Speaker 1: You are listening to the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network.
Speaker 2: This is Drive Time with Travis Wingfield.
Speaker 3: Back to throw to a looking slips about.
Speaker 2: A wide Olphen touchdown turn Rick Quel unfelievable, just blow.
Speaker 3: By it for a second time. Don knew where he
Speaker 3: was going right away. I want to hit that though. Man,
Speaker 3: I'm going to help you.
Speaker 4: Someone will keep on his man away Wattle Wadle to
Speaker 4: a shotgun, back to throw, looking at them up Myers touchdown.
Speaker 3: It's Waddle his sixth touchdown. Parado's the tea.
Speaker 2: Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins. Now we check your
Speaker 2: pulse if you're not for of what is up?
Speaker 4: Dolphins And welcome to the Drive Time podcast, part of
Speaker 4: the Miami Dolphins podcast Network, covering your team, your Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 2: How's it going everybody?
Speaker 4: I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show
Speaker 4: we continue our divisional pre series and our walking talks.
Speaker 4: I'll have Jeff Wilson with me today on the podcast,
Speaker 4: as well as James Rapeene breaking down the AFC North
Speaker 4: from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.
Speaker 2: This is the Draft Time Podcast.
Speaker 4: Jeffy, Let's kick it off today with my interview with
Speaker 4: Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson.
Speaker 2: What's up, guys, Travis Spectfield.
Speaker 4: Here another edition of one hundred yards My guess today,
Speaker 4: Jeff Wilson, Let's go ahead and make awa down the
Speaker 4: field there. Jeff, So you got here last year mid season.
Speaker 4: I'm always curious to hear about how guys incorporate into
Speaker 4: a new locker room and just kind of how that
Speaker 4: whole process went for you.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was kind of. It was kind of smooth,
Speaker 1: I would say, because, like you said, obviously, we had
Speaker 1: a couple of guys that I was familiar with in
Speaker 1: the locker room already, and those guys were kind of like,
Speaker 1: I guess, good outlets for me are good resources for
Speaker 1: me to the other guys. So let them know kind
Speaker 1: of who I was and what I was about. And
Speaker 1: so once they did that, and then I came in
Speaker 1: and they seen how it worked and then how I played. Shoot,
Speaker 1: it was just like a that's.
Speaker 4: Made from heaven. I don't know.
Speaker 1: Everybody was locked in, coaches in, players, even people around.
Speaker 3: The facility got to help.
Speaker 2: Having your teammate Raheem Moster here in town.
Speaker 4: He was talking about this off season how they kind
Speaker 4: of wanted to get you guys back together. How pumped
Speaker 4: you to have the entire room back together plus a
Speaker 4: rookie and Devon h Man.
Speaker 1: That's that's crazy, and that's around this league. You know,
Speaker 1: that's almost unheard of for you to have guys that
Speaker 1: stick around like that, especially the same exact ones from
Speaker 1: the previous year. And then to add on those young guys.
Speaker 1: Man watching them out here work and run and be
Speaker 1: happy and excited about it. You know, he bring back
Speaker 1: members when I was a rookie. But to see them
Speaker 1: and joining and thriving in the passion that love for
Speaker 1: the game, and it's another beauty, Like.
Speaker 2: To see give me one of the old head at
Speaker 2: this point.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2: So weird that so fast, it's crazy, it really does.
Speaker 4: And speaking of you know when you're you're upbringing the league,
Speaker 4: you know, the story about you and coach McDaniel meeting
Speaker 4: and the scouting process of all that, I just kind
Speaker 4: of wanted to get your measure of how he as
Speaker 4: a coach and how like going from you know, run
Speaker 4: game coordinator to head coach here, how he's grown as
Speaker 4: a pro since you saw him from that day at
Speaker 4: your workout back in college to now as a head
Speaker 4: coach the Dolphins.
Speaker 1: Oh, you know, every year you want to try to improve.
Speaker 1: And I would say, in this game, in this fashion,
Speaker 1: in this field that we're in, if you're not improving,
Speaker 1: you're losing. So you know, from the moment I'm at
Speaker 1: night tonight, it's like he's he's changed dramatically, you know
Speaker 1: what I mean, not even to say as a person,
Speaker 1: but his knowledge of the game, his mindset of the game,
Speaker 1: where he wants to be, where he wants to go.
Speaker 1: You can tell it when he talks, and you can
Speaker 1: feel it when you want you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: And that's kind of the whole thing about Mike. He
Speaker 1: means what he say and he's going to do what
Speaker 1: he say. And he's been doing all that ever since
Speaker 1: I've been here, and still is. So he's going to
Speaker 1: do everything for this program, everything for this team, and
Speaker 1: that's always been Mike. He's gonna always put us in
Speaker 1: the right direction.
Speaker 2: And we love hearing that about the coach.
Speaker 4: We're here all the time of all the guys. So
Speaker 4: you've got a couple of football camps coming up right
Speaker 4: back back home in Texas, I.
Speaker 1: Got one in my high school where I grew up,
Speaker 1: Elkhat High School. It's gonna be the first one back home.
Speaker 1: It's an all three camp ages eight fifteen. Then that's seventeen.
Speaker 1: That's on June sixteenth, and June seventeenth. You're going to
Speaker 1: go right up to Dallas and have another one at
Speaker 1: the academy, First Bapti Academy. Pull up eleven. It's all
Speaker 1: from eleven to one. Bring you kids, let's have fun.
Speaker 2: Turn out you go so you can learn football there.
Speaker 2: But also I'm curious.
Speaker 4: We're on like the t guard line here. When you
Speaker 4: get the ball down here and you score a touchdown,
Speaker 4: we got a thinking.
Speaker 3: It's for force.
Speaker 2: Let's hear some new celebrations.
Speaker 1: Baby oh man, We're gonna have fun this year. That's
Speaker 1: what I said. Now we all claim it. We affiliated
Speaker 1: were back at home. Everybody kind of knows who I am,
Speaker 1: so once they see it, they's not acting all. He's
Speaker 1: just they actually know that's me. So we definitely have
Speaker 1: a fun and the end zone this year, for sure.
Speaker 4: You said that us kind of see a theme developing here,
Speaker 4: don't you. On the podcast, all these guys and the
Speaker 4: team just so easy to talk to you and so
Speaker 4: likable and playing for your favorite team obviously helps, but
Speaker 4: also so easy to root for these guys when they
Speaker 4: have personalities like the ones they do have. So again,
Speaker 4: thanks to Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson, let's go ahead
Speaker 4: and take our first break right here and come back
Speaker 4: on the other side and continue our summer preview series.
Speaker 4: The AFC North is up today. James Rapen is going
Speaker 4: to be my guest here on the Draft Time podcast.
Speaker 4: Your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation
Speaker 4: and joining us now today, is a former colleague of mine.
Speaker 4: He's now the publisher of All Bengals and All Bearcats,
Speaker 4: really holding down that Cincinnati reporting sector of our country.
Speaker 4: Here Lockdown Bengals as well. In the big chair there,
Speaker 4: James Rapine, James, longtime man.
Speaker 2: How you doing.
Speaker 3: I'm doing well. I appreciate you having me. How are you.
Speaker 4: I'm very good, very happy to have you on here.
Speaker 4: Did you have a break in the Lockdown Bengals hosting?
Speaker 4: Didn't you go somewhere else for a minute?
Speaker 5: Yeah, it kind of is fitting because I think I'm
Speaker 5: pretty qualified to discuss this division, maybe more so than
Speaker 5: some of the other reporters of the division because I
Speaker 5: covered Cleveland, so I was in the division and it
Speaker 5: was around Miles Garrett and Baker Mayfield and Freddy Kitchens
Speaker 5: and during that era.
Speaker 4: So yeah, and I think this is one of the
Speaker 4: divisions to me that has like the maybe besides the
Speaker 4: NFC East, the best like rivalry at every single game
Speaker 4: that you get, like all these teams when they match up,
Speaker 4: it's like a fun little back and forth with the
Speaker 4: fans and the history between these teams here. And not
Speaker 4: to mention, I think this is one of the best
Speaker 4: divisions in football as we head in a twenty twenty
Speaker 4: three And so with that, I'll start this podcast when
Speaker 4: I've started all these divisional previews here by just asking
Speaker 4: you to give us the kind of thirty thousand.
Speaker 2: Foot view of the AFC North.
Speaker 4: Obviously, you know, we have our own division storylines out
Speaker 4: here in the AFC East. But as you kind of
Speaker 4: go into the you know, I guess this summer the
Speaker 4: dead period as it were, of the NFL, and you
Speaker 4: look forward to training camps. What are some of the
Speaker 4: things you're keeping eye on here with a division as
Speaker 4: a whole.
Speaker 5: In the AFC North, I think one of the biggest
Speaker 5: storylines is certainly what happens in Cleveland with the Shan Watson.
Speaker 5: Is he the guy that we saw in twenty twenty
Speaker 5: play for Houston and obviously before that a few years
Speaker 5: prior just become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL?
Speaker 5: Or is it the guy that missed a year and
Speaker 5: was suspended and then at the end of the season,
Speaker 5: you know, certainly struggled last year. That's that's such a
Speaker 5: storyline because if so, if he is that elite quarterback,
Speaker 5: still this division to me, and it might be anyways,
Speaker 5: but is the best division in football because top to
Speaker 5: bottom there is either a complete team in the Steelers
Speaker 5: with a question at quarterback, but outside of that, you'll
Speaker 5: like that roster overall, and then three other teams that
Speaker 5: have top ten qbs, like Lamar Jackson's a former MVP,
Speaker 5: and I know some aren't as high on him, but
Speaker 5: the dude is a baller and it's a quarterbacks league.
Speaker 5: And so you have Lamar with actual weapons for the
Speaker 5: first time in his career. And maybe I wouldn't go
Speaker 5: that far, but he certainly has more weapons now than
Speaker 5: he's ever had. The Browns I think did well in
Speaker 5: the trenches and obviously have been able to build around
Speaker 5: to Shaun Watson, and then we know what the Bengals
Speaker 5: have done. So I think that this is the best
Speaker 5: division in football. And I know the NFC West last
Speaker 5: year AFC West excuse me, was getting a ton of
Speaker 5: run and that disappointed. I don't think the North will
Speaker 5: disappoint this year. I think it's going to be a
Speaker 5: really competitive division. And so that's what stands out. If
Speaker 5: Deshaun Watson is the guy the Browns hope he is,
Speaker 5: that this is a very real four team race for
Speaker 5: the AFC North title.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, I thought they had one of the best off
Speaker 4: seasons as well. You talked about adding to that defense
Speaker 4: and getting some real key parts up on that defensive line.
Speaker 4: We'll come back to them and talk about them. I
Speaker 4: think they're fourth in my line up here with the
Speaker 4: Cleveland Browns. So we're gonna go back to the reigning
Speaker 4: division champions, the kind of team that's that's ran that
Speaker 4: in terms of playoff success the last couple of years.
Speaker 4: Where you currently are stationed with the fellow team in Ohio,
Speaker 4: the Cincinnati Bengals. You mentioned Joe Burrow and kind of
Speaker 4: what he's done for that team in that division and
Speaker 4: just kind of taking the range there for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 4: And I guess I start here at the Bengals with
Speaker 4: this question, James, because you know, it's a team that
Speaker 4: you would assume. I think for most you know, most
Speaker 4: teams in that position might be super aggressive. But for
Speaker 4: the Bengals, you know, we've we've heard all this stuff
Speaker 4: about how they you know, putting them putting the money
Speaker 4: in Escro, getting ready for Joe Burrow's big contract extension.
Speaker 4: I'm curious how you see that and their free agency
Speaker 4: period this offseason kind of paired together because they made
Speaker 4: the one big move on Lando Brown junie, they lost
Speaker 4: some pieces. To just kind of give us the overview
Speaker 4: of the Bengals off season and how Joe Burrow's contract
Speaker 4: looming impacted that.
Speaker 3: I think it did some.
Speaker 5: I think that is as much as fans might have
Speaker 5: wanted to see, you know, another big move or another
Speaker 5: splashy move. They were Orlando Brown Junior signing at least
Speaker 5: as of now, and it depends on how it works.
Speaker 5: They've had a lot of good free agency signings, but
Speaker 5: is the best free agent signing they've had certainly the
Speaker 5: most surprising that they've had maybe during this run. And
Speaker 5: they've added a bunch of guys in free agency. DJ Reader,
Speaker 5: Chidobeo Woozi A, Mike Hilton, Trey Hendrickson, all guys that
Speaker 5: they've added that that have contributed it in a huge,
Speaker 5: huge way. And so to go get alignment of his caliber,
Speaker 5: they added Alex Kappa last year, Lel Collins, Ted Carris,
Speaker 5: guys that contributed and started last year and made a
Speaker 5: difference in the trenches. But getting Orlando Brown Junior, I
Speaker 5: think it's arguably the biggest free agent addition in team
Speaker 5: history because this franchise didn't do that. That's not how
Speaker 5: they used to build their teams even when they had
Speaker 5: success in the past, and so I think that that
Speaker 5: was a huge get.
Speaker 3: I think it's going to have a major impact.
Speaker 5: But yeah, you're starting to see younger guys on defense
Speaker 5: start to emerge. You know, they're going to be reliant
Speaker 5: on Cam Taylor Britt this year second rounder from last
Speaker 5: year to start at cornerback. They drafted Miles Murphy in
Speaker 5: the first round and he's a defensive end. Well, could
Speaker 5: that be Trey Hendrickson's replacement long term? Or Sam Hubbards.
Speaker 5: They're going to have to allocate more resources to offense
Speaker 5: because they drafted Burrow and drafted Higgins and drafted Chase
Speaker 5: and so as you do that, you're going to have
Speaker 5: to get younger on defense. And they've had so much
Speaker 5: success and free agency adding these guys on their second
Speaker 5: contracts in the NFL that it's just shifting a little bit.
Speaker 3: So I don't think it had a huge impact.
Speaker 5: I think they planned on being aggressive and they kind
Speaker 5: of knew that they were going to lose some of
Speaker 5: those guys. Jesse Bates negotiations just we're never close over
Speaker 5: the past couple of years, and they knew that. Von
Speaker 5: Bell I think it came down to a third year
Speaker 5: and they didn't give him a third year. Instead, they
Speaker 5: got Nick Scott for a cheaper deal from the Rams,
Speaker 5: and we'll see if that works out. So certainly some risks,
Speaker 5: some question marks, but overall, I do think that they're
Speaker 5: better now than they were when they lost in the
Speaker 5: AFC title game in January.
Speaker 4: Yeah, they do seem to be one of those teams
Speaker 4: in the enviable position where they can kind of draft
Speaker 4: for future playing and the way they did it last
Speaker 4: year I think with both Dack's Daxon Hill brain fart
Speaker 4: there for a second. You mentioned Cam Taylor britt to
Speaker 4: kind of you know, offset a loss of a Jesse
Speaker 4: Bates and Aavon Bell there, and you talk about Trey
Speaker 4: Hendrickson as well. It's just really smart drafting to be
Speaker 4: able to put yourself in a position where you can
Speaker 4: potentially have a replacement, you know, the second year of
Speaker 4: their career, opposed to just trying to you know, put
Speaker 4: a rookie into your biggest need.
Speaker 2: And I think they did a good job there.
Speaker 4: I think they did a good job the last couple
Speaker 4: of years of building the offensive line. You mentioned that,
Speaker 4: and that's kind of where I think this team, you know,
Speaker 4: a lot of their success hinges on that on that
Speaker 4: offensive line, right because if they can get help wealth
Speaker 4: you play from those guys up front, you know, lyle
Speaker 4: Call I don't think played to the level they hoped
Speaker 4: he would last year. Mentioned Ted Carris and Alex Kappa.
Speaker 4: Have to have pretty high expectations for the offensive line
Speaker 4: to really help Joe Burl stay upright, stay clean.
Speaker 2: If he does that, he's just get anybody else in
Speaker 2: the league.
Speaker 5: Right, Yeah, I think I'm not sure there's a quarterback
Speaker 5: in the league Mahomes included that could have done what
Speaker 5: Burrow's done the past two years with the offensive lines
Speaker 5: that he's had and the adversity that he's faced. I mean,
Speaker 5: he was coming off of that torn acl and you
Speaker 5: go into that that twenty twenty one season and that
Speaker 5: offensive line still wasn't good and they were still working
Speaker 5: through some things, and multiple guys that started for them
Speaker 5: in the Super Bowl in Super Bowl fifty six didn't
Speaker 5: even get into a camp that following summer. So you
Speaker 5: go from February to that summer and they weren't even
Speaker 5: in an NFL camp and they've never played or participated
Speaker 5: in another NFL practice. So getting them to that point
Speaker 5: with that line, I think Joe Burrow deserves a ton
Speaker 5: of credit for that. And then last year, same thing.
Speaker 5: The offensive line had its issues. You're right, Level Collins
Speaker 5: was battling some injuries, Joanah Williams played through a dislocated
Speaker 5: kneecap for the majority of the year, and so they
Speaker 5: were underwhelming at times, but they also showed flashes of
Speaker 5: being just a solid unit. I wouldn't say like league,
Speaker 5: but you know, top ten or anything. Like that, but
Speaker 5: just the solid unit. And that's when this offense started
Speaker 5: to show what it could do and they won ten
Speaker 5: straight and got really close to making it to a
Speaker 5: second straight Super Bowl. And so yeah, this year, I
Speaker 5: think expectations are the highest they've been during this run
Speaker 5: because I don't really see a glaring hole on the
Speaker 5: offensive line for the first time since Joe Burrow was drafted.
Speaker 4: Really the entire roster, and going back to that Super
Speaker 4: Bowl team when they just lost to the Rams there
Speaker 4: in the final mins of that game, wasn't there wasn't
Speaker 4: it like all eleven players on that defense that started
Speaker 4: that Super Bowl or like free agents from the last
Speaker 4: couple of years, something crazy like that, right, I.
Speaker 3: Think they were all They might have all been new additions.
Speaker 5: They had some guys that they had drafted, like Logan Wilson,
Speaker 5: Jermaine Pratt, so there were some draft picks in there,
Speaker 5: Jesse Bates, but they might have all been new. I'm
Speaker 5: trying to think if there were any holdovers. I think
Speaker 5: you're right that there probably weren't, and I would have
Speaker 5: to look to make sure, but that sounds correct now.
Speaker 4: Duke Tobin just doing a great job up there at
Speaker 4: the Bengals and getting that thing really turned around, turning
Speaker 4: them into a you know, a mainstay. I should stay
Speaker 4: in the AFC North in the AFC playoffs, So we'll
Speaker 4: look forward to seeing that a team that we're gonna
Speaker 4: have to see probably, you know, in that position for
Speaker 4: a long time to come. Here. You mentioned Orlando Brown junior.
Speaker 4: They retained Jermaine Pratt like you talked about there Cody
Speaker 4: for Sidney Jones Earsmith. You talked about kind of some
Speaker 4: high risk, high reward there in terms of the freeze.
Speaker 4: I think there's a lot of opportunity there with those guys.
Speaker 4: And you know, I kind of did this exercise here
Speaker 4: looking at this roster like really not many holes, man.
Speaker 4: You talk about the offensive line, really the entire roster
Speaker 4: looks that way. So I think this probably has to
Speaker 4: be I would assume the division favorite because for a
Speaker 4: long time there, this division was ran by two other
Speaker 4: teams we'll talk about here next and the Baltimore Ravens,
Speaker 4: the first one that I think kind of has been
Speaker 4: at the top of the division there for a while.
Speaker 4: You mention off the top Lamar Jackson getting his contract
Speaker 4: and now getting equipped with weapons. I'm curious how you
Speaker 4: see that offense evolving this year, you know, going from
Speaker 4: what it was previously under Greg Roman and all the
Speaker 4: heavy run principles. Now make a switch and go out
Speaker 4: and get an Odell Beckham junior and you have Rashad
Speaker 4: Bateman and you draft Say Flowers in the first round
Speaker 4: as well. Are we going to see a different style
Speaker 4: of offense in Baltimore or is it going to be
Speaker 4: more of the same just has more flavor to it. No.
Speaker 5: I think it's going to be a different offense. And
Speaker 5: a big reason why is Todd munkin their new offensive coordinator.
Speaker 5: You're right, you know you change from Greg Roman, who
Speaker 5: clearly put Lamar Jackson in a position to succeed, and
Speaker 5: you go to Monken and he's going to air it out.
Speaker 5: I think you're going to see this become a pass
Speaker 5: first offense. Now, will it be successful? I think that's
Speaker 5: that's a big question. But I think that's how you
Speaker 5: have to be welcome to the NFL.
Speaker 3: It's three.
Speaker 5: Even with Lamar Jackson is dynamic as he is as
Speaker 5: a runner, he can make plays with his arm. We've
Speaker 5: seen that he can, you know, complete deep passes and
Speaker 5: slants and different things like that, and yet you look
Speaker 5: at their weapons. Odell Beckham Junior doesn't have to be
Speaker 5: the twenty fourteen Odell. He's just got to be a
Speaker 5: solid starting wide receiver because if they have that, Zay
Speaker 5: Flowers adds a bit to them. They just they haven't
Speaker 5: had that. Like the bar is so low for their
Speaker 5: starting receivers in Baltimore that if they get that combined
Speaker 5: with a Mark Andrews, combined with a running game, and
Speaker 5: they still will run the ball, no doubt about it.
Speaker 5: And that defense, which we know is one of the
Speaker 5: NFL's best, I think that they're forced to be reckoned with.
Speaker 5: And part of it is pretty simple. Lamar Jackson is
Speaker 5: one of the best players in the league, and I
Speaker 5: think he's going to show that. I know it got
Speaker 5: weird with the contract and people were questioning him and
Speaker 5: there was all this stuff that's fine, that can be uncomfortable,
Speaker 5: but now it's done, and so when they get on
Speaker 5: the feet, we know that number eight is still one
Speaker 5: of the best quarterbacks in the in the world.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think that what JK.
Speaker 4: Dobbins does because you know, they've always had so much
Speaker 4: success run in the football with very running backs. But
Speaker 4: I think that Dobbins takes him from you know, getting
Speaker 4: really good production out of maybe an average, you know,
Speaker 4: capable running back, and he's one of those top tier guys,
Speaker 4: I think, and really with his talent, make it that
Speaker 4: running game, you know, fire on all cylinders to complement
Speaker 4: Lamar Jackson, and then that obviously makes the passing game better.
Speaker 4: But I think it all starts with an area that
Speaker 4: I want to ask you about from an opponent's perspective,
Speaker 4: you know, being a Bengals covering the Bengals. I'm curious
Speaker 4: because like for a long time, this offensive line.
Speaker 2: Was kind of the bread and butter of the team.
Speaker 4: But Ronnie Stanley's had so many injuries the last couple
Speaker 4: of years is one of the best left tackles before
Speaker 4: the injuries started to take their toll. Patrick McCary played
Speaker 4: a bunch last year, Morgan Moses we see on the inside,
Speaker 4: Kevin Zeitler's there now, Andrew Voorhe's a high draft pick
Speaker 4: a couple of years or this last year, Daniel Falale
Speaker 4: a couple of years ago, and Tyler Linderbaum in the
Speaker 4: first round. When you look at the offensive line, is
Speaker 4: that a group that you know, when you talk about
Speaker 4: a Bengals Ravens preview, are you worried about the offen
Speaker 4: defensive line, Like, how do you view that group? Because
Speaker 4: to me, it kind of is the engine that drives
Speaker 4: this offense with Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think the tackle play is the big question
Speaker 5: mark because can Stanley stay healthy. We know how talented
Speaker 5: he is and how good of a player he is
Speaker 5: when healthy, but that is a huge fly and annointment,
Speaker 5: so to speak. When it comes to that left tackle
Speaker 5: spot and right tackle Morgan Moses, I think he leaves
Speaker 5: a little bit to be desired. There's some health stuff
Speaker 5: with him in the past, and he's it's not like
Speaker 5: he's twenty four either, so there are some questions at tackle.
Speaker 3: I like their interior. I loved Tyler Lindnerbaum.
Speaker 5: Coming out, and I know someone worried about his size
Speaker 5: and different stuff like that, and I was all over
Speaker 5: him last year for the Bengals in Round one. I
Speaker 5: don't think they were in on him in Round one anyways,
Speaker 5: but he didn't even make it there because Baltimore saw
Speaker 5: I think what I saw, and I think he's already
Speaker 5: one of the best centers in the league, and I
Speaker 5: think a guy that not that, I think a player
Speaker 5: that not only the Bengals, but the Browns know well,
Speaker 5: this division knows well.
Speaker 3: Kevin Zeitler.
Speaker 5: He's one of the better guards still, a veteran guard
Speaker 5: that has aged very well, and I know he wants
Speaker 5: a new deal, but I expect him to play well
Speaker 5: this year. So you look at that interior. Ben Cleveland
Speaker 5: will see if he'll take a step. But I really
Speaker 5: like Zeitler and Linderbaum a lot. But you're right, it
Speaker 5: isn't the offensive line of a few years ago. They
Speaker 5: lost Orlando Brown Junior at right tackle, obviously Ronnie Stanley
Speaker 5: was healthy. Then you don't have those guys and you
Speaker 5: take a little bit of a step back at tackle,
Speaker 5: and we'll see. I still think they're solid in that area,
Speaker 5: but the depth isn't what.
Speaker 2: It once was, and which could you know?
Speaker 4: That's one of those I always look at, like what
Speaker 4: are trapped door scenarios for teams where event A and
Speaker 4: B happens, then X and Y could be the result
Speaker 4: of that. In this division, if you're not solid at tackle,
Speaker 4: man teams can take advantage that With what we have
Speaker 4: off the edge with TJ.
Speaker 2: Watt, Miles Garrett.
Speaker 4: You've got Trey Hendrickson over there in Cincinnati, so plenty
Speaker 4: of pass rush in this division. And I think one
Speaker 4: of the more curious parts about this team and injuries
Speaker 4: seem to hit this Ray team every single year in
Speaker 4: a way that just kind of deflates them, even though
Speaker 4: they still find ways to win games and make playoff appearances.
Speaker 4: But no one's gotten hit by the injury bug harder
Speaker 4: than the Ravens the last.
Speaker 2: Couple of years.
Speaker 4: And I want to take the conversation over the defensive
Speaker 4: side of the football, because we saw this Ravens defense
Speaker 4: last year in Week two, as you know, Miami Dolphins,
Speaker 4: and the Dolphins went up and down the field, scored
Speaker 4: forty something points in that game or maybe it's thirty
Speaker 4: forty two or something. A great comeback winning for the
Speaker 4: Dolphins offense, getting touchdowns you know at will in the
Speaker 4: fourth quarter. But that was a pretty banged up secondary
Speaker 4: at that time, going up against two of the best
Speaker 4: receivers in the game and a hot quarterback into a
Speaker 4: tongue by Lowa. How does this defense, how did it
Speaker 4: kind of come together in the second half of the season,
Speaker 4: because they played a lot better down the stretch than
Speaker 4: they did it early on.
Speaker 5: They did, and they gave this Bengals offense fits in
Speaker 5: that final week of the regular season and then obviously
Speaker 5: in the playoff game as well, where it really came
Speaker 5: down to the wire, even though Tyler Hunt was in
Speaker 5: at quarterback. And you look at it, and I think
Speaker 5: that the thing that changed their defense last year. And
Speaker 5: I know people try to say linebackers don't matter, and
Speaker 5: that could be the case for a lot of the league,
Speaker 5: but a guy like Rokwan Smith matters. He is such
Speaker 5: a difference maker in this defense. You notice eighteen just
Speaker 5: watching them, It's like where is he? All?
Speaker 4: There?
Speaker 3: He is and he just pops out.
Speaker 5: He was getting in Jamar Chase his ear, He was
Speaker 5: making tackles, making plays all over And I think that
Speaker 5: that was such a great trade for them because it
Speaker 5: injected new life and raise the level, raise the floor
Speaker 5: of this Ravens defense, which not many linebackers can do.
Speaker 5: And part of that had to do they picked Patrick
Speaker 5: Queen in the first round a few years ago, and
Speaker 5: I don't think he's lived up to expectations. So you
Speaker 5: go get a guy in Smith that you know can
Speaker 5: be that type of game changer. So there are some
Speaker 5: questions pass rush wise, are they going to take a
Speaker 5: step forward or some of these young guys. Is OA
Speaker 5: going to take a step forward as a pass rusher.
Speaker 5: Do they go out and bring back justin Justin Houston?
Speaker 3: Do they do that?
Speaker 5: I'm not sure, but I think that they could use
Speaker 5: another pass rusher. But we certainly saw that they could
Speaker 5: be effective.
Speaker 3: And by the end of the year.
Speaker 5: I don't want to say they had the Bengals number
Speaker 5: because the Bengals were working through some injuries as well,
Speaker 5: but they were able to slow down Joe burrowing Company,
Speaker 5: which is really tough to do.
Speaker 4: Those games were close than most folks expected, especially that
Speaker 4: playoff game going on because against Tyler Huntley, you know
Speaker 4: that that wasn't a ninety eight yard funbl return for
Speaker 4: a touchdown or something late in that game kind of
Speaker 4: swung that game and basically put it on ice after
Speaker 4: it was going to be, you know, come down to
Speaker 4: the wire there late. But just looking at this Rayvens
Speaker 4: defensive roster, it's just it's such a trope to say this, James,
Speaker 4: but I always feel like they have like true Baltimore
Speaker 4: Ravens on their roster every single year and rokwand Smith
Speaker 4: seems to be one of those guys you know you
Speaker 4: talk about Adolphe Oway was one of the guys Justin Madabke,
Speaker 4: Michael Pierce and that secondary Marlin Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton.
Speaker 4: Like there's names all over that defense. So I think
Speaker 4: this Rayven's team. If you think they're gonna go away
Speaker 4: time zoom, I think you'd be remissed to say that.
Speaker 4: So it's it's a fun division battle here with those
Speaker 4: two teams. Let's go ahead and take our last break first.
Speaker 4: Before I do that, though, want to remind you guys,
Speaker 4: Dolphins will go to Baltimore in week seventeen to face
Speaker 4: the Ravens on Sunday, December the thirty first, forty one
Speaker 4: o'clock kickoff. That's the only game inside the AFC North
Speaker 4: of the Dolphins this season. Let's go ahead and take
Speaker 4: our last break rate there and come back on the
Speaker 4: other side and talk Steelers and Browns with my guest today,
Speaker 4: James Rapine on the Draft Time Podcast, your host Travis Wingfield,
Speaker 4: brought to you by Auto Nation. Back here on a
Speaker 4: AFC North preview edition of the Draft Time Podcast, My
Speaker 4: guest today from Lockdown Bengals, All Bengals, all Bearcats.
Speaker 2: He is all everything Cincinnati, James Rapine.
Speaker 4: We're breaking down the AFC North and we're gonna go
Speaker 4: ahead and pivot now to a team that went through
Speaker 4: a bit of a transition year last year and still miraculously.
Speaker 4: I was certain, James, the streak was going to come
Speaker 4: to an end last year.
Speaker 2: It did not.
Speaker 4: Still no losing seasons for Mike Tomlin after what was
Speaker 4: like two and six or something. But they go to
Speaker 4: a rookie quarterback off the bench and he kind of
Speaker 4: sparks them for a run there down the back part
Speaker 4: of the schedule there. I'm curious, you know, I always
Speaker 4: like getting the opponent's perspective of these teams because you
Speaker 4: have such you can feel for the rest of the division.
Speaker 4: Here was that Steelers run? Was it repeatable? Do you
Speaker 4: think it was a mirage as far as the schedule goes? Like?
Speaker 4: What was your take on the way they finished that
Speaker 4: year and continue to get Mike Tomlin to not have
Speaker 4: a losing season.
Speaker 5: I think they're a really good team, and I think
Speaker 5: I'm in the minority certainly in Cincinnati. I think there's
Speaker 5: this narrative that the Steelers just stink now and they don't.
Speaker 5: They have a question market quarterback. But when I look
Speaker 5: at this roster, there's a lot of guys I like
Speaker 5: a lot of difference makers still that can be game changers.
Speaker 3: Obviously, you have Cam Heyward on defense, TJ. Watt.
Speaker 5: That alone, you just start with those two guys. It's like,
Speaker 5: all right, you have the inside guy, you have the
Speaker 5: outside guy. Every offensive coordinator stays up at night thinking
Speaker 5: about those two. You add in Alex high Smith and
Speaker 5: they can get pressure. And in a passing league, if
Speaker 5: you can get pressure, you feel good about it. And
Speaker 5: on offense, I like a lot of their weapons. They've
Speaker 5: added offensive line pieces over the past cup couple of
Speaker 5: years to upgrade the floor. I think of that unit
Speaker 5: because that's been their biggest issue outside of Ben Roethlisberger at.
Speaker 3: The end of his career.
Speaker 5: That's been their biggest issue, I would say, is offensive
Speaker 5: line play. So I think this is a really solid roster, Travis,
Speaker 5: and I'm not going to be shocked at off that
Speaker 5: street continues. In fact, I would probably be surprised the
Speaker 5: other way if the Steelers finished with a losing record.
Speaker 2: I would, yeah, the offensive line.
Speaker 4: It's a great place to start because I just look
Speaker 4: at this group and you know, to me, I thought
Speaker 4: Broderick Jones was ot one personally. I don't think everyone
Speaker 4: felt that way, but I thought he was a great
Speaker 4: pick there. And then Isaac Samala was one of the
Speaker 4: best free agent guards they could have added. A year after,
Speaker 4: they bring in James Daniels is one of the top
Speaker 4: free agent interior offensive linemen as well. So they've kind
Speaker 4: of done a good job of rebuilding that front, and
Speaker 4: especially to kind of compliment with Nauji Harris Offers in
Speaker 4: that backfield.
Speaker 2: We know what he can do.
Speaker 4: But I think we have to ask the question about
Speaker 4: the quarterback because again, you know, I thought he got
Speaker 4: hot late.
Speaker 2: I thought the schedule kind of helped him to do that.
Speaker 4: The Steelers won some tight ball games late down the stretch,
Speaker 4: but certainly showed you some signs. I thought his ability
Speaker 4: to kind of get off script on third downs and
Speaker 4: play in time and on rhythm was pretty good for
Speaker 4: a rookie quarterback. I just want to hear your take
Speaker 4: on Kenny Pickett's first year and what fans can expect
Speaker 4: for a second season there in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3: I expect him to be okay.
Speaker 5: And I know that's not like the best take in
Speaker 5: the rule, but I don't expect him to cost them
Speaker 5: a bunch of games and throw a bunch of interceptions.
Speaker 5: I also don't think he's the next Joe Burrow. I
Speaker 5: don't think he's the next big thing quarterback wise in
Speaker 5: the AFC.
Speaker 3: I don't.
Speaker 5: And that's okay because this Steelers organization, the Steelers team,
Speaker 5: the franchise, they're all built from Mike Tomlin to the
Speaker 5: front office on down. To have an okay quarterback, yeah,
Speaker 5: and get the most out of him. And just looking
Speaker 5: with what he's working with, I expect Kenny Pickett to
Speaker 5: play at a solid level. I think back to the
Speaker 5: twenty let's say twenty twelve Bengals, and that was Andy
Speaker 5: Dalton's second season. They made the playoffs. His first year
Speaker 5: went nine and seven. The second year they made the playoffs. Again,
Speaker 5: you look at those Rocks and they weren't amazing, but
Speaker 5: they played solid defense and they had some weapons and
Speaker 5: the quarterback didn't turn the ball over. And I think
Speaker 5: that's what Kenny Pickett will do. And it's a tough division.
Speaker 5: Like I said, I think it's the best division in
Speaker 5: the NFL. But if he can do that, I think
Speaker 5: that they can keep their head above water and be
Speaker 5: competitive and be in the playoff mix.
Speaker 4: I think one of the things that makes this division
Speaker 4: so intriguing is that you have so many teams that
Speaker 4: just know who they are. And I talked about it
Speaker 4: on the other side with the Ravens, like always drafting
Speaker 4: Baltimore Ravens.
Speaker 2: The Steelers the exact same way.
Speaker 4: To me, I look on the defensive side of the football,
Speaker 4: and their off season was basically checking boxes of bat
Speaker 4: guys at Pittsburgh Steeler are gonna go go ahead and
Speaker 4: bring him in. Like Larry Olgan Jobi, I think he's
Speaker 4: made his entire tour on the AFC North at this point.
Speaker 4: Patrick Peterson seems like an absolute Steeler fit for me,
Speaker 4: especially they kind of transition he made last year to
Speaker 4: playing more often more zone where he gets eyes on
Speaker 4: the quarterback. Landon Roberts. We know him here well as
Speaker 4: a thumper in the middle of the defense. De Monte
Speaker 4: kz Kean O'Neil, all these guys. I'm curious how you
Speaker 4: see this defense kind of coming to together here with
Speaker 4: you know, hopefully a healthy TJ. Watt, Minka Fitzpatrick two
Speaker 4: the very best at their positions. But is this is
Speaker 4: this going to be closer to the steel curtain of
Speaker 4: old or was last year more reflection of kind of
Speaker 4: an aging defense that might be kind of, you know,
Speaker 4: past its prime years. No.
Speaker 5: I think that they can have one of the better
Speaker 5: defenses in the NFL because they can do a lot
Speaker 5: of what you need to be able to do pressure
Speaker 5: the quarterback, and they have playmakers on the back end.
Speaker 3: You mentioned it with Mika Fitzpatrick.
Speaker 5: He's a heck of a safety and he can do
Speaker 5: a lot, and he's versatile, and he'll move around and
Speaker 5: he'll make big plays and force fumbles and catch interceptions
Speaker 5: and so you got to be aware of him. But
Speaker 5: I agree with you with Patrick Peterson. It's the type
Speaker 5: of landing spot where he's just going to go under
Speaker 5: the radar and be like, not the star that he
Speaker 5: used to be, but be that solid presence in the
Speaker 5: cornerback room that they needed because that's an area that
Speaker 5: has been hit or miss at times. But what better
Speaker 5: guy to help mentor Joey Porter Junior than a guy
Speaker 5: like Patrick Peterson That worked out really, really well for
Speaker 5: the Steelers, so I like this defense a lot. You're right,
Speaker 5: Larry Ogan, Jobi is an under the radar type move.
Speaker 5: He made an impact in Cincinnati a few years ago
Speaker 5: during that Super Bowl run, and last year obviously played
Speaker 5: for the Steelers and they resigned him again. So I'm
Speaker 5: excited that he got a multi year deal. I know
Speaker 5: he was looking for it. He certainly deserves it, and
Speaker 5: I think he's a big part of their defense as well.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I feel like the league might have messed up
Speaker 4: letting Joey Porter fall to the second round and just
Speaker 4: put that chip on his shoulder with Pops in his
Speaker 4: ear to help that chip grow a little bit. That's
Speaker 4: gonna be a fun combination to watch there in Pittsburgh
Speaker 4: for a long time. He's he's such an impressive player.
Speaker 4: I can't wait to see what he does his rookie
Speaker 4: year and beyond. Let's go ahead and finish up the
Speaker 4: AFC North. Herore with the last team we have not
Speaker 4: yet discussed, in the Cleveland Browns, and you let off
Speaker 4: the open of the show talking about storylines, talking about
Speaker 4: who I think is one of the biggest storylines in
Speaker 4: the entire National Football League, because I like you think
Speaker 4: this Cleveland Browns roster, they are ready to win and
Speaker 4: win right now. And that's probably the entire idea of
Speaker 4: the investment into a quarterback that they knew was going
Speaker 4: to have to sit out most of the twenty twenty
Speaker 4: two season, and it didn't.
Speaker 2: He got back on the field.
Speaker 4: And I'd love to hear your take on this as
Speaker 4: someone who watches this division so closely, watches these teams
Speaker 4: so closely. It was bad James like, and my question
Speaker 4: is was that because of a layoff? Was it because
Speaker 4: of you know, it's been just a distraction of a
Speaker 4: couple of years for him. I'm curious why you think
Speaker 4: the performance of Deshaun Watson fell off so much late
Speaker 4: down the stretch last year and can it get fixed
Speaker 4: and revert back to what he was in Houston.
Speaker 5: I think it was all of the above, and so
Speaker 5: everything that that you that you stated was a factor.
Speaker 3: But I'll get to the thing that I think.
Speaker 5: Is the the most that it had the most impact.
Speaker 3: It's pressure.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and when you go through everything, and a lot
Speaker 5: of it's obviously self inflicted. But the stuff that the
Speaker 5: Shawn is has gone through, and again I'm not paining
Speaker 5: him to be a Martin.
Speaker 3: A lot of its self inflicted.
Speaker 5: But when when you do that and then you sign
Speaker 5: the NBA Max deal and you have your agent out
Speaker 5: there saying and that's a max contract in all of
Speaker 5: those things, all right, Well, then there's there's pressure that
Speaker 5: comes with that. And I know a firsthand that there's
Speaker 5: a certain pressure that comes with being a member of
Speaker 5: the Cleveland Browns. And he better performed this year. He'd
Speaker 5: better be comfortable with that pressure, that weight that you
Speaker 5: have on your shoulders, because if you perform, you're gonna
Speaker 5: be a hero. But he did not perform last year,
Speaker 5: and I think it was that as much as anything.
Speaker 5: But he's going to be feeling that, and so I
Speaker 5: think it's important for this Browns team to get off
Speaker 5: to a quick start. They play the Bengals week one,
Speaker 5: September tenth. They need to get off to a quick
Speaker 5: start if they're going to be a playoff team, just
Speaker 5: because culture, identity, all of those things, none of that's established.
Speaker 5: And it's really hard, even a guy is as talented
Speaker 5: as Deshaun Watson to overcome that kind of pressure because
Speaker 5: it's not like big game pressure, it's like life pressure.
Speaker 5: Like I don't even know how to describe it. I
Speaker 5: haven't experienced it, but I can only am what goes
Speaker 5: through your head after all of the stuff from signing
Speaker 5: that deal and getting suspended and coming back and everything
Speaker 5: off the field. So we'll see, but I think that
Speaker 5: that's the part of it. He needs to make sure
Speaker 5: he's able to handle that pressure and go out there
Speaker 5: and be the guy that he was in Houston. Because
Speaker 5: if he is, you're right this roster it's really talented
Speaker 5: and they'll be right there in this in this division.
Speaker 4: IM just looking at the offensive lineup behind what could
Speaker 4: arguably be the best offensive line of football too.
Speaker 2: Like I don't know if there's many you would take
Speaker 2: over this.
Speaker 4: I mean like Nick Chubb is to me one of
Speaker 4: the top two or three backs in the NFL. I
Speaker 4: think David Njoku's one of the top tight ends in
Speaker 4: the NFL. And then at receiver, it's not like you
Speaker 4: don't have your Tyreek and Jalen Waddell, but you've got
Speaker 4: or your Jamar Chase and your T Higgins, but you've
Speaker 4: got I mean Elijah Moore, I think is a really
Speaker 4: good player. I think he has a really good chance
Speaker 4: to bounce back and get back to his rookie season production.
Speaker 2: I like Donovan People's jones. I think Amari.
Speaker 4: Cooper's super, super good player. Just they're loaded there, man,
Speaker 4: behind an offensive line, like I said, that can really
Speaker 4: create space in the running game there. So that side
Speaker 4: of the ball, it just for most teams goes back
Speaker 4: to the quarterback. For this team, man, that could be
Speaker 4: a big swing for them offensively. Let's talk about the
Speaker 4: defense though here, because you know they have one of
Speaker 4: the greats in Miles Garrett on that defensive line rushing
Speaker 4: the quarterback.
Speaker 2: They did a good job this year.
Speaker 4: I think of going out and supporting him were last year, James,
Speaker 4: it seemed like the defensive line was kind of an
Speaker 4: issue for them. How did you feel they addressed that
Speaker 4: that weakness from a year ago and improve the defensive
Speaker 4: line around Miles Garrett.
Speaker 3: They did a great job. They did, and they needed to.
Speaker 5: And you know, you have Miles Garrett and you got
Speaker 5: and you get Dalvin Tomlinson. You go out and you
Speaker 5: get Zadaria Smith and you just feel much better about
Speaker 5: the depth there. Now you're not banking on Perry and
Speaker 5: Winfree in year two to be a huge, huge contributor. Yes,
Speaker 5: he can contribute, but you don't have to have him
Speaker 5: make a jump. You already have a guy like Denzel Ward.
Speaker 5: You go out and get a guy super Bowl champ
Speaker 5: and Juan Thornhill, who I liked a lot and I
Speaker 5: thought the Bengals might be in on. Obviously, you have
Speaker 5: Greg Newsome as well, like I like what they've done defense,
Speaker 5: And the other part of this that I think is
Speaker 5: big is you bring in a guy that might be
Speaker 5: able to help the culture and help winning in Jim Schwartz,
Speaker 5: who has Super Bowls, who's coached high end defenses, and
Speaker 5: so this staff is on the you talk about pressure,
Speaker 5: this staff, there's a lot of pressure in Jim Schwartz
Speaker 5: has been able to respond to that throughout his career
Speaker 5: as a defensive coordinator. So we'll see if he can
Speaker 5: do it again. But there's certainly talent and anytime you're starting,
Speaker 5: much like with the Steelers, where you have guys that
Speaker 5: can get after the quarterback and guys on the back
Speaker 5: end that can cover Miles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Greg Newsom,
Speaker 5: that's a heck of a trio to start with. And
Speaker 5: then they've added those pieces, like I said, that should
Speaker 5: make a difference in Cleveland.
Speaker 4: It feels like the entire AFC, not the entire FC,
Speaker 4: but a lot of these teams in this conference just
Speaker 4: have where you can go down the entire roster like
Speaker 4: they're two or three deep in all these spots. Man,
Speaker 4: I'm looking at this defense and the offense toe like
Speaker 4: I mentioned, and you mentioned jan Thornhill and Darius Smith
Speaker 4: and Dallon Thomlinson I thought, and Postik was a great
Speaker 4: acquisition Obo Okawomkwell formerly of the Houston Texans as well.
Speaker 4: So man, they went out more aggressive and itt tracks
Speaker 4: because they use those draft picks and the salary, go
Speaker 4: get the quarterback and now you kind of have to
Speaker 4: fill in the roster around him, and they certainly have
Speaker 4: done that. So man, what a fun division this is
Speaker 4: going to be, and a good spot for us to
Speaker 4: kind of do our last segment here the division superlatives
Speaker 4: talking about the best in your estimation, James Rapine's top
Speaker 4: quarterback here in a really good AFC North. I have
Speaker 4: to imagine taking the hometown kid, But all ask you anyway,
Speaker 4: who's the best quarterback here in the AFC North.
Speaker 3: It's Joe Burrow.
Speaker 5: And I don't think that that's, you know, the orange
Speaker 5: and black glasses that I'm wearing. I think it's the
Speaker 5: fact that he's been able to lead this team to
Speaker 5: back to back AFC North titles, back to back AFC
Speaker 5: Championship games, a super Bowl appearance, and he's been the
Speaker 5: best quarterback in this division in back to back years.
Speaker 5: I'm not really sure anyone can debate that. So, yeah,
Speaker 5: I think he's the best quarterback right now. Could that
Speaker 5: change absolutely, but as of now I have.
Speaker 3: At the top.
Speaker 4: It's crazy because to me, this division more than when
Speaker 4: I've done so far on these previews, like you have
Speaker 4: pretty clear answers for most of these spots, but like
Speaker 4: you also have a debate for who that second and
Speaker 4: third guy could be, Whereas that's not always the case,
Speaker 4: like in the AFC West it's obviously Patrick Mahomes, right,
Speaker 4: or the NFC East it's obviously Jalen Hurts. But like
Speaker 4: it's an interesting conversation though because Lamar Jackson, as that too,
Speaker 4: is really pushing up there. How about the and this
Speaker 4: again probably a Bengal here, but the best player on
Speaker 4: offense who is not a quarterback in the AFC North
Speaker 4: for you is.
Speaker 5: It's Jamar Chase, and I do think it's I don't
Speaker 5: want to say it's close, but you mentioned Nick Chubb.
Speaker 5: He's the best runner in the NFL to me, like
Speaker 5: it is. You know, Christian McCaffrey is a better pass
Speaker 5: catcher and depending on the offense, so Nick Chubb is
Speaker 5: probably higher and deserves a shout out than most would realize.
Speaker 5: But yeah, it has to be Jamar. I mean, this kid,
Speaker 5: it's unbelieving. He's just twenty three years old and he's
Speaker 5: stronger now and I see him almost every day. I'm shocked.
Speaker 5: I was in on him a pre draft and I'm
Speaker 5: not afraid to mention that, but the fact that he's
Speaker 5: become this already, it's just wild. What he's done, and
Speaker 5: what Justin Jefferson's done for that matter. Those two young
Speaker 5: receivers are amazing. Whatever they have and whatever they're doing
Speaker 5: at LSU, they need to keep doing it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no kidding in Alabama as well.
Speaker 4: I mean that entire draft class that year with Waddle
Speaker 4: and davonte'st both in phenomenal players too. Gosh, we are
Speaker 4: lucky in this time of this age of football fans
Speaker 4: to see those guys come in the league and do
Speaker 4: what they've done, and Jamar Chase from the word go
Speaker 4: was fantastic, So easy pick there. I think I just
Speaker 4: want to shout out a couple offensive LINEX. We don't
Speaker 4: give enough love to them ever, but Wyatt Teller and
Speaker 4: Joel Buttonio, the guards for the Cleveland brown just want
Speaker 4: to put their names in the podcast that got mentioned
Speaker 4: because they deserve it. They're two great players in important
Speaker 4: spots there for the Cleveland Browns. How about your best
Speaker 4: defensive player here in the AFC North.
Speaker 5: This one's tougher because you have guys like TJ. Watt,
Speaker 5: Minka Fitzpatrick, Denze Award. But I'm gonna go with Miles Garrett.
Speaker 5: I just I think he's such a dominating force and
Speaker 5: hasn't necessarily had the structure that comes with being a
Speaker 5: Pittsburgh Steeler and he's still been dominant. So if I
Speaker 5: had to pick one guy, it would be Miles.
Speaker 4: I think it's a safe pick there. I mean, the
Speaker 4: former number one pick in the draft who just has
Speaker 4: lived up to it. But in every stretch of the world.
Speaker 4: I mean, gosh, physically, the guys you talk about Jamar
Speaker 4: Chase in the way he looks like Miles Garrit.
Speaker 2: My goodness, man, he's built in a lab.
Speaker 3: Super good.
Speaker 2: He really is. It's crazy.
Speaker 4: These passports are just keep I mean, Jelen Phillips. They
Speaker 4: put a picture of land Phillips coming off of the
Speaker 4: practice field without a sure on the other day and
Speaker 4: it just blew up our entire Twitter. Like these guys,
Speaker 4: I don't understand how the human body hits those limits.
Speaker 4: But that's for those guys to work on, I suppose.
Speaker 4: But best coach here in the AF you North. This
Speaker 4: one to me maybe a little bit more controversial in
Speaker 4: terms of the pick might be, but you said you
Speaker 4: had a locked in pick here.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's three guys that you could make the argument.
Speaker 5: You could certainly make the argument for Zach Taylor recently,
Speaker 5: I would still not pick him. And it's nothing really
Speaker 5: against Zach. It's just the fact that John Harball has
Speaker 5: done it for so long. But Mike Tomlin has done
Speaker 5: it so long and I think done it better and
Speaker 5: done more with less than recent years, and so it's
Speaker 5: hard for me to go against him. And I know
Speaker 5: some Steelers fans are like, no way, Mike tom can't
Speaker 5: get it. Whatever, man, he gets the most out of
Speaker 5: his guys so I would still give it to Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 4: I remember when Eagles fans were talking about Andy Reid
Speaker 4: that way. It's like, dude, he's a great coach. You
Speaker 4: don't know what you had. Mike Tollin's the absolute man.
Speaker 2: I love him.
Speaker 4: I love that pick. He's my pick as well. And
Speaker 4: I think I know where we're going here. But I
Speaker 4: have to ask it your division champion this year? Will
Speaker 4: it be the Bengals for the third straight season.
Speaker 5: No team in AFC North history, and we're talking about
Speaker 5: just over two decades, but no team in AFC North
Speaker 5: history has won the.
Speaker 3: Division three straight years.
Speaker 5: It's been such a competitive division that everything historically and
Speaker 5: there's been some really good teams in this division. Says
Speaker 5: to pick the Bengals to win three straight. But if
Speaker 5: you think I'm gonna sit here and bet against Joe
Speaker 5: Burrow Jamar Chasing Company, well I'm not gonna do that,
Speaker 5: and I'll take the Bengals to win the division for
Speaker 5: a third straight year. I think it's going to be tough, though,
Speaker 5: because I really do think this is the best division
Speaker 5: in football. I like all four rosters, and man, it's
Speaker 5: almost a shame because I think in a lot of divisions.
Speaker 5: These teams could push for division titles, and at least
Speaker 5: one of these teams is going to be on the
Speaker 5: outside looking in in January when the playoffs.
Speaker 3: Ro all around.
Speaker 4: I think we both agree it would be nice to
Speaker 4: see some of the balance of power go back to
Speaker 4: the NFC, because this conference is so dang good man,
Speaker 4: Like you can have like you can have like seven
Speaker 4: teams that make the playoffs, and you can say, I
Speaker 4: can see each one of those teams going to the
Speaker 4: super Bowl, and that just never happens, like usually your
Speaker 4: six and seven seed. It's like, Okay, they got in.
Speaker 4: It's a fun story, but they don't have a chance
Speaker 4: to compete against the top teams in the conference. But man,
Speaker 4: it's seven, eight, nine teams deep at this point in
Speaker 4: the AFC.
Speaker 2: So crazy stuff.
Speaker 4: And this d AFC North could be one of the
Speaker 4: pivotal ones in the division or in the conference, I
Speaker 4: should say, in terms of how the playoffs get the
Speaker 4: termine this year.
Speaker 2: James, thank you so much for your time today.
Speaker 4: Man, can you tell us what you're working on what
Speaker 4: the folks can look forward to in terms of Bengals
Speaker 4: coverage this summer.
Speaker 5: I will just so Dolphins fans don't crush me. I
Speaker 5: have the AFC East second. I think they're right there too,
Speaker 5: which shows the strength of the conference. To your point,
Speaker 5: I mean, it's absolutely loaded this summer covering all things Bengals.
Speaker 5: There really is no offseason, Travis, as you know, and
Speaker 5: so Allbengals dot Com. We're still doing the Lockdown Bengals podcast.
Speaker 5: Plenty of good interviews coming up. We have multiple coaches
Speaker 5: coming on this summer to discuss the offseason and preview
Speaker 5: the year. So a lot of stuff and if you're
Speaker 5: looking for more, I'm also on YouTube Cincinnati Bengals Talk.
Speaker 5: So you're right, I'm all things Bengals all the time.
Speaker 2: Oh.
Speaker 4: I love it and also enjoy that prospect you guys
Speaker 4: have out there on the baseball team as well.
Speaker 2: He's been fun to watch last couple of days.
Speaker 5: Ellie da La cruz Man. He says he's the fastest
Speaker 5: man on the planet. I'm not going to debate him.
Speaker 5: He can fly.
Speaker 4: Tyreek my eyes, I'm gonna say about that. He likes
Speaker 4: to get in those debates as well. That's he kind
Speaker 4: of reminds me of Julio Rodriguez man, Like it's fun
Speaker 4: when you get those young prospects in baseball, they can
Speaker 4: kind of lift an entire organization. So enjoy it while
Speaker 4: you have it. And James again, thank you for your
Speaker 4: time today.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 2: We really appreciate it.
Speaker 3: Of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 4: And there he goes James Rapine from All Bengals and
Speaker 4: Lockdown Bengals. Very helpful to get him on here with
Speaker 4: all of his expansive knowledge and coverage of that division
Speaker 4: over the last handful of years. All right, we're gonna
Speaker 4: go ahead and get out of here. Enjoy your holiday everybody.
Speaker 4: July fourth tomorrow. We'll come back with you guys on
Speaker 4: Thursday to breakdown the NFC North and here from Dolphins
Speaker 4: offensive lineman Rob Hunt. That's on July the sixth. Until then,
Speaker 4: that's gonna be my time you all. Please be sure
Speaker 4: to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts.
Speaker 2: Leave us a rating, leave us a review.
Speaker 4: You can follow me on Twitter at LinkedIn, NFL and
Speaker 4: the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the Fish Tank
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Speaker 4: Dolphins dot com.
Speaker 2: Until next time Finns up. Caroline Cameron, Daddy, He's coming home.