WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Patience 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.559 I get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:11.640 The Bengals Booth Podcast. The all we need is just 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:18.320 a little patience. Addition, as we look back at the Bengals' 0:00:18.360 --> 0:00:20.599 biggest issues in their first two games of the year 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:23.520 and look ahead to Sunday's game against another OH and 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:27.840 two team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Coming up, Dave Lappham joins 0:00:27.840 --> 0:00:33.800 me to discuss protecting Joe, connecting with AJ, and expecting 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:36.840 a better pass rush. This week's one on one player 0:00:36.880 --> 0:00:40.240 interview is with Kevin Huber, whose goal twelve years ago 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:43.680 was to punt until he was thirty five years old. 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:47.839 He's made it, so what's his goal now? And finally 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:50.519 it's our no the Faux segment as we get an 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:54.440 entertaining look at the Eagles from Michael Barkan, who hosts 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:59.279 the team's pre and postgame shows on NBC Sports Philadelphia. 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:02.600 The Bengal Booth Podcast is presented by Prime Sport, the 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:06.480 official hospitality partner of the Cincinnati Bengals. And here's a 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:08.800 quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:12.720 this podcast delivered write to your phone, tablet, or computer 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:18.000 by subscribing on iTunes. Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean. 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:24.160 It's the greatest thing since that other pregame show. Since 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:26.800 the Bengals played at four o'clock in Week one and 0:01:26.920 --> 0:01:29.720 on Thursday Night in Week two, I've had more time 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:32.600 available on the first two Sunday mornings of this season 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:34.759 than I do when the Bengals have their usual one 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:38.280 o'clock kick. That's given me the chance to watch that 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:42.000 other pregame show, which airs from eight to noon every 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:47.280 Sunday on CBS Sports Network. The cast includes host Adam Shine, 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:51.040 former players Kyle Long and London Fletcher, and former Raiders 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:54.480 executive Amy Trask and is just the right mix of 0:01:54.600 --> 0:02:00.560 information and entertainment without the painful fake laughs you have 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:04.800 to endure on the traditional network pregame shows. So check 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:09.120 out that other pregame show or tops for short Sunday 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:13.919 mornings on CBS Sports Network. Now, let's get to the Bengals, 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:18.320 beginning with this week's breakdown with Dave Lapham lap I 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:21.080 think when the schedule came out and we looked at 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:23.960 Week three, a road game in Philly, most of us figured, 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:27.040 all right, that's an l right, but not anymore. The 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:30.560 Eagles struggled in their first two games worse than the 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:33.520 Bengals did. They blew a seventeen nothing lead to Washington 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:36.240 in Week one, gave up twenty seven straight points and 0:02:36.280 --> 0:02:39.680 lost twenty seven to seventeen. Then they lost by eighteen 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:42.919 points to the Rams last week. Yeah. I mean they've 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:46.120 been outscored sixty four to thirty six, twenty six points 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.800 allowed in the fourth quarter. I mean they've down the stretch, 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:52.680 They've they've collapsed basically, and you know, you think, okay, 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:57.600 playoff team more than not on the road in Philadelphia, 0:02:57.760 --> 0:03:00.480 fans at BOO Santa Claus when the schedule came out. Now, 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:04.679 they don't look like the Philadelphi Eagles expected and anticipated, 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:06.240 and there's going to be no fans in the stand, 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:09.520 so it's going to be a much easier scenario to 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:12.280 try to go steal a w in Philadelphia. I agree 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:14.639 with you, Dan, I mean, I think right now the 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.079 Eagles are doing a lot of things wrong. I mean, 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:20.799 six giveaways, dead last in the NFL, minus five turnover ratio, 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:23.360 dead last in the NFL. We think the Bengals have 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:27.840 turnover issues. Man, Philadelphia, they got more turnovers in a 0:03:27.919 --> 0:03:33.200 bakery many they're just producing them. Left and right. Basically 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:35.760 one third of the league so far ISZ and two. 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:37.760 Eleven of the thirty two teams are off to an 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:40.880 O and two start. The Bengals lost their two games 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.640 by a total of eight points, and there's only one 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:46.120 team with an O and two record with a smaller 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:48.960 point differential, Denver. They lost their first two games by 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:52.680 a total of seven points. Should we be encouraged by that? 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:56.440 I guess, I guess you could be, you know, but 0:03:56.680 --> 0:03:59.600 people are going to compare the Cleveland Browns to the 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:03.880 Pittsburgh Steelers, which who the Bengals played Cleveland, Denver played Pittsburgh, 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:07.880 you know in Week two. Yeah, it's I don't know, 0:04:07.920 --> 0:04:11.240 I guess, I guess, you know. Close. Only constant horseshoes 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:15.360 and hand gernads, as the old saying goes, and Mike Man, Mike, 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.080 we've been saying for a while. Oh, in ten now, 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:21.320 in two seasons games decided by eight points or less, 0:04:21.520 --> 0:04:25.239 NFL standard says, when about half of them, they haven't 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:27.720 won one of them. So it's a matter of learning 0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:31.240 how to finish or making plays at crucial times of 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:33.279 football games. They're going to be a big factor in 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.599 determining the outcome of the football game. You can't let 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:38.479 an opportunity that when it presents itself just slip through 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:42.120 your fingers and move on. That's that's coming back to 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:44.440 Biden big time. There's no doubt the Bengals are giving 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:46.920 up one hundred eighty five rushing yards per game so far, 0:04:47.080 --> 0:04:50.159 third worst in the NFL. It would help. I would 0:04:50.160 --> 0:04:53.160 think if Geno Atkins and Mike Daniels returned this week, 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:56.600 but neither one is practicing today, and if I had 0:04:56.640 --> 0:05:00.680 to guess, I'd guess, you know, if the injury are equal, 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:04.799 meaning that the groin injury wasn't a real, real severe 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:06.800 one and it's going to take like you know, forever. 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:11.159 In Gino's shoulder injury, whether it's rotator cuff or if 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:14.640 it's labor on, whatever it is, it's not, I think 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:17.680 probably have a better chance of Daniel's coming back from 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.719 a groin you know, depending on the severity of the pull, 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.080 a groin strain, a growing pull. I would think that 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.479 Daniels may be able to make the dance in a 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:30.480 better way than Geno Atkins would potentially and maybe need 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:33.920 another week or so for Gino and you know, again, 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:36.000 their day to day week to week, but the fact 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:40.320 that neither one of them practiced, you know, and when 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:43.440 when they came back with the extra practice time, Today's 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.839 today's injury report will have a big bearing on it. 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:50.320 Wednesday's the big work day. Hopefully at least one of 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:54.520 them went limited. Maybe both went limited. But if I 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:56.920 were to pick one that might have done something today, 0:05:57.160 --> 0:06:01.720 I'd probably gamble and pick Daniel's over. At let's talk 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:06.839 offensive line. Pro Football Focus has the Bengals ranked twenty 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:11.279 sixth in past blocking so far. Who are the sixth best, 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:18.479 sixteen twentieth in run blocking so far? How has the 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:22.000 old line performed in your opinion, you know, it's been 0:06:22.720 --> 0:06:26.560 I guess spotty would be kind. I do think that 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:30.640 Fred obviously had a couple of issues, but I do 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:34.320 agree with Zach's comments that he didn't even have a practice, 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:38.680 a full practice with any physicality to it before going 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:41.760 into play Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns. That's tough duty, 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:44.120 it really is. I mean, you think, okay, you take 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:46.680 some snaps of training camp, it wasn't. It was never 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:49.839 really anything more than a scrimmage situation, you know, not 0:06:50.000 --> 0:06:54.080 live not tackling people in everything defense going one hundred 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:55.840 miles an hour with a bunch of different looks and 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:59.480 adjustments you have to make. And he probably took more 0:06:59.520 --> 0:07:03.159 snaps at tackle initially when he was battling Bobby Hart 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:05.839 than he did a guard. And I can speak from experience. 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:10.000 Going from tackle to guard is easier physically because you 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:11.960 have people on both sides of you. You have less 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:15.400 space to worry about, and not as athletic a player 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:17.520 as you might see on the edge, So physically it 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:20.720 might be easier although they're they're behemous. You know, you've 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:24.200 got to be strong inside, but boy, it's fast in there. 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:27.520 The traffic patterns are quicker on the edge. No matter 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:31.000 what I found when I was playing all the different positions, 0:07:31.040 --> 0:07:34.400 every single assignment blocked the end. What if they do 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:37.200 this block the end? If you're playing center a guard, 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:39.480 they'll give you different looks. They'll bring linebackers. You know, 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:41.280 there's a lot goes on double a gap blitz is 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:44.880 and it's quick and man, sometimes you feel like, you know, man, 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:46.960 you're over the speed limit. These guys are really you 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:50.520 have to make quick So mentally it's a big adjustment 0:07:50.560 --> 0:07:53.920 going from tackle to guard. Physically, it's not as much. 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:58.280 Although Fred got rocked man on that bullrush, he got 0:07:58.360 --> 0:08:01.360 rocked and I was surprised. I thought that would not 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.960 be happening to Fred. If I were to pick anything, 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:06.320 that wouldn't happen to Fred, being the behemoth that he is. 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:08.880 But it just goes to show you if you're tentative 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:11.080 at all in terms of what you're supposed to do 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:12.480 and how you're supposed to do it, and you have 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:14.400 a high pad level, and I don't care if you're 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:16.280 King Kong, you know they're gonna get under your pads 0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:18.480 and knock you around a little bit. So I think, 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:22.160 you know, it was probably really really quick for him 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:24.720 mentally in there, and hopefully it's slowed down a little 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:28.040 bit because it's tough. And now you have again you're 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:31.320 between the center and tackle. Either one have worked with 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:34.520 you in live conditions either. It's it's an issue. I mean, 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.400 it's it's not as easy as people think. And but 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:42.040 the one thing I will say, Fred Taylor has untapped upside. 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:45.840 Fred Johnson, I keep on him run the football. Fred 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:51.560 Johnson has untapped upside. I mean he is he is gargantulan, 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:53.480 you know, and I do think when if he does 0:08:53.520 --> 0:08:55.600 get his feet under him and start to feel real 0:08:55.600 --> 0:09:00.200 comfortable mentally, Michael Jordan and Fred Johnson could be you know, 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:04.800 a twin tower of strength inside at the guard position. Yeah, 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:07.160 he he learned a couple of things. He got bowled 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:09.959 by one guy and got beaten upfield. Miles Garrett, you know, 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:12.560 came came upfield on him and get got a quick 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.120 rush and knocked the ball out of Joe Burrow's hand. 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:18.680 So he had a couple of major negatives, um that 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:23.160 were visible to everybody. But boy, he needs reps that. 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:26.400 It has been announced that Fred Johnson will start again 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:29.000 this week at right guard, but in the meantime, Alex 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:31.600 Redmond was resigned this week to the practice squad. At 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:34.040 least what happens with him going forward? Do you think? 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:36.600 I wonder if he gets activated, you know to the 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:38.599 fifty one of the fifty five, the two guys that 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:40.960 bring up for fifty five. But I don't know if 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:45.920 that would be an overload inside. You know, they get Calhoun, Um, uh, 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:49.160 let's see who else they have. They have Billy Billy 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:52.880 and Identity playing tackle and guard. I mean, I don't know, 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:56.800 I don't know where Redman, And I don't know exactly 0:09:56.840 --> 0:10:01.640 why he was terminated, waved or or whatever. I think 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:04.040 it was because he keeps getting hurt. You know, he's 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:08.599 injured himself wrestling in the offseason and couldn't participate in 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:12.000 training camp until the very end. And you know, against 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:16.600 Pittsburgh the year before in pregame warmups, blows his elbow out. 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:18.960 It's like, man, you gotta be kidding me. So they're wondering. 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:23.280 I think again again, one of the best availables, one 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:25.520 of the best abilities to have his availability, and he 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:29.360 hasn't been available. So is that that is it? Other things? 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:34.120 Is it a compilation of multiple Who knows? But I 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:36.960 do know one thing. When he is healthy, that is 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:40.760 one finishing fool. He is the strong. He is a 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:44.600 strong guy that loves to fight you. He will battle you, 0:10:44.800 --> 0:10:47.319 he will finish you. He loves hand to hand combat. 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:49.360 He's one of the best finishers I think in the league. 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:53.640 I mean, the dude is like distraught. If he doesn't 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:55.839 dominate a guy at the end, he'll give him the 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:57.760 rabbit punch. He'll give him that, you know, a little 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:02.800 gut action. He'll do anything to finish guys. That's another issue. 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:05.000 You don't want to be drawn penalties unnecessarily and all 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:08.120 that sort of thing. But that guy wants to compete, man, 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:12.440 he wants to finish. So I think I think he's 0:11:12.480 --> 0:11:16.520 a He belongs to the National Football League. Just gotta 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:20.080 get everything right, everything calmed down, everything in place, and 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:23.360 get healthy. See if he can contribute. Alex Redman, he 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:25.880 is a little nutty, but he is lovable in his 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:30.000 own brawling sort of way. According to the official league 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:34.720 stats in Cleveland, the Browns sacked Joe Burrow three times 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:38.599 and had seven quarterback hits. And there's a common misconception 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:42.679 that those are separate numbers. They're not right. It might 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:45.400 be different for Pro Football Focus or football outsiders, but 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:49.920 according to the official NFL stats, right, a sack counts 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:53.120 as a quarterback hit, and it should. You shouldn't get 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:55.760 double you know, double credit forward if your defense right. 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:59.160 So by official NFL stat keeping, he was hit seven 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:02.320 times in the Cleveland game. Now that seemed low to me. 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:04.840 So I went back and I watched the All twenty 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:08.319 two video. And there's another thing. If a quarterback gets 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.800 rocked running the ball, that doesn't count as a quarterback hit. 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:14.959 That's strictly the stat exists for pass rushing, so I 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:19.960 included runs and I counted up eleven times that Burrow 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:23.920 was legitimately knocked to the ground, some harder than others 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:27.240 in the Cleveland game. Is that sustainable for Joe Burrow? 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:31.480 I asked him that very question, like right after the game, 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:34.400 you know how you doing? Took some shot? I'm fine. 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:36.959 You know, he feels like a football player when he 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:40.599 gets hit. He says all the right things. But I 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:43.480 don't want to see an Andrew Lux situation where you know, 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:47.000 you have a great player who just takes too many hits, 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:53.040 whether they're because he's inflicting them a lot on himself 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:56.560 basically by the manner in which he's playing, or the 0:12:56.640 --> 0:13:00.600 offensive line is not up to part line. Is he 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:02.520 took a ton of hits and he said that's enough, 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:05.880 No Moss, I'm done out of the game, Star future, 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:08.520 I mean, bright superstar out of the game. I don't 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:10.840 want to see that. I definitely don't want to see that. 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:16.959 Getting hit eleven times, solid contact eleven times times sixteen 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:20.040 football games adds up quickly. You're looking at one hundred 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:21.400 and seventy six off the top of my head one 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:23.600 hundred and seventy six times during the course of the season. 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:26.880 It's a lot of hits. That's a lot of and 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:31.160 you got a hope that some of them was direct 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:33.480 hit to the head, that were a couple of them 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:36.160 were missed. There were shots to the head, and you start, 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:39.360 you know, getting that done and start scrambling things upstairs. 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:41.440 That's not good. You don't want to be in concussion 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:45.360 protocol and everything that goes along with that. So yeah, 0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:50.560 I mean, i'd like to see those decrease by at 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:53.960 least fifty percent or maybe seventy five percent. I mean, 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:56.880 you're gonna get hit, but you don't want to You 0:13:56.880 --> 0:13:59.440 don't want to see your quarterback get hit, you know, 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:01.480 more than a handful of times. You always want to 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:03.520 see it less than a handful of times. But if 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:07.839 you're throwing at sixty one times, you're putting them him 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:10.959 at risk a hell of a lot more. That's usually 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:13.240 two football games. You throw it thirty thirty one times 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:15.319 in a game. It's a lot of pass did one 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:19.400 game two times the normal? I mean in one football game, 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:22.360 that's a lot of throws. In the Bengals most recent 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:24.720 game last Thursday in Cleveland. They threw it to Aj 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.200 Green a lot and didn't get much out of it. 0:14:27.200 --> 0:14:30.480 He was targeted thirteen times, finished with just three catches 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:34.160 for twenty nine yards. And going back to July, prior 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:38.400 to training camp, I spoke to former Bengals wide receiver T. T. J. 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:43.760 Hushman Zada, and I asked him this question about Aj Green. 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:47.080 AJ Green turns thirty two on the last day of 0:14:47.080 --> 0:14:50.080 the month. How much great football does he have left 0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:52.440 in him? The way the game of football is now 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:56.640 like honestly, as can play if he stays healthy, he 0:14:56.720 --> 0:14:58.800 can play at a high level for four to five 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:03.440 more years. High level, high level, and the game of 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:08.240 football is different. Like up, I'm forty two, I have 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:11.760 weighed the same for twenty years. I still in shape, 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:14.480 I still have ASPS. I only work out a couple 0:15:14.440 --> 0:15:17.080 of times a week. The game of football is different 0:15:17.080 --> 0:15:20.200 if guys are standing in shape. AJ in essence, his 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:23.880 body should be healthy, if it's healthy, if that makes 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:26.280 any sense, because he's been hurt for the last couple 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:30.960 of years and so AJ phenomenal man. I tell people 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:32.520 all the time, if you want to learn how to 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:35.640 get off of press coverage. Even if the release isn't 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:38.800 a great release, it will be a great release by 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:42.200 watching like AJ is just so violent at the line 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:45.080 of scrimmage that even if it's not good, it's gonna 0:15:45.080 --> 0:15:49.920 work because he believes in it. And Yeah, I'm looking 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:55.040 forward to AJ reminded people that he's Aj Green. I'm 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:56.800 looking forward to that because he doesn't talk a lot. 0:15:56.920 --> 0:16:00.400 He's not gonna tape himself up. And I don't even 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:03.520 know Aj that will, but I'll hype him up. I'm 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:07.680 looking forward to him reminded people how did he really is? 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:11.400 All right? Again? That was t J Hushman Zata back 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:14.360 in July. I'm not going to panic over that last 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:16.680 game for AJ Green. It was a short week, which 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:19.760 I think was tough on him considering the hamstring injury 0:16:19.760 --> 0:16:21.920 and training camp and the injuries he's coming back from 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:26.760 before that. Additionally, Denzel Ward might be one of the 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:28.960 top two or three cornerbacks in the NFL. I was 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:32.360 gonna say Dan Denzel Ward did a great job. I don't. 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:36.960 I can't remember a game where AJ was targeted thirteen 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.040 times and only at three catches. There's never been one 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:41.600 ten balls that he doesn't come up with. I mean, 0:16:41.640 --> 0:16:44.840 I can't, so I wonder if Darius Slay, who they 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:46.640 picked up from the troity, three time pro bowler. I 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:49.960 wonder if they're gonna put him on AJ all over 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:53.280 the field like like you know, Cleveland had Ward basically 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:56.000 on AJ. And he's gonna get He's a Pro Bowl 0:16:56.040 --> 0:16:57.640 he's gonna get If there's a pro bowler in the 0:16:57.760 --> 0:16:59.640 in the secondary, he's gonna get him. You would think, 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:02.400 unless you know they're so stubborn about note, we're not 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:05.200 gonna we're not going to travel corners. We're just gonna 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:07.800 play right and left corner. AJ Green is the type 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:10.440 of talent that might make your mind change a little bit, 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:14.040 particularly when you look at the success that DJ Ward had. 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:17.000 He played, he played them well, he played a good 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:20.840 football game. And I think they're getting their hands on 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:23.680 AJ now, hands are really you know, it's it's a big, 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:26.920 big deal, and the officials aren't aren't really even when 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:28.840 it's more than five yards down the field and they're 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:31.320 getting hands on him, it's not being called. And on 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:34.080 the touchdown that was reversed, he was bear hugged basically 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:36.119 coming off the line of screen. It wasn't called in 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:39.399 Week one against the Chargers, and then he did push 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:41.000 off a little bit to get started because he was 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:44.280 getting bear hugged and he gets called. So you would 0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:47.800 think that a guy who's made seven Pro Bowls might 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:49.600 get a little bit of a benefit of a doubt. 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:51.879 But right now he's not getting anything. He's really not 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:55.159 getting much called in there. There's some sticky coverage going on. 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:58.080 There's some handsy stuff happening. The Thursday night game in 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:01.560 Cleveland a special one for rookie wide receiver t Higgins. 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:03.720 He was targeted six times in that game and had 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:08.159 his first three NFL catches, three catches for thirty five yards, 0:18:08.160 --> 0:18:11.480 including an eighteen yard or on a great throw by 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:14.640 Joe Burrow into a very narrow window. In any case, 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:17.600 here's the second round pick out of Clemson on his 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:21.400 first two NFL games. Man, it's feeling like no other, 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:24.359 you know, something always dreamed of and now I'm living 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:25.720 my dream. You know, I just got to go out 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:29.560 there and go out there and keep competing and go 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:32.080 out there and get some ws now. So just like 0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:35.720 with Joe said not too long gone Thursday night when 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:38.280 he did his interview, I've never lost two in a row. 0:18:38.680 --> 0:18:40.840 You know, it's been a long time since I've done that. 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:42.760 Last time I've done now, I was playing basketball in 0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:45.200 high school, So I mean it's been has been a minute. 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:50.040 Hopefully he will not experience losing three games in a row. 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:54.120 Let's talk lap about the Bengals use of their wide receivers, 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:57.040 particularly in the Cleveland game. Tyler Boyd got the most 0:18:57.040 --> 0:19:00.840 snaps seventy eight. AJ Green was in for fifty seven, 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:03.479 and you would expect him to get little breaks here 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:05.840 and there since he's coming back from the injuries. Tae 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:08.640 Hagan's got the second most. He was in for sixty, 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:11.800 more than twice as many as John Ross, who was 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:14.879 in for twenty eight. Michael Thomas was in more than 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:18.200 John Ross. He was in for thirty two snaps. Auden 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:22.960 Tate inactive. Yeah, that one's that one's a tough one. 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:27.960 And uh, you know, so you think Alex Erickson and 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:32.440 Thomas will provide special teams plays snaps that Audum Tate 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:35.120 isn't going to necessarily provide. I guess it came down 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:36.840 to that in terms of who is going to be 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:39.840 active for the game. But the snaps, I mean, it's 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:42.920 a meritocracy. You know, there's no there's no way two 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:46.879 ways about it. I mean, m John Ross's production, you know, 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:51.199 even though he's quote the third receiver as such, you know, 0:19:51.240 --> 0:19:55.439 I would think they'd have no higher, no, no higher 0:19:55.440 --> 0:19:59.199 than number three. He hasn't really produced. So it's a 0:19:59.200 --> 0:20:01.800 meritoxic you produce. If you don't produce, your snaps are 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.199 going to diminish. So te Higgins, I mean, it's all 0:20:04.240 --> 0:20:07.240 about how you practice. It's all about you know, what 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:10.959 kind of rhythm and timing you're starting to see with 0:20:11.040 --> 0:20:13.199 Joe Burrow and some of these guys, because te Higgins 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:16.800 really didn't work much with Joe at training camp. AJ 0:20:17.000 --> 0:20:21.480 obviously didn't, so John Ross didn't. So those guys are 0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:23.960 obviously getting in a better rhythm and timing with Joe 0:20:24.000 --> 0:20:27.560 Burrow than John Ross is. So it is, it's it's 0:20:27.600 --> 0:20:30.400 all about what you see, what the coaches see during practice, 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:33.000 and meritocracy of you know, who's going to be able 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:35.960 to perform, who's gonna be able to make plays. That's 0:20:36.000 --> 0:20:42.960 why the ten balls that we're in intended for Aj Green. 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:44.959 For him not to come up with any of them, 0:20:45.000 --> 0:20:49.640 thirteen targets, three catches is so Unaj like, and it's 0:20:49.680 --> 0:20:52.880 there's probably, you know, multiple reasons for it. There's never 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:55.840 just one reason. But that's got to change. You can't. 0:20:55.920 --> 0:20:59.320 You can't. You can't target your number one guy thirteen 0:20:59.359 --> 0:21:02.680 times and only harvest three receptions for thirty yards. Whatever 0:21:02.680 --> 0:21:05.159 it was, I forgot to mention Alex Rikson. I ran 0:21:05.200 --> 0:21:08.200 down those snapcounts, by the way, he had eight snaps 0:21:08.240 --> 0:21:11.600 at wide receiver. I don't want to be killed the 0:21:11.680 --> 0:21:16.399 play calling guy, because Zack Taylor and Brian Callahan know 0:21:16.480 --> 0:21:19.000 a million more things about offense than I ever will. 0:21:19.280 --> 0:21:22.600 But I scratch my head that they are not finding 0:21:22.880 --> 0:21:26.680 something for John Ross to do chet sweeps, some sort 0:21:26.680 --> 0:21:30.040 of packs that'll short Cross to try to take advantage 0:21:30.040 --> 0:21:33.199 of his speed. He really hasn't displayed the ability on 0:21:33.240 --> 0:21:36.960 a consistent basis to run way down field and catch 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:41.000 forty or fifty yard throws. But can we get him 0:21:41.040 --> 0:21:42.720 the ball close to the line of scrimmage and see 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:44.520 if he can run away from somebody. I'll tell you 0:21:44.520 --> 0:21:46.360 they better start figuring out a way to get big 0:21:46.359 --> 0:21:49.240 plays somehow, because they have one in each area twenty 0:21:49.240 --> 0:21:52.560 three yard touchdown on a quarterback draw from Joe Burrow 0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:55.440 and one twenty three yard pass which was a touchdown 0:21:55.480 --> 0:21:58.840 to cj Uzama. Those are the only splash plays of 0:21:58.880 --> 0:22:02.600 twenty yards more this season for the season, and we're talking, 0:22:02.880 --> 0:22:06.000