WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Hey Joe 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.600 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:13.360 the Bengals Booth podcast. The Hey Joe addition, as we 0:00:13.480 --> 0:00:17.920 discuss Joe Burrow, other NFL draft prospects, and what the 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:21.479 data says about the Bengals roster with Pro Football Focus 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:26.799 analyst Austin Gale, we'll discuss the draft, free agency, and 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:30.920 Sunday Super Bowl matchup between the Chiefs and forty nine Ers, 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:34.440 And as the NFL celebrates its one hundredth season, we'll 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:37.760 do fun facts with one of two Bengals selected to 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:42.919 the NFL's all time team, offensive lineman Anthony Munio's. All 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:45.320 of that is straight ahead, but first, here's a quick 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:47.960 reminder that you can have the latest edition of this 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:51.839 podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:57.120 subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean. 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:04.160 It's the greatest thing since the movie Parasite. Parasite is 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:07.560 a Korean movie that won the top prize and supposedly 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:11.800 received an eight minute standing ovation at the Khan Film Festival, 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:15.319 and it's one of nine Best Picture nominees for this 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:20.119 year's Academy Awards. Despite the name, it's not a horror movie. 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:24.640 It's a dark comedy with some chilling twists, and in 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:29.040 my opinion, it's outstanding. So if you don't mind movies 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:35.039 with subtitles, I highly recommend Parasite. Now, let's get to football. 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:39.720 The most influential source of advanced statistics in football is 0:01:39.720 --> 0:01:43.160 the website Pro Football Focus. It was founded in the 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:46.160 United Kingdom more than a decade ago, and then in 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:50.960 twenty fourteen, former Bengals wide receiver Chris Collinsworth purchased a 0:01:51.040 --> 0:01:55.160 majority stake in the company and moved it to downtown Cincinnati. 0:01:55.920 --> 0:02:00.360 PF now has more than eighty full time employees and 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:04.120 provides data to all thirty two NFL teams, as well 0:02:04.160 --> 0:02:08.320 as fans, fantasy football players, and people who are into 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:12.079 the NFL Draft. This week, I met with one of 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:17.560 PF's top analysts about the draft, free agency, and Sunday 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:20.760 Super Bowl. We are hanging out in a downtown coffee 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:25.200 shop with Pro Football Focus analyst Austin Gale. There's construction 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:29.120 going on at PF and downtown Cincinnati, so we've moved 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:32.120 a few blocks away to talk about the draft, about 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:34.800 the Senior Bowl, and about the Bengals. Let's start with 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:39.120 a topic that's on every Bengals fans mind. Joe Burrow. 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:43.000 He had the highest rated season by a college quarterback 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:46.800 ever in the Pro Football Focus era. And we've all 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:51.160 seen the traditional stats seventy six percent completion percentage, sixty 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:55.000 touchdown passes, six interceptions. But how about some of the 0:02:55.040 --> 0:02:58.800 Pro Football Focus stats that demonstrate just how great he 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:00.960 was this year. Yeah, I mean to start with that 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:04.520 highest graded season ever in the PF college era. That's 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:07.639 dating back to twenty fourteen when we first started grading 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:10.560 college quarterbacks. And what really stands out for me is 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:13.520 that that grade came against SEC competition. You look at 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:16.000 this list of top fifteen seasons in the college era, 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:17.720 so much of it is in the Group of five, 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:19.880 so much of it is in the Big twelve. Joe 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:22.440 Burrow is one of two quarterbacks in the top fifteen 0:03:22.639 --> 0:03:25.679 from the SEC Joe Burrow to Attack of Bloa. That's 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:28.800 what's really incredible for me, that level of competition. Doing 0:03:28.840 --> 0:03:31.639 it against that level of competition is incredible. And as 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:33.959 for the stats that kind of go into that, really, 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:36.440 how you grade well in PFF system at the college 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:39.400 and NFL level is being accurate. Joe Burrow is the 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:42.920 most accurate college quarterback we've ever seen. Looking at throws 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:45.680 of ten plus are yards he had who was accurate 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:48.760 on target over sixty five percent of the time. The 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:51.760 previous record was Baker Mayfield at fifty six percent of 0:03:51.800 --> 0:03:54.240 the time. This is absurd. You just don't see this 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:56.520 level of accuracy at the college level. Yes, he's an 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.360 older prospect, Yes he's kind of you know, doing it 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:01.680 in a very good something that Joe Brady had. But man, 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:03.960 this guy's really accurate, and that's really what put him 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:06.800 in another level from a grading perspective. We have coffee 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:09.560 beans being ground in the background. I'm glad you brought 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:13.200 up that ten air yards statistic because so many times 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:17.080 in college football we see these ridiculous completion percentages and 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:21.200 it's because they're throwing bubble screens, they're throwing sideways. Joe 0:04:21.279 --> 0:04:24.839 Burrow pressed the ball down the field, Oh absolutely. And 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:28.000 talking to NFL guys, scouts and analysts and also media, 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:31.200 you know, Daniel Jeremiah, guys from the athletic they love 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:33.520 what PF data can do and what we can see 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.800 by separating that accut remove screens, remove play action. Look 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:40.640 at these throws on standard dropbacks ten plus yards down 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:43.159 the football field, and how does he grade out? Joe Burrow, 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:46.280 hands down the best quarterback in college football on these 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:48.880 NFL level throws. And you go beyond that, we can 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:51.479 sort and look at tight window throws. When he's fitting 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:53.800 it in two tight windows. How on target is he 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:56.840 again the most accurate quarterback in college football? And talking 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:59.720 to our data scientists here at PFF, George Johurri and 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:02.760 Air Eager, these guys see that accuracy at the college 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.960 level on target percentage or things that translate the most 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:09.320 most recently or most frequently to the NFL level. So 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:12.119 being accurate is so important and why it really ranks 0:05:12.160 --> 0:05:14.799 high in our grading system. Our guest is Austin gayale 0:05:14.800 --> 0:05:18.120 An analysts from Pro Football Focus. Are there any red 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:21.680 flags where Joe Burrow is concerned? Yeah, I think there's 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:24.160 two that come to mind. One, it's the age. He's 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:26.560 an older prospect. I think he'll turn twenty four here 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:28.880 pretty soon. But and that's a concern because you're going 0:05:28.880 --> 0:05:31.159 to get some younger guys and like that experience in 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:33.520 that age and that maturity plays a factor in how 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:35.000 you develop. You compare him to a guy like to 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:37.839 a tongue of maloa who's had NFL ready pocket present 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:40.720 since he was eighteen years old. With Joe Burrow, that 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:42.359 can be a little bit of a concern. It's not 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:44.719 Brandon Weedon level of concerns he was coming out like 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:47.120 twenty eight, twenty nine, but age is something. If you 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:48.720 had to pull a red flag on a guy who's 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:50.680 going to be the number one overall bit come twenty 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:52.719 twenty draft, that is where I kind of sit. The 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:55.320 other one is the system. I mean, Joe Brady, there's 0:05:55.320 --> 0:05:57.200 a reason he's coaching in the NFL right now. He 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:00.680 put together a system that really elevated Joe burrows game. 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:04.520 I think, however, accuracy, regardless of system, shows up when 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:07.080 you're accurate, not with the supporting cast or those things. 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:09.840 That's why we really feel comfortable pushing those red flags 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:11.600 a bit away, because if you're as accurate as Joe 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:14.040 Burrow is, I think that's really what's most impressive. How 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:17.560 does Joe Burrow compare to Tuah or Justin Herbert are 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:20.280 the other quarterbacks in this draft? Yeah? In this draft, 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:22.599 he's the best, and all the drafts that we really covered, 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:24.880 I think he's the best. He's the best college football 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.000 quarterback from a prospect perspective we've ever really seen. And 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:31.040 I think the comparisons between Tuah and Joe Burrow, it's 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:32.800 hard to not bring up the injury. There's so much 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:35.400 injury risk with to a tongue of iloa. I think 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:38.320 he's a great quarterback. He's the only quarterback and PFF 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:40.840 college era that's created above ninety point zero in back 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:43.039 to back seasons. That's how good this guy is. The 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:46.200 injury risk, however, puts him a tier. Blow also doesn't 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.440 have the arm talent that Joe Burrow has. There's some 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:51.000 inconsistent he's not as accurate. No one is as accurate 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:53.719 as Joe Burrow. And as for Justin Herbert, the concerns 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:55.880 the red flags in his game really are. It does 0:06:55.920 --> 0:06:58.760 not rise to the occasion against good competition. I mean, 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:00.880 I think he's not a game or in that regard. 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:03.160 I think he grades well on air. He looks great 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:05.479 and pads and should I in shorts and things like 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:09.159 six foot six, great hair, good looking kid, very smart dude. 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:11.920 But when you look at games against Utah, you look 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:14.480 at games against Arizona, these games were like, hey, this 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:17.000 is a muscle. The Auburn games start the season, he 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:18.960 does not rise to the occasion. He's not the reason 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:22.000 these organ Ducks win. But with Burrow, he's the reason. 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.320 I think that's why you feel more comfortable translating him 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:27.120 to the next level. Does PFF have a great hair metric? 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:29.160 We don't, But I mean, if I had to put 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:31.280 Justin Herbert's on a scale, it's above ninety. I mean, 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:32.840 I saw him at the Senior Bowl. This guy's got 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:35.320 a good head of hair. We're talking to Ousten Gale 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:37.920 from Pro Football Focus. Is there a case to be 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:42.600 made for Chase Young number one overall? Part of me 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:44.280 wants to kind of dodge us a bit, but I'm 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:45.840 gonna go ahead and say it. No, there is not 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:48.280 a case for Chase Shown to go number one overall. One. 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:52.600 We think Joe Burrows a better prospect. Two. Positional value matters. 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:56.000 It's something you cannot ignore. In the NFL, the quarterback 0:07:56.040 --> 0:07:59.160 position moves the needle more than any other position on 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:01.880 the football field. It's the picture of the NFL. But 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:05.120 he plays every game, unlike your number one picture in baseball. 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:07.240 I mean, the positional value is again very similar to 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:09.960 goalies in the NHL, like you just don't get better 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:13.679 looking at PF's wins above replacement metric war and something 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:16.280 that we're selling the NFL and college teams now these 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.000 days looks at positional value and see ow that weighs 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:22.840 in the quarterback position oftentimes is eight to ten times 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:25.520 better than the best edge defender in football. That's like 0:08:25.560 --> 0:08:29.240 the needle movers are quarterbacks. You don't a single defensive 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:31.480 player does not move the needle in the upward direction, 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:33.760 even if he is this generational talent, everyone thinks he 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:36.800 is like a quarterback does, even an average quarterback does 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:39.160 compared to a guy like Chaw And that shows in 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:41.200 the number one overall pick in the draft, and four 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:43.240 out of the last five years it's been a quarterback 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:46.559 Kyler Murray last year, Baker Mayfield two years ago. You 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:48.720 had Miles Garrett in there the year before that, but 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:52.360 then Jared Goff and Jamis Winston. How does Joe Burrow 0:08:52.400 --> 0:08:57.000 compare to those guys? Again, and I don't say this lightly, 0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.480 but he is the best college football prospect we've seen 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:01.599 him better than Baker Mayfield. And PFF was high on 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:05.200 Baker Mayfield the October before that draft, really loved what 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:07.439 he did and reason why we like Baker Mayfield where 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:09.160 a lot of the same reasons we like Joe Burrow. 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:12.199 Good inside and outside of structure, very accurate with the 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:15.240 football on these NFL throws. What's different is Joe Burrow 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:18.040 did it better, better from an accuracy standpoint, better on 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:21.480 those NFL throws, and he did it against SEC competition. 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:23.520 I don't say that lightly. Like I said, of the 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:27.040 top fifteen graded seasons at the college level, I want 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:29.600 to say only there's only two players in that top 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:32.199 fifteen that are from the SEC. It's Joe Burrow into 0:09:32.200 --> 0:09:34.000 a tongue of bailo. I think other guys like Will 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:37.640 gree are Big twelve, Mason Fine, Group of five, Baker Mayfield, 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:40.480 Kyler Murray, those other guys are going against what is 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:44.679 unquestionably lower level competition. SEC is a different breed. More 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:47.199 NFL talent comes out of that conference than any other conference. 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:49.120 I think that's why we're really so high on Burrow. 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:51.920 We're talking to Austin Gale from Pro Football Focus. You 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:54.640 were in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl. Let's look 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:57.320 at this from a Bengals perspective. Who are some of 0:09:57.320 --> 0:10:00.440 the guys who would be a good fit for Cincinnati. Yeah, 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:02.360 I think that's a good question. I think there's some 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:06.280 offensive line helped down Inmobile that really impressed me. Jonah Jackson, 0:10:06.320 --> 0:10:08.800 the guard out of Ohio State who's a Rutger's transfer, 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:10.240 so not a lot of people knew about him till 0:10:10.280 --> 0:10:12.360 he went Ohio State. Then he goes to Ohio State, 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:15.880 really really impresses down. Immobile guy is like really top heavy, 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:18.080 looks like he's got a mini fridge under his shoulder 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:20.000 pads and you're kind of scared of his lower half. 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:22.559 But he's got great balance, great in pass protection, a 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:25.520 malla in the run game. I think Bengals need offensive 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:27.600 line help. I know they have Jonah Williams coming back, 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:30.160 but they still need offensive line help. I think Jonah 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:32.720 Jackson was a name that stood out for me others there. 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:35.800 This receiving class is deep and it's very good. Michael Pittman, 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:37.800 junior of USC as a guy I think in the 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:40.560 second round starts to make sense for the Cincinnati Bengals. 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:43.920 kJ Hill Ohio State, had himself a week Inmobile, and 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:46.840 Denzel Mims. Of all three of those guys broke our 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:48.839 top one hundred after the Senior Bowl. I mean those 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:51.360 guys were really special players as well. So there were 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:53.600 guys that were not at the Senior Bowl for a 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:57.640 wide variety of reasons, maybe eligible juniors, things like that. 0:10:57.920 --> 0:10:59.559 So when we're looking at the number one pick in 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:02.280 the second round, number thirty three overall, who do you 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:05.200 think might be there? Who are some of the guys 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:08.240 that you think the Bengals could be possibly targeting at 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:10.640 number thirty three? Yeah, I think I jumped to the 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:13.920 cornerback position. I think after Jeffrey Akudo, who I think 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:16.080 is a lock for the top five, the Ohio State kid, 0:11:16.080 --> 0:11:18.880 former five star dude. It's got all the length, athleticism, 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:22.959 ball production off the charts. After that, the cornerback position 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:24.440 is going to go quick because there's not a lot 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:27.920 of true number one guys. Christian Fulton accepted his invite 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:30.120 to the Senior Bowl but did not attend for reasons 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:32.080 I think that were unclear. I think because he knows 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:34.000 he's going high in this draft. I think there's a 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:37.680 chance because I think he's not super scheme burstyle, wants 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:39.320 to play a kind of a man heavy scheme. I 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:41.760 think he could have success at the top of round two. 0:11:41.840 --> 0:11:43.920 He's the guy that I like. And then as for others, 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:46.640 think Justin Jefferson. If you wanted to pair Joe Burrow 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:49.960 with this guy out of LSU, Justin Jefferson. He's very 0:11:50.000 --> 0:11:52.319 close to Tyler Boyd. I think they're very similar players 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:54.640 and that they can play inside and outside, but maybe 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:56.559 are better off on the inside. I think give Tyler 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:59.960 Boyd Justin Jefferson, two guys that catch everything, create separation 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:03.720 and against zone, very crafty, mindful receivers, you start to 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:07.439 get even better with Joe Burrow in your one. Did 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.120 the Bengals coaching staff make an impression in any way 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:13.719 with how they handled the South roster at the Senior Bowl? Yes, one, 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.080 because I think they handled the practice is better. I 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:18.400 think you saw a handful of things on Twitter and 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:21.559 other analysts say like why are the Detroit Lions doing 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:23.280 some things they do? They were doing blocking drills and 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:26.040 things like that. They didn't really give as many opportunities 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:28.400 as the Bengals coaching staff did to see how these 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:31.040 players performed in one on ones. You talk to scouts, 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:34.040 you talk to media, you talk to the players one 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:36.040 on ones or where the money is made. I talked 0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:38.760 to kJ Hill, Ohio State receiver, right after practice one. 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:40.760 He said, I know I need to be good in 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:43.120 the one on ones. That's all I'm really focusing on 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:44.920 this week. And I think the Bengals did a really 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:47.360 good job of putting so many one on ones on 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:49.360 tape so they could really evaluate the players as well. 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:52.400 We're talking to Austin Gale from Pro Football Focus. I 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:54.320 want to turn the clock back to my first year's 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:57.800 the Bengals announcer twenty eleven. Early in that season, Pro 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:01.120 Football Focus had a story where they referred to Geno 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:04.240 Atkins as a secret superstar, and I remember thinking at 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:07.880 the time, nobody was saying that yet about Geno Atkins. 0:13:08.040 --> 0:13:09.400 At the end of that year, he went to the 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:11.880 first of his eight Pro Bowl. So I really thought 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:14.599 that Pro Football Focus helped get the word out that 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:17.120 Geno Atkins was going to be a great player. Are 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:21.360 there any breakout candidates on the Bengals current roster? I 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:23.400 have a handful. I mean I do like a handful 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:25.640 of the younger players on the Bengals roster. I'm still 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:27.720 going to say, Carl Lawson, if this guy could just 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:30.240 get healthy, I do think he's one of the better 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:32.920 pass rushers in the NFL. Throw arm lengthd out the window. 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:34.800 I'm telling you, this guy has it. I think in 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:38.440 the small sample sizes he's grated very well for PFF use, 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.439 effectively and healthy. He's a breakout candidate for me and 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:43.640 Jonah Williams. I mean, Jonah Williams didn't get a chance 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:45.199 to play this year due to an injury, which you 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:47.720 did not expect coming out of Alabama. This guy was 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:50.800 a workhorse, played a ton of snaps for the Crimson Tide. 0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:53.200 We loved his tape coming out again. Throw the arm 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:54.920 length out the window. He was asked that question a 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:58.280 handful of times in the draft process. But super smart kid. 0:13:58.320 --> 0:13:59.440 I don't know if you know this, but I had 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:02.000 a chance to to him before the draft. Before the 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:05.440 Bengals did draft him. This guy charts every single player 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.240 that he's about to go against how they win his 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:10.880 pass rushers outside inside bullrush and creates an Excel and 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:13.319 a Spider chart of how they win and studies that 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:16.200 at four games. This guy's PF legend. I mean, we 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:18.920 love what this guy does. From a data perspective. He 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:22.480 uses data to analyze and get better on film. He's 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:25.200 so smart between the years that I just can't imagine 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.560 this guy not having a good NFL career because he's 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:31.280 just too smart, athletically gifted and great production at Alabama. 0:14:31.480 --> 0:14:33.440 When his career is over, he could be working with 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:37.120 you and gantn Cincinnati. Absolutely I would welcome it. I mean, 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:40.600 I interview I probably interviewed probably twenty five to fifty 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:43.880 prospects every year. Jonah Williams in the five six years 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:45.920 I've been doing this is the most is the best 0:14:45.920 --> 0:14:48.560 interview I've ever had. He's just such a smart guy, 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:52.400 and smart smart is very important at the offensive line position. 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:55.360 You need tackles and even guards centers to be smart 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:58.240 to understand protections, different play calls, et cetera. But he's 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:00.440 on another level of smart comparing to the other guys 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.120 I talked to. I think Jonah Williams again that commitment 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:05.040 to getting better. This guy wants to be the best 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:08.200 in the league and has all the tools, mind, physical, 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:10.560 all that stuff to really be it for sure. Let 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:13.280 me follow up on the offensive line. Pro Football Focus 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:16.400 ranked all thirty two offensive lines. The two Super Bowl 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:19.040 teams I was surprised are not at the top, San 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:22.480 Francisco number fourteen, Kansas City number sixteen. So I guess 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:25.280 if you have a great quarterback like Patrick Mahomes or 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:27.680 an incredible scheme like San Francisco, you can get around 0:15:27.720 --> 0:15:29.920 that a little bit. But the Bengals were number thirty. 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:32.400 The only two teams that graded lower were the Rams 0:15:32.480 --> 0:15:35.800 and the Dolphins. When you look at the Bengals offensive line, 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:38.240 you plug in Jonah Williams at left tackle. Next year. 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:41.520 They gave a contract extension to Trey Hopkins, so he'll 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:44.360 be the center. Are they good enough anywhere else on 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:47.040 the offensive line? I would I would argue no, And 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:49.920 I know that's aggressive and throwing you know, throwing somewhat 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:53.640 level of shade at John Miller, Billy Price, the kid 0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:56.280 at Michael Jordan of Ohio State. Right tackle. Bobby Hart 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:57.960 is not great well for us. He has not great 0:15:57.960 --> 0:16:00.440 well for us really in his entire NFL career. And 0:16:00.480 --> 0:16:03.120 seeing when they did give him that contract extension last year, 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:05.400 I mean, I remember being in the office, real head 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:07.560 scratch was across the spoort. Did not see that coming. 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:09.640 And I think the problem the problem with that is, 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:13.120 I think you mentioned the Super Bowl teams good quarterbacks 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:16.960 don't welcome pressure like bad quarterbacks. We've seen that sack 0:16:17.080 --> 0:16:19.880 sacks and pressures and pressure rate can often be a 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:22.680 quarterback stat more often than it is an offensive line stat. 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:25.800 We talk to current and former NFL offensive lineman and 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:28.680 they bang the table for that kind of data analysis, 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:31.920 knowing that there are quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson that welcome 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:34.520 pressure bring pressure more often than you know at Patrick 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.400 Mahomes or things like that. But I will say this, 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:39.120 Joe Burrow, if he does actually get picked number one overall, 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:41.160 which I think all signs point to, he is very 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:43.520 good under pressure and he does not welcome it. That's 0:16:43.520 --> 0:16:46.120 why I feel comfortable with the Bengals maybe going other 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:48.480 directions at the top of the draft and maybe even 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:51.080 in free agency, because Joe Burrows a guy that does 0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:53.560 not make an average offensive line look worse. He's a 0:16:53.560 --> 0:16:56.080 guy that makes an average offensive line looks so much 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:58.840 better with what he does, what he does inside outside 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.160 of structure, in terms of going through his progressions, etc. 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.240 We're picking the brain of Austin Gale from Pro Football 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:09.240 Focus based on PFF dada, where else should the Bengals 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:13.439 be looking to upgrade cornerback, cornerback, cornerback, cornerback, because I mean, 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:16.600 you cannot have a good enough good cornerbacks in this league. 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:18.679 And I know William Jackson had a very good season 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:22.000 in twenty seventeen, But what we've seen at PF, cornerback 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:24.800 is the second most valuable position on the football field, 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.480 right behind quarterback. It's distant after quarterback, but it is 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:29.920 number two. But it's also one of the most volatile 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:32.920 year over year. You do not you rarely see cornerbacks 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:37.200 like a Durrell Reeves, Patrick Peterson, Jillen Ramsey have the 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:40.840 consistency from a production standpoint because and a lot of 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:43.520 this is because a bad play at cornerback is a touchdown, 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:45.600 a bad play at tackle is just a sack. And 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:48.400 I think you see that production, that volatility in those big, 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:52.679 big plays have a factor and really good cornerbacks dropping 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:55.040 year or whatever it may be. But again, stepping away 0:17:55.040 --> 0:17:57.479 from the volatility of the position, the value of position 0:17:57.600 --> 0:17:59.440 rings true. I think there are a ton of cornerbacks 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:01.800 in this class. There's also some cornerbacks on the free 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:04.000 agent market that the Bengals should be looking to grab 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:06.639 because your defense gets better with coverage you look at 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:08.879 the Chiefs defense they're playing in the Super Bowl. Big 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:11.880 question mark in the offseason is can their defense get better? 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:14.000 It was not because they added to the pass rush. 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:17.119 It was because guys like Tyronne Matthew, Juan Thornhill and 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:20.000 stepping up from Kendall Fuller that made this defense better, 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:23.120 made the quarterback hold the ball longer. And therefore now they're, 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:25.360 you know, up there with a top sixteen defense going 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:27.000 into the Super Bowl with a really good offense. And 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:29.000 this is really interesting to me because when I asked 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:31.560 the question, where does the data show the Bengals need 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:36.120 to upgrade, you said cornerback. Cornerback, cornerback. Every Bengals fan 0:18:36.280 --> 0:18:40.720 listening would have anticipated you would have said linebacker. Linebacker, linebacker. 0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:43.600 So here here, I'll say it right now, off bowl. 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.640 Linebacker is not a valuable position on the football field. 0:18:46.640 --> 0:18:48.800 It's not one of which that you need to fill 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:53.640 necessarily and ignore positional value, ignore you know the best 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:57.440 player available and fill that need largely because they don't 0:18:57.440 --> 0:18:59.280 have as big of an impact on coverage and they 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:03.200 do not rush the passer. They are oftentimes picked on schematically, 0:19:03.200 --> 0:19:05.560 it's hard to you know, there are coverage linebackers in 0:19:05.560 --> 0:19:08.520 the NFL that make a difference. One was Luke Keekley 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.280 I know, a Cincinnati guy, and another one is now 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.560 Bobby Wagner. After that, it's a scrum. There are not 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.520 a ton of otball linebackers that really are difference makers, 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:20.040