Speaker 1: Hi, Gain everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast. The You Made Me, You Made
Speaker 1: Me a Believer Believer addition, as the Bengals strengthened the
Speaker 1: roster by signing free agent tight end IRV Smith Junior,
Speaker 1: his decision came down to two teams, Miami and Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: You'll hear why he chose the Bengals instead of the Dolphins. Plus,
Speaker 1: I'll talk to Trey Hendrickson on watching his alma mater
Speaker 1: FAU make it to the Final four. And I'll chat
Speaker 1: with the retiring Cincinnati sportscaster George Vogel on forty years
Speaker 1: of covering the Bengals. Finally, it's the fifth edition of
Speaker 1: our NFL Expert Mock draft as Austin Gael from The
Speaker 1: Ringer takes his turn on the Pro Football Focus mock simulator.
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by Bengals
Speaker 1: Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're free to play with ticks
Speaker 1: and signed merchandise up for grabs. Find both inside the
Speaker 1: Bengals app. Now here's a quick reminder that you can
Speaker 1: have the latest edition of this podcast delivered right to
Speaker 1: your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get
Speaker 1: your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since new rules in
Speaker 1: Major League Baseball. Jeff Passon from ESPN calls it baseball liposuction.
Speaker 1: In other words, they are removing some of the fat.
Speaker 1: Major League Baseball is added a pitch clock to speed
Speaker 1: up play, made the base is bigger to encourage more
Speaker 1: stolen base attempts, and band lopsided in field shifts. Now
Speaker 1: teams must have two infielders on each side of second base,
Speaker 1: which will result in more hits. The sum total should
Speaker 1: mean more action in less time. Spring training games were
Speaker 1: nearly a half hour shorter this year than last year.
Speaker 1: Football remains king in this country and that's not going
Speaker 1: to change. But here's hoping baseball is more watchable than
Speaker 1: it's been for at least a decade. Now, time for
Speaker 1: my first guest. Irv Smith Junior signed a one year
Speaker 1: contract of the Bengals on Thursday and is likely to
Speaker 1: replace Haydon Hurst as Cincinnati's number one tight end depending
Speaker 1: on what happens in the draft. The New Orleans native
Speaker 1: and former Alabama standout was a second round pick by
Speaker 1: the Vikings in twenty nineteen, number fifty overall, and had
Speaker 1: two solid seasons in Minnesota before battling injuries the last
Speaker 1: two years. Erv missed all of twenty twenty one with
Speaker 1: a knee injury and missed half of last season with
Speaker 1: an ankle injury. Smith is six two two forty, so
Speaker 1: he's not as big as Hurst, but he has great
Speaker 1: speed and one of his strengths is run after catch.
Speaker 1: He'll obviously give Joe Burrow another target in the passing game,
Speaker 1: and he's five years younger than Hurst. I talked to
Speaker 1: the newest Bengal shortly after three passed his physical inside.
Speaker 1: I'm a dotted line, IRV. You are coming to a
Speaker 1: Super Bowl contender with an obvious need at your position.
Speaker 1: That seems like the ideal combination for a free agent
Speaker 1: to me. Is that the case? Yes, sir, it's UM.
Speaker 1: It's a huge blessing. I'm excited for this opportunity. UM.
Speaker 1: You know, Coach Taylor and and and the whole organization,
Speaker 1: they've been very adamant about me coming here and the
Speaker 1: things that I can do to help this offense, and
Speaker 1: UM contribute anyway I can. So I'm just excited for
Speaker 1: this opportunity and Um, you know, I'm just thankful and
Speaker 1: try to get to work. It's been reported that it
Speaker 1: came down to Bengals and Dolphins. Is that accurate? Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: Yeah it was. It was a tough you know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying. It's tough decisions kind of at the end.
Speaker 1: But um, you know, I felt like how to do
Speaker 1: its best for myself and my family, and um, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm excited to be here to a tungkle Vlo was
Speaker 1: your college quarterback at Alabama. Did he try to sway
Speaker 1: you down to South Beach? Yes, sir, Yes, sir, I
Speaker 1: talked to a great friend of mine. UM, great leader,
Speaker 1: great person, um, and you know he's going to do
Speaker 1: great things in Miami. But um, you know, I felt
Speaker 1: like this is a decision that you know, I felt
Speaker 1: like it was best for me in my situation and
Speaker 1: um for my family and uh, you know, just just
Speaker 1: following following the steps a guy. He played against Joe
Speaker 1: Burrow in college. It went well for the Crimson Tide.
Speaker 1: How big was the Borough factor in coming here? Yeah,
Speaker 1: definitely it was a It was a big factor. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, playing against Joe in college. Uh, you know,
Speaker 1: when I was at Alabama. He was at LSU and
Speaker 1: you know, competing against him and seeing the type of
Speaker 1: player he is, and um, the type of leader he is,
Speaker 1: and you know, just the the role that he that
Speaker 1: he plays, and you know, or all our aspects of
Speaker 1: the team, but especially you know the tight end position. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, just being able to you know, give me
Speaker 1: the football and make plays with the ball in my
Speaker 1: hand and um, you know, move the chains and score touchdown.
Speaker 1: So I'm excited to get to work with Joe and
Speaker 1: you know, learn more about him and you know, pick
Speaker 1: each other's brains and um, go do this thing. Your
Speaker 1: dad played in the NFL. I read that he recommended
Speaker 1: that you come to Cincinnati. It's that true, Yes, sir, Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know kind of going through this process. Um, you
Speaker 1: know my dad, he's been through it before. So it's
Speaker 1: a big blessing. Um, you know, having him on my
Speaker 1: team and just being able to lean on him for
Speaker 1: you know, different different questions and different things, uh, because
Speaker 1: he's been through this process. So UM that definitely, you know,
Speaker 1: hearing his words of assurance and um, you know, believing
Speaker 1: in me and having that confidence to make the right decision.
Speaker 1: Were chatting the Bengals tight end If Smith Junior. When
Speaker 1: the Vikings drafted you back in twenty nineteen, you were
Speaker 1: twenty You were the youngest player in the NFL. Now
Speaker 1: you've been in the league for four years and you're
Speaker 1: still only twenty four. Do you feel like you're just
Speaker 1: getting started? Yes, sir, Yeah, it feels like you know, Um,
Speaker 1: it feels almost like a another like I'm going into
Speaker 1: my rookie year again, and so I'm not not rookie year,
Speaker 1: but in a sense, um, new beginnings. And you know,
Speaker 1: I've laid a lot of groundwork in the NFL so far,
Speaker 1: and you know, this is a new journey and I'm
Speaker 1: just I'm excited to get to work. I'm you know,
Speaker 1: young as well, like you said, and um, you know,
Speaker 1: I have a lot of energy, a lot of juice. Uh,
Speaker 1: I want to bring to this team in the city
Speaker 1: and this organization. Your career got off to a great start.
Speaker 1: You set the Vikings rookie record for catchers by a
Speaker 1: tight end, and then there have been some injuries since,
Speaker 1: including an injury a couple of years ago that cost
Speaker 1: you a season. How have you dealt with the ups
Speaker 1: and downs? Um, you know, I've just been leaning on,
Speaker 1: leaning on God. You know, he he'll you know, you'll
Speaker 1: go through certain situations. Um, you don't know why, but
Speaker 1: you know when you when you battle those those situations
Speaker 1: and you come out stronger as a as a man
Speaker 1: and as a person. So um, it's something that you know,
Speaker 1: it's behind me, but it's definitely uh, definitely growing me
Speaker 1: mentally as a player, physically as a player. And I'm
Speaker 1: just sided to play football and get toured. I mentioned
Speaker 1: that you're from New Orleans. What's your relationship like with
Speaker 1: Jamar Chase. Uh. Yeah, me and Jamar we actually grew
Speaker 1: up playing against each other in high school so um,
Speaker 1: which is which is pretty amazing. He was two years
Speaker 1: two years younger than me. He was two grades younger
Speaker 1: than me. Um. And he was at Rum while I
Speaker 1: was at Brother Martin. So I remember those battles us. Uh,
Speaker 1: you know up at Tag Gormley and at joe Yenni
Speaker 1: his stadium. Um. It's it's amazing, you know. And as
Speaker 1: well just training with Jamar, um with my trainer NXC
Speaker 1: training and uh and Gary and and and those guys.
Speaker 1: It's just it's just amazing to be able to reconnect
Speaker 1: and you know, at this level. You know, this is
Speaker 1: this is the highest level. It doesn't get any higher.
Speaker 1: And um, I'm decided to get to work with him
Speaker 1: for sure. When the news broke that you were going
Speaker 1: to sign with Cincinnati, he tweeted Jeff for gift fight.
Speaker 1: I never know how to pronounce it, but it was
Speaker 1: like a little kid dancing on top of the table
Speaker 1: with a one word caption mood. Did you see that?
Speaker 1: What was your action? Yeah? I definitely did. Um. We
Speaker 1: talked like kind of right after I uh, it kind
Speaker 1: of had got announced, and you know, we was just
Speaker 1: really excited. Um, you know he was. He was just
Speaker 1: telling me, you know, I'm not missing piece that they
Speaker 1: that they need to get this to get this thing done.
Speaker 1: So um, it's it's a blessing. And you know that's
Speaker 1: definitely that's definitely the mood around here. We're gonna we're
Speaker 1: gonna have a lot of fun. Uh, bring a lot
Speaker 1: of juice, a lot of energy and and win a
Speaker 1: lot of games. Have a lot of guys reached out already.
Speaker 1: Oh yes, sir, Yeah, I talked to Tyler Boyd, Joe, Um, Jamaar,
Speaker 1: I've seen T and T Higgins here today. Um, so
Speaker 1: it's it's it's super cool just hearing hearing from the
Speaker 1: guys and you know, hearing their excitement and um, you
Speaker 1: know a few weeks, we're gonna we're gonna be ready
Speaker 1: to strip it up and um, you know, begin begin
Speaker 1: this process. Do you know what your number is going
Speaker 1: to be? Do you have a preference? Uh, We're gonna see.
Speaker 1: That's I had asked trade that. Um when we was
Speaker 1: coming up here in the elevator. I was like, you know, uh,
Speaker 1: I said, I said, what are the number of situations
Speaker 1: and stuff? I wear eighty two in college and eighty
Speaker 1: four in the league. So those those are two numbers
Speaker 1: that stick stick with me and h in my family. So, UM,
Speaker 1: we'll see, we'll see what happens. We're chatting with Irv
Speaker 1: Smith Junior. The Bengals recently signed Orlando Brown Junior, whose
Speaker 1: dad played the same position for a long time in
Speaker 1: the NFL, and the situation is very similar for you.
Speaker 1: Irv Smith Senior was an NFL tight end for seven years.
Speaker 1: How has that impacted your path to the NFL. It's
Speaker 1: impacted me tremendously. Um, just in terms of you know,
Speaker 1: as a young kid, Uh, seeing my dad's as helmets
Speaker 1: and jerseys and different things like that around the house. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, just subconsciously, uh, picking up you know, picking
Speaker 1: up as helmet and different things like that. Um, you
Speaker 1: know those dreams you said at a young age, and
Speaker 1: you know, by the time you know, you start getting
Speaker 1: older to play football, it becomes more and more real
Speaker 1: than you through the high school process, go through the
Speaker 1: college process, and then it's like, wow, I'm finally here
Speaker 1: in the NFL. So it's a surreal Momentum. You know,
Speaker 1: every time I get to walk into an NFL building
Speaker 1: and you know, see my name on my locker and um,
Speaker 1: you know, be able to catch the balls and touchdowns
Speaker 1: from NFL quarterbacks and you know here the fans cheer
Speaker 1: and just all of that. It's amazing. And you know,
Speaker 1: I'm still living my dreams. He didn't let you play
Speaker 1: right away though, right, Yeah, No, he didn't let me
Speaker 1: play till till eighth grade. Actually I had to fight
Speaker 1: him to let me play in eighth grade. He wasn't
Speaker 1: gonna let me play till high school. But every year
Speaker 1: for Christmas, I'd ask him to let me play football
Speaker 1: and he wouldn't let me. And then finally eighth grade,
Speaker 1: he let me play, So, UM, I just had a lot,
Speaker 1: a lot of energy and just wanted to wanted to
Speaker 1: go out there and make him proud, to make my
Speaker 1: family proud. And you know, I feel like I'm doing
Speaker 1: that and I want to continue to do that. I'm
Speaker 1: glad he caved worked out well for all. So after
Speaker 1: this steal came together several days ago, you said, quote,
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm almost the missing piece to get
Speaker 1: us that Super Bowl. What do you bring to the
Speaker 1: table for the Bengals, Um, you know I bring. I
Speaker 1: bring a lot of things I feel like, UM, you know,
Speaker 1: being a young player and it played in a lot
Speaker 1: of big games. UM throughout my career. You know, I
Speaker 1: just want to show the consistency and show you know
Speaker 1: that I'm all around tight end. UM. You know, I
Speaker 1: can make plays in all aspects of the game. UM.
Speaker 1: You know, I feel like my speed is definitely an
Speaker 1: advantage to me. UM. You know, being able to play
Speaker 1: different positions in the backfield, out wade in the slot, UM,
Speaker 1: put my hand in the dirt. UM you know, third down,
Speaker 1: red zone, the mismatch, and UM just creating those mismatches
Speaker 1: because we have a lot of weapons on this team
Speaker 1: and you know they're not gonna be able to cover
Speaker 1: us all. So I'm I'm excited. Your last catching Minnesota
Speaker 1: was a playoff touchdown last year against the Giants. Was
Speaker 1: that a special moment for you? Yes, it definitely was. Um.
Speaker 1: You know, anytime you can play in the playoffs and
Speaker 1: make an impact and help your team have a chance
Speaker 1: to win, it's it's a it's a big, big blessing.
Speaker 1: So UM, I'm excited to you know, hopefully my next
Speaker 1: catch as a Bengal as a touchdown right away. Last
Speaker 1: thing for earth Smith Junior. The dates aren't out yet,
Speaker 1: but we know the Bengals opponents and the Vikings are
Speaker 1: on the schedule, a home game at Bay Core Stadium.
Speaker 1: Were you aware of that and is that something you
Speaker 1: really look forward to? Yeah, my my aunt she actually, um,
Speaker 1: she showed me at the other day when when the
Speaker 1: schedules and stuff got released, and I've seen it was
Speaker 1: it was here in Cincinnati as well, And it's gonna
Speaker 1: be it's gonna be a lot of fun. You know,
Speaker 1: we gotta we got a long way to that to
Speaker 1: that road. Um, you know, just take to take it
Speaker 1: one day at a time. Um, you know, it starts
Speaker 1: in Otash this offseason and you know do the training
Speaker 1: and different things like that. It's a long, long process
Speaker 1: till then. But you know, when that time comes, we'll
Speaker 1: be ready. We're excited to have you here in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: Congratulations on the deal and welcome, so thank you appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Herb Smith Senior and Orlando Browns Senior were teammates with
Speaker 1: the Cleveland Browns in nineteen ninety nine. It's pretty cool
Speaker 1: that their sons are about to be teammates in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by Alta Fiber,
Speaker 1: future proof fiber Internet capable of delivering multi gigabit speeds
Speaker 1: designed to take your home, business, and community to a
Speaker 1: new level. Elevate your connection with Alta Fiber. College Basketball's
Speaker 1: Final Four is coming up this weekend in Houston, and
Speaker 1: one of the bengals best defensive players will be there.
Speaker 1: Trey Hendrickson, the two time Pro bowler, will be rooting
Speaker 1: for his alma mater, ninth seeded Florida Atlantic. The Owls
Speaker 1: are thirty five and three, including wins over Memphis, Fairleigh, Dickinson, Tennessee,
Speaker 1: and Kansas State to get to the Final four. I
Speaker 1: talked to a very proud former OWL at the beginning
Speaker 1: of the week, Trey, how exciting is it for you
Speaker 1: that your alma mater, Florida Atlantic is Final four bound. Yeah?
Speaker 1: Anytime you you know, in the final four, you know,
Speaker 1: you take that Cinderella, you know, that story kind of
Speaker 1: drifts away and now it's just a good basketball team.
Speaker 1: So it's exciting to see, you know, good coaching, passionate players,
Speaker 1: and good chemistry coming together and doing something special for FAU.
Speaker 1: Your love for your alma mater was evident last weekend.
Speaker 1: You made the trip to New York, went to those
Speaker 1: games at Madison Square Garden. Why was it important for
Speaker 1: you to be there? Well, you know, I was in
Speaker 1: Columbus for their first win ever in March Madness, and
Speaker 1: then that was another one that was historical, was the
Speaker 1: first trophy that we've ever hosted or hoisted in at FAU.
Speaker 1: So it was important to me to be there support
Speaker 1: the guys. You know. Obviously my wife could make it too,
Speaker 1: which is really important. So it was just a fun atmosphere.
Speaker 1: It's hard to say no to the garden, and you know,
Speaker 1: excited to go to Houston too. So for everybody to
Speaker 1: say that's saying this is an unbelievable underdog cinderella story.
Speaker 1: Maybe you can point out how good Florida Atlantic has
Speaker 1: been all year. Yeah, it's hard to call a thirty
Speaker 1: win team a cinderella story. You know, they've won, and
Speaker 1: they've won consistently. They found ways to win, special, special,
Speaker 1: passionate group. I mean, they're resilient. They were down a
Speaker 1: couple times in March, came back and beat these teams.
Speaker 1: Good discipline, making free throws in the last you know,
Speaker 1: ten twelve seconds of the game, four for four, last
Speaker 1: game in Kansas State, it seemed like it was a
Speaker 1: home game an MSG. So you know, the discipline, the
Speaker 1: attention to detail, it's the stuff that makes great teams great.
Speaker 1: So I went to Syracuse in two thousand and three
Speaker 1: they won the national championship. That was well past my graduation.
Speaker 1: I went. It was in New Orleans and it was
Speaker 1: like a college reunion set in New Orleans, and my
Speaker 1: team won. It was one of the greatest experiences of
Speaker 1: my sports fan life. So you are planning to go
Speaker 1: to Houston, correct, absolutely, Yeah, you know it's obviously on
Speaker 1: a weekend, and then the Championship on the weekday, So
Speaker 1: I'm going to book a one way, you know, and
Speaker 1: hang out with the guys and obviously cheer on my
Speaker 1: alma mater. And if any Bengals fans are wondering about
Speaker 1: your dedication, it's nine in the morning, the day after
Speaker 1: your team just went to the Final four, earned the
Speaker 1: right to go to the Final four, and you're here
Speaker 1: at pay coorse stating working out. Yeah, it's you know,
Speaker 1: I have a job to do and I have big
Speaker 1: goals for this season. Obviously we've we have bigger goals
Speaker 1: in the last two years, you know. So anything that
Speaker 1: I can do to improve to keep on the right track.
Speaker 1: And you know, I'm surrounded with a lot of great
Speaker 1: guys in this building. I can't say enough about the
Speaker 1: coaching staff and the strength staff. So mentally ready, physically ready,
Speaker 1: emotionally ready, and you know, ready to get back after it.
Speaker 1: Best the luck to the Owls. Congratulations on making it
Speaker 1: to the final four and Joy Houston, thanks so much. FA.
Speaker 1: You will face San Diego State on Saturday night at
Speaker 1: six Trays OWLS a three point underdog. The winner will
Speaker 1: battle either Miami or Yukon for the national Championship and
Speaker 1: for what it's worth, Yukon coach Dan Hurley is one
Speaker 1: of the biggest Bengals fans I've ever met. The Bengals
Speaker 1: Booth podcast is brought to you by Kettering Health, the
Speaker 1: official healthcare provider of the Bengals. With more than one
Speaker 1: hundred twenty care facilities and fifteen hundred care providers, Kettering
Speaker 1: Health is committed to guiding you to your best health.
Speaker 1: Visit Kettering health dot org to learn more. This week,
Speaker 1: one of Cincinnati's best sportscasters is retiring after working for
Speaker 1: more than four decades at wl WT TV. My friend
Speaker 1: George Vogel I moved to Cincinnati more than twenty five
Speaker 1: years ago, and I don't recall meeting anybody who doesn't
Speaker 1: like George. I talked to him this week about his
Speaker 1: career and covering the Bengals for forty plus years. George,
Speaker 1: you realize, since you are leaving Channel five in Cincinnati
Speaker 1: and will no longer be covering the Bengals after forty
Speaker 1: plush years, you are guaranteeing that they will win the
Speaker 1: Super Bowl in the near future. That's exactly what's going
Speaker 1: to happen, and it's probably going to be next year,
Speaker 1: which is fine by me. We tried, we tried, and
Speaker 1: we tried, and almost got it done in the home stretch.
Speaker 1: But I'm very confident Bengals fans will be in jubilation
Speaker 1: in a February coming soon. You are still outstanding at
Speaker 1: anchoring and reporting. Why are you retiring, Well, it's just
Speaker 1: kind of time because priorities change, and it's got to
Speaker 1: do with you know, my mom passed away last year,
Speaker 1: my father in law passed away, and my wife and
Speaker 1: I have been talking about stuff. Then she had an
Speaker 1: appidect to me in the fall and I had this
Speaker 1: kidney surgery thing flare up, and it's like, you know what,
Speaker 1: we haven't had a lot of time to do a
Speaker 1: lot of things we talk about doing, and we always
Speaker 1: talk about doing them. Someday will do this, Someday we'll
Speaker 1: do that, and even it may just be like long weekends,
Speaker 1: you know, leave on a Friday, come back on a Monday.
Speaker 1: That kind is It's hard for both of us with
Speaker 1: our schedules to arrange that. And she's going to continue
Speaker 1: to work, but with me having free reign, we'll be
Speaker 1: able to do that. I have two grandkids, four and
Speaker 1: one and I want to do stuff with them before
Speaker 1: it's too late. You know, I've got another surgery coming
Speaker 1: up next week for next fusion for the second time.
Speaker 1: So I've got a numb right arm and numb right
Speaker 1: leg and it's like before it's numb permanently. Time to
Speaker 1: smell the roses and do some stuff we talk about doing.
Speaker 1: And fortunately I'm going to be able to do that. What,
Speaker 1: if anything, do you think you'll miss? Oh, my gosh,
Speaker 1: First of all, being around the games, because I've been
Speaker 1: too married to this desk over the past ten years.
Speaker 1: Probably a lot of that's my fault because I I
Speaker 1: can't get used to the concept that I can do
Speaker 1: all this stuff in the field with the graphics and
Speaker 1: the rundowns and you know what I'm talking about with
Speaker 1: the computer driven stuff, Well you can, and I probably
Speaker 1: should have been a little better about doing that. And
Speaker 1: so when I went to Kansas City last week and
Speaker 1: was around that environment and the NC Double A Tournament,
Speaker 1: and you know, I got to go to the Bengals
Speaker 1: playoff games and I was at the Super Bowl of
Speaker 1: the previous year. Being around that stuff and especially being
Speaker 1: around it and it's not on your dime I mean,
Speaker 1: that's even better. And it's like to go to a
Speaker 1: Super Bowl cost an arm and a leg and to
Speaker 1: be able to do that and be paid to do
Speaker 1: it and just be just being there. And I'm going
Speaker 1: to go to games, but I'm gonna be sitting in
Speaker 1: the stands, and I mean I'll be going to games
Speaker 1: all the time. But being in those locker rooms talking
Speaker 1: to those kids last week, and you know, you do
Speaker 1: it with the Bengals and what a group they have
Speaker 1: to deal with. I mean, that stuff is so fun,
Speaker 1: dealing with those personalities and the youthful enthusiasm that you
Speaker 1: kind of forget about if you're away from it at all,
Speaker 1: and you're in there. You know, I'm talking with those
Speaker 1: Xavier players last week and just the fun they were
Speaker 1: having being a part of the NCUBA tournament. Something they
Speaker 1: always dreamed of doing. Now they're doing it and it's
Speaker 1: living up to their expectations. Being around that I think
Speaker 1: keeps you young, and that worries me. That's why when
Speaker 1: I have to be around those grandkids a lot, because
Speaker 1: that stuff keeps you young, I think, no question. Now.
Speaker 1: One of the things I admire about you, and I've
Speaker 1: always admired about you is that you are honest and
Speaker 1: you can be critical on the air, but the coaches
Speaker 1: and players respect you and never seem to take offense
Speaker 1: when you were being honest and sometimes critical. Did you
Speaker 1: feel that way and if so, how did you pull
Speaker 1: it off? Well? Sometimes it wasn't that way. I mean, well,
Speaker 1: I try to treat them like I want to be treated. Look,
Speaker 1: I know, uh, they're hurting after a bad loss and
Speaker 1: a bad play and a bad and I don't want
Speaker 1: to go busting right in their face with this stuff.
Speaker 1: And you know, I've seen people do that and they
Speaker 1: probably get the reaction that that I wouldn't want, but
Speaker 1: maybe they want it. I just want to know how
Speaker 1: the guys feel about it. I want to do it
Speaker 1: in a way that that isn't rude. I guess. I
Speaker 1: just try to treat them the way I want to
Speaker 1: be treated, and I know how I would feel. And
Speaker 1: it didn't always work that way. I mean I've I've
Speaker 1: been you know, barked at more than once, and that's
Speaker 1: part of it. It's gonna happen. It happens, you know,
Speaker 1: it happens here at work with co workers. It's just
Speaker 1: when you're around people a lot, there's gonna you're gonna
Speaker 1: rub somebody the wrong way. They're gonna react, maybe the
Speaker 1: way they wish they hadn't down the road. Uh, it happens.
Speaker 1: But I just think you treat them the way you
Speaker 1: would want to be treated, and you respect them. You
Speaker 1: don't act like, hey, you did this and you're just
Speaker 1: a miserable football player. No, They're out there doing their best,
Speaker 1: and I just want to treat them the way I
Speaker 1: think anyone would want to be treated, and that's in
Speaker 1: a respectful way. I'm glad you said that, because one
Speaker 1: thing that I've always said is the worst player who
Speaker 1: has ever put on a uniform is infinitely better than
Speaker 1: I ever dreamed of being. So they deserve our respect. Yes,
Speaker 1: And I was just down at the red scrimmage a
Speaker 1: little bit ago watching that, and I'm just thinking about
Speaker 1: the stuff they hear. And you know, they had a
Speaker 1: hundred losses last year, terrible season for the Reds. But again,
Speaker 1: the worst player on that team is a darn good
Speaker 1: athlete and a darn goood baseball player. And to navigate
Speaker 1: your way through you know, high school sports, college sports,
Speaker 1: minor leagues and you get to the major league level,
Speaker 1: you're pretty darn good. Yeah, you know, you can say, oh,
Speaker 1: come on, and there's gonna be frustrations and booze. But
Speaker 1: to to ride a guy in a way that's just,
Speaker 1: you know, not the way you would ever want to
Speaker 1: be treated. I think it's just wrong. And I hate
Speaker 1: to see these athletes when they have to snap back,
Speaker 1: and you see it a lot in basketball because the
Speaker 1: crowd's on top of them where they're throwing drinks at
Speaker 1: them and that. But I understand their frustration hearing that
Speaker 1: from some guy who you know, couldn't make a free
Speaker 1: throw if you gave him a hundred tries. George, will
Speaker 1: you dabble in broadcasting in some way, shape or form.
Speaker 1: I don't know, And people have asked me that, and
Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna get
Speaker 1: through this surgery kind of clear my head for a
Speaker 1: few months and then see what is out there, what
Speaker 1: would interest me. I wouldn't be shocked. I'm not saying,
Speaker 1: you know, I'm not shutting the door to everything forever.
Speaker 1: In fact, I've told him here, you know, if they
Speaker 1: need help down the road or something happens, and it's
Speaker 1: just like, you know, what's going on WCPO having Popovich
Speaker 1: help out on the opening day parade. I could see
Speaker 1: myself doing things like that if they ever wanted me
Speaker 1: to do it. And you know, I certainly still enjoy it.
Speaker 1: In fact, you know, it seems like since I set
Speaker 1: a date to retire, it's almost like I've been enjoying
Speaker 1: it more sometimes. And I've just been able to loosen
Speaker 1: up a little bit, I guess because you know, you
Speaker 1: know that, you know, not that I'm saying, hey, what
Speaker 1: are they gonna do? Fire me? But yeah, it's just
Speaker 1: been a lot more enjoyable knowing that, um, you know
Speaker 1: that I can, I can maybe be myself a little more.
Speaker 1: I tried to be that way all the way through,
Speaker 1: but um, I really am enjoying it. And maybe it's
Speaker 1: just because I know that there's little time left and
Speaker 1: I better enjoy it if I like and I do,
Speaker 1: I like it. We are visiting with George Vogel winding
Speaker 1: up a great career at WLWT TV here in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: This is a Bengals podcast, so let's hit on some
Speaker 1: Bengals topics. You are from the small town and Georgetown,
Speaker 1: Ohio populatian. I think a little less than five thousand.
Speaker 1: What was it like for you to meet and get
Speaker 1: to know Paul Brown? Oh my gosh, that's like one
Speaker 1: of the best things ever. I you know, you grow
Speaker 1: up knowing about the Cleveland Browns and him what happened there?
Speaker 1: He comes to Cincinnati with the team starting in nineteen
Speaker 1: sixty eight, and I was the first kid in Georgetown
Speaker 1: with a Bengal sweatshirt. By the way, it was so funny.
Speaker 1: My mom buys his staying and brings it home. And
Speaker 1: this was like maybe summer of sixty seven, I can't remember,
Speaker 1: but I'm wearing this Bengal sweatshirt at the We had
Speaker 1: these nighttime softball games, adult softball games at the local school,
Speaker 1: the local playground, and I'm up there and kids are
Speaker 1: going Cincinnati Bengals. What is that? You know? I was
Speaker 1: more than happy to tell hey, it's a football team
Speaker 1: govern to Cincinnati. And then to see Paul Brown when
Speaker 1: I got to meet him, and you know, he Paul
Speaker 1: was in his later years and probably a lot more
Speaker 1: mellow than he was. You know, some of the players
Speaker 1: who had told me about him and how rough and
Speaker 1: gruffy could be in demanding he was, but man, What
Speaker 1: a gentleman and what a great guy. And he would
Speaker 1: stand over there at Spinney Field and he knew me
Speaker 1: from doing these high school football reports and he would
Speaker 1: be asking me like, who's gonna win the Madara Indian
Speaker 1: Hill game this week and be laughing and then asking
Speaker 1: about another team that he was familiar with. And that
Speaker 1: was the thing that I mean he was. He was knowledgeable, funny,
Speaker 1: funny as all get out, interesting but all you know,
Speaker 1: he liked to have fun and he joked around about that.
Speaker 1: I remember another time a local reporter was doing a
Speaker 1: stand up over there, and this guy kind of screamed
Speaker 1: a little bit when he did his stand ups. I
Speaker 1: remember Paul stopping and looking at me and my photographer
Speaker 1: and he's like, who is he talking to? Whoever it
Speaker 1: is they could hear him from here. It was so funny.
Speaker 1: He was just it was amazing, like how you know,
Speaker 1: it's this football legend and for him to be that
Speaker 1: human and interact with us because he didn't have to
Speaker 1: give us the time of day. It was interesting and
Speaker 1: it was special and I got to do a probably
Speaker 1: about two years before he passed away, I sat down
Speaker 1: with him for a long interview inside Old Riverfront Stadium,
Speaker 1: and he talked about everything his high school days and
Speaker 1: you know, he was a high school high jump champion
Speaker 1: in Ohio and and telling me things that I had
Speaker 1: no idea. And boy, he loved his sports. He loved
Speaker 1: all of it, but football. He was a specially good at.
Speaker 1: One of my regrets is that I got to Cincinnati
Speaker 1: after he had passed away. I've read every book ever
Speaker 1: written about him. I wish I could have met him,
Speaker 1: But it's great to hear stories like that from you.
Speaker 1: What kind of relationship do you have with Mike? It
Speaker 1: seems pretty good, I think, I think. I mean, the
Speaker 1: last time I talked with him, it was good. And
Speaker 1: that's another guy that's funny that people wouldn't realize unless
Speaker 1: you get a chance to talk to him like we
Speaker 1: have that. That sense of humor is amazing, and he's sharp.
Speaker 1: Oh my god, I do not want to try to
Speaker 1: match wits with him every time I think I got
Speaker 1: him on something. I remember asking him about not having
Speaker 1: a general manager once and he pretty much knifed me
Speaker 1: in a nice way. But it's like, oh my god,
Speaker 1: I should have been ready for that. I mean, it
Speaker 1: came out of nowhere. With a machete, and he was right.
Speaker 1: And he's a sharp guy. He is a sharp guy.
Speaker 1: And yeah, our relationship is good. I thought he wouldn't
Speaker 1: want to do this. We did a Bengals Brown special.
Speaker 1: This is probably about six years ago, seven years ago,
Speaker 1: and I asked if I could talk with Mike and
Speaker 1: just talk about the old because you know, Mike really
Speaker 1: only does his one thing on television, which is at
Speaker 1: the pre training camp luncheon, and he he agreed to
Speaker 1: do it. It was all about the history of the
Speaker 1: Bengals and Browns that he was amazing in that interview
Speaker 1: talking about those old days and him remember and being
Speaker 1: like a ball boy at training camp for the Browns
Speaker 1: and you know Maryon Motley and Otto Graham and all
Speaker 1: these old time greats that he was hanging out with
Speaker 1: as a kid, and the influence that had on him
Speaker 1: and boy, and he did not hold back on the
Speaker 1: whole Art Model fire and his father situation at all.
Speaker 1: He talked about how bitter it was, how much the
Speaker 1: Bengals when Paul was alive, how much they enjoyed beating
Speaker 1: the Browns and what it meant to them and everybody
Speaker 1: in that organization knew it. Everyone the players knew it.
Speaker 1: Paul used to have that talk with him even when
Speaker 1: he wasn't coaching, about how big of a deal it
Speaker 1: was to beat the Cleveland Browns. And and you know,
Speaker 1: Mike was so good in that interview. So I think
Speaker 1: our relationships pretty good. I don't ain't good enough, you know,
Speaker 1: he would want me over for dinner, but I think
Speaker 1: it's good. Who have been some of your favorite players
Speaker 1: and coaches to interact with over the years. Oh gosh,
Speaker 1: I gotta tell you, Zach right now is awesome. And
Speaker 1: you know I haven't been able to do a whole
Speaker 1: lot with him, but just right away, his positive attitude
Speaker 1: is unbelievable. I try to be optimistic that guy, you know,
Speaker 1: he makes me look like schlep Ross. I mean, he
Speaker 1: is so optimistic. And the first time I did a
Speaker 1: one on one with him and he's given me these answers.
Speaker 1: And you know, the Bengals were kind of in a
Speaker 1: bad way and we're off to a bad start that season,
Speaker 1: and he's given me all this positive stuff. So finally,
Speaker 1: I'm like, you're a half glass full guy. Right He's
Speaker 1: like from the get go, I am total half class full.
Speaker 1: It's like, Okay, I get that, and I love that
Speaker 1: about him. He's been great. Sam Weish was probably I
Speaker 1: would have to say he would be the favorite because
Speaker 1: he you know, he understood the media. He knew what
Speaker 1: we had to do. When we had this Sunday night
Speaker 1: show back in the eighties, and this is when I
Speaker 1: was still working in the news department, but the sports
Speaker 1: guys had this Sunday Night Bengal show during the season.
Speaker 1: Sam did magic tricks on that show, like they would
Speaker 1: go down and record a segment with him at Spinney Field.
Speaker 1: Then later in the eighties are the this would have
Speaker 1: been yeah, right, late eighties, early nineties, we did this
Speaker 1: segment with him called Hey Sam, where we would go
Speaker 1: get these questions on Mondays from fans about the previous
Speaker 1: day's game. Then we would give him the questions on Wednesday.
Speaker 1: He would answer and we would marry it up. It
Speaker 1: looked like, you know, he was answering the fans question
Speaker 1: right away. It was a fun segment. It was a
Speaker 1: good segment. He was open to do it, and you know,
Speaker 1: he did some crazy stuff, but he was I mean
Speaker 1: he did on and off the field. I mean, there
Speaker 1: was one time we went to his house for an interview,
Speaker 1: and his whole living room is full of these boxes
Speaker 1: and he's like, hey, to see what's in here. He
Speaker 1: pulls out and it's like this green Army surplus underwear
Speaker 1: or something that he had gotten a hold of a
Speaker 1: shipment somewhere that they were gonna throw away, and he
Speaker 1: got it for the homeless shelter here in Cincinnati. And
Speaker 1: he was always doing stuff like that that people didn't
Speaker 1: know about, always helping, you know, people who were struggling,
Speaker 1: helping with the food Bank, the Goodwill and doing charity
Speaker 1: things like that that I don't think anybody ever knew
Speaker 1: about that. He was a lot, a lot of fun.
Speaker 1: I mean when he closed that locker room that time
Speaker 1: after the game, he did some stuff that it's even
Speaker 1: the players are like sorry, guys were not allowed to
Speaker 1: talk because they him, And it was so I remember
Speaker 1: Boomer coming out after that game saying that basically, and
Speaker 1: he would laugh at some of the stuff Sam tried
Speaker 1: to pull and did pull. So he was he was
Speaker 1: a laugh riot. How about players, I imagine Boomer had
Speaker 1: to be pretty high on the list. Oh yeah, you
Speaker 1: know what he did. I was telling somebody this, Yes,
Speaker 1: today we're talking about the super Bowl at eighty eight
Speaker 1: and down to Miami, and Boomer would come through the
Speaker 1: lobby because we were allowed to hang out in the
Speaker 1: lobby at to play the team hotel and we were
Speaker 1: doing live shots there and stuff. But he would come
Speaker 1: through every night and ask all the local stations if
Speaker 1: they needed him for anything, if they needed any more
Speaker 1: of an interview or whatever. And you know, like the
Speaker 1: second night, I'm like, Boomer, what are you doing? What?
Speaker 1: He goes, you guys have covered us the entire season.
Speaker 1: I just want to make sure you guys are taken
Speaker 1: care of. And I appreciate everything you guys did during
Speaker 1: the season. I want to make sure you get what
Speaker 1: you need here. You came down to Miami to cover us.
Speaker 1: I just want to do what's right by you guys.
Speaker 1: I was impressive. People you know, wouldn't think he would
Speaker 1: do that. But he was a sports intern at a
Speaker 1: TV station and it may have been DC or Baltimore.
Speaker 1: He worked with Gail Seens. He said back in the day,
Speaker 1: I think it was Baltimore, so he kind of understood
Speaker 1: the business. But he was great. That whole team was great. Um,
Speaker 1: But you know, Chad Ojosinko my god, when when he
Speaker 1: had that list and I had to go in there
Speaker 1: every Wednesday, and I'm like, every Wedn's gonna be like,
Speaker 1: oh God, not this list again. We're gonna do this,
Speaker 1: and that would be the funniest darn thing. He would
Speaker 1: come up with some new angle on it. Um, So
Speaker 1: he was. He was delightful. And TJ right next locker
Speaker 1: by him, was great to deal with. Those guys were great. Um,
Speaker 1: there's been mostly good ones with the Bengals. I mean
Speaker 1: that whole eighty eight team and that team. Now, I
Speaker 1: listened those interviews you do with those guys. I listened that.
Speaker 1: I mean I look forward to that every Sunday on
Speaker 1: the pregame show, and that those those kids are amazing.
Speaker 1: They have right now. Just you know the one and
Speaker 1: I told you about this last year, the one you
Speaker 1: did about the kid in Columbus who didn't make the
Speaker 1: team but was talking about listening to the super Bowl
Speaker 1: on the radio and he's delivering pizzas at that time,
Speaker 1: and he get what an amazing story and what a
Speaker 1: good young man. And I hope he's doing well. I'm
Speaker 1: sure he is, because he certainly has a head on
Speaker 1: his shoulders on the flip side. Who gave you trouble? Well,
Speaker 1: Oliver Gibson did that one time back in it was
Speaker 1: early two thousands. But that was a bad situation and
Speaker 1: it wasn't it wasn't personal at me, but it was.
Speaker 1: It was at our station because of the story we
Speaker 1: did on Tremaine back and you know, he wasn't supposed
Speaker 1: to be driving. He was driving the practice. Somehow I
Speaker 1: get elected to be the first guy in the locker
Speaker 1: room with a Channel five microphone flag after that whole fiasco,
Speaker 1: So I kind of knew it was probably coming. I
Speaker 1: didn't know it was going to be that bad because
Speaker 1: I'd been in there all season. I thought, well, they'll
Speaker 1: go easy on poor old George. No, there was no
Speaker 1: such thing as easy. That was bad. And I give
Speaker 1: you know, I give Jack Brennan a lot of credit
Speaker 1: because he told how they're like, get him out of
Speaker 1: here now, and he's like, look, he's got an NFL credential.
Speaker 1: He has every right to be in here. If you
Speaker 1: don't want to talk to him, you don't have to.
Speaker 1: And I said the same, Bay, I'm like, you know,
Speaker 1: I don't. So I stood there and they're like, well,
Speaker 1: we're not talking to anybody until he's out of here.
Speaker 1: So I stood there for about a minute, you know,
Speaker 1: maybe two minutes, got some bad stares, and I see
Speaker 1: all my poor you know, media buddies from Cincinnati getting nothing,
Speaker 1: and I'm like, dah, this isn't productive. So I walked
Speaker 1: out and then lo and behold, we walk into an
Speaker 1: interview with Scott Mitchell and he didn't know what the
Speaker 1: heck was going on, so he talked all day to us.
Speaker 1: That was so fun. I don't want to knock on Scott,
Speaker 1: but that might be the only thing he did right
Speaker 1: that season. Not one of the more successful quarterbacks in
Speaker 1: Bengals history now, but he tried and he was a
Speaker 1: stand up dude. And you know what, what can you do.
Speaker 1: Not everyone's cut out to be an NFL quarterback. That's
Speaker 1: that's for sure, hardest job in the world. We're chatting.
Speaker 1: We're chatting the large Vogel. Do you have a most
Speaker 1: memorable moment or moments from the Super Bowl trips? Oh? Gosh,
Speaker 1: in eighty eight, there was so much because the riots
Speaker 1: broke out down there like on Monday or Tuesday, I
Speaker 1: think it was Monday night, And that was crazy because
Speaker 1: there was there was a spot like four blocks from
Speaker 1: the hotel where you could enter Overtown and they had
Speaker 1: all that blocked off. You couldn't go in, you weren't allowed.
Speaker 1: There were like guards there. It was the craziest thing
Speaker 1: I've seen. But what I took away from that game,
Speaker 1: you know, you think about the crumb right thing and
Speaker 1: the Stanley Wilson situation, but when Stanford Jennings returned that
Speaker 1: kickoff for a touchdown and the jubilation in there, and
Speaker 1: I'm sitting around a bunch of Bengals fans because we
Speaker 1: were in what was called media overflow, which turned out
Speaker 1: to be great seats in the club level. It was
Speaker 1: awesome padded seats, which was a big deal back in
Speaker 1: that time, and people were going crazy. It was like,
Speaker 1: it's gonna happen. Yes, they're gonna win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: And you know, I don't think anyone doubted until Taylor
Speaker 1: caught that touchdown pass late that the Bengals were gonna
Speaker 1: somehow find a way to win that ballgame. It didn't happen,
Speaker 1: but that moment was unbelievable. And then you throw in
Speaker 1: that Stanford's wife had a child the day before, a
Speaker 1: baby girl, and it was just it's like, this can't
Speaker 1: be happening. What a storybook. That was cool, the one
Speaker 1: in La I just remember the heartbreak from that. And
Speaker 1: so I'm sitting next to Mike Dardis, our news anchor,
Speaker 1: in the press box and the Rams come out for
Speaker 1: that last drive and I'm like, I don't want to
Speaker 1: say this, but I've been here before and it was
Speaker 1: in Miami. I'm like, there's too much time, and gosh,
Speaker 1: that fourth down play still and then of course the
Speaker 1: call at the end, that was a tough one. That
Speaker 1: was a tough one, and I it's but boy, the
Speaker 1: Bengals coming out at halftime, at second half and that
Speaker 1: bomb that Tee Higgins caught. What an amazing moment that was.
Speaker 1: That's when I thought they're gonna do this, especially since
Speaker 1: he grabbed the guy's face mask and got away with
Speaker 1: No that's the thing. And I look at the play
Speaker 1: at the end of the game and it's like, well,
Speaker 1: they got away with that one, so maybe it makes
Speaker 1: up for it, but boy, that's still a heartbreaker all
Speaker 1: the way through. And that fourth down play was at
Speaker 1: Cooper Cup took that little inside hand off and got
Speaker 1: the first down that That's why I'm like, oh my god,
Speaker 1: they had him right where they wanted him. But yeah,
Speaker 1: I just remember mostly that heartbreak and that sick feeling.
Speaker 1: You don't that feeling where like your mouth you's got
Speaker 1: just got this metallic taste in there because everything drains,
Speaker 1: and it's like that's what it was walking out there,
Speaker 1: and it's like, here I go again, out to talk
Speaker 1: to Cincinnati about another heartbreaking sports moment. That metallic taste
Speaker 1: is going to be gone soon with this. Yeah, I'll
Speaker 1: say this. Whether this team wins a Super Bowl or not,
Speaker 1: and I feel they will, they have been amazing and
Speaker 1: it has turned the whole city around when it comes
Speaker 1: to attitude towards sports. I know the Reds are struggling,
Speaker 1: but you know, FC Cincinnati off to a hot start
Speaker 1: and the Bengals really captured this city and I do
Speaker 1: believe they'll win one. But whether they do or not,
Speaker 1: they've they've done a magnificent job of getting this fan
Speaker 1: base fired up, no question about it. Obviously it begins
Speaker 1: with Burrow, but beyond that, they've been one of the
Speaker 1: biggest spenders in free agency over the past few years.
Speaker 1: It seems like all the things they used to be
Speaker 1: criticized for no longer apply. You've been covering this team
Speaker 1: for four decades roughly, what's your reaction to it. It's
Speaker 1: stunning and it's great to see. It is stunning because
Speaker 1: they were getting and when Marvin came, they had a
Speaker 1: pretty good free agent hall his first year, he thought, Okay,
Speaker 1: they're gonna turn this corner. Then that seemed like it
Speaker 1: started fading away a little bit this time. You know,
Speaker 1: when they got DJ Reader, I'm thinking, Wow, that's a
Speaker 1: great signing, But what's going on here, Like, are they
Speaker 1: really going to start doing this? And then you know,
Speaker 1: they come out of the gates last year when they
Speaker 1: pick up the offensive lineman Carris and Kappa on day one,
Speaker 1: and it's like, my goodness. You know. Then they find
Speaker 1: a way to get Lyell Collins and you're like, they're
Speaker 1: really doing this and they have been, they've they've you know,
Speaker 1: and and the Trey Wayne's thing didn't work out, but
Speaker 1: they took a stab they you know, that was a
Speaker 1: big signing at the time and I thought it would help.
Speaker 1: It didn't because of injuries. But yeah, it's night and
Speaker 1: day and hopefully that continues. I don't see why it
Speaker 1: Walt it's happened this cycle. I mean they've gone out.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know when they get Orlando Brown Junior,
Speaker 1: because everyone's like, oh my god, they lost the tight
Speaker 1: end and they lost the starting safeties, and that was
Speaker 1: You're like, and I'm thinking to myself, there's no way
Speaker 1: they're sliding back into what they used to do. There's
Speaker 1: no way. They saw what worked. They saw how you know,
Speaker 1: Paul Brown Stadium now pay Course Stadium came alive with
Speaker 1: just energy plus down there. There's no way they're gonna
Speaker 1: let this slide back. And thankfully they haven't. I mean,
Speaker 1: they got Orlando Brown and then just kept adding from
Speaker 1: there and and here they are. They seem to be
Speaker 1: in great position again heading into the draft, which is beautiful.
Speaker 1: Do you have a player or a position that you
Speaker 1: would like to see them target in the draft, particularly
Speaker 1: with the twenty eight pick, Yeah, boy, that's you know,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna say the obvious Michael Mayer at twenty eight
Speaker 1: and if they don't get him, then maybe a couple
Speaker 1: rounds later. Josh Wiley, that's what I'm That's what I'm
Speaker 1: such a homer. It's it's just I can't help it.
Speaker 1: But I've seen a lot of mocks with with with
Speaker 1: Meyer fall into their position and them taking him, and
Speaker 1: he would fit, you know, I mean it. There's a
Speaker 1: lot of ways they can go now, though, which is
Speaker 1: which is good because of the tight end signing earlier
Speaker 1: this week, you know, that buys him a little bit
Speaker 1: of time maybe to find the right guy they want
Speaker 1: long term, and maybe it's him. Maybe it is him,
Speaker 1: But I would not be shocked if they do draft
Speaker 1: a tight end and draft one early in this draft
Speaker 1: instead of being in the press box. Do you anticipate
Speaker 1: being in the stands this fall? Beer in hand? Absolutely,
Speaker 1: That's a no doubt or no brainer. There will be
Speaker 1: many weekends. I'm probably at Nippert on a Saturday and
Speaker 1: then I'm rolling in and I probably won't have my
Speaker 1: face painted, but I'll probably have a Bengal's hat on,
Speaker 1: maybe a Bengals golf shirt and you know, be out there.
Speaker 1: That's I love watching games with the crowd. I mean,
Speaker 1: I've had so much fun at games doing that. And
Speaker 1: you know how it is when we do what we do,
Speaker 1: you don't get to do that very often. And you're
Speaker 1: also kind of trying to maintain some impartiality for your job.
Speaker 1: It's going to be kind of nice to throw those
Speaker 1: shackles all completely. Well, that's a good segue to my
Speaker 1: last question for you, because it seems to me you
Speaker 1: have always walked the tightrope well of being a fan.
Speaker 1: I mean, we can understand that you root for the Bengals, Reds, Bearcats, whatever,
Speaker 1: but yet maintain your objectivity on the air. Well, I'll
Speaker 1: tell you what. It helps being around the fans because
Speaker 1: they're as critical as anybody. You can't fool him. I
Speaker 1: can't say here and say, oh my gosh, you know
Speaker 1: this player. Yeah, he had a bad game, but you know,
Speaker 1: give him a break. He's been pretty good. You know,
Speaker 1: if if a guy's not getting it done, they know it,
Speaker 1: and they're harsher than anybody. And I've actually got a
Speaker 1: couple of good friend fan friends here at the station
Speaker 1: that if they'll keep me in check if I don't
Speaker 1: do that. It's kind of funny. It's like you kind
Speaker 1: of gave him a pass on that. It's like, you
Speaker 1: know what I probably did, and that's because I know
Speaker 1: he's a good dude. But you're right, Um, I gotta
Speaker 1: and they do they keep me in check. Um, you
Speaker 1: probably know both of them. Uh and people and up
Speaker 1: you know, people in other stations too that we both
Speaker 1: have worked with might say something someone like rufus. So
Speaker 1: it's it's so that that has helped. But you can't
Speaker 1: fool fans. They've got eyes, they've got to ears, they
Speaker 1: see and hear what's going on, and uh, so you can't.
Speaker 1: You can't fool them, and so I don't try. It's like,
Speaker 1: this is what we saw, this is what it is,
Speaker 1: and you know, sometimes it's tough, but you gotta do it.
Speaker 1: And you're not always you know, you're not going to
Speaker 1: be best buds with everybody. You try, but you can't
Speaker 1: always be, especially in these jobs. George, I sent it
Speaker 1: to you privately when you announced your retirement. Let me
Speaker 1: say it publicly now. I am such a big fan,
Speaker 1: not only of your work, but the way that you've
Speaker 1: conducted yourself while doing that work over the years. It's
Speaker 1: been a real inspiration to those of us who have
Speaker 1: been in broadcasting in this town. Congratulations on a tremendous career.
Speaker 1: I hope you continue to do some stuff in the media,
Speaker 1: because I'll be watching and listening if you do. Thanks
Speaker 1: for your time, today, Dan, thanks so much, and come
Speaker 1: from you, that means a lot because I feel the
Speaker 1: same way about you and the way you've done it.
Speaker 1: And I almost said, when you ask me that question,
Speaker 1: it's like you've done a heck of a job of
Speaker 1: that as well, and telling it like it is, but
Speaker 1: not going overboard and being you know, mister harshaw on
Speaker 1: people and able to maintain those relationships and treat people
Speaker 1: with respect. So coming from you, that means everything, and
Speaker 1: I appreciate you having me. I hope there's some golf
Speaker 1: in our future. There will be Thank thos. Both podcasts
Speaker 1: is brought to you by Paycorps. More than twenty nine
Speaker 1: thousand customers trust Paycorps to help them recruit, pay, engage,
Speaker 1: and retain employees. Learn more at paycorps dot com. Now
Speaker 1: time for our fifth edition of the three round mock
Speaker 1: Draft with an NFL Expert. Here's the concept. When I
Speaker 1: attended the NFL Combine several weeks ago, I had the
Speaker 1: Pro Football Focus mock Draft simulator set up on my
Speaker 1: laptop and invited several NFL experts to make the Bengals
Speaker 1: picks in the first three rounds. If you've never tried
Speaker 1: a mock Draft simulator before it allows you to play
Speaker 1: Bengals GM for as many rounds of the draft as
Speaker 1: you want. The simulator begins making picks in order, and
Speaker 1: then when it's your turn, you can make trades or
Speaker 1: go ahead and pick. It's a good way to get
Speaker 1: to know the players who might be available when the
Speaker 1: Bengals are on the clock. In late April, Dane Brugler
Speaker 1: from The Athletic chose Maryland cornerback Deante Banks in the
Speaker 1: first round, Northwestern defensive lineman at A Tommy wah at
Speaker 1: A Barre in the second, and Iowa tight end Sam
Speaker 1: Laporta in the third. He received an A minus grade
Speaker 1: from Pro Football Focus. Pete Prisco from CBS Sports chose
Speaker 1: Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid in round one, Washington State
Speaker 1: linebacker day On Henley in round two, and by U
Speaker 1: offensive tackle Blake Freeland in round three. He received a b.
Speaker 1: Ryan Fowler from The Draft Network chose Oregon State tight
Speaker 1: end Luke Musgraven round one, Syracuse offensive tackle Matthew Bergerroud
Speaker 1: in round two, and Maryland cornerback Jacorean Bennett in round three.
Speaker 1: He received a B minus and Charles Davis from CBS
Speaker 1: picked Kincaid in round one, Illinois safety Sydney Brown and
Speaker 1: round two, and u AB running back Dwayne McBride in
Speaker 1: round three. He was a good sport when his second
Speaker 1: and third round grades got C minus and D minus grades.
Speaker 1: Now time four contestant number five. It is great to
Speaker 1: be joined by my guy, Austin Gale, now with the
Speaker 1: ring formerly of PF back on the West coast. We
Speaker 1: mission Cincinnati. But in any case, kind of you to
Speaker 1: join me here at the NFL Scouting Combine to do
Speaker 1: a three round Bengals mock draft trades allowed, so we
Speaker 1: are making picks twenty eight, sixty and ninety two. You
Speaker 1: worked at PF, so you know how this works. I'm
Speaker 1: about to hit start draft on the mock simulators. So
Speaker 1: borderbacks are going. I've seen three quarterbacks go already. Oh
Speaker 1: Michael Mayer. Bengals fans are gonna wish he was still
Speaker 1: around at twenty eight. He is not. We have reached
Speaker 1: the twenty eighth pick in the first round. I'm going
Speaker 1: to scroll back a little bit on this screen so
Speaker 1: you can see the guys that were just taken. What
Speaker 1: do you think of some of those guys that just
Speaker 1: went off the board. Immediately, my eyes go to Jacksville Jaguars.
Speaker 1: At twenty four, they take Osiris Torrance, the offensive guard.
Speaker 1: I think he can play, he can play center. I
Speaker 1: think he's going to be a guard in the NFL. Literally,
Speaker 1: if you built an NFL guard in a lab, he'll
Speaker 1: look like Osiris Torrance. And I know that the since
Speaker 1: Mangal specifically have more needs at tack gold than they
Speaker 1: do into your offensive line, but that is such a
Speaker 1: value if they can get him, indeed at twenty eight.
Speaker 1: So see him come off the board right at twenty four.
Speaker 1: I think he's a bit tough to see us a
Speaker 1: bank if you are a Bengals fan. I also like
Speaker 1: Tyry Stevenson. I think he's a quarterback with long arms
Speaker 1: coming out of a Miami cornerback. I think is a
Speaker 1: very big value pick in this draft, specifically in the
Speaker 1: first round. Bengals picking at twenty eight, I think should
Speaker 1: be looking at cornerback. There were going to be a
Speaker 1: lot of guys. Joey Porter Junior just measured in here
Speaker 1: at the Indianapolis Combine with thirty four inch arms, eighty
Speaker 1: five inch wingspan or whatever it is. You also have
Speaker 1: Julius Brands out of Kent State, who has some big arms, Like,
Speaker 1: there is some really really talented you talking about built
Speaker 1: in the lab, really talented cornerback prospects here. So seeing
Speaker 1: Tyr Stevenson off the board, Osiris Torrans off the board,
Speaker 1: Michael Mayor, obviously I know the Bengals want a tight end.
Speaker 1: I'm interesting to see who we have available, all right,
Speaker 1: So we moved to the guys there are still available
Speaker 1: list and you can discuss some of these guys as
Speaker 1: I scrolled out. So Klajia Cancy is going to be,
Speaker 1: you know, PF's top guy available here. I think p
Speaker 1: F is a lot higher on can't see the Pittsburgh
Speaker 1: defensive tackle then the league will be He did run
Speaker 1: a blazing forty time. However, under thirty one inch arms.
Speaker 1: There hasn't been a single defensive lineman in the NFL
Speaker 1: over the last ten years to play more than six
Speaker 1: hundred snaps in the single season with other under thirty
Speaker 1: one inch arms. So he's a legitimate outlier. And normally
Speaker 1: you don't see those guys really come off the board
Speaker 1: in the top thirty, top forty picks. I think he's
Speaker 1: more of a top of Day two, guy still ranked
Speaker 1: fourteenth on PFF's board, so one of the top available.
Speaker 1: You also have Andre Carter, the edge defender out of Army.
Speaker 1: I don't think he's had a really great combine thus far.
Speaker 1: So that's a little bit concerning Dalton Kincaide, someone that
Speaker 1: I think a lot of people like, the tight end
Speaker 1: out of Utah. My buddy at the Ringer, Danny Kelly,
Speaker 1: compared him to Travis Kelsey, so a lot of people
Speaker 1: really like him. Obviously Cincinnati fans there as well. But
Speaker 1: if you scroll back up here, Deontay Banks cornerback in Maryland,
Speaker 1: you know I said I want corner. I value corner
Speaker 1: in this draft. Deontay Banks just leaped broad jumped eleven
Speaker 1: feet four inches for one second. That was the second
Speaker 1: best time or second best jump of any cornerback or
Speaker 1: any player in the NFL, behind Byron Jones. And then
Speaker 1: right after that you have Julius Brent of ken staatego
Speaker 1: eleven six but still really impressive for John Tay Banks,
Speaker 1: extremely explosive, extremely fast to getting phase. I think he's
Speaker 1: going to be a guy at the back end the
Speaker 1: first round everyone should look for. I think I'm going
Speaker 1: Banks here at twenty eight. Well, Banks be there at
Speaker 1: number twenty eight. It's looking iffy. In their latest mock drafts,
Speaker 1: mel Kiper has him going seventeenth to the Steelers, Todd
Speaker 1: McShay says twenty third to the Vikings, and Daniel Jeremiah
Speaker 1: goes with number twenty four to the Jaguars. It sounds
Speaker 1: like it could be. Don't get your hopes up pick
Speaker 1: for the Bengals. Now time for Austin Gaels second round selection.
Speaker 1: We're up to pick number fifty five. Darnell Washington, the
Speaker 1: big tight end, just went to the Lions. I think
Speaker 1: a lot of people expect him to go higher than that.
Speaker 1: But in any case, let's take a look at some
Speaker 1: of the guys that just went before the Bengals pick
Speaker 1: at number sixty, so Moredy having some buyer's remorse seeing
Speaker 1: the pick after we went Banks, Nolan Smith, the Georgia
Speaker 1: defensive end that literally broke the combine record for forty
Speaker 1: yard dash at defensive defensive line. Washington off the board
Speaker 1: at fifty five. Little bit like a little bit rough
Speaker 1: to see. Like there's a lot of talent I think
Speaker 1: in the second round. I've talked to a lot of
Speaker 1: draft media and also even scouts that mentioned, hey, this
Speaker 1: class isn't that good, right, This class isn't that good
Speaker 1: at the top. But the depth in this class is
Speaker 1: I think where people are going to have value. I
Speaker 1: wouldn't be surprised too, even just a tangent off this
Speaker 1: to see people trade back into this round, specifically trade
Speaker 1: out of the first into the second round to pick
Speaker 1: up picks to go attack the depth in this class.
Speaker 1: So a little bit concerning, not concerning, but sucks to
Speaker 1: see so many good players come off the board, but
Speaker 1: looking at a midst to see who have available. Andre
Speaker 1: Carter again still available for whatever reason, it may be
Speaker 1: Nathaniel dell if the Bengals did have a need at
Speaker 1: receiver and wanted to bring in a guy that I
Speaker 1: comed into a more polished Marquise Brown. And I know
Speaker 1: Marquise Brown hasn't been overly successful in the league's injuries
Speaker 1: have been a part of that. He obviously has flipped
Speaker 1: teams as well. I think Nathaniel Dell Man because it
Speaker 1: immediately a guy that steps into the slot and is
Speaker 1: super productive. I already see my guys though. Dayon Henley,
Speaker 1: the Washington State off ball linebacker, extremely explosive, extremely fast.
Speaker 1: Henley's a guy like and then I don't even know
Speaker 1: how to pronounce this guy's full name, but I call
Speaker 1: him Ada. Ada the guy at a Northwestern who everyone
Speaker 1: made this big deal of cancy running the time that
Speaker 1: he did at two or eighty one pounds, and he
Speaker 1: was in the four six seven range ade ade at
Speaker 1: a Northwestern beat his time at the same way and
Speaker 1: had better jumps and all that stuff. This guy is
Speaker 1: a freak of nature. I think getting him at this
Speaker 1: value is the way to go. I know that's attacking
Speaker 1: defensive line to have a lot of studds in Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: but I think that's a position to premium position that
Speaker 1: you constantly need to restock with athletes. I think the
Speaker 1: Northwestern Ada is who I go here at sixty is
Speaker 1: at a Tommy wa At a bare who ran an
Speaker 1: insane four four nine forty yard dash at the combine,
Speaker 1: a record for anybody at or above two hundred and
Speaker 1: eighty pounds. He's ranked number forty one overall on the
Speaker 1: PF Big Board. So a cornerback in round one and
Speaker 1: an edge rusher in round two. Time for Austin Gals.
Speaker 1: Third and final pick. It is number ninety two overall,
Speaker 1: and we are seeing names go off the board. Rashi Rice,
Speaker 1: a speedy wide receiver from SMU, has just selected Eli
Speaker 1: Ricks out of Alabama just went off the board. We
Speaker 1: have reached the Bengals third round pick pick number ninety two.
Speaker 1: Take a look at some of the guys that just went.
Speaker 1: You see some of the receivers come off the board
Speaker 1: in this round. I think are a little small, right
Speaker 1: like Jaden Reid, small but fast, Nathaniel Dell, small but
Speaker 1: fast and get open. I think that's where you're gonna
Speaker 1: see those types come off the board in this class.
Speaker 1: Guys that man, I don't think he'll ever be an
Speaker 1: x orra Z at the NFL level, but in the
Speaker 1: slot I think he can do some damage other players
Speaker 1: coming off the board in this range. He saw Hendon
Speaker 1: Hooker come off the board in this round three. I
Speaker 1: think he is a round three round four player. Despite
Speaker 1: the age. Everyone talks about the age. He was also
Speaker 1: one one of the most absurd college offenses that I
Speaker 1: think I've ever seen. They line up their receivers that
Speaker 1: like far far far along the sideline of vanc can
Speaker 1: see how Hooker adapts the NFL looking at who we
Speaker 1: have available. Carl Brooks, the Bowling Green defensive lineman I know,
Speaker 1: is someone that went to the Senior Bowl and lit
Speaker 1: it on fire. So everyone is high on Carl Brooks
Speaker 1: coming at the Senior Bowl. I don't think a lot
Speaker 1: of people were going into the week. Nick Herbig, the
Speaker 1: edge defender out of Wisconsin, undersized. I don't really know
Speaker 1: where to play him right. I don't think I'll play
Speaker 1: him on the edge, a pollowing play him at off
Speaker 1: ball linebacker. I know we already took Audia auDA out
Speaker 1: of Northwestern. We could have took day On Henley there.
Speaker 1: Sam Laporta is a tight end. I think a lot
Speaker 1: of people like in a deep deep tight end class. However,
Speaker 1: they need a pass catching tight end. Man. I don't
Speaker 1: think you want to bring in the guy similar with
Speaker 1: what they have with Drew Sample and that he's gonna
Speaker 1: come in and block, and they want someone who's gonna
Speaker 1: go get catches for this offense. Sidney Brown one of
Speaker 1: the most Maybe this isn't the best word to us,
Speaker 1: but the most jacked players in this class. Sydney Brown
Speaker 1: is a monster dude, like a workout warrior. So is
Speaker 1: his brother. He also played for Illinois, the running back
Speaker 1: Chase Brown. Now we're looking at Trevias Hodges Tomlinson, who
Speaker 1: I think has potential to be a legitimate, legitimate slot
Speaker 1: cornerback in the NFL. I think he had just under
Speaker 1: thirty inch arms when he measured in here at the combine.
Speaker 1: For me, one of the best football players in this class,
Speaker 1: one of the best slots in this class, after Devin Witherspoon.
Speaker 1: I know we already picked corner, but that's a position
Speaker 1: where I like to really double down. I'm tempted. But
Speaker 1: then I see right here, right now, we just heard,
Speaker 1: we already have heard how the Bengals are looking at
Speaker 1: Joe Mixon. I think there's been some conversation around maybe
Speaker 1: he isn't back next year. Devin A. Chain out of
Speaker 1: Texas A and M is a firework man. This guy
Speaker 1: has some of the best speed in the draft class.
Speaker 1: I think he's going to be one of the best
Speaker 1: like risers out of this class. I'm I'm gonna take
Speaker 1: him now before the hype comes up. I'm taking Devon
Speaker 1: to Chain out of Texas at m here in the
Speaker 1: third d Von A Chain from Texas A and m
Speaker 1: is one of the top running back prospects in this
Speaker 1: draft after rushing for more than eleven hundred yards last year.
Speaker 1: He's not very big at five eight and a half
Speaker 1: and one hundred eighty eight pounds, but he can fly.
Speaker 1: His four three two forty yard dash at the combine
Speaker 1: was the fourth fastest ever for a running back. A
Speaker 1: Chain average six point four yards per carry in his
Speaker 1: three college seasons and had a pair of kick return touchdowns.
Speaker 1: Now let's find out how PF graded those picks. It's
Speaker 1: looking pretty good. What do you think we got a
Speaker 1: B plus for a running back pick in the top
Speaker 1: one hundred from PF. I think that's a pretty big
Speaker 1: win obviously, and then getting Deonte Banks. Are always gonna
Speaker 1: love taking corner rain like that's a premium position in
Speaker 1: the first round. Like I worked at PFF, I know
Speaker 1: how this simulator works taking premium positions early. So getting
Speaker 1: a corner and an edge defender. I think Ada could
Speaker 1: play on the inside, who knows, but getting a corner
Speaker 1: and edge offender, those are always going to be highly graded.
Speaker 1: Seeing the B plus on the running back pick of
Speaker 1: Devin to Chain, I think that's the biggest win of
Speaker 1: this draft man. We picked a running back inside the
Speaker 1: top one hundred, and we're still getting good grades. Overall
Speaker 1: draft grade and a minus. I'll take it. You have
Speaker 1: tied for the highest overall draft grade thus far with
Speaker 1: Dame Brougler from The Athletic. Congratulations on a great three
Speaker 1: round mock draft. I appreciate it. If I'm in the
Speaker 1: same sentence as Dame Brugler of The Athletic, I feel
Speaker 1: pretty good. Austin Gale, always great to speak with you.
Speaker 1: Thanks for the time, of course, thank you. That's going
Speaker 1: to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth podcast,
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Speaker 1: and thanks for listening to the Bengals Booth podcast