WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Let The Healing Begin 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.400 Hi, Get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and this is the 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:11.720 Bengals Booth Podcast. Let the Healing begin. Addition, as the 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:14.400 injury ravage Bengals take the field for the final time 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:17.479 in twenty eighteen, looking to end the season on a 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:22.079 winning note and potentially knock the Pittsburgh Steelers out of 0:00:22.079 --> 0:00:25.400 the playoffs if the Baltimore Ravens don't do it. First 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:28.479 coming up, my broadcast partner Dave Lapham joins me to 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:32.479 discuss several key topics, ranging from the murky future of 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:37.240 linebacker Vantz Berfect to whether this season qualifies as the 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:42.040 most disappointing that lap has experienced in forty three years 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:45.960 as a Bengals player and or broadcaster. There have been 0:00:46.040 --> 0:00:49.120 some bright spots, including twenty three year old Sam Hubbard. 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:52.440 I'll talk to the molar High and Ohio State grad 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:55.400 before the final game of his rookie season, and in 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:58.120 this week's No The Faux segment, we'll get the Steelers 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:01.440 scoop from the always entered hating Tim Ben's, a long 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.880 time buddy of mine who is a columnist and radio 0:01:04.959 --> 0:01:08.399 host in Pittsburgh. All of that is straight ahead, but first, 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:10.960 here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:15.200 edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:20.440 or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, or pod Bean. 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:27.640 It's the greatest inventions since solar powered Christmas lights a 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:30.440 great way to decorate the house. They work by gathering 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:34.360 in sunlight during the day, then emitting light when it's 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:40.080 not sunny, such as nighttime. They're affordable, eco friendly, and safe, 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:43.319 and you don't have to worry about where your power 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:47.800 outlets are located outside the house. Now, let's get to football. 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:51.880 The first meeting between the Bengals and Steelers seems like 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:54.160 it was two years ago rather than two and a 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:57.560 half months ago. Heading into that game, the Bengals were 0:01:57.560 --> 0:02:01.040 four and one and the Steelers were two two and one, 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:05.200 and with one minute and eighteen seconds to go, it 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:08.080 looked like Cincinnati was about to have a two and 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:12.400 a half game lead over Pittsburgh in mid October, second 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:15.040 down and three at the Steelers four, the Bengals down 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:18.400 by six, Dalton hands it off to Mix Churches into 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:24.720 the end zone, touchdown Bengals. Cincinnati has tied the game 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:29.160 with one eighteen left, and the Bengals can take the 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:32.880 lead when Randy Bullock lines up for the extra point. 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:36.040 Bullock made the kick, but as you know, the lead 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:40.840 didn't last. Ben Roethlisberger calmly drove the Steelers down the field, 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.720 thanks in part to a third and ten defensive holding 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:50.160 penalty against Drake Kirkpatrick. With fifteen seconds left, the Steelers 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:53.600 were at the Bengals thirty one, and the Bengals defensive 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:57.720 coordinator at the time, Tarall Austin, elected the gamble. The 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:01.079 Bengals have nobody back deep. They are crowding the line 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:05.120 of scrimmage. Roethlisberger catches the shotgun snap quick throw of 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:07.959 the mental cup. Antonio Brown sprinting down the middle of 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:11.120 the field. He's into the end zone for as Steeler's 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:15.640 touchdown with ten seconds left. Since that touchdown pass, the 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:18.880 Bengals are two and seven and the following players have 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:23.760 gone on injured reserve Andy Dalton, A J. Greene, Carl Lawson, 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:29.880 Tyler Croft, Preston Brown, Josh Tupo, and Adolphus Washington. There 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:33.920 are others, but you get the point that when for 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:36.680 the Steelers was the second of a six game winning 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:40.400 streak that put them at seven two and one with 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:42.920 a two and a half game lead over Baltimore in 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:46.400 the AFC North, but it's been an epic fail in 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:49.880 the Steel City since the Steelers have dropped four out 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:54.040 of their last five games, despite having second half leads 0:03:54.520 --> 0:03:58.240 in all five. And in the Steelers case, it is 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:03.160 not injury related. Pittsburgh is only missing one starter from 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:07.200 opening day, right tackle Marcus Gilbert, who went on injured 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:11.280 reserve in mid December. Now time for this week's visit 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:15.320 with my broadcast partner, Dave Lapham Lap. Between playing and broadcasting, 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:17.599 you've been part of this franchise for forty three of 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:20.440 its fifty one years, considering the four and one start 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:23.160 this year, that was almost five and one before they 0:04:23.160 --> 0:04:26.039 got Roethlisberger. Does this go down as one of the 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:29.840 most disappointing seasons ever? I think when you look at 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:32.679 it in that regard, because there was such high hopes. 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:34.720 I know when we talked a bunch of times watching 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:37.599 them during training camp, were like, man, this looks like 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:40.320 could be pretty good. I think people, you know, they 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:42.720 didn't have them under the radar. They had him off 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:45.760 the radar. I mean, they were dismissed totally. People were 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:50.440 saying four wins Max and we thought differently when we 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:52.640 saw how it was being put together. You have a 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:54.799 chance to see it every day and how it's being assembled, 0:04:55.120 --> 0:04:57.800 and they get off to that great start, and offensively 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:01.760 there was something to watch. And then the beginning of 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:04.719 it was Tyler Eiffort. When Tyler Eiffort was lost for 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:08.520 the season, that started the downslide, and the football god said, 0:05:08.720 --> 0:05:10.839 not so fast, my friend, it's not going to be 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:13.839 the kind of year you think when Effort was in there. 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:19.120 When you have a tight end AJ Green, you can 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:21.400 double team, but then Iffort's going to eat if you 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:24.080 double Effort. You can't double AJ's easily because there's a 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:26.760 run threat too. With Tyler Eiffort in the game. We 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:28.880 talked about it many times. Every snap he played, they 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:31.000 went nickel because they couldn't match up with him in 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.440 the passing game. They didn't want a linebacker on them, 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:35.560 so they'd bring in a smaller body to, you know, 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:38.160 be able to run with him with his excellence and 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:40.040 route running, and then they could bunch it up and 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:42.720 run in those smaller people. And the first two games 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:44.800 of the season they scored thirty four points in each game, 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:49.240 and they look dynamic offensively, Tyler Boyd, you know, was 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.960 showing some things as a third option. So you have Effort, 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:55.400 you have Aj Green, you have Tyler Eiffort, Andy Andy 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:58.600 Dalton is just you know, making Pittsburgh get out of 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:01.080 their blitz. I mean, Baltimore Ravens get out of their 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:04.400 blitz pattern. You know, It's like Wink Martindale wanted to 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:07.760 blitz every single snap and he said no, Moss. I 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:09.760 mean he went like a quarter and a half without 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:13.320 blitzing at all. So it's like, Wow, these guys are 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:18.040 looking pretty good and then the injury started and they 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:21.800 never did recover. And you know it's like I'm telling people, uh, 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:24.680 you know, over the weekend here going into the Pits, 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:28.359 this Pittsburgh game, how would the Pittsburgh Steels look without 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:32.880 Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Juju Smith Schuster. I don't know, 0:06:32.920 --> 0:06:34.600 but I'd like to see it. I know that'd be 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:36.960 that'd be a lot easier for Marvin Lewis to defend. 0:06:37.440 --> 0:06:41.280 I mean, this foot this Bengals football team isn't is 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:44.520 nowhere near the team that started out the season, not 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:48.560 even close, not even close. And you know, fifteen guys 0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:50.960 on injury reserve that's not to count guys that missed 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:53.359 two or more games. I think it would be easier 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:56.200 to say the number of guys on the roster that 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:00.120 played sixteen games. Not many of them. I mean, they 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:03.159 might go on one hand they've missed guys for two 0:07:03.240 --> 0:07:05.960 or more games, a bunch in some for half a 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:09.240 dozen games or more. And you know you're not gonna 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:12.040 have Vontes Berfett playing this game against Pittsburgh. You're not 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:14.440 gonna have dray Ker Patrick played against in this game 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:19.120 against Pittsburgh. You're gonna be depleted offensively, defensively. It's a 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:21.240 it's a shame when you look at the way the 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:23.960 season started, what could have been, and the way it 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:26.800 ended up. Man, the football gods, Oh you won the 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:30.560 big time lab. Vontes Berfeckt began the year on suspension, 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:33.360 he never played that well once he was active, and 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:36.640 last week in Cleveland he suffered his seventh known concussion 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:40.120 in seven NFL seasons. He's twenty eight, he's got two 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.800 years left on his contract. What does Vontes Berfick's NFL 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:48.080 future hold, Well, that's a that's a great question. It 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:52.040 doesn't look promising for him. Honestly, that many concussions and 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:55.120 that short of time frame is a concern. You know, 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:59.040 if you're Vontes berfect, you're probably thinking about getting hurt 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:02.600 and you're thinking you're gonna get fined every time you play. 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.040 You think you're a marked man, and your style of 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:08.880 play is conducive to the concussions that he's had. So 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:15.440 to me, it doesn't look promising. He didn't play as 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:20.040 well as he's played in years past. There was an injury. 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:23.560 He's had a history of injury and suspension. The amount 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:28.000 of money he's given back the league could support small 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:31.280 communities in the country. It's amazing. You know. You just 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:33.240 don't no matter how much money you make, you don't 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:34.960 want to give a big chunk of it back. That's 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:38.480 for darn sure. So it's interesting. The Bengals have a 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:40.559 big decision to make there. That's one of their bigger 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.600 decisions I think in the offseason. If the Bengals allow 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:46.360 twenty two or more points this week, they will break 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:49.120 the franchise record from most points allowed in a season. 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:51.640 Let's take a look at each level of the defense 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:55.959 defensive line, linebackers, in secondary. Where must they improve in 0:08:56.000 --> 0:09:00.680 each of those areas well. I think in the defensive line, 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:05.200 i'd maybe try to get another big interior guy, you 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:08.679 know Glasgow and two Power. I mean they're they're on injuriserve. 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:11.400 Glasgow is playing very well. I think i'd try to 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:13.960 get another one, though not real high in the draft. 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:18.400 It might be my you know, third priority in the draft. 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.800 My first priority's offensive line tackle. With what's happened, I mean, 0:09:21.920 --> 0:09:24.520 Certico Bay, he's catching his chips. Fisher, you don't know 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:26.800 if you can play because of the physical aspect of it, 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:28.960 So they're going to find a tackle. It's a good 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:30.760 one down an old mess. Wouldn't mind to see him 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:35.160 up there in the first round. But and then second round, 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:40.000 I'd probably go linebacker because we've seen how they've been attacked, 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:44.360 they've been put in space. The only linebacker win healthy 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:47.200 that you know, shows that he can do what needs 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:51.160 to be done is Nick vigil. You know, they need 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:53.480 to they need to get a little bit better in 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:58.040 that area. So I draft I draft a linebacker that 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:02.800 is a linebacker that fits day's NFL almost like a 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:06.360 hybrid safety linebacker type guy, guy that can stay on 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:07.760 the field and defend the run. But if you put 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:10.960 them in space, it's not an embarrassment because we've seen 0:10:11.000 --> 0:10:13.520 how teams have attacked the Bengals linebacker level at tight 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:18.400 ends with running backs with shallow crosses from every position group, receiver, 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:22.320 tight end or running back. Those crossers. I mean, I 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:24.400 think every Bengal fan when they close their eyes in 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:26.560 the offseason going to see crossing routes up on the 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:30.400 ceiling and instead of with the back of their eyelids. 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:34.079 But so that's that's where I'd really make a move 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:38.599 is at the linebacker position. But I would like to 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:43.000 see them if there's a good interior defensive lineman in 0:10:43.040 --> 0:10:46.440 that in that third round kind of area, you know, 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:50.880 go go that route as well. Secondary. Yeah, I mean, 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:54.080 you can never have enough, you know, corners obviously, and 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:56.640 they've had a history of drafting corners in the first round. 0:10:56.640 --> 0:10:58.920 I don't think they go that route, you know, this year. 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:03.560 I do think they've got a budding star in Jesse 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.800 Bates at the safety position. I think he's he's going 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:09.280 to be here for a long time barring injury. Knock 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:12.760 on wood for everybody in that regard. But you know, 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:16.960 you can always there's no harm in bringing bodies in 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:19.640 to compete at the safety or cornerback position for sure. 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:23.720 The Bengals wrap up the season at Pittsburgh. The Steelers 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:26.800 are seven two and one after ten games, but after 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:29.360 losing four out of their last five, they are currently 0:11:29.480 --> 0:11:33.920 out of the playoffs unless they beat the Bengals on Sunday, 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:36.960 and it's a big end. The Cleveland Browns go to 0:11:36.960 --> 0:11:39.360 Baltimore and beat the Ravens, who are red hot. Are 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:44.400 you surprised the Steelers are where they are? Some but 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:47.839 not totally. I maintain that when Bell decided he was 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:51.600 done with Pittsburgh, that's when it started. They thought seven 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:54.280 two and one, Bell still could return for the final 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:56.760 six games of the season. Man, we get a boost, 0:11:56.840 --> 0:11:59.680 man like Bell comes back. Are you kidding me? We're 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:03.720 go now we're a super Bowl favorite. Nope, not coming back. 0:12:04.400 --> 0:12:07.640 The offensive lineman kept saying, oh yeah, he keeps communicating 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:09.199 with us he's coming back, coming, And then all of 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:12.160 a sudden, you know, they're all mad because he's not 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:16.240 doing what he says he's going to do. So not 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:19.400 only is he causing a wedge, you know, in that 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:22.199 communication aspect of it, then when he doesn't return at all, 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:25.439 I really think that was the straw that that loaded 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:28.240 up the camel's back. I really do, because the guy 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:30.920 is so dynamic in the running game, in the pass game. 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.319 I mean, he's as big a weapon for Ben as 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:36.520 he is, you know, on the ground. And Connor, you know, 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:38.080 made the Pro Bowl, I mean a good year, but 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:41.000 a Belle is a different breed of cat. And then 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:44.920 Connor has gotten nicked up. So and then you look 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:48.480 at their turnover ratio. What team has made the playoffs 0:12:48.520 --> 0:12:51.920 going minus ten? That's that's very, very difficult. They're they're 0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:54.040 a good football team. Many of the games that they've 0:12:54.080 --> 0:12:57.280 lost in this little stretch you think many they're a 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:59.920 better team, they played better. How do they lose that game? 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.840 How did that happen? I think part of it is, 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:07.080 you know, Leveon Bell helps you close games. Not having 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:10.560 him is a big, big deal. There's there's no doubt 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:12.960 about it. I mean, that would be like having you know, 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:17.840 the best back in Bengals franchise history decide ten games 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:20.079 of the season. I'm going somewhere else. I mean that 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:22.920 that would be crippling mentally to a football team. And 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:26.280 I think that's where it started. Thanks Lap, the Steelers 0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:29.120 have won the last seven meetings between the two rivals, 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:33.200 including the infamous melt down at Paul Brown in the 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:37.760 twenty fifteen wild Card game. Pittsburgh's longest ever winning streak 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:41.520 against Cincinnati was eight straight from nineteen ninety one to 0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:45.720 ninety four. The Bengals longest winning streak against the Steelers 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:50.160 was sixth straight from eighty eight to ninety when Ben 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:55.360 Roethlisberger was in elementary school. Ben is thirty six now, 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:59.880 meaning that when he started his NFL career, Sam Hubbard 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:04.160 was an elementary school. I spoke to Sam this week. 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:06.600 We are in the locker room with rookie Sam Hubbard, 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:09.360 one of the bright spots this season. I would say, 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:12.440 evaluate what you've done well your rookie year and where 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:14.200 you still need to think you need to get better. 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:16.360 I think I did a good job coming in. You know, 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:19.600 you got a lot of coaches trust and teammates trust 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:22.960 to earn. I think I came in worked hard and 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:25.720 I did what I was asked to do, and you 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:28.160 know earned the coaches trusting my trusting my teammates to 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:29.920 get on the field more and throughout the year played 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:32.760 more and more. I had a bigger role, and you know, 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:35.480 got really comfortable as the season went on. I think 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:38.680 just everything comes down to enhancing what I've done this 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:40.680 year for next year, because I'll have a leg a 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:44.600 big role in a varied role. Four or seventy snaps 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:48.320 on defense, two eighteen on special teams, twelve on offense. 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:51.960 Has that all been a bit of a surprise? I 0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:53.600 mean that's what I set out to do. You know, 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:57.160 I'm not a surprise. You know, I accomplished a goal 0:14:57.440 --> 0:15:00.200 that I playing a lot and having a big all 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:03.080 on this team this year. But um, you know, it's 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:06.120 it's a blessing that I've been on the field that 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:09.080 much and contributed that much. One of the highlights last 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:11.960 week was Clayton Federlem's block punt in Cleveland, and he 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.680 gave you all the credit after the game. Can you 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:17.080 describe what you did on that play? Yeah, it's just 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:19.320 a two man, two man game. I don't want to 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:22.320 talk too much. Scheme between me and Clayton and the 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:25.960 PP and the snapper of the punt team, and my 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:27.960 job was to beat the snapper across the face. I 0:15:28.040 --> 0:15:31.480 did that and PP had no choice to pick me 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:33.600 up and double tee me and that like Clayton go 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:36.240 free and you know, that's just what teammates do and 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:39.640 I'm happy to do it pp being personal protector. After 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:41.720 the game, Joe Mixon said, I've never been part of 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:44.560 a losing program, and I can promise you it's not 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:47.040 going to be that way for long. And Cincinnati you 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:50.280 saw that and tweeted you couldn't have said it better yourself. 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.280 What gives you that confidence? I just think we got 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:55.240 uh you know, guys didn't hear that want to win? 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:58.760 You know they're they're frustrated. You know, we got people 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:01.280 out of practice that are put in the work and 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:03.640 we really just want to change the culture to a 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:07.520 winning attitude around here. And that's easier said to do 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:10.120 than to do. But it all just comes down and 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:11.960 putting in the work and backing up what we're saying 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:15.840 with our actions. And that's personally what I'm gonna do. 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:19.120 We're visiting with Sam Hubbard. In your college football career, 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:22.560 you don't get summers off after your final college season, 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:25.120 you're preparing for the draft. That's a full time job. 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:28.240 When you complete your rookie year, you finally get the 0:16:28.280 --> 0:16:31.360 opportunity if you choose to to take a little time off. 0:16:31.400 --> 0:16:33.360 Have you given that any thought? Oh? Yeah, you know, 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:36.000 I haven't had more than a week off or a 0:16:36.040 --> 0:16:37.920 week and a half, two weeks off in about five 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:41.200 or six years. But you know, it's gonna be nice 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:43.720 to get a few weeks off and just you know, 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.640 let my body rest and recover, my mind recover, and 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:48.080 you know, then I'm excited to get back in the 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:50.040 weight room and getting ready for next year. A couple 0:16:50.040 --> 0:16:52.520 more questions for Sam Hubbard. You finished the season against 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:56.200 the Steelers on October fourteenth. Was it strange to look 0:16:56.240 --> 0:17:00.480 across the line of scrimmage and see and hear Ben Roethlisberger. Yeah, 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:03.480 it was crazy. I think you're you know, you watch 0:17:03.720 --> 0:17:06.000 watch those games for years growing up, and you got 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.320 you got big Ben across from you, and Steelers offensive 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:11.520 line trying to protect them, and you know, I was 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:15.560 still still young early in the season trying to survive. 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.160 I feel like I'm a lot more comfortable this this 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:22.520 uh time around, and hopefully get some pressure on the quarterback. 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:25.040 That old line is widely regarded as one of the 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:27.520 best in the NFL. Did you feel that way facing 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:29.679 them the first time? Yeah, you know, they get a 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:32.280 lot of credit for a reason. Um, they work very 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:35.400 well with the quarterback and you know, extending plays and 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:38.040 keeping guys away from Big Ben, so you can sling it. 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:41.400 But um, yeah, I mean across the board, I think 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:44.480 one of the three all Pro guys and uh, we 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:46.280 got a big challenge, but I think we got enough 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:48.919 on our side too to have a big impact on 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:52.359 the game. Last thing for Sam Hubbard, you potentially could 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:54.960 knock the Steelers out of the playoffs on Sunday as 0:17:54.960 --> 0:17:58.359 a Cincinnati area kid. Does that add anything to this 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:02.240 final game? Oh? Of course, you know you wanna, wanna, 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:05.200 you want to win this game. We've lost quite a funeral, 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:08.120 and you know we're, like I said earlier, we're focusing 0:18:08.160 --> 0:18:12.440 on ourselves and seeing what we can do to be 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:16.000 better as a team and an organization. But obviously we 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:19.400 got a little something something extra this week. Let's play 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:22.320 for Congrats on a great rookie here, thank you. Sam 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:24.840 Hubbard has six sacks this season to rank third on 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:28.000 the team, behind Geno Atkins, who has ten, and Carlos 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:31.119 Dunlap who has eight. Now time for this week's No 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:33.680 the Faux segment. As we take a closer look at 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:38.360 the upcoming opponent, and this week our expert is Tim Bens, 0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:42.640 a columnist and radio host in Pittsburgh. He joined Dave 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:45.160 Lapham and me on the Bengals Game Plan Show this week, 0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:49.200 and I started our conversation by asking Tim about a 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:53.160 column he wrote after Pittsburgh's heartbreaking loss to the Saints 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:58.040 last Sunday. The headline of the column read, Steelers deserved 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:01.720 the coal they got in their stockings. Well, you know, 0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:04.680 that loss against New Orleans was a tough break. They 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:08.119 had some bad calls against them, they had some misfortune. 0:19:08.440 --> 0:19:10.800 Tomlin rolled the dice and went for a fake hunt 0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:13.119 when I don't think you should have, but you know, 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:15.159 all in the name of being aggressive and so forth. 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:17.960 I think I walked away from that Saints game saying, 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:19.440 if you go on the road and you have a 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:21.960 lead in the fourth quarter against New Orleans, a team 0:19:22.000 --> 0:19:24.800 that's lost only twice all year, if you play that 0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:28.680 game in Week nine, you could walk away saying, hey, 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:30.399 we gave it a great effort. We kind of got 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:33.600 screwed over by some Carls. Live to fight another day, 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:35.560 and let's go forward the rest of the season and 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:38.719 maybe we can pull some positives off of this. But 0:19:38.800 --> 0:19:41.119 you can't do that when you put yourself in the 0:19:41.160 --> 0:19:45.840 position that they did by losing two Oakland, by blowing 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:50.119 a lead against DLA Chargers, by losing at the Denver Broncos, 0:19:50.200 --> 0:19:53.560 by tying the Browns the Fort Baker Mayfield was the 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:56.360 quarterback back in Week one when they had multiple opportunities 0:19:56.359 --> 0:19:58.639 to win that game. You know, they're not going to 0:19:58.720 --> 0:20:02.000 miss the playoffs because they lost the game in New Orleans. 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:04.359 They deserve a better faith. That team that played against 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:07.159 New Orleans deserved a better faith. The overall team of 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:10.920 twenty plants does not because of those performances. And it's 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:14.639 something we have seen on numerous occasions under Mike Tomlins. 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:18.160 Good Steeler teams left out of the playoffs five hundred 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:20.679 and above Steeler teams left out of the playoffs because 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:23.960 they lose to lesser competition and tim it seems like, 0:20:24.160 --> 0:20:27.639 you know the thing that the barometer that holds true, 0:20:27.680 --> 0:20:31.160 it's a football axiom turnovers. You know, you're minus ten. 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:33.560 You don't have many playoff teams that are minus ten. 0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:38.199 You know, after fifteen football games only fifteen takeaways. I mean, 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:40.920 they're not doing either well. They're only take The Bengals 0:20:40.960 --> 0:20:43.160 have more takeaways in the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have two 0:20:43.160 --> 0:20:46.479 more takeaways and they have eight fewer giveaways. I mean, 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:49.240 Pittsburgh's given it away twenty five times. The Bengals are 0:20:49.240 --> 0:20:53.680 even seventeen takeaways, seventeen gives. If the Steelers were even 0:20:53.720 --> 0:20:57.560 instead of minus ten, shoot, they maybe be like, you know, 0:20:57.640 --> 0:21:01.919 eleven three and one. Yeah, Steelers are even versus minus 0:21:01.960 --> 0:21:04.520 ten and that probably means that they haven't turned it 0:21:04.600 --> 0:21:07.000 over what was it three times in Denver and win 0:21:07.119 --> 0:21:09.640 that game. And ye, maybe it's because the fumbles against 0:21:09.680 --> 0:21:11.639 dew Orleans. They win that one. At least they're keeping 0:21:11.680 --> 0:21:14.480 pace and where a game ahead of Baltimore where Baltimore 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:16.280 would they need help to get in as a wild card. 0:21:16.920 --> 0:21:19.000 You're right about that. I think if you continue to 0:21:19.000 --> 0:21:20.960 look at those notes you got in the turnover column, 0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:23.640 I'm pretty sure when you look at differential not wrong, 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:26.000 and that the only four teams that are worse than 0:21:26.000 --> 0:21:28.119 them in differential or non playoff teams that have been 0:21:28.119 --> 0:21:31.480 eliminated already. Yeah, that's the case. You're right. They're twenty 0:21:31.520 --> 0:21:34.720 eighth in the NFL and the only four are are 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:37.840 not playoff contention exactly right, you know that, yeah, killer. 0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:40.600