WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: One 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.360 Hike and everybody. I'm Dan Horde and this is the 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:14.480 Bengals Booth. Podcast one is the Loneliest number addition as 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:16.800 the Bengals try to get off to schneide and get 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:19.880 that elusive first win of the season this Sunday at 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:23.360 home against Jacksonville. Coming up, I'll be joined by my 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:27.920 broadcast partner Dave Lapham as we discuss what, if anything, 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:30.800 the Bengals can do in order to run the ball. 0:00:31.280 --> 0:00:34.480 Will also touch on the impending return of AJ Green 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:38.919 and Minshee Mania as the Bengals try to shut down 0:00:39.080 --> 0:00:44.120 Jacksonville's impressive rookie quarterback with a great mustache, Gardner Minshew. 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:48.559 My locker room conversation this week is with linebacker Leroy Reynolds, 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:52.080 who knows better than anybody else on the team what 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:56.040 it's like to grind through a terrible start. He began 0:00:56.160 --> 0:01:00.320 his career in Jacksonville back in twenty thirteen as a rookie, 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:03.680 the Jags started oh and eight. In his second year, 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:06.759 they started oh and six, and then one and ten. 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:11.000 We'll discuss how a player gets through it, and in 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:13.440 this week's No The Faux segment, we'll get the lowdown 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:15.880 on the Jags from a guy who has been writing 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:19.840 about them throughout their history, Gene Frenette from the Florida 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:22.959 Times Union. All of that is straight ahead, But first, 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:25.080 here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:28.400 edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:33.720 or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:39.119 or pod Bean. It's the greatest thing since sports gear 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:43.679 from teams that no longer exist. I celebrated a birthday 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:46.560 this month, and my son gave me an awesome gift 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:50.320 a T shirt from the NBA team of my youth, 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:53.960 the Buffalo Braves. I'm guessing that some of you don't 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:56.200 even know that Buffalo had an NBA team in the 0:01:56.280 --> 0:01:59.720 nineteen seventies, but it did before moving west end of 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:03.920 actually becoming the LA Clippers. The Clippers will be wearing 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:07.720 Buffalo Braves throwback jerseys at some point this year, and 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:12.960 they sell Braves merchandise on their website. It's awesome, as 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:15.840 is much of the gear that you can find online 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:20.079 from sports teams that no longer exist. Now let's get 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:23.239 to my conversation with Dave Lapham as we discuss the Bengals, 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:25.920 OZ and sixth start and what it's going to take 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:29.520 to get a win over Jacksonville on Sunday Lap. The 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:33.600 Bengals are only averaging fifty six point five rushing yards 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:36.959 per game. Last week in Baltimore, Lamar Jackson had fifty 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:41.720 seven after his first two runs. What if anything, can 0:02:41.760 --> 0:02:44.839 the Bengals do to get something out of their running game? 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:52.040 Tradeful Lamar Jackson. I mean, honestly, they're up. They're burning 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:54.760 the midnight oil right now trying to figure that out. 0:02:56.160 --> 0:03:01.040 You know, it's the problem that they have is and 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:03.919 it's not every snap. You know, people are gonna say, oh, 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:06.200 seven eight in the box and they're doubling Tyler Boyd. 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:08.320 I mean, they don't have that many players. That's not 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:11.680 happening every single snap. But there are down in distances, 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:16.160 you know, conditions of a game where you're trying to 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.000 do something and they have the box loaded, the box crowded, 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:21.040 and then you have to throw it and then they 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:22.800 double Tyler Boyd. Well, they don't have seven or eight 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:26.399 in the box when they're dubling Tyler Boyd. It's different circumstances, 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:29.080 different down and distances. But the problem is that you 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.639 don't have in my opinion, part of the issue could 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:35.720 be solved by having aj Green and John rossback because 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:38.800 if they can just be threats on the outside stretch 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:42.040 in the football field, it gives you more running lanes. 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:45.280 I mean, it opens the box up, makes everybody play 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:48.240 play deeper, makes the linebackers play deeper off the line 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:50.080 of scrimmage, and then they have to take you know, 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:52.840 start taking drops. Gets the safeties out of there. I mean, 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:56.440 right now, it's it's it's rush hour in there. It's congested, 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.080 there's a lot of traffic in there, and you know, 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:03.040 the offensive line to boot isn't getting a whole lot 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:05.720 of push. So it's like running into the Great Wall 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:07.960 of China that has the extra bricks in it. You know, 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:10.320 it's like, oh my gosh, man, it's like beating your 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:12.520 head up against the wall. And you know, you'll try, Okay, 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:15.480 let's try inside zone and maybe okay, let's work the 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:17.960 outside zone. Okay, let's maybe run a gap play kind 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:20.160 of playing trying to, you know, see if we can 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:23.120 get them without a little bit. Nothing's working. I mean, 0:04:23.160 --> 0:04:25.400 it is. It's unbelievable, and I think it's just a 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:29.160 numbers game, you know, a matter of sometimes a matter 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:31.440 of bodies, the number of bodies that are there to 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:35.640 be blocked, and then guys aren't blocking them efficiently enough. 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:38.039 So that's a recipe for disaster. And that's what the 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:41.560 running game is right now. It's disastrous. Lap Last year, 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:45.280 the Bengals fired their defensive coordinator during the season, Tarall Austin, 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:48.080 because things were not going well on defense. Marvin Lewis 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:50.359 acted as his own defensive coordinator for the rest of 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:53.440 the year. This year it's lou Anna Romo and basically 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:56.920 not much has changed. What conclusion should we be drawing 0:04:56.960 --> 0:04:59.760 about the Bengals defense, Well, if I'm a defensive player, 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:01.400 I'm in the mirror and saying it must be me, 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:05.440 you know, because they've they've made some changes, and not 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:09.560 only with coaches, but philosophical changes, you know, with those 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:12.680 coaches and even some schematic stuff. I mean, lou and 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:15.840 Rumo again has tried a lot of different things. Five 0:05:15.920 --> 0:05:19.600 man defensive line, five defensive backs, with the five defensive 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:21.600 lineman only one linebacker on the field. He's had all 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:24.040 three linebackers on the field, two linebackers on the field. 0:05:24.360 --> 0:05:28.000 You know, he's running every every combination you can run 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:34.039 in the secondary nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar. He's running 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.160 every every coin you can run back there. I mean 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:40.000 it's penny whatever. You got a sack at Jeeah coin defenses. 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:42.839 There's such a thing. I'm thinking those coins are counterfeit. 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.440 I don't know. It's like it's crazy, but he's he's 0:05:45.640 --> 0:05:49.160 you know, it's right now. It's if he felt like 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:52.279 the football team on both sides of the ball. There's 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:56.400 not one thing that coaches can say, this is our identity. 0:05:56.760 --> 0:05:59.400 This is when the times get tough, this is what 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:02.120 we're gonna go too. And the times has gotten tough, 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:05.200 and they can't go in anything. They don't have an 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:08.320 identity established on either side of the line of scrimmage yet, 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:11.240 and that is a tough tough thing for a coaching 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.680 staff when you're putting together a game plan, and man, 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:16.800 that's why a big part of the reason they haven't 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:19.880 won a football game yet. In crunch time, it's like, oh, 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:22.360 we got this. Now we're gonna We're gonna close it out. 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:24.240 This is what we're doing, this is who we are. 0:06:26.120 --> 0:06:29.520 The Bengals get a taste of Minshee mania this Sunday, 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:32.680 Gardner Minshew come into town. The rookie quarterback drafted in 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:35.440 the sixth round by Jacksonville. He was supposed to be 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:38.359 the backup under Nick Foles, and then Foles broke his 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:43.000 collarbone in Week one. Gardner Minshew's passer rating is identical 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:45.840 to Tom Brady's. At this point of his rookie year, 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:49.840 Minshew is playing very, very sound football. The thing that 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:54.599 impresses me most about him Dan just two interceptions, tied 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:57.560 for six fewest in the in the NFL. He's got 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:00.600 nine touchdown passes, tied for leventh in the NFL. That 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.680 plus seven touchdown interception ratio is gonna work, you know. 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:05.880 I mean, he's got better than four to one ratio. 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:10.440 So you have to like that about him. And against 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:13.520 Carolina he was twenty six for forty four three hundred 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:16.080 and seventy four yards two touchdowns against the Panthers, who 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:19.520 have a good defensive football team, so they leaned on him, 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:23.080 you know, in those on that occasion, and he has 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:25.440 run the ball. I mean it's not designed runs like 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:27.880 we've seen, you know with Lamar Jackson, but you know, 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:30.360 when he's in trouble, he has tucked it in. Run 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:33.080 twenty one times one hundred and twenty five yards six 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:35.560 yards per twenty one yard rush. So you have to 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:38.280 still respect him. You know, you can't over rush him, 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:40.679 you can't rush by him, you can't distort your rush lane, 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:42.720 you know, because he's going to be looking for those 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:44.840 type of things like guys coming right out of college 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:47.400 do if a couple of reds aren't there, my next 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:49.760 backs option is to try to get something, try to 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:52.320 get with it with my legs. I've heard that he's 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:54.880 squats five fifty. I mean he's he's a he's a 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:59.120 strong kid. His dad is a like a bodybuilder type dude, 0:07:59.120 --> 0:08:01.920 you know, a big workout guy. And Minshew's no joke. 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:04.720 I mean, Minshew was going to go to Alabama and 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:06.480 he wanted to be a coach. So he's going to 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:09.480 go to Alabama and learn under the great Sabman. And um, 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:12.560 you know they said, you know, why don't you don't 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:14.800 you hit to Washington State here, come out and play 0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:17.960 out here and lead the country in passing. He almost did. 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:21.800 He led the pack twelve in passing. But h I'll 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:23.320 tell you it's a heck of a story. Really is 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:25.480 a heck of a story. And this kid when the 0:08:25.520 --> 0:08:31.120 opportunity presented itself. He has stepped up big time. We 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:34.720 know the Bengals have had trouble stopping sideline to sideline 0:08:34.800 --> 0:08:37.400 running games. Well that's not the challenge this week. It's 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:40.720 a battering ram coming right at him in Leonard Fournette. 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:44.880 No question, Leonard Fournette is l lodo. I mean, he 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:48.640 is a guy that is just gonna try to run 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:51.200 you over. There's there's not a whole lot of wiggle 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:54.280 to him, but he when he hits creases, he hits. 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:57.000 He hits some violently, he hits some hard. Hit an 0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.240 eighty one yard run so far this season, I mean 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:03.280 he's um. He had a game against the Denver Broncos 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:05.680 that's the best rushing game in the league so far 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:08.120 this season. He had twenty nine rushes, tied for most 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:10.640 in a single game for twenty and twenty five yards, 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:14.160 the best rushing total in a game this season. So 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:18.120 he has another another hundred yard rushing game against Carolina 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.520 twenty three carries, one hundred and eight yards in a touchdown, 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:24.400 so he's capable, obviously, and his five hundred and eighty 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:26.480 four yards a third best in the NFL. He's averaging 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.679 over five yards of carry five point one. The Bengals 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:33.040 are giving up five point three per carry, So they 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:36.000 got their work cut out for them in handling Leonard Fournette. 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:39.120 And if they don't, I mean, Fournette makes life a 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:42.439 lot easier for a young quarterback like Minshew. And if 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.120 they start gashing the Bengals running the football, Minshew is 0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:47.360 going to have a good football game. If they can 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:50.360 somehow control Leonard Fournette and not let him run crazy, 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:54.920 Minshew will have more difficulty solving and handling the room 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:57.079 was defense, that's the bottom line, that's the fact of 0:09:57.160 --> 0:10:01.079 life in the NFL. Last week saying it's apparently shut 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:04.600 down Jacksonville by playing two deep safeties that gave Gardner 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:08.240 Minshew trouble. But can the Bengals do that considering how 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:10.719 much trouble they're having stopping the run, that's going to 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:12.520 be the big key. Then the onus is on the 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:14.839 front seven. You know, how well are you going to play? 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:19.960 I think that Jacksonville Jaguar's offensive line is big and 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:23.880 physical like they've been facing and at this at this juncture, 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:26.880 if I'm Luna Rouma, I don't know how much confidence 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:29.640 I have doing that. You know, I'm not. It's going 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:32.200 to be an interesting to see how much two DP 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:36.439 does play because at this point in time, they've been gashed, 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:39.440 but they've been gashed by this style of offense. They've 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:43.560 been gashed by, you know, the Houdini mystery magic. You know, 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:46.480 it's like, don't know, they don't trust their eyes. Their 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:48.840 eyes are betraying them because these offenses are doing so 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:52.160 much with personnel informations and motion and all that sort 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:55.200 of thing. I think Jacksonville may be more like Seattle was. 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:57.880 You know, Jacksonville made line up and just say here 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:00.360 we are, come get us. And the Banks played well, 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:04.319 you know against Jacksonville. So you know, hopefully h they 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:07.360 get a break from all these all these college type 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:11.319 offenses that they've been facing, with these quarterbacks that are, um, 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:15.920 you know, the basically the poster child for these type 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:19.520 of offenses from an execution standpoint, running him and go 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:22.800 back to a more traditional, conventional NFL quote, you know, 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:26.880 style offense. We'll see what happens. Jermaine Pratt got increased 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:28.839 playing time last week and made some plays in the 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:31.440 run game, but man, he struggled trying to cover tight 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:35.199 ends and tight ends that, you know, I mean, Andrews 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:38.280 does not. He's not a blazer, you know when you 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:40.480 say the name Mark Andrews or he's like, oh man, 0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:43.000 that's a big boy that can run. I mean, it's 0:11:43.040 --> 0:11:45.000 almost like when you when you see him, it's like, 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:47.480 how does he get open as much as he does? 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:51.000 Because he doesn't have you blazing speed, but he understands 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:53.960 the game of football. He understands leverage and uh and 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:56.360 they schemed him open, and I think part of it 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:58.760 was Pratt biting on. I don't know what he was 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.440 seeing what he was biting on, but he was I 0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:05.120 mean a simple, you know, a simple like out move 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:08.280 that seemed like Pratt was in trail position by about 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:11.120 five yards. And he can run, so it's not the 0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:14.520 physical part of it. He's just I don't know what 0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:17.040 he was looking at. But you know the one I'm 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:18.760 thinking of when he ran the little out route to 0:12:18.800 --> 0:12:20.839 the sideline and then just took it up the football field, 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:24.960 Pratt was nowhere near him, nowhere near him. AJ Green 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:28.840 started practicing in Pad's last week. I don't think he's 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:31.560 going to play this Sunday against Jacksonville, but at this 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:34.800 point I'm thinking why not just wait until after the buye. 0:12:34.880 --> 0:12:37.520 I mean, what's the likelihood that Aj Green is going 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:40.480 to help you beat the Rams in London anyway? Yeah, 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:43.400 I mean I guess it's I've been saying that for 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:46.480 a while. I felt like, you know, if it's at 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:49.720 this point, why not take the extra week and make 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:53.199 sure you know it's like, okay, is he close? Well? 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:56.640 Why not be positive about it? And you know a 0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:58.920 lot of times players that are coming off an injury 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:02.520 like he is, a lot of times training staffs and 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:05.840 medical people will say, Okay, when you're ready, we're going 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:09.839 to wait another week to be positive you're ready. And 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:12.560 that's been the philosophy I think here in Cincinnati with 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.120 every injured player that's ever been injured, I mean they 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:18.520 don't players don't come back fast here compared to other 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:22.600 places in the league. So I think that's the mentality overall. 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.560 And a guy like Aj wouldn't shock me whatsoever if 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.640 if we were a boardline or questionable at all. You know, 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:31.280 the temptations huge, because, like we said, if he comes 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:34.400 out in the football field, everything changes. The running came 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:37.120 will to mark my words. I mean, there'll be better 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:40.920 lanes to run the football, other receivers will have more 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:45.120 opportunity to make catches because everything changes, the entire configuration. 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:47.800 The defense takes a tilt toward a player the caliber 0:13:47.840 --> 0:13:50.320 of aj Green, So there is a huge temptation to 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:52.040 get him back, but it'd be fool harder to bring 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:56.040 him back so too early, and he has a setback, 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:57.960 and now he's you know, he's done for the season. 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:00.280 Potentially he hasn't even played a full game for you 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:03.000 if he gets hurt in that one game. So it 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:06.320 would it would not stun me whatsoever if if he 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:09.120 didn't play until after the bye week. But knowing him, 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:12.199 he really wants to play. I'm sure the coaches obviously 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:14.720 are very h they're panting to get him back out 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.800 on the football field, but you certainly you know the 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:20.360 situation they're in. I mean, if you're four and two 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:24.600 right now and you're fighting for your division supremacy, that's 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:28.480 one thing, but your own six, you know, it's like, 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:31.760 why why are you bringing him back potentially too early? 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:34.080 Why are you doing that? So it's going to be 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.440 interesting to see how it all plays out. This offensive 0:14:37.480 --> 0:14:40.480 line might have been good if everybody was healthy from 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:42.680 the beginning, of the Year. Johnah Williams had left tackle, 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.440 Cordy Glenn at left guard. If Billy Price didn't begin 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:48.440 training camp with plantar fasciitis, maybe things would have gone 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:51.040 better for him. But that's not the reality that we're 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:54.280 living in. And now there have been more injuries that 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:57.080 are piling up. John Miller got injured early in the 0:14:57.080 --> 0:15:00.840 game last week. Andre Smith has been out people listening 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.400 to this know the a litany of injuries they're dealing with. 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:07.960 How much has the lack of continuity upfront taking that 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.240 offensive line down another notch? It always plays a part. 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:13.960 You know, I've said for years now. You know, an 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:17.600 offensive line when it's performing well is like making a fish. 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:20.240 You don't even think about it. You just curl your forefingers, 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:23.880 wrap your thumb. It just happens, you know, spontaneously, and 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:27.720 there's unspoken word communication when an offensive line is playing 0:15:27.720 --> 0:15:30.680 at a good level with each other, understanding what the 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:33.640 other guy is going to do in certain situations. You know, 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:36.960 you don't have to overcommunicate verbally. You can do it 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:39.440 just by you know, body language and little things that 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:42.920 you that you use to communicate. So that that's tough, 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:46.880 But I will say that from day one, not only 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:49.920 of training camp but OTAs, Jim Turner's big thing was 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:53.920 everybody has to play multiple positions for this very reason. 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:56.920 So he was running a lot of combinations. You know, 0:15:57.120 --> 0:15:59.840 every single workout, he was lining guys up in different spots, 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:02.920 every single preseason game, landing guys up in different spots 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:07.360 for this very thing. But with that said, game snaps, 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:10.240 game speed, you know, the only way you can get 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:11.960 those kind of things is to do it over and 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:14.760 over and over again together with the same people. And 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:17.440 when those people are switching around and it's musical chairs 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:20.360 up there, it adds to the challenge, There is no 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:22.480 doubt about it. It adds to the challenge. It just 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:28.000 there's no substitute for on task, you know, game experience, 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:31.280 there's none. Pro football is a hard sport to play 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:33.840 when things are going well. How do they keep it 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:37.560 fun when a team is l and six. That's a 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:43.400 big challenge, you know. Because the O and eighth season 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:47.360 that I have referred to multiple times, I will say 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:52.360 that my sanctuary was still to come down to Spinney 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:55.880 Field with my teammates because we were all suffering the 0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:59.040 same damn thing, and we were all you know, misery 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:02.480 loves company, you know, so you come down and commiserate 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:04.320 and okay, and we talk about how how are we 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:05.919 gonna how are we gonna get off this night? What 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:08.080 are we gonna do? You know, let's figure out how 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:10.280 we can get something done, because, like I said, I 0:17:10.320 --> 0:17:12.399 didn't want to see anybody else, you know, I barely 0:17:12.400 --> 0:17:14.520 want to see my wife and kids. I was so embarrassed. 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:18.919 But um so, you know I'd literally that whole that 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:21.760 whole season, even when we started winning some football games, 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.720 I was. I was absentee in terms of the neighborhood. 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:26.919 I was nowhere to be found. I was in the 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:31.760 witness protection program. But um it is it still is 0:17:31.800 --> 0:17:34.800 your because you know, if you start listening to that. 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:37.040 Guys talk about it all the time. The outside noise 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:39.760 can be can add pressure. I mean it can just 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:42.920 it can ruin your life. It really can, and it 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:45.240 will make you maybe do some things you might regret doing. 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:47.520 You don't want to do that to people, you know. 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:50.119 But a lot of people don't have much sensitivity for 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:53.159 how you might be feeling, that's for sure, because they're frustrated. 0:17:53.200 --> 0:17:56.120 They don't understand how frustrated you are. And you can't 0:17:56.160 --> 0:17:58.840 give people knuckle sandwiches. That's not gonna that's not gonna 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.520 play well. So you have to be smart about it, 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:02.960 and the best way to do it is to avoid 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:05.879 that those kind of confrontations, those kind of things. So 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:08.960 it is, it's hard, but it is still the sanctuary. 0:18:09.040 --> 0:18:12.679 So we would try to figure out things, you know, 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:17.240 to do, whether it's a you know, offensive lineman playing 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:19.399 a touch football game and you know, one of the 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:22.560 lineman's obviously a quarterback, you know, or whatever, whatever the 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:24.639 case may be, just try to lighten it up a 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:28.639 little bit. But you knew that you better get your 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:30.720 notes to the grindstone as quickly as you possibly can 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:33.560 because there was work to be done. And you know, 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:35.919 the sad the sad thing is sometimes too as far 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:39.080 as an offensive line's concerned, when the team is struggling, 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:43.359 and even when the team is playing well, offensive line 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:47.080 play a lot of times when it's when it's at 0:18:47.160 --> 0:18:51.920 least acceptable, acceptable to great is not a huge difference. 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:54.480 When you're watching tape, it's like you're getting the job 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:58.359 done and plays are being made. Sometimes like you're getting 0:18:58.400 --> 0:19:00.320 the job done, plays aren't being made, and it's like 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:03.000 the offensive line play is not hugely different on tape. 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:05.399 But somebody has to make somebody miss, somebody has to 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:07.320 make a great cat, somebody has somebody has to do 0:19:07.400 --> 0:19:10.440 something to light a fire. But there are times also 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:12.840 when you watch an offensive line playing, it's like, oh man, 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:15.720 you know, everybody took their turn on getting their butts 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:18.680 royally kicked, and that stands out like a store thimb 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:21.040 as well. So I'm sure they're experiencing all of it 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:24.400 for sure. By the way, our adjacent cubicles at Paul 0:19:24.400 --> 0:19:28.640 Brown Stadium, that's my sanctuary these days. All right, let's 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.920 get to the keys to victory this Sunday, the Bengals 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:35.320 get off the schneide we say coffin nails bang bang 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:37.480 bang at the end of the game because they do 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.399 what against Jacksonville. Well, first thing they have to do, 0:19:40.480 --> 0:19:44.120 Dan is somehow figure it away to run the football 0:19:44.160 --> 0:19:48.440 and stop Jacksonville from from dominating the football game playing keepaway. 0:19:48.520 --> 0:19:50.760 I mean, Jackson's going to look at exactly what Baltimore did, 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:52.480 look at the stats, and then the film's going to 0:19:52.520 --> 0:19:55.600 support it. Pound the ball, play keepaway. That's what they're 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:58.160 gonna try to do. Minimize the opportunities the Bengals have 0:19:58.560 --> 0:20:00.840 and four Nett's going to be the big, the big deal. 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:03.160 You got to control that guy. Five hundred and eighty 0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:06.159 four yards third in the league, five point one to rush. 0:20:06.160 --> 0:20:08.840 He's also capable, you know, catching the ball out of 0:20:08.840 --> 0:20:11.240 the backfield seven hundred and seventy three scrimmage yards, third 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:14.520 best in the league. So the Bengals are thirty second 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:17.840 in the NFL running the football yards per game thirty second, 0:20:17.840 --> 0:20:22.040 are defensive allowed yards allowed per game, thirty second in 0:20:22.280 --> 0:20:25.640 yards allowed per rush five point three. Offensively fifty six 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:27.680 and a half is dead last. Three point one is 0:20:27.760 --> 0:20:32.240 thirty first. So overall, the Bengals are minus one hundred 0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:35.679 and twenty eight rushing yards a game a football field 0:20:35.680 --> 0:20:39.480 and a quarter and minus two point two average rush 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:42.880 per attempt minus two point two dead lasts in league. 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:45.000 Minus und twenty eight yards a game, dead last in 0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:47.399 the league. You can't allow that to continue to happen. 0:20:47.440 --> 0:20:49.640 That's what Jacksonville is going to try to do. Then, 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:54.840 ball security, you know, Jacksonville, they've only got two takeaways, 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:56.479 tied for the fewest in the league. They won an 0:20:56.600 --> 0:21:00.240 interception tied for second fewest because Denver and half one 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:03.159