1
00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,400
Speaker 1: I get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading

2
00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:13,800
Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth Podcast. The waiting is the hardest part. Addition,

3
00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,480
Speaker 1: as we get closer and closer to the eagerly awaited

4
00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,320
Speaker 1: start of Bengals training camp. Coming up, you'll hear from

5
00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,239
Speaker 1: two guests. First, rookie kicker Evan McPherson. He was the

6
00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:27,920
Speaker 1: only kicker taken in this year's draft and the Bengals

7
00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,960
Speaker 1: have made it abundantly clear that they expect him to

8
00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,400
Speaker 1: be their starting kicker this year. We'll hear what Evan's

9
00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,240
Speaker 1: been doing to get ready for camp. Then it's Adam Rank,

10
00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,760
Speaker 1: who has written a state of the Franchise article about

11
00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,600
Speaker 1: every NFL team for NFL dot Com. In his words,

12
00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:46,920
Speaker 1: the Bengals are going to be one of the most

13
00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,680
Speaker 1: enjoyable teams to watch in twenty twenty one. We'll find

14
00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,880
Speaker 1: out why. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by bud Light.

15
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,360
Speaker 1: Seltzer Refreshed the game, and here's a quick reminder that

16
00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,400
Speaker 1: you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered

17
00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:05,679
Speaker 1: write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitch,

18
00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:09,520
Speaker 1: your Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean. It's the greatest

19
00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:14,600
Speaker 1: thing since a family vacation. If you were experiencing Bengals

20
00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,920
Speaker 1: Booth podcast withdrawal last week, I apologize for the lack

21
00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:20,520
Speaker 1: of an episode, but I went on vacation with my

22
00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,759
Speaker 1: wife and son to the state of Washington. We started

23
00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,880
Speaker 1: in Seattle, then went hiking in North Cascades National Park

24
00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,679
Speaker 1: before spending a few days north of Seattle in the

25
00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:35,160
Speaker 1: San Juan Islands. The trip was awesome. My batteries are recharged,

26
00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:37,720
Speaker 1: and if you are ever in that area, go to

27
00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:42,440
Speaker 1: Dad's Diner in Anacortis, Washington, about eighty miles north of Seattle,

28
00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,560
Speaker 1: and get the brisket hash. It's the best breakfast I

29
00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,960
Speaker 1: have ever had. Now, let's get to football. Of the

30
00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,520
Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty nine players selected in this year's

31
00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:58,120
Speaker 1: NFL Draft, only one was a kicker, Evan McPherson, selected

32
00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,040
Speaker 1: by the Bengals in the fifth round. In three years

33
00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,840
Speaker 1: at the University of Florida, Evan made fifty one of

34
00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,600
Speaker 1: sixty field goal attempts that's eighty five percent, and set

35
00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,639
Speaker 1: a school record last year by drilling four from beyond

36
00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:14,000
Speaker 1: fifty yards. His career along with the Gators was fifty

37
00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,200
Speaker 1: five yards, but he drilled a sixty yard or in

38
00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,400
Speaker 1: high school. McPherson is from Alabama and that's where I

39
00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:25,200
Speaker 1: caught up with him this week. Evan, you're a couple

40
00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,560
Speaker 1: of weeks away from your first NFL training camp. Are

41
00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,920
Speaker 1: you taking it easy at this point and saving your

42
00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,880
Speaker 1: leg or are you hard at work? I'm hard at

43
00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:39,000
Speaker 1: work definitely, because I know training cameras, you made a competition,

44
00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,519
Speaker 1: and coach Simmons is gonna want his kicking. Not every day,

45
00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:45,639
Speaker 1: but you know, almost every day. So I'm just training

46
00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:50,400
Speaker 1: my leg and it kind of ready to, you know,

47
00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,960
Speaker 1: to kick whenever I need and to stay healthy, but

48
00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,160
Speaker 1: you know, at the same time kicking a lot of balls.

49
00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,280
Speaker 1: Is there a tricky balance there where you want to

50
00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,400
Speaker 1: work hard and get better in the offseason, but you

51
00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,440
Speaker 1: don't want to overdo it. Yeah, I definitely think there is,

52
00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,720
Speaker 1: um because you know, I probably would go out and

53
00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,160
Speaker 1: kick every day if I could, but you know, my

54
00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,080
Speaker 1: legs screaming at me telling me to take a break,

55
00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,880
Speaker 1: and you know he can't overdo it, and you're just

56
00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,760
Speaker 1: gonna know. You're gonna know your body and you know

57
00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,400
Speaker 1: when to stop, and you know when to rest and recover,

58
00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:30,240
Speaker 1: but yeah, there's definitely comes to a point where you know,

59
00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,800
Speaker 1: I wish I could train more, but you know, I

60
00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,840
Speaker 1: just can't. You mentioned the training camp competition. When the

61
00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,760
Speaker 1: Bengals drafted you this year, Darren Simmons said he expected

62
00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,560
Speaker 1: you to win the job. He's not going to hand

63
00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:46,520
Speaker 1: it to you, obviously, but he expects you to go

64
00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,960
Speaker 1: out and win the job in camp. What would your

65
00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:53,280
Speaker 1: reaction when he said that. It's the NFL um You know,

66
00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,240
Speaker 1: everybody wants to play in the NFL and be a

67
00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:58,600
Speaker 1: part of it, and just you know, just getting the

68
00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,200
Speaker 1: opportunity to do to compete for those jobs as a blessing.

69
00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,840
Speaker 1: And I knew wherever I went, you know, I was

70
00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:09,720
Speaker 1: gonna have to compete. And I think that's probably one

71
00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,800
Speaker 1: of the best things. One of my best attributes is,

72
00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:17,120
Speaker 1: you know, competing, being super competitive and you know, not

73
00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,160
Speaker 1: wanting to kind of lose or take second to anyone.

74
00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:24,320
Speaker 1: So now I'm really excited about competing with Austin. You know,

75
00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,360
Speaker 1: he's a good guy, a good kicker, and I'm excited

76
00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:33,440
Speaker 1: to you guys Cincinnati and get things rolling. After you

77
00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:35,800
Speaker 1: were drafted in the fifth round, you spoke to the

78
00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:38,720
Speaker 1: Cincinnati Media and you said something along the lines of

79
00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,360
Speaker 1: making the NFL was your goal since you started kicking.

80
00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,840
Speaker 1: When did that start to become a realistic goal in

81
00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:50,840
Speaker 1: your mind? Probably? I mean shoot, like I think later

82
00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,760
Speaker 1: in high school, whenever you know, I was getting recruited

83
00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:55,520
Speaker 1: by a college is a little bit, you know, I

84
00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,520
Speaker 1: was like, all right, well, maybe I can really make

85
00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,120
Speaker 1: this thing a Yeah. I guess you'd say, kind of

86
00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:05,479
Speaker 1: like a lifestyle or you know, make the NFL my

87
00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:07,240
Speaker 1: goal because this is one this is what I want

88
00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:09,360
Speaker 1: to do the rest of my life. And I'd say

89
00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,159
Speaker 1: probably around like the end of high school, um, going

90
00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,599
Speaker 1: into college. I guess when I really, you could say,

91
00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,839
Speaker 1: put my head down and started grinding for a chance

92
00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:23,400
Speaker 1: in the NFL. We're talking to rookie kicker Evan McPherson.

93
00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,240
Speaker 1: I read that when you were in fifth grade you

94
00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,520
Speaker 1: tied pipes to the soccer net in the backyard to

95
00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,440
Speaker 1: make a homemade goal post. Is that true and if so,

96
00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:38,120
Speaker 1: how well did it work. Oh, it's definitely true. And

97
00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,240
Speaker 1: it works so well that it's it's still in my

98
00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:44,800
Speaker 1: backyard today. If I when I come home into my parents' house,

99
00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:48,159
Speaker 1: that you know they still got it up. Um, you know,

100
00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:50,479
Speaker 1: if it if it's been raining a lot, I don't

101
00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:52,760
Speaker 1: want to go down to the field or you know,

102
00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:54,800
Speaker 1: it just don't feel like drive and I'll just, you know,

103
00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:56,880
Speaker 1: go in the backyard and kick on those posts. So

104
00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:03,159
Speaker 1: if you hit the post and it stay up, you know, honestly,

105
00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:08,000
Speaker 1: I do remember hit the post sometimes but it would

106
00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,919
Speaker 1: stay up. I strapped it with bungee cords, so you know,

107
00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,520
Speaker 1: I tied it as time as I could, but uh,

108
00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:15,640
Speaker 1: I might have to go fix it after I hit

109
00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:17,640
Speaker 1: the post. But you know that that wasn't the gold

110
00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:22,680
Speaker 1: hit the post, right, That's awesome. We're talking to Evan McPherson.

111
00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:27,400
Speaker 1: The coal Quits are the first family of NFL punters.

112
00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,839
Speaker 1: I think four members of the coal Quit family have

113
00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,000
Speaker 1: punted in the NFL. And it seems like there's something

114
00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,320
Speaker 1: in the McPherson DNA because your older brother was a

115
00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,960
Speaker 1: college punter, your younger brother is apparently the number one

116
00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:42,520
Speaker 1: rated high school kicker in the country, and obviously you

117
00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,360
Speaker 1: are on the verge of an NFL career. What is

118
00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:50,040
Speaker 1: it with the McPherson family and kicking and punting, man, Yeah,

119
00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:54,360
Speaker 1: I think it's just just a couple of super competitive

120
00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,159
Speaker 1: brothers that that grew up playing uh, you know, all

121
00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,360
Speaker 1: sorts of sports. We grew up playing everything and um

122
00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:03,960
Speaker 1: out in the front yard or backyard, and we always,

123
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,560
Speaker 1: uh just compete with each other, try to beat each other,

124
00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:11,120
Speaker 1: and so um whenever our oldest brother kind of picked

125
00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:15,480
Speaker 1: this whole kicking thing up and you know, started um

126
00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,280
Speaker 1: doing it. You know, we all took interest and we

127
00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,640
Speaker 1: saw you could go to college for free. I thought

128
00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,720
Speaker 1: that was really cool, and then we just started to, uh,

129
00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:26,560
Speaker 1: you know, try and get as good as we can.

130
00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:29,640
Speaker 1: But um no, I mean I think, you know, with

131
00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,080
Speaker 1: the long family lines of you know NFL players or

132
00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,000
Speaker 1: you know, good athletes, I just think it's kind of

133
00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,400
Speaker 1: a make sure you got three competitive brothers that just

134
00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:41,280
Speaker 1: love to beat each other and trying to get better

135
00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:43,960
Speaker 1: than one another, and it kind of just turns out

136
00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,920
Speaker 1: to h to benefit the whole family. It's been awesome,

137
00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:52,240
Speaker 1: for sure. I suspect your parents probably love that go

138
00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:57,320
Speaker 1: to college for free. In Yeah, for sure, that's what

139
00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,000
Speaker 1: they actually bribe us with. A see, if we get

140
00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,160
Speaker 1: a scholarship and then I'll have to pay for college.

141
00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,920
Speaker 1: Will buys a car for college, So pretty much just

142
00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:12,560
Speaker 1: like a sports car, you know, something a little nicer

143
00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:16,280
Speaker 1: than you normally get. That's good, that's good finances on

144
00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:18,600
Speaker 1: their part, because a new car is a lot cheaper

145
00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:25,520
Speaker 1: than a college education these days. So on televised football coverage,

146
00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,600
Speaker 1: we've seen the yellow first down line obviously, and then

147
00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,640
Speaker 1: in recent years, networks have added the green line for

148
00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:35,280
Speaker 1: field goal range, so that when a team reaches that line,

149
00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,920
Speaker 1: it's supposedly within range for the field goal kicker. On

150
00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:41,760
Speaker 1: at least one Florida game last year, the green line

151
00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:44,240
Speaker 1: was at the forty five yard line, which would be

152
00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:48,559
Speaker 1: a sixty two yard field goal under normal conditions. Is

153
00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:52,640
Speaker 1: that about right for you? Definitely? For that game, we

154
00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:56,760
Speaker 1: had some wind in favor of the direction we were going,

155
00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,920
Speaker 1: And before every game, coach one would kind of come

156
00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,440
Speaker 1: up and just you know, ask me how I'm feeling,

157
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,920
Speaker 1: what's what's the wind doing? And you know how far

158
00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:11,480
Speaker 1: back we think we can go? And um, yeah, I think, um,

159
00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:14,480
Speaker 1: you know, with everything in favor, you know, wind and

160
00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:18,400
Speaker 1: conditions and all that, I think that's definitely, uh, definitely doable.

161
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:22,560
Speaker 1: And um yeah, I mean you may you may see

162
00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:26,840
Speaker 1: um the field goal line, you know, on the forty

163
00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:31,360
Speaker 1: five on a Sunday. You know, you never know, we'll

164
00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,800
Speaker 1: definitely be paying attention this year. We're talking to Evan McPherson.

165
00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,120
Speaker 1: Part of your job is handling stressful situations. Does that

166
00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,440
Speaker 1: come naturally to you or have you, you know, studied

167
00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:49,040
Speaker 1: breathing techniques or little tricks to deal with those stressful situations? Yeah? No,

168
00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:51,760
Speaker 1: I mean I think a lot goes into it. But

169
00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:56,240
Speaker 1: I think, um, you know, part of it that you

170
00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:00,920
Speaker 1: no one can just really learn, UM is you know,

171
00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:06,640
Speaker 1: or learning from experience, UM, learn from failure and you know, uh,

172
00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:09,959
Speaker 1: you know, succeeding in those moments as well, because um,

173
00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,880
Speaker 1: you know they say that you know you you remember,

174
00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,560
Speaker 1: um the miss kicks probably a lot more than the makes,

175
00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:20,520
Speaker 1: and UM, you just never want that to happen again.

176
00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:23,920
Speaker 1: And so UM, you're kind of just finding that in

177
00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,000
Speaker 1: your head, i'd say, in those stress of situations, but

178
00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:29,080
Speaker 1: you know, you try to stay as calm and you know,

179
00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,640
Speaker 1: collected as possible, and you know, I think it's just

180
00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,040
Speaker 1: kind of a mixture of you know, I've been here before,

181
00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,680
Speaker 1: you know I can do it. Um, so many reps

182
00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:40,240
Speaker 1: in practice and all I got to do is hit

183
00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,920
Speaker 1: this one field goal so you know, it's just really

184
00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:45,400
Speaker 1: not overthinking it and just kind of going out there

185
00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,800
Speaker 1: and and doing your job. What do you do when

186
00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:56,960
Speaker 1: the opposing coach tries to ice you? I mean, nothing different. Um,

187
00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,640
Speaker 1: they asked me, we'll take it. We'll take a practice kick.

188
00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,079
Speaker 1: I'll take that. See how I'm feeling on the field. UM,

189
00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:05,199
Speaker 1: you know, we'll step up and we'll bring the one

190
00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,480
Speaker 1: right after the time out. UM. That's kind of the mindset.

191
00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:12,680
Speaker 1: And that's happened. It's happened at Texas A and M

192
00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:16,800
Speaker 1: this past year. UM at Florida, and you know that's

193
00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,920
Speaker 1: that just went out there, regrouped, and you know, hit it.

194
00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:22,720
Speaker 1: One of your coaches at Florida was one of the

195
00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,800
Speaker 1: Bengals all time best kicker, Shane Graham. What has he

196
00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:29,160
Speaker 1: told you about the franchise in the city. But you

197
00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,079
Speaker 1: know he's told me a little bit about Cincinnati and

198
00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:35,040
Speaker 1: you know his time there, he said, you know, he

199
00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,480
Speaker 1: really enjoyed it the city. UM. You know, the fans

200
00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:43,199
Speaker 1: are are great fans, loyal fans, and UM, you know

201
00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:47,320
Speaker 1: there's gonna be there to support the team with whatever

202
00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:53,920
Speaker 1: we do. And UM, obviously, UM, coach Graham was kicking

203
00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,959
Speaker 1: under um coach Simmons. And so he was telling me

204
00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,240
Speaker 1: about coach Simmons and you know what he's to be

205
00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:04,240
Speaker 1: like and just what to expect. I guess um up

206
00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:08,840
Speaker 1: in Cincinnati gave me some food recommendations and and whatnot.

207
00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:13,240
Speaker 1: So so you're coming to a franchise that has a

208
00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:16,800
Speaker 1: snapper and a holder that have been working together for

209
00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:20,480
Speaker 1: more than a decade, assuming those guys are are in

210
00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,000
Speaker 1: those roles to begin the season, How helpful is that

211
00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,959
Speaker 1: for you? Yeah? No, I mean Kevin and Clark have

212
00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:30,120
Speaker 1: been uh a lot of help to me, I know,

213
00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:34,679
Speaker 1: even in this uh kind of mini camp phase and

214
00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:38,480
Speaker 1: just you know, picking their brain about um, you know

215
00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:43,760
Speaker 1: the NFL. How let's say I'll practice works or um,

216
00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,720
Speaker 1: I mean to to recovery or you know, to save

217
00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:50,839
Speaker 1: my money too. I mean, the they've helped me with

218
00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,040
Speaker 1: with a lot, and you know, I think it's just

219
00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,680
Speaker 1: a it's a real blessing to have them, um to

220
00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:01,079
Speaker 1: kind of guide me along. And um it's yeah, you say,

221
00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:03,400
Speaker 1: teach me the ropes because you know, this is my

222
00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:07,679
Speaker 1: first first year and so I'm gonna need to learn

223
00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,360
Speaker 1: everything I can't and if they've done a great job

224
00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,200
Speaker 1: teach me, and I'm excited to get to work with

225
00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:16,960
Speaker 1: them for sure. So, as I said at the beginning,

226
00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,080
Speaker 1: we're about two weeks away from the start of camp.

227
00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,240
Speaker 1: This will be my eleventh as the Bengals announcer, and

228
00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,040
Speaker 1: I'm fired up. It's like, you know, getting ready for

229
00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,760
Speaker 1: Christmas morning. I can only imagine what it's like for

230
00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,960
Speaker 1: a rookie getting ready for his first NFL training camp.

231
00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,040
Speaker 1: Can you articulate just how how eager you are to

232
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:40,680
Speaker 1: get here and get rolling? No, I mean I'm really

233
00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,040
Speaker 1: fired up to get back in the Cincinnati. You know,

234
00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:47,000
Speaker 1: I had a blast coming up there for about a month,

235
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:52,880
Speaker 1: you know, printicipating like the OTAs and everything, and you know,

236
00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:55,640
Speaker 1: I'd say I wasn't ready to leave. You know, I

237
00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,520
Speaker 1: wanted to stay and I just keep kicking with the

238
00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:01,800
Speaker 1: team and you know, hanging out with all the guys,

239
00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,560
Speaker 1: and so yeah, I can't tell you X I am

240
00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:09,120
Speaker 1: to get back ups there, and this time is for real.

241
00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:13,240
Speaker 1: You know, there's no break when we get up there.

242
00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:18,280
Speaker 1: We're we're competing for a spot for the job, and

243
00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:20,840
Speaker 1: we're rolling into the season. You know, I'm super excited

244
00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,040
Speaker 1: and and can't wait to go down to Tampa August fourteen.

245
00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,440
Speaker 1: We are looking forward to us seeing you in action

246
00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,120
Speaker 1: this season. Enjoy the rest of your time with your

247
00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:33,480
Speaker 1: family this offseason, and thanks for the time today. Really

248
00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:37,240
Speaker 1: appreciate it. Yeah, for sure, thank you. Evan is the

249
00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:39,440
Speaker 1: favorite to win the job, but we'll have to beat

250
00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:43,160
Speaker 1: out Austin Sibert at training camp. Austin went six for

251
00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,000
Speaker 1: eight on field goal tries for Cincinnati last year and

252
00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,600
Speaker 1: made all eight of his extra points. The Bengals Booth

253
00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,120
Speaker 1: podcast is presented by Bud Light Seltzer. It's light and

254
00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:57,200
Speaker 1: refreshing with a hint of fruit flavor. Since the start

255
00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,320
Speaker 1: of June, NFL dot com has been posting state of

256
00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,960
Speaker 1: the franchise stories about every NFL team. They're basically in

257
00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,040
Speaker 1: depth season previews, and they were written by Adam Rank.

258
00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:11,120
Speaker 1: I spoke to him this week about the state of

259
00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:14,880
Speaker 1: the Bengals. Adam, I want to start with how you

260
00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:17,960
Speaker 1: ended your Bengals preview. You write that you believe the

261
00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:20,200
Speaker 1: Bengals are going to be one of the most enjoyable

262
00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,960
Speaker 1: teams to watch in twenty twenty one. I obviously hope

263
00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,440
Speaker 1: you are right. What are you eager to see this

264
00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,400
Speaker 1: season out of Cincinnati? Well, I think there's a lot

265
00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:31,560
Speaker 1: of cool things going on with this team, and I

266
00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:35,440
Speaker 1: think the accumulation of all this offensive talent is going

267
00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:37,840
Speaker 1: to finally start showing itself. And I made the joke

268
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:40,280
Speaker 1: and I reference that, you know, even though Zach Taylor

269
00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:44,560
Speaker 1: is an offensive minded coach, we really haven't seen the improvement,

270
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,360
Speaker 1: which isn't completely fair because there's been some injuries. Obviously

271
00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,640
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow last year, Joe Mixon went down with an injury,

272
00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:54,000
Speaker 1: so it's tough to really judge him on what he's

273
00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,360
Speaker 1: been able to do. But I think Jamar Chase and

274
00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:58,880
Speaker 1: even though he comes in and he hasn't played football

275
00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,240
Speaker 1: and in kind of a why, I still think this

276
00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,560
Speaker 1: receiving cord is amazing. And I love Kei Higgins. Tyler

277
00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,040
Speaker 1: Boyd is one of the most slept on players in

278
00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,600
Speaker 1: the NFL. I don't know why more people don't love him,

279
00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,760
Speaker 1: but he's awesome. And so I really do believe that

280
00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:15,400
Speaker 1: the Bengals are going to be this team that they

281
00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,800
Speaker 1: are just gonna be super fun to watch and a

282
00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:22,200
Speaker 1: team that, you know, fantasy implications aside, it's just gonna

283
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:23,720
Speaker 1: be one that I want to go out and I'm

284
00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:26,120
Speaker 1: interested to see what they've got going on. I think that,

285
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:27,880
Speaker 1: you know, over the last couple of years, they've done

286
00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,160
Speaker 1: a nice job of putting together a nice little team there,

287
00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,960
Speaker 1: so I'm hoping to see finally start to pay off

288
00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:36,960
Speaker 1: this season. All right, I'm glad you mentioned Jamar Chase

289
00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:39,520
Speaker 1: because there are a couple of big offseason storylines here

290
00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:43,080
Speaker 1: in Cincinnati. And number one, should they have drafted the

291
00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,360
Speaker 1: wide receiver or should they have drafted offensive lineman Piney Sewell?

292
00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:50,520
Speaker 1: Number five? Overall, you think the Bengals got it right, correct?

293
00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:55,280
Speaker 1: I really do. And if it wasn't Jamar Chase, if

294
00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,440
Speaker 1: they were, if they were reaching for Kadarius Tony or

295
00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,160
Speaker 1: somebody like that, then yeah, let's have that conversation. And

296
00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,080
Speaker 1: I just really believe that Chase is one of those

297
00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,639
Speaker 1: generational talents that we've seen out of the wide receiver

298
00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:11,919
Speaker 1: position over the last couple of years. I think that

299
00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:14,520
Speaker 1: the chemistry that he has shown, you know, with your

300
00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,440
Speaker 1: quarterback with Joe Burrow, they've got that kind of chemistry.

301
00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:19,760
Speaker 1: I think I talk about forgive me if I get

302
00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,240
Speaker 1: the reference run, but I think I made a DiCaprio

303
00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,640
Speaker 1: brad Pit type of analogy. If not it was Han

304
00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,520
Speaker 1: Solo and whatever. It was something that's super on brand

305
00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:31,000
Speaker 1: for me. But I really do believe that that was

306
00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,840
Speaker 1: the right way to go. And you know, everybody acts

307
00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,640
Speaker 1: like Sewell is some automatic prospect, but he didn't play

308
00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:40,440
Speaker 1: last year either, and that's you know, none of these

309
00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,879
Speaker 1: things are guaranteed in life. And I thought that, you know,

310
00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,119
Speaker 1: you use the second round pick on a tackle. You

311
00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:50,040
Speaker 1: addressed the position last year in the draft he signed

312
00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:54,000
Speaker 1: Riley Reeves, like they did a good job. They've done

313
00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:55,840
Speaker 1: a good job over the last couple of years of

314
00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,639
Speaker 1: upgrading the offensive line, and it's not like one rookie

315
00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:01,960
Speaker 1: is going to come in and change that, whereas Chase

316
00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:07,359
Speaker 1: can be somebody that's felt throughout the entire offense. You know,

317
00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:09,520
Speaker 1: it's just going to open it up for t Higgins.

318
00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,199
Speaker 1: Is this gonna, you know, open up the running game?

319
00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:14,480
Speaker 1: Like there's a lot of different possibilities that having a

320
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,920
Speaker 1: guy like Jamar Chase on your football field does for you.

321
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,239
Speaker 1: And I really do believe that it was the right

322
00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,080
Speaker 1: pit for the record. You went with DiCaprio Pitt from

323
00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:29,280
Speaker 1: the from the Quentin Tarantino movie I'm So Predictable, an

324
00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,000
Speaker 1: excellent comparison. We're talking to Adam Reik from NFL dot

325
00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,760
Speaker 1: Com and the NFL Network. The other big storyline for

326
00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,960
Speaker 1: the Bengals in the offseason involved this question, did they

327
00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:42,000
Speaker 1: do enough to improve the offensive line? You project the

328
00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:45,399
Speaker 1: team MVP this year to be Riley Reef. I assume

329
00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,000
Speaker 1: you're being a little bit facetious, but do you think

330
00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,399
Speaker 1: they did enough to protect Joe Burrow? Well? That is

331
00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:53,520
Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, I mean I think that anytime you

332
00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,800
Speaker 1: do these pieces, it's so easy to just fall back

333
00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:00,440
Speaker 1: on the quarterbacks the most important player, because it really is.

334
00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:02,360
Speaker 1: And I'm a bear span so I know how important

335
00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:05,239
Speaker 1: the quarterback position can be. But I think, you know,

336
00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:08,760
Speaker 1: I thought, again, this was a huge move for of

337
00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:10,879
Speaker 1: the Bengals to bring him in, somebody who's been a

338
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:14,159
Speaker 1: solid NFL player for a long time. I do know

339
00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:18,080
Speaker 1: the reference I make here. I did talk. I'm positive

340
00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,040
Speaker 1: that it was the reference about having a TV in

341
00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:23,879
Speaker 1: the bathroom. It's a luxury, and you know what, like

342
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:27,359
Speaker 1: I never, I never understood that reference like I would.

343
00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:29,080
Speaker 1: This happened to me one time when I was a

344
00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:31,359
Speaker 1: younger man, when I was in my twenties, because I

345
00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:32,800
Speaker 1: went into somebody's sounds. I'm like, why do you have

346
00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:34,680
Speaker 1: a bathroom in your team? What do you have? What

347
00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:36,480
Speaker 1: do you have a TV in your bathroom? This makes

348
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,360
Speaker 1: no sense to me, Like are you that you that depraved?

349
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:41,760
Speaker 1: Like what's wrong? You can't go four minutes without seeing

350
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,600
Speaker 1: part of the game. And now as a parent of

351
00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,960
Speaker 1: two small toddlers six and three, like, yell, yeah, the

352
00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:49,879
Speaker 1: bathroom's the best place in the world because it's the

353
00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:51,639
Speaker 1: only room in the house that's got a lock on it.

354
00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:54,160
Speaker 1: Can we keep the keep the kids out? And said

355
00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,119
Speaker 1: they're watching a little brit almost at British Open. Watched

356
00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,359
Speaker 1: the Open for a little bit unimpeded, like it is

357
00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,640
Speaker 1: a huge luxury. But I do believe like the Bengals

358
00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:05,920
Speaker 1: have been addressing it like they have. Like I said,

359
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:07,920
Speaker 1: you know, they drafted over the last two years, They've

360
00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,600
Speaker 1: used high draft picks on the offensive line. You went

361
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,560
Speaker 1: out there and got a pretty reliable player who has

362
00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:17,119
Speaker 1: proven that he can play on the NFL level. Whereas

363
00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:19,760
Speaker 1: when you're drafting people you don't know, like you you

364
00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:21,159
Speaker 1: don't know. I would have liked this, you know, to

365
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:25,080
Speaker 1: be in on Moses more Inner or somebody like that.

366
00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,560
Speaker 1: There was a couple other names floating out there, but

367
00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:31,159
Speaker 1: I do believe that they did enough. Like, are they

368
00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:32,720
Speaker 1: going to go out there and they're gonna have the

369
00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,080
Speaker 1: best offensive line in the league. They are not, But

370
00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,320
Speaker 1: at this point, what you want them to be is

371
00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,920
Speaker 1: be decent, like being pretty good. Like I'm an Angels fan,

372
00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,399
Speaker 1: so I understand this all too well. Where it's like

373
00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:48,280
Speaker 1: you need pitching and you don't need to have dominant starters.

374
00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:50,199
Speaker 1: You just need to have somebody who's good enough to like,

375
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:52,520
Speaker 1: don't give up more than six runs a game because

376
00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:54,800
Speaker 1: your offense is going to score. And they think the

377
00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,280
Speaker 1: Bengals are in that that position, it's like, Okay, if

378
00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,320
Speaker 1: Burrol gets hit once in a while, that's fine, but

379
00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:02,840
Speaker 1: don't get him kill. Let him go out there and

380
00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,760
Speaker 1: do his thing because you got the playmakers, you got

381
00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,560
Speaker 1: the team. Just go out there. Just just be adequate,

382
00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:10,960
Speaker 1: and I think that's going to be enough. The first

383
00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:14,320
Speaker 1: time I ever had a TV in a hotel bathroom,

384
00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,160
Speaker 1: I felt like the richest man in the world. Oh,

385
00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,240
Speaker 1: it's unbelievable like that. I remember, like when I was

386
00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,560
Speaker 1: a kid, we were in whatever, we were traveling across

387
00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:25,480
Speaker 1: the country. I remember when the phone in the bathroom

388
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,879
Speaker 1: was a thing. Oh my god, this is this is

389
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,040
Speaker 1: the greatest. Now you had a TV. You're like, I

390
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,639
Speaker 1: might just live here. We're talking to Adam Rank. You

391
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,080
Speaker 1: can follow him on Twitter at Adam rank R. A

392
00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:39,520
Speaker 1: n K so Riley Reef was the Bengals' biggest offensive

393
00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,920
Speaker 1: addition in free agency, but they really spent big on defense.

394
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,119
Speaker 1: Trey Hendrickson, Larry Ogan, Joby hit obey A Wooja, Mike Hilton,

395
00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:49,879
Speaker 1: and others. What did you think of the spending spree

396
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,000
Speaker 1: on d I thought that was pretty smart. I think

397
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,119
Speaker 1: that's a pretty good way to go about it. And

398
00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,720
Speaker 1: you know, it's something that the Bengals have always been

399
00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:00,919
Speaker 1: pretty good at, is having a good defense. Like I

400
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,920
Speaker 1: know it's funny I'm preaching to the choir about this,

401
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,159
Speaker 1: but I'm telling you from like a national level, like

402
00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,439
Speaker 1: it always kind of it tickles me a little bit

403
00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:12,320
Speaker 1: because over the last couple of years things haven't been

404
00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:16,639
Speaker 1: great obviously for Cincinnati, but it's like, do we not

405
00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,520
Speaker 1: remember like the previous you know, outside of the Zach

406
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,240
Speaker 1: Taylor here, like there was a string where they were

407
00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:24,720
Speaker 1: making the playoffs every year, Like this is this is

408
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:28,560
Speaker 1: an organization that has shown stability. They really believe in

409
00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:31,440
Speaker 1: their coaches. They kept Marvin Lewis around for a while,

410
00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:34,520
Speaker 1: and so I trust them when they go out there

411
00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:36,840
Speaker 1: and they make these moves. And I thought that going

412
00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,080
Speaker 1: out and putting a little bit more into the defensive

413
00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,320
Speaker 1: side of the football, you know, especially when you're in

414
00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:45,080
Speaker 1: a division. It's got Cleveland, it's got a pretty excellent

415
00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:49,320
Speaker 1: offensive line. They're doing well offensively with Kevin Stapanski, the Ravens.

416
00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:52,600
Speaker 1: Obviously with Lamar Jackson. I think that he's an excellent player.

417
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,439
Speaker 1: So yeah, it makes sense to go out there and

418
00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,520
Speaker 1: really kind of root the strength of this team in defense,

419
00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:02,199
Speaker 1: because what you want, and again it goes back to

420
00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,960
Speaker 1: talking about the offensive liness is like just be adequate,

421
00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:08,840
Speaker 1: you know, just just don't get your quarterback killed. And similarly,

422
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,399
Speaker 1: you can look at the defense and say, look, you

423
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:13,520
Speaker 1: don't have to be a shutdown defense. You don't have

424
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:17,320
Speaker 1: to win every game ten to nine. You've got players

425
00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:19,959
Speaker 1: out there who can help score points for you. So

426
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:21,600
Speaker 1: you just need to go out there and when you

427
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,320
Speaker 1: need to make a stop, when you need to make

428
00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,760
Speaker 1: a crucial you know, like a crucial play here or there,

429
00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,119
Speaker 1: you've got the players who can do that. So I

430
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:31,879
Speaker 1: think that the Bengals did very well. I thought they

431
00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:34,960
Speaker 1: spent pretty wisely. I think that you know, to a

432
00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,879
Speaker 1: lot of people, it's not going to be big time names.

433
00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:41,280
Speaker 1: It's not bringing in JJ Watt or something like that,

434
00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,719
Speaker 1: which goes of course like that generates a lot of buzz.

435
00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:46,359
Speaker 1: But what you did is brought in pretty good football players,

436
00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:48,800
Speaker 1: which I think is the key to this team. Let's

437
00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:50,960
Speaker 1: talk about the AFC North. Because you wrote state of

438
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,800
Speaker 1: the Franchise stories about every team in the NFL. The

439
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:56,200
Speaker 1: Bengals are in a division where the other three teams

440
00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:58,360
Speaker 1: all won at least eleven games last year and went

441
00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,240
Speaker 1: to the playoffs. How do the Ravens, Browns, and Steelers

442
00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:05,159
Speaker 1: stack up in your opinion? Well, I believe that the

443
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:08,800
Speaker 1: Ravens and the Browns are probably the two better teams,

444
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:10,560
Speaker 1: are the two best teams in that devision. I don't

445
00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:12,159
Speaker 1: think I'm telling tales out of school. I know a

446
00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,960
Speaker 1: lot of people are kind of expecting some regression from

447
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,640
Speaker 1: the Cleveland Browns, and I could see that, but they're

448
00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,840
Speaker 1: so good on the lines that you know, the offensive

449
00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,600
Speaker 1: line in Cleveland, according to Pro Football focus is the

450
00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:26,520
Speaker 1: best in the NFL, and I find that hard to

451
00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,399
Speaker 1: disagree with them, even you know, you know, they got

452
00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:31,240
Speaker 1: rid of Kevin Zeitler a couple of years ago, to

453
00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,639
Speaker 1: bringing Odell Beckham junior. They've done a nice job of

454
00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:37,440
Speaker 1: keeping that offensive line great. They brought into Davian Clowney

455
00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,560
Speaker 1: to play alongside of Miles Miles Garrett, and so you're like, Okay,

456
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:44,040
Speaker 1: that's that's a pretty good team. I think that they're

457
00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:46,200
Speaker 1: going to be very good. I think the Ravens are good.

458
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,480
Speaker 1: They're well coached. I think Lamar Jackson is a good player.

459
00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,240
Speaker 1: I know everybody wants him to throw outside the numbers,

460
00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,920
Speaker 1: but it's like, yeah, he's He's still been pretty good

461
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,280
Speaker 1: no matter what whatever he's doing, it's still working. Like

462
00:24:57,320 --> 00:24:59,800
Speaker 1: they're getting to the playoffs. They want a playoff game

463
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,639
Speaker 1: last year, like they're inching along. The team that I

464
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,239
Speaker 1: believe is beatable is the Pittsburgh Steelers, And even though

465
00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:09,440
Speaker 1: they started off eleven and oh last year, there were

466
00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:13,240
Speaker 1: some signs about maybe this isn't going as well as

467
00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,200
Speaker 1: people would like to believe. And of course, the Steelers

468
00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:19,080
Speaker 1: are one of those teams who historically have done well

469
00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:21,720
Speaker 1: of just rebuilding, and they don't really seem to miss people.

470
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,080
Speaker 1: You know, they let their receivers go all the time

471
00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:26,720
Speaker 1: and it doesn't matter. They find four more who are

472
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,480
Speaker 1: just as capable. I'm serious, Like, whenever they draft a receiver,

473
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:30,960
Speaker 1: I'm like, well, that guy's going to be the best

474
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,920
Speaker 1: player in the NFL apparently because if Kevin and Kevin

475
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,480
Speaker 1: Colbert finds him, that he's obviously good. But I look

476
00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,360
Speaker 1: at this team, and I look at the offensive line

477
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,880
Speaker 1: and all all the changes that they made. Now, they

478
00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:46,400
Speaker 1: didn't play well last year, so he could reason that, well,

479
00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,320
Speaker 1: they got rid of the guys who weren't good, they're

480
00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:51,200
Speaker 1: bringing in other players, maybe it'll be better. And that's true,

481
00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,119
Speaker 1: but they still got Ben Roethlisberger, who is playing with

482
00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:57,080
Speaker 1: a couple of hurt knees last year. And to me,

483
00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:00,560
Speaker 1: the fact that they're going into this offseason going into

484
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,719
Speaker 1: the season, I should say with Ben Roethlisberger backed up

485
00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:07,159
Speaker 1: by Mason Rudolph, Like, why that doesn't concern anybody, like

486
00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,520
Speaker 1: of all the quarterbacks where you're like, yeah, I don't know,

487
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:12,919
Speaker 1: Like he's like the quarterbacks he was drafted with they

488
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,760
Speaker 1: all retired. Now I believe that Chob was the final one.

489
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:21,000
Speaker 1: I think it's Rivers, Eli and then Shob have retired. Roethlisberger.

490
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:22,639
Speaker 1: As tough as he is, I know it's been a

491
00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,240
Speaker 1: lot Like he plays, he plays like that's the thing.

492
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,320
Speaker 1: He gets hurt, but he plays. It's like that's a

493
00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:29,879
Speaker 1: big ask for me. And I know they're bringing in

494
00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:32,560
Speaker 1: Nage Harris and he'll probably be excellent, but I'm like this,

495
00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:34,880
Speaker 1: ste I don't know. There's just something about the Steelers

496
00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:36,840
Speaker 1: that I think that that's a team that you can

497
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:38,439
Speaker 1: go out there and get him. Of course, the Bengals

498
00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,560
Speaker 1: beat them last year a Monday Night football, which was amazing,

499
00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:43,880
Speaker 1: which is I listen, I've rooted for a team that's

500
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:46,399
Speaker 1: been bad for a while. When you get one of

501
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,760
Speaker 1: those primetime wins over your arrival, that's the great. Like

502
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,240
Speaker 1: I still remember, and I know this is a Bengals podcast,

503
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,880
Speaker 1: so just forgive me as I talk about Jay Cutler

504
00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:00,359
Speaker 1: beating the Packers on Thanksgiving of like the season sock,

505
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,560
Speaker 1: our team was terrible, but I remember just being like,

506
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:06,080
Speaker 1: you know what, Like we beat the Packers on a

507
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:10,000
Speaker 1: game when everybody's watching. That's enough for me and I

508
00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:12,800
Speaker 1: but I do believe I will say this though, So

509
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:14,920
Speaker 1: last year that was cool, Like that's fun for the

510
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:16,920
Speaker 1: Bengals last year. I think now is the time of

511
00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:19,120
Speaker 1: like that was fun, Like it's it's cool to get

512
00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,600
Speaker 1: moral victories. You got to start getting actual victories at

513
00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:24,639
Speaker 1: this point, like you've you've done it. Okay, listen, this

514
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:28,119
Speaker 1: is Zach's third year. This is another you know, hopefully

515
00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,720
Speaker 1: Joe is healthy and ready to go, Like, you gotta

516
00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:32,919
Speaker 1: win some games this season. I don't want to be rude.

517
00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:35,840
Speaker 1: I don't want to put two radio expectations on you,

518
00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:37,480
Speaker 1: but you got to go out there and win some

519
00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:40,879
Speaker 1: games this season. And that's the perfect segue to my

520
00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:44,800
Speaker 1: final question. Because I started our conversation with the end

521
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,160
Speaker 1: of the story that you wrote on NFL dot Com.

522
00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:49,480
Speaker 1: I want to end it with the start because the

523
00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:55,080
Speaker 1: headline reads is a turnaround led by Joe Burrow imminent.

524
00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,760
Speaker 1: What's your answer to that question post in the headline?

525
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:03,280
Speaker 1: You know, I do believe it is. I love I

526
00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,560
Speaker 1: love Joe Burrow. I know I put this in the

527
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:08,760
Speaker 1: piece too. Is the one thing about the Bengals that's

528
00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:10,760
Speaker 1: crazy to me? And I was thinking about it, like

529
00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:13,359
Speaker 1: I again, not to go back to be rooting for

530
00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:16,159
Speaker 1: the Bears. But the Bengals, you guys have never like

531
00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:19,720
Speaker 1: there's been some David Klingler the years or whatever, Keilly Smith.

532
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,119
Speaker 1: You guys always have a good quarterback and you're always competitive.

533
00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:25,440
Speaker 1: You can go back to Ken Anderson, you know, the

534
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,320
Speaker 1: leads to Boomera Assias and the Carson Palmer and a

535
00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:32,360
Speaker 1: Dalton was a good player. Like I'm gonna I'll fight

536
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:34,480
Speaker 1: that battle. I think Andy Dalton was a fine NFL

537
00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:37,240
Speaker 1: quarterback or still is. And now you got Joe Burrow,

538
00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:40,800
Speaker 1: which is amazing, and so I think that you have

539
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,360
Speaker 1: proven that you're going to be a competitive team like

540
00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:48,400
Speaker 1: That's it always tickles me that the Bengals get roped

541
00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:50,840
Speaker 1: into this thing about like one of the worst franchises

542
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:52,720
Speaker 1: in the league, and you're like why, Like they're in

543
00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:54,880
Speaker 1: the playoff. Like I think of them more as a

544
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:58,120
Speaker 1: playoff team than anything else, Like they're always in the mix,

545
00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,120
Speaker 1: like going back to all those banks and everything. So

546
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,040
Speaker 1: I really do believe that what they have with Joe

547
00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:06,480
Speaker 1: Burrow now they're going to be a very competitive team

548
00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:10,240
Speaker 1: and they're going to start challenging for the AFC North.

549
00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,480
Speaker 1: It as you mentioned, though, it is one of the

550
00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,480
Speaker 1: toughest divisions in football. Three teams that won at least

551
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,280
Speaker 1: eleven games. Three teams, and I know that I'm probably

552
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:21,440
Speaker 1: more harsh on the Steelers than anybody else. Three teams

553
00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:25,080
Speaker 1: that are expected to compete for playoff spots this year.

554
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,400
Speaker 1: So there's a very real possibility that the Bengals could

555
00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:30,480
Speaker 1: be one of those teams that's kind of a mid carter,

556
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:33,440
Speaker 1: you know, seven eight, nine wins, which doesn't get them

557
00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:35,760
Speaker 1: in the playoffs. But I do believe, you know, if

558
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,320
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor is the coach that we think he can be,

559
00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:40,640
Speaker 1: I want him to be. I like Zach. I know

560
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,200
Speaker 1: I made fun of them, but I like Zach Taylor.

561
00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:45,600
Speaker 1: I liked him when he was with the Rams and everything,

562
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:47,480
Speaker 1: so it's like, I want him to succeed. I think

563
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:51,120
Speaker 1: that it is. It is feasible, and there is talent here.

564
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:52,880
Speaker 1: A lot of it is the injuries. You know, they've

565
00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:54,920
Speaker 1: got to be healthy. They got to be but that's

566
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:58,400
Speaker 1: every team, you know, honestly, So as long as they're healthy,

567
00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:01,560
Speaker 1: I think they turn around is definitely imminent. I think

568
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:03,920
Speaker 1: this team has pointed in the right direction, and I

569
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:05,840
Speaker 1: think the Bengals it's not going to be long before

570
00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,760
Speaker 1: they're back in the playoff mix. Adam, I really enjoyed

571
00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,480
Speaker 1: your State of the Franchise stories. I recommend them to

572
00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,440
Speaker 1: people that haven't read them yet on NFL dot Com.

573
00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:17,600
Speaker 1: You obviously put a lot of work into doing all

574
00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:20,640
Speaker 1: of these season previews, and I really appreciate your time today.

575
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,479
Speaker 1: Thanks so much. Hey, thank you so much. Appreciate it

576
00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:26,600
Speaker 1: for our annual visit. Let's do it again. Let's make

577
00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:28,320
Speaker 1: it sooner next time. But thank you so much for

578
00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,520
Speaker 1: having me by. Thanks to Adam and Evan, and that's

579
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,280
Speaker 1: going to do it for this episode of the Bengals

580
00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:36,920
Speaker 1: Booth Podcast, brought to you by bud Light Seltzer, refreshed

581
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:39,920
Speaker 1: the game. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe

582
00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:41,440
Speaker 1: and if you have a minute, give it a rating

583
00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:45,160
Speaker 1: or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find

584
00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,280
Speaker 1: this podcast. I'm Dan Horde, and thank you for listening

585
00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:50,720
Speaker 1: to The Bengals Booth Podcast