WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Danny Boy 0:00:03.760 --> 0:00:06.680 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:13.320 the Bengals Booth Podcast. The Oh Danibo addition, as I 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:16.840 go one on one with the Bengals new offensive coordinator 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:20.280 Dan Pitcher. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:23.319 by pay Core, Proud to be the Bengals official HR 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:28.720 software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet designed 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:31.800 to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:36.360 and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:40.000 Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:42.680 Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the 0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:46.160 latest edition of this podcast delivered write to your phone, 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:50.559 tablet or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:55.720 It's the greatest thing since the original rules of basketball. 0:00:56.400 --> 0:01:01.200 In eighteen ninety one, doctor James Nasmith, a phizit instructor 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:04.520 in Springfield, Massachusetts, was looking for a way for his 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:08.520 students to get indoor exercise during the cold New England 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:13.080 winter months, so he wrote down thirteen rules for a 0:01:13.120 --> 0:01:18.160 new game he called basket ball. That original document, now 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:21.240 one hundred and thirty three years old, still exists and 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:25.319 I saw it this week. Doctor Nasmith eventually became the 0:01:25.360 --> 0:01:28.479 first head coach at the University of Kansas, and when 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:32.360 his family auctioned off the original rules several years ago, 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.600 a wealthy Kansas alum purchased them for more than four 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:41.560 million dollars so that they could be permanently displayed at KU. 0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:45.479 Think about it, There's nothing else like it in sports. 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:49.160 Nobody scribbled down the original rules of football or golf, 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:52.400 for baseball, or any of the other major sports, so 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.640 it was really cool to see. If you would like 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:59.240 to learn more, check out the ESPN thirty for thirty 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:05.120 documentary called There's No Place Like Home. Now let's get 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:09.480 to the Bengals new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher. The job 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:12.480 became open when Brian Callahan was named the new head 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:15.560 coach of the Tennessee Titans. A couple of hours before 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:19.120 Brian spoke to the media in Nashville on Thursday, Zach 0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:22.760 Taylor was asked how proud he was of his friend 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:24.080 and colleague. 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:27.160 That's hard to describe. You know, how much he's meant 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:29.480 to me, how much he meant to pitch this organization 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:32.000 for all these guys. It's it's hard when you work 0:02:33.240 --> 0:02:35.760 side by side, you know, with the guy for five years. 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:38.600 And like Pitch said that the the lows to the highs, 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:43.840 trying to problem solve through unsolvable problems, it felt like 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:46.920 sometimes and he was as steady as they come. And 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:49.240 and so Tennessee got a good one. And it's the 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:51.480 right place. It's the right opportunity for him. I hate 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:53.200 that it's in the conference. I hate that we play 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:54.480 him next year. I kind of like that we play 0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:57.400 him next year. Uh, there's we'll see where it poppsed 0:02:57.440 --> 0:03:00.679 up on the schedule. But you know, just really really 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:04.160 happy for him and Allison and and it's you know, 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:06.040 he's waited a long time for that opportunity. He's been 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:08.320 prepared for a long time for that opportunity. I think 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:10.839 the right place came calling for him. And I'm really 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:12.320 happy the way it felt out. I know it felt 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:14.360 right for him. And and we'll hear more, you know, 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:16.280 one what he says in his press conferences. We'll be 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:20.000 watching anxiously to see him on that stage, but really 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:21.560 really happy that it worked out for him. 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:25.359 And when they watched Brian's introductory news conference, they saw 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:28.720 him get very emotional when he described his five years 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:29.720 in Cincinnati. 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:34.200 I would like to thank the Cincinnati Bengals organization, Mike Brown, 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:37.440 who was one of probably one of the greatest men 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:41.840 that I've ever met. I'll get it together in a second, 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:46.800 No worry. Katy and Troy Blackburn, their daughters, Elizabeth, the Caroline, 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:50.640 and Duke Tobin and his staff. They gave me an 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:55.600 incredible opportunity to grow, and they're patient and they invested 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:59.360 in me, and I'll forever be grateful for that. The 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:01.880 next one you can see how much these people mean 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:02.080 to me. 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:04.000 I'll get it together. 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:08.720 And then, probably most importantly, Zach Taylor. He's a great friend, 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:13.960 He's been an incredible mentor, and he's a fantastic football coach. 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:17.520 Thank you for everything, all right, thank you to the 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:21.599 players and the coaching staff. Obviously, without an incredible amount 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:23.320 of hard work, I don't get to stand here. And 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:26.400 there's a lot of people that go into that staff, players, 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:32.920 particularly the quarterback room, Joe Burrow, Jake Browning, those guys 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:37.320 are I'm incredibly indebted to. I wish I could list 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:39.760 the whole team, but I can't. We'll be here too long. 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:42.159 You guys would get bored. But I loved working with 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:46.200 those players every day. There's something special about where I 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:48.920 came from that I hope to replicate here. I think 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:50.840 you can see it and how I feel when I 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:53.680 speak about it. But I love going to work every 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:55.800 single day there. And that's the environment we're going to 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.159 create here. I want a place where people love coming 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:02.080 to work, they enjoy every they're around, and that creates 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:05.280 an environment that sustainable and you can have sustained excellence 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:07.800 and have a chance to win a lot of football games. 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:08.920 And so that's what we're after. 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:12.440 Brian was later asked what he learned from working with 0:05:12.560 --> 0:05:13.239 Zach Taylor. 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:18.040 The greatest thing about Zach for me and my experience 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:21.560 in Cincinnati was he was an open book, and so 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:23.720 I was involved in a lot of the things that 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:28.960 came across his desk, a lot of conversations, very involved 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:30.960 in the scouting process in Cincinnati as a lot of 0:05:30.960 --> 0:05:34.520 you know, and so just seeing all of those processes 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:38.320 work over five years, seeing the pitfalls and problems where 0:05:38.360 --> 0:05:41.680 the land mines can be. His allowing me that access 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:45.360 to those conversations has been huge. And I walk into 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:48.720 this role today and I'm sure there'll be plenty of surprises, 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.479 but I feel very confident that I'm prepared for it. 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:54.520 And it's because of his his allowance and access to 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:57.680 what occurred on a daily basis, and he would often 0:05:57.760 --> 0:05:59.960 come by and say, hey, this, you should think about 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:02.720 this for a second, then to write this down when 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:05.400 you're doing this, here's how you should handle it. So 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:08.719 just incredible, incredible investment in me to help me grow 0:06:08.720 --> 0:06:11.200 on that. And again, I feel because of all those experiences, 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:15.360 I'm kind of uniquely positioned for my first time doing this. 0:06:15.600 --> 0:06:16.640 I feel really good about it. 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.800 I can honestly say that I don't know anybody who 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:25.640 knows Brian Callahan that doesn't like and respect him. He's smart, friendly, funny, and, 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:28.920 for lack of a better word, normal, which isn't always 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.680 the case among football coaches. He'll be missed in Cincinnati, 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:36.320 but it's impossible not to be thrilled for him, and 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:39.800 fortunately the Bengals had a great replacement waiting in the 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:44.440 wings in quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher. The Patriots, Raiders, and 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:48.160 Saints reached out to Dan about their offensive coordinator openings, 0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:51.520 but being the OC of an offense with Joe burrowod 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:54.120 quarterback is hard to pass up a. 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:57.040 Lot of people in this profession that I respect, who 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:00.279 have great perspective, who have reached out to me almost 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:04.159 to a person, you know. Their advice is, when you 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.520 have an elite quarterback, you hang on as long as 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:10.080 you can. And we have that here. And not only 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:12.480 is he an elite player, but you know, I've gotten 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:15.760 to know him so well as a person. He's a 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:18.880 special person. He's different. They don't make many like him. 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:22.480 And to get to continue working with him day in 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.080 and day out, knowing that we have a guy that 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:28.520 can win us a world championship, it's hard to put 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:29.120 a price on that. 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:33.560 By now, you've probably either watched Dan Pitcher's news conference 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:37.040 online or read one of the many stories written after 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:40.200 that news conference. When I sat down with Dan later 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:43.280 in the day, I was aiming for something a little different, 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:47.160 a more personal look at how he landed one of 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:53.400 only thirty two offensive coordinator jobs in the NFL. As 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:55.800 hard as you've worked for it is a little bit 0:07:55.960 --> 0:08:01.920 mind boggling to have one of these jobs. I don't 0:08:02.080 --> 0:08:03.160 mind boggling is the word. 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:07.800 It's it's definitely an opportunity to just kind of take 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:10.120 a look at your career and all the stops up 0:08:10.120 --> 0:08:11.480 at this point and all the people that have helped 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:14.200 you get here. Really, I think that's probably the the 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:16.760 best part of this for me, is just you know, 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:19.280 all the people that have reached out and getting a 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:23.760 chance to thank them, because we're all products of people 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:25.760 that have helped us along the way. And I've earned 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:27.400 this and I know that, and I'm very proud of that. 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:29.480 But there's no way I did it by myself. 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:33.200 I found an old quote from your mom. She said, 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:36.320 I remember Dan at a young age sitting at the 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:40.160 coffee table in the living room drawing plays, the x's 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:43.240 and o's on paper. Do you remember doing that? 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:45.360 I don't. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:50.160 I don't remember drawing plays. I do remember having like 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:53.040 a weird obsession with when the Super Bowl would come along, 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.240 or March Manas or whatever. My mom would buy me 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:57.719 these poster boards and I would I would color the 0:08:57.760 --> 0:08:59.880 whole field in and I would I would make the 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:03.400 players and I would arrange them informations. And it's that 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:06.640 that may be what she's remembering, but I mean, like, listen, 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:09.320 this is I've loved this game for as long as 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:13.040 I can remember, and the fact that I've got got 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:16.520 to make it my profession and have gotten to this 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.640 level with this opportunity in front of me. Is it's 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:20.360 very special. 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.640 Did you always have an interest in how and why 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:24.840 plays worked? Oh? 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:28.960 Yeah, big time. That's you know, it's the curiosity of that, 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:32.720 you know, that's when I sit in here and study 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:34.640 for days on end in the off season, or when 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:37.360 I'm getting when I'm game planning and I'm pouring over tape. 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.480 And I love that part of it, I really do. 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:44.400 You know, It's it's a passion of mine and just 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:47.640 exploring those very questions, you know, how and why and 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:50.720 then can we do this or not? Do we have 0:09:50.760 --> 0:09:52.480 the right people for it? Are we're playing the right 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:54.800 playing against the right scheme? You know all those things. 0:09:54.840 --> 0:09:57.600 That's that's a major part of what I love about 0:09:57.600 --> 0:09:58.000 this job. 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:01.560 You are a highly successful quarterback at the Division III 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.439 level at Cortland State, reigning national champs by the way, 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:08.480 congratulations for that, But you weren't an overnight success. How 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:10.320 long were you in college? 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:13.360 Well, not as long as some of the guys these 0:10:13.440 --> 0:10:17.679 days with COVID years and multiple transfers, but it was 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.679 a long time. So I graduated high school in two 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:26.160 thousand and five. I spent two plus years at Colgate. 0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:28.600 I sat out a season. I had a medical red shirt. 0:10:28.640 --> 0:10:31.800 From that time I went to Courtland, I had another 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:34.719 medical red shirt. I petitioned for some more time, and 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:39.800 I think I ultimately reported to seven training camps and 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:44.760 played six seasons. So it was a long time. I 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:47.200 believe I've caught the brunt of many jokes. 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:50.000 A long years. What were the injuries that you dealt with? 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:54.319 I had a shoulder labor and repair and torn achilles. 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:58.880 So after you graduated, I read that you wrote letters 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:03.080 to NFL coaches in college coaches seeking an entry level opportunity. 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:06.480 Roughly how many and did anybody get back to you? 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:10.280 Yeah. So I'm going to give Paul Alexander a lot 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:12.960 of credit here and when I talk about people that 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:16.040 helped me get to where I am, you know, Paul 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:19.400 just out of the goodness of his heart, decided to 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:21.680 take me under his wing when I'm twenty one years 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:24.360 old and now he made me do some manual labor 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:26.720 for it at his at his summerhouse it's on Skinny 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:31.000 Alas Lake. But in the process he he really guided me. 0:11:31.000 --> 0:11:32.720 And one of the things he suggested was Hey, listen, 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:35.320 sit down. I want you to handwrite a letter to 0:11:35.360 --> 0:11:38.280 the head coach of every NFL team and every Power 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:42.080 five college conference and tell him who you are, tell 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:44.199 him what you're about, tell him what you'd like to do, 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:47.240 and see if it leads anywhere. And so I did. 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:49.559 I wrote one or two a day, and you know, 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:53.560 I probably have Carpel tunnel syndrome from that experience, but 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:57.480 I did. I got some back, you know, there were some. 0:11:57.920 --> 0:11:59.920 I got a couple of handwritten responses. I got some. 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:03.680 You know. It led to ultimately a couple of chances 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:07.600 to go interview for graduate assistant ships and what could 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:10.400 have opened some doors. And ultimately, you know, one of 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:13.240 those letters I wrote was to Ryan Grigson, who's the 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:16.360 new GM of Indianapolis Colts. Got to meet him in 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:18.640 person and and that was my start. 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.280 So for those who don't know, Paul Alexander is the 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:24.120 former Bengals offensive line coach and like you, he went 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:27.520 to Courtland State. Was he taking care of another red 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:31.040 dragon or do you think you impressed him in some 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:32.080 way when you first. 0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:34.000 Met I think he asked about those questions, you know, 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:38.400 I think he saw an opportunity to pay it forward 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:42.920 with the position that he had worked himself to. And 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:44.800 as with anything in life, it's about who you know, 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:47.120 but it's about making the right impression on who you 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:48.760 know and who you meet. And I think he was 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:52.080 impressed with me, and he knew that if he, you know, 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:54.440 if he stamped me and and put his name on 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.040 me to people that could potentially give me opportunities, that 0:12:57.080 --> 0:12:59.760 I wasn't going to disappoint him. And so I think 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:02.240 I've on that and I'm forever grateful. 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:06.040 We're visiting with Dan Pitcher, the Bengals new offensive coordinator. 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:08.800 So you take a job with the Colts as a 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:11.880 scouting assistant under Ryan Griggs, and you mentioned him their 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:15.400 GM at the time. What does an entry level scouting 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:17.439 assistant fresh out of college. 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:23.000 Do anything he gets told to do. He picks up 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:26.560 guys from the airport for workouts at midnight, He carts 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:30.960 him around town to doctor's appointments. He locks himself in 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:35.400 a closet with a film system and breaks down college 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:40.040 players and puts together what we used to call profile tapes, 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:43.040 which is something that all these services that we now 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:45.480 subscribe to do for you. But that was before those 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:50.280 the days of those services. You really just immerse yourself 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:53.040 in the world of football, and you do it at 0:13:53.040 --> 0:13:57.040 a level where there's no job too small. And my 0:13:57.160 --> 0:13:59.880 mentality when I took that job was to go into 0:13:59.880 --> 0:14:05.080 that building, put my head down, speak when spoken to 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:08.520 for two years and proved everyone that I was about 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:11.560 the right stuff and trust that when I picked my 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:14.800 head up after that, you know, people would be invested 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:18.240 in my success and be willing to open doors for me. 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:19.440 And that's exactly what happened. 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:21.480 I'm guessing you were not getting rich. 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:26.560 No no, no, no, no no. My my wife, who 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:31.280 was by then fiance, had moved out to she had 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:32.960 finished school, so I was out there by myself for 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:34.600 a year and then she moved out and she was 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:37.280 nannying for a couple families and let's just say she 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:38.000 was the bread winner. 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:43.360 Thank you, missus Pitcher for helping make this happen. So 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.800 you were hired by the Colts right when they drafted 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:52.160 Andrew Luck. Were you stunned when he retired at twenty nine? 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:57.200 Yeah? Sure. You know, it's been a long time since 0:14:57.200 --> 0:15:03.000 I've talked to Andrew. Andrew it was always amazing to me. 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:05.600 He's a great person, He treated people the right way. 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:10.000 It was so fun to watch him lead in his 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:13.240 own way and just how authentic it was and how 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:15.920 great he was at his job. And you know, and 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:19.600 unfortunately for him, I think just the injuries and and 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:23.200 everything kind of piled up, and you know, it probably 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:27.400 cut his career short. But you know, at the end 0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:29.320 of the day, and again, having not spoken to him 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:31.080 in a really long time, I'd be willing to bet 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:34.840 that he's very happy and fulfilled doing whatever it is 0:15:34.880 --> 0:15:36.760 he's doing right now, because I know that's the kind 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:40.280 of person he is. And but yeah, I mean, you 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:44.560 talk about stepping into the NFL and your first experience 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:47.440 is getting to watch him every day. That was pretty cool. 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:52.040 Does his story and that cautionary tale have any impact 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:55.320 on your desire to try to protect Joe Burrow as 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:57.080 much as any coach possibly can. 0:15:57.360 --> 0:16:01.400 I mean sure, you know, I think for me when 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:04.120 I sit down and you know it's been talked about, well, 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:07.320 you know, I've done their downs and and I've you know, 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:09.320 had influence in other areas as well. But when you're 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:12.400 talking about the passing game, the first, the very first 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:15.320 thing that I always start with is how do we 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:19.880 not get the quarterback hit. That's just philosophically what I 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:23.120 believe in, and that can take on a variety of 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:26.280 different things. Some weeks, that might mean getting empty and 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.640 spread them all out and let them see it and 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:32.080 just find quick answers and they can never hit him 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:33.800 because they can't get to him in time. Some weeks 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:36.840 that might mean seven or eight man protection based on 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:39.520 the defensive looks that we're getting and the personnel that 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:44.440 we're facing. So that doesn't that philosophy doesn't tie me 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:49.560 to a specific schematic approach, but it is a foundation 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:54.080 for how I look at things. And keeping the quarterback 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:58.480 clean is everybody's job, including the quarterback, and it's about 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:01.440 playing on time. It's about putting the things in place 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:05.080 to be able to distribute the ball before the rush 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:07.639 can get there, and then drilling and working on things 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:10.080 that let you elude the rush when it does come, 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.439 because it always it's gonna come. You watch every obviously 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:14.640 in one of these games, and I mean, those guys 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:16.080 a getting paid a lot of money to get after 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:19.720 the quarterbacks. So but yeah, that's a central component to 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:21.440 how I think about offensive football. 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:25.080 Your first years, the quarterbacks coach was Joe's first year 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:27.840 as the Bengals quarterback. I'm going to ask you to 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:31.560 be immodest here. How do you think you've helped Joe Burrow? 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:37.160 Well, I think Joe and I are able to relate 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:41.159 to one another. I think we share some personality traits. 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:44.760 Unfortunately for me, I don't share any of the elite, 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:49.159 world class skill that he has, but I think we 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:53.960 look at things similarly, and so for that reason, I 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:58.480 think he's respected my opinion on things from a very 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:02.000 really from the start, and so it's allowed us to 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:08.200 have some i think, really kind of truthful conversations about 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:12.040 hard topics at times, and I think he respects where 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:14.240 I'm coming from on those. He will seek out my 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:18.119 opinion when it comes to things like that, and I 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:19.840 think it's helped him get to where he is today. 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:23.399 You know, now, again, he deserves the line's share of 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:26.760 the credit because he's the guy doing it, but everybody 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:28.520 needs people around him to help put him in a 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:31.720 spot to succeed. And I'm proud of the part that 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:33.439 I've played in that, and now I'm excited that I 0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:35.520 get to play an even bigger part moving forward. 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:38.720 In year two. Working together the Bengals go to the 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:41.080 Super Bowl. You are about to be a dad for 0:18:41.119 --> 0:18:42.960 the first time. I think your son was born about 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.400 ten days after that Super Bowl. What are your most 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:47.840 vivid memories of Super Bowl fifty six. 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:53.119 Well, I mean just the whole process, everything leading up 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:57.280 to that, you know that, you know, month to whatever 0:18:57.320 --> 0:19:02.320 it was, six weeks and just kind of groundbreaking win 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:07.080 after groundbreaking win, and the just elation that came with 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:08.960 each of those, and the feelings that you have in 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:13.600 the locker of a room, and you know, just the 0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:17.600 fulfillment that comes from that. The super Bowl experience in 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:21.560 and of itself really, you know, to me, I tried 0:19:21.560 --> 0:19:24.320 to make it as normal a week as I could 0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:26.399 make it. I wanted it to feel like my normal 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:28.359 prep leading up into the game. And I think I 0:19:28.359 --> 0:19:30.679 did a pretty good job of that. And and we 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:33.720 I mean, shoot, it just felt like we were going 0:19:33.760 --> 0:19:35.920 to win another game. It really did, all the way 0:19:36.320 --> 0:19:40.480 all the way through, you know, and and it really 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:46.120 the pain of the outcome is there and will always 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:48.159 be there, you know. I just remember waking up the 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:52.280 next morning and you have that brief moment where you 0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:55.000 start to get yourself together and remember what the heck, 0:19:55.080 --> 0:19:58.200 just happened, and and it just it just sits in 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:00.639 your stomach, and it sits for a long long time. 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:04.560 But it doesn't it doesn't take away the joy they 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:07.960 came with that. And what it does do is absolutely 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:12.359 fuel the fire to get back and not wake up 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:14.080 with that pit in your stomach the next time, but 0:20:14.920 --> 0:20:16.960 to be parted in for a month straight. 0:20:18.400 --> 0:20:21.160 It's been well documented that at this time last year 0:20:21.200 --> 0:20:23.879 you turned out an opportunity to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:25.960 Why did you stay for this? 0:20:27.480 --> 0:20:31.920 You know, for this opportunity here? So much had gone 0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:36.320 into just the equity that I think built up in 0:20:36.320 --> 0:20:43.000 this building with these people, with mister Brown and the 0:20:43.040 --> 0:20:46.399 Brown and Blackburn families and Zach and Duke and all 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:49.159 the you know, the person the guys in personnel and 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:52.439 the coach. I mean, it's just like it just felt like, 0:20:53.800 --> 0:20:56.120 I mean, yeah, this is an enticing opportunity, but it's 0:20:56.240 --> 0:20:58.560 the timing is not right, and you're gut If you 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:01.720 just be patient and you just trust in yourself and 0:21:01.760 --> 0:21:05.720 the organization, this opportunity that you're sitting here interviewing me 0:21:05.760 --> 0:21:09.680 about is gonna is gonna come to fruition and sure. 0:21:09.760 --> 0:21:11.760 Were there moments where you think, like, oh man, maybe 0:21:11.760 --> 0:21:14.119 it won't. Yeah, but that's okay. Like I knew that 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:16.639 when I when I decided what I decided, and I 0:21:16.720 --> 0:21:20.119 was okay with that, and I'm just I'm really happy 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:20.800 that it's worked out. 0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:24.520 If Brian Callahan did not get an NFL head coaching 0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:28.160 job this year, would you have taken an offensive coordinator 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:29.320 opportunity somewhere else? 0:21:29.640 --> 0:21:33.480 I think at some point, if you're serious about growing 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:37.320 in your profession, there there there becomes a point where 0:21:37.160 --> 0:21:40.359 you're you're left with no other choice. Would that have 0:21:40.440 --> 0:21:45.679 been this year? Maybe again, depending on situation. Uh, but 0:21:45.920 --> 0:21:49.360