WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: The Waiting 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.400 I get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:13.800 the Bengals Booth Podcast. The waiting is the hardest part. Addition, 0:00:14.200 --> 0:00:17.480 as we get closer and closer to the eagerly awaited 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:21.320 start of Bengals training camp. Coming up, you'll hear from 0:00:21.320 --> 0:00:25.239 two guests. First, rookie kicker Evan McPherson. He was the 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:27.920 only kicker taken in this year's draft and the Bengals 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:30.960 have made it abundantly clear that they expect him to 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:34.400 be their starting kicker this year. We'll hear what Evan's 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:38.240 been doing to get ready for camp. Then it's Adam Rank, 0:00:38.360 --> 0:00:40.760 who has written a state of the Franchise article about 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:44.600 every NFL team for NFL dot Com. In his words, 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:46.920 the Bengals are going to be one of the most 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:50.680 enjoyable teams to watch in twenty twenty one. We'll find 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:54.880 out why. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by bud Light. 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:58.360 Seltzer Refreshed the game, and here's a quick reminder that 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:01.400 you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:05.679 write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitch, 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:09.520 your Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean. It's the greatest 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:14.600 thing since a family vacation. If you were experiencing Bengals 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:17.920 Booth podcast withdrawal last week, I apologize for the lack 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:20.520 of an episode, but I went on vacation with my 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:23.759 wife and son to the state of Washington. We started 0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:27.880 in Seattle, then went hiking in North Cascades National Park 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:30.679 before spending a few days north of Seattle in the 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:35.160 San Juan Islands. The trip was awesome. My batteries are recharged, 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:37.720 and if you are ever in that area, go to 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:42.440 Dad's Diner in Anacortis, Washington, about eighty miles north of Seattle, 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:46.560 and get the brisket hash. It's the best breakfast I 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:50.960 have ever had. Now, let's get to football. Of the 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:53.520 two hundred and fifty nine players selected in this year's 0:01:53.600 --> 0:01:58.120 NFL Draft, only one was a kicker, Evan McPherson, selected 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:01.040 by the Bengals in the fifth round. In three years 0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:03.840 at the University of Florida, Evan made fifty one of 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:07.600 sixty field goal attempts that's eighty five percent, and set 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:10.639 a school record last year by drilling four from beyond 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:14.000 fifty yards. His career along with the Gators was fifty 0:02:14.080 --> 0:02:17.200 five yards, but he drilled a sixty yard or in 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:21.400 high school. McPherson is from Alabama and that's where I 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:25.200 caught up with him this week. Evan, you're a couple 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:27.560 of weeks away from your first NFL training camp. Are 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:29.920 you taking it easy at this point and saving your 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:33.880 leg or are you hard at work? I'm hard at 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:39.000 work definitely, because I know training cameras, you made a competition, 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:43.519 and coach Simmons is gonna want his kicking. Not every day, 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:45.639 but you know, almost every day. So I'm just training 0:02:45.680 --> 0:02:50.400 my leg and it kind of ready to, you know, 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:54.960 to kick whenever I need and to stay healthy, but 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:57.160 you know, at the same time kicking a lot of balls. 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:00.280 Is there a tricky balance there where you want to 0:03:00.280 --> 0:03:02.400 work hard and get better in the offseason, but you 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:06.440 don't want to overdo it. Yeah, I definitely think there is, 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:09.720 um because you know, I probably would go out and 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.160 kick every day if I could, but you know, my 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:15.080 legs screaming at me telling me to take a break, 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:18.880 and you know he can't overdo it, and you're just 0:03:18.880 --> 0:03:21.760 gonna know. You're gonna know your body and you know 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:25.400 when to stop, and you know when to rest and recover, 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:30.240 but yeah, there's definitely comes to a point where you know, 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:32.800 I wish I could train more, but you know, I 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:36.840 just can't. You mentioned the training camp competition. When the 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:40.760 Bengals drafted you this year, Darren Simmons said he expected 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:43.560 you to win the job. He's not going to hand 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:46.520 it to you, obviously, but he expects you to go 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:48.960 out and win the job in camp. What would your 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:53.280 reaction when he said that. It's the NFL um You know, 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:56.240 everybody wants to play in the NFL and be a 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:58.600 part of it, and just you know, just getting the 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:02.200 opportunity to do to compete for those jobs as a blessing. 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:05.840 And I knew wherever I went, you know, I was 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:09.720 gonna have to compete. And I think that's probably one 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:12.800 of the best things. One of my best attributes is, 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:17.120 you know, competing, being super competitive and you know, not 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:20.160 wanting to kind of lose or take second to anyone. 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:24.320 So now I'm really excited about competing with Austin. You know, 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:27.360 he's a good guy, a good kicker, and I'm excited 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:33.440 to you guys Cincinnati and get things rolling. After you 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:35.800 were drafted in the fifth round, you spoke to the 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:38.720 Cincinnati Media and you said something along the lines of 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.360 making the NFL was your goal since you started kicking. 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:45.840 When did that start to become a realistic goal in 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:50.840 your mind? Probably? I mean shoot, like I think later 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:53.760 in high school, whenever you know, I was getting recruited 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:55.520 by a college is a little bit, you know, I 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:58.520 was like, all right, well, maybe I can really make 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:02.120 this thing a Yeah. I guess you'd say, kind of 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:05.479 like a lifestyle or you know, make the NFL my 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:07.240 goal because this is one this is what I want 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:09.360 to do the rest of my life. And I'd say 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:12.159 probably around like the end of high school, um, going 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:15.599 into college. I guess when I really, you could say, 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:19.839 put my head down and started grinding for a chance 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:23.400 in the NFL. We're talking to rookie kicker Evan McPherson. 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:26.240 I read that when you were in fifth grade you 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:30.520 tied pipes to the soccer net in the backyard to 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:33.440 make a homemade goal post. Is that true and if so, 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:38.120 how well did it work. Oh, it's definitely true. And 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:40.240 it works so well that it's it's still in my 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:44.800 backyard today. If I when I come home into my parents' house, 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:48.159 that you know they still got it up. Um, you know, 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:50.479 if it if it's been raining a lot, I don't 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:52.760 want to go down to the field or you know, 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:54.800 it just don't feel like drive and I'll just, you know, 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:56.880 go in the backyard and kick on those posts. So 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:03.159 if you hit the post and it stay up, you know, honestly, 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:08.000 I do remember hit the post sometimes but it would 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:10.919 stay up. I strapped it with bungee cords, so you know, 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:13.520 I tied it as time as I could, but uh, 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:15.640 I might have to go fix it after I hit 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:17.640 the post. But you know that that wasn't the gold 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:22.680 hit the post, right, That's awesome. We're talking to Evan McPherson. 0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:27.400 The coal Quits are the first family of NFL punters. 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:29.839 I think four members of the coal Quit family have 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:33.000 punted in the NFL. And it seems like there's something 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:36.320 in the McPherson DNA because your older brother was a 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.960 college punter, your younger brother is apparently the number one 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:42.520 rated high school kicker in the country, and obviously you 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:45.360 are on the verge of an NFL career. What is 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:50.040 it with the McPherson family and kicking and punting, man, Yeah, 0:06:50.040 --> 0:06:54.360 I think it's just just a couple of super competitive 0:06:54.800 --> 0:06:58.159 brothers that that grew up playing uh, you know, all 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:01.360 sorts of sports. We grew up playing everything and um 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:03.960 out in the front yard or backyard, and we always, 0:07:04.120 --> 0:07:06.560 uh just compete with each other, try to beat each other, 0:07:06.600 --> 0:07:11.120 and so um whenever our oldest brother kind of picked 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:15.480 this whole kicking thing up and you know, started um 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:19.280 doing it. You know, we all took interest and we 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:21.640 saw you could go to college for free. I thought 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:24.720 that was really cool, and then we just started to, uh, 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:26.560 you know, try and get as good as we can. 0:07:27.040 --> 0:07:29.640 But um no, I mean I think, you know, with 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:33.080 the long family lines of you know NFL players or 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:36.000 you know, good athletes, I just think it's kind of 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:39.400 a make sure you got three competitive brothers that just 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:41.280 love to beat each other and trying to get better 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:43.960 than one another, and it kind of just turns out 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:48.920 to h to benefit the whole family. It's been awesome, 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:52.240 for sure. I suspect your parents probably love that go 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:57.320 to college for free. In Yeah, for sure, that's what 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:01.000 they actually bribe us with. A see, if we get 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.160 a scholarship and then I'll have to pay for college. 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:07.920 Will buys a car for college, So pretty much just 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:12.560 like a sports car, you know, something a little nicer 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:16.280 than you normally get. That's good, that's good finances on 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:18.600 their part, because a new car is a lot cheaper 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:25.520 than a college education these days. So on televised football coverage, 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:29.600 we've seen the yellow first down line obviously, and then 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:32.640 in recent years, networks have added the green line for 0:08:32.760 --> 0:08:35.280 field goal range, so that when a team reaches that line, 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:38.920 it's supposedly within range for the field goal kicker. On 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:41.760 at least one Florida game last year, the green line 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:44.240 was at the forty five yard line, which would be 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:48.559 a sixty two yard field goal under normal conditions. Is 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:52.640 that about right for you? Definitely? For that game, we 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:56.760 had some wind in favor of the direction we were going, 0:08:56.840 --> 0:08:59.920 And before every game, coach one would kind of come 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.440 up and just you know, ask me how I'm feeling, 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:05.920 what's what's the wind doing? And you know how far 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:11.480 back we think we can go? And um, yeah, I think, um, 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:14.480 you know, with everything in favor, you know, wind and 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:18.400 conditions and all that, I think that's definitely, uh, definitely doable. 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:22.560 And um yeah, I mean you may you may see 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:26.840 um the field goal line, you know, on the forty 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:31.360 five on a Sunday. You know, you never know, we'll 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:34.800 definitely be paying attention this year. We're talking to Evan McPherson. 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:39.120 Part of your job is handling stressful situations. Does that 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:42.440 come naturally to you or have you, you know, studied 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:49.040 breathing techniques or little tricks to deal with those stressful situations? Yeah? No, 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:51.760 I mean I think a lot goes into it. But 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:56.240 I think, um, you know, part of it that you 0:09:56.320 --> 0:10:00.920 no one can just really learn, UM is you know, 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:06.640 or learning from experience, UM, learn from failure and you know, uh, 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:09.959 you know, succeeding in those moments as well, because um, 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:13.880 you know they say that you know you you remember, 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:17.560 um the miss kicks probably a lot more than the makes, 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.520 and UM, you just never want that to happen again. 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:23.920 And so UM, you're kind of just finding that in 0:10:23.960 --> 0:10:26.000 your head, i'd say, in those stress of situations, but 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:29.080 you know, you try to stay as calm and you know, 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:31.640 collected as possible, and you know, I think it's just 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:35.040 kind of a mixture of you know, I've been here before, 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:37.680 you know I can do it. Um, so many reps 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:40.240 in practice and all I got to do is hit 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:42.920 this one field goal so you know, it's just really 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:45.400 not overthinking it and just kind of going out there 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:48.800 and and doing your job. What do you do when 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:56.960 the opposing coach tries to ice you? I mean, nothing different. Um, 0:10:57.120 --> 0:10:59.640 they asked me, we'll take it. We'll take a practice kick. 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:03.079 I'll take that. See how I'm feeling on the field. UM, 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:05.199 you know, we'll step up and we'll bring the one 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:08.480 right after the time out. UM. That's kind of the mindset. 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:12.680 And that's happened. It's happened at Texas A and M 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:16.800 this past year. UM at Florida, and you know that's 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:19.920 that just went out there, regrouped, and you know, hit it. 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:22.720 One of your coaches at Florida was one of the 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:25.800 Bengals all time best kicker, Shane Graham. What has he 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:29.160 told you about the franchise in the city. But you 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:33.079 know he's told me a little bit about Cincinnati and 0:11:33.160 --> 0:11:35.040 you know his time there, he said, you know, he 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:38.480 really enjoyed it the city. UM. You know, the fans 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:43.199 are are great fans, loyal fans, and UM, you know 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:47.320 there's gonna be there to support the team with whatever 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:53.920 we do. And UM, obviously, UM, coach Graham was kicking 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:57.959 under um coach Simmons. And so he was telling me 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:00.240 about coach Simmons and you know what he's to be 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:04.240 like and just what to expect. I guess um up 0:12:04.280 --> 0:12:08.840 in Cincinnati gave me some food recommendations and and whatnot. 0:12:09.040 --> 0:12:13.240 So so you're coming to a franchise that has a 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:16.800 snapper and a holder that have been working together for 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:20.480 more than a decade, assuming those guys are are in 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:23.000 those roles to begin the season, How helpful is that 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.959 for you? Yeah? No, I mean Kevin and Clark have 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:30.120 been uh a lot of help to me, I know, 0:12:30.320 --> 0:12:34.679 even in this uh kind of mini camp phase and 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:38.480 just you know, picking their brain about um, you know 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:43.760 the NFL. How let's say I'll practice works or um, 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:47.720 I mean to to recovery or you know, to save 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:50.839 my money too. I mean, the they've helped me with 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:53.040 with a lot, and you know, I think it's just 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:56.680 a it's a real blessing to have them, um to 0:12:56.800 --> 0:13:01.079 kind of guide me along. And um it's yeah, you say, 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:03.400 teach me the ropes because you know, this is my 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:07.679 first first year and so I'm gonna need to learn 0:13:07.760 --> 0:13:10.360 everything I can't and if they've done a great job 0:13:11.360 --> 0:13:14.200 teach me, and I'm excited to get to work with 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:16.960 them for sure. So, as I said at the beginning, 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:19.080 we're about two weeks away from the start of camp. 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:22.240 This will be my eleventh as the Bengals announcer, and 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:25.040 I'm fired up. It's like, you know, getting ready for 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:28.760 Christmas morning. I can only imagine what it's like for 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:31.960 a rookie getting ready for his first NFL training camp. 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:35.040 Can you articulate just how how eager you are to 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:40.680 get here and get rolling? No, I mean I'm really 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:44.040 fired up to get back in the Cincinnati. You know, 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:47.000 I had a blast coming up there for about a month, 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:52.880 you know, printicipating like the OTAs and everything, and you know, 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:55.640 I'd say I wasn't ready to leave. You know, I 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.520 wanted to stay and I just keep kicking with the 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:01.800 team and you know, hanging out with all the guys, 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:04.560 and so yeah, I can't tell you X I am 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:09.120 to get back ups there, and this time is for real. 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:13.240 You know, there's no break when we get up there. 0:14:13.040 --> 0:14:18.280 We're we're competing for a spot for the job, and 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:20.840 we're rolling into the season. You know, I'm super excited 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:24.040 and and can't wait to go down to Tampa August fourteen. 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.440 We are looking forward to us seeing you in action 0:14:27.480 --> 0:14:30.120 this season. Enjoy the rest of your time with your 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:33.480 family this offseason, and thanks for the time today. Really 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:37.240 appreciate it. Yeah, for sure, thank you. Evan is the 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:39.440 favorite to win the job, but we'll have to beat 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:43.160 out Austin Sibert at training camp. Austin went six for 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:46.000 eight on field goal tries for Cincinnati last year and 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:49.600 made all eight of his extra points. The Bengals Booth 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:53.120 podcast is presented by Bud Light Seltzer. It's light and 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:57.200 refreshing with a hint of fruit flavor. Since the start 0:14:57.240 --> 0:15:00.320 of June, NFL dot com has been posting state of 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:04.960 the franchise stories about every NFL team. They're basically in 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:08.040 depth season previews, and they were written by Adam Rank. 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:11.120 I spoke to him this week about the state of 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:14.880 the Bengals. Adam, I want to start with how you 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:17.960 ended your Bengals preview. You write that you believe the 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:20.200 Bengals are going to be one of the most enjoyable 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:23.960 teams to watch in twenty twenty one. I obviously hope 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:26.440 you are right. What are you eager to see this 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:29.400 season out of Cincinnati? Well, I think there's a lot 0:15:29.400 --> 0:15:31.560 of cool things going on with this team, and I 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:35.440 think the accumulation of all this offensive talent is going 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:37.840 to finally start showing itself. And I made the joke 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.280 and I reference that, you know, even though Zach Taylor 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:44.560 is an offensive minded coach, we really haven't seen the improvement, 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:47.360 which isn't completely fair because there's been some injuries. Obviously 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:50.640 Joe Burrow last year, Joe Mixon went down with an injury, 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:54.000 so it's tough to really judge him on what he's 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.360 been able to do. But I think Jamar Chase and 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:58.880 even though he comes in and he hasn't played football 0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:01.240 and in kind of a why, I still think this 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:05.560 receiving cord is amazing. And I love Kei Higgins. Tyler 0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:08.040 Boyd is one of the most slept on players in 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:10.600 the NFL. I don't know why more people don't love him, 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:13.760 but he's awesome. And so I really do believe that 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:15.400 the Bengals are going to be this team that they 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:17.800 are just gonna be super fun to watch and a 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:22.200 team that, you know, fantasy implications aside, it's just gonna 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:23.720 be one that I want to go out and I'm 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:26.120 interested to see what they've got going on. I think that, 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:27.880 you know, over the last couple of years, they've done 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:31.160 a nice job of putting together a nice little team there, 0:16:31.160 --> 0:16:33.960 so I'm hoping to see finally start to pay off 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:36.960 this season. All right, I'm glad you mentioned Jamar Chase 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.520 because there are a couple of big offseason storylines here 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:43.080 in Cincinnati. And number one, should they have drafted the 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:46.360 wide receiver or should they have drafted offensive lineman Piney Sewell? 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:50.520 Number five? Overall, you think the Bengals got it right, correct? 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:55.280 I really do. And if it wasn't Jamar Chase, if 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.440 they were, if they were reaching for Kadarius Tony or 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:02.160 somebody like that, then yeah, let's have that conversation. And 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:06.080 I just really believe that Chase is one of those 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:08.639 generational talents that we've seen out of the wide receiver 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.919 position over the last couple of years. I think that 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:14.520 the chemistry that he has shown, you know, with your 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:17.440 quarterback with Joe Burrow, they've got that kind of chemistry. 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:19.760 I think I talk about forgive me if I get 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:22.240 the reference run, but I think I made a DiCaprio 0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:25.640 brad Pit type of analogy. If not it was Han 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:28.520 Solo and whatever. It was something that's super on brand 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:31.000 for me. But I really do believe that that was 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:33.840 the right way to go. And you know, everybody acts 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:37.640 like Sewell is some automatic prospect, but he didn't play 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:40.440 last year either, and that's you know, none of these 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:43.879 things are guaranteed in life. And I thought that, you know, 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:47.119 you use the second round pick on a tackle. You 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:50.040 addressed the position last year in the draft he signed 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:54.000 Riley Reeves, like they did a good job. They've done 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:55.840 a good job over the last couple of years of 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:59.639 upgrading the offensive line, and it's not like one rookie 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:01.960 is going to come in and change that, whereas Chase 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:07.359 can be somebody that's felt throughout the entire offense. You know, 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:09.520 it's just going to open it up for t Higgins. 0:18:10.280 --> 0:18:12.199 Is this gonna, you know, open up the running game? 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:14.480 Like there's a lot of different possibilities that having a 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:17.920 guy like Jamar Chase on your football field does for you. 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:20.239 And I really do believe that it was the right 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:24.080 pit for the record. You went with DiCaprio Pitt from 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:29.280 the from the Quentin Tarantino movie I'm So Predictable, an 0:18:29.280 --> 0:18:32.000 excellent comparison. We're talking to Adam Reik from NFL dot 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:34.760 Com and the NFL Network. The other big storyline for 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:37.960 the Bengals in the offseason involved this question, did they 0:18:38.080 --> 0:18:42.000 do enough to improve the offensive line? You project the 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:45.399 team MVP this year to be Riley Reef. I assume 0:18:45.440 --> 0:18:48.000 you're being a little bit facetious, but do you think 0:18:48.320 --> 0:18:51.399 they did enough to protect Joe Burrow? Well? That is 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:53.520 I mean, yeah, I mean I think that anytime you 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:56.800 do these pieces, it's so easy to just fall back 0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:00.440 on the quarterbacks the most important player, because it really is. 0:19:00.480 --> 0:19:02.360 And I'm a bear span so I know how important 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:05.239 the quarterback position can be. But I think, you know, 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:08.760 I thought, again, this was a huge move for of 0:19:08.800 --> 0:19:10.879 the Bengals to bring him in, somebody who's been a 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:14.159 solid NFL player for a long time. I do know 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:18.080 the reference I make here. I did talk. I'm positive 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:20.040 that it was the reference about having a TV in 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:23.879 the bathroom. It's a luxury, and you know what, like 0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:27.359 I never, I never understood that reference like I would. 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:29.080 This happened to me one time when I was a 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:31.359 younger man, when I was in my twenties, because I 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:32.800 went into somebody's sounds. I'm like, why do you have 0:19:32.800 --> 0:19:34.680 a bathroom in your team? What do you have? What 0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:36.480 do you have a TV in your bathroom? This makes 0:19:36.480 --> 0:19:39.360 no sense to me, Like are you that you that depraved? 0:19:39.480 --> 0:19:41.760 Like what's wrong? You can't go four minutes without seeing 0:19:41.760 --> 0:19:44.600 part of the game. And now as a parent of 0:19:44.680 --> 0:19:47.960 two small toddlers six and three, like, yell, yeah, the 0:19:48.000 --> 0:19:49.879 bathroom's the best place in the world because it's the 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:51.639 only room in the house that's got a lock on it. 0:19:51.920 --> 0:19:54.160 Can we keep the keep the kids out? And said 0:19:54.160 --> 0:19:57.119 they're watching a little brit almost at British Open. Watched 0:19:57.200 --> 0:20:00.359 the Open for a little bit unimpeded, like it is 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:03.640 a huge luxury. But I do believe like the Bengals 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:05.920 have been addressing it like they have. Like I said, 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:07.920 you know, they drafted over the last two years, They've 0:20:07.960 --> 0:20:10.600 used high draft picks on the offensive line. You went 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:13.560 out there and got a pretty reliable player who has 0:20:13.680 --> 0:20:17.119 proven that he can play on the NFL level. Whereas 0:20:17.119 --> 0:20:19.760 when you're drafting people you don't know, like you you 0:20:19.800 --> 0:20:21.159 don't know. I would have liked this, you know, to 0:20:21.240 --> 0:20:25.080 be in on Moses more Inner or somebody like that. 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:27.560 There was a couple other names floating out there, but 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:31.159 I do believe that they did enough. Like, are they 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:32.720 going to go out there and they're gonna have the 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:36.080 best offensive line in the league. They are not, But 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:38.320 at this point, what you want them to be is 0:20:38.600 --> 0:20:41.920 be decent, like being pretty good. Like I'm an Angels fan, 0:20:42.280 --> 0:20:44.399 so I understand this all too well. Where it's like 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:48.280 you need pitching and you don't need to have dominant starters. 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:50.199 You just need to have somebody who's good enough to like, 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:52.520 don't give up more than six runs a game because 0:20:52.520 --> 0:20:54.800 your offense is going to score. And they think the 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:58.280 Bengals are in that that position, it's like, Okay, if 0:20:58.280 --> 0:21:00.320 Burrol gets hit once in a while, that's fine, but 0:21:00.560 --> 0:21:02.840 don't get him kill. Let him go out there and 0:21:02.880 --> 0:21:05.760 do his thing because you got the playmakers, you got 0:21:05.760 --> 0:21:08.560 the team. Just go out there. Just just be adequate, 0:21:08.760 --> 0:21:10.960 and I think that's going to be enough. The first 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:14.320 time I ever had a TV in a hotel bathroom, 0:21:14.680 --> 0:21:17.160 I felt like the richest man in the world. Oh, 0:21:17.320 --> 0:21:20.240 it's unbelievable like that. I remember, like when I was 0:21:20.280 --> 0:21:23.560 a kid, we were in whatever, we were traveling across 0:21:23.600 --> 0:21:25.480 the country. I remember when the phone in the bathroom 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:27.879 was a thing. Oh my god, this is this is 0:21:27.880 --> 0:21:30.040 the greatest. Now you had a TV. You're like, I 0:21:30.160 --> 0:21:32.639 might just live here. We're talking to Adam Rank. You 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:35.080 can follow him on Twitter at Adam rank R. A 0:21:35.359 --> 0:21:39.520 n K so Riley Reef was the Bengals' biggest offensive 0:21:39.560 --> 0:21:42.920 addition in free agency, but they really spent big on defense. 0:21:43.000 --> 0:21:47.119 Trey Hendrickson, Larry Ogan, Joby hit obey A Wooja, Mike Hilton, 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:49.879 and others. What did you think of the spending spree 0:21:50.000 --> 0:21:53.000 on d I thought that was pretty smart. I think 0:21:53.080 --> 0:21:55.119 that's a pretty good way to go about it. And 0:21:55.240 --> 0:21:57.720 you know, it's something that the Bengals have always been 0:21:57.760 --> 0:22:00.919 pretty good at, is having a good defense. Like I 0:22:01.000 --> 0:22:04.920 know it's funny I'm preaching to the choir about this, 0:22:05.000 --> 0:22:08.159