WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Let's Stay Together 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:06.720 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:16.120 the Bengals Booth podcast, The Let's Let's Stay two give addition, 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:19.680 as we talked to the bengals longest tenured coach, Special 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:23.200 teams coordinator Darren Simmons about his decision to turn down 0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:27.200 interest from other NFL teams and sign a contract extension 0:00:27.360 --> 0:00:30.720 with the Bengals. We'll also hear from college football broadcaster 0:00:30.800 --> 0:00:34.600 Sean McDonough, who called four LSU games this year, including 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:38.880 the national semifinal win over Oklahoma and the National championship 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:42.640 victory over Clemson. What does Sean think of Joe Burrow's 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:45.879 NFL potential and what did he learn about the possible 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:49.760 number one overall pick from talking to Burrow and as coaches. 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:53.880 That's coming up. Finally, i'll speak to the executive director 0:00:53.920 --> 0:00:56.920 of the Senior Bowl, Jim Nagee. He'll share the latest 0:00:56.960 --> 0:01:02.000 developments on Burrow's possible attendance and why Bengals fans might 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:05.600 want to consider a trip to Mobile, Alabama. All of 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:08.319 that is straight ahead, but first, here's a quick reminder 0:01:08.440 --> 0:01:10.959 that you can have the latest edition of this podcast 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:15.480 delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer. By subscribing 0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:20.160 on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean. It's 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:25.400 the greatest thing since Kevin Harland's radio play by play. 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:29.760 This week, Kevin Harland was named the National Sportscaster of 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:35.200 the Year by the NSMA, the National Sports Media Association. 0:01:36.000 --> 0:01:39.399 Kevin is great at anything he does, including NFL football 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:43.840 and college basketball on CBS and the NBA on Turner Sports, 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:48.200 but in my opinion, he shines brightest when doing NFL 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:51.880 games on the radio on Westwood One. As someone who 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:55.280 tries to do the same job, I am in awe 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:58.160 of Kevin's ability to paint a vivid picture of what 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:01.360 he sees, not only the action on the field, but 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:04.560 the weather conditions, the sights and sounds in and around 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:08.160 the stadium. Shoot, you can almost taste what's grilling in 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:12.800 the tailgate lots when Kevin calls the game. So kudos 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:16.120 to the best in the business on a well deserved award, 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:21.760 the incomparable Kevin Harlan. Now let's get to the Bengals. 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:24.720 There have been some changes on the Bengals coaching staff 0:02:24.760 --> 0:02:27.440 since the end of the season. Braden Combs left to 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:31.440 become the special teams coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Linebackers 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:35.120 coach Tim Lucaboo is the new defensive coordinator at Boston College, 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:39.440 and ESPN's Ben Baby has reported that cornerbacks coach Toronte 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:43.320 Jones will not be back. On Thursday, the NFL Networks 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:47.560 Mike Garoffalo reported that the bengals new linebackers coach will 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:51.480 be Al Golden, the former college head coach at Temple 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:55.520 and the University of Miami. It appears that everybody else 0:02:55.600 --> 0:02:59.720 on the staff will return, including special teams coordinator Darren Simmons. 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:03.239 He is universally considered to be among the best at 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:07.200 his job in the NFL, and Darren turned down opportunities 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:11.519 to go elsewhere before signing a multi year extension in Cincinnati. 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:15.320 I talked to him about staying and his hopes of 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:19.200 eventually getting a head coaching opportunity. Darren, I think the 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:22.080 Bengals have already retained one of the most important free agents. 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:25.480 When you agreed to accept a contract extension, why are 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:28.600 you coming back for an eighteenth season and beyond well, 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:31.160 I'm excited about the future here. You know, we have 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:34.480 a good, solid core group of young players. We just 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:35.680 got to get him all on the field. At the 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:39.120 same time, I think we've been a little banged up 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:41.360 for a variety of reasons over the past couple of years. 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:45.040 You know, it'll be it'll be good to get everybody 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:49.960 together and going again. You know, my h the Brown 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:54.320 family has been very critical to my family success here, 0:03:54.880 --> 0:04:00.520 and that really resonates with me, you know, the nuity 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:02.920 of being able to keep my family in one place, 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:05.000 you know, for so long. It was also a big 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.440 part of I've got three kids and and you know, 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:09.800 two of them at least are gonna be able to 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:11.760 finish school here, to start school and finish school here, 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:13.640 and that was a huge, huge, huge part of my 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:17.000 decision to stay. Your job title is changing, and in 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:20.360 addition to being the special teams coordinator, you will be 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:23.719 the assistant head coach. Are there added responsibilities that go 0:04:23.760 --> 0:04:27.400 with that. Well, I think that that's still getting worked 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:32.159 out a little bit. I'd like to think that I'll 0:04:32.200 --> 0:04:35.920 have a voice maybe in helping take some things off 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:37.479 a Zax's plate. I think Zach's got a lot on 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:40.760 his plate. You know, he's trying to serve two roles, 0:04:40.800 --> 0:04:42.839 being the head coach and being the offensive coordinator. And 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:45.240 I think that that takes up a lot of time, 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:49.520 so hopefully, you know, I can help him with ideas 0:04:49.520 --> 0:04:53.359 in terms of scheduling, timing, urch just bouncing other ideas 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:56.240 off of you know, I've only spend here for the 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:58.560 longest I kind of the landscape of what's going on, 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:04.440 So you know, I trust Zach Uh. I'm excited to 0:05:05.240 --> 0:05:07.719 maybe have my role expanded that way to become more 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:10.920 of an influence. We're visiting with Darren Simmons. You interviewed 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:13.440 for the head coaching job when Marvin was let go. 0:05:13.920 --> 0:05:17.400 They elected obviously to hire Zach. It could have been awkward, 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:20.400 but you guys seem to have a great working relationship. 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:22.719 Why has it worked out so well? Well? I thinks 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:25.400 to respect, you know, I respect the role that he's 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:31.120 in UM, and I think that's a fantastic deal. He 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:34.760 also respects what I do. I think in this area. 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:37.360 I think he knows again that his plates are very 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:38.720 full with a lot of the things. And I think 0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:41.599 it's probably reassuring to him to have an experienced guy 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:44.920 UM like me, or one who's been through it here before, 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:49.480 and he can kind of u not let me go, 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:51.560 but he can trust and I'm going to get this 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:54.839 or this side of the ball handled. Um. You know, obviously, 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:57.480 I'm very appreciative that he elected to keep me here. 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:02.560 Um again, I'm very excited to expand potentially my role 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:06.600 going forward and the fact that he trusted me enough 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.360 to you know, help me get this title. It's obviously 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:11.800 a tough year for the team, and yet the special 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:14.520 teams units as a whole. We're ranked number one in 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.680 the NFL by the website Football Outsiders dot com, which 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:22.400 is probably the most respected evaluator of that. Is that 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:25.840 especially meaningful in a season where the team went too 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:28.839 and fourteen? Yeah, I mean, I think if you you 0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:30.680 try to look for any type of positive when when 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:33.880 your team goes too and fourteen or struggled the way 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:35.719 we did as a team, you know, I'm very proud 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:38.160 of the fact that we were able to do that. Um. 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:40.560 You know, I think it's a certainly a testament to 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:42.680 the players we had and the amount of work and 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:49.480 time that they put in, and the you know, the 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:52.960 degree of toughness that they showed to battle through and 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:56.120 and the togetherness that they showed. That's also another reason 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:58.279 why I decided to come back here. It's tough to 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:01.599 walk away from. But I would certainly give up every 0:07:01.800 --> 0:07:04.760 single one of those Rankings mean nothing. Only ranking the 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:06.839 means anything is wins and losses, and I would certainly 0:07:06.880 --> 0:07:09.920 give every bit of that up to change what our 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:14.280 record was. And because it really doesn't matter what we do, 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:16.760 it's about what our team does, and obviously we got 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:18.200 to get you know, we got to get more wins. 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:20.800 So again I would give every bit of that up. 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:24.200 It's it's great that that happened, it's a silver lining 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:26.160 to us. But again I would get every bit of 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:29.160 that up to get some more wins. Your top assistant, 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:32.200 Braden Combs, is leaving to become the special teams coordinator 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.920 with the Detroit Lions. Are you like a proud dad? Yeah, 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:38.000 I'm very I'm excited for Brandon. Braden's been here, you know, 0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:40.280 a long time too, and he's worked hard in the 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:43.720 role that he's been in, and I think it's good 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:47.160 to see guys who have been in part of something 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:49.760 good here get the ability to spread their wings and 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:53.480 go on and do their own gig. You know, I 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:57.120 was part of that same deal when I left Carolina 0:07:57.480 --> 0:07:59.360 and it was a great opportunity for me, you know, 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:01.560 coach Lewis took a chance on me as a whatever 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:04.480 it was, twenty twenty nine year old guy and in 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:07.160 the same thing with a Brown family. And again that 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:10.000 still has great meaning to me and I respect that, 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:14.080 and I know a lot of times guys, it's it's 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.000 about being in the right spot at the right time. 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:19.200 It's about opportunity. And you know, hopefully Braden will take 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:20.680 this thing and run with it. But I'm again, I'm 0:08:20.760 --> 0:08:23.560 very happy for him and his family. It's a long 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:26.160 time coming and I'm sure you'll do great things. We're 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:29.080 talking to Darren Simmons. Let's discuss some of the individuals 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:31.880 on special teams from last year, Beginning with Kevin Huber. 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:36.240 He had a forty two point one net hunting average 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:39.480 that tied his career high. That matched his Pro Bowl season. 0:08:39.920 --> 0:08:42.080 He'll be thirty five next year. He's got a year 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:44.960 left on his contract. Is he like a veteran pitcher 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:48.200 who doesn't have maybe his great fastball anymore, but he's 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:50.520 found a way to get guys out. Yeah. I think 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:53.880 it's a very good analogy. You know, he's become more 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:57.720 proficient and efficient, I think is what he's become. I 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:00.800 think we did. He didn't. You know, for whatever reason, 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:03.280 we didn't have as many of the bad hits this 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.360 year's we've had in the past. I think he was 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:10.079 more consistent. I think we covered better. You know, anytime 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:12.800 your net average is up there high like it is, 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:14.600 it's it's a result of many things. It's a result 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:16.720 of punting, it's a result of placement, but it's also 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:19.400 a result of coverage. And fortunate for us, we didn't 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:22.560 give any plays up in coverage, or do we really 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:24.680 give any plays up in protection? You know, the quickest 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:26.720 way to kill in net average to have a pump blocked, 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:29.720 and that didn't happen to us that year. Fortunately, knock 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:33.839 on wood and so you know, again, Kevin is somebody 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:36.400 that we haven't that I haven't an immense amount of 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:39.400 trust in um. He's an experienced guy, as a vetro guy, 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:42.120 he knows all about handling situations when he has to 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:43.960 speed up, when he has to when the ball has 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:47.600 to be placed in certain spots. And there's a certainly 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:50.200 a high, high level of trust that I have and 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:52.000 him knowing what to do and when to do it. 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.280 Randy Bullock also has a year left on his deal. 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:57.760 He made eighty seven percent of his field goal attempts, 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:01.319 only missed one Pat drill the fifty seven yard field 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:03.040 goal in the next to last game to set the 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:06.560 regular season franchise record. What did you think of his season? 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.760 I thought he had a very good, very solid season two. 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:11.840 You know, his first year with US was very good. 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:13.959 I think he had eighteen to twenty. Last year was 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.240 a little bit of a step back, you know. I 0:10:16.240 --> 0:10:18.520 think he was a little a little above eighty percent 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:20.960 eighty one, two eighty three somewhere around. And I thought 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:23.040 this year he came back and had another good bounce back. 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.680 Yere Um. It was a little shaky at the beginning 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:27.439 of the year. I think he got off to an 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:30.160 average start. He was very very very solid through the 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:32.120 middle of the season, you know, and then he picked 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:34.040 the last game of the year to miss his first PAT. 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:38.080 But but but again, I thought he had a solid 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:40.559 season overall. You know. The one thing I think that 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:43.440 also gets overlooked is he kicked off pretty effectively for 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:47.360 US throughout the year, whether it was placement or distance 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:51.400 and hang time. That's a second second half or aspect 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:52.880 of his job too. And I thought he did a 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:54.920 good job that's over. I think it's a very solid season. 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:57.280 It's what you would expect to have a veteran guy. 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:00.360 You had the NFL leader in kickoff return average, and 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:03.680 Brandon Wilson he had the exact number of returns needed 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.400 to qualify for the league lead. What does a guy 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:10.080 like that do for the entire group? Oh, it brings 0:11:10.120 --> 0:11:12.679 an immense amount of juice, I mean, I think, and 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:15.920 it's immense amount of belief. I think our guys felt that, 0:11:16.480 --> 0:11:18.000 you know, when when he was rolling there to the 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:21.240 middle half of the year, that every single time um 0:11:21.559 --> 0:11:23.480 that we had an opportunity to return it, we're going 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:25.040 to turn it for a touchdown. I mean, there's several 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:27.600 other ones if you watch the video and that he 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:31.120 should have had probably three or four touchdowns. He got 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:33.439 tripped up once in a Jacksonville In the Jacksonville game, 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:36.880 he he actually muffed one that he picked up and 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:39.320 almost came out of their own So there's there's at 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:41.959 least three that he should have scored on just off 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:45.800 the top of my head. But I think guys take 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:48.440 a great deal of pride in the fact that we 0:11:48.520 --> 0:11:52.000 have a chance to affect the game from a field position. Standpoint, 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:54.319 that's a big deal for him. I think they love 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:57.520 that responsibility and I think they also view it as 0:11:57.880 --> 0:12:02.200 viewed as a Another prideful part too, is that if 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:04.480 these guys that the opponent screws up and tries to 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:06.800 actually kick us the ball and will allow us to 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:09.000 handle the ball, that we're gonna make him pay. And 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:12.559 so I think it brings a certain level of confidence 0:12:12.559 --> 0:12:15.560 to not only your group, your special teams group, but 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:17.680 also to the team. It's it's it's very neat to 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:19.880 have the rest of the players on our whole team 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:22.760 standing up on the sideline watching every kickoff, a turn 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:25.240 play and when the Brandon might break it. We're visiting 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:28.360 with Darren Simmons, the coaching staff is getting ready to 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:31.160 go coach in the Senior Bowl. What will you be 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:35.320 doing during the draft prep process. Obviously you look at 0:12:35.600 --> 0:12:37.600 kickers and punters and you want to have the latest 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:41.680 intel on those guys, But what about Gunner's special teams 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:44.560 core guys all of that. Well, I think that's a 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:47.920 huge part about it. You know, that's where you find 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:50.280 guys that can really help you and affect you. Guys 0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:52.679 like Brandon Wilson and guys like Clayton federally drafted in 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:56.200 the sixth and seventh rounds that can again affect our 0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:59.679 team in a positive fashion. So I spend as much 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:03.439 time looking at returners, looking at core cover players, um, 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:05.640 you know, that have the traits that we want that 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:07.760 we've identified as the coaching staff or as a scouting 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:10.679 department that we want to have on our team. And 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:13.360 so again, like I said, I spend part of the 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:15.280 majority of my time looking at those guys as opposed 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:17.000 to just look at the punters and kickers. You know, 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:20.240 I feel confident, I feel comfortable with the three guys 0:13:20.240 --> 0:13:22.760 that we have right now, Kevin, Clark and Randy you know, 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.199 we're always looking to get things better. That's it's no 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:26.920 sic get all three of those guys are getting a 0:13:26.920 --> 0:13:29.360 little longer in the tooth, and it'll happen, you know 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:31.080 here at some point. I just don't know when that's 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:34.040 going to be. So, um, my focus doesn't change. I 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:38.559 still look every year, like uh, you know, for these specialists, 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:41.440 the punter, a kicker, and the snapper. Look for candidates there. 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:43.880 But again I can push a little bit of my 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:47.520 focus to other areas or my attention to other areas 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:50.480 knowing we have guys in place there. So, um, you 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:52.360 know that the draft process is a huge part of 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:54.679 building our team. I think that's been established here with 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:58.720 this franchise, that that the draft is the lifeblood of 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:01.600 our team. So we got very important that a we 0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:03.680 get those players right and be we get him healthy 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:08.440 to the season. The Giants hired a special teams coordinator 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:12.000 to be their new head coach, Joe Judge. Ravens coach 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:15.559 John Harbaugh was famously a special teams coordinator. Bill Belichick 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:18.679 started out as an assistant special teams coach. Marv Levy 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:21.440 began his pro coaching career as a special teams coach. 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:24.280 When a guy like that Joe Judge gets a job, 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.240 is it a victory for all of the people that 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:30.040 do what you do? Yeah, it certainly is. I think 0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:33.360 he also feels the pressure of holding the torch right 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:35.000 now too, of that that he better get it right. 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:38.680 And you know, Joe's a good friend of Mine's a 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:42.520 close friend of mine, and he told me that he 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:45.120 certainly feels the weight of that. And I expressed him 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:46.760 and said, you can't feel the way to that you 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:49.520 have to go. You're gonna be fine, just going and 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:53.120 doing what you do. I think that it's unfortunate that 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:56.760 more guys haven't got that opportunity. You know, the special 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:59.600 team's cord has been well documented. Is the one guy 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:04.000 that affects the whole team or has his hands on 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:06.680 the whole team other than the head coach, and has 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:10.800 the best feel for every player on the forty six 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.920 man roster on game days. I think it's also important 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:15.920 to know that the special teams coaches have a great 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:20.880 field for situational things, you know, timing situations and games. 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:25.000 So I again, I'm obviously very jaded in the fact 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:27.800 that I believe that more guys should get the opportunity, 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:29.560 but it is a very exciting deal for him. I'm 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:32.440 happy for him, and I'm sure he's gonna do something great. 0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:36.120 What do you think you need to do? You obviously 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:39.440 are well regarded throughout the NFL for what you've done 0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:43.320 as a special teams coordinator. Is it tied to teams success? 0:15:43.800 --> 0:15:47.200 Does it depend on another guy like Joe Judge being successful. 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.880 I think it's probably a combination of both, you know. 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:53.280 I think the fact that I've been able to stay 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:55.160 here as long as I have, there's a certain level 0:15:55.200 --> 0:16:00.360 of you know, distinction. Maybe I guess that goes with that, um, 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:04.240 if that's the right word or respect, I guess, um. 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:07.680 You know, I think that Joe going and doing well 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:11.520 will be a big factor going forward. Um. There have 0:16:11.560 --> 0:16:14.440 been other guys who've been successful as special teams coaches 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:18.720 that have gotten interviews that just haven't gotten the head job. 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:20.720 Dave Tobe is one that comes to mind. It gets 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:23.400 a lot of interviews and for whatever reason, somebody's not 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:26.600 taking a chance on him, you know. And again he 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:28.840 is somebody who I who I also think would do 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:31.080 a fantastic job as a head coach. So I think 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:33.440 it's just a matter of you know, getting the right 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:36.040 opportunity at the right time, and having somebody, more importantly, 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:39.360 having somebody in an organization, an owner or a general manager, 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:43.480 believing in you and and taking a chance that way. 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:46.280 But but I do know that I think just no 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:49.840 different the way it was John Harbaugh. You know, it's 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:52.360 a little unique too. If you'll remember, John was a 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:55.080 special team's coach his whole career, then he went away 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:58.960 from that for one year and coach the DBS in Philadelphia. 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:01.480 Joe has been a special teams coach, but he also 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:04.400 was the receiver coach this year in New England. So 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:06.679 maybe I need to go coach another position for a 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:12.040 year to open up my pathways. But I know I 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:14.360 enjoy what I'm doing and I think, like I said, 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:18.160 Joe will be fine and just as long as it's 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:22.120 not against us. What other position would you coach if 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:24.879 there was one? That's a good question. I don't know. 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:26.800 I never really never really thought about it that way. 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:31.200 Trust me, I have my eyes set on just doing 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:33.520 a good job coach in the punt of the kicker, 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:35.879 L four on the kickoff team, the PP on the 0:17:35.920 --> 0:17:38.240 punt team, the left gunner on the punt team, the 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:42.280 right safety on the punt return team. And that's trust 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:44.600 me that that's plenty for me. We've heard about how 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:49.440 guys prepare for head coaching interviews. They've got their practice 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:53.080 plan sketched out for an entire year. They have possible 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:56.959 assistant coaches planned out. Do you have a notebook like 0:17:57.040 --> 0:17:59.040 that for the next time you have an opportunity to 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:02.040 interview for a head coach position. Yeah, I've begun that process. 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:04.919 I think you're naive if you don't, um you know, 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:08.040 I think I found out a year ago that sometimes 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:11.320 these things happened very quickly. Like last year was maybe 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:15.120 the two days after the season, I got the fortunate 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:19.400 opportunity to speak with the Brown family here about disposition. 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:22.240 So sometimes it happens pretty quickly. So, you know, I 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:26.240 think it's something that you you build a book towards. 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:30.359 It's more getting your thoughts down on paper so somebody 0:18:30.359 --> 0:18:31.800 else can see them. I have in my own head, 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:33.760 but it's I think it's it's putting pinned the paper, 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:36.240 putting it to a computer and getting it on a 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:38.120 piece of paper so somebody else can see it too. 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:40.840 So yeah, that's been a process that I've been working 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:44.280 towards for you know, really my my whole coaching career, 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:49.879 you know, did it It was at the forefront earlier on, No, 0:18:50.600 --> 0:18:52.560 the forefront early on in my career, just trying to 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:54.240 stay alive, just trying to keep my head above water 0:18:54.280 --> 0:18:55.600 and trying to be a good coach and trying to 0:18:55.600 --> 0:18:58.679 make our players good. You know, I think now that 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:01.679 I've been in this league for a long time or 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:04.679 been in this situation to spot for a bit, you know, 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:10.560 I can you know, help expand my reach or expand 0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:12.600 my vision a little bit. And again I'm hopeful this 0:19:12.680 --> 0:19:15.440 year with this new added title, maybe that I can 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:19.520 help Zach in some way that maybe, um, he wasn't 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:21.800 prepared for a year ago. UM, And so maybe we 0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:24.560 can see things through the same eyes together, and you know, 0:19:24.600 --> 0:19:27.840 we can pull this whole thing tighter. You'll had a 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:29.760 great head coach if you ever get the chance here. 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:33.440 Attention to detail as unmatched. It's great that the Bengals 0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:35.640 were able to retain you as the special teams coordinator, 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:37.959 and I appreciate your time. Well, I appreciate too, Dan, 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:40.520 and I appreciate that all that you and Dave do 0:19:40.680 --> 0:19:43.439 on on a weekly basis to our fans on how 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:45.639 good they got it. UM to have guys who are 0:19:45.640 --> 0:19:48.479 as insightful and more importantly as knowledgeable as what you 0:19:48.520 --> 0:19:50.480 guys are. So I really appreciate the chance to talk 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:54.119 with you. Now, let's turn our attention to the NFL Draft. 0:19:54.760 --> 0:19:57.959 Let's face it, after throwing for four hundred and sixty 0:19:58.040 --> 0:20:01.280 three yards and five touchdowns and then National Championship Game 0:20:01.680 --> 0:20:05.360 and running for a sixth TD, it is widely assumed 0:20:05.359 --> 0:20:09.159 that LSU's Joe Burrow will be selected by Cincinnati with 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:12.640 a number one overall pick in the NFL Draft. Here 0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:15.800 in Cincinnati, one of the radio stations that carries Bengals 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:21.520 games has already started running humorous promos identifying itself as 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:26.560 the home of Joe Burrow. Premature, but funny. I thought 0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:28.480 it would be interesting this week to talk to my 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:33.639 friend Sean McDonough, the ESPN and ABC broadcaster who called 0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:39.320 both of LSU's postseason wins. Sean, Joe Burrow was incredible 0:20:39.440 --> 0:20:42.720 in those games. Seven touchdown passes against the Sooners, all 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:46.320 in the first half, five touchdown passes against Clemson on 0:20:46.400 --> 0:20:50.000 Monday night. Based on what you've seen, what do you 0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:53.199 think of Joe Burrow as an NFL prospect? God, I 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:55.560 think he's a great prospect. I think he said an 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:57.480 amazing season, and we sit on the end of the 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:00.040