1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: For padco in the NATI brought to you by Modern 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: office Methods on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: the Cincinnati Bengals. 4 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 2: Four quarter Pad Pounder. Don't forget tonight at long. 5 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 3: Next it's the Roundtable Show down the Hall with Lance 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:21,319 Speaker 3: and Rocky. Do not let the fact that that show 7 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 3: is on seven hundred WLW distract you from this very 8 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 3: important piece of information. 9 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 4: No one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen to thirty, 10 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 4: Cincinnati's sports station. 11 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 3: Twenty four minutes after four o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. 12 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 3: After a week off, our friend Robert Wintraub is here. 13 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 3: He writes a weekly Bengals column for Cincinnati Magazine. You 14 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 3: can read it at Cincinnati Magazine dot com. This week's column, 15 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 3: as you might imagine, about the dawn of the Joe 16 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 3: Flacco era. 17 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: When I say that, do you still chuckle the way 18 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 2: I do? 19 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 3: Forty eight seventy two hours later, if we found out 20 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 3: he's a solution to quarterback, oh my god. 21 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 5: It's everything changes overnight with the dawn of the Joe 22 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 5: Flacco era. It's really amazing that a guy that has 23 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 5: Bengal fans we've been conditioned to load basically decades now 24 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 5: the Savior you know, from it out of nowhere trade. 25 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 5: It really is amazing and that just goes to show 26 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 5: you what the season has been like it It turns 27 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 5: out a dime and another plot twist. So that's good 28 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:22,639 Speaker 5: for us in the content creation. 29 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 3: You know, I said all the time, be good or 30 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 3: be interesting, ideally be both got to be one. I'm 31 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 3: not sure how good this is going to be. It's 32 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,199 Speaker 3: it's going to be interesting. There is there's a track 33 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 3: record with Joe Flacco, you know, joining a team, being 34 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 3: a quick study and in a reasonably short amount of 35 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 3: time operating the offense. We've seen this happen in other 36 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 3: you know, situations very short. A couple of years ago. 37 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 3: Baker Mayfield goes to LA on a Tuesday, plays on 38 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 3: a Thursday, and wins. Josh Dobbs with Minnesota a few 39 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 3: years ago gets traded on Tuesday, plays on Sunday and wins. 40 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 3: When this typically happens, how dumbed down is the offense? 41 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 5: Yeah, I remember when Bobby Lane got traded. 42 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 2: Trade isn't almost. 43 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 5: The same thing, remember, kids, Yeah, you know it depends 44 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 5: on the quarterback, really, right, the case by case bas is. 45 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 5: I think in the case is that you said it, 46 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 5: especially with Josh Dobbs. I mean that was basically they 47 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 5: were drawing up the plays in the dirt with six right. 48 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 5: I think the value of Flacco, He's had two hundred starts. 49 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,799 Speaker 5: He has seen essentially everything there is to see. They're 50 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 5: not gonna run a highly you know, detailed and complicated 51 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 5: offense necessarily with him there. But then again, the Bengals 52 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 5: don't necessarily really do that anyway. There's sort of plan 53 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 5: of attack has always been under Zach Taylor to you know, 54 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,519 Speaker 5: kind of out match up teams rather than outscheme them. 55 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 5: Than it's a broad stroke, but you know, our guys 56 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,679 Speaker 5: are better on the outside and we're gonna win that way. 57 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 5: And you know, Joe Flacco's inexperience in the offense doesn't 58 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 5: really make too much of an effort in that context, 59 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 5: and I think that's why he's valuable to them. Picked 60 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 5: up a different quarterback off the scrap heap, who happened 61 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 5: to be available at this point in the season, we'd 62 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 5: be talking it a little bit about it a little 63 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 5: bit differently, So I think that is where they thought 64 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 5: Flacco was really the best case for them. Obviously it's 65 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 5: not much of a not much of a deep pool 66 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:10,959 Speaker 5: of guys who can come in and play that way. 67 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 5: But yeah, I don't think like when Carson Palmer went 68 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 5: to the Raiders, you know, of the of the retirement demand, 69 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 5: I don't think they really dummed it all the way 70 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 5: down because they knew Carson what he could do and 71 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 5: what his strengths weren't they played to it. It didn't 72 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 5: necessarily work out and wins and losses there, but probably 73 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 5: won't hear either. But I don't think they'll be, you know, 74 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 5: just chucking ninety five percent playbook out and hoping for 75 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 5: the best. I think that's why you have it. Joe 76 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 5: Flacco come in. 77 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 3: Of all of the possibilities, some far fetched, some may 78 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 3: be a little bit more serious, was Joe Flacco I 79 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 3: think was the most surprising. 80 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 2: But was he the best? 81 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 5: Yeah? So, I mean of the realistic ones. You know 82 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 5: that you heard about a lot of ones that were 83 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 5: so far just Twitter ridiculousness. And Twitter's not in real life, 84 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 5: by the way, fap me on Twitter at rub Wine. 85 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 5: Little self promotion there in amongst the blackou talk. I mean, 86 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 5: certainly in a case where you match him up against 87 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 5: the guy like Russell Wilson, and the fact that, as 88 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 5: everybody has pointed out, you know, the Bengals offensive line 89 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 5: is deleterious to most quarterbacks health, and he just put 90 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 5: them side by side. He got Russell Wilson, who's a 91 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 5: mini me, and he got Joe Flacco at six six, 92 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 5: two forty five, who's a guy has taken a lot 93 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 5: of beatings over the years, but he hasn't been injured 94 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 5: all that often. He just has that body type that 95 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 5: can absorb a lot of punishment. Probably a good thing 96 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 5: because he's probably gonna get somehow in Cincinnati. And I 97 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 5: think I don't know how much the Bengals really put 98 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 5: that into their you know, sort of thought process, but 99 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,239 Speaker 5: it works out pretty well where sort of the biggest 100 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 5: guy available and the and the you know, just kind 101 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 5: of most physically imposing guy is the guy who also 102 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:49,159 Speaker 5: matches up with what they want to do best. So 103 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,599 Speaker 5: in that sense, I think he was by far the best, 104 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 5: you know, And obviously he had this you know tradition 105 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 5: or you know, ability to come out of nowhere literally 106 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 5: off the couch and case of the Browns and not 107 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 5: only be competent, but be very good. If the Browns, 108 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 5: the Bengals can run the ball the way the Browns 109 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,720 Speaker 5: did in twenty twenty three, even without Nick Chubb that year, 110 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 5: they had a really good ground attack. If the Bengals 111 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 5: can have any semblance of that, that can only make 112 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 5: Flacco's life a little bit easier. But obviously we haven't 113 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 5: seen that thus far, and there's no reason to expect it, 114 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 5: certainly in the next couple of weeks or Cincinnati. 115 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 3: Well, and you referenced the offensive line and the lack 116 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 3: of mobility, and I think for a lot of folks 117 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 3: that means that this is a ticking time bomb. 118 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 2: Is that fair? 119 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 5: That's a little strong. Like I referenced as a guy, 120 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 5: he's not really a guy who has been injured like that. 121 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 5: I mean, if that's what you mean, he's going to be, 122 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 5: you know, immediately sacked crumble into fifty pieces and we 123 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 5: have to see Jake Brownie again. I don't necessarily think 124 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 5: that's the case. I would imagine that the offensive line 125 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 5: will continue to hinder the offense's ability to move the 126 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 5: ball with consistency and efficiency, no question about that. I 127 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 5: don't know if that's a slow ticking time bomb or 128 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 5: a fuse that's you know, one hundred feet long, which 129 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 5: all season and we've seen that a lot over the 130 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 5: past few seasons, so it's it's nothing new. Really. I 131 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 5: just don't think that it's like a combination of his 132 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 5: lack of mobility with the Bengals porousness up front, this 133 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 5: automatically going to get him injured. I think Flaco's too 134 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 5: smart for that. Man. I just think part of his 135 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 5: ability to still play at this age is his ability 136 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 5: to you know, know when to fold them, so to speak, 137 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 5: chuck the ball out of there quickly, you know, check 138 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 5: out of plays that are immediately going to get him 139 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 5: killed if he sees it, and you know, get into 140 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 5: a safer play physically, so to speak, and just you know, 141 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 5: play in a certain way that'll ensure him of another drive, 142 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 5: another quarter or another game, as opposed to what we've 143 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,599 Speaker 5: seen that of a lot of other quarterbacks. Even Jake Browning. 144 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 5: I mean, he didn't get injured, but he was just 145 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,600 Speaker 5: playing with his hair on fire so much he never 146 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 5: he knew what the next play was going to bring. 147 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 5: You won't do that with Flacco. He you know, you 148 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 5: know what you're going to get but it's not going 149 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 5: to be something where he just like, what is this 150 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,719 Speaker 5: guy doing out here. He'll be professional, and he'll be 151 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 5: experienced and he'll get them out of bad situations as 152 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 5: best as possible. 153 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 3: Robert win Trump is with this weekly Bengals column is 154 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 3: up now at Cincinnati Magazine dot com. You referenced in 155 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 3: this week's piece to me, among all the stuff that 156 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 3: happened last week, it's the one that was most frustrating 157 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 3: to me because it answered a question I had all 158 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,360 Speaker 3: off season and all off season. You know, you heard, well, 159 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 3: the Bengals just need a league average defense, which sounds 160 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 3: neat right, But regardless of who the quarterback is, can 161 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 3: your unit get a stop when the game is hanging 162 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 3: in the balance, and so they they crawl back into 163 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 3: it at least sort of ten and a half to 164 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 3: go fourth quarter. If they get a stop, there's hope. 165 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 3: And the Lion shut the door in eight plays. And 166 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 3: there were a bunch of misstackles there, And so I 167 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 3: guess there's two different things. Number one, how much has 168 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 3: the defense failed essentially in year one of Al Golden 169 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 3: And I guess more specifically, they missed a ton of 170 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 3: tackles still that was a hallmark of last year's team. 171 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 2: It remains one this year. Why is it? 172 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 5: Yeah? I guess if I had the definitive answer to that, 173 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 5: I'd be on the sidelines with them. You see it, 174 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 5: and it's really frustrating, especially the drive that you that 175 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 5: you refer to, where it was just like, yeah, I 176 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 5: mean down eleven with most of the quarter to go. 177 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 5: It's hardly insurmountable, you know, especially in modern NFL. And 178 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 5: it's one thing to give up some points in that situation, 179 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 5: but to have it just break down so completely, and 180 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 5: so it looks like the Lions were barely trying and 181 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 5: they just waltzed right down the field and scored. Really disheartening. 182 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 5: And it had to be crushing Al Golden because even 183 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 5: with the way the units played so far this season, 184 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 5: you know, he had an opportunity to kind of make 185 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 5: it go away with a couple of stands there, and 186 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 5: it just didn't happen. Yeah, the lead the Bengals are 187 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,560 Speaker 5: tied for last in the league or first in the league, 188 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 5: I guess, depending on how you want to look at it. 189 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 5: In mistackles, and they're tied with the Jets, and I 190 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 5: think you see a lot of the times, it's it's 191 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 5: a question of want to and when the defense knows 192 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 5: the offense is atrocious and they're not gonna you know 193 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 5: that that last drive notwithstanding, they're not gonna have a 194 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:00,959 Speaker 5: chance to win games. You know, the effort and the 195 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 5: want to to rally to the ball and really play 196 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 5: with the kind of speed and violence that you need 197 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 5: to play with in the NFL is is lacking. And 198 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 5: you know, you have losing teams missing a lot of tackles. 199 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 5: That's not a coincidence. And usually teams that don't have 200 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:16,959 Speaker 5: great offenses missing a lot of tackles, the Bengals last 201 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 5: year again notwithstanding, and you know, it's a little early 202 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 5: to look at out Golden and say, all right, this 203 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 5: guy hasn't done anything. And it's been five games. I mean, 204 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 5: give the guy a chance. You know, their number one 205 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 5: draft pick, a guy that they're really counting on to 206 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 5: you know, health. The offense at the defense in a 207 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 5: lot of different ways has barely played Shamar Stewart and 208 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 5: you know, again, everything went to hell when Burrow went 209 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 5: down and they're all still scrambling. I think, if if 210 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 5: nothing else, Flacco can give them a little bit of 211 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 5: ball control, have at least a little bit of extended drives, 212 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 5: you know that they had. The Bengals are near the 213 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 5: bottom of the league also in just average yards for drive. 214 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,200 Speaker 5: They hardly move the ball at all, and it's just 215 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,560 Speaker 5: it compounds on a defense and you know what looks 216 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 5: like a lack of effort and poor tackling, you know, 217 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 5: fundamentals really is a lot of times just being on 218 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 5: the field far too much, and you know, they have 219 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 5: to get out of that rut otherwise they have no chance. 220 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 3: I've got like admitted here is the biggest glimmer of hope, 221 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 3: the fact that the AFC just top to bottom doesn't 222 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 3: appear to be very good. 223 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 5: Yeah, well it helps, right, I guess it sort of 224 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 5: depends if you really think that this team has any 225 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 5: kind of contention possibility and is it worth being you know, 226 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 5: sort of six and eight and still have a chance. 227 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 5: And it was last year we all felt, but we 228 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 5: also felt that with Joe Burrow, all they had to 229 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 5: do was get into the playoffs and then they really 230 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 5: had to get crack. Did they have a that is 231 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 5: Burrow really going to come back? Are they going to 232 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:43,960 Speaker 5: do anything with Joe Flacco? Even if they somehow sneak 233 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 5: into that seventh wildcard position, and you know, because the 234 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 5: AFC is such direk Yeah, I mean it's it's it's 235 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 5: you know, it's better than tanking and looking already to 236 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 5: twenty twenty six. Right, Nobody wants to do that, even 237 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 5: though maybe in the big picture it probably is the 238 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 5: thing to do, right, because the Bengals have proven they 239 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 5: can only really hit in the draft that they're picking 240 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 5: them in the top five or eight, so maybe they 241 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 5: should go down that route. But I think it definitely 242 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 5: helps them that and maybe they don't even make this 243 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 5: trade if they don't look around the landscape and see, boy, 244 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 5: nobody else here is really any good. The Ravens are 245 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 5: totally demolished, the Browns of the Browns, the Steelers nobody 246 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 5: believes in, and even the rest of the Es he 247 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 5: doesn't look that good. You'll talk about Daniel Jones being 248 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 5: an MVP candidate, So I definitely think that's part of 249 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,440 Speaker 5: the overall context. And you know, I think it does 250 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:31,679 Speaker 5: give the Bengals a little. 251 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 2: Bit of hope. 252 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 5: But first and foremost, you got to play better before 253 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 5: you can take advantage of other teams being crap. You 254 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 5: can't be direct yourself. 255 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 2: Well said, We'll talk next week. Thank you as always. 256 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 5: Can't wait, Mom, Thanks so much. 257 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 3: Go read our guy Rob Wintrobs Cincinnati Magazine dot com. 258 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 3: He joins us every single Thursday right here on ESPN 259 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:50,440 Speaker 3: fifteen thirty because. 260 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 4: No one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's 261 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 4: Sports station. 262 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 3: Do we have time if we break now to play 263 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 3: the Jamar Jase audio that you've been working on, tara U? 264 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,480 Speaker 3: Do we have to wait till next hour? I'll have 265 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:06,479 Speaker 3: to wait till next hour? Right, very good. Dan Klaskin's 266 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 3: coming up in just about fifteen minutes to help us 267 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,559 Speaker 3: win fantasy football games. I'm zero to five in one league, 268 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 3: so that seems like a tough test for him and 269 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 3: for me, but we'll try anyway. Coming up on ESPN 270 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 3: fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station. 271 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: You've been listening to Football in the NATI on ESPN 272 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.