Speaker 1: Hike and everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth Podcast. The I'm feeling them good Vibes. Addition,
Speaker 1: as the new look Bengals get ready for the start
Speaker 1: of training camp coming up, you'll hear from three people. First,
Speaker 1: head coach Zach Taylor as he discusses the challenge of
Speaker 1: getting Joe Burrow ready to take over at quarterback with
Speaker 1: no OTA's mini camps or preseason games. Second, I'll talk
Speaker 1: to Sam Hubbard about trying to play football during a pandemic.
Speaker 1: And Third, it's one of the best receivers in Bengals history.
Speaker 1: T J. Hushman Zada as he discusses John Ross T.
Speaker 1: Higgins AJ Green in his unique connection to Joe Burrow
Speaker 1: during Joe's time at LSU. The Bengals Booth Podcast is
Speaker 1: presented by Prime Sport, the official fan, travel and hospitality
Speaker 1: partner of the Cincinnati Bengals. And here's a quick reminder
Speaker 1: that you can have the latest edition of this podcast
Speaker 1: delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing
Speaker 1: on iTunes, Stitch, your Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean.
Speaker 1: It's the greatest thing since the State of Maine. I
Speaker 1: recently went on a family vacation to a Kadia National
Speaker 1: Park in Maine. We figured this would be the perfect
Speaker 1: time for outdoor activities away from crowds, so we hiked
Speaker 1: kayakt watched the sunrise on the top of Cadillac Mountain,
Speaker 1: the best sunrise I've ever seen, and eight lots of lobster.
Speaker 1: So if you are yearning to spend some time in
Speaker 1: the great outdoors, you should consider visiting Maine. There's a
Speaker 1: reason why most of the license plates in that state
Speaker 1: say Vacation Land. Now, let's get to football. I'm recording
Speaker 1: this on Wednesday, the day after Bengals veterans reported to
Speaker 1: Paul Brown Stadium for the start of training camp, although
Speaker 1: there will be several days of COVID nineteen testing before
Speaker 1: the players are actually doing anything related to football. Zach
Speaker 1: Taylor did a fifteen minute zoom call with reporters on Wednesday,
Speaker 1: and a couple of things stood out to me. Number One,
Speaker 1: he said that everybody on the roster reported for camp,
Speaker 1: but would not say if anybody was considering opting out
Speaker 1: of playing this year. You know, we'll keep that to
Speaker 1: ourselves right now. If players feel that way. On our
Speaker 1: team or any other team. I'm sure they'll make it public,
Speaker 1: but right now, we'll just keep that to ourselves. Those
Speaker 1: are those are personal decisions for those guys, and certainly
Speaker 1: we'll support those decisions. There's a lot of reasons for him,
Speaker 1: but again, I don't want to speak for any player
Speaker 1: in this league that's going through those conversations with their
Speaker 1: loved ones. And so again, if those guys want to
Speaker 1: announce things, they can, but we're not going to make
Speaker 1: any comment on it. Zach was also asked about the
Speaker 1: idea of quarantining one of his quarterbacks during the season
Speaker 1: to eliminate the possibility of the entire position group catching
Speaker 1: the virus. It's something you have to consider and talk through,
Speaker 1: which we have, but you just you really have to
Speaker 1: imagine all scenarios as you go through this and just
Speaker 1: be creative and proactive. And so those are conversations we've had,
Speaker 1: but that's where it stands right now, as you can imagine.
Speaker 1: Zach answered several questions about Joe Burrow, ranging from the
Speaker 1: challenge of getting him ready to play with no preseason
Speaker 1: games to the idea of having him sit as a
Speaker 1: rookie due to these circumstances. Zach made it clear that
Speaker 1: the Bengals have every intention of beginning the season with
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow at quarterback. You know, we're gonna put a
Speaker 1: lot on Joe right out the gate, and obviously we've
Speaker 1: got weeks to sort out who's starting and all that
Speaker 1: good stuff. But Joe's gonna walk in and take the
Speaker 1: first snaps at quarterback, and he's prepared for that, and
Speaker 1: we drafted him because we have a lot of confidence
Speaker 1: in him and what he's gonna bring to the table.
Speaker 1: And so even with the uniqueness of what this training
Speaker 1: camp is going to look like, we're gonna give him
Speaker 1: plenty of opportunities to get ready to play in week one.
Speaker 1: Do you have in your mind a baseline of what
Speaker 1: realistic expectations are for Joe this year? Play well in
Speaker 1: week one? You know that that's our starting is Joe
Speaker 1: and really our entire team. It's it's this is a
Speaker 1: different year than last year. We have a lot of
Speaker 1: guys who have grown from the experiences that we had
Speaker 1: last year, rookies and veterans, and we have a lot
Speaker 1: of new pieces to the puzzle as well. You know,
Speaker 1: a lot of free agents and rookies that we're depending on,
Speaker 1: and so it's it's not just Joe, it's everybody. We
Speaker 1: want to make sure that everybody's we're giving them all
Speaker 1: the opportunities to hit the ground running on September thirteenth
Speaker 1: when our first came rolls around, and so that that's
Speaker 1: just that's our focus right now is making sure that
Speaker 1: all the positions are up to speed. We're going to
Speaker 1: give them all all the things that they need in
Speaker 1: the meetings and practices so that as a team that
Speaker 1: we hit the ground running and we play really well
Speaker 1: in week one. It seems like a lot to ask.
Speaker 1: You know, Joe hasn't no no preseason games, no ta's,
Speaker 1: no training camp. But you know, do you feel like
Speaker 1: that's a pretty high high measure for him to come
Speaker 1: in and immediately step in and play well in that
Speaker 1: opener against LA. We took him because we've got high
Speaker 1: expectations for Joe, and from everything I know about him
Speaker 1: and ob scene of him, he's got high expectations himself,
Speaker 1: and so he's going to do everything you can to
Speaker 1: put himself in a position to be successful. I trust that,
Speaker 1: and I think when you guys get a chance to
Speaker 1: talk to him, you'll feel the same way. Borough agreed
Speaker 1: to contract terms on Tuesday and is expected to sign
Speaker 1: that deal on Thursday. Now, let's get to Joe's friend
Speaker 1: and former college teammate, Sam Hubbard. Earlier this year on
Speaker 1: Bengals dot Com, I predicted that Hubbard will be the
Speaker 1: team's defensive MVP this year after having six sacks as
Speaker 1: a rookie. Sam finished second on the team with eight
Speaker 1: and a half last year, a half sack behind Carlos Dunlap.
Speaker 1: According to Pro Football Focus, Sam added thirty four hurries
Speaker 1: and six quarterback hits. I think he winds up with
Speaker 1: double digit sacks this year on a dramatically improved Bengals defense.
Speaker 1: And I spoke to the former Ohio State Buckeye this week. Sam,
Speaker 1: we're speaking on the day that NFL veterans report to
Speaker 1: camp and in this case, your first COVID nineteen test.
Speaker 1: Can you describe how you're feeling about going back to
Speaker 1: work under these strange circumstances. Yeah, it's definitely unique circumstances,
Speaker 1: Like you said, but we've been training for so long.
Speaker 1: I think a lot of us, all the guys, are
Speaker 1: just ready to get back to playing football. Whatever that
Speaker 1: may look like in the safest possible way, and you
Speaker 1: know it's going to be a different year and a
Speaker 1: lot of different aspects, but we want to get out
Speaker 1: there and you know, get on the field. You have
Speaker 1: a unique perspective because your mom is a nursing supervisor
Speaker 1: and your sister is a nurse. How has that impacted
Speaker 1: your feelings about the protocols worked out between the NFL
Speaker 1: and the Players Association. I think it just gives me,
Speaker 1: you know, a sense of how important and how you know,
Speaker 1: vital it is that we all follow them and take
Speaker 1: it very seriously because you know there's a player responsibility aspect.
Speaker 1: You know, all of us doing our part, stay in
Speaker 1: socially distance, following the protocols, not just for ourselves, but
Speaker 1: you know, for the benefit of our teammates so everyone
Speaker 1: can stay safe. I think that you know, it's it's
Speaker 1: a very serious situation that you know, they're with it
Speaker 1: every day taking care of those patients, and you know,
Speaker 1: I'm just more aware and educated because of their experiences. Sam,
Speaker 1: based on what I've seen, you did not let the
Speaker 1: pandemic slow you down in terms of strength and conditioning.
Speaker 1: How did you train this offseason and has your physique changed. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it trained really hard. You know, we didn't have OTAs,
Speaker 1: so we were really able for five six straight months
Speaker 1: to just focus on what I needed to do to
Speaker 1: get better as a player individually. And you know it
Speaker 1: looked different, you know, some garage workouts, you know, kind
Speaker 1: of isolated, focusing on you know, just working out by myself,
Speaker 1: my trainer, and uh, yeah, I've just tried to you know,
Speaker 1: work on every aspect pass for US, run, defense, strength,
Speaker 1: overall conditioning. I'm ready to go and I'm just hoping
Speaker 1: it works out for the year. We're talking to Sam Hubbard.
Speaker 1: As you mentioned, no OTAs, no mini camps, but there
Speaker 1: were a bunch of virtual Zoom meetings. What did you
Speaker 1: get out of those? It was a lot of mental reps,
Speaker 1: a lot of film study, watching you know remotely, you know,
Speaker 1: install and stuff that you know, we we all knew
Speaker 1: as veterans. But um, I really got time to you know,
Speaker 1: break down my own film, um, see what I need
Speaker 1: to improve on, and then you know, do in trials. Individually,
Speaker 1: it was more of a mental you know, off season
Speaker 1: on the in the you know, play sense on the
Speaker 1: field sense, um, taking those mental reps. But really trying
Speaker 1: to focus and improve my awareness and mental aspect of
Speaker 1: the game because the reps just weren't existing without OTAs
Speaker 1: and stuff like that. Normally, in those OTAs, you get
Speaker 1: to know the rookies, you get to know new teammates.
Speaker 1: Were you able to do that at all over zoom calls?
Speaker 1: We did our best. You know, facetimes, texts, zoom calls.
Speaker 1: It's uh, obviously an awkward situation. It's tough to really
Speaker 1: get to know somebody through the computer, but we made
Speaker 1: it work. We did our best. Coaches did a good
Speaker 1: job with the unique team bonding exercises. But I'm excited
Speaker 1: to get in the building once we're all cleared, to
Speaker 1: get to know these guys and see what they bring
Speaker 1: to the table. Let's talk defense. The team signed eight
Speaker 1: undrestricted free agents, Five of them could start on D.
Speaker 1: What was your reaction to that infusion of veteran talent
Speaker 1: on defense. I loved it, you know, just from a
Speaker 1: character football character and the reputations these guys had and
Speaker 1: I knew Von I've heard a lot about DJ Reader.
Speaker 1: Just the type of guys that they're bringing in the
Speaker 1: program is really exciting because they do things the right
Speaker 1: way they're coming from winning programs and their competitors and
Speaker 1: having them, you know, to the talent we already have
Speaker 1: is going to help us a lot. As you mentioned,
Speaker 1: you knew Von from being teammates at Ohio State. What
Speaker 1: does he specifically add both in terms of his locker
Speaker 1: room leadership and his play on the field as a safety.
Speaker 1: He's a great leader. He's a very competitive individual. I've
Speaker 1: played with him for two years at AHU State and
Speaker 1: he's just a true pro. He goes about a business
Speaker 1: the right way. Out on the field, he brings intensity.
Speaker 1: He's you know, hard nosed football player, plays back in
Speaker 1: safety but tackles like a linebacker. And uh, you know,
Speaker 1: he's just someone that you can always count on behind
Speaker 1: you to play physical, do his job, and in crunch
Speaker 1: time makes some big plays. Pro Football Focus recently ranked
Speaker 1: the Bengals defensive line is the tenth best in the NFL.
Speaker 1: How does DJ Reader impact the entire group? And do
Speaker 1: you hope to play fewer snaps than the eight hundred
Speaker 1: and fifty three you logged on defense last year? DJ? Yeah,
Speaker 1: he's a he's a great player. He's when he turned
Speaker 1: on the film, you notice what a force he is
Speaker 1: run stopping and especially he's very good at the pastor
Speaker 1: from inside. You know. I hope to be a little
Speaker 1: bit more on the edge of this year with the
Speaker 1: addition to DJ because he really can rush the passer
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, we got some young guys coming
Speaker 1: in clid Kareem on the outside and a little bit
Speaker 1: of rotation. Hopefully be a little bit fresher. But yeah,
Speaker 1: like I said, hopefully be outside a little bit more
Speaker 1: on third downs and stuff like that. But I'm just
Speaker 1: really excited overall with you know, the experience and talent
Speaker 1: we have on the defensive line. We are catching up
Speaker 1: with Sam Hubbard. It's no secret that you and Joe
Speaker 1: Burrow are good friends. He reportedly agreed to a contract today.
Speaker 1: Do you remember your initial impressions of him at Ohio
Speaker 1: State and what does it mean to you to be
Speaker 1: reunited in the NFL. I've known Joe for a long time.
Speaker 1: I don't know if I remember my initial impressions. I
Speaker 1: just know that, uh, you know, ever since he stepped
Speaker 1: in the door at O'house State, he was a competitor,
Speaker 1: you know, one of the hardest working guys in the room.
Speaker 1: And that are changed with all the success. He's still
Speaker 1: that same guy, and you know, I'm really excited that
Speaker 1: they greeded terms and he's I know, he's excited to
Speaker 1: get out there and meet the guys and you know,
Speaker 1: learn the offense and take hold of the football team.
Speaker 1: Before the draft, did he pick your brain about the franchise? Uh? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean we were talking. Obviously, he was in a
Speaker 1: position to be drafted very highly. We had a very
Speaker 1: high draft pick, so we had a bunch of conversations
Speaker 1: just about what we got going and the goals we're
Speaker 1: trying to accomplish. You know, the guys in the locker room,
Speaker 1: you know, the group of young talent and guys who
Speaker 1: want to win. And he was excited to hear about
Speaker 1: it and excited to have the opportunity to come be
Speaker 1: a part of it. Sam. He used his Heisman speech
Speaker 1: to help the less fortunate where he's from, and you
Speaker 1: recently did something similar here in Cincinnati. He started a
Speaker 1: fundraising effort that helped raise more than eighty thousand dollars
Speaker 1: for the Free Store Food Bank and it's going to
Speaker 1: help provide more than two hundred and fifty meals. Was
Speaker 1: that eye opening to you to know how big of
Speaker 1: an impact you can have with your platform. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1: It was amazing to see all the you know, support
Speaker 1: from the city, especially being from here, the support from
Speaker 1: my teammates, guys like Carlos, and the support from Cincinnati
Speaker 1: based companies like Fifth Third Try to Health. It was incredible.
Speaker 1: You know, obviously it's tough times right now, but acts
Speaker 1: like that and you know, coming together really really inspired
Speaker 1: me to continue to keep working on things and using
Speaker 1: my platform for the better in year three. Do you
Speaker 1: feel like a veteran, Yes, I definitely do. I do
Speaker 1: feel like a veteran, and I'm trying to, you know,
Speaker 1: show that with these rookies you're in a very awkward
Speaker 1: and tough situation, trying to give them some words of
Speaker 1: wisdom and help their learning curve and bring them along
Speaker 1: and also, you know, just be more of a leader
Speaker 1: and help take this team where we want to go.
Speaker 1: I'm the case recently that guys that are self motivated,
Speaker 1: and I would certainly put you in that group having
Speaker 1: a bit of an advantage this year, because I'm sure
Speaker 1: there are guys that work as hard as you do,
Speaker 1: but I'm not sure that anybody works hard or do
Speaker 1: you feel like maybe your work ethic put you a
Speaker 1: foot ahead considering the absence of OTAs and many camps
Speaker 1: in the off season. Yeah yeah, like you said, I
Speaker 1: probably myself on my work ethic and you know, put
Speaker 1: on a lot of work this offseason. I really want
Speaker 1: to put it on display. And that's why I'm so
Speaker 1: hopeful and you know, really hoping that this h this
Speaker 1: season is able to go through smoothly. I know, we
Speaker 1: got a lot of other guys that are very self
Speaker 1: motivated and feel the same way, and we want to
Speaker 1: get out there and show all the all the work
Speaker 1: we put in and put it on display. It's going
Speaker 1: to be a while before you have hard hitting type practices.
Speaker 1: Do you have any concern about getting ready for the
Speaker 1: physical nature of football all considering the limitations that are
Speaker 1: being put on training camp. I think we're in a
Speaker 1: very tough situation, and you know, there's not too many
Speaker 1: good ways to go about it. But the plan we
Speaker 1: have gone forward gives us a little bit of acclamation
Speaker 1: period and we're just really gonna have to be detailed
Speaker 1: in our reps and our preparation and getting our bodies right,
Speaker 1: and it's gonna be unique. It's gonna be a tough challenge,
Speaker 1: but I think we're up for it. And you know,
Speaker 1: time will tell, but I like where things are going well.
Speaker 1: It's exciting for Bengals fans to have the players are
Speaker 1: reporting back to the stadium for the start of training
Speaker 1: camp today, and I appreciate your time and look forward
Speaker 1: to seeing you from a distance, probably or over a
Speaker 1: zoom call sometime soon. Thanks for your time, Sam, Yeah,
Speaker 1: no problem, Thank you. Here's an interesting nugget about Hubbard.
Speaker 1: According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Sam ranks second in
Speaker 1: the NFL last year on down pressure rate at seventeen
Speaker 1: point five percent, trailing only Benson Mayoa of the Raiders
Speaker 1: at eighteen point eight percent. The player who finished one
Speaker 1: spot below Sam Hubbard in that stat was two time
Speaker 1: NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald. Anytime a
Speaker 1: defensive lineman ranks ahead of Aaron Donald in anything, it's
Speaker 1: worth noting. Before we get to our next conversation. Here's
Speaker 1: a quick reminder that you can take your Bengals pride
Speaker 1: to the next level in twenty twenty with an official
Speaker 1: Bengals fan package from Prime Sport. The Bengals single season
Speaker 1: record four receptions isn't held by A. J. Greene or
Speaker 1: Chad Johnson or Isaac Curtis. It's held by t J.
Speaker 1: Hushman Zada, who hauled in one hundred and twelve catches
Speaker 1: in two thousand and seven en route to a Pro
Speaker 1: Bowl appearance. TJ is a broadcaster these days for FS one.
Speaker 1: In addition to helping train wide receivers in the off season,
Speaker 1: he also knows plenty about the Bengals new quarterback. TJ.
Speaker 1: Let's start with Joe Burrow. You were one of the
Speaker 1: first people really singing his praises because you're wired in
Speaker 1: at LSU where two of your daughters are going to
Speaker 1: be on the softball team. Describe your history with Joe
Speaker 1: and his coaches at LSU. Well, I'm glad she said that.
Speaker 1: I was. Actually, I probably was the first guy on
Speaker 1: TV to say that Joe was gonna be drafted very
Speaker 1: I really was. I wouldn't say bandwagon, but I was
Speaker 1: a big supporter of Zoe before anybody was, I will
Speaker 1: say that, But just being up there and around it,
Speaker 1: they were just very optimistic that the twenty nineteen college
Speaker 1: football season for LSU was going to go very well.
Speaker 1: And it was because of Joe and after that Sector's game,
Speaker 1: that's the first game of the season. I said, I'm minute,
Speaker 1: dudes gonna be the first pick. He had a lot
Speaker 1: of weapons around them, and people always try to change
Speaker 1: at all man, he had all these great guys around them.
Speaker 1: Somebody has to get on the ball, and they helped him.
Speaker 1: He benefited from having great players to play with, and
Speaker 1: they benefited from having a great quarterback with great pocket
Speaker 1: presence and touch an actressy as well. Yeah, no question
Speaker 1: about it. A lot of people also say that the
Speaker 1: you know, the Joe Brady system pumped up his stats somehow,
Speaker 1: but I kind of look at it at the as
Speaker 1: the opposite, Whereas the year before their offense was so
Speaker 1: primitive that I don't know that any quarterback could have
Speaker 1: put up big numbers. I could always make an argument
Speaker 1: to discredit anyone, or I can make an argument to
Speaker 1: pump somebody up and make him look good and put
Speaker 1: him on the pedicalal. Did Joe Brady help LSU when
Speaker 1: he came, of course he did. But I don't care
Speaker 1: how great a coach is. The players have to execute.
Speaker 1: You have to execute, and if you don't have a
Speaker 1: guy that can execute, what needs to be done. It
Speaker 1: doesn't matter what's being called. I mean, if you look
Speaker 1: at LSU that you would have said they had look
Speaker 1: at the offensive line, they didn't have anybody to get drafted,
Speaker 1: if I'm not mistaken, in the first two rounds. But
Speaker 1: they were considered one of the better offensive lines in
Speaker 1: college football. And yeah, they played well. But Joe's pocket
Speaker 1: presence and its ability to slide, step up and just
Speaker 1: kind of maneuver in the pocket. He helped those guys out.
Speaker 1: But a lot of that gets overlooked because Joe is
Speaker 1: a guy that kind of came through. He just came
Speaker 1: out of nowhere. All you transferred fallile stage ure, good
Speaker 1: enough to play. And so when guys company situations like that,
Speaker 1: they always looked to get the credit to someone else
Speaker 1: and saying this guy, we just didn't evaluate them the
Speaker 1: right way. You're all the oldest daughter was there last
Speaker 1: year on the softball team. Did you get caught up
Speaker 1: in the excitement because she was there, you know, living
Speaker 1: out that season as an LSU student. Oh man, Yeah,
Speaker 1: like I thought for Lshoe, like like I went to
Speaker 1: score there, like I was in the lung. We watched
Speaker 1: every game. My son, he's an added Avid advid football fan.
Speaker 1: I mean, he pretty much knows everyone what he feels.
Speaker 1: He's gonna go to hell su But yeah, I thought
Speaker 1: flu like I wasn't a lum. Yeah I was. I
Speaker 1: was really into it. That's funny. We're talking to former
Speaker 1: Bengals Pro bowler T. J. Hushman Zada. You were in
Speaker 1: your third year with the Bengals when Carson Palmer arrived
Speaker 1: as the number one overall pick, So I'm sure you
Speaker 1: can remember. You know what you are looking to see
Speaker 1: out of him? What will the veterans be looking for?
Speaker 1: When they started practicing with Joe Burrow, Jones just has
Speaker 1: a And again I was around them lead up to
Speaker 1: the pre draft process. You know they trained with George Palmer.
Speaker 1: He's just a He has a sternness about him, like
Speaker 1: just a natural leader. Man. He's not gonna let anybody
Speaker 1: run over him. And I don't think anybody would try
Speaker 1: to run over him just because of the way he
Speaker 1: carries himself. And he's gonna command respect right away. And
Speaker 1: that's what the Bengals need, is the Beingals are talent
Speaker 1: to manens. I talk to people and when I get
Speaker 1: on TV, it feels like I'm a Homer as you
Speaker 1: just saying that because you played for the Bengals. But
Speaker 1: I really believe the Bengals have a ton of talent
Speaker 1: on both sides of the ball. I thought last year
Speaker 1: they were kind of lacking in the linebacker department. They
Speaker 1: kind of upgraded that in the draft. These guys can
Speaker 1: produce and help early. But when you look at their
Speaker 1: team skill players from receivers to running backs, tight ends, quarterback,
Speaker 1: you can look across the league and say, Wow, the
Speaker 1: beingles matched up with anybody the skill player wise. Now
Speaker 1: this offensive line can come together. You get Jonah Williams
Speaker 1: back whom miss his entire rook year. If they can
Speaker 1: come together, the Bengals can supply some people. But it's
Speaker 1: not going to be easy because arguably the AFT North
Speaker 1: and the NFT West or probably the two toughest divisions
Speaker 1: in football. If Roethlisberger is Roethlisberger, I mean, I've been
Speaker 1: has been one of the better quarterbacks in the league
Speaker 1: for a long time, and I think people are starting
Speaker 1: to realize, like when Ben plays, the Steaters are gonna
Speaker 1: be good. If he's been, they're gonna be good. Then
Speaker 1: it's gonna be tough to beat. Him, the Ravens are
Speaker 1: going to be good. And you look at Cleveland if
Speaker 1: it's kind of similar to Cincinnati, if they played to
Speaker 1: their potential, it's gonna be a dog fight. Man. In
Speaker 1: that disition, we're talking to t J. Hushman Zada. Let's
Speaker 1: turn to the wide receivers, because you've spent a bunch
Speaker 1: of time working with John Ross in recent offseasons. Where
Speaker 1: is he physically and mentally right now? Physically he should
Speaker 1: be good, you know, just kind of trial and error,
Speaker 1: trying this, trying that. How you feel Ross? I feel good? Okay,
Speaker 1: let's stick with that. And with Ross, he is just
Speaker 1: so physically talented. And I tell them this all the time.
Speaker 1: I said, man, Ross, if we could switch roles to
Speaker 1: be like if I could give him my mentality or
Speaker 1: he could give me his talent, Oh my god, that
Speaker 1: that too, Those two combinations make the best RESI whatever.
Speaker 1: But in my opinion, only down to league that I
Speaker 1: could say can do what he does is tyrie him
Speaker 1: and like he's that talented, he's sassed, he's quick catching
Speaker 1: the ball. Well, he just has to believe he has
Speaker 1: all these qualities. And a lot of me working with
Speaker 1: Ross is working with a mentally as well. Is when
Speaker 1: it's easy to be confident when things are going well,
Speaker 1: can you be confident when things are going bad? And
Speaker 1: so if he can maintain his level of confidence when
Speaker 1: things are always great, the fingers are going to have
Speaker 1: a problem on their hands with Aja Tyler boy drafting
Speaker 1: Tea and Ross because he told me so many balls
Speaker 1: to go around. But Ross is the only guy on
Speaker 1: that team that can do what he does and that
Speaker 1: will always separate them. You played with a chip on
Speaker 1: your shoulder going back to the draft, and you always
Speaker 1: thought you were one of the best players in the
Speaker 1: league and played like it. How do you put that
Speaker 1: attitude into John Ross? It's just talking for him and
Speaker 1: just letting him. I tell him all the timeline, bros.
Speaker 1: You were drafted in the top ten for a reason
Speaker 1: and share yourself that way. Don't worry. And I get
Speaker 1: it though it's it's me and him has had long
Speaker 1: discussions about I get it. If you go through go
Speaker 1: back to his rookie year. I don't know if you
Speaker 1: recall this, but I recall it. The first time he
Speaker 1: cuts the ball in the NFL game. Do you know
Speaker 1: what happened? He fumbled? He fumbled, and they didn't play
Speaker 1: him the rest of the year. They didn't play him
Speaker 1: the rest of the year. Now, you tell me any
Speaker 1: human being, what would that do for your confidence? Kill it?
Speaker 1: And so it killed his confidence because he's sent any
Speaker 1: video of practice and I didn't even know him that
Speaker 1: well at that time. I hadn't even started working with him.
Speaker 1: And the video that he's sending me a practice, nobody
Speaker 1: can cover him. And so you're playing well in practice,
Speaker 1: but they're not giving you an opportunity who possibly played
Speaker 1: well or not play well in the game. And so
Speaker 1: I believe it affected him mentally and it killed his confidence.
Speaker 1: And so working with me and just yeah we work
Speaker 1: physical obviously a lot, but it's really the mental part
Speaker 1: of don't let what happened a few years ago message
Speaker 1: your confidence. And I believe Zach Taylor tried to give
Speaker 1: him that confidence back Earl. I mean, if Ross doesn't
Speaker 1: get hurt early last year, who knows what type of
Speaker 1: season he has because he came out gun blazing. He
Speaker 1: came out to shoot and did very well early. And
Speaker 1: so I try to give you my confidence in and
Speaker 1: just make everybody has that confidence. You just gotta keep
Speaker 1: it in you. I was angry and that way. I
Speaker 1: felt like I was overlooked, and I played that way
Speaker 1: and I practiced that way every day. He's not me
Speaker 1: and I'm not him, but hopefully some of that rubs
Speaker 1: off on him. So TJ. Leading up to this year's draft,
Speaker 1: you did work with T Higgins, and the Bengals called
Speaker 1: you to pick your brain about him before taking him
Speaker 1: with the first pick of the second round. Describe T
Speaker 1: to the good player man. He's he kind of reminds
Speaker 1: me of AJ. Tall, big dude, can really run routes
Speaker 1: and think the tips, gets in and out of breaks
Speaker 1: like a little guy, big catch radius if and that's
Speaker 1: the things they have. Weapon like T is if he
Speaker 1: reaches his potential and he matches out, he has the
Speaker 1: potential to be one of the better receivers in the
Speaker 1: game of football. If he doesn't leave any meat on
Speaker 1: the ball, so to speak. He just has to reach
Speaker 1: his potential. And the good thing is he can learn
Speaker 1: of somebody like AJ. He's a little taller than AJ.
Speaker 1: But AJ always gets overlooked when you say who's the
Speaker 1: best receivers in the league because he's been hurt the
Speaker 1: last couple of years. But if he if he's healthy, Um,
Speaker 1: it's gonna be good for Tea because he's gonna be
Speaker 1: able to learn from one of the better receivers in
Speaker 1: the game. Did you have T ranked as the second
Speaker 1: best receiver in this class? I thought T was probably
Speaker 1: top three receivers. I thought Jerry Judy was the best receiver.
Speaker 1: And then you can kind of you can kind of
Speaker 1: pick and choose. Did you like the speed of Rugs?
Speaker 1: Did you like the toughness and the run after the
Speaker 1: catch and seeding lamb? Did you like everything that justin Jefferson? Did?
Speaker 1: I think I used prom Arizona stage. Is gonna be
Speaker 1: a really really good player, but all those guys, I
Speaker 1: thought he was the first round pick, to be honest
Speaker 1: with you, but again you it's gonna in Cincinnati's gonna
Speaker 1: be tough because even if T is it's ready to play.
Speaker 1: AJ is gonna be the best receiver run team that
Speaker 1: he's healthy. Oh, Tyler Boyd can play too, and so
Speaker 1: they pick that guy that can play. And if Ross
Speaker 1: stays healthy, Oh, he does something on the team that
Speaker 1: nobody else can do. He stretches the field with great
Speaker 1: speed and great quickness, and so beingles have a problem
Speaker 1: on her hand and take good problems. But if everybody's healthy,
Speaker 1: h it's gonna be tougher team. Just because he's a
Speaker 1: rookie and it's different, but again, it's a good problem
Speaker 1: to have, is that Tyler will figure it out. I'm
Speaker 1: glad you mentioned John Ross because he reminds me of you.
Speaker 1: He doesn't get a ton of hype, but he's tough
Speaker 1: as nails, great route runner, good feel for the passing game.
Speaker 1: Do you see some of that when you watch him?
Speaker 1: Do you mean Tyler Boid? Yeah, I'm sorry if I
Speaker 1: said Ross, I mean Tyler Boyd yep. And Tyler Boyd
Speaker 1: is he's not He's not gonna I mean a lot
Speaker 1: of it too, though he would probably get a little
Speaker 1: more credit if the Bengals start to have some success
Speaker 1: because when you think the Bengals, honestly, you probably think
Speaker 1: Geno Atkins, AJ Green, maybe Joe Nixon and so everybody
Speaker 1: else tends to get overlooked if the team will start
Speaker 1: to have it said, trying to PoID is good. He's
Speaker 1: a good route runner, he gets in and out of breaks,
Speaker 1: and that's why the Bengals have receiver. I mean, you
Speaker 1: can just look across the league. If you say top
Speaker 1: three receivers, if everybody plays up to their potential, the
Speaker 1: Bengals easily. We have one of the better receiver cars
Speaker 1: in the league. And if Joe can play well early,
Speaker 1: it's going to be a surprise for people. But it
Speaker 1: won't surprise me because he has guys around him like
Speaker 1: he had at LSU. Joe does a good job of
Speaker 1: giving his receivers a chance to win, and he's accurate
Speaker 1: with the ball. And if he can do this in Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: the Queen City gonna be rolling again on offense like
Speaker 1: we had when we were playing. Would love it to
Speaker 1: be two thousand and five evolved over again. Aj Green
Speaker 1: turns thirty two on the last day of the month.
Speaker 1: How much great football does he have left in him?
Speaker 1: And age? Like people, the way the game of football
Speaker 1: is now like honestly, aj can play if he stays healthy,
Speaker 1: he can play at a high level for four to
Speaker 1: five more years. High level, high level, and that the
Speaker 1: game of football is different like others. I'm forty two,
Speaker 1: I have weighed the same for twenty years. I still
Speaker 1: in shape, I still have ASPS. I only work out
Speaker 1: a couple of times a week, the game of football
Speaker 1: is different. If guys are standing in shape. AJ in essence,
Speaker 1: his body should be healthy if gets healthy, if that
Speaker 1: makes any sense, because he's been hurt for the last
Speaker 1: couple of years and so AJ phenomenal man. I tell
Speaker 1: people all the time, if you want to learn how
Speaker 1: to get off of press coverage, even if the release
Speaker 1: isn't a great release, it will be a great release
Speaker 1: by watching like AJ is just so violent at the
Speaker 1: line of scrimmage that even if it's not good, it's
Speaker 1: gonna work because he believes in it. And yeah, I'm
Speaker 1: looking forward to AJ reminded people that he's AJ Green.
Speaker 1: I'm looking I'm looking forward to that because he doesn't
Speaker 1: talk a lot. He's not gonna hyping type himself up.
Speaker 1: And I don't even know Aja that well, but I'll
Speaker 1: hype him up. He I'm looking forward to him reminded
Speaker 1: people how good he really is. Joe Burrow has never
Speaker 1: thrown to these guys. No OTAs, no mini caps. It
Speaker 1: looks like there will be no preseason games. Now, how
Speaker 1: big of a problem is that it could be? It
Speaker 1: could be a hinder if it could be uh, someone
Speaker 1: of a problem. But you would think in practice, they're
Speaker 1: gonn They're gonna get a ton of reps in practice
Speaker 1: and train account and hopefully that's enough. It's gonna take
Speaker 1: some time where guys like the ball um what Joe likes.
Speaker 1: But this is the NFL. You know, we're workout. They
Speaker 1: don't work at it every day, and so again, everybody's
Speaker 1: in the same position for the most part. Tom Brady
Speaker 1: Camphen they've been working out. Um a little different with
Speaker 1: the Bingers. I don't believe Joe has throne with any
Speaker 1: of them. Joe is thrown with Ross. I got them together,
Speaker 1: but that was so long ago that you kind of
Speaker 1: got to rediscover that cohesiveness they had. But it will
Speaker 1: be different. I believe they'll they'll find a way to
Speaker 1: uh figure it out. But yeah, it does put them
Speaker 1: at somewhat of the disadvantage with no OTA and maybe
Speaker 1: no preseason games. Who knows what happens. I have two
Speaker 1: questions left for t J. Hushman's out A Number One,
Speaker 1: when Steelers fans recognize you, do they give you crap
Speaker 1: for shining your shoes with a terrible towel after winning
Speaker 1: in Pittsburgh. Uh yeah, still to this day. But it's
Speaker 1: all it's all fun, it's all you know, it's all
Speaker 1: it's not enough malicious. But yeah, may Man, what made
Speaker 1: you do that? And I was like, I don't know,
Speaker 1: it just kind of just happened. I didn't plan it,
Speaker 1: It wasn't premeditating. It just will spurred them all the
Speaker 1: type of thing. But yeah, they'll still give me crap
Speaker 1: about it, and ver remind me how they beat us
Speaker 1: in the playoffs thanks to Kimo van Alhof and unfortunately.
Speaker 1: All right, final question, do you remember the time that
Speaker 1: you pranked me? No, what happened? This was great. So
Speaker 1: March of two thousand and five, you're about to sign
Speaker 1: your first big contract extension with the Bengals. I'm working
Speaker 1: for Fox nineteen at the time. I think there was
Speaker 1: a midnight deadline for you to make a decision. So
Speaker 1: I'm calling you and trying to get an update before
Speaker 1: going on the air at on the ten o'clock news
Speaker 1: And I get you just before going on and you say, man,
Speaker 1: I've decided to leave. Had a great time in Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: but I'm moving on. So I'm writing down on a
Speaker 1: notepad and I'm bummed out because you know you were
Speaker 1: You're just coming into your own. I was really excited
Speaker 1: about it, and then just about the moment I was
Speaker 1: going to hang up, you said, man, I'm playing with you.
Speaker 1: I'm I'm resigning with the Bengals. So the good news
Speaker 1: is I had a scoop for the top of the
Speaker 1: ten o'clock news. The bad news is you almost broke
Speaker 1: my heart. Yeah that probably that does sound like someone
Speaker 1: would do it. I'll do that. I'll do that often
Speaker 1: messing around. Yea would Yeah, I don't recall that, but
Speaker 1: that is something that is not that you said it
Speaker 1: to me. I'm like, yeah, that is something that I
Speaker 1: would do. I'd actually do that often still to this day. Yeah,
Speaker 1: matter with it. That's what somebody and they really think that.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, and then I gotta tell them like, no, no,
Speaker 1: I'm just playing. I'm just playing. I'm just playing. You
Speaker 1: had me. But the good news is, you know, before
Speaker 1: I went out in the air, you set me straight.
Speaker 1: So it turned out fine. I just had about a
Speaker 1: one minute stretch of being heartbroken. Oh wow. Yeah, it's
Speaker 1: a good thing that h I didn't let it go
Speaker 1: a little longer. You got off the phone and I'm like, oh,
Speaker 1: let me let me know. Plat it around yeah, especially
Speaker 1: because that was pretext days, so you would not have
Speaker 1: been able to fire me off a quick text to
Speaker 1: send me straight in change right, pretext, pre social media crazy. Hey,
Speaker 1: I really appreciate you doing this. I always love getting
Speaker 1: your insight. I love the work you're doing for FS one,
Speaker 1: and I hope to see you Paul Brown steady when
Speaker 1: that's allowed again. I won't be there, and I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. Take care
Speaker 1: of yourself. Hi. Thanks to TJ and Sam Hubbard. And
Speaker 1: that's going to do it for this episode of The
Speaker 1: Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by Prime Sport, the
Speaker 1: official fan, travel and hospitality partner of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 1: If you haven't done so already, please subscribe, and if
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Speaker 1: I'm Dan Horde, and thanks for listening to The Bengals
Speaker 1: Booth Podcast