WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: The New Year 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:06.240 Hi, get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:10.640 The Bengals Booth Podcast. The So this is the new 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:14.760 year edition as we get you set for opening day 0:00:14.760 --> 0:00:17.639 at Paul Brown Stadium as the Bengals host Mike Zimmers 0:00:17.640 --> 0:00:21.200 Minnesota Vikings. Coming up, we'll find out what advice former 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:24.640 Bengals great t J. Hushman Zada has for rookie Jamar 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:29.920 Chase about overcoming a preseason case of butterfingers. And I'll 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:32.520 talk to Jonah Williams, who hopes the bigger is better 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:35.479 as he gets ready for his second season as the Bengals. 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:38.560 Left tackle Dave Lapham and I will discuss the return 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:43.080 of Joe Burrow and the absence of Trey Waynes. And finally, 0:00:43.360 --> 0:00:45.920 it's this week's Know the Faux segment as we discuss 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:49.120 the Vikings with beat writer Chris Thomason from the Saint 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:53.239 Paul Pioneer Press. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:56.960 Bud Light. Seltzer Refreshed the Game and here's a quick 0:00:56.960 --> 0:00:59.520 reminder that you can have the latest edition of this 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:02.440 podcast as delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:06.480 by subscribing on iTunes, Stitch your Google Play, Spotify, or 0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:11.759 pod Bean. It's the greatest thing since Robert Weintraub's profile 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:15.760 of lap for Cincinnati Magazine. Robert Wintroub has been a 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:18.280 guest on this podcast before for his work on The 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:21.679 Football Outsider's Almanac. He also writes about the Bengals for 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:25.679 Cincinnati Magazine, and this month he's written a wonderful story 0:01:25.720 --> 0:01:29.800 about my broadcast partner, Dave Lapham. The title is Mister 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:33.720 Bengal is Mister Beloved, and it captures why lap is 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:37.039 such a great ambassador for the franchise. You can find 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:41.800 the story online just go to Cincinnati Magazine dot com. 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:45.400 Now let's get to Sunday season opener. The return of 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:48.880 Joe Burrow is obviously the headline, but the debut of 0:01:48.880 --> 0:01:52.400 his former college teammate Jamar Chase is not far behind. 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:55.600 We are all eager to see if Chase will catch 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:59.160 the ball now that the game's count. His preseason drops 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.880 were a headscratch, sure, and I discussed it this week 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:05.240 with one of the greatest wide receivers in team history. 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:08.239 When wide receiver players the topic, our go to guy 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:11.520 is the Bengal single season record holder for receptions, The 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:16.480 great TJ. Hushminzada TJ. It's no secret that Jamar Chase 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:19.600 struggled with drops in the preseason. Do you think it's 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:25.200 physical or mental? It's always mental. Yeah, yeah, it's always mental. 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:29.040 But the key words you said was preseason, and so 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:34.679 you don't get many targets. They came over a course 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:38.000 of three games, and so it's such a small sample 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:39.359 size that if you think about it, if it was 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:42.840 a regular season game, he probably would have had six 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:46.840 to eight targets, and so you'll forget about the drop 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:49.000 that he had in the game because he's probably gonna 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:51.880 catch the rest of those. It's just a small sample size. 0:02:51.880 --> 0:02:54.919 It's it's one hundred percent mental. I mean, the only 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:58.560 thing I'm not concerned at all. I am concerned slightly 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:02.920 with the lack of separation the drops that he did have. 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:04.880 The guy, the dvs are right there. I mean, they're 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:08.120 right on him, and so don't worry about the drops. 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:11.200 He's gonna catch the ball and he's gonna drop more balls. Also, 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:13.919 just just so people know that we're receivers, we're gonna 0:03:14.000 --> 0:03:15.840 drop the ball. It just happens. And it's always a 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:20.000 lack of concentration for the most part. He needs to 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:23.240 just focus on creating separation, because it's the end. If 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:25.880 you look at the LSU, he made a ton of 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:29.000 contested catches, and the NFL guys are just better. So 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:31.160 you're gonna still make them. You're just not gonna make 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:35.200 as many. When you had a period where you dropped 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:39.200 the ball, when did you know it was over? Oh, 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:43.040 when you stopped thinking about it. I mean, it's really 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:48.119 crazy because I didn't really drop many balls early on, 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:56.360 but I remember dropping the punt against the Steelers, and 0:03:56.360 --> 0:03:58.480 and then I believe it was a game or two 0:03:58.560 --> 0:04:02.320 after I must the other one and I'll never forget 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:05.080 the balls being punted to me. And in my head, 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:07.800 I'm thinking, you gotta catch it. You gotta catch you, 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:09.840 you gotta catch it. Oh hell no, I'm letting it 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:12.840 drop and I just let it bounce and it comes. 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:14.960 You come to the sideline and Darren sim and you 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:18.680 gotta catch the ball, and I'm like, shut up, leave 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:23.960 me alone. But in my mind, I was thinking about it, 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:27.640 and so you know it's gone when you stop thinking 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:31.640 about it and you just play. And so guarantee the 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:34.760 first ball Jamar gets thrown to him in his mind, 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:36.760 he's gonna think catch it, catch it, catch it. Yes, 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:41.480 I caught that, excuse my language. And so it will 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:43.320 be one of those things when he's not thinking about 0:04:43.320 --> 0:04:47.080 it and it's not in your mind, it's gone. So 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:49.520 if Jamar was on the other side of this connection, 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:53.159 what would your advice be, Just play football, man, it 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:56.520 happens we dropped the ball. You know you can play. 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:59.960 Just play football, work on getting open, work on creating separation, 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:03.160 and everything else will take care of herself. Our guest 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:05.880 is former Pro Bowl receiver t J Hushmnzata. When I 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:09.120 think of the best trio wide receivers in Bengals history, 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:11.960 I think of you, Chad in the late Chris Henry. 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:16.400 How does this group compare in your opinion? Well, it's 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:19.280 a little different. And I say it's a little different 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.279 because me and Chad came in the same year, where 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:26.680 as Tyler is years wise, is a lot older than 0:05:26.760 --> 0:05:31.640 t in Jamar. But Tyler can play, you know, and 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:35.120 you would assume Tyler, if he's not the number one 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:38.039 receiver game plan wise, he's the number one receiver on 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.240 that team. It was a little different with me and 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:45.400 Chad being older, and then Chris being a young guy, 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:49.120 whereas now with Tyler being an old guy and Tie 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:52.240 and Jamar being a younger guy. But they do have 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:55.479 the potential to be just as good or even better. 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:58.840 It's just a matter of are they gonna keep Tyler 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:01.360 there as contract I believe runs out in a couple 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:05.320 of years if I'm not mistaken, and so it's a 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:10.080 little different. Hopefully they can do the same things or better. 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:13.320 They have the pieces on offense, that's for sure. You 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:16.680 have Joe and quarterback, you have mixing in the backfield 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:19.159 to tight end zoom, and you got good up front. 0:06:19.240 --> 0:06:21.880 If they can get that cohesiveness, and I believe that's 0:06:21.880 --> 0:06:25.960 gonna be the biggest key, if they can jail and 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:29.440 just keep Joe mentally Okay, physically he'll be fine, but 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:31.479 it's the mental part of it for Joe that if 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:33.600 they can keep them clean, they no street gonna get off. 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:37.480 So Joe brows comeback is obviously the big story of 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.640 the season. And you're Carson Palmer's teammate in two thousand 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:43.159 and six when he came back from his knee injury. 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:46.240 You had your first one thousand yards season that year. 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:49.520 When did you know that Carson was back to normal. 0:06:50.920 --> 0:06:54.600 It's so different the game today. You really can't hit 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:58.200 a quarterback. You have to be very careful. But it's 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:02.560 also it's still day and for Joe. For Joe, it's 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:07.400 gonna be one hundred percent mental and you ran stories 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:11.040 about him and training camp kind of nervous. That's normal, 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:15.040 that's to be expected. What I would do if I'm 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:18.840 the Bengals, I'm coming out with the quick game. Ball 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:22.000 out quick. He knows ball's out quick, so he's gonna relax. 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:25.640 When we do work down the field. I'm going to 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:29.840 max protect because the Vikings are a single high team, well, 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:32.400 Mike Zimmer, they're a single high team, and so we 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:35.800 max protect and we give Joe the mental confidence to 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:40.000 know we're protected. And so if he knows that mentally, 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:42.560 like yes, I'm getting the ball out quick, no problems. 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:46.560 Yes we got max protection, no problems. I believe mentally 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:49.400 he can relax himself and understand that. With Carson, it 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:53.720 was just a matter of he got hurt. For us, 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:57.520 it was the playoffs, so he didn't have as long 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:01.720 of a healing process that Joe did. And so for 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:05.880 car Carson is just different man. He just different one 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:09.680 it sucks you know that we weren't able to win more. 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:17.320 But Carson it was just different. He was a different dude, big, fast, strong, 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:21.600 through a very catchable ball, but he had a cannon 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:26.720 and Joe is similar. But mentally, I don't know the 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:29.320 difference of the two because I haven't been around Joe enough. 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:33.360 But you have been following him for a while because 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:36.240 you have a couple of daughters to play softball at LSU. 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:39.680 If you had to pick out one quality about Joe 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:46.120 Burrow that you respect the most, what would that be? Competitiveness, 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:50.280 his self, belief in himself. Joe trained out here with 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:52.720 Jordan Palmer for the NFL Combine and so I was 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:55.720 around Joe every day leading up to that process, and 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:58.920 that was a year of COVID. So the last day 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:00.520 we worked out on there, for get it. We're in 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:02.920 the way room. I'm like leading, when are you leaving? 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:04.360 He is like, I think I gotta get out here 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.280 tomorrow because they're gonna shut everything down. And that was 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:10.520 our last day. So I was around Joe five months 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.800 pretty much, four days a week, and so it's just 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:18.160 confidence and his belief in himself stands out more than 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:22.600 anything do you expect the Bengals to be significantly better 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:26.360 this year, and if so, why I expect him to 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:30.320 be better significantly. I'm not sure if Joe had not 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:34.480 tour his knee significantly. It's how he comes back. The 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:38.560 Babies have a good team, and we talked about what 0:09:38.600 --> 0:09:44.840 they have offensively that is gonna be constant. They're gonna 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:49.440 be good on offense. Defensively, can they be better than 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:52.679 what they were last year? And let's just be honest, 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:55.400 that's not too hard to do. So they were bad 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:58.640 last year, and so they need to improve defensively because 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:02.240 they're in a division that's not easy. Baltimore is really good. 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:05.240 You played them twice. The Browns are really good. You 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:07.640 played them twice. And say what you want about the Steelers. 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.360 They're gonna play defense and as long as Number seven 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:13.400 is under center, they're gonna throw the ball well. And 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:16.680 so the Bengals defense needs to be better. I believe 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:22.560 they will be, but significantly, I'm not sure because I 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:25.360 don't know how Joe's gonna come back. I don't know 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:28.160 how that cohesiveness on an offensive line is gonna work. 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:30.720 But I do expect them to be improved, for sure. 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:35.200 Always great to pick your brain. Appreciate the time. Hope 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:37.840 we get to do it again this season. I appreciate it, 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:40.200 Thank you, And they will beat the Vikings, though this 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:42.600 Sunday I will say that I do believe they're gonna 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.400 start one and up. Bold prediction by the two thousand 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:49.000 and seven Pro bowler who set the Bengals single season 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:52.880 record that year with one hundred and twelve catches. Any 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:55.640 season preview you read about the Bengals is likely to 0:10:55.720 --> 0:11:00.360 follow this theme. They've got their franchise quarterback, they've rounded 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:03.680 him with weapons, but have they done enough to improve 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:07.880 the offensive line. Here's my take. The dependable Riley Reef 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:11.360 will be a significant upgrade from the inconsistent Bobby Hart 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:13.920 at right tackle, and the group as a whole will 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:18.160 benefit from the return of an outstanding coach in Frank Pollock. 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:21.160 But one of the biggest keys that hasn't been getting 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.840 enough attention is the development of Jonah Williams. He was 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:28.040 the first offensive lineman taken in the twenty nineteen draft 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:32.040 for a reason, and after two injury plague seasons, he's 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:37.240 ready for year three. Jonah, you are noticeably bigger this 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:41.400 year based on training camp and twenty snaps in preseason games. 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:43.839 Can you tell if bigger is better and if so why? 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:46.480 I think so. I feel good. And it's hard to 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:49.880 tell if that's due to technique or if that's you know, 0:11:50.000 --> 0:11:52.920 the weight and strength helping out. But I think it's 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:54.440 definitely been a good thing to put on a little 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:57.720 bit of weight. It's not a huge sample size, but 0:11:57.920 --> 0:12:01.880 you were involved in eleven passing snaps in the preseason 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:04.600 games and did not allow any pressures. At least according 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.640 to Pro Football Focus, you were blocking against Chase Young 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:10.520 on several of those plays. How'd you feel you did? 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:13.720 I think I you know, I'm happy with how I played, 0:12:13.760 --> 0:12:16.400 but as a person who wants to get better, you know, 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:18.280 that's what that's what we practiced for, and that's what 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.600 the seasons for, you know. So I think I did well, 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.760 but I'm looking to get a little bit better. It's 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:27.320 your third season, but really it's your second because you 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:30.640 were injured in year one. How much different do you 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:33.360 feel going into this year than you did a year ago. 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:35.280 I feel a lot of different. I feel a lot better. 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:38.080 You know, the game moves a little bit slower, as 0:12:38.120 --> 0:12:40.240 they say, I think that just takes a lot of 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.040 game reps to start to get used to it. You know, 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:44.920 playing in the NFL is a big challenge. So the 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:46.880 more experience you have and the more comfortable we are 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:49.560 going out there, you know, the more success you're likely 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:52.560 gonna have. We're chatting with Jonah Williams. So when Frank 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.839 Pollock was brought back as the offensive line coach in 0:12:55.880 --> 0:12:59.200 early January, did you guys talk over the phone? Did 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:02.760 you meet? How did you begin forming a relationship? Yeah? 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:05.240 I was back here for a bit in the offseason, Um, 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.560 you know, just getting my knee signed off on and 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:09.640 checked out and everything like that. From from the end 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.160 of the season. Um, you know, so I was able 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:15.120 to see coach and talk and get a feel for 0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:18.040 how he operates, and you know what is you know 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:21.440 what his attitude is like, and you know, really appreciate 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:23.880 him as a coach and have enjoyed, you know, all 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:26.440 the time we spent together so far. In addition to 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:28.600 having a new position coach, you've got a ten year 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:30.959 vet on the opposite side of the offensive line and 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:34.840 Riley reef is that almost like having another coach? It is, 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:37.400 you know, Riley's Riley's played a lot of football, and 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:40.240 he knows what he's talking about, and so it's good 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:42.600 to hear that. You know, you have the coach perspective, 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:45.120 and you know, obviously coach Pollack also played in the 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:47.400 NFL for for a while, so you have that insight. 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:49.600 And then you have Riley who's played so long and 0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:52.440 you know, I'm playing next to Q and Eric Quinton 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:54.920 and we have trade too, so playing next to a 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:56.760 lot of guys in x who play a lot of football. 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.600 So I think we're definitely an experience unit this year. 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:02.920 Riley is roughly the same size as you are. He's 0:14:02.960 --> 0:14:05.040 not one of these six seven, three hundred and forty 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:08.200 pound kind of guys. Does that make his information even 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:11.520 more helpful? I think so for sure. You know, I 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:14.280 think there's similarities in our games, and you know, obviously, 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:16.760 like you said, and the in terms of just pure 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:20.000 size and that type of thing, we're pretty close. So 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:22.560 I think that that it adds an element. You know, 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:24.880 we kind of have the same toolbox. So if he 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:27.080 says something works for him, then it's likely to work 0:14:27.120 --> 0:14:30.000 for me. I'm interested in your intel on a guy 0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:32.400 on the opposite side of the ball. Trey Hendrickson, who 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:34.120 came in as a free agent thirteen and a half 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.560 sacks last year with the Saints to tie for second 0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:38.880 best in the NFL. You've had to block him a 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:41.840 lot in training camp. What stands out? You know, he's 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:44.280 a he's a great player, and I think the thing 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:47.040 that stands out most is his speed, his upfield speed, 0:14:47.080 --> 0:14:49.480 his ability to get up field and put pressure on 0:14:49.520 --> 0:14:52.440 the tackle to you know, get depth so he can protect. 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:55.000 And also his motor. You know, he's a he's a 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:57.680 guy who's going to keep on try and move swiping 0:14:57.760 --> 0:14:59.400 hands and even if you beat him on the first thing, 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.440 he's going to keep on trying. And you know, I 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:03.440 don't know how many snaps he's played, but it felt 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:05.160 like every snap I was watching them in the preseason 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:08.280 he was getting pressure. So, you know, it's been good 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:09.960 battling with them all camp, and I think we've made 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:12.600 each other better. The last time we saw you last 0:15:12.680 --> 0:15:14.720 year on the field, it did not look good. I 0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:16.560 think most of us assumed that you had a torn 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:19.560 acl or something of that magnitude when you went down 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:22.680 in the Miami game two games after Joe Burrow's injury. 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:26.200 Did you fear the worse at that time, I did, 0:15:27.000 --> 0:15:29.040 you know, I felt the same thing that you guys saw. 0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:31.200 I felt somebody flying into my knee from the side, 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:34.680 and you know, felt some issues in my knees. So 0:15:35.040 --> 0:15:37.360 I was pretty pretty happy to hear that, you know, 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:39.360 when the MRI results came back that it wasn't as 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:42.920 serious as I thought. So it allowed me to go 0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:46.600 into the off season rehabit and then for the vast 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:48.640 majority of the off season, I've been one hundred percent 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:51.680 training at full speed and I think that that's been, 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:55.720 you know, beneficial to my growth this year. So you 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:58.560 open against the Vikings and you're gonna be matched up 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:01.880 against one of the NFL's premiere pass rushers and Denil Hunter. 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:04.520 He missed last year with a neck injury, but before that, 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:07.480 back to back seasons of fourteen and a half sacks. 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:11.280 You study these guys. What stands out about him? I 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:13.600 think he's a He's a really balanced rusher. That's the 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:16.240 first thing I noticed is he you know, he has 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:18.440 a little bit of everything, and he's good everything he does. 0:16:18.440 --> 0:16:19.920 It's not just the speed guy. He's not just a 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:22.000 power guy. He's not just a technique guy. He kind 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:24.200 of you know, combines all of that, and he's a 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:27.920 verse stul player, you know, and that's that's the NFL. 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:30.240 Every every single week pretty much, we're playing a premier 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:33.000 pass rusher and so that's the challenge for this week 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:36.320 is to is to handle him. And you know, I'm 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:38.360 I feel good about the old lined room and I 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:41.320 feel good going into practice that we're gonna, you know, 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:45.400 do a good job. Last thing for Jonah Williams, you 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:49.160 have been reunited with your high school quarterback from Fulsome 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:52.560 High School near Sacramento, as the Bengals have added Jacob 0:16:52.640 --> 0:16:56.280 Browning to the practice squad. To small world, isn't it 0:16:56.280 --> 0:16:58.480 It is? It's a tiny world, and it's cool to 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:00.960 be practicing with him again for the first time since 0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:05.560 twenty fourteen. And you know, last time we practice together, 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:09.000 we're undefeated, never lost the game while practicing together. So 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:11.439 I think that's a good sign for the future. And 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:13.040 I'm glad to have him on the team. I like 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:14.960 the way you think best of like this season. I 0:17:15.000 --> 0:17:19.480 appreciate your time. Thank you. That's Jonah Williams. The Bengals 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:23.120 Booth podcast is presented by Bud Light Seltzer. It's light 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:26.640 and refreshing with a hint of fruit flavor. Now time 0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:29.040 to discuss some of the key storylines in Week one 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:33.240 with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham Lap. It's going to 0:17:33.320 --> 0:17:36.640 be a very special day on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.680 It marks the return of Joe Burrow, Yes the official 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:43.640 Returney obviously played preseason snaps in the final preseason game, 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:45.600 but this will be the one that counts. It will 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:49.760 be forty two Sundays since his injury in Washington last year, 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:56.119 torn ACL, torn MCL, partially torn PCL. He's hardly the 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:58.639 first quarterback to come back from an injury like this. 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.600 Tom Brady tore his CL and MCL in two thousand 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:04.119 and nine, had a passer rating of ninety six plus. 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:07.880 The following year, Carson Palmer towards a CL and MCL 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:09.560 in that playoff game that was a month and a 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:12.600 half later than Joe Burrow. He came back in two 0:18:12.640 --> 0:18:16.720 thousand and six and averaged more yards per attempt than 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:19.879 any other year of his Bengals tenures. So and he 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:21.879 ays do this, and he was MVP of the Pro 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:24.560 Bowl that year. So he goes to the Pro Bowl 0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:27.040 and he's the best player there, So there is there 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:30.440 are some examples of success stories for sure. And yeah, 0:18:30.440 --> 0:18:33.240 when you talk about ACLMCL and partial of the PCL, 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:36.200 the terrible triad they call that. When you damage all 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:40.639 three of those uh ligaments, it's extensive. There's no question 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:44.320 about it. And for Joe Burrow to grind through the 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:47.040 rehab process like he has dan and to be where 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:50.320 he is, he's pretty darn remarkable. Joe Burrows spoke to 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:53.879 the Cincinnati media earlier today. He was asked the following question, 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:58.879 does he think he's back to normal? I don't expect 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:00.720 to be better, and I've put in a lot of 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.120 work this offseason that you know, I'm excited to show 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:05.800 off as well as all of our guys have. You know, 0:19:05.840 --> 0:19:09.040 we're a much better football team that has prepared the 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:11.000 way we need to and and understands how to win 0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:13.800 games now. I think. So I've I've seen more football 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:16.879 I've seen I've had more refs against defenses that you know, 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:18.520 maybe you hadn't seen before, and so I know what 0:19:18.560 --> 0:19:20.400 to get to when when I see those, and so 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:23.600 it just comes with refs and I'm gonna get even 0:19:23.600 --> 0:19:25.439 more and I'm gonna you know, you try to improve 0:19:25.480 --> 0:19:28.000 you to year. Um, so I'm excited to go out 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:30.360 there and show everybody what I got. I think it's 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:32.720 fair to say that Joe Burrow struggled for about the 0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:35.840 first week of training camp and then he settled in 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:39.080 and he looked good. What are your expectations for Joe 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:41.760 beginning with week one? Yeah, I think that that Joe 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:45.439 Burrow has got one big box left to check, and 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:48.560 that's taking the hit, and and he's He's talked about it, 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:53.200 you know, a few times. So if a guy says 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:56.760 I'm not thinking about that, it's hard to believe that 0:19:56.800 --> 0:19:59.879 he wouldn't be. It's it's natural, it's it's human nature. 0:20:00.680 --> 0:20:02.600 So you don't as a as a former lineman, I 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:05.120 certainly don't want to see him get hit. But if 0:20:05.119 --> 0:20:07.520 he does, for some reason get hit early in the 0:20:07.560 --> 0:20:09.840 game or whenever it happens in the game, I think 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:12.040 that is the last big, final box to check and 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:15.080 he gets up, does himself off, I think then he's 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:18.919 off and running. But yeah, I hope Dan that the 0:20:19.000 --> 0:20:23.119 Bengals don't throw the ball forty times with Joe Burrow 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:26.080 in this football game. I hope that Joe Burrow throws 0:20:26.720 --> 0:20:29.960 twenty five, no more than thirty times in this football game. 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:32.440 I hope they get a running game going and they can, 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:35.240 you know, kind of ease Joe back into it a 0:20:35.240 --> 0:20:39.879 little bit. In today's football, twenty five thirty times is 0:20:39.960 --> 0:20:44.240 not a huge number, but he averaged over forty passes 0:20:44.440 --> 0:20:47.639 per game, forty attempts a game as a rookie. That 0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:50.760 that's just I think it's it's too much to ask 0:20:50.840 --> 0:20:52.600 him to go out there and throw it forty times 0:20:52.600 --> 0:20:55.000 in this football unless they run any snaps and they 0:20:55.080 --> 0:20:56.840 run it forty times and throw it forty times, and 0:20:56.840 --> 0:21:00.720 they're they're just a machine offensively and they're scoring every possession. 0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:04.280 I find that hard to believe. Against Mike Zimmer's defensive 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:07.920 football team, he's on record saying it's the worst defense 0:21:07.960 --> 0:21:11.399 he've ever had last year. But he's got guys back 0:21:11.760 --> 0:21:16.120 from injury, he's got guys back from COVID, He's got 0:21:16.200 --> 0:21:18.639 you know, he's got some talent on that defensive football team, 0:21:19.000 --> 0:21:22.520 and he and Paul Gunther are back together. They were 0:21:22.520 --> 0:21:24.840