WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Changes 0:00:03.800 --> 0:00:06.640 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:13.080 the Bengals Booth Podcast. The chit Chit changes addition as 0:00:13.119 --> 0:00:15.480 we get to know two young coaches who have earned 0:00:15.480 --> 0:00:19.800 promotions on the Bengals staff, new Quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:24.400 and new safety secondary coach Jordan Kovacs. The Bengals Booth 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:26.840 Podcast is brought to you by pay Core, proud to 0:00:26.840 --> 0:00:31.400 be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:35.280 future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business 0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:38.760 and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:42.559 the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:46.440 the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:49.199 quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of 0:00:49.240 --> 0:00:52.879 this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:57.120 by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest 0:00:57.120 --> 0:01:02.720 thing since drivers who are ready at a light. We 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:06.360 all have pet peeves. Here's one of my biggest, and 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.160 it happened to me yesterday. You're in a line of 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:12.760 cars at a stop light. The light turns green, and 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:15.880 the person at the front of the line just sits there. 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:20.080 And sits there and by the time that person finally 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:23.360 hits the gas, you don't make it through the light. 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:28.520 Come on, people, we're all in this together. Green means go. 0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:36.280 Rant concluded, Now let's get to football. When Brian Callahan 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:39.360 landed the Tennessee Titans head coaching job, it created a 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:43.759 domino effect on the Bengals staff. Dan Pitcher was promoted 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:47.720 from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, and now his spot 0:01:48.040 --> 0:01:51.480 has been filled by Brad Cragthorpe. If the last name 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:54.800 sounds familiar, his dad, Steve, was the head coach at 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:58.760 Louisville and Tulsa, and his grandfather, Dave, was the head 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:02.880 coach at South Dakota State, Idaho State, and Oregon State. 0:02:03.480 --> 0:02:06.720 At the middle of those stops, he gave Marvin Lewis 0:02:07.000 --> 0:02:10.400 his first coaching job. I spoke to thirty one year 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:14.880 old Brad Kragthorpe this week. Brad, your father and your 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:18.560 grandfather were college football head coaches. So you know what 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:21.239 you are getting into when you chose the coaching life. 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:23.400 What drew you to this profession. 0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:27.520 Really everything involved with it. Initially I wanted to play 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:29.680 for as long as I could, and then once I 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:32.480 realized that I wasn't going to be able to play 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:35.960 as extensively as I ultimately wanted to. I knew that 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:39.959 I was eventually going to be drawn to coaching and 0:02:40.000 --> 0:02:42.960 so getting to be around my dad and my grandpa too, 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:45.840 but my dad more specifically every day grown up, and 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:47.320 I was fortunate that he got to be a head 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:50.440 coach when I was in middle school and high school, 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:53.640 kind of formative years that really led to me falling 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:56.920 in love with the profession and being around the program, 0:02:56.960 --> 0:02:59.640 getting to go to practices, going to meetings with him, 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:03.040 and doing all those things that not a lot of 0:03:03.040 --> 0:03:06.640 other kids had the opportunity to do. I fell in 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.840 love with it then and knew that this was certainly 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:10.639 going to be my calling. 0:03:11.560 --> 0:03:13.760 You've been with a Bengal since Zach Taylor's been the 0:03:13.800 --> 0:03:17.280 head coach. What was the connection? How did you land 0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:18.359 that initial spot? 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:22.200 So, Zach was on the staff at Texas A and 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:26.160 M in two thy and ten, and my dad had 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.000 just gotten let go at Louisville and had joined that 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:31.760 staff for just the off season, so the spring of 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:34.960 the summer, and we initially were going to be moving 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:38.800 down to College Station as a family and so I 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:40.680 was going down there during the summer to go to 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:43.440 all the camps and just hang out with my dad, 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:46.680 and Zach again was a GA on that staff, and 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:49.160 so he was coaching me in a lot of those 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:52.680 camps that I was going to. And then during my downtime, 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:54.360 I was just hanging out up at the facility in 0:03:54.400 --> 0:03:55.720 the offensive staff meeting room. 0:03:56.160 --> 0:03:57.920 Zach was the guy that has set up. 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:00.800 A computer and his whole office set up was in there, 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:02.440 and so I ended up hanging out quite a bit 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:07.360 of Zach and knew that again whenever I was graduating 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:09.560 from college and wanted to get into coaching, he was 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:11.920 one of the first people I hit up. And it 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:15.520 was when he was Offensive Cornara, you see, and I 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:18.400 initially was trying to get on his staff here as 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:20.760 a GA. It didn't work out then, but we were 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:22.160 able to reconnect three years later. 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:24.320 What's it like working here. 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:28.560 It's outstanding. I think this is the best organization in 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:33.400 the NFL. We have a very unique setup in the 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:38.479 ownership group that we have and their relationship and familiarity 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:42.200 with the game and understanding and perspective in the game, 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:46.479 and the family like atmosphere I think is second to 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:51.360 none here. Everybody is truly connected from the top down, 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:55.120 and I think that's that starts at the top with 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:59.080 mister Brown and then it trickles all the way down 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:01.880 through the rest of the organization, and it's something that 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:05.280 is intentionally cultivated and something I'm really really proud to 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:05.760 be a part of. 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:10.240 We're visiting with Brad Craigthorpe. You played quarterback your quarterbacks 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.120 coach now, but you have been working with other positions 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.400 in your time here in Cincinnati, including a two year 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:20.000 stint as the assistant wide receivers coach. Was that challenging 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:22.160 for you having been a quarterback and has it helped 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:22.760 your development? 0:05:24.760 --> 0:05:27.560 It certainly helped my development in terms of viewing the 0:05:27.560 --> 0:05:31.440 game from different perspectives. Like you said, playing quarterback growing 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:34.520 up my entire life, I really viewed the game through 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:38.920 that lens primarily all the way up until I graduated 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:42.360 from college, and so getting into the receiver room being 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.919 involved with the tight ends for one year in my 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:49.880 career has really opened my eyes to different areas of 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:56.280 offensive football and different ways that potentially issues could pop up, 0:05:56.320 --> 0:06:00.880 issues could be resolved, and certainly gave me a perspective 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:03.800 and one that I'm appreciative for when it comes to 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:07.760 the totality of offensive football that maybe not quarterback. 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:11.520 Maybe quarterback might not specifically always see, but it is 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:12.920 something that he needs to be aware of. 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:16.080 So during training camp, we will see you as the 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:20.279 quarterbacks coach, conducting drills with the quarterbacks. But there's obviously 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:23.440 a lot more to the job than working on their fundamentals. 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:27.480 Your predecessor, Dan Pitcher was closely involved with the third 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:31.279 down package every week over the past few years. What 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:36.640 all encompasses the job of quarterbacks coach in this organization. 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:40.000 Well, I think first and foremost, it's getting the quarterback 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:42.120 prepared to play. 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:43.640 His absolute best on Sundays. 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:47.920 It starts with that, and then from there it's daily 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:51.400 improvement in all areas of the quarterback position for those guys, 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:55.480 finding different ways that we can improve on the field 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:58.400 off the field. And then obviously game planning is a 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:01.200 big portion of as well. Like you said, Dan was 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:03.960 heavily involved in the third down plan. We're still working 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.719 through all the responsibilities and who's gonna be doing what 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:10.080 when it comes to game plan responsibilities next year, but 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:12.360 that's certainly a part of it that I'm looking forward 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:12.880 to as well. 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:16.200 You are obviously going to be working closely with Joe Burrow, 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:18.800 and you got to know Joe before you got to Cincinnati. 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:21.600 You are on the staff at LSU back in twenty eighteen. 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:24.480 That was the year that he transferred from Ohio State 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:27.760 to LSU, and he hadn't played in a few years 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:31.000 at that point. What did Joe show you in that 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.040 first year at LSU. 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:37.040 A lot of the things that you're seeing now. Leadership 0:07:37.240 --> 0:07:39.320 was the first thing that immediately jumped out at you. 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:44.920 Is his ability to authentically connect with his teammates and 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:47.920 the way that his teammates were drawn to him and 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.840 followed his example, which is not something that you typically 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:53.680 see from a transfer, So that was very unique. You 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:57.280 saw the toughness, you saw the decision making ability, and you. 0:07:57.200 --> 0:07:58.640 Saw the accuracy as a passer. 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:02.000 And those are all traits that I think he is 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:08.000 elite at and ones that have really propelled him to 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:10.200 have the career that he's currently having. 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:13.360 Were you at all surprised the following season You weren't 0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:15.960 there anymore, But when he had the Heisman Trophy season 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:19.000 and led LSU to an undefeated national championship, campaign. 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:22.440 I was not surprised by that, No, which might be 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:24.920 surprising to hear, but you could see, like you said, 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:27.000 he hadn't played a lot of football up until that point. 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:29.600 So that first season there was an element of knocking 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:31.760 the rust off. And we had a lot of young 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:35.559 players including Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson and Clyde Edwards 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:38.079 Hilaire that had n't played a lot of football themselves, 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:41.120 college football at that level. And so we knew and 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:44.360 we saw as that season progressed in twenty eighteen and 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:47.280 we continue to get better and better and better on offense, 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:49.800 that with all of these guys returning the next year, 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:52.679 that we were ready to explode. 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:55.760 We're chatting with Brad Craigthorpe, the Bengals new quarterbacks coach. 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:58.320 The head coach at LSU back then was ed Orgeron. 0:08:58.440 --> 0:08:59.880 I got to know ed a little bit when he 0:08:59.920 --> 0:09:04.199 was the defensive line coach at Syracuse about thirty years ago. 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:06.520 What was it like to work for coach O and 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:07.640 what did you learn from him? 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:10.440 It was a unique experience and one that I'm very 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:15.240 grateful for. Predominantly, more than anything else, I learned how 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:17.600 to be a great recruiter under Coach O, which is 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:20.560 a vital part of being a good college football coach. 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:25.960 I learned the effort and the preparation and everything that 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:30.360 goes into recruiting that you might not naturally see that 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:33.679 goes on behind the scenes. So that was first and 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:37.440 foremost the thing that I learned from Coach oh. 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:40.560 And then beyond that, I learned how to motivate. 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:43.920 He, in my mind, is one of the best motivators, 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:47.160 and it was one of the best motivators in all 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:51.559 of college football whenever he was coaching LSU, and he 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:56.480 understands how to connect with guys and force them to 0:09:57.400 --> 0:10:01.679 bring the best out in themselves. And that's something that 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:04.960 I took with me from my experience with him. 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:07.440 You obviously don't recruit in the same way in the 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:10.520 NFL as you do in college, but there's some recruiting involved, 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:12.960 whether it's the college free agency process for guys that 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:17.680 don't get drafted or actual free agency. Money's obviously a 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.520 key there. But do some of those recruiting lessons from 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:22.080 Coach O apply now. 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:24.120 In some ways? 0:10:24.280 --> 0:10:24.559 Yeah? 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:27.720 I mean, like you said, there's a recruiting element involved 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:30.199 after the draft with some of the college free agents. 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:35.040 There's a recruiting element involved with pro free agents, But 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:39.200 more than anything, it taught me about the depths of 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:42.199 all the areas of coaching that you might not necessarily 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:46.560 see at face value, and so the depths of what 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:49.400 it takes to be a great recruiter, the effort, the preparation, 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:52.360 and everything that goes into it, I think applies across 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:53.680 a lot of levels of being a coach. 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:56.880 Let's get back to Joe Burrow for a second. What's 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.920 it take as a coach to earn his trust and respect. 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:04.440 I think it takes a couple of things. 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:07.960 I think that it takes knowledge of the position and 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:11.200 the offensive scheme. I think displaying that you have a 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:13.880 great understanding of what we're doing and why we're doing 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:17.720 it is really all that Joe wants in a coach 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:21.040 is someone that can guide him and help him make 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:24.400 the best decisions on Sunday, and then showing that you 0:11:24.440 --> 0:11:27.439 care about him, showing that you always have his best 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:34.080 interest at heart, and displaying that ultimately you always just 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:37.160 want what's best for him. And I think that that's 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:38.760 something that he cares a lot about. 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:42.240 After he suffered his wrist injury, last year, Jake Browning 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:44.400 stepped in and did a terrific job. The team went 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:46.319 four and three, and the games that he started he 0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:49.720 had a passer rating over ninety eight. What impressed you 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:52.160 most about Jake Browning when he stepped in as the 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:53.400 starting quarterback. 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:58.280 His poise, his composure, and his ability to distribute the 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:01.120 ball to all of the skilled players that we have, 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:04.000 which is something that we all expected Jake to do. 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:06.520 It may have seemed like a surprise to people on 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:10.839 the outside, but whenever Jake got his opportunity, the way 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.000 he played was not a surprise to anybody in this building, 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:17.360 including his teammates. And so Jake has a great understanding 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:20.640 of how to play the quarterback position and offensive football 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:23.920 as a whole, and he understands the big picture of everything, 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.320 and his ability to distribute, make great decisions and distribute 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:30.040 the football is as good as a lot of starters 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:30.600 in this league. 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:33.400 So, as we do this interview, the Bengals announced a 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:36.360 little while ago that aj McCarron has been released, So 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:38.160 the Bengals are going to be in the market. I 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:41.960 would think for a young, developmental type third string quarterback. 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:45.080 Will you be involved in scouting college players and possible 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:45.680 free agents. 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:46.560 I think so. 0:12:46.840 --> 0:12:51.120 Yeah, I've kind of begun that process already and trying 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:53.640 to find some guys that potentially fit the mold of 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.160 what we're looking for. We'll see what that looks like 0:12:56.320 --> 0:13:00.439 as this evaluation process unfolds over the next month or so, 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:05.160 but yeah, we're certainly looking for a guy that fits 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:07.840 what we want to bring into our quarterback room. 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:10.800 Let's talk a little bit about the Bengals offense. The 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:14.040 team finished sixteenth in points scored last year. You only 0:13:14.080 --> 0:13:16.880 had a healthy Joe Burrow for five games. Are there 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:22.040 any obvious things that you think the offense must do 0:13:22.200 --> 0:13:23.720 better in twenty twenty four. 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:28.120 I think that we can be more explosive as a unit, 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:30.880 whether that's in the run game or the pass game. 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:34.280 I think that's something that was really beneficial for us 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:37.040 in twenty twenty one and twenty twenty two is our 0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:41.000 ability to create explosive plays on a consistent basis, and 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:44.840 that wasn't always a strength of ours last year, and 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:48.120 I think that would be an example of something that 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:50.800 we need to get back to moving into twenty twenty four. 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:53.840 All right, let's turn the clock back with you a 0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:56.920 little bit. You were a backup quarterback at LSU and 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:00.440 the holder on field goals and pat and you were 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:02.959 involved in one of the great trick plays of all 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:08.280 time twenty fifteen LSU versus Florida. Both teams are undefeated, 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.120 both teams are in the top ten, the game is 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:12.880 tied to twenty eight in the fourth quarter. You pick 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:14.000 up the story from there. 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:19.520 Yeah, that's one of the benefits of being a holder 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:24.000 on a Less Miles coaching team is there's always a potential. 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:26.920 First of all, we always have a bunch of fake 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:28.600 field goals that are in the plan each week, and 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:30.840 there's always a potential that one of them is goetn't 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:33.320 get called in a high pressure moment like that one, 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:37.760 And so credit to coach Miles. He decided to pull 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:42.000 that one out and we were able to execute it well, 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:45.960 and our kicker, Trent Domain, was able to outrase their 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:48.680 guys to the end zone and the rest is history. 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:52.480 Now I'm going to describe your role a little bit. 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:56.760 You're there on a knee ready to hold, you catch 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:59.640 the snap, You put the ball down as if the 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.360 kicker about to approach it and kick it. But in 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:05.200 the meantime he is sprinting out to the left, so 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:08.320 you sell the fake. Then you throw the ball sideways 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:12.480 and he runs in untouched for the TD. How nervous 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:14.280 were you in front of one hundred and two thousand 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:17.160 people in Death Valley knowing that you've got to sell 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.040 this fake and make the throw. 0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:22.200 In the moment, you really aren't that nervous. Maybe jogging 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:24.000 out there you feel the butterflies a little bit, but 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:29.359 once you get out there, you're looking for a certain criteria, 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:31.640 certain formation that you want the defense to be in, 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:35.440 and that's really your main focus. And then you know, 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:39.200 once the ball hits your hands, you just do what 0:15:39.240 --> 0:15:41.680 your coach to do and you make the throw. 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:42.320 There really wasn't a. 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:45.520 Whole lot of nerves involved with it. The only thing 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:47.960 that was a little bit nervous or nerve racking about 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:50.800 that play is that it was a backward pass, and 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:53.160 so if it would have hit the ground, it would 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:55.360 have been a fumble, and then I would have became 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:57.640 a defender and potentially had to go and make a tackle, 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:01.080 which would have been a lot more nerve wracking than 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:03.120 just making a simple fifteen year throw. 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:06.960 So if I'm in baton rouge and I drop your 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:11.000 name at a bar, what's the likelihood that a rabid 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:13.560 Tigers fan is going to go, oh, my gosh, twenty 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:15.320 fifteen LSU Florida. 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:20.000 There's a chance. There's a chance. I don't know. I 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:20.720 don't feel like my. 0:16:20.640 --> 0:16:24.920 Accolades at LSU are really all that impressive, but yeah, 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:27.440 there's a chance that someone my recognizement my name. 0:16:28.280 --> 0:16:30.920 So you have ascended to quarterbacks coach here with the 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:34.600 Cincinnati Bengals. Zach Taylor as a quarterbacks coach. He's obviously 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:38.160 an NFL head coach. Brian Callahan was a quarterbacks coach elsewhere. 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.000 He's now the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Is 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:43.360 that the ultimate goal in your future? 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:45.080 It is? It is? 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:47.240 It is my ultimate goal to become a head coach 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:50.640 in the NFL, and I feel very fortunate to be 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:53.840 in the position that I am right now, and it 0:16:53.920 --> 0:16:57.400 is a multi step process, and I'm my sole focus 0:16:57.480 --> 0:16:59.480 right now is just being the best quarterback coach that 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:02.760 I can for this sin SINETI Bengals. But yeah, ultimately 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:06.640 I do have the goal of being a head coach 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:08.120 in this league at one point in time. 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:11.600 Yea, I know you've worked very hard for this. Congratulations 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:13.919 on the opportunity and best of luck going forward. 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:15.639 Thank you, Dan, I really appreciate you having me. 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:19.040 The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:22.520 Proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:26.760 Alta Fiber future Proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business, 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:30.160 and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:33.879 the best Care for the best fans. Kettering Health is 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:37.879 the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. In addition to 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:41.439 Brian Callahan leaving for Tennessee, the Bengals also lost a 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:45.320 member of the defensive staff as safeties coach Rob Livingston 0:17:45.440 --> 0:17:50.360 left to become Dion Sanders defensive coordinator at the University 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:55.160 of Colorado. Rob Spott has been filled by Jordan Kovacs, 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:57.639 who's been on the staff for the last five years 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:01.359 after playing in the NFL for the Myami Dolphins. I 0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:04.359 talked to Jordan about his background as well as the 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:08.720 young safeties he'll be coaching this year. Jordan, you are 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:12.200 from the Toledo area. You played college football at Michigan. 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:15.600 Congratulations on the national championship. By the way, your dad 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:18.240 is also a former Wolverine who was a reserve under 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:22.440 Boucham Beckler. Was that your childhood dream to play football there? 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:25.600 Yes, you know, I grew up in the big House. 0:18:25.600 --> 0:18:29.440 I'd say we grew up with season tickets, so every 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:31.960 home game we were in the Big House, myself, my dad, 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:35.439 my brother, and Yeah, it was a lifelong dream to 0:18:35.440 --> 0:18:38.040 play football there. And the road to get there was 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:40.560 a little whiny, a little kurvey at times, but it 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:41.600 ultimately worked out. 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:44.320 Well, let's talk about the road, because you eventually became 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:47.280 a captain and an All Big Ten safety, but you 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:52.240 started out as a walk on. Did you have opportunities elsewhere? 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:54.440 No, I didn't, you know, not really. 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:58.960 I would say D three schools had been calling Division 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:02.040 two schools. I went up to Hillsdale College and worked out. 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:04.240 At this point, you know, by my senior year of 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:06.120 high school, I was really just kind of looking for 0:19:06.200 --> 0:19:08.960 any offer, just to more or less say I had 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:12.000 an offer. I went up to Hillsdale College and worked out, 0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:14.400 and they didn't offer. They said I could walk on there, 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:17.879 and by that point I was pretty set on. You know, 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:20.560 once I got into school at Michigan, I'll try out 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:22.360 for the team whatever, it takes. I want to play 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:24.920 football at Michigan, and yeah, sure enough. 0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:25.639 That's how it worked out. 0:19:25.680 --> 0:19:28.960 I got into Michigan and was invited to an open 0:19:29.000 --> 0:19:31.760 student body tryout the day the first day of school 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:35.480 at six in the morning. And you know, there's probably 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:37.040 a lot to the story. I don't want to bore you, 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.200 but the first tryout I made it failed to physical. 0:19:40.280 --> 0:19:43.080 So I had to come back six months later after 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:47.800 the season and retry out for my second semester there. 0:19:48.040 --> 0:19:50.520 And I made that tryout, went through springball, and then 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:57.440 was on the team after that. Why'd you fail at physical, Tormaniscus, Yeah, slightly, Torminiscus. 0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:00.840 So I had arthur'scopic surgery my senior year of high 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:03.679 school and it still wasn't feeling great, and I probably 0:20:03.680 --> 0:20:06.760 disclosed a little too much information in the physical and 0:20:07.119 --> 0:20:08.960 learned the hard way. So then I was sent home. 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:12.000 I had to have a second knee surgery and got 0:20:12.040 --> 0:20:14.679 it taken care of though, and retried out, you know, 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:16.520 the next January. 0:20:16.600 --> 0:20:19.119 So when you have a path like that, walk on 0:20:19.520 --> 0:20:23.280 to eventual team captain, All League player, eventually the NFL 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:27.359 will cover that at some point. Does that influence your 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:29.959 approach to things to this day. 0:20:30.119 --> 0:20:33.359 Yeah, I mean sure, you know, I don't take anything 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:35.840 for granted. You know, I know how hard it took 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:39.080 to become a player really at Michigan, and then you know, 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:41.600 even more work to play in the NFL, and now, 0:20:42.160 --> 0:20:44.679 you know, as a coach, and I just feel like, 0:20:45.800 --> 0:20:48.760 you know, I've just tried to work hard and earn 0:20:48.840 --> 0:20:52.000 everything that that's come my way, and I've taken pride 0:20:52.000 --> 0:20:54.040 in that, and you know, it's just everything that my 0:20:54.520 --> 0:20:56.560 parents instilled in me from day one, is just to 0:20:56.640 --> 0:20:59.720 work hard and be tough, be respectful, be kind, and 0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:00.440 be a person. 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:01.639 And good things happened. 0:21:01.640 --> 0:21:04.240 And you know, I think that's more or less been 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:06.200 the story of my journey. 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:08.960