WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Surprise 0:00:03.560 --> 0:00:04.480 Hi, get everybody. 0:00:04.480 --> 0:00:08.119 I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:14.480 The Don't be Surprisedhized addition, as Jake Browning looks to 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:17.279 lead the Bengals to their fourth straight win as they 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:22.480 face the dreaded, hated, but grudgingly respected Pittsburgh Steelers on 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:27.960 Saturday at Akrashuer Stadium, coming up, Boomer Asiasin shares his 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:32.440 thoughts on The Jake Show. Bj Hill discusses his fly 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:35.720 paper hands, and in this week's No The Foux Conversation, 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:39.040 we'll look at the Steelers with former Pittsburgh O lineman 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:42.360 Max Starts. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you 0:00:42.400 --> 0:00:45.280 by pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals official HR 0:00:45.440 --> 0:00:50.440 software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet designed 0:00:50.440 --> 0:00:53.479 to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:57.440 and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. 0:00:57.760 --> 0:01:01.400 Kettering Health is the official healthcare provide of the Bengals. 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:04.080 Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:08.240 latest edition of this podcast delivered write to your phone, tablet, 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:12.839 or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:17.880 the greatest thing since the medicine ball. As you can 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:20.679 probably hear, I've been battling a nasty cold and a 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:24.840 scratchy throat for several days, and my friends Marty Grunder 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:28.120 and Kelsey Conway, who covers the Bengals for The Inquirer, 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:33.440 both recommended a Starbucks drink called the Medicine Ball. It's 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:38.200 officially named Honey Citrus Mint Tea, and it's made with 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:42.840 half hot water and half steamed lemonade, adding both a 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:47.720 bag of peach Tranquility tea and jade citrus mint tea, 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:51.600 and then finishing it off with a touch of honey. 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:55.240 It isn't a miracle cure, but it is very soothing 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:59.000 and does relieve some of the symptoms. It tastes good too, 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:02.200 so if and when you catch a cold this winter, 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:06.280 try a Medicine Ball from Starbucks. It's like curling up 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:10.720 in front of the fireplace in a cup. Now, let's 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:14.200 get to football. Jake Browning is the first quarterback in 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:16.760 history to throw for more than a thousand yards and 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:20.200 complete at least seventy five percent of his passes in 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:25.080 his first four starts. Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan admits that 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:27.359 Jake has exceeded expectations. 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:30.280 I mean, he's played historically well, so I think that 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:32.680 that's that would be that would have been a surprise. 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.840 I thought Jake could was capable of playing well, to 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:40.280 play as well as he has, again, not surprised, but 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:43.880 certainly was better than anticipated. 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:46.519 I thought we could win games with Jake. 0:02:46.520 --> 0:02:48.280 We had confidence in him, and then he's kind of 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:51.720 shot past whatever I thought he was he was capable of, 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:55.680 He's obviously capable of whole lot more. But it's been 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:57.640 it's been a cool journey for him and then hopefully 0:02:57.680 --> 0:02:59.760 it continues. We need it to, you know, we're fighting 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:02.640 for our playoff lives here in the next three weeks. 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:05.359 Hopefully he continues to play as good as he's played, 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:06.840 and I'll put us in good position for. 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:09.080 More on the Bengals quarterback. I caught up with a 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:13.680 former Bengals quarterback this week, the NFL MVP in nineteen 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:16.360 eighty eight, who is inducted into the Bengals Ring of 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:21.560 Honor back in September, Boomer Asia Sin Boomer. In his 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:24.760 four starts, Jake Browning is completing seventy six percent of 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:27.639 his passes. He's averaging two hundred and ninety five passing 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:31.119 yards a game. His passer rating is one ZHO nine plus. 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:34.680 Are you in fact amazed by what he's done? 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:38.400 Look how easy this is, Dan, It's unbelievable. Anybody could 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:42.400 do it. Of course I'm amazed. I'm as amazed as 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.480 anybody else is. And I don't think he's that amazed. 0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:48.360 I think he seems to be a pretty competent guy, 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:50.200 and he also seems to be a pretty humble guy, 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:52.600 unless he's yelling into the camera, this is what you 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:54.920 get for cutting me. But then again, I can totally 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:57.360 understand that emotion. That's exactly what you want out of 0:03:57.360 --> 0:04:00.280 your quarterback. I would say he's a very likable guy. 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:02.760 Seems like his teammates really respect him. It seems like 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:05.920 Joe Burrow and he have a great relationship, and I 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:07.240 think he's mimicking. 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:08.640 A lot of the stuff that Joe did. 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:11.720 I will say, going into this week's game against the 0:04:11.720 --> 0:04:14.120 Pittsburgh Steelers, if you think back four weeks ago, you 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.919 were there, you did the game, he struggled against that 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:21.120 Steeler three four defense, and what coaches don't understand sometimes, 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:24.160 And I'll never forget this because David Klingler made his 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:28.040 first start against Bill Kaher and that thirty four defense 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:31.720 in Riverfront Stadium in nineteen ninety two, I believe it was, 0:04:32.200 --> 0:04:36.240 and he was sacked eleven times. And he was sacked 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:41.240 eleven times because he wasn't prepared properly. He had too 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:44.040 many things going on in his brain and our coaching 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:47.120 staff did not prepare him. I sat on the sidelines 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:49.000 praying to God that he didn't get hurt, that he 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:50.760 was going to have to go through it. And I 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.680 think four weeks ago, if you asked Jake, and I've 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:56.120 seen Jake talk about this, he would tell you that 0:04:56.240 --> 0:04:58.400 his head was spinning because he was worried about the 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:01.200 pass protections. And I don't want to get into the 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:03.520 weeds with too many people, but a three to four 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:07.520 defense much more difficult to pass block against, especially when 0:05:07.560 --> 0:05:10.080 you have a number of pass protections in the game. 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:12.080 Plan than a four to three defense. 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:15.240 So he'll be back where he came from, you know, 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:16.720 four weeks ago, and I'm sure he's gonna be a 0:05:16.720 --> 0:05:19.080 lot better, and I'm sure the coaches are going to 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:21.680 have a much better game plan for him on Saturday 0:05:21.720 --> 0:05:23.040 than they did four weeks ago. 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:27.080 I'm glad you referenced his tossing of his helmet and 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:30.640 screaming at the camera after beating his former team, because 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:34.719 you were famously fiery in your playing days. Was that 0:05:34.880 --> 0:05:36.760 moment revealing to you in any way? 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:37.760 Yeah. 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:39.360 I mean he's had a chip on his shoulder and 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:41.320 it's been there probably for about three and a half 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:44.400 four years, and this was a moment for him to 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:46.560 let it go. I mean, any of us who have 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:49.599 been through the car wash, if you will, can all 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:53.400 appreciate that emotion. And I think that's exactly what is 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:57.600 needed in the NFL. I remember doing Tom Brady games 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:01.080 on radio and television talking about why is tom Brady 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:03.560 getting so mad on the sideline? Why is he slamming 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:06.280 the Microsoft Surfa tablet down? Why is he yelling at 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:09.120 a teammate? You know, that was the mental aspect of 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:11.040 tom Brady's game. If he felt like he had a 0:06:11.120 --> 0:06:12.720 lull in a game, the way for him to get 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:15.760 back into it was to create an angor and a. 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.440 Competitive edge that you need to be that. 0:06:18.720 --> 0:06:21.680 You know, competing quarterback for four quarters, it's not easy, 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:23.880 especially when you're going through a seventeen game season. 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:27.320 So I love the emotion. I mean, that's that's what 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:29.119 really truly is great. 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:32.520 It's it's emotion, but it's not reckless, it's not over 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:35.279 the top, it's not across the line. It's just a 0:06:35.360 --> 0:06:40.480 competitive outburst that every quarterback should you know, have within them. 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:42.080 And I'm glad I saw that out of Jake. 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:45.680 So Zach Taylor, Brian Callahan, and Dan Pitcher have been 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:48.320 getting a lot of credit for their leadership since Joe 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:51.560 Burrow went down, and deservedly so do you think people 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.919 are looking at Zach Taylor a little bit differently for 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:56.400 keeping the Bengals in the hunt? 0:06:57.040 --> 0:07:00.040 You know, you know, everything locally is always different with 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.480 these thirty two NFL teams. You know, I work here 0:07:02.480 --> 0:07:04.599 in New York, and if you look at the Jets 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:07.359 and the Giants, it maybe we may have a different 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:10.280 take on things because we see them, we talk about 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:11.600 them every single day. 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:14.000 From a national perspective. 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:16.480 For me, I mean, Zach Taylor is the perfect coach 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:20.360 for the Cincinnati Bengals, with Joe Burrow or without Joe Burrow, 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:21.880 whether they were going to win or they were going 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:24.200 to lose. All I can tell you is that the 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:26.560 success that the two of them have had Why would 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:27.960 you ever want to break that up? And I don't 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:31.920 think the Brown family would ever even remotely think about that, given. 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.520 The nature of Joe's injury. But now what we see 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:37.360 is we see, Wow. 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:38.840 They can do it, and they can do it with 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:41.200 a backup quarterback, which is not the easiest thing to do. 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:44.080 I think there's probably seventeen or eighteen other teams kind 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:45.400 of going through what they're going through. 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:46.360 Some teams are up to. 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:49.280 Their fourth quarterback that they have to play with, including 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.640 the Browns with Joe Flacco. So I think it always 0:07:52.800 --> 0:07:55.400 is a telltale sign about a coach and how good 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:58.040 and how great they can be when they don't have 0:07:58.200 --> 0:08:00.800 everything perfect around them. And when you have one of 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:02.800 the top three quarterbacks in the league go out for 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:04.600 the rest of the year, and now you're in this 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:07.240 three game winning streak and you're right in the middle 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:10.320 of the playoffs. That speaks volumes of that coaching staff. 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:12.880 And that also speaks volumes of the defense, because the 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:16.200 defense has stepped up as well in big spots, especially 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:19.160 when Jake has made a mistake. So right now they're 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.080 flying high, and you know, I would hope that they 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.200 would think they'd be thinking in the back of their mind, 0:08:23.280 --> 0:08:25.040 exacting a little bit of a revenge. 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:27.160 Come this Saturday, Boomer. 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:29.920 You were great at play action in your playing days, 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.040 and during this four week period, Jake Browning has been 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.600 under center more than Joe Burrow was. They've run more 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:39.120 play action than they had been earlier this season. Would 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.360 you like to see them do more of that when 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:42.560 Joe is healthy next year? 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:45.480 I want to see more of that all over the league. 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.880 You know, I consider the forty nine ers the true 0:08:49.000 --> 0:08:53.120 essence of great offensive play calling, play design, and the 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.959 way that they execute their plays. They're players that are 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.560 around rock party. And you know, Brock Purty is a magician. 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:03.400 He is accurate, he's poised, He's under the center a lot. 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:06.120 There's a lot of misdirection, there's bootlegs, there's a lot 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:09.080 of eye candy when it comes to formations, all of 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:10.880 that kind of stuff. And that's the stuff that Sam 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:12.760 Weish was known for. That was the stuff that Bill 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.320 Walsh was known for. That's what the West Coast offense 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:18.200 is all about. That's what Mike Shanahan was all about 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.680 when he was in Denver and in Washington and Kyle's 0:09:20.720 --> 0:09:23.960 kind of mimicking, you know that in San Francisco, And 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:27.400 I think the Bengals just to take some of the 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:31.480 pressure off an untested young player who has not had 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:34.199 a lot of live action. The best thing you can 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:35.959 do is go back and say, we're going to run 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:38.680 the ball, we're gonna play action, we're gonna have six 0:09:38.760 --> 0:09:41.040 and seven man protections. We're not gonna do a lot 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:43.040 of five man protections because that all of a sudden, 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:45.480 that's where the kid starts thinking too much, and we're 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:47.440 going to try to keep it simple for him. 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:49.360 So that's great game planning, but. 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:52.440 It's also the way that you win football games late 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:55.640 in the NFL season when the weather turns cold. 0:09:56.440 --> 0:10:00.080 In your MVP season, Boomer, you had a tremendous thunder 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:02.640 and lightning backfield. Dicky Woods ran for more than a 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:06.199 thousand yards. James Brooks ran for nine thirty one. Now 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:09.960 the Bengals have added the lightning element with rookie Chase Brown. 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:13.400 Do you think he's given this offense something it didn't have. 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:16.240 Well the last three weeks he saw four weeks he 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:18.680 certainly has. You know, he wasn't really used that much 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:21.880 earlier in the season. I can't say enough about Joe Mixon. 0:10:21.920 --> 0:10:25.000 You know, he took less money to come back. And 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.319 we always are screaming and yelling about how much money 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.920 guys are making. I mean, I think about the sacrifices 0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:33.400 that some of these guys have made, especially on the 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:35.520 offensive side, and now all of a sudden, they've become 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:37.280 front and center and they're the guys that are making 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:41.480 these incredible plays. And there's no question that Brown is 0:10:41.840 --> 0:10:44.320 a nice add on to Mixon. But don't think for 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:48.040 one moment that this isn't Joe Mixon's team. And he 0:10:48.160 --> 0:10:51.040 reflects the toughness of that running game. And that's the 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:53.080 thing that I can appreciate, and I'm sure that coach 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:55.239 Callahan appreciates it as well. 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:57.400 Because that's like a page right out of his dad's book. 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:01.840 So it looks like Jamar Chase is out this week. 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:04.640 When you're the starting quarterback and your number one target 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:07.640 is out, is it next man up? Business as usual? 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:10.920 Or do you do something differently leading up to the game. 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:14.439 Well, you know what happened to me. It happened with 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:17.880 Carl Pickens and me in nineteen ninety seven. He missed 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:21.240 the last four games. He tore a growing muscle against Jacksonville, 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:24.839 and you know, I walked into that meeting room with 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:27.439 those wide receivers said, okay, guys, you know our main 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:29.520 guy is not here. You know, the shaking Blake and 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:32.040 all that other stuff is no longer going right now. 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:33.520 It's me and you guys. 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:35.960 And Darnay Scott was one of those guys. And that's 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:38.320 who T Higgins is in this offense. You know, he's 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:41.560 the Darnay Scott in this offense from my perspective. And 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:44.440 if Jake is as good as I think he is, 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:46.520 and the way that he talks and the things that 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:49.640 he says, and I would think that while it is 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:53.280 going to be a huge missing piece, I don't think 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:55.760 it's going to inhibit anything that he does on the field. 0:11:55.840 --> 0:11:57.760 Let's put it that way. So, and that's the way 0:11:57.800 --> 0:11:59.920 a team should work. One guy goes down, another guy 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.880 got to step up. Quarterbacks got to raise his game, 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:05.000 and everybody else has got to raise their game around him. 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.320 And I think thus far, at least in this winning streak, 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:09.880 that's what the Bengals are doing exactly. 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:12.400 To face the Steelers on Saturday, a team with a 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:14.920 three game losing streak, a team that's turning to its 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:19.360 number three quarterback this week. Should we remind ourselves these 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:20.920 are still the Pittsburgh Steelers. 0:12:22.120 --> 0:12:24.320 Oh hell yes, I mean it is Steeler a week 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:26.480 and I'm sure that Zach Taylor walked into that locker 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:29.240 room said, great win, boys, turn your attentions to the 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:31.960 Black and Gold, because we're going, you know, up to 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:34.440 Acasure Stadium and we need to beat them there. We 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:37.880 need to you know, exact our I guess pound a 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:40.840 flash if you will. The revenge factor is all there. 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:43.640 They'll have a much better quarterback playing in this game. 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:46.640 They'll have a much better game plan going for their 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:49.439 offense in this game. But you know, all these teams 0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:53.120 have lost significant players to injury, including the Bengals, and 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:55.000 you look all over the field, there's going to be 0:12:55.120 --> 0:12:59.320 a lot of untested players on the defense for the Steelers, 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:02.319 and especially in the secondary, especially at the safety position. 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:04.560 So that means to me, you know, that's a place 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:07.280 you got to go after. And also what that tells 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:09.199 me is that they're going to be very careful of 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:11.080 what they're doing on defense. You know, they don't have 0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:15.640 Minka Fitzpatrick run around back there telling everybody where to go. So, 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:18.160 if you know, I would imagine they're going to be 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:20.120 pretty basic and they're not going to want to put 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:22.880 anybody on an island that you know that can't stand 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.800 on that island with t Higgins, So I would think 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:27.480 we're going to see a lot of his own defense 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.720 and we're going to see your basic thirty four fronts. 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:32.360 I don't necessarily know, you'll see a lot of this 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:34.439 buyer's own stuff that they would do if they were 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:35.240 totally healthy. 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:36.079 But they have. 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:39.000 Problems that their safety positions, which is a very very 0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:42.400 important position in that defense specifically. 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.280 Last thing, the Bengals have climbed to the number six 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:48.080 playoff seed with three games to go at Pittsburgh at 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:51.560 Kansas City Home against the Cleveland Browns. What do you 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:53.319 think of their chances of getting in? 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:56.320 I mean, now, I don't know what to think, honestly. 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:58.520 I mean, you know, when Jake Browning took over, who 0:13:58.520 --> 0:13:59.920 would have thought that they would be where. 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:03.120 They are right now. I thought that the Broncos were 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:05.120 going to go in there and smoke the Lions, and 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:08.120 the Lions came out just absolutely drilling the Broncos. I mean, 0:14:08.160 --> 0:14:10.920 this is one of the most unpredictable seasons that I 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:14.720 could ever remember, except maybe for the top four teams 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:16.760 in the league. I think we all felt like San 0:14:16.800 --> 0:14:19.040 Francisco was going to be there. We all felt like, 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:22.240 you know, Philadelphia and Baltimore were going to be there. 0:14:23.160 --> 0:14:25.520 We all thought Cincinnati and Buffalo would be here too, 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.080 but they've all dealt with certain issues along the way. 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:30.240 I think Buffalo is going to make it. This is 0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:31.880 going to be a tough run for the Bengals. 0:14:31.960 --> 0:14:36.480 If they get this one this week, they need one 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:38.880 of the next two, I think to get in. Let's 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:41.680 put it that way, so that last home game could 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:44.280 be really, really interesting against the Browns. 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:45.200 That would be something. 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:48.280 Boomer, you are the best. Can't thank you enough for 0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:50.520 your time. Happy Holidays to you and your kids and 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:53.040 your grandkids, and look forward to talking to you again 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:53.720 sometime soon. 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:56.320 Thanks Dan, I have a great weekend. I'll talk to 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:56.720 you soon. 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:01.440 Bengals are currently a two point favorite for Saturday's game 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:04.680 in Pittsburgh. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:07.480 by pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals official HR 0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:12.600 software provider by Alta Fiber future Proof fiber Internet designed 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:15.640 elevate your home, business, and community to a new level, 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:20.280 and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. 0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:24.080 Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:28.600 Unless you are an NFL historian, the following three names 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:33.680 probably don't mean anything to you. Jason Wilts, Scott Mercerow, 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:38.280 and Billy Newsome. Until last week, they were the only 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:42.560 three defensive tackles in NFL history to have interceptions in 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:46.600 back to back games. Well, now BJ Hill is on 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:49.720 that list, and who knows, maybe he'll pick off Mason 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:53.160 Rudolph on Saturday and become the first defensive tackle to 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:55.600 do it three weeks in a row. I caught up 0:15:55.640 --> 0:16:00.840 with Hill this week. Bj. The franchise record for interceptions 0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:03.360 is sixty five by Hall of Famer Ken Riley. So 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:05.440 you were gaining on him one game at a time. 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:09.720 But all kidding aside, you've displayed incredible hands on those 0:16:09.720 --> 0:16:13.120 interceptions the last couple of weeks. Let's start two weeks ago. 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:17.560 Describe the diving interception against Gardner Minshew. 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:21.000 Oh cha may big player on the quarterback helped knock 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:23.560 the ball up off the guy and I just came 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:25.680 around the corner. I've seen it in there. I just 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.040 I knew I had to dive and catch it. And 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:30.320 you know, I got some ath ability to me, I 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:32.480 got some good hands just from you know, play a 0:16:32.520 --> 0:16:35.560 different sports and playing you know, different positions in football 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:38.120 growing up. So I'm a good ath week. 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:41.480 And then last week you're in the process of sacking 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:44.240 Nick Mullins. He decides he's just going to get rid 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:46.520 of the ball. It looked like it hits you in 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:48.880 the face mask. Was that the case, Yeah, it did. 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:50.840 I was surprised that he was throwing it, and when 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:52.920 I see him throwing it, hit me, Oh shoot, I 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:54.800 can catch this And it was just right there in 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:56.720 front of me. I was there to make a big play. 0:16:57.160 --> 0:16:59.920 So did you in fact go into the defensive back 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:03.320 room recently to tell them that you have better hands 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:04.320 than any of them? 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:05.359 No comment on that. 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:07.520 I'm gonna leave that one like that. They know who 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:10.280 got the best hands. I don't need to say no more. 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:15.119 So we're chatting with bj Hill. Interceptions are great, but 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:18.439 the biggest play last week was stopping the Vikings on 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:22.000 fourth and inches in overtime. And you were right at 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:24.840 the point of attack on that play. How do you 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:28.320 stop a team from gaining a couple of inches? 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:32.359 Takes a lot, man. I mean Zach was what it 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:34.119 was in the middle and just got out the ball 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:36.040 really good get off and got some knock back on 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:38.480 the center and he kind of fumbled the ball a 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:40.960 little bit out of times that had a hard time 0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:43.560 trying to get control of the ball, so had knock 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:45.520 back of hit in the center had the effect on them. 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:45.639 Man. 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:48.440 I think we just did a great job as a unit, really, 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:50.160 because it took more than just two people would take 0:17:50.160 --> 0:17:52.640 it the whole eleven to gets off the field right there. 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:54.960 When you're at the bottom of the pile on a 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.040 play like that, when do you know they didn't get it? 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:00.320 You don't know. You just keep on moving your no 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:02.040 matter what. If you watch a film or something you 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:03.879 see me just keep on moving my feet on the 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.239 night the guy back, So you just never know. 0:18:07.440 --> 0:18:10.760 So unfortunately last week you lost DJ Reader for the 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:13.480 rest of the season. Can you describe what he means 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:16.000 to your group, both on the field and in the 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:16.520 locker room. 0:18:16.840 --> 0:18:18.880 He means a lot. It sucks not having him here, 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:20.960 but we got some guys who's gonna end up stepping up. 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:23.320 And he's the type of guy who when he gets done, 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:26.480 you know, feeling better from surgery or whatever, he'll come 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:28.639 back and help us out. He's he's that type of 0:18:28.720 --> 0:18:31.560 leader who who's not selfish at all, who's who's here 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:33.880 for the team, who loves the team, his teammates and 0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:35.840 wants to win and make big plays. 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:39.480 Does your role change at all when he's out? 0:18:39.680 --> 0:18:42.320 I wouldn't say it changed, because I mean, like I said, 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:44.920 we got other guys that's still good enough to feel 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:47.200 that position. It's hard to field that position from DJ 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:49.320 because he's a really great player. But I think those 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:51.399 guys don't come in and fit very well. I just 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:54.359 got to be to may be more of a leader 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:55.879 that I have been, you know what I'm saying, to 0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:58.159 step in in that way and just push my guys 0:18:58.160 --> 0:19:00.879 inside to make sure that were on point with everything 0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:02.479 this week and the rest of the season. 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:06.439