WEBVTT - Tony Pike in for Lance McAlister -- 12/2/25 0:00:01.560 --> 0:00:06.480 The following takes place between six pm and seven pm. 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:10.879 You want answers. I think I'm entitled. You answer the truth. 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:12.720 You can't handle the truth. 0:00:12.960 --> 0:00:13.920 Truth, Truth. 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:22.200 All right, good evening, Welcome in. It is six o 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:28.560 eight pm. It's Tuesday, December two, and this is RNL 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:33.400 Carrier Sports Talk presented by Kelsey Chevrolet. However, this is 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:36.599 not Lance McAllister. It's Tony Pike with you tonight till 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:39.080 nine o'clock. Happy to be here on the Big one, 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:42.839 seven hundred WLW right down the hall from my normal 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:46.560 location on ESPN fifteen thirty. Happy to have you along. 0:00:46.720 --> 0:00:51.600 Welcome you to be a part of tonight's show. Five one, three, seven, four, nine, 0:00:52.240 --> 0:00:56.840 seven thousand. We have Bengals galore to get to in 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:00.920 our number one, and that will sprinklin to our number 0:01:00.920 --> 0:01:04.400 two as well. James Rapine, covering the Bengals for SI, 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:06.800 is going to join us around six thirty five. We'll 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:10.840 talk all things Bengals with him. Seven thirty five tonight, 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:15.639 the executive director of the Reds Community Fund, Charlie Frank, 0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:18.960 is going to join us to talk about what's happening 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:22.840 right now with the Reds. It's giving Tuesday, and Charlie 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:24.440 Frank's gonna get us all up to speed on that. 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:27.840 And yes, I would be remissed if I didn't have 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:31.560 a chance to come on seven hundred WLW on the 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:34.560 week of the Crosstown Shootout and fail to mention anything 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:37.760 with the Xavier Musketeers and the Cincinnati Bearcats. So yes, 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:41.200 as we get into our number three we'll talk Crosstown 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:45.960 shootout as well. Eight oh five Kegan nickoson Bearcat journal 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:50.040 dot Com will join us to talk the shootout, the 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:54.840 buzz or lack thereof surrounding this year's Crosstown shootout? Is 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:58.760 it a must win for Wes Miller and the Cincinnati Bearcats. 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:01.840 I think everyone's in agreement Trick Patino and the Muskies 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:03.480 that they get a little bit of a pass this year, 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:07.000 and that comes from Musketeer fans themselves. They get a 0:02:07.040 --> 0:02:09.320 little bit of a pass this year. Is it must 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:13.120 win situation for Wes Miller? I also want to know 0:02:13.639 --> 0:02:21.480 from you the Cincinnati Bearcat football season was blank? Was 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:26.640 the football season of success? A failure? A disappointment? Seven 0:02:26.680 --> 0:02:30.120 wins and what over their posted total? According to Las Vegas, 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:33.320 they're Bowl eligible, They're going to be playing in a 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:36.040 bowl game. Which bowl game they'll find out on December seventh. 0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:40.880 They lost four in a rowa in the season. Some 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.839 would venture to say that is a disappointment. What say 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:47.919 you let us know tonight? Five one, three, seven, four, nine, 0:02:48.480 --> 0:02:54.600 seven thousand. Also, can we be thankful in this time 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:57.040 of the year that the month of November has passed. 0:02:57.919 --> 0:03:01.560 The month of November not kind for the football teams 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:05.840 here in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bearcats finished the month of 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:09.640 November zh to four. The Cincinnati Bengals, albeit ending the 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:13.320 month of November strong, finished one in three. That is, 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:17.679 it combined one in seven locally for the Bearcats and 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.640 the Bengals in the month of November. And yet the 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:27.040 Bearcats will go bowling and the door remains opened, albeit slightly, 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:32.960 for the Cincinnati Bengals. Week thirteen is officially over in 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:36.480 the National Football League. It was a long week that 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:41.800 started Thursday night, which finished Thanksgiving Night with the Bengals 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:44.480 win over the Baltimore Ravens thirty two to fourteen in 0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:46.760 a game that saw Joe Burrow drop back to throw 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:50.800 thirty two times in the first half forty six times total, 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:56.160 but was only sacked one time. No turnovers, two touchdowns. 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:59.200 Chase Brown ran it for five point two yards per carry. 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:03.600 Jamar Chase one over the one hundred yard mark and 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:05.880 only did so, catching half of his targets seven of 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:11.000 his fourteen targets, and the much maligned Bengals defense put 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:15.400 together what I call their most complete performance of the year. 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:20.480 The offensive line is playing better, the protection has been better, 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:23.440 the run game has added balance. And there's questions that 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:25.719 the Bengals have and some of those questions have already 0:04:25.720 --> 0:04:27.599 been answered, and some will as the week goes on. 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:32.240 Trey Hendrickson is already doubtful for the game against Buffalo 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:37.480 on Sunday. T Higgins is going through concussion protocol. The 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:40.920 Bengals hope to get t Higgins back on Sunday. We'll 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:42.440 talk a little bit here, and I remember one about 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:47.279 the Buffalo Bills, but more than anything else, as I mentioned, 0:04:47.320 --> 0:04:51.080 the NFL week comes to a close. We are now 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:56.400 on to Week fourteen already in the National Football League, 0:04:56.520 --> 0:05:01.200 and all I see is parody the National Football League. 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:05.560 With a win last night on Monday Night Football, the 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:09.839 New England Patriots have moved to eleven and two on 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:15.680 the season. The Denver Broncos are ten and two on 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:18.360 the season. They are the only teams in the National 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:25.160 Football League that possess double digit wins as December gets underway. 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:27.720 And yet I would venture to say, if you talk 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:32.799 to most and you're putting an amount of money that matters, 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:39.039 are the Patriots and the Broncos super Bowl contenders. In 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:43.520 the AFC. The Jacksonville Jaguars have eight wins, The Indianapolis 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:47.760 Colts have eight wins, the Los Angeles Chargers have eight wins. 0:05:48.360 --> 0:05:51.120 The Buffalo Bills have eight wins. And I think you 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:53.440 could look at all four of those teams with eight 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:57.560 wins and make the argument they don't They don't feel 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:00.880 like a Super Bowl contender as the month of December starts. 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:06.200 And then there's a different pack. The Houston Texans winners 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:10.279 of four in a row, Davis Mills at quarterback, I 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:12.840 think the best defensive front in all of football. Josh 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.240 Allen thinks so as well. He was sacked eight times 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:18.760 by that Texans defense. They're trending in the right direction. 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:22.040 But outside of that, the Chiefs are six and six. 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:25.800 Outside looking in, the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:29.400 are six and six, and the Bengals are at four 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:33.839 and eight, and yet it feels like no one would 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:35.920 want to play the Bengals if they got in. Moeger 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:39.240 mentioned this yesterday on Thetonian Mo Football Show. The Baltimore 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.359 Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers both had chances this season 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.880 to essentially end the season for the Cincinnati Bengals, and 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:50.160 they didn't do it. And now the Bengals are alive mathematically, 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:53.640 they're alive in their playoff hunt. We'll get into that. 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:58.080 In the NFC, it's much of the same. I think 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:01.520 the Rams are the favorite for me, but the Rams 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:05.800 just lost to the Carolina Panthers. The Seattle Seahawks might 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:08.520 be the best defensive team in the NFC, but I 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:11.040 still have questions around Sam Darnold. They have nine wins 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:13.200 and the San Francisco forty nine Ers have won three 0:07:13.240 --> 0:07:15.000 and I already get nine wins, but you look at 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:19.800 their schedule, They've not really played anyone of significance this year. 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:22.760 The Tampa Bay Bucks, dealing with a ton of injuries, 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.680 are seven and five or are they a Super Bowl contender? 0:07:26.200 --> 0:07:28.480 Is anyone buying stock? And the leaders in the NFC 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:32.280 North the Chicago Bears at nine and three, the Packers 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:34.160 eight and three. The Detroit Lions are seven to five. 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:37.320 They're on the outside looking in. Eagles are sputtering at 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:39.480 eight and four. Cowboys are playing better. But there is 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:44.440 more parody as we entered December than I can remember 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:49.760 in quite some time. And with that parody also breeds 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:55.080 openings not opening for the Cincinnati Bengal Bengals to make 0:07:55.120 --> 0:07:58.800 some moving here in December, and why not. It's what 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:03.320 they've done under Zach Taylor the last three years. In 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:05.960 the month of December and January, the Bengals are fourteen 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:11.040 and two. Yes, the Bengals fourteen and two through December 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:15.880 and January the last three years combined. It's a one 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:19.040 week season. Joe Burrow said as much when he came 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:23.280 back that every week is essentially a must win. And 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:25.280 regardless of how they did it, and we'll talk about 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:27.920 how they did it against the Ravens, they're probably going 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:29.560 to have to do it a different way against the 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:33.400 Buffalo Bills. But it's a chance to go one to 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:35.720 oh and if you go one to O this week 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:39.040 as a six and a half point underdog, you at 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:42.000 least keep your season alive. I'm excited to be here 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:46.040 until nine o'clock on seven hundred WOW. It's RNL Carrier 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:49.280 Sports Talk presented by Kelsey Chevrolet. Phone lines are open 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:52.920 five to one, three seven, seven thousand, plenty more Bengals 0:08:53.280 --> 0:08:56.320 as we return next on seven hundred WW. 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:01.160 From the uc Hell Traffic Center, Health's Weight Loss Center 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:03.920 offering surgery, com and medical to b City Care nexpertise 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:06.720 called five point three ninety three nine twenty two sixty 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:11.240 three nine three nine twenty two sixty three seventy five 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:15.319 southbound to seventy four. Accident now cleared from that exit ramp. 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:18.800 Were moving better there. Shoulder taken up onto seventy five 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:22.040 east bound after Kellogg left hand side is well. We 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:24.959 have a Cruz getting an accident taken care of now 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:28.840 Ronald Reagan Highway west bound between Plainfield and Ridge. We 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:32.320 have the left lane bunch with an accident and Warner 0:09:32.320 --> 0:09:36.640 at Ohio Avenue crash as well and delays on seventy 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:40.200 five southbound with heavier pockets of traffic. Ronald Reagan Highway 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:43.920 to Norwood lateral lane shifts in place here to seventy 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:45.800 five of the Combesail Bridge. We have the work of 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:48.240 the westbound lanes continuing through the end of the year. 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:51.640 By Rick Shrepp, News Radio seven hundred W do weil W. 0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:57.360 Overnight tonight, mostly cloudy. Skies are low down to twenty degrees. 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:00.480 We are expecting the sun to return tomorrow. High of 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:03.360 thirty five tomorrow night. There's a slight chance of snow, 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:06.960 but no real accumulation is expected. Cloudy to start Thursday, 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:09.360 then gradually turning sonny, with a high still in the 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:11.400 low thirties. We should be in the mid to upper 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.200 thirties to start the weekend. That's the forecast on news 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:15.440 radio seven hundred W. 0:10:15.559 --> 0:10:18.880 ALLW all right, mister Penny, I'm going to say a word, 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:20.920 and you tell me the first thing that pops into 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:24.920 your mind. Got you doc comfortable? Scott's loan desirable? 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:25.880 Scott's loan. 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:28.720 You cannot say Scott's phone every time? 0:10:29.000 --> 0:10:30.040 All right? 0:10:30.400 --> 0:10:33.800 I won't good. The word is charming. A monkey, but 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:34.320 that's good. 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:35.560 It a monkey in the jungle. 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:37.000 Listening to Scott's. 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:39.920 Loan, Scott's Loan, you may become obsessed. 0:10:40.080 --> 0:10:43.040 Join me Scott's Loan tomorrow morning at nine o'clock on 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:44.400 seven hundred WL. 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:46.880 A monkey listening to Scott Sloan. 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:50.040 You're telling me they don't. This report is sponsored advice 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:50.840 super Sure. 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:53.880 Do you own a small business? You need to hear this. 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:57.760 A seismic shift is coming. It's time to get super sure, 0:10:58.120 --> 0:10:58.880 not kind of sure. 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:02.839 Sports Talk for by Kelsey Chevrolet seven hundred wl W 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:06.560 Tony Pike. Here in for Lance McAllister James Rapine covering 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:10.640 the Bengals for Sports Illustrated. We'll join us after our 0:11:10.679 --> 0:11:12.600 six thirty break. We got a couple of minutes here. 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:14.920 Let's grab our first couple of phone calls of the night. 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:17.600 We have John calling in from Boston. What's up John, 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:19.880 Tony Pike at night? 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:20.400 How are you? 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:20.960 How are you? 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:22.920 I'm hanging in there. 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:23.480 I found you. 0:11:23.720 --> 0:11:26.559 Yes, Yes, this is different. It's it's dark outside. I 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:27.360 don't know what I'm doing. 0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:30.080 It is and you got snow like we did today. 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:31.920 We've got about three inches of snow and the roads 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:32.400 were a mess. 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:33.319 And I hate the winter. 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:35.280 Yeah, yep. It made it a good night to come 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:37.760 in late and not early exactly. 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:41.440 First of all, I'm ancient, so I've watched the league 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.280 for a long time and I never remember this. 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:45.319 Seam wide open. 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:48.080 I mean, it almost feels like you're trying to handicap 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:50.960 the Kentucky Derby three months before the race, Like, who 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:53.200 knows who's going to be in the playoffs, let alone 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:55.239 who's going to be the hot team going into the playoffs. 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:58.160 Remember the twenty twenty three Major League Baseball Playoffs, you 0:11:58.240 --> 0:12:02.040 had ninety and seven, the ninety and seventy two Texas 0:12:02.040 --> 0:12:04.920 beat eighty four and seventy eight Arizona in the World Series. 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:07.319 It kind of has that feel like, I mean, pick 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:08.960 a combination, it could happen. 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:12.600 It feels like to me the most ever, get in 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:15.120 and you have a legitimate chance. It's not get in 0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:18.320 and there's the you know, the the goliath that everyone 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:21.040 is gonna come up against it. If you're in, you 0:12:21.040 --> 0:12:24.600 you feel like you heavy legitimate chance without question. 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:26.960 Last year, I think going into the play Philadelphia looked 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:29.000 like the best team right both sides of the ball. 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:31.280 They dominated the line of simmage, they had two really 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:33.800 good wide receivers, they had it all, They had two. 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:34.520 Thousand yard rushers. 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:36.439 They looked like they were going to breeze through the playoffs, 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:38.319 which they pretty much did except for that Division On 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:41.079 game against Detroit and I think that gives the Bengals 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:44.800 a real chance sweep the table, sweep the board, get 0:12:44.840 --> 0:12:47.200 a nine to eight and you're in there, and with 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:50.400 Joe Burrow and with an improving defense. Who knows, And 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:52.520 that's where they wanted to talk about tonight, Tony was 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:55.280 that in pooling defense. I know we talked yesterday, what 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:58.000 kind of touched on? Is that defense better without Jamar Stewart? 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:00.719 And to a lesser degree, Trey Hendrickson and I did 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:03.320 some research on it, and again it's not high level research. 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:05.920 It's just points per game. But the last three games 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:09.040 that Jamar Stewart played in, the Bengals gave up thirty 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.440 one to Pittsburgh, thirty nine to the Jets, and forty. 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:14.360 Seven to the Chago Bears. 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:16.600 That one hundred and seventeen points. That's a thirty nine 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:19.480 points per game average. Henderson did not play in the 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:22.160 game against the Jets, and he did play in the 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:24.160 game against the Jets, but he hasn't played since. In 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:27.720 the three ensuing games since that forty seven to forty 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:30.200 two loss to the Bears, the Bengals have given up 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:34.000 twenty to the Steelers, nineteenth to Patriots. In fourteen to 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:37.520 the Ravens on Thursday night, and Trey Henderson hasn't played 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:39.800 any of those games and needed the Jamar Stewart and 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:41.320 I talked to a couple of friends of mine who 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:44.640 are coaches high school, college level, and they feel that 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:47.920 maybe Al Golden has kind of simplify things. And they 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:49.520 both told me that the Bengals have a lot of 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:51.880 really good athletes out there and he's just letting them play, 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:54.600 you know, Seaball hit ball like he do in baseball. 0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:58.600 And those two young men, Murphy and Osai beginning more 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:01.360 reps and as you know it's in any sports, the 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:02.880 more reps you get, the better you get at it. 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:05.320 I mean, that's gonna be difficult for an edge rusher 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:07.360 to play three plays in the maybe six for half hour. 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:09.040 I think, come back in and be asked to do 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:09.600 something right. 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.640 I think it helps the preparation as well, going through 0:14:12.640 --> 0:14:15.559 the week knowing that it's your job. Miles Murphy and 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:18.400 Joseph Osai, they're not looking over their shoulders. They're not 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:20.280 going out there for a series and thinking, man if 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:22.480 I don't make something happen this series, I'm coming out. 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:25.000 They know it's their job. And I think that helps 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:27.600 their preparation, and I think it gives them a little 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:30.640 confidence in how they prepare and how they perform. I 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:33.720 do think there's some validity to that if you are 0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:37.080 looking into the uptick in Miles Murphy and Joseph Osai, 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:40.680 and I mean Osai wrecked the game defensively for the Bengals. 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:43.440 He hit Lamar Jackson four times. He sacked them twice. 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:46.000 You know, he had two tackles for a loss. He 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:48.360 was all over the field and it's not an easy 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:51.240 guy to bring down in Lamar Jackson. I do think 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:54.480 there's something to be said about knowing you're the guy 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:56.520 and you're getting the lion's share of the reps, not 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:59.200 only in the game, but in your week of preparation. 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:02.520 Leading up withough question, we just got to teach Joseph 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:04.040 Asia how to eat a turkey lager. 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:06.600 He was the next struggle with progression. 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:07.640 He struggle with that. 0:15:07.680 --> 0:15:07.960 I was. 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:09.880 I was proud of my boy Joe Borrow saying, no, 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:11.240 I don't know where that's from and I don't know 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:13.280 who cooked it, so I'm gonna a stain from eating 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:15.480 that turkey Like that was pretty cool, But that's Tony. 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:17.840 Great to hear yet night, and I'm sure we'll chime 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:18.960 in and talk later in the week. 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:21.000 Awesome, John, thanks for calling in. I appreciate that. 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:22.320 Uh. 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:26.160 To John's first point, the parody that we talked about 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:28.640 in the National Football League right now, if you're looking 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:33.080 at strictly a betting favorite, the Los Angeles Rams, you 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:35.680 could get them at plus four fifty to win the 0:15:35.760 --> 0:15:40.960 Lombardi Trophy. After that, the Seattle Seahawks plus seven to fifty, 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:44.880 the Green Bay Packers plus eight fifty, the opponent for 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:48.440 the Bengals on Sunday. The Buffalo Bills currently in the AFC, 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:53.600 are the top favored team at plus nine hundred, the 0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:59.520 Eagles plus one thousand, the Patriots eleven wins plus one thousand, 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:02.560 and the Denver Broncos are plus eleven hundred. For what 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:05.480 it's worth, the Chiefs and the Ravens both on the 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:09.240 outside looking in plus eighteen hundred, lions outside looking in 0:16:09.280 --> 0:16:14.800 plus twenty five hundred, you could get the Bengals still 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:21.400 still at plus one hundred and fifty thousand. That's not bad, 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:24.600 not a bad bet to make for the Cincinnati Bengals, 0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:27.080 But it goes into just a little bit more of 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:29.560 the parody that I had talked about and that John 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:32.760 brought up there as well. I know we're up against 0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:34.480 the break. We're going to get to our break when 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:37.400 we come back from Sports Illustrated. Right here in Cincinnati, 0:16:37.480 --> 0:16:40.120 James Rapine covering the Bengals is going to join us. 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:42.320 We'll get to more of your phone calls as well. 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:45.560 It is the RNL Carrier Sports Talk presented by Kelsey 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:49.360 Chevrolet on seven hundred WLW H Right, welcome back, RNL 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:53.080 Carrier Sports Talk presented by seven by Kelsey Chevrolet on 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.840 seven hundred WLW. Tony Pike in for Lance McCallister. Let's 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:00.440 get right into it. Our guy, James Rapine. You can 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:04.400 find him literally all over the place. Cincinnati Bengals on SI. 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:07.640 Also the host of the Lockdown Bengals podcast Cincinnati Bengals 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:11.200 Talk on YouTube. Also an author, published author as well, 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:14.560 Joining us right now. All those things you are, James, 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:18.879 a basketball player, you are not? How are you? 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:21.880 You can take your digs all you want, but there 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:24.639 are plenty of people on this planet listening that can't 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:25.720 guard me and my friend. 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:26.359 You are one of them. 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:30.360 How you doing. I'm good. I'm good James. I am 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:34.800 still in awe of not only Joe Burrow making it 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:37.000 back to play, but watching Joe Burrow on the first 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:39.520 nap of the game go under center, play action, roll 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:44.080 out and essentially eliminate all concerns going into that game. 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:47.320 I'm still looking back on it shocked that not only 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:49.000 he played, but he dropped back and through the ball 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:51.919 forty six times only got sacked once. When you just 0:17:52.040 --> 0:17:56.359 take in what he was able to do and also 0:17:56.480 --> 0:17:59.399 deliver a win. What's your first thought as it relates 0:17:59.400 --> 0:17:59.960 to Joe Burrow. 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:06.359 No one listening or anyone related to the Bengals in 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:09.240 any way, whether you cover them, root for them, and 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:13.600 heck even root against them. Pretending like he doesn't matter, 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:16.520 I can't impact winning for a Bengals team is just insane. 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.639 And there were people saying how Joe Burrow's caught his 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:22.919 return wouldn't matter. It matters if he's throwing to you. 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:27.200 It just matters, right, And I think that that's it 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:30.720 is his impact. You felt it even when he wasn't 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:33.320 playing his best in the first half. Just the confidence 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:37.720 that oozes through this team when he's out there. They 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:41.199 believe they can beat anybody. And so for him to 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:43.639 do what he did, You're right, I thought he moved great. 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:48.119 I mean just really moved well. And when he's doing 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:51.000 that and then settling in and you look up and 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:53.120 he makes the throw of the game in the second 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:56.480 half to Andre Josabash essentially dagger. To be quite honest 0:18:56.520 --> 0:19:00.400 with you, that made it twenty six to fourteen. That 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:04.240 that's Joe Burrow. And so that's the first thing He's like, 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:07.000 I'm never going to doubt Joe Burrow. And if you 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:09.760 want to, I guess you still can, but doubt am 0:19:09.760 --> 0:19:13.400 at your own risk. And that's been my mindset for 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:15.720 the past few years covering Joe and I'm going to 0:19:15.760 --> 0:19:21.280 continue to keep that mindset because he's very unique, a 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:25.000 unique individual and someone that has a unique skill set. 0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:27.520 And that skill set isn't just being accurate or the 0:19:27.560 --> 0:19:30.399 physical stuff on the field, it's what he brings and 0:19:30.440 --> 0:19:34.119 how he affects winning when he's in your organization. 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:36.800 It's also a breath of fresh air to watch him 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:39.399 drop back forty six times and only be sacked once. 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:42.639 This has been something that was building up even before 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:46.160 Joe Burrow's return, but we haven't talked as much about 0:19:46.160 --> 0:19:49.119 the old line. That's always a good thing because it 0:19:49.200 --> 0:19:53.280 means they're not noticed. How much of a stride James 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:55.679 when you really look at him, has this offensive line taken? 0:19:57.960 --> 0:20:00.679 I think a significant one, and I think a significant 0:20:00.680 --> 0:20:04.520 one for a few reasons. Number One, when you have 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:08.520 a guy that to me has a chance to be 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:12.600 a perennial pro bowler and a Marius Nimms, and you 0:20:12.760 --> 0:20:17.480 have him take a step in year two, Orlando Brown Junior, 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:20.159 There's been a lot of criticism about him, but I 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:22.080 think for the most part, he settled in and is 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:25.080 playing well, played well the other night, and so you 0:20:25.119 --> 0:20:29.080 have two tackles that you really believe in. And then 0:20:29.440 --> 0:20:32.720 when it comes to the interior, Ted Carris is pretty 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:36.040 darn steady, I would say, and had been steady and 0:20:36.440 --> 0:20:39.200 probably a less than ideal start to the season. When 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:41.439 you look at how Ted performed work really over the 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.640 past two months, I think he's played well. And then 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:48.320 both guard positions they've settled in there, and one's a 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:51.280 third round rookie and Dalton Fairchild who I think is 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:53.600 just going to be really darn good, and they got 0:20:53.640 --> 0:20:56.560 that pick right, no doubt in my mind. And then 0:20:56.600 --> 0:21:00.480 another guy in Dalton Reisner who kind of got a deal. 0:21:00.600 --> 0:21:02.280 He signed here right. 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:04.600 Before the season started, ten days before the first game. 0:21:04.920 --> 0:21:07.920 Lucas Patrick gets hurt. He gets thrown to the Wolves 0:21:08.240 --> 0:21:10.800 in Cleveland. They get out of that game. He doesn't 0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:14.080 play well. In week two, Joe gets hurt and that's 0:21:14.119 --> 0:21:15.960 a big reason why Dalton Raiser was in town. Was 0:21:16.000 --> 0:21:20.000 the black for Joe Burrow and he loses his job. Well, 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:23.480