WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Whole New World 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.559 Hike and everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:10.960 the Bengals Booth podcast, the Whole New World edition. As 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:13.320 we take a look at the first few weeks of 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:17.160 the Zach Taylor era in Cincinnati. Coming up, my broadcast 0:00:17.200 --> 0:00:19.919 partner Dave Lapham joins me to answer questions that you 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:24.200 submitted on Twitter, ranging from if the Bengals will tweak 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:27.680 their approach to free agency to the likelihood of drafting 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:31.400 a quarterback in the first round. And in this week's 0:00:31.440 --> 0:00:34.919 fun Facts interview, it's a wide ranging conversation with Bengals 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:38.920 owner Mike Brown. All of that is straight ahead. But first, 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:41.400 here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:44.479 edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:49.600 or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, google Play, or 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:56.760 pod Bean. It's the greatest invention since toasted subs. I 0:00:56.880 --> 0:00:59.600 have a curse when it comes to eating. I don't 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:03.560 like cold sandwiches, as I have jokingly pointed out to 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:06.679 my friends over the years since the invention of fire. 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:11.760 I prefer my food cooked. So if Penn Station or 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:15.120 Quiznos or pot Belly or anybody that does a nice 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:18.760 toasted sub wants to sponsor the podcast. Chances are I 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:23.800 am already a satisfied customer. Time to talk football. The 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:27.120 NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis, and the Bengals 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:30.720 were a major topic of conversation on Tuesday when Ian 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.639 Rappaport from the NFL Network tweeted out a report about 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:39.920 wide receiver John Ross, saying, quote, sources say the Bengals 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:43.759 are shopping their former first rounder. A fresh start would 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:47.680 be welcomed by both parties. Well, Ian Rappaport is an 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:51.000 excellent reporter, but it sounds like his sources might have 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:54.640 been wrong on this one. On Wednesday, Bengals Director of 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:57.840 player Personnel Duke Tobin held a news conference at the 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:02.320 combine and referred to that port as fake news, saying 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:07.080 the Bengals have had no discussions internally or externally about 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:10.720 trading John Ross. The timing of the trade rumor seemed 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:13.040 odd to me. You've got a new coach coming in 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:16.359 with a creative, offensive background. Wouldn't you want to see 0:02:16.400 --> 0:02:19.440 if he can maximize the talents of the former ninth 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:22.880 pick in the draft. The Bengals have Ross under contract 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:26.079 for at least two more years. Three if they pick 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:28.960 up his fifth year option. It seems kind of early 0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:32.600 to punt, and less of course, somebody makes an offer 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:35.919 too good to pass up. Time to bring him. My 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:39.240 broadcast partner Dave Lapham, and we start with the hiring 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:42.079 of New York Giants defensive backs coach lou An A. 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:46.799 Rumo as the bengals new defensive coordinator. The Bengals reportedly 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:50.320 tried to hire Dennis Allen away from the Saints, then 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.920 Todd Grantham away from the Florida Gators, and when neither 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:57.639 worked out, the snarky jokes about nobody wanting the job 0:02:57.760 --> 0:03:02.760 kicked in. As always, lap provided some interesting details about 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.920 the search. Lap Let's start with the time that it 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:09.680 took to hire defensive coordinator low and a Romo and 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:12.000 the fact that a couple of guys turned the job 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:16.480 down much ado about nothing or a legitimate concern. Well, 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:18.760 when you look at the situations the guys that turned 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:22.040 the job down, Coach Allen was just leveraging the Bengals 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:23.560 to get the third year out of the Saints. He 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:26.200 had a two year offer from the Saints, he wanted three. 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:28.440 They weren't doing it. The Bengals offered it to him 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:31.400 and a handsome three year deal. Mike Brown stepped up 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:35.280 big time and just leveraged it to his advantage. With 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:36.920 the Saints, they wanted a three year deal and he 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:41.040 stayed down there. So, you know, agendas live and learn 0:03:41.480 --> 0:03:44.720 that in that situation a little bit. I think not 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:47.280 got used, but got leverage, there's no question about it. 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:50.240 And then coach grant them. You know, from what I 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.920 hear from people in that area, a big part of 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:58.560 it was his wife didn't want to move anymore. You know, 0:03:58.560 --> 0:04:00.920 they've got two high school aged kids. They got one 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:03.120 in college, but two high school aged kids. And and 0:04:03.240 --> 0:04:05.360 she said, you know, we've moved X number of times 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:08.840 and in such a short period of time. You know, 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:11.240 let's let's just stay here. We like it in Florida. 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:13.360 Kids like it. You have a good job. You know, 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:15.800 you get a raise to one point eight million. Again, 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:17.960 I think Mike Brown stepped up with a handsome offer 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:20.200 that was more than that on a on a three 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:23.120 year basis. But you know, he decided to stay. But 0:04:23.800 --> 0:04:26.640 you can always say, well, if he knew his family 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:28.640 really didn't want to move, why did he bother interview? 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:31.640 And you know, so there's always three sides to every story, 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:33.960 or two sides plus the third with the truth lies 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:36.920 somewhere in between, I guess, but you never know in 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:39.720 these in these type of negotiations. Plus, I wasn't sure 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:42.000 about the he's a three four guy, you know, you know, 0:04:42.200 --> 0:04:46.120 I'm not sure about that about that fit. Uh necessarily, So, 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:49.359 you know, people saying that the seven people turned the 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:51.800 job down, It wasn't even offered to It was offered 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:56.120 to two people, and other people that people thrown out 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:58.600 there as candidates, and bangs didn't even interviews act didn't 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:01.680 even want to interview those people. So, um, it's it's 0:05:01.720 --> 0:05:04.680 Zack's decision. It's not. It's not Bengals fans or anybody 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:07.200 else in the organization. Really, they're letting him make his 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:10.479 own decisions for sure. Well, let's talk about the significance 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:12.760 of that, because, let's face it, over the course of 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:15.880 the Bengals fifty one year history, a lot of people 0:05:15.920 --> 0:05:19.400 have said, well, the head coach has never had enough control, 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.360 They've never been allowed to determine their own staff, etc. 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:25.160 What do you make of the latitude that Zach Taylor 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:27.520 has been given to build his own staff? Well, I 0:05:27.560 --> 0:05:30.360 think I think that, you know, during the course of 0:05:30.720 --> 0:05:35.720 their interviews, two wards came into you know, a very 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:41.320 very prominent place. Cohesion and chemistry in the staff and 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:45.040 with the players, and you know, energy, excitement, everything goes 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:47.719 along with it, all this culture that you're trying to build. 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:50.200 But I think cohesion is a big thing, and it's 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:52.640 a big thing to Zach and therefore a big thing 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:56.680 to the organization. We've talked about it before. Um, you know, 0:05:56.760 --> 0:06:00.200 hard Knocks demonstrated the opposite of cohesion. I mean, had 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.000 knives stabbing him in the back, Hugh Jackson as quickly 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:06.479 as they could. I mean, that staff had had no cohesion, 0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:10.520 no chemistry. Everybody was everybody who's in it for themselves 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:13.159 was not. It wasn't one for all and all for one, 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:17.520 that's for sure. It was. It was very disjointed. So 0:06:18.200 --> 0:06:20.680 you know, I look at the people that he's hired. 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:25.000 He trusts them all because he's worked with them. He 0:06:25.040 --> 0:06:28.039 knows what kind of people they are, and that's a 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:31.080 big thing. I remember, you know, Bob Stoops telling me 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:33.760 when he hired his brother to be the defensive coordinator, 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:38.200 Mike Stoops. He said to me, coordinators in that position 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:39.800 with a head coach, there has to be a huge 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:41.720 amount of trust. If I can't trust my brother, who 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.000 the hell can I trust? And you know, he said, 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:46.240 we're going to get some knocked down dragouts, but out 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:48.200 of those knocked down drag out, some good stuff's going 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:50.320 to come and it's going to help the football team 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:52.560 in terms of you know, scheming and all that sort 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.120 of thing. And I look at the same thing. When 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:58.719 Sam White and Bruce Cosle were together, there were some 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:03.960 just epic battles of you know, ying and yang putting 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:07.000 game plans together. But out of that two brilliant minds 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:10.920 offensively came these unbelievable game plans. And they were teammates, 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:13.320 former teammates, so they trusted each other. I mean, they 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:16.480 worked together as as teammates, they worked together with the 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:18.680 forty nine ers as coaches, and it worked here in 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:20.880 Cincinnati and took them to a Super Bowl. So I think, 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:23.720 you know, I think I think that trust part of it. 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:27.200 And there's I think I think Zach wants people that 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:30.400 he feels comfortable with. He knows the kind of human 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:31.960 being they are, and you know, it's the kind of 0:07:31.960 --> 0:07:34.280 coach they are. But he doesn't want yes men. He 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:36.440 wants guys to challenge them, you know, And that's what 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:39.559 Sam wanted. Sam wanted coaches like Jim McNally and Bruce 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:43.080 Coslet and guys like that to challenge him. Dick lebou 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:45.000 to challenge him. We want to go cutting edge on 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:47.360 all this stuff, just like you, coach, and I think, 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:50.240 you know, maybe hopefully, you know, I'm not saying that 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:52.880 that's going to happen, that Zach Taylor and and this 0:07:52.960 --> 0:07:55.080 coaching staff is going to take them to a super Bowl, 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:58.800 you know, in the first year, but maybe maybe something 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:01.680 good will come out of out of his process and 0:08:01.760 --> 0:08:04.560 his mentality putting this coach of stuff together. A lot 0:08:04.560 --> 0:08:07.040 of people look at Sean mcvaye's success with the Rams 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:09.840 and his hiring of Wade Phillips to be his defensive 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:12.800 coordinator and say, well, that's the model the young offensive 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:18.200 coach and the older experienced defensive coach. The older experience 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:21.600 part is fine, but the reason why that worked is 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:24.840 that Wade Phillips is one of the best defensive coordinators ever. 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:28.600 It's not that he's old or some sage wisdom. It's 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:30.840 that he's really good at his job. Give me the 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:35.120 good defensive coordinator instead of a guy who's been there before. 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.800 I agree with you, And good defensive coordinators can come 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:42.360 in all sizes, ages, you know, everything that goes along 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:46.640 with it. I really like what Zach is doing in 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:49.760 terms of a lot of these coaches have quite a 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.760 bit of college experience. Because the college game is it's 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:55.280 more and more influential in the pro game. Look at 0:08:55.360 --> 0:08:58.960 these high powered offenses. Look what Kansas City's doing. You know, 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:02.000 they've really employed a lot of things out of out 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:04.400 of the spread offenses and the zone reads and all 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.600 that that happened in college. The Rams with McVeigh doing 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:10.240 the same thing. You know, Andy Reid, Andy reads an 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:12.800 older coach, but Andy Reid is adjusted to the times 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.960 and adjusted to the scheme and has personnel to fit it. 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:18.400 And I agree with you. I mean, it's not just age, 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:21.600 it's it's talent as well. I mean, you know, just 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:23.880 because you're old doesn't mean you're good. Just because you're 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.040 young doesn't mean you aren't good. You know, it's there. 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:29.400 You can't you can't generalize like that. There's going to 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:32.920 be huge and a big number of exceptions to that rule, 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:37.280 for sure. So I really do think that guys that 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:41.520 have had to solve the riddle at the college ranks 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.200 over the years coming into the NFL, with the evolution 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:46.040 of that college game coming in the NFL and more 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:49.440 and more, I think those experiences could be potentially helpful 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:52.240 on both sides of the football. All Right, I informed 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:54.800 my Twitter followers that we would be recording a Bengals 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:57.439 Booth podcast and ask them for some questions. So are 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:01.800 you ready? Question number one? Will the team be more 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:07.120 active in free agency? I'm not sure it'll be active 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:10.240 in terms of people wanting to you know, lalapalooza, you know, 0:10:10.240 --> 0:10:13.560 a big signing kind of deal. I think they'll still 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:16.439 approach free agency the way they have. They value these 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:20.640 compensatory picks. They've got three this year and all in 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:23.800 the sixth round, all in the sixth round exactly. So 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:28.120 I think I think their feeling is, you know, like 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:30.400 like this year, whatever their needs may be, whatever they 0:10:30.800 --> 0:10:34.160 deem their needs are, when you have eleven picks, now, 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:37.400 because of these compensatories and trades and all that sort 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:41.240 of thing, now you can double down, even triple down 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:45.000 on a position of need, you know, and you increase 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:46.800 your chances of putting your bat on the ball. A 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:48.840 lot of you. If you miss on a higher pick, 0:10:49.200 --> 0:10:51.000 you know that mid wrong guy may be the one, 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:54.440 and so at least you get yourself covered there with 0:10:54.520 --> 0:10:57.400 an opportunity to to you know, fill a need and 0:10:57.440 --> 0:11:00.360 to build depth or whatever the case may be. So 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:03.120 I don't think they're gonna really, you know, sign a 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:06.679 huge free agent that would cost them compensatory picks, as 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:10.240 that has not been their philosophy. That this compensatory pick thing. 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:13.600 I think has worked out well for them for the 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:15.240 most part over the last few years, and I think 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:17.400 they're going to continue in that area. So I don't 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:22.640 get my hopes up for C. J. Mos Like I 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:26.040 don't think so, all right. Question number two, what's the 0:11:26.120 --> 0:11:30.240 probability of the Bengals drafting a quarterback in the first round. 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:32.640 I'm not sure in the first round. I mean Andy 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.439 Dalton was a second rounder, Kenny Anderson was a third rounder, 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:39.720 Boomer Sisson was the second rounder. You know, they're better 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:42.360 quarterbacks they had in franchise history. Greg Cook was a 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:45.040 franchise guy and unfortunately had the injury. He was a 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:48.520 first rounder. He was talent wise, the best they've ever had. 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:52.400 But you know, I don't think they necessarily feel like 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:54.760 they have to take a quarterback with that first rounder. 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:59.280 Will they take a quarterback in the draft potentially, yeah, 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:01.960 I think so eleven picks. Yeah, I mean, why wouldn't 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:04.760 you some at some point in time, you know, you 0:12:05.080 --> 0:12:11.800 have either either in Andy's Andy Dalton's contract is organizational 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:14.120 friendly right now, but you know it's in the next 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:16.319 year or two they're gonna have to make some decisions. 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:20.640 So depending on how those decisions unfold, you have to 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:23.880 have a plan B. I mean you can't. You can't 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:28.320 not have developed anybody, you know, in case they decide 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:30.680 to part ways or whatever the case may be there. So, yeah, 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.880 it wouldn't shock me, but I wouldn't be stunned if 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:36.640 if they take a quarterback with the eleventh pick in 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:41.120 the draft. It wouldn't stun me, but I'd be surprised 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:43.000 because they could get a pretty good quarterback I think 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:46.240 with that second round pick that high. So no C. J. 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:50.160 Mosley and free agency and probably not Kyler Murray has 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:52.480 with the eleventh pick in the draft, Let's talk about 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:56.320 Andy Dalton. Next question, Will Andy Dalton flourish in this 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:59.560 offensive scheme? I think he will. I think, you know, 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:03.360 Zack's already gone on the record saying that he's he 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:07.800 feels that that Andy fits this offense. And he's a 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:10.319 big Andy Dalton fan. And when he was at Texas 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:12.760 a m he looked at a lot of tape of 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:15.120 Andy Dalton when he was in high school and you know, 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:17.800 and also at TCU, so he knows a lot about 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:21.080 Andy Dalton. And I think that that Andy can fit 0:13:21.320 --> 0:13:25.880 this type of offense very very well. He moves very well. 0:13:25.920 --> 0:13:28.200 I mean, Andy can run, and you don't want to 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:30.360 overdo that with him. You don't want to, you know, 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:32.680 expose him to the injury that goes along with that. 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:36.280 But I think he's very intelligent. I think that, you know, 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:39.200 Zach realizes that. I think he's going to flourish. I think, 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:42.360 you know, probably the luckiest guy in the organization with 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:44.720 these moves and these decisions probably is going to be 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:49.560 Andy Dalton. Next question, what is the biggest obstacle facing 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:53.560 the team in being immediately successful? And the person that 0:13:53.640 --> 0:13:56.640 sent in this question specified being in a position to 0:13:56.640 --> 0:14:01.440 win a playoff game. Why there's a thing or a 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:03.200 couple of things or feel free to go with a 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:06.280 couple of he'd like. I mean, I think the offensive line, 0:14:06.440 --> 0:14:10.679 you know, needs to be needs to be continually built. Um, 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:13.200 I don't think they're anywhere near where they need to 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:15.640 be at this point in time. In terms of personnel, 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:19.320 I think Frank Pollock did a hell of a job. 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:21.800 I really do. I mean, I think he's I really 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.880 respect him as an offensive line coach. Coach Turner has 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:28.320 a tough act to follow, but he's he's regarded around 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:30.880 the league as as a real good teacher and a 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:33.120 teacher technique, just like coach Pollock. So I think we 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:35.640 get the same type of guy and the same type 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:38.320 of mindset, same type of approach. But you got to 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:40.320 give him some You gotta give him some material to 0:14:40.360 --> 0:14:42.760 work with. Man. You know, it's hard to hard to 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:45.680 build a statue if you don't have any clay, you know, 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:48.440 So he's got to get some get some bodies in there. 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:50.880 I think they have to improve in that area offensively, 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:53.560 and then the defensive side of it. Linebacker. You know, 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:57.680 in this in this era of football, those linebackers get exposed. 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.400 And you know, you have to have a line backer 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:04.480 that can run and be able to cover people. And 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:07.200 it's it's it's a different game. I mean, it's evolved 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:08.760 more to that college game. You know, you're not going 0:15:08.800 --> 0:15:11.400 to find two hundred and fifty five pound numbers anymore. 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:13.680 They don't exist. You know, you might have one for 0:15:13.720 --> 0:15:15.800 goal line short yardage players, but you don't have one 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:18.720 out there on a on a three down basis, that's 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.520 for sure. So I think you've kind of answered my 0:15:21.640 --> 0:15:24.720 next question. But the combines coming up this week, what 0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:28.480 are the biggest priorities as they prepare for the draft? Yeah, 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:31.360 I would I would say that big people, you know, 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:35.880 offensive and defensive offensive and defensive line. I think that 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:38.680 you know you can you can never go wrong trying 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:42.160 to get as many people as you can, as many 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:46.400 bodies to stabilize and influence the performance in those two areas. 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:48.280 Up front, I think you do win and lose games 0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:51.160 up front at the line of scrimmage. And that linebacker position, 0:15:51.280 --> 0:15:54.240 like we talked about is is definitely key um and 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:56.360 you can never have enough cover guys. You know, they've 0:15:56.360 --> 0:15:58.840 done a pretty good job over the years. They've spent 0:15:58.880 --> 0:16:01.240 a lot of first round picks cornerback position. I think 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:03.320 it's paid off for them because there is going to 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:09.320 be injury in the way that the defense's offenses lineup. Now, defensively, 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:13.080 you have to have minimum three most times four and 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:15.880 five cornerbacks out there, so you can never have enough 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:18.880 good bodies in that back end, Dan for sure. Next 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:24.040 week we will discuss free agency, not free agents from 0:16:24.120 --> 0:16:27.040 other teams that the Bengals might consider signing, but their 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:29.360 current free agents in which ones they should try to retain. 0:16:29.440 --> 0:16:32.560 Sound good, It sounds like a plan, coach. Thanks Lap. 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:35.440 Now time for my newest round of fun Facts with 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:38.880 Bengals owner Mike Brown. Here are a few things to 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.080 know if you're not familiar with my fun Facts interviews. 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:44.960 This is not sixty minutes and I'm not the late 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:48.200 Morley Safer. We do not discuss the hiring of Zach 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:51.640 Taylor or important NFL business. This is more of a 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:55.440 personal profile of Mike, from his daily routine to his 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:59.240 former career as a lawyer. Time for our fourth edition 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:03.000 of fun Facts the Bengals president Mike Brown. What is 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:05.640 your daily routine, When do you get to the office, 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:08.800 and what's the first order of business? Typically I get 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:15.760 here around six. My first order of business is to 0:17:15.800 --> 0:17:21.920 clean up some of my personal affairs. Pay bills, write 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:25.080 the notes and letters that I am obligated to do, 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:33.000 and then I turned to the squad affairs. I review 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:35.800 that daily, just checking where we are and what we 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:40.719 should be thinking about. I'm an early riser. It is 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:47.680 nothing that I brag about being early to work. I 0:17:47.720 --> 0:17:50.159 would either be early to work or sitting in a 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:54.720 chair staring at the ceiling at home. So I come 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:57.800 down here and do what I can, and that's how 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:02.679 I begin, and that is what I do when I 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:07.280 start today. Before the Bengals came into existence, you practiced law. 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:11.280 Did you enjoy it? I enjoyed the people. I thought 0:18:11.280 --> 0:18:15.680 the people were bright and wonderful to be around. I 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:21.879 enjoyed the action, the activity, if you will. I found 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:26.639 that quite remarkable as well. I have never had a 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:34.000 high opinion of the legal institution in this country. I 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:39.359 just don't feel that it is as perfect as I 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:47.439 would wish. But it is a wonderful structure, but a 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:52.479 remarkably imperfect one. I was not born to be a lawyer. 0:18:53.480 --> 0:19:01.720 I didn't have the strong interest in the legal profession 0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:06.080 that you needed to be what you should be if 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:09.840 you wanted to make a living doing that. It gave 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:12.760 me five years or so to watch and look at it, 0:19:12.880 --> 0:19:15.360 and then it also gave me the opportunity to get 0:19:15.400 --> 0:19:21.000 involved in what became the Bengals, and so I'm forever 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:25.040 grateful to it for that reason. You graduated from Harvard 0:19:25.119 --> 0:19:27.480 Law School, and you must have had classmates who have 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:33.040 been highly successful in politics, business, etc. Anybody we would recognize, 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:38.320 Oh Scalia was, But just to make it clear, I 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:49.160 never met him. There were others who became significant as lawyers, 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:55.879 and almost all of them had interesting, successful careers of 0:19:56.000 --> 0:20:04.000 one sort or another. My one roommate became a writer 0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:14.120 for Newsweek. One became a successful entrepreneurial type guy. It 0:20:14.240 --> 0:20:19.239 was a wonderful group of people that they collect up 0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:25.120 there annually, and it was a privilege beyond my deserts 0:20:25.320 --> 0:20:29.920 just to be around them for three years. A few 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:34.040 random Bengals topics from Mike Brown in nineteen seventy, the 0:20:34.119 --> 0:20:36.960 team's third year in existence. The Bengals started one in 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:39.600 six and one of their last seven games to make 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:42.359 the playoffs for the first time. Was that one of 0:20:42.400 --> 0:20:49.840 your favorite seasons. It was exciting. It built from scratch 0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:54.720 and we became, actually, by the end of the year 0:20:55.680 --> 0:21:02.760 a good team. We had a lot of interesting people 0:21:02.880 --> 0:21:05.919 involved with the club. Bill Walsh was an assistant coach. 0:21:06.240 --> 0:21:11.800 Tiger Johnson was an assistant coach. Virgil Carter became our 0:21:11.880 --> 0:21:17.680 quarterback and that was the team where and I will 0:21:17.720 --> 0:21:22.840 credit him for this. Walsh came up with the belief 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:26.240 that Virgil couldn't throw the ball effectively more than thirty 0:21:26.320 --> 0:21:29.960 yards down field. So we began to throw all these 0:21:30.760 --> 0:21:38.400 quick release passes and that was the first step towards 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:42.520 what became called the West Coast offense. That's where it 0:21:42.640 --> 0:21:49.359 started and how it started. It was a spirited team. 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:54.880 They began to believe in themselves and played above their 0:21:54.920 --> 0:21:59.840 heads by the time the season was over. Bengal's history, unfortunately, 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:03.040 has included some devastating injuries. I suppose that's true of 0:22:03.080 --> 0:22:07.920 every NFL team. But between Greg Cook, Kim Cromraye, Johnah Carter, 0:22:08.240 --> 0:22:12.440 and Carson Palmer, is there one that hurts you the most? Oh? 0:22:12.560 --> 0:22:17.160 Greg Cook would. Greg Cook was destined to be the 0:22:17.320 --> 0:22:23.680 star of his generation in pro football. He suffered a 0:22:23.680 --> 0:22:28.919 shoulder injury which today would have been easily repaired and 0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:31.440 he would have been as good as new the next season. 0:22:32.600 --> 0:22:36.000 But it didn't go right, the operation and the follow 0:22:36.080 --> 0:22:41.400 on which was done up in Cleveland, and he never 0:22:41.600 --> 0:22:47.199 was the same, So he was just the flish. He 0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:50.679 led the league in throwing his rookie year. If he 0:22:50.680 --> 0:22:53.920 had been healthy, in my mind, he would have led 0:22:53.920 --> 0:22:58.560 it for ten straight years. He was the most talented 0:22:58.560 --> 0:23:04.920 player we ever had here, and I always regretted that jury. 0:23:05.640 --> 0:23:08.679 A lot of others bother me to this moment, but 0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:11.160 that one is one that, as you can tell from 0:23:11.160 --> 0:23:19.200 my voice, I never really got over. Sports Illustrated recently 0:23:19.200 --> 0:23:21.360 referred to your daughter Katie as one of the most 0:23:21.400 --> 0:23:25.320 powerful women in the NFL who nobody talks about. How 0:23:25.359 --> 0:23:29.440 proud are you that she chose to follow in your footsteps? Well, 0:23:29.480 --> 0:23:34.480 it was her wish. I was open to it, and 0:23:34.960 --> 0:23:39.760 she was practicing law and then one to get involved 0:23:39.800 --> 0:23:44.080 in this, and over the years it has come to 0:23:44.160 --> 0:23:48.960