Speaker 1: H I get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for
Speaker 1: downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. The Around my Hometown addition,
Speaker 1: as the Cincinnati Kid, Sam Hubbard joins me to discuss retirement,
Speaker 1: life after football, and spending his entire NFL career in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: Then it's five questions with one of the guys in
Speaker 1: line to succeed Sam, first round draft pick Shamar Stewart,
Speaker 1: followed by five observations at this stage of the off season.
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps,
Speaker 1: proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by
Speaker 1: Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business,
Speaker 1: and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health
Speaker 1: the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is
Speaker 1: the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a
Speaker 1: quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of
Speaker 1: this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer
Speaker 1: by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest
Speaker 1: thing since Fifth third Day. Since nineteen ninety one, Fifth
Speaker 1: Third Bank has celebrated Fifth Third Day. It's normally May
Speaker 1: third or five to three on the calendar, unless that
Speaker 1: date happens to fall on a weekend. But it's not
Speaker 1: a day for the bank to serve cake or give
Speaker 1: employees the afternoon off. Fifth third Day kicks off a
Speaker 1: month of volunteering with a focus on feeding the hungry,
Speaker 1: and this year, on fifth third Day, the Bank made
Speaker 1: a fifty thousand dollars donation to the Sam Hubbard Foundation's
Speaker 1: Hubbard's Cupboard program that provides local schools with essential supplies,
Speaker 1: hygiene products, and nutritious snacks. Following Fifth Third's check presentation
Speaker 1: last week, I caught up with Sam for his first
Speaker 1: extensive interview since announcing his retirement. Following retirement, You've got
Speaker 1: this event going on today, You've got your fowling tournament
Speaker 1: coming up, You're doing your football camp. It sounds like
Speaker 1: your charitable efforts will be going forward full force after
Speaker 1: your football career.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I announced my retirement in March. I
Speaker 2: was so thankful for the reception I received.
Speaker 3: All the love. It was very mutual.
Speaker 2: You know, I have so much love for this team,
Speaker 2: this city and everything that it means. But I you know,
Speaker 2: first things first, I focused on getting married, But now
Speaker 2: I'm back in town, and like you said, we're hitting
Speaker 2: the ground running. Got a lot of exciting things in
Speaker 2: the works, and now that I'm retired, I'm kind of
Speaker 2: surprised that I've gotten ten times busier.
Speaker 3: But it's a great thing.
Speaker 2: I'm very thankful for it and thankful for all the
Speaker 2: support from great partners like Fifth Third.
Speaker 1: I wasn't aware of your dad's connection to Third. A
Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars gift is pretty telling.
Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely. You know, you worked here for twenty three years.
Speaker 2: They've supported us for Fifth Third has supported my foundation
Speaker 2: for the last three years. But a gift like this
Speaker 2: is a total game changer. Going directly to make sure
Speaker 2: that our cupboards will be stocked, will be in thirty
Speaker 2: two schools next year, but this goes directly to purchasing
Speaker 2: the items that are on the shelves, hygiene items, school supplies,
Speaker 2: healthy snacks, and our focuses on providing these resources for
Speaker 2: confidence for children, to impact them and allow them to
Speaker 2: have a springboard and someone that believes in them to
Speaker 2: better their future.
Speaker 1: There are a lot of former Bengals in this area,
Speaker 1: particularly dating back to the first two Super Bowl teams
Speaker 1: that have been very generous with their charitable efforts. Anthony Munoz,
Speaker 1: Dave lap On, David Fulcher, the list goes on and on,
Speaker 1: but it was almost like there's been a gap to
Speaker 1: a current generation. Have you given any thought to kind
Speaker 1: of being the next wave of former Bengals that can
Speaker 1: use your platform to help You know, all.
Speaker 2: I've looked at from those guys is, you know, the
Speaker 2: guys that have done it right, Like you said, Munho's
Speaker 2: Ken Anderson. They've just been such great examples for me
Speaker 2: on how to further their legacy to continue to make
Speaker 2: an impact after their playing days. And I really admire
Speaker 2: those guys and want to be like them, So you know,
Speaker 2: I hope to do the same to future generations and
Speaker 2: that cycle can provide a lot of good And that's
Speaker 2: kind of how I view it. As these young guys
Speaker 2: come into the league, if they ever need advice or
Speaker 2: opportunities to get involved in the community, my line's always
Speaker 2: open and I'm gonna mentor them in the same way.
Speaker 1: For the first time I've seen you, since you're retired,
Speaker 1: I'm sure you could have kept playing. Why was this
Speaker 1: the right time?
Speaker 2: You know, I had a great career, I had a
Speaker 2: great run I took a lot of snaps, a lot
Speaker 2: of wear and tear in my body, and I felt
Speaker 2: like I had done enough to where I'm transitioning into
Speaker 2: the next phase of my life and I'm excited about it.
Speaker 2: So I felt like it was my time to move
Speaker 2: on and didn't want to hold onto a good thing
Speaker 2: for too long, and I was excited about my prospects
Speaker 2: after So I made the decision kind of early in
Speaker 2: the season and kept it to myself, but have been
Speaker 2: planning for this day to expand my impact on the
Speaker 2: Foundation and other opportunities throughout, and it's just gone picture
Speaker 2: perfect and I'm just getting started. So it's been the
Speaker 2: right decision for me personally. But I'll miss my time
Speaker 2: with the Bengals, although I'll be watching closely than probably
Speaker 2: anyone else this upcoming season. Just still friends with the guys,
Speaker 2: still still in touch with them all and happy to
Speaker 2: see them have their success coming up.
Speaker 3: And it's been it's been great.
Speaker 1: What will you miss most and what will you miss least?
Speaker 2: I'll probably miss the connections and the everyday conversations that
Speaker 2: you have in the locker room, you know, messing with
Speaker 2: each other, just you know, the banter in the locker room.
Speaker 2: Those those memories are you know, they can pick you
Speaker 2: up when you're you're down after.
Speaker 3: The worst loss. So they're very special.
Speaker 2: And I'll miss least probably the the ban being banged
Speaker 2: up on Monday after game day, injuries and such, but
Speaker 2: that's part of the game.
Speaker 1: How meaningful is it to you to have spent your
Speaker 1: entire career with the Bengals.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's so meaningful. It means everything to me.
Speaker 2: Partially why I decided to not try and play anywhere else.
Speaker 2: I wanted to be a Bengal for life, being raised here,
Speaker 2: drafted here, built my whole legacy here. I didn't want
Speaker 2: to go to another team and kind of retract from
Speaker 2: that and start from the ground up.
Speaker 3: But that's, you know, a huge factor in my decision.
Speaker 1: You were a mentor to some guys who'll be looking
Speaker 1: to fill your shoes now, Joseph Osai and Miles Murphy,
Speaker 1: cam Sample and others. What are your hopes for them
Speaker 1: going forward as they try to fill that spot opposite Trey.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're ready for That's something I'm very confident about.
Speaker 2: Just great people, great guys. They're ready, not only physically and.
Speaker 3: As a player.
Speaker 2: But they're ready, as you know, they've grown up in
Speaker 2: front of my eyes. They're ready to be leaders, ready
Speaker 2: to bring the other guys and young guys around them
Speaker 2: up to speed. And I'm sure they're excited about I
Speaker 2: know they're excited about the opportunity. I've talked to them
Speaker 2: all and yeah, I have utmost confidence. And I also
Speaker 2: like the new pieces we've added. Talked to Zach, congratulate
Speaker 2: them on the draft and think that they're in a good,
Speaker 2: good spot.
Speaker 1: You came within ninety seconds of winning a Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: You're part of a team that ended the playoff drought.
Speaker 1: You had arguably the most famous play in franchise history.
Speaker 1: Did you accomplish just about everything you set out to accomplish.
Speaker 2: After I cut the touchdown from Joe, Yes, one hundred percent.
Speaker 2: But now I realistically I never could have when I
Speaker 2: got drafted. Picture that you know that those would be
Speaker 2: part of my resume, but the fact that they are
Speaker 2: just as a testament to trust in the process and
Speaker 2: hard work and doing right by the people around you
Speaker 2: and always trying to you know, put your best foot
Speaker 2: forward and.
Speaker 3: You'll find yourself in positions you never dreamed of.
Speaker 2: So it's it's been a it's been a great story
Speaker 2: still being written.
Speaker 1: That final play is pretty amazing. I mean Ted Williams
Speaker 1: ended his baseball career with a home run and his
Speaker 1: final at bat and a defensive end, ended his NFL
Speaker 1: career with a touchdown catch on his final snap.
Speaker 2: Yeah, can't draw it up any better. That's a storybook.
Speaker 2: So I didn't want to. I didn't want to get
Speaker 2: greedy and try and go create something better.
Speaker 3: That's almost too good to be true.
Speaker 1: Last thing, Sam, you've been on kind of a hamster
Speaker 1: wheel of football training for the last decade, at least
Speaker 1: between Ohio State and the Bengals. What are you looking
Speaker 1: forward to doing now that you could never do over
Speaker 1: that time period.
Speaker 3: Oh, that's a tough one.
Speaker 2: I've been doing a lot of things, a lot of
Speaker 2: a lot of more time on my hands. First thing
Speaker 2: I was very focused on was getting married in my wedding,
Speaker 2: which was an incredible experience that I'm very thankful for.
Speaker 2: But uh, you know, I I would never think that
Speaker 2: I would go to a tailgate or a Bengals game,
Speaker 2: or or I have a watch party and watch the
Speaker 2: games on TV here, you know, just see the game
Speaker 2: from that side.
Speaker 3: I've been playing.
Speaker 2: Since I was in third grade, so to be a spectator,
Speaker 2: it's a whole different ballgame. I'm sure I'll have my
Speaker 2: opinions and just like anybody else that's not on the field,
Speaker 2: but it's a transition.
Speaker 3: It's fun.
Speaker 1: There you go, Bengals fans, Sam Hubbard could be coming
Speaker 1: to your tailgate. It's a possibility. Congratulations on a great career.
Speaker 1: Thanks for all you're doing in the community, and we
Speaker 1: look forward to touching base in the years to come.
Speaker 3: Yeah, me too. You're my guy, Dan. We'll talk soon.
Speaker 1: If you would like to learn more about Sam's charitable
Speaker 1: efforts or find out how you can help, go to
Speaker 1: Sam Hubbard Foundation dot com. I did something last year
Speaker 1: on this podcast that people seem to enjoy, so I'm
Speaker 1: bringing it back. It's called Five Questions. As we begin
Speaker 1: getting to know the Bengals rookies by asking them five
Speaker 1: questions that they don't hear over and over again. Up first,
Speaker 1: first on draft pick Shamar Stewart, the twenty one year
Speaker 1: old from Miami who spent the last three years at
Speaker 1: Texas A and M time for five Questions. With the
Speaker 1: seventeenth overall pick in the twenty twenty five NFL Draft
Speaker 1: Bengals defensive end Shamar Stewart. So I read that your
Speaker 1: nickname at Texas A and M was the Menace. Is
Speaker 1: that true? And who gave you that nickname?
Speaker 4: I forgot who exactly gave it to me, But I
Speaker 4: got it back in high school, going every day trying
Speaker 4: to get better. So of course I'm a practice hard,
Speaker 4: you know, micking hard for our office, you know, playing
Speaker 4: hard in prize, going to make our office better, and
Speaker 4: on in the games. You know, I'm just all over
Speaker 4: the field and I'm just a little menace on the field.
Speaker 1: What does the word menace represent to you?
Speaker 4: Somebody always be instructive, So I feel like that that
Speaker 4: defines me very well.
Speaker 1: So I broadcast the Bengals games on the radio. When
Speaker 1: you have a sack, would you like me? And my
Speaker 1: broadcast partner, Dave app I'm.
Speaker 3: To say, a sack by the menace, I would love that.
Speaker 3: I will love that, all right.
Speaker 1: Well, hopefully there will be a bunch this year. Question
Speaker 1: number two. You have been compared to a Texas A
Speaker 1: and M legend Miles Garrett for obvious reasons, your similar size,
Speaker 1: similar athletic ability. What do you think of Miles Garrett,
Speaker 1: What do you think of the comparison?
Speaker 4: Man, He's a great player, and I feel like that's
Speaker 4: a blessing because the way he's doing it right now,
Speaker 4: he's coming the game, and I feel like that's a
Speaker 4: very great, great comparison. I feel like we look we
Speaker 4: match up body wise. I'm not I'm trying to match
Speaker 4: someone play wise.
Speaker 1: Was it a goal of yours to top the numbers
Speaker 1: that he posted at his combine?
Speaker 3: Kind of? Sort of?
Speaker 4: You know, I feel like if I could get what
Speaker 4: he got, people will look at me a different light.
Speaker 4: So I tried my hardest. He got me in some areas,
Speaker 4: and I got him in some areas too.
Speaker 1: You got him in the forty, you got him in
Speaker 1: the broad jump. He got you by one inch in
Speaker 1: the vertical. That's pretty impressive.
Speaker 4: That's crazy because I felt like I jump jumped out
Speaker 4: my spine. It's crazy.
Speaker 1: All right, we're visiting with Jamar Stewart. Let's get back
Speaker 1: to athletic testing. Those numbers were freakish that you posted
Speaker 1: in Indianapolis. What do you consider to be your greatest
Speaker 1: athletic achievement? Did you dunk at a really early age? Yeah,
Speaker 1: what what stands out to you?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 2: I dunk.
Speaker 4: I got my first dunk in sixth grade.
Speaker 1: Sixth grade, yeah, five nine.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I was booming that balls is grade.
Speaker 3: That's amazing.
Speaker 1: You wore a beautiful green suit to Green Bay for
Speaker 1: the NFL Draft. You also had an eye catching necklace on.
Speaker 1: You are wearing it right now. Give me the history
Speaker 1: of that necklace.
Speaker 4: Uh So this necklace, my dad made this logo for
Speaker 4: me back in high school, and I thought, like, why
Speaker 4: not make it to a chain? No for a big moment,
Speaker 4: and she central, c's like a England a rapper from England.
Speaker 4: He had a reversible chain, so took inspiration from that
Speaker 4: and made it reversible.
Speaker 1: And what exactly is the image?
Speaker 4: It's a gorilla in his eyebrows. It's two s's social
Speaker 4: mar Stewart.
Speaker 1: All right, your dad's got some talent. Fifth and final question.
Speaker 1: On draft night, you did a phone call with reporters
Speaker 1: afterward and you didn't specifically remember meeting with the Bengals
Speaker 1: at the combine. And I get it. It's speed dating.
Speaker 1: You're going from team to team to team. It's like,
Speaker 1: you know, fifteen minute meetings with all of these teams.
Speaker 1: When you came into Cincinnati and you saw Zach Taylor,
Speaker 1: and you saw El Golden and you saw Jerry Montgomery.
Speaker 1: Did it click back in? Did you remember?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 1: Yeah, those guys.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's kind of hard, like you gotta remember. I
Speaker 4: had twenty two formos, a couple infemos, and then I
Speaker 4: had fifteen thirty visits. So my mind is just all
Speaker 4: over the place. I'm ready for it to be over.
Speaker 4: I'm ready to be in one place. So when I
Speaker 4: seeing him like, okay, I'm deafmember medio.
Speaker 1: The important thing is that they remembered you really well.
Speaker 3: Thank god they remembered me. Damn my memory. I'll barbayd
Speaker 3: be cooked right now.
Speaker 1: This has been fun and I can't wait. Can't wait
Speaker 1: to tell people that you dunk for the first time
Speaker 1: in sixth grade at five nine.
Speaker 3: Yeah, true story, true story.
Speaker 4: I promise you, no lies, no rap gap.
Speaker 1: Great to have you in Cincinnati, Welcome, Thank you. A
Speaker 1: lot has been made about the fact that Stuart only
Speaker 1: had four and a half sacks in thirty seven college games. Well,
Speaker 1: somebody pointed out recently that five time pro bowler daneil
Speaker 1: Hunter also had four and a half sacks in his
Speaker 1: college career, and he played in thirty eight games at LSU.
Speaker 1: In nine NFL seasons, Hunter has ninety nine and a
Speaker 1: half sacks, including six seasons with ten or more. If
Speaker 1: Shamar Stewart comes anywhere close to that, he'll be one
Speaker 1: of the best picks in this year's draft. Up Next,
Speaker 1: we go from five questions to five observations. But first,
Speaker 1: here's a quick reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast is
Speaker 1: brought to you by pay Core, proud to be the
Speaker 1: Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof
Speaker 1: fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business, and community to
Speaker 1: a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care
Speaker 1: for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare
Speaker 1: provider of the Bengals. Now time for five observations at
Speaker 1: this stage of the Bengals off season program. Topic number
Speaker 1: one the status of Trey Hendrickson the athletics. Senior NFL
Speaker 1: insider Diana Russini made Bengals fans hopeful last week because
Speaker 1: of something she said on the Scoop City podcast that
Speaker 1: she co hosts with former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel. Here's
Speaker 1: what Diana had to say, about Trey.
Speaker 3: How about the.
Speaker 6: Trey Hendrickson situation in Cincinnati. We saw what they did
Speaker 6: in the draft, right, so most people I think we're
Speaker 6: looking at them drafting Shamar Stewart as this is the
Speaker 6: end of the Trey Hendrickson error in Cincinnati. And Zach
Speaker 6: Taylor came out and was like essentially shooting that down
Speaker 6: of like, this doesn't mean anything. This just we are
Speaker 6: supplying the needs that we have on this roster. So
Speaker 6: I did a little digging on it, and I'm still
Speaker 6: getting really good vibes coming out of Sincy that they're
Speaker 6: going to try to get a deal done with Trey.
Speaker 1: How there's the money growing trees over there.
Speaker 6: They seem to be trying to move money and get
Speaker 6: creative with finding ways to get Tray the money.
Speaker 1: To take a hometown discount.
Speaker 6: How can you look at this and think he's not
Speaker 6: going to And I'm sure his side if they heard
Speaker 6: this right now, they tell me to shut up, we're
Speaker 6: taking a hometown discount. Yeah, but I think he wants
Speaker 6: to be there. They want him there once again.
Speaker 1: That was courtesy of the Athletics Scoop City podcast. All right,
Speaker 1: I think the last part was one hundred percent accurate.
Speaker 1: The Bengals want to keep Trey for this year and beyond,
Speaker 1: and I do believe that it's his preference to stay.
Speaker 1: Unlike Diana, I can't say that I've been getting particularly
Speaker 1: good or bad vibes lately, but I do think it's
Speaker 1: more likely than not that Trey is a Bengal this season.
Speaker 1: Keep in mind, he's under contract for one more year,
Speaker 1: and at the end of it, Trey will have made
Speaker 1: more than eighty four million dollars he set for life.
Speaker 1: But the NFL sack leader has obviously earned another big
Speaker 1: pay day, and here's hoping the two sides can agree
Speaker 1: on a number that keeps Trey terrorizing quarterbacks in a
Speaker 1: Bengals uniform. Topic two the Golden Age. Al Golden was
Speaker 1: brought back to Cincinnati's defensive coordinator for two reasons. One
Speaker 1: to improve a unit that finished seventh from the bottom
Speaker 1: in points loud last year, and two to do what
Speaker 1: he did so well at Notre Dame develop young talent,
Speaker 1: and that's what he's going to be working with in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: Over the last four years, the Bengals have made thirteen
Speaker 1: picks on the first two days of the draft, so
Speaker 1: we're talking first, second, and third round selections. Ten of
Speaker 1: the thirteen were on defense. That's talent for All to
Speaker 1: work with. His last season on the Bengals coaching staff
Speaker 1: was the twenty twenty one Super Bowl squad, where he
Speaker 1: worked closely with linebacker Logan Wilson.
Speaker 7: I always say he's like a psycho, but like in
Speaker 7: a good way. I mean, he's just always on top
Speaker 7: of things, and he makes sure that things are cut
Speaker 7: and dry. There's no gray area, everything's black and white.
Speaker 7: And then you work the things that he preaches, like
Speaker 7: we're talking about ball disruptions, so we're going to work
Speaker 7: the heck out of ball disruption stuff. And so when
Speaker 7: you get back to that stuff, like something as simple
Speaker 7: as that, that you're constantly doing, it might get monotonous,
Speaker 7: but you're always like when you're out there playing, then
Speaker 7: it's not you're not even thinking about it. Like when
Speaker 7: you're going into potentially to make a tackle, you're always
Speaker 7: analyzing where the ball is on them, and you're able
Speaker 7: to try to make it play on the ball and
Speaker 7: get turnovers. And you know, the more often that we
Speaker 7: can obviously get turnovers without how explosive our offense is
Speaker 7: is going to help us.
Speaker 1: I tell people when he was here previously, it always
Speaker 1: seemed like he was on the go, like you couldn't
Speaker 1: even interrupt him because he was racing to do the
Speaker 1: next thing.
Speaker 3: Walking to the next thing. Yeah, like how you doing?
Speaker 7: He he asking you how you're doing as he's walking by,
Speaker 7: Like did you really care what my answer was?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 7: That thing is just he's just wired like that. But
Speaker 7: then it's funny because like how he is during the
Speaker 7: week is like the complete opposite how he is on
Speaker 7: game day. Like he's like just calm, cool and collected,
Speaker 7: and I always think he's like ahead of the adjustment
Speaker 7: before the adjustment happens on the sideline. And that's one
Speaker 7: thing I really appreciated after he left, was like, because
Speaker 7: he's coached offense, so he knows like what teams are
Speaker 7: going to try to go to based on how we're
Speaker 7: playing something, and then how we're already going to adjust
Speaker 7: because of that. So I think playing that game within
Speaker 7: the game has kind of helped him be successful as
Speaker 7: a coordinator.
Speaker 1: It also sounds like he puts in so much time
Speaker 1: and effort during the week and what hits game day,
Speaker 1: It's like, all right, guys, We've done the work. It's
Speaker 1: up to you now.
Speaker 3: It's like the saying the hayes in the barn.
Speaker 7: I mean he puts all the hay in the barn
Speaker 7: on the week, so that that game days are so
Speaker 7: called easy, you know, easier for him because he's looked
Speaker 7: at everything.
Speaker 3: He's prepared the right way.
Speaker 7: And I think he's I don't know, if I don't
Speaker 7: know how much he actually sleeps.
Speaker 3: During the week.
Speaker 7: Sometimes it takes the game day nap, I know, because
Speaker 7: he's probably didn't sleep.
Speaker 3: Much during the week and he's exhausted.
Speaker 7: But he tires himself out and he goes he goes
Speaker 7: all in with this kind of stuff, which is which
Speaker 7: is great.
Speaker 1: Is the off season going to be significantly different with
Speaker 1: him as the DC in terms of, you know, what
Speaker 1: he's teaching during these periods in the you know, mandatory
Speaker 1: mini camps and stuff like that.
Speaker 7: Oh, you know, I think he'll have his own way
Speaker 7: of going about it. You know, I think there's going
Speaker 7: to be I think they're trying to tax this more
Speaker 7: mentally with because everything there's a lot of new stuff
Speaker 7: and new terminology more than anything, and so tax more
Speaker 7: mentally during this time so that when we come back
Speaker 7: in for training camp, like it's a lot of us
Speaker 7: just recall, but I think that that's kind of what
Speaker 7: it's going to look like.
Speaker 1: Last year at Notre Dame, Golden's defense was fourth in
Speaker 1: the country in points allowed, first in takeaways, first in
Speaker 1: defensive pass efficiency, and tied for first in defensive touchdowns.
Speaker 1: I expect the Bengals to be significantly improved on defense
Speaker 1: this year. Topic three, What can Brown do for you?
Speaker 1: I was looking at the latest fantasy football rankings. ESPN
Speaker 1: has Chase Brown ranked nineteenth among running backs, pro Football
Speaker 1: Focus has him fifteenth, and Yahoo Sports ranks him thirteenth.
Speaker 1: Those numbers all seem low to me. Last year, despite
Speaker 1: missing the final game of the season, Brown finished with
Speaker 1: nine hundred and ninety rushing yards, three hundred and sixty
Speaker 1: receiving yards, and scored a total of eleven touchdowns. Those
Speaker 1: are great numbers, but they don't reflect how productive he
Speaker 1: was after Zack Moss suffered a neck injury. In the
Speaker 1: final eight games with Moss sidelined, Brown average roughly seventy
Speaker 1: nine rushing yards and thirty seven receiving yards per game.
Speaker 1: Those averages over a seventeen game season would equal one thousand,
Speaker 1: nine hundred seventy six scrimmage yards. That would have been
Speaker 1: third best in the NFL last year, behind Saquon Barkley
Speaker 1: and Derrick Henry. Now I'm not predicting that, but fifteen
Speaker 1: hundred combined rushing and receiving yards doesn't seem far fetched,
Speaker 1: especially knowing how defenses have to focus on Jamar, Chase
Speaker 1: and t Higgins. Here's my one on one chat with
Speaker 1: Chase Brown, who became a dad in the off season.
Speaker 1: What was your reaction to the team being able to
Speaker 1: hold on to Tea and extend Jamar.
Speaker 3: I think it's awesome. Those guys work. It's really hard
Speaker 3: to get where they're at.
Speaker 5: And a side of that, I mean, they're great players,
Speaker 5: So having them back in the locker room and you know,
Speaker 5: them being able to continue to build that relationship and
Speaker 5: that like explosiveness with Joe is gonna.
Speaker 3: Be a lot of fun to be around.
Speaker 1: Plus Mike and bringing some my j back and you
Speaker 1: it's a loaded skill position group.
Speaker 5: No doubt, no doubt, We're gonna make a lot of plays,
Speaker 5: and you know, we were really explosive last year, so
Speaker 5: it's gonna be really cool to see how we upgrade
Speaker 5: this year.
Speaker 1: Has your focus this offseason been about becoming a better
Speaker 1: receiver again or was that like last year's thing and
Speaker 1: now there's something else this year.
Speaker 5: I'm just trying to be a better football player overall.
Speaker 5: I feel like you can't.
Speaker 3: You can't.
Speaker 5: I can't build up my receiver ability enough. I know
Speaker 5: we're pass first offense, but uh, you know, and I
Speaker 5: also know my role on this team too, So I'm
Speaker 5: just trying to, you know, build my role, continue to
Speaker 5: make a ton of plays and uh yeah, man, just
Speaker 5: have a lot of fun on Sundays.
Speaker 1: Are you and Augret working with that same guy?
Speaker 3: Yeah, we were working together all off season. We both
Speaker 3: got a lot better. It's crazy just to see the
Speaker 3: growth that we made in one year and.
Speaker 5: Going into year three, it's just you're just more comfortable.
Speaker 5: You know the system, you know your teammates more so,
Speaker 5: just continue to build that relationship with guys in the
Speaker 5: locker room and then you know, putting it out on
Speaker 5: tape on Sundays.
Speaker 1: So maybe a cliche, but everybody says fatherhood changes you.
Speaker 1: How has it changed you?
Speaker 5: I mean, just seeing my son has changed my perspective
Speaker 5: on life in a way that I can't really explain,
Speaker 5: but I think people that have kids understand. But outside
Speaker 5: of that, I mean, I have a great partner. She
Speaker 5: She takes a lot of like the heavy load with
Speaker 5: my son at night, and you know, allows me to pursue,
Speaker 5: you know, what I need to every single day to
Speaker 5: be a really good football player. So just seeing him
Speaker 5: grow and you know, watching her become, you know, a
Speaker 5: great mother, has been special.
Speaker 1: The wide receiver specialist that Brown and andre Yosi Bosch
Speaker 1: work with is Drew Lieberman, whose program has called the
Speaker 1: Sideline Hustle. Kendrick Pryor, who spent most of the last
Speaker 1: two years on the Bengals practice squad, also worked with
Speaker 1: Lieberman this offseason. Topic four Dax Hill. The Bengals picked
Speaker 1: up his fifth year option last week, meaning Dax is
Speaker 1: under contract through next season, and it's worth pointing out
Speaker 1: that it's still possible to sign him to a longer
Speaker 1: deal if the two sides are interested. Last year, Hill
Speaker 1: made the transition from safety to outside cornerback and was
Speaker 1: thriving before tearing his ACL in Week five. Here's what
Speaker 1: cornerbacks coach Chuck Berks had to say when I asked
Speaker 1: him about Dax near the end of last season.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I thought Dax was doing a phenomenal job, especially
Speaker 8: for somebody making a transition. You know, within a year,
Speaker 8: he was really playing extremely consistent. The game against the Ravens,
Speaker 8: he was actually starting at corner and starting at nickel
Speaker 8: because Mike Hilton was gone, and uh, he was on
Speaker 8: his way to have a good game that week. He
Speaker 8: was you know, really playing the best, uh, out of
Speaker 8: all the corners to that point of the season. And uh,
Speaker 8: that was a tremendous loss. You know, when we lost Dax,
Speaker 8: we really lost three starting positions. We lost the corner,
Speaker 8: we lost the nickel, and we lost you know, uh
Speaker 8: a tight end cover guy on third down. So that
Speaker 8: was a tremendous loss for the defense.
Speaker 1: Outside cover corner is one of the most difficult positions
Speaker 1: to play. It's why the top ones make more than
Speaker 1: twenty million dollars a year. Did Dak show you that
Speaker 1: he has the ability to be one of those guys?
Speaker 8: And you know, I've never doubted that really since he
Speaker 8: was drafted. You know, I always believed that the Dax
Speaker 8: could play outside corner, and you know, we made that transition.
Speaker 8: You know, he didn't blink. I didn't blink. I actually
Speaker 8: felt that we had drafted the first round corner this year,
Speaker 8: you know when we made the switch. So I definitely
Speaker 8: see it from an ability standpoint, But more importantly, Dax
Speaker 8: has the mental makeup of being able to play that
Speaker 8: position and critical moments of the game. And what makes
Speaker 8: these guys elite, Me and me and Jase mccordy is
Speaker 8: actually having this conversation. Is what makes elite corners elite
Speaker 8: is their elite and third down radar and two minute
Speaker 8: against their best. That's what makes these guys elite. And
Speaker 8: you have to have the right temperament for it. You
Speaker 8: have to have a short memory and be able to
Speaker 8: have a tremendous belief in yourself throughout the game. And
Speaker 8: that's what Dax has.
Speaker 1: So the big question now is where is Dax going
Speaker 1: to play. Mike Hilton is a free agent, leaving the
Speaker 1: starting spot open at slot corner, a position that Dax
Speaker 1: played in college. But outside corners are so valuable, perhaps
Speaker 1: the Bengals would be better off to leave him there
Speaker 1: and use Josh Newton or Jalen Davis in the slot.
Speaker 1: Here's Duke Tobin. Dax has positioned versatility he's probably got
Speaker 1: He's probably one of the more versatile players that we
Speaker 1: have on our team, and so there are a number
Speaker 1: of things he could end up doing.
Speaker 9: What he ends up doing will be up to Uzach
Speaker 9: and Now and his staff.
Speaker 1: The bottom line is to get your best guys on
Speaker 1: the field, and it will be interesting to see how
Speaker 1: that situation unfolds at training camp. The fifth and final
Speaker 1: topic is safety. Gino Stone led the Bengals with four
Speaker 1: interceptions last year and Jordan Battle finished the season on
Speaker 1: a high note after moving into the starting line up
Speaker 1: with six games to go, but overall, the position group
Speaker 1: needs to perform better this season and the Bengals did
Speaker 1: not address it in the draft. I discussed that with
Speaker 1: Director of College Scouting Mike Potts. You didn't draft to safety.
Speaker 1: Is that just the way the board fell or is
Speaker 1: it a reflection of how you feel about the guys
Speaker 1: that are already here.
Speaker 9: It's a combination of both. Safety is a position that
Speaker 9: we valued a number of guys in this draft at
Speaker 9: different levels, and there were a lot of guys that
Speaker 9: were in the discussion in almost every round that we
Speaker 9: could have addressed that safety position. Like you said, it
Speaker 9: didn't work out. That's just not the way the board
Speaker 9: shook out for us. So we do like the safeties
Speaker 9: that we have on the roster right now, and we think,
Speaker 9: you know, some of our guys even have more upside
Speaker 9: to potentially ascend and get better than what they've been
Speaker 9: so far. So that's a position that will continue to
Speaker 9: monitor throughout the off season. But we do like the
Speaker 9: guys that we have in the room right now. But
Speaker 9: it's an ongoing process leading all the way up until
Speaker 9: Week one of the season in terms of evaluating the
Speaker 9: options that are out there to upgrade the roster.
Speaker 1: Tyson Anderson and Dejon Anthony are also in the mix,
Speaker 1: and there are still some veteran free agent safeties out there.
Speaker 1: If the Bengals determine that the position group still needs help,
Speaker 1: that's going to do it. For this episode of the
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Speaker 1: Dan Horde. Thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth podcast