WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Change Is Gonna Come 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.440 Hi, Get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and this is the 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:14.400 Bengals Booth Podcast. The change is gonna come. Oh yes 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:19.119 it will. Addition, as we look at Zach Taylor's decision 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:21.680 to benj Andy Dalton after an O and eight start 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:25.440 and turned to rookie Ryan Finley as his starting quarterback. 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:27.960 When the Bengals return to action a week from Sunday 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:33.560 against the Baltimore Ravens. Coming up, you'll hear from four people. First, 0:00:33.640 --> 0:00:37.360 my broadcast partner Dave Lapham, as he analyzes the big switch, 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:41.400 shares his opinion of Ryan Finlay, and looks back at 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:44.400 what went wrong in the bengals fourteen point loss in 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:47.920 London to the La Rams. You'll also hear from the 0:00:47.920 --> 0:00:50.880 two quarterbacks in the eye of the Hurricane, the twenty 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:54.480 four year old Finlay and the thirty two year old Dalton. 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:58.960 And finally, we'll hear from an expert uniquely qualified to 0:00:59.040 --> 0:01:02.680 weigh in on a decision, a former NFL quarterback who 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:06.360 is Andy Dalton's teammate for two seasons in Cincinnati, and 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:10.280 a guy who was once in Ryan Finley's shoes when 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:13.720 he was suddenly thrust into Tampa based starting lineup. As 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:18.120 a rookie I am speaking of Bruce Gradkowski. All of 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:21.000 that is straight ahead. But first, here's a quick reminder 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.759 that you can have the latest edition of this podcast 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:28.120 delivered write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:33.399 on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or Podbean. It's the 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:40.000 greatest thing since organizing one's Halloween candy. It's Halloween morning. 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:43.240 My son is thirteen, and for the first time in 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:45.920 his life, it does not sound like he is going 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:48.919 to go trick or treating. That's sad for a couple 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:52.600 of reasons. Number one, he's growing up way too fast, 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:57.240 and number two, I will miss seeing the organized piles 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:01.000 of candy. That was my favorite part of Halloween as 0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:04.760 a kid, getting home, dumping the bag of candy onto 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:09.799 the floor, and then organizing it in small piles, hoping 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:13.920 for stacks of Reese's peanut buttercups and kit kats, and 0:02:14.080 --> 0:02:18.000 quickly discarding all mounds and almond joys due to the 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:22.840 dreaded presence of coconut. One of the true joys of childhood, 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:29.960 parenthood and profitable dentistry the organized piles of Halloween candy. 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:33.880 Now let's get to football. I was hired by the 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:37.760 Bengals to be their radio announcer on May fourth, twenty eleven, 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:41.480 less than a week after they selected Andy Dalton with 0:02:41.520 --> 0:02:44.919 a thirty fifth pick in the NFL Draft. I get 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:48.240 the credit or blame, depending on how you feel about it, 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:53.040 for coining the nickname the red Rifle. When he's been healthy, 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:56.040 Andy has been the starting quarterback for every game that 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.560 I've called. I have the utmost respect for him as 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:03.560 a player and as a person, in my opinion, and 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:06.920 he never received enough credit for inheriting a team that 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:09.320 went four and twelve the year before he got there 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:11.920 and taking it to the playoffs in each of his 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:17.000 first five seasons. Additionally, he and his wife JJ have 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:22.880 been incredibly giving to families facing serious medical challenges. He 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:26.200 is one of the classiest athletes I have ever had 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:29.560 the pleasure of covering, so I'll admit it. I was 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:32.560 shocked when I saw the news on Tuesday. I thought 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:35.280 it might happen at some point, but didn't see it 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:39.120 happening now. When I sat down for this week's conversation 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:41.960 with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham, I asked if he 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:45.480 was shocked by the news as well. I'm not sure 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:48.720 I was shocked, but I was definitely surprised. But we 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:50.960 talked about it before. I thought if they were going 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:52.840 to make that move, the bye week would make sense 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:55.520 to do it because you have the extra week of 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:58.280 Ryan Filly working with the number one. He's had no 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:02.160 reps with AJ Green, He's back, he's had no reps 0:04:02.160 --> 0:04:06.400 with Basically, he said, rests with Damian Willis, Stanley Morgan, 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:09.640 guys like that reps, not with Tyler Boyd and guys 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:12.880 that are gonna you know, had been playing uh earlier 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:14.800 in the season with Andy Dalton and him getting all 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:16.480 those number one reps. So I think that was a big, 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:19.320 big factor in the in the decision making process. And 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:22.200 you know, it's it's tough for Andy Dalton, there's no 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:24.400 question about I've said it a few times. I'm going 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:26.960 to say it again. You know, I think that organizationally, 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.760 as a group, they let Andy Dalton down more than 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:33.400 he'd let the organization down. Lap Ryan was a fourth 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:35.719 round draft pick. He had a passer rating of ninety 0:04:35.800 --> 0:04:38.240 nine point three in the preseason. What do you think 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:40.400 of him based on what he saw during training camp 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:43.080 and in those preseason games In the beginning of training camp, 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:45.440 I would scratch my head a little bit. Didn't look 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:48.320 didn't look like well man. Fourth round pick so high 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:52.440 on him. He wasn't playing real well, but took coaching 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:55.160 point to change his footwork, and once he did that, 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:58.039 I mean he took off and started playing really well. 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.279 The thing I liked best about him as a warmer 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:03.440 offensive lineman is his ability to manipulate the pocket. He'll 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:07.919 slap sidestep, he'll step up in the pocket, you know, 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:10.279 climate at just the right time. It's almost like he 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:11.680 has eyes in the back of his head, and those 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.720 are instincts that really can't coach. He has a tremendous 0:05:14.720 --> 0:05:17.480 feel for that kind of thing, and I think that 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:19.440 was one of the big problems I think that they 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:23.400 had with Andy, is that not just mobility, you know, 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:26.280 getting out of pocket, extending, creating, but within the pocket, 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:28.840 even the mobility wasn't there, and you know he was, 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:33.159 you know, he's just basically a little bit shell shocked, 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:34.960 you know. I think I think his clock had been 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:38.880 readjusted and wasn't showing any signs of changing that. And 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:40.640 that's one of the big reasons I think they made 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:42.560 the move to Ryan Finley to see if he can 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:46.279 negotiate and manipulate the pocket a little bit better lap. 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:48.640 The Bengals played Baltimore a couple of weeks ago and 0:05:48.760 --> 0:05:51.359 did not score an offensive touchdown until there was a 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:54.440 minute in twenty eight seconds to go. How difficult is 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:57.040 it going to be for a rookie quarterback to face 0:05:57.120 --> 0:06:00.599 that defense in his first NFL start? Coach Martindale, the 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:04.800 defensive coordinator is a blitz master. Finley is going to 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:07.760 see blitzes that he never knew existed. He's going to 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:10.880 see every blitz known to mankind. And a little over 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:14.039 a year ago, the home opener on Thursday Night Football, 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:17.520 Andy Dalton torched it, torched it. He and aj Green 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:19.920 combined for three touchdown receptions in a quarter and a 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.440 half or less than a quarter and a half, and 0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:27.280 Martindale wink blinked. You know, he didn't blitz anymore for 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:30.440 a myriad of plays, A good number of plays hadn't 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:34.040 seen it before out of Baltimore. So I hope Andy 0:06:34.120 --> 0:06:37.040 can impart some of that knowledge, you know, Ryan Finley 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:39.520 in terms of a pre snap reads a feel for it. 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:43.640 But that I think that's Andy's biggest strength is really 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:47.400 predicting blitzes based on what he sees pre snap. He's 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:51.120 very hard to fool. He's seen everything Ryan Finley has not. 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:53.839 That experienced level is going to be something that you 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:56.480 can only get by taking snaps out on the football field. 0:06:56.760 --> 0:06:58.279 Andy Dalton's not going to be able to drill a 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:00.880 hole and pour Andy Dalton knowledge in the in Finley's head, 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:03.840 but he's going to be, you know, helping him as 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:06.440 much as he possibly can on that sideline. We'll see 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:09.400 how it rolls. I went back and looked at every 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:12.800 time the la Rams faced third and eight or longer 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:16.320 in last week's game in London. They converted on four 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:19.640 of six opportunities when it was third and eight or longer, 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:25.000 with gains of twenty one, twenty three, twenty and forty. 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:29.000 That's unbelievable to me. Was it a lack of pass rush? 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.080 Is that a bad scheme? How does that happen? I 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:35.440 think it's everything. You know, the one that galls me 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:37.720 the most. Third and ten from your own two yard line, 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:40.120 you give up a twenty yard run. You've got to 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:44.080 be kidding me, absolutely got to be kidding me. So 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:48.240 I think all of it you know, I think everybody's 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:50.960 looking at themselves during this bye week and looking at 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:54.400 the mirror and saying, man, what can we do. I 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:56.200 mean a lot of times in the coverages there was 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:58.640 terrible discipline in the back end of his own coverages. 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:02.400 Guys were getting as were getting their eyes were being 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:06.600 downhill looking at crossers and shallower routes while things behind 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:09.680 him were developing. And you just can't have those kind 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.600 of things. Because Dan, as we saw, it wasn't just 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:15.320 they found a little opening in his own. They found 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:20.120 a cavern, they found the Grand Canyon. I mean sometimes 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:22.440 when you look, there'd be nobody within ten yards of 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:24.600 any direction of them, and it's like, how the hell 0:08:24.640 --> 0:08:27.520 can that be? You know, Cooper Cup lit him up, 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:29.560 but a tea cup of coffee cup would have done 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:31.760 the same thing. Didn't have to be Cooper Cup. I mean, 0:08:32.160 --> 0:08:35.840 there there was. It was so unbelievably wide open down 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:37.719 the football field. Even one time when we were on 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:41.120 a room well called the double team on Cup, Sean 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:43.160 Williams goes airborne too early. You know, he makes a 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:46.400 contested catch. It was like it was it was amazing. 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:48.720 But the one that the one that really really threw 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:51.080 me was from your own two yard line. As a 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:54.679 former lineman offensive lineman, I'm thinking, man, if you bust 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:56.920 a twenty yard run on third and ten from your 0:08:56.960 --> 0:08:59.480 own two yard line, you gotta feel pretty damn good 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:03.199 about how the game's gonna unfold. According to our buddy 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:06.240 Jay Morrison from The Athletic, the Bengals used two tight 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:09.600 ends in a season high eighteen snaps against the Rams 0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:12.440 that matched their total in the previous three games combined. 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:15.760 How much did multiple tight ends help the running game? 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:17.679 I think it did help it. Guys talked to in 0:09:17.760 --> 0:09:20.480 the post game, you know, locker room show, we're saying 0:09:20.520 --> 0:09:23.199 that they were having a hard time matching up. Initially 0:09:23.400 --> 0:09:25.480 they caught him in some nickel looks, you know, and 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:27.720 with the with the big bodies, Michael Jordan was the 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:30.480 extra lineman quote tight end you know on some of 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:32.880 those occasions, and they they creased them a little bit. 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:36.600 So the Rams, the Rams didn't expect it, and they 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:39.400 caught them in some favorable matches matchups to run the 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:42.439 football and even up the numbers game in the box 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:45.440 as such. Um. But then as the game war on, 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:48.920 you know, now you're you're fighting from behind again, and 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:51.840 if they could play with the lead, you know, have 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:54.040 have a lead for doesn't have to be a huge lead, 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:57.320 just a lead, things would be so different, you know, 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:00.400 from them. They could continue to you know, run the 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:02.560 football with multiple tight end looks and a lot of 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:05.480 these things. But man, you get down, you know, a 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:08.160 score plus in the second half of football games in 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:11.199 the National Football League, that becomes very difficult, particularly when 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:13.319 your defense was hemorrhaging like they were, you know, and 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:15.840 like we talked about on third and longs and things 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:19.160 that nature. So you know, as a play caller on 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:22.439 both sides of the football, when you're having struggles like that, 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:26.560 it's like the defense of coordinators thinking what do I 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:28.959 call not only the best call for my defense, but 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:31.160 to make sure that I helped the offense as much 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:32.920 as I can, And the offensive coordin is thinking the 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:35.040 same thing for the defense, you know, trying to play 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:37.440 a complimentary football. When you get caught in that cross 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:40.439 are it's brutal. It's hard enough to make calls just 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:42.800 for your side of the football, but when you have 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:45.120 to try to factor in you know, both sides of 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:47.839 the football that having their issues in certain areas. Man 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:52.000 that's a tough time. It's a tough scenario to find 0:10:52.200 --> 0:10:55.679 the right play call. It really is. The Bengals did 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:58.920 not make any trades before the Tuesday deadline. I do 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:01.839 think there's a miskin reception that that means they blew 0:11:01.920 --> 0:11:04.680 their chance to acquire extra draft picks. They can still 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:07.400 do that in the offseason, and honestly, I think they will. 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:11.080 Did they lose a chance to get maximum value? I 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:13.839 honestly don't know the answer to that question. But do 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:17.320 you think the current players appreciate the fact that there 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:20.800 wasn't a fire sale. I do think they do appreciate 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:24.960 that fact. But if I'm a current player, when Zach 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:28.760 Taylor made the move that he made with Andy Dalton, 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:32.439 that stignals to me it can happen to any of us. 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:36.400 That's the most significant move to make, changing out your 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:41.200 starting quarterback, And past experiences tell me when they change 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:43.679 out the starting quarterback, there's a couple of other shoes 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:46.400 going to fall. They may they may have already decided 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:48.760 to make other changes that haven't been announced yet in 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:52.240 terms of lineups and personnel, in amount of playing time. 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:55.240 Because man, if you if you do that at the 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:59.439 quarterback position. Nothing sacred. There's nothing that you you know, 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:02.880 there's nothing, nothing that says that can't happen to me. 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:06.920 So the message has been sent buckle it up, Buttercup, 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:11.440 because you know you could be next. And there's nothing 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:15.320 wrong with that part of it. So there weren't trade. 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:18.160 So guys you know, are thinking, well, you know, there's 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:20.319 nobody that's going to be taking my job by trade. 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:24.400 But when they made the move they made to me, 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:27.120 you better go out and re earn your job during 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.319 the bye week because every position's wide open if they 0:12:30.320 --> 0:12:33.599 made that move with the quarterback position. We get to 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:35.920 spend some time every week with Zach Taylor working on 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:38.640 his TV show and you tape a weekly segment for 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.000 the radio pregame show with him. How do you think 0:12:41.000 --> 0:12:44.559 he's holding up? I think the Cordy Glenn thing is 0:12:44.640 --> 0:12:47.960 wearing him out, you know. I think that's the that's 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:53.040 the one variable that is I mean, it's football related, 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:55.200 but it's not you know, x's and O is related, 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.600 and that sort of thing. Am I making the right calls, 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:00.240 my scheme property, all those kind of things that that's 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:03.120 just a different dynamic and that that kind of thing 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:06.440 and in handling the mine field of the media aspect 0:13:06.520 --> 0:13:09.880 of it, and um, the collective bargain agreement with the 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:14.480 players associate aspect of it. It's is going to wear 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:18.160 you out. And I think that he handled he's handled 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:20.760 it well, you know, but there's no way in my 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.840 mind it hasn't had an impact on him. Um, but 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:26.400 he's handled the injury part of it. And you know, 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:30.079 Jonah Williams aj Green the eleventh pick of the draft, 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:31.679 the fourth pick of the draft. When he came out 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:34.319 best player on your team, you lose your left tackling 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:37.600 before training camp starts, your best player of forty five 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:39.880 minutes into training camp play. If you talked about ad nauseam, 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:43.959 I mean, that's that's that's brutal stuff. And he real 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:46.000 handles it like you know, it's a blip on the screen. 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:48.440 To me, my screen would be shattered. Man, I would 0:13:48.480 --> 0:13:51.480 have been like suicidal, you know. I mean, it's he's 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:55.560 handled it very well. I think he's handled uh, you know, 0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:59.520 his media obligations with the fans, you know, admirably. What 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:03.240 he's got to make sure of is you know, he's 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:05.199 I think he still has the locker room. I don't 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.520 think he's lost the locker room. But at some point 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:10.559 there has to be validation to what you're doing. And 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:15.080 when I when I watch the offense now as opposed 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:18.040 to what I saw in OTAs and training camp in Seattle, 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:21.640 the Seattle game, like what happened to it? Where is it? 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.640 You know? And I know there's obviously player issues with injury, 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:28.040 but man, when I when I first watched that offense 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:30.640 and AJ Green was involved, you know, in the OTAs 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:32.320 in mini camp, I'm like, God, this is going to 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:38.080 be unbelievable. I was watching Rams PARTD, you know, and 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:42.920 then against Seattle, same thing. Man, there was mister actually 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:45.720 motion and quick slant short time like this is this 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:47.760 is gonna be fun? You know, maybe he starts to 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:49.400 run the ball. Now he can't run the ball, and 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.040 a lot of stuff's gone away. The offense right now 0:14:53.200 --> 0:14:56.040 is a shell of itself. And maybe with the bye 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:59.000 week and getting some bodies back, you know, like Aj 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:01.880 and then hopefully you know, not too far behind is 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:05.360 John Ross and you know, the whole thing, the whole 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:08.680 dynamic can change, you know, back to what they were 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:11.040 a little bit. But you know, I'm gonna get some 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:15.600 lineman back healthy as well. You know Andre Smith, John 0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:19.400 Miller Accord. He decides he wants to play. You know, 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:21.600 if he goes out there, that big old son of 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:24.000 a gun is a moving condo. He can play. He 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:26.040 just decide, has to decide he wants to play and 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:28.360 contribute to me. I don't know. I don't know how 0:15:28.400 --> 0:15:30.840 you look at your teammates when they've been struggling as 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:33.120 badly as they've been struggling at the left tackle position, 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:36.520 and not once have you had said I'm stepping up, 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:39.520 I'm gonna do something about it. Not once, not even close. 0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:42.360 I don't know how you look at teammates in the eye. 0:15:43.200 --> 0:15:45.960 Now time to hear from the Bengals new starting quarterback 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:49.480 Ryan Finley is six to four and a slender two 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.560 hundred and seven pounds, so he is two inches taller 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:56.400 and about fifteen pounds lighter than Andy Dalton. He was 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:59.640 twenty five and fourteen as a starter at NC State, 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:03.640 where he completed nearly sixty five percent of his passes, 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:08.320 second best in school history to Philip Rivers. Now he 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:11.560 gets an earlier than expected shot to show what he 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:15.560 can do in the NFL. Ryan sat down with Lapping 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.400 Me to discuss his opportunity. Ryan, I imagine when you 0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:22.400 got the news it had to be kind of a shock. Yeah. Um, 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:27.240 you know, I wasn't expecting it yesterday morning. But I'm 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:31.440 excited for the opportunity. I guess, um the timing of it, 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:33.960 with the bye week, you're having two full weeks to 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:36.760 work with the Number ones, you know, get a rhythm 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:40.280 and timing and reps with the Number ones. That seemed 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:42.080 to make a lot of sense in your mind. Does 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:44.560 that give you a feeling of you know, cheez, At 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:46.040 least I got a little more time to get ready 0:16:46.040 --> 0:16:48.520 for this. Yeah, that's huge for me, I think, and 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:50.520 I think you nailed it. That's that's kind of how 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:52.680 I view it in my mind, is uh, you know, 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:55.040 just the more days to kind of get my mind 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:57.560 or I get reps with with those guys that I 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:00.520 haven't thrown too much. Um, you know, get with get 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:03.720 with Trey and get snaps and so I think, you know, 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:06.119 having a bye week is as big so I was. 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:10.320 I was thankful that it happened. At this time we're 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:14.400 visiting with Ryan Finlay. You performed well in your preseason opportunities. 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:16.720 You had a passer rating of ninety nine point three. 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:19.800 Does that give you confidence going into your first regular 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:22.960 season start? Yeah, it does, I think, Um, you know, 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:25.280 that's just something I can look back on and have 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:28.399 confidence in. And um, you know, I just did my 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:30.680 best to execute football plays. And that's kind of that's 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:32.760 kind of the mindset I'm taking right now. So, um, 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:37.120 you know, kind of simplify it and make it, don't 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:38.680 make it as much as it is, and just kind 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:41.280 of execute football plays and uh, cover it on third 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:43.160 downs and you get into the red zone score points, 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:44.600 and I think that's kind of where it all starts. 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:48.520 Baltimore is known to have every blitz known demand in 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:51.720 their arsenal, and Andy Dalton has done a pretty good 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:54.720 job of sorting it out, you know, seeing things almost 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:57.639 like before they happen, pre snap, post snap, and making 0:17:57.680 --> 0:18:00.760 real good decisions that way. Obviously, you guys are good friends, 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:04.080 You're both highly intelligent. You're gonna lean on his experiences 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:08.040 and his intelligence to help you prepare for this one. Yes, yes, uh, 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:12.360 and he's obviously, and he's very good with that, um 0:18:12.640 --> 0:18:14.199 you know, being in the league for as long as 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:16.880 he's been in and Alex is very good with that. Um. 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:20.480 So you know, I'm gonna do my best. Uh if 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:22.080 I need to, I'll look over to the silne and 0:18:22.080 --> 0:18:23.480 he can signal to me what we need to do 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:26.800 or something like that. But uh, you know, that's just something. UM, 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:28.920 I'm not going to learn it until I just get 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.080 thrown out there and I just, um, you know, get 0:18:31.160 --> 0:18:33.439 hit with live bullets and then i'll uh you know, 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:35.199 Alex will coach off it and I'll be able to 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:37.399 I'll be able to learn, you know. So I've confidenced 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:39.560 my ability to pick it up. But it's one of 0:18:39.560 --> 0:18:42.040 those things where it's, uh, it's different watching it on 0:18:42.119 --> 0:18:43.879 film and then get out there and actually having to 0:18:44.040 --> 0:18:46.720 having to do it. So, UM, that's definitely something that 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:49.320 I'll be thinking about a lot over the you know, 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:52.040 over the course of the week and preparing for Ryan. 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:53.720 You strike me as someone who kind of follows the 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:56.639 rookie playbook where you come in, you keep your mouth shut, 0:18:56.720 --> 0:19:00.680 you work hard, pay attention. Uh, you try to just 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:05.640 let your actions do the talking as a quarterback? Can 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:09.840 you do that now when you step into the starting role? Um, 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:11.800 I don't see why I'm not. Uh, you know, I 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:16.520 think I've had Um, I've had practice with this type 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:19.679 of situation in college, and I think I'm thankful for 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:21.679 some of the experiences that I've had in college, so 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:24.800 I can can lean back on that. But you know, 0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:28.040 like I said earlier, it's about just executing plays. Uh, 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:30.160 And that's that's kind of how I see it. That's 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:32.760 how I kind of visualize myself being out there, is 0:19:32.800 --> 0:19:35.280 just um doing what the coaches asked. And at the ball, 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:38.080 you know, it's a curl flat and that these things 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:40.320 underneath the curling to the flat. So it's kind of 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:43.200 just simplify it for me, and that's how I kind 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:46.800 of get into a rhythm of a game. So that's 0:19:46.800 --> 0:19:48.760 what I hope to do. I guess as a follow 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:52.040 up to that, how do you classify yourself as a leader. 0:19:52.080 --> 0:19:54.040 Are you a guy that leads by example? You guy 0:19:54.080 --> 0:19:56.679 that's a you know, an emotional rohra guy. Are you 0:19:56.760 --> 0:19:58.960 guy that's like, I'm gonna let my play speak for itself. 0:19:59.200 --> 0:20:02.720 What type of leader or can we expect outa Ryan Finley? Um, 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:07.920 I don't. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna define my leadership. 0:20:07.960 --> 0:20:10.920 I think, Uh. I think leadership is just when it's needed, 0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:14.119 it's given. Um and I think, Uh, it's it's a 0:20:14.119 --> 0:20:15.720 lot of times it's needed in a lot of different 0:20:15.760 --> 0:20:20.119 ways according to the circumstance in the situation. UM. But 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:22.280 right now, I think, uh, like I said, you know, 0:20:22.359 --> 0:20:25.080 my my goal is to just play quarterback at a 0:20:25.119 --> 0:20:27.840 at a high level, and I think it starts with that. 0:20:28.160 --> 0:20:31.400 UM and then um, you know everything else comes after that. 0:20:31.440 --> 0:20:33.720 But uh, with that being said, I think, you know, 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:37.840 bringing energy uh and some juice and some competitive spirit 0:20:38.400 --> 0:20:41.280 is never a bad thing ever. So UM, that's kind 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:43.159 of what I plan on doing. Just bring an energy 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:46.680 UM and juice to practice and making it competitive um 0:20:46.720 --> 0:20:49.640 and then um and then after that just executing. We're 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:52.240