Speaker 1: Hig and everybody. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading
Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth Podcast. The last night I took an
Speaker 1: l but tonight a bounce back addition, as the Bengals
Speaker 1: look to rebound from Sunday's loss to the Texans as
Speaker 1: they face the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football coming up,
Speaker 1: Andrew Whitworth will be part of the Amazon Prime broadcast
Speaker 1: team and I'll talk to Big Wit about the Cincinnati
Speaker 1: Baltimore rivalry and his friendship with Joe Burrow. Then I'll
Speaker 1: go one on one with safety Michael Thomas, who hasn't
Speaker 1: appeared in a game yet this year, but continues to
Speaker 1: be one of the biggest leaders on the team. The
Speaker 1: Bengals Booth Podcast has brought to you by pay Corps,
Speaker 1: proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by
Speaker 1: Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business,
Speaker 1: and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health
Speaker 1: the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is
Speaker 1: the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a
Speaker 1: quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of
Speaker 1: this podcast delivered write to your phone, tablet, or computer
Speaker 1: by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest
Speaker 1: thing since Jeff Wagner aka Bengal banner Boy. If you've
Speaker 1: ever been to a game at pay Court Stadium, chances
Speaker 1: are you've seen one of the forty foot long banners
Speaker 1: hanging high above the fifty yard line in section three forty.
Speaker 1: They've been made for every home game for more than
Speaker 1: twenty years by a rider dive Bengals fan named Jeff Wagner.
Speaker 1: His social media handle is at Bengal banner Boy. The
Speaker 1: banners are skillfully painted, very clever, and often paid tribute
Speaker 1: to specific players or coaches. Examples include Joey to Chase
Speaker 1: was the Choice and Loudini's d is Elite.
Speaker 2: Well.
Speaker 1: Last week, the banner read coffin Nails Bam Bam bam,
Speaker 1: a nod to what Dave Lapham and I typically say
Speaker 1: after plays that clinch Bengals wins. Unfortunately, there was no
Speaker 1: such play against Houston last week, but here's hoping we
Speaker 1: get to scream that on Thursday night. Now time for
Speaker 1: a game preview, beginning with one of the best players
Speaker 1: in Bengals history. He was a four time Pro Bowler.
Speaker 1: He was the NFL's Man of the Year in twenty
Speaker 1: twenty one, and one day he will be in the
Speaker 1: Pro Football Hall of Fame. It is great to visit
Speaker 1: with our friend Andrew Widworth. Which are going to be
Speaker 1: part of the broadcast team on Thursday Night when the
Speaker 1: Bengals take on the Ravens and you were part of
Speaker 1: that rivalry twenty two times. What stands out about Bengals
Speaker 1: Ravens games?
Speaker 3: Man, I got so many good stories of playing those games.
Speaker 3: I you know, some really good ones. I think one
Speaker 3: of my first starts in Primtime actually was Bengals Ravens
Speaker 3: in Cincinnati. Might have been Thursday Night Football actually playing
Speaker 3: Terrell Suggs. So I'll never forget that moment, you know,
Speaker 3: for first time ever growing up as a fan watching
Speaker 3: him play, getting drafted to Cincinnati and realizing you got
Speaker 3: to playim and prime Time wasn't as exciting, but it
Speaker 3: was fun. There's a lot of great robberies there, man,
Speaker 3: there's a lot of fun. I'll also remember, I think
Speaker 3: twenty ten or eleven, maybe I try to finish Ray
Speaker 3: Lewis after a play and I found out real quick.
Speaker 3: While he's considered their leader in Captain because I think
Speaker 3: the entire defense jumped me.
Speaker 2: After the snap. So I've had some great Bengals Ravens memories.
Speaker 3: Man, it's a lot of fun. The band, the Flags.
Speaker 3: I always loved playing in Baltimore. I tell people now
Speaker 3: it's still one of the places I thought was the.
Speaker 2: Most fun to go play. Just the energy of that stadium.
Speaker 1: The atmosphere is going to be awesome on Thursday night.
Speaker 1: It always is in Baltimore. Let's talk a little bit
Speaker 1: about Joe Burrow. You two became close back in twenty
Speaker 1: twenty when he was recovering from knee surgery and you
Speaker 1: were recovering from knee surgery, hung out on your couch
Speaker 1: in California. What'd you learn about Joe during that time period.
Speaker 3: I think just what a rare duty is man. I mean,
Speaker 3: on the football, off of it, just a rare human being,
Speaker 3: I think I was.
Speaker 2: I walked away from that. Uh. You know, obviously you're.
Speaker 3: Playing at LSU as a fan of his, playing in
Speaker 3: Cincinnati at place I love, you know, like two places
Speaker 3: that I really special in my heart. But I walked
Speaker 3: away from it just a fan of Joe Burrow, the
Speaker 3: man and the competitor, and so I have been an
Speaker 3: avid aviod border of him, and and uh, you know,
Speaker 3: I I producers are guys on the crew. They always
Speaker 3: laugh they know I'm taking Joe's side on anything. Uh,
Speaker 3: just because I believe in him that much. I think
Speaker 3: he's that specially young human being, you know. And and
Speaker 3: I think in this career and where he is in
Speaker 3: this league as a young man, I think that sky's
Speaker 3: the limit. And I can't wait to watch the journey
Speaker 3: and the ride because I think he's just one of
Speaker 3: those guys that being at your best when your best
Speaker 3: is require competitive greatness. He's one of the most unique
Speaker 3: people when he comes to that that I've been around,
Speaker 3: and he has the mindset of it. And so I
Speaker 3: always just get excited and look forward to what the
Speaker 3: journey is going to look like.
Speaker 2: Man, I can't wait to keep following it.
Speaker 1: Let's turn to the guys that are protecting Joe. Since
Speaker 1: their Super Bowl loss to your Rams, the Bengals have
Speaker 1: certainly addressed the offensive line. They've signed three free agents
Speaker 1: that are starting. They drafted Cordel Vohlson. How do you
Speaker 1: think that group is playing?
Speaker 2: I think they've continued to get better and better this year.
Speaker 3: I think that one thing it really sticks out to
Speaker 3: me is that, you know, Jona Williams man what a
Speaker 3: move for him. I mean I was telling somebody this
Speaker 3: a couple of weeks ago. I did a podcast on
Speaker 3: offensive line play, and to me, he's one of those
Speaker 3: guys that this may literally have gone from something that
Speaker 3: you know, you always say in life with career opportunities,
Speaker 3: you know, sometimes what you think could be the worst
Speaker 3: thing ever is the best, I think, and moving to
Speaker 3: the right side maybe something that extends his career and
Speaker 3: even maybe his ceiling in the league as a player.
Speaker 2: I thought. I think he's.
Speaker 3: Really shown that he's got a lot of upside there
Speaker 3: and could be a really solid, you know, consistent player, you.
Speaker 2: Know, and even maybe an elite one. I think that
Speaker 2: he's looked really good.
Speaker 3: So it's being signed to watch and then, you know,
Speaker 3: I think with Orlando and everybody else, it's just it's
Speaker 3: been fun to watch as they've grown together, got to
Speaker 3: know each other. He's me playing a new offense, you know,
Speaker 3: it's for him coming over from Kansas City. It's it's
Speaker 3: still different and getting to know your quarterback.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: He's continued to show why he was that prize free
Speaker 3: agent at that position. And then you know, the rest
Speaker 3: of that group has gotten better and better over the years.
Speaker 3: You know, I know Rod Fitzpatrick, my teammate with the Amazon,
Speaker 3: has plosed with Teddy Karris, so we we get updates
Speaker 3: from Teddy and what a fun guy he is, and
Speaker 3: that group and the interior has really gotten better and better.
Speaker 3: So I think it's a fun group to watch. Maybe
Speaker 3: you know, potentially, you know, the best O line for
Speaker 3: sure that Burrows had since he's been there, and one
Speaker 3: of the better old lines. And you know, in the
Speaker 3: recent memory of Cincinnati, if they continue to progress this way,
Speaker 3: really what they're going to have to lean on though,
Speaker 3: When you've got a special quarterback as unique as Joe,
Speaker 3: you need a special offensive line to go with them.
Speaker 3: And so it's been good to see that group continue
Speaker 3: to get better and better every week.
Speaker 1: Going back to that Super Bowl game you were matched
Speaker 1: up against, Trey Hendrickson has become one of the elite
Speaker 1: pass rushers in the NFL. We've heard that Trey takes
Speaker 1: on a different personality when he's on the field. There's
Speaker 1: on field tray and off field tray. Was it a
Speaker 1: unique experience for you.
Speaker 3: It was you know, he's he's a funny guy man
Speaker 3: on the field, he talks a lot and just a character,
Speaker 3: you know.
Speaker 2: I think there's that famous clip of him and I.
Speaker 3: You know, when a play gets blown dead that he
Speaker 3: keeps rushing and then asked me to stop blocking him
Speaker 3: and like screaming at me by it, and I'm like,
Speaker 3: if you're gonna keep moving, I'm gonna keep moving. That's
Speaker 3: how football works, like, you know, so I don't stop
Speaker 3: till you stop. So it's it's entertaining, but it's fun
Speaker 3: to watch. I mean, he's he's a guy man, his
Speaker 3: energy and passion and he's one of the guys to
Speaker 3: me that that really changed this era of Cincinnati Bengal
Speaker 3: history and the way they play. I mean, honestly on
Speaker 3: that side of the football, the energy and passion he
Speaker 3: plays with, I think that that's who they lean on now,
Speaker 3: especially with some of the safeties gone with Von Bell
Speaker 3: and then Jesse Bates gone. I mean, he's kind of
Speaker 3: that one of those guys that it's like, hey, we're
Speaker 3: gonna look to a veteran on this football team and
Speaker 3: how we play the game of football and compete He's
Speaker 3: that guy. So it's been fun to continue to watch
Speaker 3: him and had a lot of fun playing with him
Speaker 3: in the Super Bowl, just because I'd played him in
Speaker 3: New Orleans a couple of times. But you know, it's
Speaker 3: unique when you go somewhere else and you're kind of
Speaker 3: signed there to be the guy. I think your personality
Speaker 3: comes out a little more. And I thought New Orleans
Speaker 3: I couldn't even remember him speaking, And in Cincinnati he
Speaker 3: was quite a character and we had a good time.
Speaker 1: We're visiting with Andrew Whidworth. You overlapped with Zach Taylor
Speaker 1: for two years in Los Angeles. What are his biggest
Speaker 1: strengths as a leader?
Speaker 2: Oh, man, I.
Speaker 3: Think just consistency and really the pulse he has on
Speaker 3: his guys and his team in his locker room. I mean,
Speaker 3: I can remember him being here and coming to me
Speaker 3: and telling me that he was going to take the
Speaker 3: interview opportunity. And I also remember talking to Duke, you know,
Speaker 3: way before that, even about guys that I thought across
Speaker 3: the league that would be possible candidates.
Speaker 2: And so I was excited to hear that they were
Speaker 2: going to interview.
Speaker 3: Zach and he because he was down one of the
Speaker 3: guys on that list for me, and then to hear
Speaker 3: his act excitement about going there. I can remember him
Speaker 3: talking about Cincinnati with me and us kind of going
Speaker 3: through the city and everything else, and we had some
Speaker 3: good memories of that, and then him getting the job. Man,
Speaker 3: I was so excited for him. I think he's I
Speaker 3: always thought he was this guy to me that like,
Speaker 3: if you've ever played on a team with a really
Speaker 3: good just like a quarterback or backup quarterback who just
Speaker 3: kind of is the guy that you're like, Man, when
Speaker 3: this dude's in the game, you just feel like we're
Speaker 3: gonna do something because he just has that energy and
Speaker 3: belief about himself and just carries himself in a way
Speaker 3: where you know, like when it just comes down to competition,
Speaker 3: we're going to compete in a way that.
Speaker 2: We're gonna have some fun and get after it and
Speaker 2: we're gonna wing it and let it ride.
Speaker 3: And he has that personality and I'm sure his players
Speaker 3: feel that too, that that's who he is. He's a
Speaker 3: fighter and a competer, competitor, and so I think, you know,
Speaker 3: I couldn't be more happy for him.
Speaker 2: Man. I'm really excited to see and continue to watch
Speaker 2: how his coaching career goes.
Speaker 1: There's one player left from your last year in Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: and that's why Tyler Boyd, who's had a great year
Speaker 1: but unfortunately had a costly drop at the end of
Speaker 1: the game last week. As a teammate and friend, how
Speaker 1: would you approach that?
Speaker 3: Oh, Man, I mean, I think you got to remember
Speaker 3: who he's been and what he's been for this franchise.
Speaker 3: I mean, moments are exactly that. They're small moments, and
Speaker 3: that'll be forgotten in three weeks when you know they
Speaker 3: have a chance to get back on this thing. If
Speaker 3: they get back to winning and doing things the right way,
Speaker 3: he'll continue to make plays and be exactly who he's
Speaker 3: always been and.
Speaker 2: Nobody will remember that moment. Man.
Speaker 3: You know, look, setbacks are just great opportunities for amazing comebacks.
Speaker 3: And so anytime you have those moments, I've given up sacks,
Speaker 3: you know, in a critical moment of a game, or
Speaker 3: let a quarterback get hit, or maybe I had your
Speaker 3: best snap. Guys that are wired like Tyler Boyd is man,
Speaker 3: he's gonna have something special happen because that's who he is.
Speaker 3: And you watch those kind of guys play, you know,
Speaker 3: It's almost like having this small thing that you consider
Speaker 3: a setback or a moment that they failed set up
Speaker 3: for an insane run after. And so I expect nothing
Speaker 3: less from him, man, because of the guy he is
Speaker 3: and the competitor is with.
Speaker 1: The Bengals are last in rushing yards per game, They're
Speaker 1: twenty eighth and rushing yards per attempt. Does it matter
Speaker 1: when Burrow and these receivers or do they need to
Speaker 1: get more out of the running game.
Speaker 2: Well, I think you look at it up.
Speaker 3: You know, a lot of people always compare Joe and
Speaker 3: Tom Brady and put them in those sentences of you know, hey,
Speaker 3: these are guys that are similar, those comparisons, and I
Speaker 3: think there is and there's been years where Tom Brady,
Speaker 3: you know, especially in the Tampa years, struggle.
Speaker 2: To run the football.
Speaker 3: His offenses did, but they were still really productive and
Speaker 3: really good football team.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 3: I still think for me, you know, and how I
Speaker 3: love football, I would love to see him, you know,
Speaker 3: find a way to be more effective in the run game.
Speaker 3: I've always said this about him. I mean that's usually
Speaker 3: the first thing that I look to, and when the
Speaker 3: Cincinnati Bengals are running the football well under Joe Burrow.
Speaker 2: They're unstoppable.
Speaker 3: I don't think anybody can stop them offensively if they
Speaker 3: can run the football well, because when they do it
Speaker 3: seems like that offense there's really no answers. And so
Speaker 3: them figuring out the run game and how they can
Speaker 3: run it well and and what situations and who with
Speaker 3: I think that it's a big part of this offense.
Speaker 3: And to me, I put that right there with his
Speaker 3: ability to check the ball down and be able to
Speaker 3: get yards out of that as well, you know, and
Speaker 3: I think that you look over time when Burrow can
Speaker 3: do that, he has the kind of guys that get
Speaker 3: him some yat yardage off of those checkdowns, and also
Speaker 3: the you know, kind of a you know, almost like
Speaker 3: a run, but it's a short version of it, you know,
Speaker 3: and then throwing it. But when you see him be
Speaker 3: able to do that, spread the ball around, get yat yardage,
Speaker 3: and then also them run the football effectively, they're a
Speaker 3: really tough offense to get off the field. And so
Speaker 3: those are really the things I look to when I
Speaker 3: turn on the tape and say, hey, how Cincinnati playing
Speaker 3: up front and how they're playing on offense.
Speaker 1: You see the Thursday Night game every week now with Amazon,
Speaker 1: what's the biggest challenge for players to participate in a
Speaker 1: Thursday night game.
Speaker 3: I mean when I was playing, you know, I don't know.
Speaker 3: I was just one of those guys ever sided with
Speaker 3: the guys who thought it was tough. I mean, to me,
Speaker 3: it's like, you know, if you're a daily rhythm guy,
Speaker 3: to where on Sunday you playing a game, and on
Speaker 3: Monday you come in, you get your lift and you're
Speaker 3: in really your flush or your body and everything else.
Speaker 3: On Tuesday you move. I mean, you look at our week,
Speaker 3: Wednesday and Thursday are usually our roughest, you know, most
Speaker 3: physical days, you know, in our practice schedule anyways, And
Speaker 3: so even later in my career when I didn't practice
Speaker 3: on Wednesdays, Thursday was still like even my career of
Speaker 3: the Rams, I still practiced in every padded practice on
Speaker 3: Thursday because that was our padded day. So I could
Speaker 3: handle that load that day. So to me, when you said,
Speaker 3: all right, man, I get into my rhythm of like
Speaker 3: it's practice Thursday, I'm going in pads playing this game
Speaker 3: and then get a little bit of a bye week
Speaker 3: after it. Man, I was signed up for that any
Speaker 3: week now, maybe that was my age and just want
Speaker 3: a little bit of a break to go in the building.
Speaker 3: But you know, I think to me, the biggest challenge
Speaker 3: really is just, you know, do you have a process.
Speaker 3: And so I think that you see some of these
Speaker 3: guys that maybe they've always trusted their by he just
Speaker 3: heals by the time the next time they play, and
Speaker 3: they're not as on top of those things, take care
Speaker 3: of their body day in and day out, they might
Speaker 3: not enjoy these game as much. But I think if
Speaker 3: you're on top of those type things, then man, you enjoy. Hey, man,
Speaker 3: I get extra couple of days to let the body reset,
Speaker 3: even maybe get more conditioning and different things in that
Speaker 3: I wouldn't only get to get in between games. I've
Speaker 3: always thought to me it was a positive looking at
Speaker 3: this matchup.
Speaker 1: The Ravens defense is number one in the NFL and
Speaker 1: fewest points allowed, number two in yards allowed. What makes
Speaker 1: this defense so formidable?
Speaker 2: Man? They have been special.
Speaker 3: I think, you know, really since the addition of Rokwan Smith,
Speaker 3: you've really seen this defense take that next little step.
Speaker 3: And then they continue to have some guys show up,
Speaker 3: you know, young guys that they relied on. You know,
Speaker 3: that's said, hey, we know these guys eventually are going
Speaker 3: to be who we think they are. And you've seen
Speaker 3: that in their past, Russ, You've seen it in their secondary.
Speaker 3: You know, it's really they're starting to become in a
Speaker 3: group that has a little bit of, you know, similar
Speaker 3: to what Cincinnati had.
Speaker 2: Go on there.
Speaker 3: You know, when you really saw Trey Hendrickson come in
Speaker 3: and DJ Reader and then when Jesse Bates and Von
Speaker 3: Bell and those guys, you almost saw different guys stepping
Speaker 3: up all different levels.
Speaker 2: Of the defense.
Speaker 3: And I think that's one of those things that's really
Speaker 3: made this group tough is that you kind of can
Speaker 3: see playmakers at every different level of it, and they're
Speaker 3: all feeding off of Hey, we got this guy in
Speaker 3: the middle named Rokwan Smith who's a tackling machine. And
Speaker 3: really is that tone center that sets that this is
Speaker 3: the identity and who we are and how we're gonna
Speaker 3: play football.
Speaker 1: Final thing for Andrew Whitworth, what are a couple of
Speaker 1: keys for the Bengals to get out of Baltimore with
Speaker 1: a victory on Thursday night.
Speaker 3: I think they're gonna be really have to be really efficient.
Speaker 3: I mean this team, this team, you know, Baltimore is
Speaker 3: gonna mix it up. They're gonna do some things similar
Speaker 3: to a Buffalo did. Try to disguise mix it up
Speaker 3: a little bit of what they're doing. How they're gonna
Speaker 3: come after you, and they're going to force, you know,
Speaker 3: the Bengals to have some answer for you know what,
Speaker 3: if you're not run the football, we're gonna tee off
Speaker 3: on you. And so they're going to try to make
Speaker 3: Joe get the ball out of his hand, and you
Speaker 3: can't let that pass rush.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna chew.
Speaker 3: But you look at this team Cincinnati typically under Joe
Speaker 3: burrow Man, they've had a response when they've had a
Speaker 3: setback and when they've had a loss, and so it's
Speaker 3: gonna be a lot of fun. And then to see
Speaker 3: Baltimore coming off the two. I mean, somebody was telling
Speaker 3: me the other day that, you know, man, I can't
Speaker 3: believe this happened to us. We got their game and
Speaker 3: they both end up losing. I said, man, this is
Speaker 3: the greatest thing that ever happened to us. Because if
Speaker 3: you know Baltimore and Cincinnati, it's gonna be an absolute
Speaker 3: war come Thursday night, because both these teams do not
Speaker 3: handle losing very well. So it's gonna be fun to
Speaker 3: watch who comes out he gets this done, because I
Speaker 3: know for Cincinnati, you're gonna have to be prepared for
Speaker 3: all the things that this new offense under Lamar really brings.
Speaker 3: It's a different style offense than he's had in the past.
Speaker 3: And then defensively they are really good, so you're gonna
Speaker 3: have to be efficient and you know, hopefully if t
Speaker 3: Higgins is back, you know that'll help them. If not,
Speaker 3: you know what it's gonna be. Jamar Chase is the
Speaker 3: superstar and we're gonna have to prove why.
Speaker 1: Wit after a Hall of Fame career, you are doing
Speaker 1: a fantastic job. It's a broadcaster. It's no surprise. I
Speaker 1: appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you on Thursday.
Speaker 2: Appreciate so much, Sam Man, Thank you always for the time.
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps,
Speaker 1: Proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by
Speaker 1: Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home,
Speaker 1: business and community to a new level, and by Kettering
Speaker 1: Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health
Speaker 1: is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. I've seen
Speaker 1: a lot of references this week to the bengals lousy
Speaker 1: record in primetime games on the road. Our friend Jay Morrison,
Speaker 1: who covers the Bengals for Pro Football Network, pointed out
Speaker 1: this week that they've dropped fourteen in a row. Those
Speaker 1: numbers are accurate, but as I like to point out,
Speaker 1: this is the year for JB as in Joe Burrow.
Speaker 1: Anything before that should be disregarded. Does Andy Dalton throwing
Speaker 1: a pick six in a primetime road game back in
Speaker 1: twenty thirteen really matter now? No, but it's fair to
Speaker 1: point out that the Bengals are zero to four in
Speaker 1: the Borough Era in primetime road games, losing in the
Speaker 1: AFC Championship Game last year at Kansas City, losing twice
Speaker 1: in Cleveland, and losing last year in Baltimore, where Joe
Speaker 1: gave them the lead with a touchdown run with one
Speaker 1: fifty eight to go, only to have Justin Tucker answer
Speaker 1: with a game winning field goal at the gun. When
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow is presented with an obstacle that he hasn't
Speaker 1: been able to overcome in the past, he usually takes
Speaker 1: care of it. Hopefully he'll cross a primetime road win
Speaker 1: off the list on Thursday night. Now time for this
Speaker 1: week's one on one player interview, I caught up with
Speaker 1: thirty three year old Bengals safety Michael Thomas this week.
Speaker 1: The former pro bowler for his special teams excellence is
Speaker 1: on the practice squad this year and hasn't been activated
Speaker 1: for a game yet, but as you'll hear, he continues
Speaker 1: to play an important role thanks to knowledge and leadership. Mike,
Speaker 1: I don't think anybody took the Texans lightly last week.
Speaker 1: I don't really believe that. But in every line of work,
Speaker 1: some weeks you bring your a game and some weeks
Speaker 1: you don't. Did you feel like things were just a
Speaker 1: little bit off last week?
Speaker 4: No, no question. I mean, and we're not gonna make
Speaker 4: any excuses.
Speaker 5: Dan, you turn on that tape and that's not us,
Speaker 5: that's not being a football you know, across the board.
Speaker 5: So you got to look at it. He's like, I
Speaker 5: don't think we thought it was a you know, quote
Speaker 5: unquote trap game, sleeper game, or we're taking them lightly.
Speaker 5: What I do think is that Texans team is probably
Speaker 5: a little better than what the whole NFL probably thought.
Speaker 5: And then two that we just got to play up
Speaker 5: to our standards, played better. Just do our job, that's it.
Speaker 5: And that wasn't the case on Sunday.
Speaker 1: So Houston had a lot of yards in the game.
Speaker 1: Five hundred and forty four yards, three fifty six passing,
Speaker 1: one to eighty eight rushing. You want to fix everything
Speaker 1: if you can, But what's the number one thing you
Speaker 1: us fix?
Speaker 4: Oh, you gotta fix the run game. You gotta fix
Speaker 4: the run game.
Speaker 5: Like and no level of football now Peewee High School College,
Speaker 5: definitely not the NFL is giving up over one hundred
Speaker 5: yards one hundred and fifty something rushing yards acceptable, Right,
Speaker 5: everything starts with stopping them run. You stop the run,
Speaker 5: you make that team one dimensional. You're able to get
Speaker 5: more exotic with the type of calls and pressures. You're
Speaker 5: dictating the game. Right when you allow them to rush
Speaker 5: for over one hundred yards on hundred and fifty yards,
Speaker 5: they're controlling the tembo home. So if you got to
Speaker 5: fix one thing, and trust me, we heard from Lou,
Speaker 5: but we heard it from ourselves as well. But we
Speaker 5: heard from Lou. The one thing you gotta fix this
Speaker 5: our run game. And clearly we're down, guys, But this
Speaker 5: is the NFL, A lot of people down guys, So
Speaker 5: whoever's in there, you got to play up to the standard.
Speaker 4: There can be no drop off. We gotta fix our
Speaker 4: run game.
Speaker 1: We're visiting with safety Michael Thomas. You're part of a
Speaker 1: secondary room with a lot of young guys, Cam Taylor,
Speaker 1: Brits in his second year, Dak Shills in his second year.
Speaker 2: You've got rookies.
Speaker 1: Jordan Battle, DJ Turner, Dji who hasn't played yet but
Speaker 1: will at some point.
Speaker 4: What stands out to you about all these young guys.
Speaker 5: I think is their resiliency and willing to learn quickly
Speaker 5: because this when it is the NFL, this is not
Speaker 5: the college you know what I'm saying, the college game
Speaker 5: that they're just coming from, either in the second year
Speaker 5: or as rookies, like you said, and we're calling on
Speaker 5: them to play significant amount of time and insignificant roles.
Speaker 5: So the fact that they're picking up this playbook, and
Speaker 5: you know lou he you know, he was nicknamed, you know,
Speaker 5: the mad Scientist for a reason. He's switching it up weekend,
Speaker 5: week out, and their attention to detail, coming in you know,
Speaker 5: extra meetings, they're coming in early.
Speaker 4: They're asking the right questions.
Speaker 5: They're going out to practice early, staying out late, doing
Speaker 5: extra drills because they it means something to them and
Speaker 5: they want to be right for all the vets in
Speaker 5: our rooms. So to see them and their growth week
Speaker 5: in and week out, it's impressive. And again at this point,
Speaker 5: you know, ten games into the NFL season or ten weeks,
Speaker 5: you know, you hardly can't even consider them rookies anymore,
Speaker 5: especially with the snap state of played. So you know,
Speaker 5: proud of them, but again, young dudes gotta grow quick
Speaker 5: because we're playing some some almost like playoff football.
Speaker 1: From this point forward, You've grown very close as a
Speaker 1: friend and mentor to Tyson Anderson. He took him under
Speaker 1: your wing last year. He had him over to the
Speaker 1: house for Thanksgiving dinner. He was hurt last year and
Speaker 1: unfortunately towards ACL a few weeks ago against San Francisco.
Speaker 2: How is he doing?
Speaker 1: And how did that one hit you?
Speaker 5: Yeah, that one hit hard one because time on Tasor,
Speaker 5: you just just spent so much time and invested so
Speaker 5: much you know, time and energy to help this young man,
Speaker 5: you know, make that transition from college to the NFL, right,
Speaker 5: and you know what type of player he wants to be.
Speaker 5: So I'm doing everything in my power giving him all
Speaker 5: the game and now said, I have known that eventually
Speaker 5: he's going to be the one that steps in and plays,
Speaker 5: and that's fine. I want to see it. So you
Speaker 5: start seeing the success. Before he left, he was leading
Speaker 5: the league in the NFL special teams tackles and then
Speaker 5: to boom get hurt again for a season and you know, injury.
Speaker 5: That's tough. But he's in good spirits. I know his
Speaker 5: surgery went well. Uh talked to him just yesterday. You know,
Speaker 5: keeping him up in spirits because this is a journey.
Speaker 5: He's gonna go through a process where you know, might
Speaker 5: be some dark days. But just like your rookie year,
Speaker 5: you kept working, you kept grinding, knowing that at some
Speaker 5: point you don't know when, At some point it's gonna
Speaker 5: pay off, and it paid off this way, it's gonna
Speaker 5: be the same thing. As a matter of fact, this
Speaker 5: story is gonna be even greater because now you've proven
Speaker 5: you can play at a high level in the NFL.
Speaker 5: Goings to the special teams or defense. Let's get through
Speaker 5: this injury, come back stronger.
Speaker 4: You'll be fine.
Speaker 2: Mike.
Speaker 1: Here in your twelfth NFL season.
Speaker 2: You're a former pro bowler.
Speaker 1: You played more than one hundred and twenty NFL games,
Speaker 1: but this year you're on the practice squad and haven't
Speaker 1: been elevated to the game day roster yet.
Speaker 4: How have you dealt with That's.
Speaker 5: An interesting question, Dan, And to be honest, my perspective
Speaker 5: is different at thirty three versus that twenty two and
Speaker 5: twenty three year old kid coming out of college.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 5: It's it's one of those things where it's like, look,
Speaker 5: I'm gonna prepare every day like, yo, I'm gonna be
Speaker 5: that speed I running down on kick oven oh if
Speaker 5: we you know, getting the pinch and need another dB
Speaker 5: play wherever in the secondary, I'm preparing every week like that.
Speaker 5: And now versus at twenty three, I understand that these
Speaker 5: young guys well, even though I might not be able
Speaker 5: to help them by being a teammate on the field,
Speaker 5: I can help them with my knowledge and I can
Speaker 5: see the mistakes that are made. I can see the
Speaker 5: issues that they might face even before they get there,
Speaker 5: and just trying to like help them ask those questions,
Speaker 5: help them, you know, change their alignments, help them with
Speaker 5: their technique. And for me not being elevated and playing.
Speaker 5: Yet I'm still finding gratification and seeing them go out
Speaker 5: and execute on something we might have worked on personally,
Speaker 5: not something the coach asked us to do.
Speaker 4: He and asked me to go.
Speaker 5: You know, I had these extra meetings, not something that
Speaker 5: you know, I'm trying to do so I can get
Speaker 5: brownie points so I could get elevated. It's just out
Speaker 5: of pure love for the game, because I had vets
Speaker 5: mentor meet and love for these young dudes that I'm
Speaker 5: going out there and helping them. And I see them
Speaker 5: go out there execute that and.
Speaker 4: Go make a play.
Speaker 5: That's the best, best feeling. The world almost closes like
Speaker 5: I'm making the play. So I'm handling it well and
Speaker 5: just knowing that, Hey, if that opportunity comes where I'm
Speaker 5: called upon a play, I'll be ready.
Speaker 4: But even if it's not, Dan, I'm good. I'm good, blessed.
Speaker 1: I asked safeties coach Robert Livingston what your willingness to
Speaker 1: be on the practice squad means to the team. Here's
Speaker 1: what he said, Oh, it means the world.
Speaker 6: You know, Mike is as special as anybody I've ever
Speaker 6: been around. Mike could could do anything in the world.
Speaker 6: He could work at Procter and Gamble. He could be
Speaker 6: in the government, he could be in secret service, he
Speaker 6: could do anything. And he's here with us, and he's
Speaker 6: away from his family, and he's he's putting himself through
Speaker 6: you know what a lot of other thirty three year
Speaker 6: olds won't do for the for the good of the team.
Speaker 6: You know, we talk all the time about a team
Speaker 6: mentality and what does that look like. That looks like
Speaker 6: Mike Thomas. So he's a special, special guy. I think
Speaker 6: the world of him. I do anything in the world
Speaker 6: for him. You know, He's made me a better person,
Speaker 6: a better coach, and just really grateful to have him.
Speaker 1: What do those words mean to you and what do
Speaker 1: you think your impact is?
Speaker 5: I mean, you know, Dan, I try to be tough,
Speaker 5: but I get emotions sometimes, so I will not get
Speaker 5: choked up right here. But Rob's a great man and
Speaker 5: been a great mentor. And it's for the secondary for
Speaker 5: the past three years since I've been here. And I
Speaker 5: appreciate those words by you. Rob means more than you know,
Speaker 5: especially right now. But for me, hearing those things of
Speaker 5: what other people's perspective of me and how they see
Speaker 5: me think of me Man. I mean, I don't do
Speaker 5: any of this for that, Dan, but you know it,
Speaker 5: like anybody else, it feels good to hear those things.
Speaker 5: But for me, Man, just being the best teammate, best
Speaker 5: person every single day when I walk through those doors,
Speaker 5: that's just me and I'm gonna continue to do that
Speaker 5: regardless of what my role is. Dan.
Speaker 1: A couple of Baltimore specific questions. Now, this game was
Speaker 1: already going to be important, but after last week, what
Speaker 1: are your feelings about this matchup now?
Speaker 4: Right?
Speaker 5: I mean, like you said, it's the visual game, almost
Speaker 5: rivalry feeling game, right, regardless of what the circumstance is.
Speaker 5: But now that you add five and four, that's the reality.
Speaker 5: We can't hide from that, right, five and four? And
Speaker 5: then you look across the AFC. Everyone's kind of sitting
Speaker 5: right there. You know, everybody's within range, like maybe two
Speaker 5: games out, three games out the best. You don't want
Speaker 5: to say must win, but the sense of urgency needs
Speaker 5: to be high, right, and you can feel it. And
Speaker 5: it's a short week, so you're battling that, right, You're
Speaker 5: battling you know, injuries. Now you're going to face a
Speaker 5: tough Baltimore team that before this week, you know, taking
Speaker 5: that loss to Cleveland, they were on the road, so
Speaker 5: we were hitting that stride. We're dealing with a lot.
Speaker 5: We're both coming off tough losses. We're both coming, i mean,
Speaker 5: going into a short week on Thursday night football. So
Speaker 5: the challenge is there in itself with all those elements,
Speaker 5: but I think understanding the landscapes the AFC and the
Speaker 5: goals of us trying to make it to the playoffs.
Speaker 5: Win a division, make it to the playoffs. This is
Speaker 5: a must win. And I think the cyst, the urgency
Speaker 5: in this locker run by every single player, by every
Speaker 5: single coach. I mean it's felt, but it's not a
Speaker 5: nervous energy. It's just it's time. Does this rivalry feel different,
Speaker 5: Oh definitely. I Mean, like I said, I it was
Speaker 5: fortunate enough to play, you know, for a couple of
Speaker 5: different teams in the NFL, a couple different divisions, and.
Speaker 4: They don't really have.
Speaker 5: That college feel, you know, like, yo, yeah, that's our rivalry,
Speaker 5: you know, that's the team we got to beat in
Speaker 5: the division. But it's not that much emotion invested with here.
Speaker 5: You can see it with the fans, you just feeling
Speaker 5: you see them all throughout the week talking about it,
Speaker 5: wearing orange around. You know what I'm saying. The stadium
Speaker 5: just just in Cincinnati. We know when we go over
Speaker 5: to that stadium, it's gonna be a hostile environment. I've
Speaker 5: never felt that in NFL until I played here. Going
Speaker 5: to one of those stadiums, it's gonna be electric. It's
Speaker 5: Thursday night football, so we're excited. There's a lot of energy.
Speaker 5: That's all were talking about braining the energy this week.
Speaker 5: So this rivalry, it was already tense and heated the
Speaker 5: two games back to back last year. I remember that
Speaker 5: like the back of you know what I'm saying, like
Speaker 5: it was yesterday. Oh man, So it's gonna it's gonna
Speaker 5: be sparts, gonna be flying. I'm trying to trying to
Speaker 5: keep it right now, Davids, this boy's gonna be flying.
Speaker 5: It's gonna be heated as Thursday night football.
Speaker 4: Let's go.
Speaker 1: I'm with Rob Livingston. I'm grateful you're on this team.
Speaker 1: Always appreciate your time. Best of luck this week from
Speaker 1: thank you so much.
Speaker 4: Man.
Speaker 1: The Bengals are currently a four point underdog for Thursday's
Speaker 1: game as they look to boost their chances of winning
Speaker 1: the AFC North for the third year in a row.
Speaker 1: That's going to do it. For this episode of the
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Speaker 1: I'm Dan Hord and thanks for listening to The Bengals
Speaker 1: Booth Podcast.