WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: High Hopes 0:00:03.560 --> 0:00:06.359 Hi, gain everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.360 --> 0:00:10.880 the Bengals Booth Podcast. The had to have high high 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:14.360 hopes for a living. Didn't know how, but I always 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:17.800 had a feeling. Addition, as we hear from a national 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:21.599 sports talk show and TV host who has high hopes 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:25.479 for the Bengals this season and beyond. Plus, it's week 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:28.400 three of voluntary spring practices, and I'll talk to Dave 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:32.199 Lapham about Joe burrows improved arm strength, what the team 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:35.320 is likely doing when the media is not allowed to watch, 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:38.879 and lap will answer the questions you submitted on Twitter, 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:43.440 including this classic what's the biggest animal you think you 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:47.599 could wrestle? The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by bud Light. 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:51.280 Seltzer refreshed the game and here's a quick reminder that 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:54.200 you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:58.440 right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, 0:00:58.560 --> 0:01:02.360 Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean. It's the greatest thing 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:08.520 since Chloe Kovaleski. The US Women's Open Golf Championship took 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.360 place in San Francisco last week, and the leader in 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:15.680 driving distance at the end of round one was Chloe Kovaleski, 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:19.800 who averaged three hundred three yards off the tea that 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:23.560 was about ten yards ahead of any other player. Now 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:29.080 here's the catch. Chloe is fourteen years old. She was 0:01:29.120 --> 0:01:31.800 the youngest player to qualify for the US Women's Open 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:34.360 this year, and while she missed the cut after shooting 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:37.720 eighty one eighty one, I have a strong feeling that 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:41.440 golf fans will be hearing the name Chloe Kovaleski for 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:45.319 many years to come. Now let's get to my first guest. 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:48.280 There's a story on NFL dot com today with a 0:01:48.360 --> 0:01:53.520 following headline nine NFL Bandwagons to hop on in twenty 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:57.160 twenty one. It was written by columnist Adam Shine, who 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:00.920 is hopping on the Joe Burrow bandwagon out the following 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:04.240 It looks like he'll be ready for Week one and 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:08.600 I can't wait. This cat has it. He's what you 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:11.240 want in a franchise quarterback and he's going to be 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:15.639 a superstar. Adam Shine, as you probably know, is a 0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:19.000 very entertaining national sports talk show host, and he was 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:23.360 kind enough to work me into his insane schedule this week. 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:27.440 All Right, people seem to think that I'm busy, but 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:30.320 it's nothing in comparison to my next guest. He is 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:33.320 the host of Shine on Sports Weekdays nine to noon 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:36.200 on Sirius XM Radio. You can watch him weeknights at 0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:39.359 six o'clock on CBS Sports That. He is a columnist 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:43.000 for NFL dot Com. He has a podcast. We're talking 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:47.560 about my guy, proud Syracuse University graduate Adam Shine. Hi 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:50.480 doing buddy, Oh Dan, I'm excellent and it's great to 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:52.520 be with you, my friend Hope Ball as well with you. 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:55.600 Things are great here. And I want to start with 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:58.000 something that you wrote a couple of weeks ago on 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:02.120 NFL dot Com. You made nine bold predictions. One of 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:06.520 them involved the Tennessee Titans winning eleven games with Julio Jones, 0:03:06.600 --> 0:03:10.079 So you nailed that way before it actually went down, 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:13.520 So your credibility is looking good. And you also made 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:19.040 this prediction, the Bengals will win more games than the Steelers. 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:23.639 We obviously love that here in Cincinnati, but Pittsburgh won 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:26.480 eight more games than the Bengals did last year. Explain 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:31.200 your reasoning, Well, it was for a variety of reasons. 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:34.160 Number one, and I know how difficult it is to 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:38.520 win in the NFL. I thought last year Mike Tomlin 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:42.080 did a phenomenal job winning all those games in a 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:46.040 row early because frankly, I didn't think the Pittsburgh Steelers 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:49.560 were that good. And Tomlin's never been under five hundred 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.320 and deserved the contract extension, and he's a heck of 0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:57.440 a coach. And I thought Pittsburgh really overachieved. I never 0:03:57.480 --> 0:03:59.640 thought they were going to be a super Bowl team. 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:02.400 Never thought even when they were winning these games, they 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:04.480 were going to go on some kind of playoff run. 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:07.800 And I think Ben Roethlisberger is the first ballot Hall 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:10.440 of Famer. I think he hit the wall and he 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:13.320 looked like someone who's pushing forward. He was coming off 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:18.520 of unprecedented surgery. And by the way, that's all factual 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:21.000 more than in his opinion. And you know, I thought 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:23.520 the Steelers run game. I said last year at this 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:25.880 time it was gonna be literally the worst in the NFL, 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:30.119 and it was thirty two out of thirty two. And look, 0:04:30.279 --> 0:04:34.919 I don't think the Steelers improved. Look Naj Harris, I 0:04:34.960 --> 0:04:37.760 think has the ability to be a strong running back 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:40.280 and I like him a lot, But the weakness of 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:43.360 the team was the offensive line, and they got worse 0:04:43.960 --> 0:04:48.560 Ben's not getting any younger. The defense is not what 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:50.919 it was, and look at how they played on defense 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:55.160 last year without bud Dupree, and bud Dupree left and 0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:58.960 went to Tennessee. So I'm not high on Pittsburgh. I 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:03.080 think that Cleveland and Baltimore debate the order top two 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:06.839 teams in the division. And Dan, I'm I'm high on 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:10.400 the Bengals, I really am. I think since he has 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:13.880 a chance this year to surprise some people. I think 0:05:13.920 --> 0:05:17.599 all I needed to see was Joe Burrow and his 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:20.880 health and just knowing that he was going to be 0:05:20.920 --> 0:05:24.000 ready for the start of the season. That was it. 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:27.839 And I love what Cincinnati did in the draft. I 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:31.279 mean Jamar Chase to me is special and the fact 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:33.880 that you don't even have to have an educated guess 0:05:33.920 --> 0:05:36.400 about the chemistry with the quarterback and the receiver. You 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:39.760 saw it in college had a historic a winning a 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:43.160 championship level. Boy I screamed forever. I'm one of the 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:46.520 Packers to draft t Higgins instead of Jordan loved Higgins. 0:05:46.560 --> 0:05:49.960 I thought out a strong rookie year. You factor, Boyden, Listen, 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:53.360 I'm still a believer. Joe Mixon is a stud at 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:56.320 the running back position. And here's what I think the 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:00.800 NFL defenses have become. You don't need to necessarily have 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:05.799 a great defense as long as you can create turnovers. 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.320 And I think Cincinnati can do that on defense and 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:12.640 get the ball back to Joe. And it's almost like 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:15.279 Joe was a little lost in the shuffle last year, 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:18.120 which is crazy because he was putting up big numbers, 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:20.440 what the offensive line was poored, he was getting sacked 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:24.240 left and right, and since he wasn't winning games. I mean, 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:27.760 it's still Joe Burrow and I love Herbert, and I 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.200 thought Herbert was going to be a star. And you know, 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:32.320 I still think Tooa is gonna be a good player 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:37.240 in the NFL. It's still Joe Burrow, and I think 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:40.799 this guy is gonna be special. Nothing has changed, so 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:44.599 I didn't really even hesitate. I normally have a feel 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:46.680 when I give it a strong opinion, and I only 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:49.880 say or write what I believe. You know, when something's 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:51.440 going to be you know, I'm gonna get me getting 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:53.960 tweets positive and negative, left and right, or calls on 0:06:54.080 --> 0:06:57.200 my serious XM radio show. This one took on a 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.880 fun life of its own, and I stand by every 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:04.400 thing I said. I'm sure Steelers fans reacted very kindly 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:08.240 on social media. Oh yeah, oh yeah. I'm very very 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:12.400 popular in Pittsburgh. But look, you know, I've been critical 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:15.680 of the Steelers in recent years. I think in a 0:07:15.680 --> 0:07:18.360 lot of ways. You know, I like to say, if 0:07:18.360 --> 0:07:20.480 you're a Stealer fan and you're going home at night 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:23.920 and you know you're you're snuggling with your Drome Bettist 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:26.640 Teddy Bear, or you're looking at a poster on your 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:30.040 wall of Stalworth and Swan or a Bradshaw, then you know, 0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:32.840 we really can't have the discussion on what's going on now. 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:36.000 And you know, they haven't won a playoff game in 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:39.040 five years. And again, different teams, different standards. I'm not 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:42.360 talking about the history of the Steelers, but I think 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:46.800 they they've been living on planet delusional a little bit. 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:49.560 You know, It's one thing to let Bell and Brown go, 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:52.640 it's another, and they were right, it's another thing not 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:57.440 to replace them. And I think that Pittsburgh can almost 0:07:57.480 --> 0:08:00.360 do that because of their history. You know, I would 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:02.640 have signed Jameis Winston a year ago. I stand by 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:06.240 that take. You know, I would have let Ben Roethlisberger 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:08.880 go this offseason, I would have cut the cord and 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:11.720 moved into the future. I stand by that opinion. I 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:15.480 would have signed Leonard Fournette last year if I was Pittsburgh. 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:18.880 I stand by that opinion. I think Pittsburgh has kind 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:22.520 of been kind of been treading water and has been 0:08:22.920 --> 0:08:25.360 a forget the wins and losses. They have won a 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:28.600 playoff game in a while, They're not that close to 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:32.040 the super Bowl, and I think, if you're being honest 0:08:32.080 --> 0:08:33.720 and objective, and this is not gonna be a Bengal 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:39.240 super Bowl season Sincecinnati's closer to the super Bowl for 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:43.880 twenty twenty two, twenty twenty three and beyond because of 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:48.360 the star quarterback. I also think the big three receiver 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:51.920 and Cincinnati is gonna be fun. Like I always go 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:54.680 back to something Phil Simms told me years ago. You 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:58.240 want your receiving cord to be like a basketball team. Right. 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:00.560 You want your point guards, you want your center, you 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.560 want your small forward who can run the point, different 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:05.960 types of guys at the receiver position. I thought there 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:09.000 was such a brilliant line and the Bengals are gonna 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:11.760 have that, you know. I think the offensive line should 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:13.880 be better. I think it should be pretty good. I 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:16.200 don't think it's gonna be the Hogs for Washington in 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:19.920 the mid eighties, but I think Cincinnati is gonna be 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:22.600 in a lot of games in the fourth quarter, and 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:24.640 I think if they can get off to a good 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:29.199 start and going through the Bengal schedule, I think it's favorable. 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:32.360 And I think that Burrow helps change the attitude. You know, 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:36.160 there's not going to be a loser's lament or here 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:39.680 we go again in Cincinnati. Joe Burrows going into the 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:42.880 season thinking he's winning every game. That's part of the 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:45.959 Joe Burrow it factor and I can't wait for it. 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:49.240 He has definitely added some swag to this franchise, There's 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:51.680 no question about it. My guest is Adam Shine. You 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:53.880 can follow him. You should follow him on Twitter at 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:58.120 Adam Shine scchi N. When the schedule came out, you 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:02.280 pick the top nine prime time games in order. Number 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:07.080 five on the list Jacksonville at Cincinnati on Thursday Night 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:10.480 Football early in the season. In your words, I am 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:15.960 obsessed with this game. Listen. I think when you get 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:18.520 the top two picks back to back years at the 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:22.640 quarterback position and everything I'm saying about Joe. You know 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:27.160 the scouts or gms or execs you talk to, you know, 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:30.040 Trevor Lawrence is supposed to be better. Right Like, if 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.400 you talk to people around the league in terms of 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:36.840 projecting on Saturday and how they translate to Sunday, you know, 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:40.960 it's John Elway, It's it's Andrew Locke, and it's Trevor Lawrence. 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:43.680 I also think putting this game early in the season 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:46.200 is great. I mean, we don't know the win total 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:49.400 for Since or for Jacksonville, even though fans in both 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.280 those cities should be excited. But when you can get 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:56.640 these quarterbacks going head to head, they're both gonna take it. Personally, 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.839 they both want to show off their skills. They both 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:04.719 have solid surrounding pieces. Look, I love stuff like this. 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.959 I think if you're a fan, you know, and I'll 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:10.120 never I'm never one, you know, I don't. I don't 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:14.320 get bored by Kevin Duranta, Lebron James. I I don't 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:17.880 get bored by greatness or success. I like watching great 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:21.680 athletes do great things. But if you're looking for new blood, 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:23.440 and I think the NFL is in a great place 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:27.600 Stan at the quarterback position, I think that Burrow and Lawrence. 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:31.160 That's gonna be fun for a long time and comparing 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:34.280 them and then we'll get to have the instant conversation 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:38.360 and reaction. I'm genuinely obsessed with this game. I love it. 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:42.640 On your podcast, your recent guests have included Boomer Assiasin 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:46.520 and Carson Palmer. When you've talked to them about Joe Burrow, 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:51.439 what's caught your ear? They love them, They both do that. 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:55.080 That's a great question, and you can tell that how much. 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:58.760 And I work with Boomer on on CBS on Sundays 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:00.959 and he'll do his hits with us on on that 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:03.719 of the pregame show and then on the podcast. He 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:08.200 loves Joe. He loves every his skill set, his demeanor, 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:12.720 his ability to tune out the noise, his arm, his accuracy. 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:17.000 And it was interesting talking to Carson. I always enjoy 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:21.000 talking to Carson because I find Carson to be a 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:26.800 really fascinating individual. And he loves Burrow and he loves 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:30.040 the fans in Cincinnati. And I love talking to Carson 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:34.800 about his Cincinnati experience because he loves the fans in 0:12:34.880 --> 0:12:38.240 Cincinnati so much. He genuinely does and has such a 0:12:38.240 --> 0:12:42.800 great attachment and he's rooting so hard for Joe Burrow, 0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:47.040 so he loves the zip on the fastball, the accuracy, 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:49.440 a lot of the same things that Boomer did. But 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:54.160 both those guys were very high on Joe Burrow. Last 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.800 thing for Adam Shine, because you have places to go. 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.319 You praise the Bengals when they hired Zach Taylor a 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:01.959 couple of years ago, and the first two years have 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:05.320 obviously been rough. Injuries have been a huge factor. Where 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:09.720 are you now on Zach Taylor, Dan, How's this for 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:14.240 an answer? I don't know. I genuinely don't know. I 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:17.880 think the first year I felt like I was wrong 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:21.160 on being high on the hire. The second year I 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:23.280 feel like was a little bit of a wash. I 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:26.360 do think after the Borough injury in the Pittsburgh game, 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:29.360 they played hard down the stretch and I thought that 0:13:29.480 --> 0:13:34.040 was a positive. I think we're gonna learn everything we 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:37.280 need to know about Zach Taylor this year. I think 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:39.959 that's fair. I thought the first year was a bit 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:42.880 of a disappointment. I thought the second year there were 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:46.720 some good signs late. You know, I think this year 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:49.320 and I still like him for all the reasons I 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:55.319 documented when he was hired but I expect the Bengals 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:59.160 to be relevant. I expect the Bengals to surprise some people, 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:01.760 win some game games that they're not supposed to win. 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:04.800 You know that they're not favored to win. I expect 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:08.200 Cincinnati to get off to a pretty good start. I 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:10.840 think we're gonna learn a lot about Zach Taylor, how 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:15.440 he can handle success, how he can deal with some expectations. 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:18.440 I think this is a big year for Zach Tayler. 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:20.800 I'm not gonna say hot seat. I'm just gonna say 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:23.720 learn a lot about whether or not. But we start 0:14:23.760 --> 0:14:27.480 talking about the what I view as glory years for 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:30.600 Cincinnati with Joe Burrow, if he's going to be the 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:34.280 guy for the Cincinnati bas There is a reason why 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:39.240 you have a national radio show, TV show, podcast and column. 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.280 You're awesome. I know Bengals fans are going to love 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:44.360 this conversation. Thanks so much for the time. I really 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:47.840 appreciate it. You're the best, Dan. Anything for you. I 0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:50.520 mentioned this the last time that Adam was on this podcast, 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:53.840 but I'll tell the story again. After graduating from Syracuse, 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:56.720 I worked there for nearly ten years in radio and TV, 0:14:57.160 --> 0:15:00.160 and after moving to Cincinnati in the late nineties, my 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:02.840 friends back in the Queues started telling me about a 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:06.120 young sports talk host right out of su that they 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:09.000 thought was going to make it big. He went by 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:12.960 prime Time Shine, and they were right. Adam has become 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:15.800 a star and I couldn't be happier for him. He's 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:19.200 one of my favorite people in the business. The Bengals 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.760 Booth Podcast is presented by Bud Light Seltzer. It's light 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:26.360 and refreshing with a hint of fruit flavor. Now time 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:28.960 to bring him my broadcast partner Dave Lapham, as we 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:33.360 share some observations after watching practice on Tuesday and answer 0:15:33.440 --> 0:15:38.080 the ask lap questions you submitted on Twitter. Lap I 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:40.080 want to start with one of the hot topics from 0:15:40.160 --> 0:15:43.320 the three weeks of OTAs, and that is Joe Burrow's 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:48.480 arm strength. Is it noticeably better in your opinion? Yeah, 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:52.480 I thought so. I mean definitely, like by the second 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:54.960 the second workout, I thought maybe the first one he 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.840 was adrenaline juice, you know, a little bit so excited 0:15:57.880 --> 0:15:59.680 to be out there after not having been out there 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:01.880 for a while. But then watching him throw it just 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.400 seemed like it had it had a little bit more 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:08.120 zip on it. A few more RPMs, and so in 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:10.280 the in the Zoom conference call started asking some of 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:12.960 the receivers about it, and guys like Tyler Boyd and 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:15.520 CJ said, yeah, you know, definitely, boy you can get 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:17.440 the gloves on, you can definitely feel it coming in 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:21.280 coming into the hands. And I thought, it's his mechanics, 0:16:22.040 --> 0:16:24.040 you know, doing the working out that he's doing. He's 0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:27.640 made his core so much stronger, his hips, everything is torque, 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:30.200 you know, it all looks like he's gotten a little 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:33.040 bit more powerful and everything that he's doing, and I 0:16:33.040 --> 0:16:35.920 think it's translating and hasn't lost a bit of accuracy, 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:38.760 which is key. And that's the biggest thing is to 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:40.640 make sure you're throwing it straight and hitting the spot 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:43.120 you want to hit, and don't get so consumed with 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:45.360 trying to throw it harder that you know, it starts 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:47.840 to distort those kind of things, and it hasn't at all. 0:16:48.240 --> 0:16:50.520 So it's I think it's going to be exciting to 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:52.640 see him throw it this year. I'm glad you said 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:55.880 that because you talk to his dad, Jimmy for your podcast, 0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:59.240 and that's something that he pointed out. Accuracy is his 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:02.040 super hour. And while you'd like to be able to 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:03.920 throw it a little bit harder and a little bit deeper. 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:07.400 It can't be at the expense of what got you here, 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:10.600 no question about it. And uh, you know, I played 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:14.960 with a quarterback that his calling card was his accuracy, 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:18.639 Kenny Anderson for for quite a few years. And you know, 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:21.879 Joe Montana, another guy that might not have had like 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:24.560 a howards were thrown on Kenny Anderson's arm strength was 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.520 plenty strong, but it wasn't one of those like Burt 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:29.679 Jones or one of these guys that could throw a 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:32.399 football through a wall kind of thing. And uh, but 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:36.080 Kenny's was man. He would hit tight, tight spots. He 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:41.640 was uncanny his accuracy. And I think that's the biggest thing. 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:44.600 I think if a quarterback could ask for one thing, 0:17:45.440 --> 0:17:49.400 the first requirement, the first requisite thing to have as 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.560 a quarterback would be thrown it where you want it 0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:56.040 to be thrown, hitting that spot, tight spots, throwing it 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:58.760 to good spots. Receivers haven't confidence you're going to hit 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:00.879 those spots. I think that's what it's all about for 0:18:00.920 --> 0:18:06.000 a quarterback. Excellent Bert Jones reference another LSU legend. There 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:09.480 you go, Bert, I'll tell you that guy man when 0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:13.080 he was played at the same time we overlapped careers 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:15.120 when he was playing with the Colts, and he could 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:18.280 fire it. And Joe Worm and Syracuse defensive tackle was 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:20.760 a teammate. And I remember, you know, playing against Joe 0:18:20.800 --> 0:18:22.159 and we played the Colts, and I'd say to him, 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:24.560 apt to us, and man, your quarterback, man, he can 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:27.200 he can fire the pill. He goes all brother, he said, 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:30.080 all I hear about his receivers complaining about him, you know, 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:34.480 dislodging fingers and all everything goes along with it, splitting 0:18:34.480 --> 0:18:37.040 the webbing you actually, you know, have a receiver having 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:39.800 that skin between the fingers split a little bit. That's 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:42.760 when they're really bringing it. Man. This is the first 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:46.159 podcast we've recorded since the first week of OTAs, and 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:49.040 after that first practice we talked about how they were 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:52.439 being uber conservative with Joe Burrow. He was not rolling 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:55.160 out left and right. They weren't even having a running 0:18:55.160 --> 0:18:58.120 back lineup with him in the backfield, just in case 0:18:58.200 --> 0:19:01.040 there was an accidental collision. Well, over the past couple 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:04.320 of weeks that's changed. He is rolling out left and right. 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:09.160 They did do some play action fakes today, so nothing crazy. 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:14.000 It's certainly not a case of risking further injury or 0:19:14.040 --> 0:19:16.800 some sort of setback in his rehab. But they are 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:20.240 gradually inching things forward just a bit right, and I 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:23.919 think obviously he wants it, you know, he's all in 0:19:24.040 --> 0:19:26.360 for that. And then when they talk to the trainers 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:28.520 and doctors, they're all on the same page as they're 0:19:28.520 --> 0:19:32.479 all on board and watching them today, he would he 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:35.320 was jogging at a pretty good clip. I mean half 0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:38.320 jog half not sprint, but he was leading the pack. 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:40.360 They'd go from one drill to another, and he's leading 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:42.720 the pack, you know, so he's showing his teammates, hey, 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:45.479 look man, I'm feeling pretty good. It's getting stronger and 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:48.680 stronger by day. They're halfway through you know, these Ota 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:52.119 Slash mini camp practices, So I think he feels like 0:19:52.160 --> 0:19:54.720 it's time to turn it up another notch. And I 0:19:54.760 --> 0:19:59.440 think he's progression along great and his teammates right now. 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:02.119 If I were playing with Joe Burrow with the Cincinnati 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:05.960 Bengals and teammate is I'd be like, Okay, he's showing 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:09.359 not only physical toughness, he's showing mental toughness. He's showing 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:11.600 he's about as tough as anybody we have in this 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:15.159 football team. So let's follow this guy. Let's follow this 0:20:15.160 --> 0:20:16.840 guy's lead. He may be able to take us to 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:19.840 the Promised Land. It's like the message you give your kid, 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:21.880 be the first kid in every drill when you send 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:25.160 him off to a basketball cap or whatever as a kid. Absolutely, 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:28.199 you know, and I think it's a definite message. You know. 0:20:28.440 --> 0:20:31.600 It was like teammates were saying, you know, Joe, Joe 0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:34.520 could have said, I still want to rehab. No, instead, 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:36.240 I want to be out here with my football team. 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:38.440 Now take it to the next level. I not only 0:20:38.480 --> 0:20:40.359 want to be out here with my football team, I 0:20:40.400 --> 0:20:42.600 want to lead my football team. I want to show that, 0:20:43.000 --> 0:20:45.000 you know, by being the first guy to every drill 0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:47.719 and everything that goes along with it. I think I 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:50.160 think a message is being sent there. I think it's 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:53.119 an intentional message, and I think it's a really good message. 0:20:53.920 --> 0:20:56.399 During this phase of the offseason, we're only allowed to 0:20:56.440 --> 0:20:58.880 watch the team once a week, and over the past 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:01.280 couple of weeks, they've made us wait while they were 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:03.920 doing some stuff that they didn't want the media to see. 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:07.120 What are they doing during those periods? Yeah, I think 0:21:07.320 --> 0:21:10.720 I think I have a feeling the installation has been 0:21:11.240 --> 0:21:14.320 fairly aggressive. You know, I think that there's two ways 0:21:14.359 --> 0:21:16.560 to look at it. You have all these new players. 0:21:17.359 --> 0:21:20.760 Do you take it along slowly and is it a 0:21:20.760 --> 0:21:23.560 gradual install or do you throw it all at them 0:21:24.040 --> 0:21:27.880 and then have them Okay, everything's installed. Here's the whole 0:21:28.119 --> 0:21:31.480 whole shebang, the whole ball of wax. Now you have 0:21:32.040 --> 0:21:35.399 the rest of June when they're done with the mandatory 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:38.320 mini camp, and almost all of the month of July, 0:21:38.520 --> 0:21:41.000 and then you come back to training camp. How much 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:43.399 of her retention has there been? You know, you have 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:46.040 it all. Now you have a chance to review it 0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:48.879 and redigest it in that month and a half as 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:50.879 you're waiting for training camp to start, and then you 0:21:50.920 --> 0:21:53.800 can reinstall and it might be a lot shorter process 0:21:53.960 --> 0:21:57.000 during the training camp installation period. And now I have 0:21:57.040 --> 0:21:59.359 a feeling that they're installing quite a bit. And I 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:02.360 think that's what they're doing an earlier portion of camp 0:22:02.440 --> 0:22:05.280 that is off limits to the media. I think they're 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:09.200 showing a lot of a lot of different formations, personnel groupings. 0:22:09.920 --> 0:22:12.239 I think a lot of diversity in fronts for the 0:22:12.280 --> 0:22:16.359 defense and on the back end and coverages. So I 0:22:16.880 --> 0:22:19.720 think that they're I think they're going to be very aggressive, 0:22:20.200 --> 0:22:23.840 both offensively and defensively in terms of the volume of 0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:27.760 looks and different things that are going to show the opponent. 0:22:27.800 --> 0:22:29.760 I think they're going to make the opponent have to 0:22:29.800 --> 0:22:32.440 think a lot. And I think they're attacking it as 0:22:32.480 --> 0:22:35.480 early as they possibly can as they're installing it. I'm 0:22:35.520 --> 0:22:38.440 going to plug You're in the Trenches podcast again because 0:22:38.480 --> 0:22:42.320 it's awesome. You had Jesse Bates on a recent episode 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:46.199 and he was great. His play speaks for itself, But 0:22:46.320 --> 0:22:49.640 what else impresses you about Jesse Bates. Yeah, I think 0:22:49.640 --> 0:22:54.159 the person, you know, the character of him, um, you know, leadership. 0:22:54.240 --> 0:22:58.159 I think he's he's not bashful about I'm going to 0:22:58.240 --> 0:23:00.520 be the guy to bring everybody together. I'm going to 0:23:00.680 --> 0:23:02.439 be the guy to reach out to people. I'm going 0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:04.880 to be the I'm gonna be the glue not only 0:23:04.920 --> 0:23:06.760 on the football field, but in the locker room. I'm 0:23:06.760 --> 0:23:09.159 going to be the guy that people can turn to 0:23:10.280 --> 0:23:13.240 and uh, you know, be the conduit. I'm going to 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:16.160 be the conduit between the coaching staff and the rest 0:23:16.160 --> 0:23:19.560 of the players. I think he's taken his role of captain, 0:23:19.720 --> 0:23:23.240 very very seriously, and I think it comes naturally to him. 0:23:23.280 --> 0:23:26.360 I think it comes easily. And I think his raw intelligence, 0:23:26.400 --> 0:23:28.240 you know, is real obvious as well. I think he's 0:23:28.240 --> 0:23:31.000 a really good communicator. I think he's a heck of 0:23:31.000 --> 0:23:34.040 a leader, very intelligent, and just a solid human being. 0:23:34.040 --> 0:23:36.800 I mean, he's he's one of those guys that you know, 0:23:37.160 --> 0:23:40.360 is a rarity in terms of as great a football 0:23:40.400 --> 0:23:42.359 player as he is, he's even a better human being. 0:23:42.720 --> 0:23:44.800 And once you start to get your share of those 0:23:44.880 --> 0:23:46.960 kind of guys in your locker room, you're gonna have 0:23:47.000 --> 0:23:50.000 really something special. And I think they're moving in that direction. 0:23:51.160 --> 0:23:52.760 We got a little treat when he walked out to 0:23:52.840 --> 0:23:57.200 practice today. Rehab coordinator Nick Cosgray was holding his drills 0:23:57.520 --> 0:23:59.960 right in front of the little area where the media 0:24:00.240 --> 0:24:03.199 is allowed to stand, so we got to see the 0:24:03.240 --> 0:24:07.959 status of DJ Reader, Renelle Wren, and Trey Hopkins right 0:24:08.000 --> 0:24:10.560 there in front of us as they were doing footwork, drills, 0:24:10.840 --> 0:24:13.960 pushing a sled, etc. How did those three guys look. 0:24:14.320 --> 0:24:17.040 I think they looked really good. Renelle Wren is a 0:24:17.080 --> 0:24:20.200 physical specimen anyway. That guy's a freaka zoid. I mean 0:24:20.280 --> 0:24:24.280 he's he's unbelieable to look at just a good lord 0:24:24.280 --> 0:24:26.480 blessed him with a football body man in every sense 0:24:26.520 --> 0:24:29.520 of the word. But I think, you know, when you're 0:24:29.520 --> 0:24:31.840 being very critical with your eye, you can still see 0:24:32.080 --> 0:24:34.959 a slight hitching to get along. But they're moving at 0:24:35.000 --> 0:24:37.919 a very very good clip. You know. It's it's not 0:24:38.040 --> 0:24:41.760 half speed. They're they're they're testing it. Um, they're change 0:24:41.760 --> 0:24:45.600 in direction. Uh, there's hesitation in what they're doing, and 0:24:45.640 --> 0:24:49.560 then acceleration off the hesitation. So there's not a whole 0:24:49.560 --> 0:24:52.120 lot of violent cutting going on yet. But it's all 0:24:52.119 --> 0:24:55.600 straight ahead stuff. But it's not straight ahead. Same type 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:58.920 of speed, same type of gate, same type of steps. 0:24:58.680 --> 0:25:01.280 There's there's some jumps to ups, you know, jumping and 0:25:01.400 --> 0:25:05.200 landing and holding freezing that and then accelerating off of it. 0:25:05.200 --> 0:25:08.640 It was interesting to watch them and then hit the sled, 0:25:08.800 --> 0:25:10.560 you know, pushing the sled, not really hitting it, just 0:25:10.680 --> 0:25:13.640 driving a sled and then getting their body their back 0:25:13.680 --> 0:25:17.480 angle straight and their bodies low, bending at the knees 0:25:17.480 --> 0:25:19.639 and not at the waist, you know, to get in 0:25:19.680 --> 0:25:22.600 a football position while they're doing it. Um and Nick. 0:25:22.760 --> 0:25:24.240 Nick's as good as there is in the league, and 0:25:24.640 --> 0:25:27.520 every player for the Cincinnati Bengals that's rehabbed with Nick 0:25:27.560 --> 0:25:30.639 Cosgrey has nothing but great things to stay about him, 0:25:30.680 --> 0:25:34.440 and rightfully so he does. He does an outstanding job, 0:25:34.480 --> 0:25:37.280 and he's brought a lot of guys back way ahead 0:25:37.280 --> 0:25:41.360 of schedule, and um put guys in situations where if 0:25:41.440 --> 0:25:44.359 they did have any inclination of oh man, is this 0:25:44.440 --> 0:25:47.320 the end? Far from it. Nick's gonna bring me back, 0:25:47.320 --> 0:25:49.080 and he's gonna be bringing me back as strong as 0:25:49.080 --> 0:25:52.440 stronger than I was before Trey Hopkins tore his ACL 0:25:52.480 --> 0:25:54.439 in the final game of the year against Baltimore. I 0:25:54.440 --> 0:25:57.000 would have said at that point, Okay, he'll be back 0:25:57.119 --> 0:25:58.760 during the season, but I don't know if he'll be 0:25:58.760 --> 0:26:01.359 back in time for Week one, and I can't say 0:26:01.400 --> 0:26:05.040 that anymore. Based on how he looks. I think there's 0:26:05.080 --> 0:26:08.119 at least a chance that he's able to answer the 0:26:08.119 --> 0:26:10.240 bell in week one. I don't think it's out of 0:26:10.240 --> 0:26:13.320 the question. I'd be I'd be shocked if there if 0:26:13.359 --> 0:26:16.280 anybody has said, you know what, now, that's that's not happening. 0:26:16.680 --> 0:26:19.639 I think that if he doesn't come back week one, 0:26:19.680 --> 0:26:21.879 it's certainly not going to be it's going to be 0:26:21.880 --> 0:26:25.119 shortly thereafter before when he does return, and uh, and 0:26:25.200 --> 0:26:26.880 that'll be a site for sore eyes, and I think 0:26:26.920 --> 0:26:30.560 for for Frank Pollock. And you know that there's returning 0:26:30.840 --> 0:26:33.520 and then there's being able ready and able to play 0:26:33.520 --> 0:26:36.880 in an NFL game for you know, X number of snaps. 0:26:36.960 --> 0:26:39.679 So um, you know, he'd have to be able to 0:26:40.800 --> 0:26:43.920 a training camp. I'm not saying play in preseason games, 0:26:44.200 --> 0:26:47.960 although you'd almost like to test it in a preseason game, 0:26:47.960 --> 0:26:50.000 particularly if you're alignment before you go out there in 0:26:50.040 --> 0:26:53.240 that first regular season game. So it might you know 0:26:53.320 --> 0:26:56.320 that that might be the sticking point. What can he do? 0:26:56.840 --> 0:26:59.040 How far can he push it in training camp? But 0:26:59.080 --> 0:27:02.000 I wouldn't rule anything out looking at him out there today, 0:27:02.000 --> 0:27:03.720 and I did have a chance to just say, hey, 0:27:03.720 --> 0:27:05.840 trade man, you look good. How's it feeling goes great, 0:27:06.119 --> 0:27:10.240 It feels really good, man. So you know, talking about 0:27:10.280 --> 0:27:12.680 it's one thing, you know, lacing up the pads and 0:27:13.440 --> 0:27:16.360 the pleats and getting out there and going against these 0:27:16.400 --> 0:27:18.720 behemoths and doing what you need to do to play 0:27:18.720 --> 0:27:21.640 in the National Football leagues another. But again I agree 0:27:21.680 --> 0:27:24.240 with you, Dan, I would not rule it out all right. 0:27:24.400 --> 0:27:27.880 I aimed the lap signal into the Cincinnati Sky this week. 0:27:27.920 --> 0:27:30.679 That means we've got some asked lap questions. Are you 0:27:30.680 --> 0:27:33.720 ready ready to roll star? There are always questions about 0:27:33.720 --> 0:27:36.520 the offensive line. This one comes from Will in the 0:27:36.520 --> 0:27:41.679 current NFL landscape, which approach works best, zone blocking or 0:27:41.840 --> 0:27:45.520 straight up power blocking, and if it depends on personnel, 0:27:46.000 --> 0:27:50.080 which suits the Bengals current roster best. Well. The Bengals 0:27:50.080 --> 0:27:53.880 went from a zone blocking team to a gap blocking 0:27:53.920 --> 0:27:56.800 team where you block down and pull lineman and run 0:27:56.840 --> 0:27:59.440 powers and pull offside lineman and that sort of thing 0:28:00.040 --> 0:28:03.520 last year, and that's when Joe Mixon started to really 0:28:03.800 --> 0:28:07.800 show some gains in terms of his UH yards rushing yards. 0:28:07.800 --> 0:28:10.600 But Joe Joe feels good about Frank Pollock's system, and 0:28:10.680 --> 0:28:13.520 Frank Pollock's system is a is a zone blocking team, 0:28:13.520 --> 0:28:17.760 a wide stretch zone blocking team. But that's not to 0:28:17.800 --> 0:28:21.040 say that you don't incorporate some angle blocking. I think 0:28:21.040 --> 0:28:24.400 the best run games in the National Football League incorporate 0:28:24.440 --> 0:28:27.000 a little bit of you know, some of each. And 0:28:27.080 --> 0:28:29.360 I'm not saying it's fifty fifth or anything like that, 0:28:29.440 --> 0:28:33.040 But if you're having trouble, if a defensive configuration or 0:28:33.160 --> 0:28:36.440 personnel grouping or whatever it is is causing you problems. 0:28:36.720 --> 0:28:40.000 You have to have the flexibility in the in the 0:28:40.040 --> 0:28:45.000 ability to to try something else. And so I think that, uh, 0:28:45.520 --> 0:28:48.080 I think there's a there's a place for all of it. 0:28:48.520 --> 0:28:53.000 But I do think Frank's primary run blocking or run 0:28:53.280 --> 0:28:58.400 game philosophy is zone stretch, zone type things. Really getting 0:28:58.680 --> 0:29:02.480 a defensive line to have to run and then cutting 0:29:02.520 --> 0:29:04.960 somebody in half. That's that's the key to the success 0:29:05.000 --> 0:29:07.320 in the in the zone scheme or the stretch scheme, 0:29:07.560 --> 0:29:10.280 as you get the defense flowing and somebody gets somebody 0:29:10.280 --> 0:29:12.840 on the ground and that's a natural cutback lane. You 0:29:12.880 --> 0:29:15.560 can't make plays when you're on the ground. It's it's impossible. 0:29:15.680 --> 0:29:18.760 So that's the big deal. Either you get somebody walled 0:29:18.760 --> 0:29:21.239 off on the backside for a cutback lane, or if 0:29:21.240 --> 0:29:22.960 they're on the ground, the back has to see it 0:29:23.000 --> 0:29:25.360 and hit it. And Joe Joe's done a really good 0:29:25.440 --> 0:29:28.520 job of doing that. When Frank was here as the 0:29:28.560 --> 0:29:33.600 line coach, it wasn't working real well in Zach Taylor's 0:29:33.640 --> 0:29:39.200 initial stages of running games, so they went to the gap, blockdown, power, 0:29:39.280 --> 0:29:43.600 pull the off side, get more helmets at the front 0:29:43.600 --> 0:29:46.720 side of the play, try to outnumber them helmet wise 0:29:47.160 --> 0:29:50.200 and try to create gaps that way. Kyle has this 0:29:50.360 --> 0:29:52.920 offensive line question. How much of an upgrade have the 0:29:52.920 --> 0:29:55.520 Bengals made in their offensive line personnel and how much 0:29:55.520 --> 0:29:58.720 of an impact will Frank Pollack have as the coach? Yeah, 0:29:58.760 --> 0:30:02.600 I think at Frank's all about you know, technique and 0:30:02.800 --> 0:30:07.840 uh fundamentals and hammering them over and over and over again. 0:30:08.240 --> 0:30:10.520 I think he's going to have a major impact. I'll 0:30:10.520 --> 0:30:12.960 just go back to nineteen eighty one when Jim McNally, 0:30:13.400 --> 0:30:15.880 you know, was our line coach with the Cincinnati Bengals, 0:30:15.880 --> 0:30:18.520 and Jim was, you know, in the early stages of 0:30:18.560 --> 0:30:21.520 his career as a line coach then, but one thing 0:30:21.600 --> 0:30:24.640 that we did from the very first day of training 0:30:24.640 --> 0:30:27.800 camp to the very last practice before the Super Bowl, 0:30:28.400 --> 0:30:33.280 we did the exact same drills every single Wednesday, every 0:30:33.280 --> 0:30:36.200 single Thursday, everything single Friday. You can set you could 0:30:36.240 --> 0:30:38.600 set your clock to it that this is what we're 0:30:38.640 --> 0:30:40.440 gonna do. We're gonna you know, warm up at the 0:30:40.520 --> 0:30:42.760 duck walk. Make sure that you know we were doing 0:30:42.800 --> 0:30:46.120 it the way he wanted and having our having our 0:30:46.120 --> 0:30:49.680 feet in the proper way and and having your knees 0:30:49.680 --> 0:30:53.040 bent and duck walking and and and then you'd have 0:30:53.360 --> 0:30:56.560 targets that you had to hit on pads, you'd have 0:30:56.680 --> 0:30:59.440 hand placement drills, you'd have all all these drills, and 0:30:59.480 --> 0:31:03.400 it was like every single day was the same. So 0:31:03.600 --> 0:31:07.200 you become a creature habit, and uh, it becomes something 0:31:07.240 --> 0:31:09.680 you don't even have to think about the technique. It's 0:31:09.760 --> 0:31:12.040 you've done it so many times you get in the game, 0:31:12.280 --> 0:31:14.880 you've wrapped it so many times. In practice, it just happens. 0:31:14.920 --> 0:31:18.000 I mean, it's automatic. And then when you're working in 0:31:18.640 --> 0:31:21.360 tandem with a with a you know alignment that you've 0:31:21.360 --> 0:31:24.640 done it with over and over and over again every 0:31:24.640 --> 0:31:27.560 single day in practice. The old repetition breeds comfort level 0:31:28.280 --> 0:31:30.800 thing I think is real. I think Frank believes in 0:31:30.920 --> 0:31:33.040 that can. It worked for Jim McNally, and I know 0:31:33.120 --> 0:31:36.160 Frank Pollock is a disciple of Jim McNally, and uh, 0:31:36.440 --> 0:31:39.800 watching watching his drills. All starts with your feet and 0:31:39.880 --> 0:31:42.480 ends with your hands, and it always will. We've talked 0:31:42.520 --> 0:31:45.320 about almost every athletic endeavor starts with the feet ends 0:31:45.360 --> 0:31:48.320 with your hands. Blocking and tackling the same thing. And 0:31:48.440 --> 0:31:50.480 you can't tackle as an offensive linement, but you damn 0:31:50.480 --> 0:31:53.160 well better be able to do some blocking and uh 0:31:53.200 --> 0:31:56.000 and and I think Frank's going to do really good 0:31:56.000 --> 0:31:58.480 things with this, with this group of offensive linement. I 0:31:58.480 --> 0:32:00.960 think I think they're gonna The thing you have to 0:32:01.000 --> 0:32:04.520 do is believe in it because it's it's mundane. And 0:32:04.560 --> 0:32:08.600 Frank has a great saying master the mundane, because it's 0:32:08.640 --> 0:32:11.480 sometimes it's like, oh man, we gotta do this again. 0:32:11.600 --> 0:32:14.200 You knew exactly you'd walk out on the field, and 0:32:14.240 --> 0:32:16.239 you knew exactly what the next forty five minutes we're 0:32:16.240 --> 0:32:19.920 going to be every single step of it, every single movement. 0:32:20.640 --> 0:32:24.840 But it worked. It worked, and that repetition led to 0:32:24.960 --> 0:32:28.560 a great performance for sure. One more offensive line question, 0:32:28.640 --> 0:32:31.040 it comes from Johnny. What are the chances that Billy 0:32:31.160 --> 0:32:34.680 Price keeps the starting center spot, assuming that he does 0:32:34.720 --> 0:32:37.600 begin the year as the starter. Yeah, I mean, that's 0:32:37.600 --> 0:32:40.360 that's a great question. That's up to Billy. Billy's in 0:32:40.400 --> 0:32:43.720 control of his own destiny as far as that's concerned. 0:32:44.360 --> 0:32:47.360 Trey Hopkins get an opportunity because of injury to Billy Price. 0:32:47.800 --> 0:32:50.880 Now Billy Price gets another opportunity because of an injury 0:32:50.880 --> 0:32:53.479 to Trey Hopkins. And that's that's life in the National 0:32:53.520 --> 0:32:57.240 Football league. That's why when you're alignmenting, you do get injured, 0:32:57.280 --> 0:32:58.760 you try to get back in there as quick as 0:32:58.760 --> 0:33:01.040 you possibly can because you don't want anybody else getting 0:33:01.040 --> 0:33:06.400 your reps. But yeah, Billy, obviously, Frank Pollock had confidence. 0:33:06.440 --> 0:33:09.120 He was on the staff that drafted Billy Price, so 0:33:09.240 --> 0:33:12.320 he saw something in Billy Price in his tape up 0:33:12.320 --> 0:33:17.000 at Ohio State, and you know, respected him and respected 0:33:17.200 --> 0:33:21.920 respected his play. He was drafted high in the Cincinnati Bengals, 0:33:21.960 --> 0:33:24.480 a first round draft pick. So I think I think 0:33:24.560 --> 0:33:27.760 Billy feels good about Frank. Frank feels good about Billy. 0:33:28.360 --> 0:33:30.720 And it's a clean slate, and that's one thing that 0:33:30.800 --> 0:33:34.640 every lineman has to understand. It's a totally clean set slate. Now, 0:33:34.680 --> 0:33:38.000 Frank Pollock is the guy. He's the new sheriff in town. 0:33:38.040 --> 0:33:40.600 It doesn't matter what you did with Jimmy Turner, it 0:33:40.680 --> 0:33:44.000 doesn't matter Hill of Beans. You're starting. Everybody's starting fresh 0:33:44.040 --> 0:33:46.800 and new with Frank Pollock. And that's why I think 0:33:47.080 --> 0:33:50.200 Trey Hopkins, in his mind, he wants to get back 0:33:50.240 --> 0:33:53.080 as quick as he possibly can too, because he wants 0:33:53.120 --> 0:33:56.120 to make an impression, a positive impression on Frank Pollock 0:33:56.160 --> 0:33:59.000 and right now. He's missing all of these reps we're 0:33:59.000 --> 0:34:02.560 talking about. You know, you can't take them mentally. It's 0:34:02.600 --> 0:34:04.880 like it's a muscle memory thing. You have to go, 0:34:05.200 --> 0:34:07.320 you have to go through it, and your body just 0:34:07.400 --> 0:34:09.240 has to get used to it, and then it becomes 0:34:09.280 --> 0:34:11.640 something where you don't even need your mind. It's just 0:34:11.760 --> 0:34:15.640 it's total muscle memory. Here's a question from man, what 0:34:15.760 --> 0:34:19.640 player or position group has surprised you during these OTAs. 0:34:20.840 --> 0:34:24.399 I'm not really surprised by, you know, by any any group. 0:34:24.520 --> 0:34:28.080 I mean I'm thinking that, you know, groups are living 0:34:28.160 --> 0:34:31.600 up to billing. I think as such. I think overall 0:34:32.160 --> 0:34:34.600 this football team is so much younger and so much 0:34:34.640 --> 0:34:38.560 more athletic. It's ridiculous. In my opinion. It's just about 0:34:38.560 --> 0:34:42.520 every position group. The linebacker corps is one that just 0:34:42.600 --> 0:34:45.560 jumps out. I mean, they drafted three young linebackers last 0:34:45.640 --> 0:34:49.280 year that they're counting on a lot as second year players, 0:34:49.280 --> 0:34:52.759 and that's where you normally make some major strides. I 0:34:52.760 --> 0:34:56.040 think the secondary is light years better than where it 0:34:56.200 --> 0:35:01.840 was today and today's OTA for the first time in 0:35:03.080 --> 0:35:06.359 the halfway point, so they didn't even do seven on 0:35:06.400 --> 0:35:09.360 seven until halfway through OTAs. This was the introduction of 0:35:09.440 --> 0:35:13.279 seven on seven, the old skeleton drill as such, everybody's 0:35:14.000 --> 0:35:17.480 working except the offensive and defensive lines. And it was 0:35:17.600 --> 0:35:20.719 very interesting to see this, you know, wide receiver corps 0:35:21.000 --> 0:35:23.880 that they like a lot um, you know, Tyler Boyd, 0:35:23.920 --> 0:35:27.279 T Higgins and Chase you know, working against these new 0:35:27.360 --> 0:35:30.560 guys in the back end in the secondary and there 0:35:30.640 --> 0:35:34.280 was no pass rush. But I thought that everybody belonged, 0:35:34.719 --> 0:35:36.719 you know, I was looking at the far end of 0:35:36.760 --> 0:35:40.160 the field where those guys were working against each other's like, yeah, 0:35:40.200 --> 0:35:42.279 I mean, all these guys belong out here, and it's 0:35:42.320 --> 0:35:45.600 it's pretty competitive. It was that that seven on seven 0:35:45.600 --> 0:35:48.399 then only lasted ten or fifteen minutes, was the most 0:35:48.400 --> 0:35:52.880 competitive aspect of OTAs that I've seen, you know, in 0:35:52.880 --> 0:35:55.080 the first week and a half here. So I think 0:35:55.120 --> 0:35:58.200 at some point, probably during mandatory minicamp next week, they 0:35:58.239 --> 0:36:00.359 probably will do eleven on eleven. They'll probab we run 0:36:00.440 --> 0:36:05.000 some team um team plays. But they're they're ramping it up, 0:36:05.040 --> 0:36:08.239 and they're they're staying very very careful and cautious and 0:36:08.640 --> 0:36:12.360 elementary to be sure. But I think the message that 0:36:12.400 --> 0:36:17.120 I'm getting is just about every position group is as advertised. 0:36:17.160 --> 0:36:20.400 You know it's they've they've made additions, and they felt 0:36:20.400 --> 0:36:23.480 good about the additions they've made, and like it's now 0:36:23.480 --> 0:36:26.160 you've you've got your presence. Now you've had a chance 0:36:26.160 --> 0:36:27.960 to unwrap them and assemble them, get them out on 0:36:28.000 --> 0:36:31.919 the field, and as billed as advertising, didn't waste my money. 0:36:32.760 --> 0:36:35.520 Here's a question from Rob. The Bengals have clearly improved 0:36:35.560 --> 0:36:38.400 the secondary, but have they done enough to stop the 0:36:38.520 --> 0:36:42.239 run better this year? That's the that's the they have 0:36:42.360 --> 0:36:46.000 to have. That's the big key. Um. You know, over 0:36:46.040 --> 0:36:49.279 the last two years, they've given up more ground yards 0:36:49.320 --> 0:36:52.520 than anybody in the National Football League, and uh, you 0:36:52.560 --> 0:36:55.600 know that that has to stop. You you earn the 0:36:55.719 --> 0:36:58.480 right to stop the pass by, you have to be 0:36:58.520 --> 0:37:01.200 able to stop the run first and foremost. I mean, 0:37:01.239 --> 0:37:02.759 if you if you're going to get gashed on a 0:37:02.800 --> 0:37:06.560 regular basis in the running game. Every successful defense that 0:37:06.600 --> 0:37:09.879 I've seen and it's looking like they're, you know, trying 0:37:09.920 --> 0:37:12.880 to build this one this way. You have to have 0:37:12.920 --> 0:37:16.120 your big run stuffers inside, and they can't. They don't 0:37:16.160 --> 0:37:19.040 necessarily have to be big blobs that are stiffs. They've 0:37:19.080 --> 0:37:22.279 got big guys that have same athleticism and ability to 0:37:22.320 --> 0:37:25.040 stay on their feet and good feet and able to move. 0:37:25.440 --> 0:37:27.360 So you're you're big on the inside the stuff to 0:37:27.480 --> 0:37:30.279 run on the edge. You want speed off the edge, 0:37:30.320 --> 0:37:31.879 you know, to rush the pass or and be able 0:37:31.880 --> 0:37:34.640 to set the edge in the running game. Some athleticism there, 0:37:34.640 --> 0:37:37.719 and they've really you know, emphasized that both in the 0:37:37.800 --> 0:37:40.680 draft and people that they signed in free agency. And 0:37:40.719 --> 0:37:44.400 then you know, again, once you've got that front seven 0:37:45.280 --> 0:37:49.399 built to where okay, now, inside linebacker, okay, we've got 0:37:49.400 --> 0:37:52.280 youth and athleticism like we talked about at the inside 0:37:52.280 --> 0:37:56.799 linebacker position that they drafted, and they've you know, resurrected 0:37:56.840 --> 0:37:59.919 or reconstructed the secondary in the form of free agent 0:38:00.000 --> 0:38:02.320 see over the last two offseasons. So they're they're trying 0:38:02.320 --> 0:38:05.080 to build I think a defense the right way, but 0:38:05.120 --> 0:38:07.600 it has to start with a couple of run pluggers 0:38:07.640 --> 0:38:10.520 inside and uh, you know, I think I'm inter see 0:38:10.560 --> 0:38:12.960 how two poll he looks like he's got himself in 0:38:13.000 --> 0:38:16.640 pretty good shape. Will DJ Reader come back from injury 0:38:16.440 --> 0:38:20.000 the way you know, everybody hopes that he will, Ogan Joby, 0:38:20.080 --> 0:38:21.960 Will he be a guy that will help, you know, 0:38:21.960 --> 0:38:25.000 stuff that inside running game they've addressed it, but that 0:38:25.160 --> 0:38:27.480 that's the key if they, If they, if you can 0:38:27.520 --> 0:38:30.880 own a team between the tackles and just line up 0:38:30.880 --> 0:38:33.359 and say, you know, I'm going to impose my will 0:38:33.400 --> 0:38:35.759 on you. I'm not going to do anything fancy. I'm 0:38:35.800 --> 0:38:37.920 just gonna smack you right in the mouth and I'm 0:38:37.920 --> 0:38:40.719 gonna have my big running back, you know, uh, just 0:38:40.880 --> 0:38:44.600 destroy you. That. That's a that's a great feeling. When 0:38:44.600 --> 0:38:47.239 you're up front as an offensive lineman, that's a very 0:38:47.360 --> 0:38:49.279 very bad feeling. And if you're on the other side 0:38:49.320 --> 0:38:52.680 of things defensively, so you know, I hope the Bengals 0:38:52.680 --> 0:38:54.840 find themselves in that mode. The offensive line comes to 0:38:54.840 --> 0:38:57.000 the line of scrimmage and like, yeah, we're gonna give 0:38:57.000 --> 0:38:59.640 you a doso Joe Mixon. When you think you've had enough, 0:38:59.719 --> 0:39:02.480 We're given you another spoonful and you're gonna like it, 0:39:02.520 --> 0:39:04.440 you know. I mean that. I hope they run the 0:39:04.480 --> 0:39:06.879 hell out of Joe Mixon like that. And I think 0:39:06.920 --> 0:39:10.080 I'm sure Joe does too. Here's a question I love 0:39:10.320 --> 0:39:13.600 it comes from Bengals John. Who is the best player 0:39:13.680 --> 0:39:18.040 you have seen at each level, high school, college and 0:39:18.160 --> 0:39:21.680 pro Oh, my goodness, so many. I mean so many 0:39:21.719 --> 0:39:25.720 great players high school. I'll probably have to go back 0:39:25.719 --> 0:39:30.360 to this guy running back in my high school. I 0:39:30.480 --> 0:39:33.239 wasn't play I did not play with him. He was 0:39:33.280 --> 0:39:36.760 like probably my first I don't know about sports idol, 0:39:36.840 --> 0:39:40.640 but sports player that I was like, Wow, Mike Martello. 0:39:41.800 --> 0:39:44.319 He was a running back at Wakefield High School. And 0:39:44.400 --> 0:39:46.800 I just remember, you know, like as a sixth seventh 0:39:46.800 --> 0:39:49.239 eighth grade a going to Wakefield High School football games 0:39:49.400 --> 0:39:51.640 and Mike Martello, who's in our high school Hall of Fame, 0:39:51.719 --> 0:39:56.480 just destroying people. And I thought, man, Mike Martello, if 0:39:56.520 --> 0:39:59.040 I could just be like Mike Martello, you know. And 0:40:00.440 --> 0:40:03.840 all of a sudden, one day I answered the doorbell 0:40:03.920 --> 0:40:06.319 rings in our front door, and I answered the front 0:40:06.360 --> 0:40:09.360 door and it's Mike Martello standing on our front porch 0:40:09.960 --> 0:40:12.799 selling some kind of ticket, raffle ticket or whatever, some 0:40:13.120 --> 0:40:17.439 high school fundraiser. And I couldn't even talk. My mother 0:40:17.480 --> 0:40:19.040 comes to the front door and I said, buy a 0:40:19.040 --> 0:40:23.000 bunch of mom. You know, that's Mike Martello. But he 0:40:23.360 --> 0:40:27.080 was the first guy that I can remember Thanksgiving Day 0:40:27.120 --> 0:40:29.520 games against Melrose High School, our big rival. I just 0:40:29.560 --> 0:40:31.759 remember him just putting his foot in the ground and 0:40:31.800 --> 0:40:35.840 making these unbelievable cuts. He was a low center of gravity, tough, 0:40:36.239 --> 0:40:39.480 you know, tough Italian kid that just you know, you 0:40:39.480 --> 0:40:41.280 could give him the ball a hundred times, it seemed 0:40:41.280 --> 0:40:42.520 like in a game and he was going to give 0:40:42.520 --> 0:40:45.440 you everything he had. So he probably made made the 0:40:45.480 --> 0:40:47.920 first impression on me as a as a high school player. 0:40:47.920 --> 0:40:50.160 But I mean I did see a bunch of really 0:40:50.160 --> 0:40:52.920 talented high school football players in the league that I 0:40:52.960 --> 0:40:55.440 played in up in the Boston area and then in 0:40:55.520 --> 0:41:00.520 high school. Man, just so many guys. But to pick 0:41:00.640 --> 0:41:03.719 to pick one guy, that's, uh, that's so hard. But 0:41:04.040 --> 0:41:06.440 I mean, honestly, a guy that that I really had 0:41:06.440 --> 0:41:08.279 a ton of respect for Joe Orman, And we talked 0:41:08.320 --> 0:41:11.120 about a little earlier. It was an All American defensive 0:41:11.120 --> 0:41:15.200 tackle at Syracuse, and I was a freshman, uh at Syracuse, 0:41:15.280 --> 0:41:17.920 and we couldn't play freshman a varsity as freshman. We 0:41:17.960 --> 0:41:20.680 had a freshman schedule, and so the freshman was still 0:41:20.719 --> 0:41:24.320 you know, the lowly freshman football players. But Joe Orman, 0:41:25.080 --> 0:41:27.600 the first time I scrimmaged against the varsity, you know, 0:41:27.640 --> 0:41:29.799 I guess I showed him enough where he just said 0:41:29.840 --> 0:41:33.319 to me, uh yeah, let's stay out after practice. I 0:41:33.360 --> 0:41:34.920 want to work with you, you know. I think you've 0:41:34.960 --> 0:41:37.839 got some uh some potential, you know, and you want 0:41:37.840 --> 0:41:40.640 to work I'm like, yeah, I'll work with you, you know. 0:41:40.719 --> 0:41:43.480 And and he, uh he rubbed my nose in it, 0:41:43.560 --> 0:41:47.160 and you know, the first few practices after practice. I mean, 0:41:47.200 --> 0:41:50.320 he was just he was a great player, and um, 0:41:50.360 --> 0:41:53.320 you know he I think he really helped me improved 0:41:53.600 --> 0:41:56.920 from freshman to season to where as a sophomore I 0:41:57.000 --> 0:41:59.360 ended up getting a starting job as a sophomore lineman 0:41:59.680 --> 0:42:03.040 and I think Joe Orman helped me big time in 0:42:03.080 --> 0:42:06.000 that regard. So he was a tremendous football player. I'll 0:42:06.040 --> 0:42:09.919 never forget well. Sitting in the stands as freshman football player, 0:42:09.960 --> 0:42:12.720 were playing Kansas, and there was this unbelievable goal line stand, 0:42:12.840 --> 0:42:15.600 and the last player of the goal line stand, John Riggins, 0:42:15.640 --> 0:42:18.080 the big fullback to play with the Jets, great running back. 0:42:18.520 --> 0:42:21.040 He is carrying it on fourth down and he and 0:42:21.120 --> 0:42:23.560 Joe worm and hit helmet the helmet and it was 0:42:23.600 --> 0:42:26.680 the loudest crack I've ever heard in my life in 0:42:26.719 --> 0:42:29.759 the middle of his Riddell helmet. Joe's helmet crack right 0:42:29.840 --> 0:42:32.600 from his mask, halfway up his helmet and Joe just 0:42:32.800 --> 0:42:34.800 you know, walks off the field, tosses the helmet to 0:42:34.880 --> 0:42:37.360 equipment guy. They take it was fourth down, we have 0:42:37.400 --> 0:42:39.719 a big goal line stand. Joe just you know, they 0:42:39.880 --> 0:42:42.120 changed the face mask, how to take all They got 0:42:42.160 --> 0:42:43.759 the drill and they're taking the screws out in their 0:42:43.760 --> 0:42:46.440 frantical putting the faceback. He puts the helmet on with 0:42:46.480 --> 0:42:48.640 the new face mask and goes out the next defensive 0:42:48.680 --> 0:42:50.840 series and just dominates some more. I'm like, that's a 0:42:50.880 --> 0:42:53.640 football player right there. And and uh he and John 0:42:53.719 --> 0:42:56.879 Riggins there was I watched the two of them after 0:42:56.960 --> 0:42:59.520 the game. They met at midfield and talked and I'm 0:42:59.520 --> 0:43:02.319 sure they were talking about that that play. And so 0:43:02.400 --> 0:43:05.880 I guess Joe probably comes to mind for me, you know, 0:43:06.000 --> 0:43:10.200 as as a college player that maybe really strong player 0:43:10.520 --> 0:43:13.239 that had a big influence on me. And I'd say 0:43:13.239 --> 0:43:16.280 in the National Football League, man, there's so many unbelievable players. 0:43:16.320 --> 0:43:19.520 But the guy that I just had so much respect 0:43:19.520 --> 0:43:22.040 for his game and the way he played his game 0:43:22.120 --> 0:43:25.839 was Walter Payton. And I get to meet him at 0:43:25.840 --> 0:43:28.359 a wrist wrestling thing out in Las Vegas, and I 0:43:28.400 --> 0:43:31.360 was just so impressed by the dude, and how strong 0:43:31.400 --> 0:43:35.720 he was. And I'll never forget he put down Curly 0:43:35.760 --> 0:43:38.759 Culp in a wrist wrestling thing. I was my jaw hit, 0:43:38.800 --> 0:43:42.359 my hit, my kneecaps probably one hundred and thirty pounds lighter, 0:43:42.400 --> 0:43:44.640 Oh yeah, and just so explosive. And you got him 0:43:44.680 --> 0:43:47.040 on the jump and I'm like, you better run walk 0:43:47.160 --> 0:43:50.160 because I mean Curly Culp started swelling up and everything. 0:43:50.440 --> 0:43:54.160 But then Walter Peyton one of the days we were 0:43:54.200 --> 0:43:56.080 doing the wrist wrestling stuff, you know, we get done 0:43:56.080 --> 0:43:58.440 with what we're doing, and he jumps on his hands 0:43:58.760 --> 0:44:01.480 and he walks around the whole room on his hands, 0:44:01.840 --> 0:44:04.600 and I was like, oh, Mike, this is unbelievable. So 0:44:05.040 --> 0:44:08.560 the strength that that took, the balance, the gymnastic ability, 0:44:08.800 --> 0:44:11.480 and that the thing about him is he was he 0:44:11.520 --> 0:44:14.960 did everything. I mean, oh, his Splitz pick up, He'd 0:44:15.239 --> 0:44:18.439 embarrassed linebackers, he just wouldn't block him. So I think 0:44:18.880 --> 0:44:22.200 I think I just had a a such an enormous 0:44:22.200 --> 0:44:24.960 respect for how hard he played the game, how much 0:44:25.000 --> 0:44:27.319 the game meant to him. Knowing the kind of human 0:44:27.360 --> 0:44:30.279 being he wasn't all that, I'd have to say, sweetness 0:44:30.400 --> 0:44:33.680 was was pretty special and died way too young man. 0:44:33.760 --> 0:44:36.799 Only the good die young and not good. It might 0:44:36.840 --> 0:44:39.640 have been the greatest. And that one that one hit 0:44:39.680 --> 0:44:42.000 me when Walter Payton died, that one hit me hard. 0:44:43.200 --> 0:44:46.839 Excellent question, excellent answers. All right, we try to end 0:44:46.960 --> 0:44:50.120 ask Lap with a couple of wild card questions whenever possible. 0:44:50.160 --> 0:44:52.480 We've got two good ones this week. The first one 0:44:52.560 --> 0:44:57.640 comes from Casey. Casey asks could be could be Casey 0:44:57.640 --> 0:45:00.960 in the Sunshine Band. Here's the question, what is your 0:45:00.960 --> 0:45:05.040 favorite breakfast meal? And if you say yogurt and half 0:45:05.040 --> 0:45:09.719 a grapefruit, I will call BS. Don't worry about that 0:45:10.840 --> 0:45:15.920 no way, Jose. I'm I'm a I'm a guy that 0:45:16.040 --> 0:45:20.480 likes his pancakes and waffles. I'm that kind of breakfast guy, 0:45:20.760 --> 0:45:22.400 and I have to stay away from it. If I 0:45:22.560 --> 0:45:25.359 ate what I wanted for breakfast that way all the time, 0:45:25.400 --> 0:45:29.319 I'd be in real trouble. But I really, uh, you know, 0:45:29.440 --> 0:45:32.520 a really good waffle, really good pancake. Of course, you know, 0:45:32.520 --> 0:45:34.959 I'm gonna throw some bacon and sausage in there as well. 0:45:35.480 --> 0:45:38.520 But I used to like to go to the eyehop, 0:45:38.600 --> 0:45:41.359 you know, with all the flavored syrups and just try 0:45:41.440 --> 0:45:44.200 like a little little dollup of each. And I wasn't 0:45:44.200 --> 0:45:46.759 big on trying. I don't know. If I didn't like 0:45:46.840 --> 0:45:49.040 it ruining my whole breakfast, I'd ended up going back 0:45:49.080 --> 0:45:51.839 to the old stand by maple syrup. I mean really 0:45:51.840 --> 0:45:54.840 good maple syrup, the natural maple syrup out of Vermont. 0:45:55.280 --> 0:45:59.120 But yeah, I'm boysenberry blueberry. You know. I'd try a 0:45:59.120 --> 0:46:02.600 few of those things, strawberry, maple syrup, whatever, But I 0:46:03.120 --> 0:46:08.160 really liked m I guess it's because when we were young, 0:46:08.200 --> 0:46:10.279 it didn't have a ton of money. But my dad 0:46:10.320 --> 0:46:12.840 on Mother's Day would take the family out to I 0:46:12.960 --> 0:46:15.360 hop and it was a Mother's Day breakfast. So that 0:46:15.480 --> 0:46:17.479 was a big deal because when you know, mother didn't 0:46:17.520 --> 0:46:19.359 have to cook and all that. And I remember how 0:46:19.520 --> 0:46:22.879 how big it was, almost like our big is getting 0:46:22.960 --> 0:46:25.560 up there with Christmas and you know, Thanksgiving and all 0:46:25.600 --> 0:46:27.759 those kinds of things. Because it was a special thing. 0:46:27.800 --> 0:46:29.960 We never went out to eat. And when we went 0:46:30.000 --> 0:46:32.640 as a family piled up in the car and went 0:46:32.680 --> 0:46:36.120 to I hop Man, there was some pancakes and waffles 0:46:36.120 --> 0:46:38.319 and syrup. There there was some consumed because I got 0:46:38.680 --> 0:46:40.520 I got two brothers, who was about as big as 0:46:40.520 --> 0:46:43.640 eater as me and man. We I think the servers thatt, 0:46:43.640 --> 0:46:46.640 I hop were like man because it was all you 0:46:46.640 --> 0:46:50.640 could eat. We busted, We busted their bank man. When 0:46:50.640 --> 0:46:52.760 they saw us coming, they put up the white flag. 0:46:52.800 --> 0:46:56.040 They started waving that white surrender flag. Closed nine Mother's Day. 0:46:56.080 --> 0:46:59.560 That's right, Mother's Day, breakfast off limits to lap them's. 0:47:00.760 --> 0:47:03.840 It's funny the things you remember. I'm the fourth of 0:47:03.880 --> 0:47:07.560 five kids, middle class family. We didn't have a ton 0:47:07.560 --> 0:47:10.560 of money. Every now and again, my stepfather would bring 0:47:10.600 --> 0:47:13.719 a bucket of Kentucky fried chicken home. I thought that 0:47:13.719 --> 0:47:16.279 that was the greatest thing on God's green earth. I'm 0:47:16.320 --> 0:47:18.879 telling you, it's the simple things, you know. I mean, 0:47:18.920 --> 0:47:22.399 that's when life's the best. You appreciate the simple thing 0:47:22.480 --> 0:47:27.400 so so much. And yeah, I remember just when we 0:47:27.400 --> 0:47:30.040 would get roast beef, an actual roast beef for dinner. 0:47:31.320 --> 0:47:34.719 It'd be like maybe once a month, but it was 0:47:34.760 --> 0:47:37.959 like it was like heaven, man, just seeing that roast 0:47:37.960 --> 0:47:40.319 beef and carden and thinking, yeah, I'm gonna have a 0:47:40.400 --> 0:47:43.759 meal this day. Boy, this is high cotton. We never 0:47:43.880 --> 0:47:46.839 had steak, I mean, growing up, we never really I mean, 0:47:46.880 --> 0:47:49.360 I remember going on recruiting trips and coaches like you 0:47:49.440 --> 0:47:52.239 want to steak dinner? Oh heck, yeah, let's do that. Man. 0:47:52.360 --> 0:47:55.279 That's a big time all right. Final question comes from 0:47:55.400 --> 0:47:59.000 Tom McDowell. We met Tom at the Admiralty in London 0:47:59.160 --> 0:48:03.600 when the Bengals have played overseas. Here's his question, what's 0:48:03.640 --> 0:48:12.040 the biggest animal you think you could wrestle? Now? Probably 0:48:12.120 --> 0:48:17.000 a tomcat? But I did, uh. I think I've told 0:48:17.040 --> 0:48:19.120 this story. I'm not sure on the podcast, but I 0:48:19.239 --> 0:48:25.160 saw jim Leclair uh Russell Victor the wrestling Bear, and 0:48:25.440 --> 0:48:28.160 I thought, yeah, I might be able to like, you know, 0:48:28.280 --> 0:48:30.880 muscle with Victor a little bit. But Jimmy, Jimmy McClair 0:48:31.040 --> 0:48:34.840 was like a heavyweight wrestling champion at North Dakota State. So, 0:48:35.040 --> 0:48:37.239 I mean he was he was shooting the leg and 0:48:37.680 --> 0:48:40.000 he was doing some things with Victor. Victor wasn't sure 0:48:40.080 --> 0:48:43.719 what was happening, but um, that was that was impressive 0:48:43.760 --> 0:48:46.799 to watch that big old bear swat people around. They 0:48:46.840 --> 0:48:48.560 had a big swimming pool set up. It was like 0:48:48.680 --> 0:48:51.200 a you know, a line and garden show or a 0:48:51.280 --> 0:48:53.440 camp or show or whatever, and they had a big 0:48:53.480 --> 0:48:57.680 swimming pool and Victor would backhand people into the swimming pool. Um. 0:48:57.920 --> 0:49:01.040 But I guess, I guess uh. If I could have 0:49:01.120 --> 0:49:02.840 hung with Victor for a little while, I would have 0:49:02.880 --> 0:49:05.040 been would have been pretty happy about that. I think 0:49:05.560 --> 0:49:08.759 you wrestled an animal named crum Rye before your NFL 0:49:08.880 --> 0:49:12.359 career was finished. I'm telling you, Tim crum Rye, that's 0:49:12.480 --> 0:49:15.200 I mean. You start thinking about great football players. That guy, 0:49:16.280 --> 0:49:19.279 I mean, all football all the time. He had scar 0:49:19.360 --> 0:49:21.279 tissue on the bridge of his nose that looked like 0:49:21.400 --> 0:49:23.920 cottage cheese. I mean, he had just that helmet came 0:49:23.960 --> 0:49:26.000 down on the bridge of his nose so many times 0:49:26.480 --> 0:49:30.839 during his football career that it had built up scar 0:49:30.920 --> 0:49:34.320 tissue that was incredible. And it just you know it 0:49:34.400 --> 0:49:37.240 was football season when Tim would always have a bandage 0:49:37.280 --> 0:49:39.280 on that thing and it would always be weeping blood, 0:49:39.719 --> 0:49:41.840 you know, on and off the field the entire season, 0:49:42.200 --> 0:49:44.520 and you knew it was football season for Tim crum Rye. 0:49:45.200 --> 0:49:48.560 Another great addition I've asked lap keep those questions coming. 0:49:48.600 --> 0:49:51.080 Appreciate the time. Thank you, my pleasure, Dan the man, 0:49:51.160 --> 0:49:54.400 You're the best. This is week three of the voluntary 0:49:54.480 --> 0:49:57.560 spring practices for the Bengals. Next week, the hold of 0:49:57.680 --> 0:50:01.720 mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday, and then the players 0:50:01.760 --> 0:50:05.080 will be off until the start of training camp. That's 0:50:05.080 --> 0:50:06.760 going to do it for this episode of the Bengals 0:50:06.760 --> 0:50:10.240 Booth Podcast, brought to you by Bud Light Seltzer, refresh 0:50:10.400 --> 0:50:13.719 the game. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe, 0:50:13.760 --> 0:50:15.319 and if you have a minute, give it a rating 0:50:15.600 --> 0:50:19.200 or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find 0:50:19.320 --> 0:50:22.840 this podcast. I'm Dan Horde, and thanks for listening to 0:50:23.000 --> 0:50:24.960 the Bengals Booth Podcast.