WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Wildest Dreams 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:06.359 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:14.320 The Bengals Booth Podcast. The Wold His Dreams Uh. Addition, 0:00:14.800 --> 0:00:17.159 as the Bengals look to extend their playoff hopes to 0:00:17.200 --> 0:00:19.560 the final week of the regular season with a win 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:22.840 over the Denver Broncos. Coming up, I'll talk to Mike 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:26.280 Hilton about his stellar play of late and the possibility 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:29.960 of returning to the Bengals next year. Robert Weintraub writes 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:34.120 about the Bengals for Cincinnati Magazine and other outlets. Discusses 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:37.280 the good, the bad, and the ugly from twenty twenty four, 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:40.120 and in this week's Know the Foux Conversation, we'll get 0:00:40.120 --> 0:00:42.640 an in depth look at the Broncos from Beat reporter 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:46.120 Mike Cliss. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:49.200 by pay Corps, Proud to be the Bengals official HR 0:00:49.400 --> 0:00:53.600 software provider by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:56.760 elevate your home, business and community to a new level, 0:00:57.160 --> 0:01:00.040 and by kettering health the best care for the the 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:03.760 best fans, Cattering Health is the official healthcare provider of 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.840 the Bengals. Now here's a quick reminder that you can 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:10.080 have the latest edition of this podcast delivered. Write to 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:13.880 your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:18.000 your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since Hall of Fame 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:22.800 recognition for an all time Bengals great. In twenty twenty two, 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:26.319 the Pro Football Hall of Fame established the Awards of 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:30.960 Excellence to recognize significant contributors to the game in behind 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:35.640 the scenes roles, such as assistant coaches, equipment managers, and 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:39.959 PR directors. This year's class includes former Bengals offensive line 0:01:40.000 --> 0:01:43.560 coach Jim McNally. Jim held that role in Cincinnati from 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:47.000 nineteen eighty to nineteen ninety four, meaning he was the 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:49.960 O line coach for the bengals first two Super Bowl 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:53.880 teams and the only O line coach that Anthony Munoz 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:57.040 had in the NFL. He later returned to the Bengals 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:01.840 as a consultant before retiring last year. This year's class 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:05.840 will be honored at a luncheon in Canton next June. Now, 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:08.960 let's get to my first guest. One of my biggest 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:12.400 pet peeves is when the national media says the Bengals 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:15.480 aren't willing to spend money in free agency. In the 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:19.600 last five years, alone, Cincinnati has signed d J. Reeder, 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:25.240 Trey Hendrickson, Chitdebeya, Wouje, Ted Karris, Alex Kappa, Orlando Brown Junior, 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:28.480 and Mike Kasiki, among others, And when it comes to 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:31.040 bang for the buck, it would be hard to top 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:34.720 the signing of Mike Hilton, who's given the Bengals four 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:38.120 great seasons for an average of six million dollars a year. 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:41.919 I caught up with the Bengals five foot nine, one 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:47.200 hundred and eighty four pounds slot corner this week. Mike, 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:50.960 You've got five tackles for loss in the last two weeks. 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:52.720 Are you doing anything differently? 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:54.639 No, I'm just being myself, you know what I mean. 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.280 Louis utilizing me a lot more lately in when then 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:00.080 when I had the opportunity to make the play, you know, 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:01.679 once I get back there, that's all that's all I 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:02.920 think about, is making that play. 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:07.120 For the season. You're up to twelve tackles for loss. 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:10.800 That's tied for fifteenth in the league. The fourteen guys 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:14.200 ahead of you are all defensive linemen or edge players. 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:17.240 How significant is that stat to you? 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:17.919 That's big. 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:22.079 I bring a different, different type of play to the position, 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:24.400 you know what I mean. Not a lot of guys 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:26.400 my size can do what I do. And when I 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:28.000 go out there, I just try to be a playmaker. 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:30.639 And obviously having that type of stats, that's a good 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:32.280 sign and I'm just trying to, you know, keep building. 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:36.200 My broadcast partner Dave Lapham says the TfL should be 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:39.560 treated like sacks. It's a loss of down, it's a 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:43.600 loss of yardage. They don't seem to get the same publicity, should. 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:44.880 They, I would believe so. 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:47.160 Obviously, you know, it's the difference between a handoff and 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:50.080 the drop back. But if you're tackling the quarterback before 0:03:50.080 --> 0:03:51.720 you even hands the hands the ball out to the 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:53.560 running back, I feel like should be considered a sack. 0:03:53.680 --> 0:03:55.480 But you know, either way, I'm just happy to make 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:55.840 the play. 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:59.400 The team gave up a season low six points last week. 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:01.520 You made a reference after the game in the locker 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.640 room that lou Ariromo has simplified things a little bit 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:07.440 in what ways really just keeping. 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:09.800 Us out of multiple calls. I mean, officers are gonna 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:12.160 move and we have to adjust. But sometimes he's just 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:14.080 letting us play this one call where we're lining up 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:16.760 playing fast and doing what we do, so it kind 0:04:16.760 --> 0:04:19.800 of slows everybody's thinking down and just let them react 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:22.080 more and you know, putting themselves in position to make plays. 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:24.919 We're visiting with Mike Hilton. The defensive player of the 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:27.159 game was the fifth play of the game, Von Bell 0:04:27.480 --> 0:04:31.479 forcing and recovering that fumble inside the one. Von was 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:34.240 recently taken out of the starting lineup. He's playing on 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:37.919 special teams now, kick coverage, punt return, doing what he 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:41.000 can to contribute. What's your respect level for Von Bell? 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:42.359 I have a lot of straight of Vine. You know, 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:44.599 he's a pros pro. He's always one of the first 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.479 guys in here, one of the last leave. Obviously his 0:04:47.640 --> 0:04:50.880 roles diminished, but he hasn't had little whether who he 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:52.440 is as a player. You know, he goes out there 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:55.400 and competes, and obviously on Sunday he's still able to 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:57.360 make big plays and game changing plays. 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:00.880 Gino Stone has an interception now in three straight. What 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:01.960 stands out about his. 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:05.520 Play his range. Obviously he's able to go sideline. 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:07.080 And sideline the way he's able to track the ball 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:09.640 and make plays on the ball. So he's been playing 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:11.600 wells of late, you know, and as a corner where 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:13.159 you got to a post safety like that, you feel 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:14.040 a lot more comfortable. 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:17.200 You guys have kept your playoff chances alive by winning 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:20.599 three straight games. As I look back over the season, 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:23.479 I could pick out five plays that are really the 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:26.920 difference between competing for the number one seed and being 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:29.520 where you are right now. Is there a little bit 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:31.680 of a what if in the back of your mind? 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:32.440 Oh yeah, definitely. 0:05:32.480 --> 0:05:35.279 We know it's a field goal here, a stop here, 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:38.960 one more drive by the offense there. It's little things 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:40.760 that we know if we make that play, you know, 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:42.040 our records totally different. 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:43.919 But the thing about it, we can't. We can't do 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:45.400 it on it. We are where we are right. 0:05:45.279 --> 0:05:48.120 Now and we're giving ourselves a chance, so things obviously 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:49.520 have to fall our way. But if we go out 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.839 and execute and do our job, you know, who knows 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:52.400 what can happen. 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:54.920 What's Denver doing well on offense. 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:57.599 Running the ball or obviously running the ball well, putting 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:00.159 bow nicks in good situations, second and short, third in 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.080 short just make him, you know, play within hisself, not 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:04.440 trying to not try to do too much. 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:06.920 So we're gonna have a good game plan for him. 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:08.520 This weekend. We're gonna make a difficult for him. 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:11.800 Several weeks ago, Joe Burrow has asked about quarterbacks that 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.040 he's been watching this year, and he brought up Bonet, 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:16.479 which kind of surprised me. I didn't expect that to 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:19.440 be somebody he would mention, what is it about Bonix 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:20.880 that's impressed people around the league? 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:23.640 Oh, he's playing well in the Champagne system. He's moving 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:26.400 outside the pocket. He's a better athlete than giving credit for, 0:06:26.560 --> 0:06:29.240 so he's extended plays, he's not turned over the ball, 0:06:29.279 --> 0:06:31.720 which is obviously a plus, and he's just keeping their 0:06:31.920 --> 0:06:34.400 offense in rhythm. So he's playing well and it's gonna 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:35.560 be a good challenge for Saturday. 0:06:36.600 --> 0:06:39.440 Visiting with Mike Hilton. This is the final year of 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:41.480 the four year deal that you signed back in twenty 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:43.360 twenty one. It's going to go down as one of 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:47.559 the great free agent signings in Bengals history. What's next 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:49.440 for you? Do you definitely want to keep playing? 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:51.640 Oh, definitely, I would. I actually love to be here. 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:53.600 You know, I obviously know the nature of the business, 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:55.680 so you never know. But I feel like I still 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:57.479 have so much left in me and I can bring 0:06:57.560 --> 0:06:59.680 a lot of value to different teams. So we'll see 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:02.200 how I'll season comes when that time arrives. But right now, 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.440 focused on these guys and trying to get this win Saturday. 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:08.839 You're thirty, you're eight years in. You've accomplished a ton 0:07:09.000 --> 0:07:12.040 for playoff teams, a trip to the Super Bowl. Has 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:14.440 reality exceeded your dreams? 0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:15.880 Yeah? It has obviously. 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:20.360 Being undrafted, how far I've come, how hard I've worked 0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:22.320 to see myself reach this point. 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:23.679 It's a blessing. 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:25.520 And then to realize I'm still not done yet and 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:28.640 I got a lot more ahead of me. It's the 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:29.320 best thing in the world. 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:30.960 Man. I'm just trying to embrace it day by day. 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:34.120 Do you see football being in your future for many 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:35.960 years to come? You strike me as somebody that could 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:36.840 be a great coach. 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:37.160 Yeah, for sure. 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:38.960 You know, I definitely want to get into it after football. 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:41.920 Obviously things change once I'm actually done, but you know, 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:43.560 my plan is to get in the coach and then 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:44.440 go from there. 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:47.920 Congratulations on great play of late, best of luck against 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:48.440 the Broncos. 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:49.360 Thank you appreciate it. 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:53.120 Mike has fifth onund the team in tackles and second 0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:57.720 in tackles for loss three behind Trey Hendrick said. One 0:07:57.760 --> 0:08:00.680 of the best writers covering the Bengals so from his 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:04.360 home near Atlanta. His name is Robert Weintraub, and he 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:08.040 writes an excellent weekly column about the team for Cincinnati 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:11.679 Magazine dot com. You can read it for free. Robert 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:14.800 was in the Cincinnati area on business last week, so 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:17.520 he took the opportunity to cover the game in person, 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:21.080 and a few days later we caught up to discuss 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:26.440 this season and beyond. Robert, of the many things that 0:08:26.480 --> 0:08:29.760 have been written and said about Joe Burrow over the years, 0:08:29.800 --> 0:08:33.520 you are responsible for my all time favorite line. When 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:37.120 he was drafted, you said that Joe has awesomeness oozing 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:41.200 out of every poor He has obviously been awesome this year. 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:44.520 Is Joe Burrow worthy of MVP consideration? 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:48.520 Yeah, somehow he's found a few more pores to be 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:51.240 awesome out of. I didn't think that was possible. But 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:54.880 he's got some kind of cleanser going on or skincare 0:08:55.360 --> 0:09:00.960 regimen that's obviously working. Yeah, I mean obviously, first and foremost. 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:04.600 When MVP voters think to themselves, who's going to get 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:06.679 it this year, they look to a one win loss 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:10.360 record and that's you know, obviously what is working against Joe. 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:13.360 But I mean, given the fact of what he's been 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:16.720 having to work with, and the offensive line and the 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:21.840 defense and so many other conditions around him, it's hard 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:24.640 for me to say he hasn't had an MVP level season. 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:26.319 He's not going to win it. But I mean, if 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.440 you put up his numbers, they're right alongside, you know, 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:33.600 the Josh Allens and Lamar Jackson Jackson's and even the 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:36.160 possibility of a dare i say, a running back or 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:40.000 some other non quarterback position winning a Saquon Barkley. Perhaps 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:43.679 Burrows numbers are certainly in the same stratosphere. And just 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:47.360 from a degree of difficulty standpoint, you know, it's funny. 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:50.400 I think if they had just flipped the results of 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:53.800 the two Ravens games and pin one of those losses 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:56.400 on Lamar's fumble there in overtime, and the Bengals just 0:09:56.440 --> 0:10:00.360 win those two, you know, the Bengals wouldn't be you know, 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:05.040 dominating or having a huge win loss record season necessarily 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:07.360 thirteen to four or whatever, but it would look just 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:11.160 good enough, I think to maybe get Burrel a few 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:13.440 extra votes there, and possibly even sneak out. The ward 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:15.600 not going to happen, but he's certainly deserving in such 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:17.480 a shame. He had such a great season this year 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:19.840 and the rest of the team really didn't live up 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:20.160 to it. 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.280 They might not have an MVP winner, but they could 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:27.160 have a Triple Crown winner. Jamar Chase leads the so 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:31.880 called triple Crown categories as a receiver, catches, yards, and touchdowns. 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:35.160 It's only been done four times since nineteen seventy. Is 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.760 there anything in particular about his season that impresses you? 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:42.680 Well, First and foremost, you think back to how it started, 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:46.400 with the whole contract, you know, Concher Tommes, and the 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:49.240 fact he only had what ten catches for ninety seven 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:52.959 yards over the first two weeks of the season pedestrian numbers. 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:55.280 Maybe he was distracted, Maybe it's just the way the 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:58.080 games went. It's hard to really get into his head necessarily. 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:00.760 But given the fact that he's had, he has this 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:03.560 all world season going on, and that the numbers are 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:07.280 so staggering when you kind of divided on a per 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:10.440 game basis by thirteen instead of fifteen where we are now, 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:14.079 they look even more impressive. He's just been so consistent 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:17.880 after those first two weeks. So you know, just this 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:20.400 past game against Cleveland, when he didn't really do a 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:23.240 ton through most of the game, and yet he pops 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:25.920 up right at the end for a touchdown catch a 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.560 long one just kind of puts the icing on the cake. 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:32.960 He's really just you know, put everything together as everything 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:35.440 we knew that he was capable of and has shown 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:38.600 already as a pro. I mean, hard to find a 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:41.480 more finished product coming out of college ready to step 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:44.560 onto an NFL field than Jamar Chase was, and yet 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:49.960 he's still somehow almost exceeded expectations in that way. You know, 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:52.480 when t Higgins has been out and missed a few games, 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:56.440 they haven't lost a step offensively. Everybody knows that they're 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:58.600 trying to get the ball to Chase at all times. 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:01.760 And still you know, he puts up such staggering numbers, 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:05.120 and not only that, but you know, makes huge plays 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:08.480 at huge times, as we saw against Dallas for example. 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:11.720 You know, it's really just you know, we talked about 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:14.240 how Burrow has also beness out of every pore. Not 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:16.680 too far behind is Jamar Chase, and there's a reason 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:18.200 the two of them have been you know, sort of 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:20.880 connected in the mind's eye ever since their LSU days. 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.319 They work so well together, and it's just it's a 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:25.760 joy to watch. Even in a season that's been disappointing 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:27.840 in a lot of ways, you always get to watch 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:29.640 Burrow to Chase and that's something special. 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:33.160 Despite the fact that he missed five games, t Higgins 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:35.640 is putting up big numbers. He's tied his career high 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:39.600 for touchdown catches this year. Joe has been vocal recently 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:43.160 about expressing hope that Tea can be resigned after this season. 0:12:43.559 --> 0:12:46.520 It can be done. My question for you is should 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:47.560 it be done? 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:50.680 Well, you know, I'm of two minds, and the reason 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:53.720 why this is a fascinating sort of debate is that 0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:55.920 you can go either way with it and not be wrong. 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:58.679 You know, obviously the team has a lot of needs, 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:01.600 so you think to yourself, well, why spend more money 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:04.640 on another receiver when you're going to obviously already spending 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:06.800 a ton on Joe and you're gonna have to pay 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:09.800 Jamar especially even more now after the season he's put up. 0:13:10.200 --> 0:13:12.680 At the same time, though, you know, first of all, 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:14.800 if you look at the free agent lists, you know 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:17.520 it's tough to keep just trying to trying to buy 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:21.280 a team out of the store. A. B. Higgins is 0:13:21.320 --> 0:13:24.720 by far the most you know, highly thought of free 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:26.760 agent out there. It's not like there's a ton of 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:28.840 guys who are necessarily going to help the Bengals. They'll 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:31.400 sign a few guys and they will certainly help, but 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:33.840 they're all sort of you know, B two C plus 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:37.680 players except for Tea out there really And another thing 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:40.840 is that, first of all, Tea appears obviously to want 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:44.199 to stay. He fired his agent, David Mulgetta, who's had 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.480 a lot of difficult relations with the Bengals front office 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:49.880 in the past, and you know, he's maing a lot 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:52.480 of noises about, you know, wanted to stay with his 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:55.480 with his buddies, with his friends Burrow and Chase. And 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:57.560 you know, there's a lot of guys around the league 0:13:57.600 --> 0:13:59.760 who can't wait to step up, get the big money 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:03.160 and be the number one guy, you know, And I 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:05.160 don't know if he's built like that. Maybe he doesn't 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:07.360 want to go and you know, try and catch passes 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:10.280 from Drake may or whoever and be you know, under 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.839 the spotlight constantly because of a huge contract. Maybe he's 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:16.480 really happy playing with his buddies a little in the 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:19.320 shadow of Jamar perhaps, but you know, there's nothing wrong 0:14:19.360 --> 0:14:21.160 with being in the shadow of such a great player 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:23.720 like that, and he obviously they compliment each other so well. 0:14:24.240 --> 0:14:26.920 As you say, it's not like they can't resign them. 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:30.800 You can argue whether it's you know, a proper roster 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:34.360 building to put all your eggs in that basket so speak. 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:36.880 But the Bengals have an identity. They have a you know, 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:39.800 explosive passing game that other teams fear and always have 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:42.640 to prepare for. And even then they're putting up tons 0:14:42.680 --> 0:14:45.960 of points every week. As we're seeing in this capacity, 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:48.400 you're going away from one of your best year, letting 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:50.360 one of your best players walk out the door for 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:53.720 basically nothing. You're sending a message to the locker room 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:56.560 again that a player you've drafted and developed and have 0:14:56.680 --> 0:14:58.680 seen emerged as one of the top players in the 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:01.080 league is not going to be kept out. The team 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:04.080 is in that sense not valued. And these things have 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:06.520 a knock on effect. And I think in that sense 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:10.040 it's because of everything that's going around behind the scenes 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:12.560 with Burrows comments and the way everybody's been talking and 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:15.440 the agent switch, and everything seems like it's all aligne 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:18.240 that everybody wants him to stay here. It makes a 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:22.200 lot of sense, and the team is so built and 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:26.080 identified around that triumvirate one five nine, so to speak, 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.400 that you really have to think long and hard before 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:30.960 you let a guy like that walk out the door. 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:34.960 There are some other free agents to be b J. Hill, 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:39.280 Mike Hilton, Mike Kasicki, Joseph Osai and some others. Is 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:41.720 there anybody on that list that you would like to 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:42.880 see the Bengals bring back? 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:46.800 Well? I certainly think Mike Kasecki's proven himself to be 0:15:46.840 --> 0:15:51.440 an interesting combination player with the aforementioned Chase and Higgins, 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:53.080 and he gives them a lot. He's not a blocking 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:56.080 tight end in any capacity. He's really the slot receiver 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:58.360 that they lost when Tyler Boyd left in a lot 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:00.720 of ways, and I think he's only really scratch the 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:04.080 surface in some ways. With the amount of you know, 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:08.280 attention you have to pay to the two wideouts, I 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:10.480 think they can really build it even more of an 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:14.400 offense using him down the seam and in certain you know, 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:17.440 root combinations that they haven't really had a chance to do. 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:20.800 Part of that is because of the offensive line play, 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:25.360 various other rationales that we won't really dive into now necessarily, 0:16:25.400 --> 0:16:27.600 but I think he's been worth, you know, coming back, 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:29.360 and I think he wants to come back. And who 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.560 wouldn't want to play with Joe Burrow after all, And 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:34.920 I think that's certainly a guy that I think Cincinnati 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:39.200 would like to bring back and and use in feature, 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:42.600 even in different ways than they have already as one year. Obviously, 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:44.360 Mike Hilton, He's been here a long time. He's a 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:47.400 valuable player. He's one of the few guys you can 0:16:47.440 --> 0:16:49.760 point to and say, you know, he may have had 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:52.320 some issues this year along with the entire defense, but 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:54.560 he hasn't really been at a position too much. He's 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:57.000 been still a guy who is one of the few 0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:00.840 who can make splash plays, as they say, you know, 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:03.920 around the pig skin circle, you know, tackles for losses 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:06.000 in a good blitzer. I think it'd be hard to 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:08.400 let him leave. He might want to go play in Tennessee, 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:10.920 given the success he always seems to have against the Titans, 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:14.800 But I think in general, there's another guy who you know, 0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:17.920 would be similar to when they let Von Bell leave 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.280 a couple of years ago and rude the day because 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:22.000 of what he brought to the team, not just on 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:26.000 the field, but just institutional knowledge. You know, BJ Hill 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:28.320 is a case is interesting. You can certainly make a 0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:30.399 case either way. It would sort of depend on what 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:32.879 they could get him back in the fold. For I 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:35.520 think they'd like to try and keep them. Obviously, the 0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:38.520 young players have only started to step forward at that position, 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:41.880 and they still have a void there. You know, it's 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:43.760 the kind of case where even if you look to 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:45.920 next year and say, all right, Chris Jenkins is ready 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:48.120 to step forward and you have a good run stuffer 0:17:48.119 --> 0:17:50.920 and McKinley Jackson, who are you know, rookies who are 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:54.199 just sort of getting their feet into the deep end 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:56.919 of the pool. Now, if you let Hill leave, that 0:17:57.000 --> 0:17:59.199 still leaves you with a void there, and depending on 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:01.440 who you bring in replaced him, that's gonna be tight. 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:05.680 So I think in those cases, I think all three 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:07.640 of those guys they would be interested in bringing back. 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:10.920 I think the Bengals fandom would like to see them 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:13.560 all back in stripes as well. Oh Si, you know 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:17.639 comes Comsa again. You know he has never lived up 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:19.560 to the billing. That what he was drafted and what 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:23.280 we thought we were getting. He's had moments and flashes. Unfortunately, 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:25.640 it does seem like he'll always be remembered for that 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:30.200 one penalty against Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship game, 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:31.400 and it's it's a shame. 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:31.600 For the kid. 0:18:31.640 --> 0:18:33.480 You feel bad for him, but he never really put 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:36.680 that behind him in any way on the field. So again, 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:38.800 you know, a lot of that depends on what other 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:41.280 offers these guys will get. You know, we never thought 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:44.240 Jermaine Pratt, for example, would come back to Cincinnati, and 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:46.920 he wound up coming back, so for better or worse. 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.160 Uh So we'll see if some of these guys who 0:18:50.200 --> 0:18:52.320 we think are headed out the door actually wind up 0:18:52.359 --> 0:18:53.440 getting offers elsewhere. 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:56.240 Robert, the Bengals have won three in a row. You 0:18:56.240 --> 0:18:58.560 were in attendance at Peyk Horse Stadium last week when 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.679 they beat the Cleveland Browns. You've seen some positive signs 0:19:01.720 --> 0:19:04.679 on defense during this three game winning stream. 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:05.200