 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.960 the Cincinnati Reds. What moves should they be making going 0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:01.400 forward this winter? Of course, they miss out on Kyle Schwarber, 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:06.200 the hometown kid, of course from Middletown, and their biggest 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:09.160 move so far is to sign a lefty reliever by 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:12.400 the name of Caleb Ferguson. We'll be talking with Pat 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:16.080 Brennan of the Cincinnati Inquirer in the seven o'clock hour 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:21.840 about that. The college football playoffs begin tonight. I'm excited 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:27.200 for this game because actually someone covering the Bengals this morning, 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:31.560 I was inside the practice structure this morning and somebody 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:34.920 asked me, who do you got tonight? Alabama or Oklahoma? 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:39.120 My instinct was to start off Alabama, just because I 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:42.519 haven't taken Oklahoma seriously. But how can you take Alabama 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:47.680 seriously coming off that hideous shutout loss to Georgia in 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:53.080 the SEC Championship. Certainly I reconsidered on the spot and 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:55.880 then said, well, the game's at Oklahoma. I think Oklahoma's 0:02:55.960 --> 0:02:58.960 just a more consistent team. So I went with Oklahoma. 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:05.119 But the DFP begins tonight in Oklahoma with Alabama visiting 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:08.760 the Sooners. Tomorrow, there are three games the other quarterfinals. 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:11.840 Number ten Miami at number seven Texas A and M. 0:03:11.880 --> 0:03:15.960 That's at noon. Number eleven Tulane visits number six Ole Miss. 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:19.880 That's a fascinating backyard rivalry down south. I'm looking forward 0:03:19.880 --> 0:03:22.520 to that. That's at three point thirty PM. And then 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:26.800 the nightcap at seven thirty Eastern time. Number twelve James 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:31.120 Madison at number five Oregon. Three or four years ago, 0:03:31.280 --> 0:03:37.240 James Madison was in the College Championship Series. They weren't 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:43.520 even in the Division one Bowl Championship Bowl playoff series. 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.680 They were in what was otherwise known as Division one 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:50.560 Double A back in the day. But James Madison, they 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.000 put their big boy pants on and they are now 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:56.280 playing in the college football playoffs, So those are the 0:03:56.320 --> 0:04:00.360 four games between tonight and tomorrow. It is time he 0:04:00.480 --> 0:04:03.480 is held online long enough. It is time to get 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:07.360 to our first guest. And you know this guest from 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:11.240 my work on the Jungle War Bengals postgame podcast because 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:14.840 he's my co host on the Jungle War Bengals postgame 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:19.080 podcast after each and every Bengals game. His name is 0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:23.800 Richard Skinner of Local twelve and Local twelve dot com Skinny. 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:26.720 I guess we can call this an extension of our podcast. 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:33.640 Why not. I'm in charge of this. Sure, let's talk Bengals. 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:36.440 That's why I brought you on. I guess we're going 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.400 to start with all of the psychoanalysis that's been going on. 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:41.160 A lot of people are a lot of fans are 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:44.000 tired of it. They're tired of us in the media 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:47.400 trying to read and interpret what Joe Burrow is saying, 0:04:47.400 --> 0:04:50.280 with Jamar Chase is saying, Zach Taylor is saying, not 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:53.960 only for Zach Taylor but the organization. What is your 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:57.360 initial read of the last two weeks of talk down 0:04:57.360 --> 0:04:58.000 at Paycorp. 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:04.080 We I think the Bill's loss broke Joe Burrow. Doesn't 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:06.320 mean he can't be rebuilt, doesn't mean he can't be 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:09.200 built back up. But I think that loss broke him. 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:13.240 Like he worked so hard to come back. They had 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:16.200 he had his moment in Baltimore and it was like, Okay, 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:19.159 I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna lift this whole organization up, 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:21.760 and I'm gonna get this script to the playoffs. And 0:05:21.839 --> 0:05:24.839 he was culpable in Buffalo, but he wasn't entirely culpable. 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:28.000 The defense was awful when it needed to not be awful. 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:30.640 And I think at that point he just it just 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:33.320 broke him, like I busted my butt to come back 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:36.400 and I still put up thirty points. Yeah he threw 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:39.800 a pick six, no doubt, but he still he still 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:41.520 got your thirty four points and loss. And I think 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:44.920 at that point it was like I'm broken, and that's 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:51.920 understandable to some degree. I think the whole surgery, rehab, recovery, 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:56.360 all that can wear on you. I don't think anybody 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:59.080 really understands, and I know I don't even understand. I 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:01.200 think the most major other had happened to me is 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:04.400 I broke a couple of ebows. I haven't handed gut. 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:06.560 I didn't need surgery for you, the one to have 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:11.800 me risked. You know, all the things he's gone through now, 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:15.160 turf toe, that's major stuff that he's trying to come 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:19.960 back from. Aixn it, yeah, an appendix, Yeah, sorry, but 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:22.839 yeah that one too. I mean that's major self to 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:26.440 come back from him, and as a human being, that's 0:06:26.480 --> 0:06:28.920 a lot. And he's tried to come back quickly every 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:32.440 time and he has and so to me, he's broken 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:36.479 and he talked it into fruition last Wednesday. He sure 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:39.160 played like it this past Sunday. Still don't think he's 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:41.599 in a great place, and so I'm super fascinated to 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:46.440 watch what happens on this Sunday in Miami. Is it 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:48.200 a chance for him to take the first step towards 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:51.240 kind of taking a deep breast getting himself back together, 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:53.000 kind of feeling like, all right, let's just finish this 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:55.679 thing strong and carry it over. Or is he still broke? 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.840 You know, Skinny, I think he uh the former. I 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.000 think he is going to try and go out and 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:06.000 finish the season with good vibrations. To quote the Beach 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:09.920 Boys Brian Wilson, I do I think he just wants 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:14.240 some momentum going into not only next year, he wants 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:17.720 some momentum going into the off season, because you and 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:19.760 I both know, and I think every fan that has 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:22.440 listened to him talk over the last two weeks he 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:26.040 thinks a lot. There's a lot of thoughts going on internally, 0:07:27.040 --> 0:07:29.800 many of which don't reach the surface, and when they do, 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:33.360 they kind of sometimes come out muddled, which I think 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:36.440 is part of the issue with Burrow, Like when he 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:41.360 says these things, what is he really thinking deep deep 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:43.760 down about his future with the Bengals. And I thought 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:46.960 Paul Danner Junior did a fabulous job, not only on 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:51.920 his reporting on Tuesday, but asking Burrow on Wednesday if 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:54.320 he thought about the possibility of not being the quarterback 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:57.760 next year. No, he pretty much answered that out of hand, 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:01.680 kind of wiped that off the possibility list. But then 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:06.920 when he was asked if he's thought about whether or 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:10.040 not he could be playing for some other team in 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.600 the future, he was much more vague, And I think 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:17.640 that was a smart answer of his. But he also 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:19.640 a lot of people are reading in that he was 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:22.560 sending a message. I don't think he was sending a message. 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:26.000 I think, honestly, he thinks, well, if it doesn't work 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:29.320 out here, if they don't make the right moves, sure 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:32.800 anything could possibly happen. Look at Micah Parsons. He brought 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:38.400 that example up on his own pretty much, you know, 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:42.600 un prompted. He brought that example up about what happened 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:44.800 at the beginning of the year. He's very well aware 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:48.040 of Peyton Manning starting with the Colts, ending his career 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:51.959 with the Broncos, Tom Brady obviously his career with the 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:55.080 Patriots before he finished with Tampa Bay. He's aware of 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:56.760 all of that, right, skinny. 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:02.080 Yeah, and yeah. I don't think this was him talking 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:06.880 short term, even last Wednesday. I think this was him saying, guys, 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:08.680 we gotta you gotta fix this, you gotta help me 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:11.320 fix this. I think he was one of those people 0:09:12.320 --> 0:09:16.160 that thought I can lift everybody up. I'm the guy 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:18.720 that's gonna carry the burden for all of that, and 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.559 you can only do so much, and at some point 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:23.520 you reached the breaking point of you know what, I've 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:25.760 tried my darnness, and I just can't do it. I 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:28.839 can do my part, I can't do everybody's part. I 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:31.040 think that was the message of last week of Hey, 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:33.760 front office, get me some help. I need some help 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:35.280 on on the other side of the football. 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:35.880 Uh. 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:38.920 And you know, I think this week was more of yeah, 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:41.080 I want to I want I want this to work here. 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:44.880 But if it's gonna keep spinning its wheels and not work, well, 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:46.720 then I'll let it work somewhere else and we'll see 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.560 where that goes. I mean, he's under contracted twenty twenty nine. 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:54.280 They can franchise tag him multiple times. After that. You know, 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:56.959 there's there's a way that that keeps him in Cincinnati, 0:09:57.080 --> 0:10:00.000 that there's a keep him happy in Cincinnati. I would 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:03.120 say probably for that stage where you're franchise tagging him 0:10:03.120 --> 0:10:05.040 just because you can. It's probably not going to be 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:07.200 a good thing, but he can be tied to this 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:10.439 franchise for a long time to come. Just go fix it. 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:12.880 And I think that's that's the crux of this mic 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:15.600 is just go fix it, or at least show me 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:17.880 you care and do something different to try to fix it. 0:10:17.920 --> 0:10:20.640 As the post too status quo, well, and that's where 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:23.600 we're relative. I feel like they just don't care to 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:24.160 fix it. 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:26.880 Well, I think they think they know how to fix it. 0:10:27.440 --> 0:10:31.319 The status quo part of this skinny is the modus 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.920 operandi of the Blackburn and Brown family. They are not 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:38.120 going to give up any control. They may run into 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:40.880 a c like they did in twenty twenty and twenty 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:43.040 twenty one in free agency where they brought in I 0:10:43.040 --> 0:10:46.319 think I wrote for sil insinsi dot com there's you 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:50.160 know those six free agents that really redefine the defense. 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:52.760 Well they're going to try and do that again this year. 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:55.520 And they're going to try. There are places, and you know, 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:59.800 Zach Taylor spoke this morning about with us down at 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:04.400 Pays about how the defense can be remade. There are 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:07.720 definitely pieces in place, and I agree with them in 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:10.160 that regard, but they're gonna have to go out and 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:14.200 bring in veteran pieces. The people who are bringing in 0:11:14.240 --> 0:11:17.920 those pieces aren't gonna change. But I think the Bengals 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:20.920 front office and ownership thinks that those pieces will be 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:24.600 the change that the Bengals need, not who's bringing them in. 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:28.000 Yeah, but I go back to this and that's and 0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:30.200 that's fine, and I believe that's gonna happen too, because 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:32.080 it's gonna be enough cap space to do some of 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:34.360 those things. And they did do a fine job the 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:36.600 last time. Around in free agency, but then you're gonna 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:38.160 be back in the cycle again of having to pay 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:41.520 a bunch of guys order back to receivers, Orlando Brown, 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:43.720 whoever you bring on the defense, all of those things, 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:46.679 and you still better keep hitting on draft picks. And 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:47.920 they haven't done that. 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:48.600 That's the problem. 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.400 So why can't you do something to change that? And 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:53.800 they don't seem to be willing. Do I need more stouts, 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:57.040 Douktoba's I don't need more eyes? Okay, well, sure you've 0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:00.560 done great so far, guy. And that's the part I 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:03.480 think that's the most frustrating is in this league, when 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:07.040 you're paying for the stars, you have got to have 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:10.560 the rest of your roster hit on rookie contracts, not 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:14.679 as rookies per se, but on those first rookie contracts, 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:16.440 which are four year deals. You got to have a 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:18.640 bunch of those guys. That's what the Eagles did. The 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:21.320 Eagles paid all their dudes and then had a bunch 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:24.920 of guys hit on rookie contracts. And I don't trust 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:28.000 Duke Tobin and those making the draft selections to do that. 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:31.800 Do I trusted to do it? Off of proven NFL tape? Yeah? Probably. 0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:34.400 I think, you know, most people have proven NFL tape 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:36.400 are pretty good at that kind of stuff because it's 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:39.559 proven NFL tape. The college guys are always a crapshoot, 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:42.120 no matter how highly you draft them. They're always you 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:45.160 don't fully know until you see. And so do I 0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:48.199 trust him to get those guys right? I'm sorry, I don't. 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:50.400 I just I don't know why anybody should. I don't 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:52.480 know why any fans should trust them to do that. 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.920 What is the biggest positive thing you've seen from the 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:56.960 Bengals this year? 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:03.959 Woo one the fact there's only three games left. That 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:07.800 might guess that. I guess the play and the people 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:09.680 are not gonna like it. I guess the play of 0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:12.760 the offensive line. I think the offensive line has has 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:15.760 had a pretty decent year overall, to be honest with you, 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:19.960 and that means Dylan Fairchild's played okay. You know, dol 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:22.360 Riser's played okay. Now he's probably gonna be back after 0:13:22.400 --> 0:13:24.240 this year. Maybe he is on a on a year deal. 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:27.199 Dalen Rivers when he was in played okay. So that 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:29.280 to me is one. The only only thing else is 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.760 the defense has played better since the bye week, and 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:36.000 you have a chance to finish strong. My fear is this, 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:38.880 you kids have finished strong against Quinn viewers making his 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:43.000 first start, nine thousand year old Jakobe prisseat and struggling 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:45.480 to door Sanders. Is that really gonna show you anything? 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:48.079 That and that that my fear would be, Well, you know, 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:50.880 we got hopped down the stretch. Guys started to figure 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:52.080 it out? Did they? Did they? 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:52.360 Really? 0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:54.960 That's the part that scares me a little bit. 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:57.720 That's what Zach Taylor I can tell you right now, 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.480 and he kind of suggested that this morning and meeting 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:02.880 with us, that's what he's going to suggest is that 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:08.160 you've seen the defense now in his view, okay, playing 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:12.160 much better for several weeks. I tend to agree that, yes, 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:15.360 there have been flickers of hope that you've definitely seen 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.480 from a young defense. My takeaway on defense has been 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:22.400 DJ Turner and Dax Hill continues to be a really 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:27.280 solid player. Miles Murphy has come on and I think 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:30.880 he's going to earn that fifth year. I think they 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:33.440 believe that he is a piece to build around on 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:36.360 the edge. You would never have said that after last year, 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:38.800 not in a million years, but based on what he's 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:41.760 shown this year. I feel like they don't have any 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:47.880 choice but to believe in him going forward. And yeah, 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:52.120 so that's where I think they are with that, and 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:54.280 I think, you know, the Bengal fans have to be 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:57.680 hopeful that this defense is going to complement the offense 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:00.640 next year and they'll be back where they were before 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:02.560 the twenty twenty one season. We're gonna have to let 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:04.760 you go here, Skinny. Anything you're working on real quick 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:07.440 for Local twelve dot com or you're just gonna sit 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:09.600 back and watch the Bowl games. 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:11.920 Just gonna sit back and watch the Bowl games and 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:14.080 cover the game from my couch on Sunday, Mike, and 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:16.200 then talk to you via the zoom. 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:19.600 Yeah, we will both be working remotely, Skinny. I look 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:22.800 forward to it. That is Richard Skinner of Local twelve 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:25.920 and Local twelve dot com. He does a great job 0:15:26.320 --> 0:15:30.760 covering all things Cincinnati Bengals, Skinny. Thank you so much 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:36.360 for joining us. All right, that is Richard Skinner. My 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:39.440 name is Mike Petrolia. When we come back on the 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:41.720 other side of news at the bottom of the hour, 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:46.320 we will talk to Alex Frank. We'll talk some Cincinnati 0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:51.800 Bearcats football, basketball and the University of Kentucky basketball program. 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:55.200 This is the RNL Carriers sports talk program presented by 0:15:55.280 --> 0:16:01.120 Kelsey Chevrolet on news radio seven hundred WLW. That is 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:04.960 what I'm talking about. That's the way I like it. 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:10.920 Ac and the Sunshine Van circa nineteen seventy five, fifty 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:16.120 years ago, we had a World Series champion in the 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:20.400 Cincinnati Reds, coming off the greatest World Series still in history. 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:24.560 We had a Paul Brown's last year coaching an NFL team, 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:28.120 a playoff team, and eleven and three Cincinnati Bengals team 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:31.560 that lost thirty one twenty eight to the Oakland Raiders 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:36.320 in a fabulous game out at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:41.160 And then we moved on to nineteen seventy six, another 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:45.160 World Series title. We have had just one World championship 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:48.800 in this town since nineteen seventy six, and we all 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:51.680 know it was the shocking four game sweep of the 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:56.480 Oakland A's in nineteen ninety the Nasty Boys. And a 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:59.200 week like this, a year like this kind of dredges 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:02.920 up those memories all over again that it's been a long, long, 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:06.639 long long wait. Yes, the Reds made the playoffs, lost 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:10.439 to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:13.680 the postseason, that's great, they finished eighty three and seventy nine. 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:18.040 But the Bengals, it's just you know, as a beat reporter, 0:17:18.119 --> 0:17:21.600 as a columnist covering the team, you like to see 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:23.879 them do well. I think it's I think anybody you 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:26.880 speak to in journalism that is on the beat, we'd 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:29.879 admit to you that when the team is doing well, 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.080 it's a better story to cover. There are many more 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:35.800 storylines that people want to read, and you, as a journalist, 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:39.520 want people to want to read your material. And when 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:43.200 they win, like in twenty one and twenty two, people 0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:47.760 are much more engaged. You don't want everybody just paying 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:51.560 attention to you when you're writing something critical. You want 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:54.639 to write good stories and there's still good stories to 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:57.879 be written. Have a DJ Turner column that I'll have 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.119 over the weekend. He's a great story. And I went 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:06.120 over this with Richard Skinner of localswelve dot com. The 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:09.080 storyline still are there, but just not as voluminous. In 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:13.840 a four and ten season against Cincinnati, Bengals will play 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.639 the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon in Miami. The final 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:19.560 road game of the year. Of course, they come back 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:23.440 and play a pair of Sunday afternoon one o'clock games 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:27.160 against Arizona on the twenty eighth, and then the following 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:30.880 Sunday they wrap up the season against the Cleveland Browns. 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:33.320 My name is Mike Petralia Trags. You can follow me 0:18:33.359 --> 0:18:36.600 at colns since with a y dot com. You can 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:39.360 also follow me of course on the X at Trags 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:43.520 t r ags and as I mentioned with Skinny, our 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:48.520 Jungle Roar Bengals postgame podcast after each and every Bengals 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:52.800 game is at YouTube dot com slash at Jungle Roar Pod. 0:18:53.000 --> 0:18:57.120 This is the RNL Carrier sports talk program presented by 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:01.200 Kelsey Chevrolet on news radio seven hundred w WHA. Next up, 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:04.320 we're gonna switch gears a little bit. We've talked enough 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:07.960 about the Cincinnati Bengals to open the program. Let's move 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:10.960 on to the college scene and someone who, by the way, 0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:14.639 is down in Miami to watch the Bengals and the 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:18.680 Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. But I want to talk college 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:22.760 basketball college football a little bit as well with Alex Frank. 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:25.680 He does great work for Sealing asincey dot com as 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:29.560 well as a Sea of Blue since e jungle Land, 0:19:29.560 --> 0:19:32.879 Grant holy Land, all of those at SB Nation. And 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:36.119 he has a brand new podcast that you absolutely should 0:19:36.160 --> 0:19:40.040 give a listen to. It's a Lockdown Network podcast entitled 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:43.320 Bengals Squad. He is Alex Frank. How about that for 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:43.760 an intro? 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:47.520 Alex, Well, Mike, thank you. It's great to be with 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:50.840 you on this Friday night. And the weather's fantastic down 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:52.920 here in Miami. I was just talking with your producer 0:19:52.960 --> 0:19:55.360 Sean about it. I haven't seen a lot of Bengals 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:58.879 fans just yet, but that may change on Sunday. But 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:01.280 it's great to here. Is great to be off with 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:04.320 you tonight. And I got a tough fact following Richard Skinner. 0:20:04.960 --> 0:20:07.159 Yeah, but I'm sure you can live up to it. 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:09.920 I don't worry about that at all, Alex. I guess 0:20:10.000 --> 0:20:13.400 let's start with the Cincinnati Bearcats. They had a much 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:17.240 needed win over Alabama State on Wednesday night. What were 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:21.919 your takeaways from, obviously the return of Gisel James. What 0:20:22.000 --> 0:20:24.440 kind of dynamic he brings to the lineup. I think 0:20:24.760 --> 0:20:28.199 he brings much needed energy on the offensive side of 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:30.920 the ball. I'm not saying that he's an All American 0:20:31.680 --> 0:20:36.119 scoring guard or a you know, a multiple guard that 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:38.200 can do a lot of things. But he does bring 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:41.040 energy and he takes some of the burden I think 0:20:41.080 --> 0:20:42.280 off of Dada A Thomas. 0:20:43.480 --> 0:20:46.159 Well that's the thing, Mike Gigsel. James brings a spark 0:20:46.200 --> 0:20:48.280 that this team needed. I mean, they had lost four 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:51.560 of their last six games prior to his return, and 0:20:51.800 --> 0:20:54.840 I'll be honest, I was shocked when I woke up 0:20:54.880 --> 0:20:58.320 to the news earlier this week that he was returning. 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:02.280 But you think about the fact that he came out 0:21:02.480 --> 0:21:05.359 Wednesday night and in twenty minutes he scored sixteen points, 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:10.160 hit multiple three pointers. I think that's why Bearcats fans 0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:14.280 have something at least something to be excited about. And 0:21:14.280 --> 0:21:15.240 then you had that too. 0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:16.520 You mentioned Jayda Thomas. 0:21:16.640 --> 0:21:18.720 You can also add Baba Miller, who had a great 0:21:18.720 --> 0:21:19.600 game Wednesday night. 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:21.640 This team has some life. 0:21:21.680 --> 0:21:23.800 And if they can go to Clemson and they can 0:21:23.800 --> 0:21:28.400 go to Greenville, South Carolina on Sunday afternoon to get 0:21:28.400 --> 0:21:31.280 a win, you have some momentum going into conference play 0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:32.879 in the Bigswold, where you're gonna have to find a 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:34.680 way to win some games to get some really good 0:21:34.720 --> 0:21:38.880 teams but you know, definitely, the hope is a lot 0:21:38.960 --> 0:21:42.560 greater than it was after last Saturday against Georgia. 0:21:42.640 --> 0:21:46.119 What are your thoughts on Wes Miller and the job 0:21:46.240 --> 0:21:49.760 he's done so far with the Bearcats. He's come obviously, 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:51.840 he's come under a ton of scrutiny and there are 0:21:51.840 --> 0:21:55.280 a lot of people calling for his job. Seems to 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:58.840 be the mo of a lot of Cincinnati sports fans 0:21:58.920 --> 0:22:02.159 right about now throughout the town. But what are your 0:22:02.160 --> 0:22:06.399 thoughts on Wes Miller? How can he improve the way 0:22:06.520 --> 0:22:10.520