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Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody on dan Horde and thanks for downloading

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Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth Podcast. Uh ah you ready for some football?

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Speaker 1: A Monday Night party addition, as we look ahead to

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Speaker 1: the Bengals and Steelers on Monday Night football coming up,

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Speaker 1: Dave Lapham joins me to discuss the latest Bengals news,

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Speaker 1: including a season ending injury for one of the best

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Speaker 1: players in franchise history, Geno Atkins. One on one player

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Speaker 1: interview this week is with offensive lineman Fred Johnson, who

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Speaker 1: discusses his bout with COVID nineteen and at Our Know

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Speaker 1: the Faux segment, former Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor shares his

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Speaker 1: thoughts on the Steelers and why he thinks the Bengals

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Speaker 1: have found their franchise quarterback in Joe Burrow. The Bengals

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Speaker 1: Booth Podcast is presented by bud Light Seltzer Refresh the

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Speaker 1: game and here's a quick reminder that you can have

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Speaker 1: the latest edition of this podcast livered right to your phone, tablet,

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Speaker 1: or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitch, your Google Play, Spotify,

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Speaker 1: or pod Bean. It's the greatest thing since coffee, vanilla,

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Speaker 1: peanut butter. My wife peg is a marathoner and a

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Speaker 1: much healthier eater than I am. If left to my

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Speaker 1: own devices, I can crush salty snacks like a three

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Speaker 1: hundred and fifty pound nose tackle. Well. Recently, Peg started

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Speaker 1: making this coffee vanilla peanut butter spread found in the

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Speaker 1: Run Fast, Eat Slow Cookbook, and it's a game changer.

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Speaker 1: I like to spread some on a banana. PEG typically

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Speaker 1: pairs it with chunks of an apple and it's phenomenal.

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Speaker 1: So if you don't believe that delicious and nutritious belong

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Speaker 1: in the same sentence, I highly recommend giving the coffee

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Speaker 1: vanilla peanut butter spread recipe from the Run Fast, Eat

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Speaker 1: Slow Cookbook a try. Now, let's get to football, beginning

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Speaker 1: the visit with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham Lap. Let's

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Speaker 1: start with the news from Wednesday that Geno Atkins has

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Speaker 1: done for the year going on season ending ir with

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Speaker 1: his shoulder injury. Finishes with no sacks this year in

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Speaker 1: eleven games. Earlier in the season, when people were ripping

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Speaker 1: the effort of Carlos Dunlap and Gino Atkins, you were

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Speaker 1: really the first person to defend Gino and say he

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Speaker 1: was trying to fight through a serious injury. What do

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Speaker 1: you make of his effort this season? He damaged that shoulder.

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Speaker 1: I guess rotator cuff is the part of the shoulder

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Speaker 1: that he damaged warming up for the inner squad scrimmage,

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Speaker 1: you know, in the end zone, just doing warm ups

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Speaker 1: with the offensive and defensive line. And you know, he

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Speaker 1: tried to battle through it. He missed a month and

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Speaker 1: then tried to battle through it, but he just couldn't

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Speaker 1: reach and grab with that right arm. He was literally

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Speaker 1: one armed and very very deficient what he was trying

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Speaker 1: to get done. I mean, he's his whole thing is

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Speaker 1: power football and power foot ball. You have to use

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Speaker 1: your hands. I mean that's a big part of it.

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Speaker 1: And he couldn't. He couldn't, couldn't. Really, his right the

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Speaker 1: right side of his upper body was useless. So I

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Speaker 1: admire the fact that he tried to give everything he could,

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Speaker 1: but he was just basically a shell of himself. And um,

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Speaker 1: sounds like in the Dallas game he exacerbated the problem

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Speaker 1: and at that point in time, might as well just

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Speaker 1: shut it down. You thought he was on his way

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Speaker 1: to having a good year in training camp, didn't you. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean I remember a couple of times, you know,

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Speaker 1: when we were watching pass rush together, I'm like, man,

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Speaker 1: you know he's he's really he's got I didn't see,

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Speaker 1: you know, that explosion, and I thought, I thought not

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Speaker 1: this season, the season before last year that it's like maybe,

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Speaker 1: you know, maybe he's kind of round and third and

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Speaker 1: heading for home as the lovable left he used to say.

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Speaker 1: But and then I saw him at training camp. It's like, man,

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Speaker 1: this offseason really did him a lot and did well

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Speaker 1: for him. So and then boy gets hurt and it

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Speaker 1: all unravels and goes downhill from there. It's amazing when

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Speaker 1: you look at it. All four of their defensive tackles

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Speaker 1: that they were counting on actually five two opted out.

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Speaker 1: But the four that they thought were going to play,

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Speaker 1: all of them has spent time on injury reserve, if

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Speaker 1: not the whole season on injury reserve. It's crazy. So

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Speaker 1: Gina will be thirty three in March. He's got two

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Speaker 1: years left on his deal. Fourteen mill between salary and

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Speaker 1: bonuses next year, sixteen mill between salary and bonuses the

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Speaker 1: following year. If the Bengals cut him, there'd be five

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Speaker 1: point two million dollars in dead money. But they would

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Speaker 1: save nine point six million dollars. What do you think

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Speaker 1: is going to happen? From the organization's perspective, it's like

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Speaker 1: he was trying, you know, he's trying to give us

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Speaker 1: everything he's got. You know, it's not a situation where

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Speaker 1: in Carlos's case, he could play, but he decided he

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Speaker 1: wouldn't play, you know, and obviously that whole thing turned

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Speaker 1: into a into an ugly situation, an unfortunate ending. I guess,

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Speaker 1: maybe not so unfortunate for Carlos. He's out in Seattle

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Speaker 1: and playing well, but um, you know, the bad taste

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Speaker 1: in everybody's mouth I think is unfortunate because Carlos gave

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Speaker 1: him some good years. Gino has given him everything he's got,

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Speaker 1: and he continued to try to give him everything he's got.

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Speaker 1: That's a that's a that's a tough one, Dan, I mean,

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Speaker 1: I don't know. I wonder. I wonder if it's you're

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Speaker 1: gonna have to go for a while in the rehab,

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Speaker 1: See how the rehab goes, See how he does come

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Speaker 1: back from it. See if there's a potential that he

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Speaker 1: could get back to you know, a good spot, a

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Speaker 1: good place physically and make a decision from there. I

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Speaker 1: don't think there'll be any rash decisions made, but it's

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Speaker 1: going to be interesting how it all unfolds. AJ Green's

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Speaker 1: contract is up, unlike Geno Atkins. It certainly sounded, based

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Speaker 1: on his comments after the game the other day, that

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Speaker 1: he's ready to move on on. How do you think

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Speaker 1: other teams in the NFL are going to evaluate AJ

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Speaker 1: Green after this year? Yeah, It's it's funny. You know,

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Speaker 1: you hear all these coaches when AJ Green's name is

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Speaker 1: brought up when we're doing zooms and conference calls with

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Speaker 1: other head coaches. You know, AJ Green is still He's

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Speaker 1: still he's still a good player. You know, we gotta go.

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Speaker 1: You gotta take care of AJ Green. You have to

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Speaker 1: double AJ Green and he has gotten doubled some. But

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Speaker 1: Tyler Boyd's getting doubled a ton and you know it

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Speaker 1: is shifted. Um. So I think it is going to

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Speaker 1: be interesting to see how they evaluate AJ Green. You

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Speaker 1: know what they think that he has has left? Is

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Speaker 1: he expo as explosive coming off the line of scrimmage?

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Speaker 1: Can he run the routes the way he used to

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Speaker 1: run them, you know, sinking his hips, getting in and and

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Speaker 1: out of the cuts like he did before, with the

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Speaker 1: explosiveness and the fluidity and everything that goes along with it.

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Speaker 1: Um but he's certainly not going to be making the

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Speaker 1: kind of money they made. As he was tagged this

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Speaker 1: year by the Cincinnati Bengals. That's that's by the boards.

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Speaker 1: So it'll be interesting to see how many students there

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Speaker 1: are out there and what they're talking about. And I

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Speaker 1: guess that's probably why he definitely doesn't want to. AJ

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Speaker 1: is the type of guy that doesn't want to close

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Speaker 1: the door on anything or anybody really, and he doesn't

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Speaker 1: want to burn any bridges. So whatever he does, I

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Speaker 1: think he's going to do with the class that you'd

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Speaker 1: expect out of AJ Green. If it is a departure

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Speaker 1: from Cincinnati, I think it'll be a departure that it'll

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Speaker 1: be just the opposite of what Carlos Dunlap, you know,

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Speaker 1: obviously experienced. It'll be a lot different with AJ. So

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Speaker 1: right now, Bengals fans are hurting. They had so much

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Speaker 1: hope going into the season with Joe Burrow and the

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Speaker 1: great free agent class that the Bengals signed, and really

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Speaker 1: very few of those guys are playing right now. I

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Speaker 1: had this thought this week. And it sounds overly simple

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Speaker 1: and maybe pollyanna ish, but I don't care. I'll say

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Speaker 1: it anyway. If they fix the lines on both sides

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Speaker 1: of the ball, everything else falls into place. It's so

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Speaker 1: blatantly obvious. They've just got to get good again on

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Speaker 1: both lines. Now, it's easier said than done to fix

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Speaker 1: it and coach it and everything else. But if you

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Speaker 1: begin there, fix the lines, you can be back in

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Speaker 1: contention in a relatively short period of time. Agree one

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Speaker 1: hundred thousand percent. You know it's This season is a

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Speaker 1: great example of it. All starts up front. You know

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Speaker 1: said many times over the years, you can have Hall

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Speaker 1: of famers, a skilled positions. If you've got nothing up

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Speaker 1: front to talk about, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

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Speaker 1: You have to give You have to give that group

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Speaker 1: time to operate, in time to be an opportunity to

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Speaker 1: be efficient and do what they need to do. Obviously

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Speaker 1: that it has not been up to par on the

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Speaker 1: side of the line of scrimmage. Part of it is injury,

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Speaker 1: part of it is due to ineffective play. And that's

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Speaker 1: a you talk about a terrible cocktail to swallow man,

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Speaker 1: that's a that's a bad, bad, bad, bad thing that takes.

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Speaker 1: You know, when you have injury and inefficient play on

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Speaker 1: both sides of the line of scrimmage, you don't you

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Speaker 1: don't really stand a chance. And when you look at it,

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Speaker 1: you know, the money that was spent in free agency

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Speaker 1: and the draft picks that were spent in an effort

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Speaker 1: to try to fix the offensive line, you know, it's

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Speaker 1: just it hasn't panned out for whatever reasons. And the

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Speaker 1: reasons vary, but the bottom line is it just has

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Speaker 1: not panned out. It's not like they haven't tried to

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Speaker 1: fix it, but the fix is not done. It's so

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Speaker 1: far from done. It's like you're just in the beginning

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Speaker 1: stages of doing the fix again. And that's got to

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Speaker 1: be frustrating because there have been assets spent in terms

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Speaker 1: of draft picks and dollars to try to fix try

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Speaker 1: to fix it. It's it's it's nowhere near where it

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Speaker 1: needs to be right now. Yeah, at least on the

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Speaker 1: offensive line. I mean, an unbelievable amount of resources have

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Speaker 1: been devoted to trying to fix that over the past

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Speaker 1: several years, and unfortunately, by and large, they haven't worked.

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Speaker 1: And you know, the defensive line it's injury is the

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Speaker 1: biggest thing. You know. You look at Geno Daniels, I

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Speaker 1: mean DJ Reader, it's it's just unbelievable. Wren, DJ Reader

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Speaker 1: and Wren had the same thing happened, and it's a

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Speaker 1: rare quad injury where an attachment to her quad, you know,

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Speaker 1: snaps it. It didn't happen once, it happened twice. So

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Speaker 1: sometimes you sit back and shake your head and you say, wow,

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Speaker 1: is there a black cloud? You know, how big is

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Speaker 1: that black cloud? One's that black cloud cloud going to

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Speaker 1: pass over us and go somewhere else, And you know

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Speaker 1: it is. Every team has injury, there's no question, but

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Speaker 1: this one, this one really had injury to people that

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Speaker 1: you look at the quarterback. I mean all the hope

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Speaker 1: is on Joe Burrow and he was delivering. He goes down.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes it's not the it's not injury, it's who is injured.

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Speaker 1: And once that you you can't afford to lose. You

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Speaker 1: start to lose and all of a sudden, man, you're

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Speaker 1: in a real struggle. So looking at the two lines,

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Speaker 1: who are the building blocks that you really feel good

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Speaker 1: about on each side of the ball. On the offensive line,

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Speaker 1: Jonah Trey Hopkins, anybody else that you know, You're like, okay,

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Speaker 1: sooner or later, these guys are going to be part

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Speaker 1: of a really good offensive line. Yeah, I mean every

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Speaker 1: everybody else. Really it's it's like you can poke holes him,

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Speaker 1: you know. Um So if I'm if I'm an offensive

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Speaker 1: lineman on this group of linemen that are finishing out

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Speaker 1: the season, I have in my mind I have to

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Speaker 1: put as many unbelievably solid reps on tape as I

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Speaker 1: possibly can be because right now there's no way that

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Speaker 1: I feel like, man, I'm going to come back and

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Speaker 1: have a job next year. Really, I mean, you have

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Speaker 1: to approach you with a mindset like, all right, this

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Speaker 1: we're not in the playoffs. We can't make the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: This is my personal playoffs. For the last three games

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Speaker 1: of the season, I have to go against good competition.

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Speaker 1: I'm going against you know, two of the three opponents

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Speaker 1: that are left our playoff potential teams. Pittsburgh's in already.

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Speaker 1: Baltimore is not that they could be. So put it

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Speaker 1: in your mind that you're going to try to compete

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Speaker 1: at the highest level you possibly can against pretty good

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Speaker 1: competition obviously, and if you can do that, you know,

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Speaker 1: finish strong and then give yourself an opportunity to compete

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Speaker 1: next year. But there's nobody, nobody that should think that

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Speaker 1: they're locked in and they've got a job available to

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Speaker 1: them and it's a it's a done deal. There's nobody

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Speaker 1: that should feel that way. In the offensive line and

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Speaker 1: my estimation defensive line. DJ Reader will be back. I'm

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Speaker 1: Hubbard's under contract. I assume they'll try hard to resign

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Speaker 1: Carl Lawson based on the season that he's had. Those

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Speaker 1: are your three solid building blocks that you feel really

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Speaker 1: good about on the defensive line if you keep Karl Lawson. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean, I think Carl Lawson. The thing about him

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Speaker 1: is h he works really hard to be good. It's

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Speaker 1: important to him and he wants to be good and

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Speaker 1: that and that's the first thing is the work ethic.

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Speaker 1: And I see a strong work ethic with that kid.

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Speaker 1: I really do. UM and I do a DJ Reader

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Speaker 1: was given I thought he was given the Bengals as advertised.

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Speaker 1: You know, he's a hard working guy. He's an effort guy. Um,

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Speaker 1: he's got some athletic ability in a big body. I

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Speaker 1: think DJ Reader, you know, is a is a nice

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Speaker 1: is a nice piece as well, um, you know, Daniels

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Speaker 1: is an interesting situation. What do you do with Daniels?

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Speaker 1: He's on the back nine. But he's a guy that

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Speaker 1: gives you effort out there too. I mean, he plays,

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Speaker 1: he plays hard, you know. I do think, I do

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Speaker 1: think potentially you do have a few components on the

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Speaker 1: on the defensive line, but you've got to address the

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Speaker 1: pass rush. I mean, it's just you have to have

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Speaker 1: somebody that, you know, besides Carl Lawson, who will give

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Speaker 1: you consistent pressure off the edge. Sam Hubbard is a

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Speaker 1: guy that will do the same. And you know he

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Speaker 1: battled injury this year as well. And when you have

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Speaker 1: an elbow injury again, man, when you when you have

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Speaker 1: to as a lineman, when you have to use your

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Speaker 1: hands and your you know, your your hands, your elbow,

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Speaker 1: your shoulder, anything in your arms is messed up, It's

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Speaker 1: it's hard to play, it's hard to be effective. You know,

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Speaker 1: you just can't do it one arm, There's no doubt

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Speaker 1: about it. So I think I think Sam Hubbard's a

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Speaker 1: you know, a piece to work with for sure. I

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Speaker 1: think he gives you everything he's got. He empties the uh,

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Speaker 1: he empties the bucket big time. There's there's absolutely no

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Speaker 1: question about it. I think that what this football team,

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Speaker 1: particularly in the in the defense of an offense line,

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Speaker 1: has to realize. I had a very good high school

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Speaker 1: coach one time that uses this term to me that

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Speaker 1: stuck with me for a long time, competitive endurance. And

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Speaker 1: he said, you know what, he said, the good Lord

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Speaker 1: blessed you son with some physical ability. Now it's going

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Speaker 1: to be your mental part of it. Where is your

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Speaker 1: competitive endurance? Is your competitive endurance going to be where

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Speaker 1: no matter what the situation, you're going to give maximum effort.

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Speaker 1: You're going to max out with what you're trying to

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Speaker 1: get done every single snap, no matter what, no matter

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Speaker 1: what other people around you are doing, no matter what

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Speaker 1: the score of the game is. You have to be

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Speaker 1: as consistent as players you can be. And the way

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Speaker 1: you get to that level is competitive endurance, and you

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Speaker 1: have to start to learn how to deal with that.

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Speaker 1: And I thought, to this day I remember it, and

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Speaker 1: that's something I think that it's a very simple concept,

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Speaker 1: but it's a very true concept. Competitive endurance is what

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Speaker 1: it's all about. That's what makes great players great. They

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Speaker 1: have these unbelievable physical skills, but their competitive endurance is

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Speaker 1: off the charts, off the charts. Anthony Munels did not

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Speaker 1: want to lose one rep. Not one. I mean, he

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Speaker 1: was infuriated. If a guy got a good pressure against

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Speaker 1: the never mind the sack, and that's what it takes,

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Speaker 1: That's what it takes to be great. So Monday night

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Speaker 1: against Pittsburgh will be Zach Taylor's thirtieth game as an

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Speaker 1: NFL head coach. He's only won four so far, so

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Speaker 1: the record is not good. What are some of the

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Speaker 1: things you think Mike Brown's going to consider as he

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Speaker 1: evaluates Zach's future after the season. I think that obviously

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Speaker 1: he'll evaluate the fact that, you know, this year was

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Speaker 1: such an odd year in terms of the coronavirus, but

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Speaker 1: everybody dealt with that and the injuries that we're talking about.

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Speaker 1: I think Mike Brown is very sensitive to what you

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Speaker 1: thought you were going to have coming out of training

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Speaker 1: camp and what you ended up having as being two

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Speaker 1: different things. I think he's very sensitive to that as

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Speaker 1: he'd go who is evaluation process all the time. But

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Speaker 1: I think the biggest thing that has to be evaluated

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Speaker 1: does he have the locker room still? And if he

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Speaker 1: doesn't have the locker room still. If he doesn't have

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Speaker 1: the respect of the players, and the and the players,

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Speaker 1: the oars aren't in the water and growing the same way.

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Speaker 1: If that's not the case, then then you have to

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Speaker 1: make a hard decision. But if he feels like that

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Speaker 1: he does have the football team still and he has

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Speaker 1: the respect of the football team still and his coaches

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Speaker 1: and and that that's the other part of it, not

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Speaker 1: only Zach, but who stays as assistance and who goes.

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Speaker 1: I mean that that's a that's a big process. And

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Speaker 1: I think obviously the thing that Mike Brown has shown

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Speaker 1: over the years with coaches, his patients obviously, so that's

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Speaker 1: going to be a factor. But it's going to be

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Speaker 1: it's going to be a process. It's going to be

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Speaker 1: a arduous process, for sure. So the Steelers are here

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Speaker 1: on Monday night looking to beat the Angles for the

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Speaker 1: twelfth consecutive time. They're favored by anywhere from eleven and

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Speaker 1: a half to thirteen points based on the lines that

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Speaker 1: I've seen. They can clinch the AFC North with a

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Speaker 1: victory against the Bengals, And at this point at least,

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Speaker 1: we don't know who Cincinnati's starting quarterback is going to be,

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Speaker 1: since Brandon Allen heard his knee last Sunday and the

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Speaker 1: loss to the Dallas Cowboys. It doesn't add up to

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Speaker 1: a great scenario, unfortunately for the Bengals going into this

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Speaker 1: National League televised game. No, it doesn't. They've played the

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Speaker 1: Pittsburgh Stealers eleven times on Monday Night Football on or

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Speaker 1: three and eight. Mike Tomlin was twenty two and five

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Speaker 1: against the Cincinnati Bengals. Ben Roethlisberger better than that. I

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Speaker 1: mean it, it doesn't add up to a very promising,

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Speaker 1: promising evening for sure. You know the defense that this

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Speaker 1: offense that's missing key components, particularly at the quarterback position,

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Speaker 1: is going against a team that's led up the fewest

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Speaker 1: points in the National Football League and is a takeaway

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Speaker 1: machine tied for most takeaways in the league, has the

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Speaker 1: most interceptional league. I mean, you know, it's it's staggering.

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Speaker 1: The odds are staggering going into this football game. So

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Speaker 1: the bottom line is the Bengals have to bring their

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Speaker 1: at least a game. Hopefully they have an eight plus game,

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Speaker 1: and you got to hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers are

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Speaker 1: continuing to play at the level they've played at the

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Speaker 1: last the last couple of weeks, which is closer to

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Speaker 1: a sea, you know, for them, a lot of drops

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Speaker 1: that that's the kind of thing that you you need.

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Speaker 1: You need some help from Pittsburgh, to be quite honest,

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Speaker 1: To be quite frank, if Pittsburgh comes out and plays

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Speaker 1: a clean game and Ben operates like he did the

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Speaker 1: first time they played, he had a season high three

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Speaker 1: hundred and thirty three yards passing, the season high four

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Speaker 1: touchdowns passing. Supposedly coming off, you know, a knee injury

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Speaker 1: that they were worried about. He wasn't gonna play it

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Speaker 1: in practice all week. So Pittsburgh's Pittsburgh, There's no doubt

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Speaker 1: about it. And I think that they're you think Dan,

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Speaker 1: at some point they're gonna start to try to commit

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Speaker 1: to running the ball again. Eighty eight percent of their

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Speaker 1: yards the last two in the two game losing stream

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Speaker 1: has come from the passing game, eighty eight percent of

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Speaker 1: their yards generated. And I thought, honestly that in the

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Speaker 1: last game when they went to Buffalo, thought they're going

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Speaker 1: to have to commit to the running game, and I'll

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Speaker 1: be a son of a gun, they sure it didn't.

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Speaker 1: They didn't even try. So I'm thinking Monday and Night

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Speaker 1: football against the Bengals in December. Pittsburgh has to commit

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Speaker 1: to the running game, don't they. But maybe the coaches

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Speaker 1: feel like with the running backs they have and the

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Speaker 1: offensive line they have, and the quarterback they have and

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Speaker 1: the receivers they have the best thing to do spread

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Speaker 1: them out and throw the football and do the quick

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Speaker 1: passing game. And I mean Ben leads the NFL in

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Speaker 1: yards in attempts in completions, but his yards per attempt

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Speaker 1: are way down in the twenties. I mean, he's dinking

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Speaker 1: and duncan. I mean, I don't even recognize the Pittsburgh

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Speaker 1: offense has played in the last couple of games. And

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Speaker 1: I think it might be different on Monday Night. We'll

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Speaker 1: see you. Gotta think they'll try it there. Vaging fifty

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Speaker 1: four rushing yards in their last seven games. That is

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Speaker 1: unbelievable for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah, I mean the first

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Speaker 1: time that the Bengals and Steelers played, Pittsburgh only ran

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Speaker 1: for like two point two yards per play. The Bengals

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Speaker 1: ran for six. Now you take the thirty nine yard

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Speaker 1: fake punt out of there, they still ran for five.

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Speaker 1: They had twenty carries, one hundred yards, right than those

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Speaker 1: five yards of carry. Pittsburgh was at two point two

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Speaker 1: onlike twenty carries, twenty carries for like, you know, eighty

387
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Speaker 1: yards whatever it was, and no one like twenty carries

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Speaker 1: forty forty four yards. I think it was something crazy

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Speaker 1: like that. So that's that's not that's not the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Speaker 1: You know that that you know And then Ben, of

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Speaker 1: course there in the thirty three yards, like we talked

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Speaker 1: about that at some point in time, I think they're

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Speaker 1: going to commit to more balance. As the playoffs get closer,

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Speaker 1: they're going to have to have more balance than that.

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Speaker 1: They cannot rely on a passing game that multiple receivers

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Speaker 1: are having drops tight end receiver, they're all dropping the football.

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Speaker 1: Christmas shopping done, No, not yet. In that case, I'll

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Speaker 1: wrap up this conversation. You can get to it. Have

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Speaker 1: a good one, Dan, I appreciate it. Thanks obviously, wrap

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Speaker 1: that up because I need to do my Christmas shopping now.

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Speaker 1: Time for this week's one on one player interview. My

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Speaker 1: guest is second year offensive lineman Fred Johnson. After rookie

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Speaker 1: Hakimadenagy started last week's game at left tackle and struggled

404
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Speaker 1: early Fred wound up playing sixty two of the seventy

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Speaker 1: two offensive snaps. As a result, it seems likely that

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Speaker 1: Fred will get to start at that position this week. Fred,

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Speaker 1: it's been an interesting year, to say the least. You

408
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Speaker 1: have played three different positions this season, you tested positive

409
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Speaker 1: for COVID. How would you describe your second NFL season.

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Speaker 1: It's like one of them, the closest that everybody want

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Speaker 1: to like, either they're too scared to ride or they're

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Speaker 1: just you know, it's just one of those like things

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Speaker 1: like you don't really want to do it, but you

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Speaker 1: kind of have to. You know. It's been a lot

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Speaker 1: of ups and downs, me being COVID, switching multiple positions.

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Speaker 1: So it was in the world when the highlight of

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Speaker 1: the Bengals season was the Tennessee game, when four starting

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Speaker 1: offensive linemen were out. You were one of the guys

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Speaker 1: that that came through that day and be the likely

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Speaker 1: playoff team. How would you describe that day and your

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Speaker 1: pride and what the offensive line achieved. I was walking

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Speaker 1: in and like I've seen you know, you know, Mike

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Speaker 1: Jordan was out there for that game, and I've seen

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Speaker 1: him walking on. I was like, what you wanted? You

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Speaker 1: forgot something in your car. He's like, nah, like I

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Speaker 1: can't play to Then I was like, what did yell?

427
00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:53,320
Speaker 1: We go do that? And uh, it was just one

428
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:54,960
Speaker 1: of those things like you know what you're going into,

429
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,880
Speaker 1: you know what type of mentality you gonna have. And

430
00:23:57,400 --> 00:23:59,600
Speaker 1: I think we went out there show like, you know,

431
00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:04,120
Speaker 1: we we are definitely NFL caliber line, you know, being

432
00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:06,480
Speaker 1: that it was all the scout team, the bomb spat

433
00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,000
Speaker 1: and stuff. So I felt like we proved a lot

434
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:12,359
Speaker 1: of people wrong and showed the attitude that you know,

435
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,560
Speaker 1: the Bengals officive line. You know what we what we

436
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:17,720
Speaker 1: want to show, like what we want to display, and

437
00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:21,720
Speaker 1: h that game just you know work for us. We're

438
00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:24,119
Speaker 1: chatting with Fred Johnson. And then it was shortly after

439
00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,040
Speaker 1: that game when you tested positive for COVID nineteen. How

440
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,840
Speaker 1: bad were your symptoms? My symptoms aren't. I think I

441
00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,480
Speaker 1: had symptoms for like, you know, like two to three days,

442
00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,640
Speaker 1: like when I first test a positive, like I felt

443
00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:39,320
Speaker 1: like I could have had a code or I couldn't

444
00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,600
Speaker 1: have a code. You know, it's just like a little off.

445
00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,600
Speaker 1: But it wasn't like, uh mind staking like they've written

446
00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:47,280
Speaker 1: or anything like that. And then I had like body aches,

447
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:48,800
Speaker 1: but I didn't know if that was from the game.

448
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:53,679
Speaker 1: Were just whatever. Then I felt fine, like for the

449
00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:57,320
Speaker 1: next what However, many days I was on the protocol

450
00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:58,919
Speaker 1: for ten days, I felt like I was fine. I

451
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,439
Speaker 1: was working out in my apartment and stuff, you know,

452
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:05,480
Speaker 1: just trying to keep some type of you know, fitness level.

453
00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:08,040
Speaker 1: And it was one of the I was lucky. I

454
00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,360
Speaker 1: was fortunate not to have to go through any severe

455
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,840
Speaker 1: symptoms and stuff. We're talking to Fred Johnson said, this year,

456
00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:16,760
Speaker 1: you've started two games at right guard, one game at

457
00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,640
Speaker 1: right tackle. It looks like you'll be the starting left

458
00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,919
Speaker 1: tackle this week. You're clearly willing to do whatever the

459
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:27,000
Speaker 1: team needs. But where are you most comfortable. I mean

460
00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:28,879
Speaker 1: I wanted to do whatever the team needs. You know.

461
00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:32,959
Speaker 1: The first start against the Browns at right guard. You know,

462
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:35,480
Speaker 1: we had a short week and you know, I was

463
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:37,879
Speaker 1: getting I got like my revs there, but there was

464
00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:41,040
Speaker 1: short reps and you had a big task with playing

465
00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:43,960
Speaker 1: the Browns, and I felt like I settled in and

466
00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:47,520
Speaker 1: got comfortable a guard. I gave up a play of

467
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:52,120
Speaker 1: Miss Garrett, you know. Then I mean I felt most

468
00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:57,000
Speaker 1: comfortable at you know, tackle first and foremost left or

469
00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:00,399
Speaker 1: right and just you know, doing whatever. But if the

470
00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,240
Speaker 1: team needs, ben't play guard or whatever, like we'll hand

471
00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,840
Speaker 1: nobody else they knock lightly. You know, accept that role

472
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,080
Speaker 1: because I played guard for four years in Florida, so

473
00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,080
Speaker 1: you know I feel way. But I how about center?

474
00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:14,480
Speaker 1: Could you play center if it was a dire ust

475
00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,760
Speaker 1: like have like, hey, you know, if I had to.

476
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,520
Speaker 1: But we gotta be understanding the whole game. We have

477
00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:24,679
Speaker 1: to be understand I'm not snapping it back then, no

478
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:28,280
Speaker 1: shotgun snaps or ye, shotgun snaps unless you try to

479
00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:31,119
Speaker 1: run a fumble ruski or something. With this about it,

480
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,440
Speaker 1: I'd like to see that we're talking to Fred Johnson

481
00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:41,359
Speaker 1: to this week. It's Monday night football against it. I guess. Yeah,

482
00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,960
Speaker 1: the team you started your NFL career with last year,

483
00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:47,480
Speaker 1: so you blocked these guys in training camp and in practice.

484
00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:52,440
Speaker 1: What stood out from that experience from just being with Pittsburgh, Yeah,

485
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,880
Speaker 1: I mean just the standard of the stuff that they did.

486
00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:58,840
Speaker 1: You know, how you walk into the locker room, how

487
00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:00,520
Speaker 1: you you know what I'm saying, hand yourself on the

488
00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:04,120
Speaker 1: field and meetings and just every little detail about your

489
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,680
Speaker 1: day with distillers or something that I like like I got,

490
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,879
Speaker 1: I got kind of like got adapted too, and things

491
00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,960
Speaker 1: of that nature. And uh, just that practice like it's

492
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,080
Speaker 1: it's you know what I'm saying this, either kid is

493
00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:18,159
Speaker 1: either kill or be killed. And you gotta show what

494
00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,440
Speaker 1: you got every day, you know what I'm saying. Like

495
00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:22,879
Speaker 1: you know, Mike Thomas used to preach a find a

496
00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,080
Speaker 1: new find a new problem, you know, a training camp

497
00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:28,560
Speaker 1: with things or that nature like with God. Like you

498
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:30,680
Speaker 1: get coached about something, don't let it be something that

499
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:33,040
Speaker 1: you know keeps happening, you know what I'm saying. So

500
00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:35,680
Speaker 1: that that co league you've been kind of being undrafted

501
00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:39,679
Speaker 1: rookie out of Florida, you know, trying to make that

502
00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:41,720
Speaker 1: team with all those guys that they had them in squad.

503
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,560
Speaker 1: I was just blasting favor to you know, find like

504
00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,320
Speaker 1: understand the playbook as soon as I did, and you know,

505
00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,240
Speaker 1: have have the temps duels that they was looking for

506
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:53,040
Speaker 1: and made the fifty three, you know, stay with them

507
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:54,760
Speaker 1: for eight weeks, you know, just waiting on my chance

508
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:56,520
Speaker 1: to you know, get in the game and stuff. And

509
00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:59,879
Speaker 1: I was blessed to you know, thanks thankful for the opportunity,

510
00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:02,920
Speaker 1: and things of that nature were excited to play against

511
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,280
Speaker 1: them this week and see what happens. So when you're

512
00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,480
Speaker 1: in training camp and you're blocking Cam Hayward and kJ Wattta,

513
00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,960
Speaker 1: how does that prepare you for the NFL? It prepares

514
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,400
Speaker 1: you lock. I mean just going against those guys. They're

515
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:19,600
Speaker 1: high calor guys. I mean, look at look at their

516
00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:23,639
Speaker 1: whole defness in front, Like those are you know, premier guys,

517
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:27,320
Speaker 1: you know, at each of their positions respectfully, and just

518
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:30,560
Speaker 1: going against dumb and experience, like you know, every snout.

519
00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:33,720
Speaker 1: You know, it's just something that prepares you for anything. Really.

520
00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,240
Speaker 1: And the guys on the old line, you know, the

521
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,040
Speaker 1: vessel with their Ramon Fosters, you know, the wave of

522
00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:43,520
Speaker 1: US Councils, you know, they were guys well you know

523
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,080
Speaker 1: you looked up to this stuff, and like I learned

524
00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:50,080
Speaker 1: a lot from that unit as a whole, and especially

525
00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,520
Speaker 1: individual pieces like of how not to carry yourself coming

526
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,560
Speaker 1: from college to a pro professional team, and I those

527
00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:58,640
Speaker 1: things that I felt like I needed to know, felt

528
00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,040
Speaker 1: like I needed to learn there, and I did and

529
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:03,280
Speaker 1: I got and I got weighed and then you know

530
00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:07,320
Speaker 1: that's just the way to Kikie Crumble. So you're from Florida. Yes,

531
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,719
Speaker 1: it's going to be cold on Monday night. How your

532
00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:14,280
Speaker 1: body adjusted it? It's just a cold there's no one's

533
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,080
Speaker 1: no adjusted to it. I don't have a I don't

534
00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,120
Speaker 1: have a thermostat on my right shoulder anything to change

535
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:23,800
Speaker 1: the temperature. But I mean it's uh, it's getting I'm

536
00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:25,959
Speaker 1: getting used to it. Kind of more shorder than uh.

537
00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:28,440
Speaker 1: We were just out there in the snow and I

538
00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,640
Speaker 1: didn't really feel cold, but it was snowing, so I

539
00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,440
Speaker 1: knew it was cold. But I mean, I'm getting used

540
00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:35,600
Speaker 1: to it now. The last game was pretty cold, so

541
00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:38,560
Speaker 1: nothing really too much to say about it. When you're

542
00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:41,160
Speaker 1: on the field, you know, running around, you know, trying

543
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:44,040
Speaker 1: to hit people and stuff. But on the sideline it

544
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:47,680
Speaker 1: is probably the worst time. Once you're running around out there,

545
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:50,880
Speaker 1: you won't feel it. At that point you want it all.

546
00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,400
Speaker 1: It's perfectly fine then. Bred appreciate your time. Best of

547
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:58,760
Speaker 1: luck against the Steelers, Happy holiday problem. Appreciate that both

548
00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,080
Speaker 1: podcast its presented by Bud Light Seltzer. It's light and

549
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:06,400
Speaker 1: refreshing with a hint of fruit flavor. The Pittsburgh Steelers

550
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:08,520
Speaker 1: come to town on Monday night with an eleven and

551
00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 1: two record and an eleven game head to head winning

552
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:17,000
Speaker 1: streak against the Bengals. Furthermore, Ben Roethlisberger is twenty six

553
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:21,520
Speaker 1: and seven in his career against Cincinnati, including fifteen and

554
00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:27,600
Speaker 1: two at Paul Brown Stadium. I know it's sickening. Ike

555
00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,280
Speaker 1: Taylor was an outstanding cornerback for the Steelers from two

556
00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:34,520
Speaker 1: thousand and three to twenty fourteen and one a pair

557
00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:37,600
Speaker 1: of Super Bowl rings. He's currently one of the hosts

558
00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:41,560
Speaker 1: of the Believe In Steelers podcast, and this week he

559
00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,320
Speaker 1: joined lap In Wayne box Miller on the Bengals Game

560
00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:48,760
Speaker 1: Plan show to preview Monday night's game. So the big

561
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:52,760
Speaker 1: buzz around the National Football League now is who is

562
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,280
Speaker 1: this Pittsburgh Steeler offense. We've never seen the Pittsburgh Steelers

563
00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,400
Speaker 1: not commit to running the football like they haven't committed

564
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,920
Speaker 1: this year. They're just not getting it done running the football.

565
00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:05,560
Speaker 1: But of course Benn has Ben, but it's more of

566
00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,760
Speaker 1: a horizontal you know, um, not dinking dunk, but short

567
00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:14,080
Speaker 1: intermediate passing game kind of thing. In your opinion, are

568
00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,000
Speaker 1: they doing what's best obviously with the personnel they have.

569
00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:19,600
Speaker 1: What do you think about the Stealers offense? Boom, You

570
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,480
Speaker 1: just hit on the head. That's that's that's your personnel.

571
00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:26,240
Speaker 1: So when you look at the Pittsburgh Feelers offense, you're

572
00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:28,480
Speaker 1: not looking at the running back room and be like, Okay,

573
00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:30,720
Speaker 1: this is going to be us. You're looking at that

574
00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,160
Speaker 1: wide receiver chords like, okay, this is us. The only

575
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 1: thing when it comes down to this wide receiver chords drops.

576
00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:40,400
Speaker 1: Of course, the Pittsburger Steelers lead the league and drops.

577
00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:43,160
Speaker 1: But at the same time, you saw the difference when

578
00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:45,640
Speaker 1: Deyontay Johnson was on the field and when he was

579
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:48,400
Speaker 1: off the field. You saw the energy that he bought

580
00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:50,560
Speaker 1: when he's off the fielder to what when he's on

581
00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:53,800
Speaker 1: the sale. So the only thing about that he's the

582
00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:57,400
Speaker 1: one dropping the ball. Yeah, And that's the reason why

583
00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,000
Speaker 1: Big Ben has went to this quick game passing game

584
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:04,160
Speaker 1: one to keep the pressure up off of him too,

585
00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:07,520
Speaker 1: to get the balls and playmakers like a Deontae Johnson

586
00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:09,440
Speaker 1: is just the boys gotta catch the ball and they

587
00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:13,280
Speaker 1: gotta do it consistently, especially in this cold weather. You know,

588
00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:15,720
Speaker 1: I when you think about guys dropping the ball like that,

589
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,360
Speaker 1: especially early in the Buffalo game, you guys a defensive backs,

590
00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:21,240
Speaker 1: do you try to move quickly to get in their

591
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:26,760
Speaker 1: head and just remind them about that one hundred scent.

592
00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:29,360
Speaker 1: I gotta let every time I'm facing you, I gotta

593
00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:33,440
Speaker 1: let you know, ay, bro, you're about to drop got

594
00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:36,360
Speaker 1: to cover you because you're gonna drop it anyway. So

595
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,480
Speaker 1: you know, if I hate, I hate to say it,

596
00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:42,360
Speaker 1: but in the game of football, when you're on the field,

597
00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:45,360
Speaker 1: you gotta kick the man while he's down. That that

598
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,200
Speaker 1: that that's that's That's just how it is because it's

599
00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:50,520
Speaker 1: one on one. Mindame you mind, No, you gotta kick

600
00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,480
Speaker 1: them while he's down, because I guarantee you, when he's up,

601
00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:56,760
Speaker 1: he's gonna be calling every name but your name in

602
00:32:56,840 --> 00:33:01,120
Speaker 1: the pot, smoking you on routes and touchdowns. A lot

603
00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:04,040
Speaker 1: of that goes on, There's no doubt about that. Keith Butler,

604
00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:09,240
Speaker 1: defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Defensive coordinators stay around

605
00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:11,080
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh for a long time. I mean a lot of

606
00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:13,680
Speaker 1: them had a lot of success. Is Keith Butler the

607
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,719
Speaker 1: kind of defensive coordinator the listeners to his players, particularly

608
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:18,680
Speaker 1: guys have been around a while. The thing I admire

609
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:22,040
Speaker 1: about Pittsburgh most players have played together for a while.

610
00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,360
Speaker 1: They don't even need coaches to make adjustments. Guy still

611
00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,840
Speaker 1: good and understanding what the what the scheme and the

612
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:30,520
Speaker 1: concepts all about when you guys come off the field.

613
00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,800
Speaker 1: Keith Butler obviously values the opinion of the players coming

614
00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:35,680
Speaker 1: off the field and telling them what they're seeing, doesn't

615
00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:40,600
Speaker 1: he You got to in order to be successful, as

616
00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:45,240
Speaker 1: coach Butts is as a DC, You're only as successful

617
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,320
Speaker 1: as the adjustments you make. One two listening to your

618
00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:50,680
Speaker 1: players because they're on the field. You know, I think

619
00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,600
Speaker 1: as a defensive coordinator sometimes you can go in with

620
00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:56,400
Speaker 1: a game playing and your players are telling you something

621
00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,080
Speaker 1: different because they're on the field. So now you have

622
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:02,800
Speaker 1: to a that's to your game playing coach. Coach Butts

623
00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:06,480
Speaker 1: does that well, if you know what I'm saying, yep, yep. Yeah.

624
00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:09,560
Speaker 1: When you think about the secondary the Steelers have, now,

625
00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:11,320
Speaker 1: what do you like about them? And what do you

626
00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:15,400
Speaker 1: think maybe a challenge for them? I think they can

627
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:20,520
Speaker 1: do a better job of tackling in Oakland space, you

628
00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:22,759
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. That's that's that's when you're good.

629
00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:27,160
Speaker 1: Secondaries win championship ball games. Yeah, guy might catch the ball,

630
00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:28,879
Speaker 1: but once you catch the ball, I'm on my back

631
00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:31,360
Speaker 1: and I'm making that tackle. It's not gonna be a

632
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:33,879
Speaker 1: five yard kiss turning into a third yard game. It's

633
00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,120
Speaker 1: gonna be a five yard catching the five yard catch

634
00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:38,680
Speaker 1: right there. So the only the only thing I can

635
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:41,880
Speaker 1: kind of criticize the Pittsburgh Still a secondary on is

636
00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:45,600
Speaker 1: really a good criticism is making sure they secure the

637
00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:49,800
Speaker 1: tackle once the wide receiver catch the ball. At the

638
00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:52,640
Speaker 1: linebacker position, you talk about a position that's been hit

639
00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:56,600
Speaker 1: by injury, Bush Spillane Williams do pree. I mean, man,

640
00:34:57,040 --> 00:34:59,440
Speaker 1: the only guy that's you know, kind of avoiding it.

641
00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:01,799
Speaker 1: I guess his point is t J. Watt, who's having

642
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,799
Speaker 1: a great year. But the Pittsburgh Stills, they don't cry

643
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:06,480
Speaker 1: and moan about that. It's always next man up with

644
00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:09,560
Speaker 1: Mike Tomlin, isn't It Ain't a lot right, don't you say?

645
00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:15,520
Speaker 1: Like the twist the scholars zero zero damn there? You

646
00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:18,160
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, yea, and coach T Damn then

647
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:21,960
Speaker 1: went out there with eight with eight defensive backs. Yep,

648
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,040
Speaker 1: you know so. So I'm telling you, man, Coach T

649
00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,480
Speaker 1: and coach Butts. Many they it's really next man up.

650
00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:31,839
Speaker 1: And a lot of teams say that, but they really

651
00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:34,799
Speaker 1: don't have the depth or the knowledge or the IQ

652
00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:39,360
Speaker 1: as coaches to actually do that. Coach T with that

653
00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,480
Speaker 1: defense and Coach Butts, they gave the Pittsburgh Sellers offense

654
00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,080
Speaker 1: plenty of opportunities to at least get some points on

655
00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:49,719
Speaker 1: the board or try to win that ball game. So yeah,

656
00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:52,160
Speaker 1: it's really next man up. And if Coach T feels

657
00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:55,839
Speaker 1: like his linebacker crew is depleted, which they are, he's

658
00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:59,040
Speaker 1: gonna adjust and he's gonna get other extra guys out there.

659
00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:01,800
Speaker 1: And at that time doing a Buffalo Bill game, it

660
00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,359
Speaker 1: was the defensive backs. You know, one of the things

661
00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:08,080
Speaker 1: that when you look at this team and you look

662
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,000
Speaker 1: at people that played in Pittsburgh, whether they move on

663
00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:14,680
Speaker 1: to other places or coaches that move on to other places,

664
00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:18,719
Speaker 1: it says some about the way coach Thomlin talks and

665
00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:22,880
Speaker 1: the way he communicates. Lap Dave Lapham here NFL veteran,

666
00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:24,640
Speaker 1: talks about that he's just probably one of the best

667
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:29,680
Speaker 1: communicators he's ever seen. Man, I've seen a lot of

668
00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:35,040
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame players that know the game very well,

669
00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:41,080
Speaker 1: but they're not able to teach it. They're not able

670
00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:44,960
Speaker 1: to relay the message right. And that's what make good

671
00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:49,480
Speaker 1: teachers great, and that's what make good coaches great. They

672
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,560
Speaker 1: understand the game where they understand whether you're a teacher

673
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:55,759
Speaker 1: who have a student or whether you're a coach. And

674
00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:59,719
Speaker 1: this is my player. Every player won't learn the same

675
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,600
Speaker 1: how as a teacher or how as a coach? Can

676
00:37:03,719 --> 00:37:08,560
Speaker 1: I simplify and make everybody understand what I'm saying? And

677
00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,160
Speaker 1: I was talking about this on my show To Believe

678
00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:14,520
Speaker 1: in Still the podcast. All I've been around with Hall

679
00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:20,359
Speaker 1: of Fame coaches Dick Lebo, Russ Graham, Mike Munchek, Ray

680
00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:23,520
Speaker 1: Horton probably would had the best IQ of any coach

681
00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:26,839
Speaker 1: I've ever had as a defensive back coach Cornell Lake

682
00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:30,680
Speaker 1: who actually played the game, DP who actually played the game,

683
00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:34,680
Speaker 1: had a Hall of Fame owner in Paul Paul Ruining.

684
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,560
Speaker 1: So I've just been surrounded by greatness. And what these

685
00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:42,279
Speaker 1: guys did well was simplify and got everybody on the

686
00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:46,520
Speaker 1: same page, regardless on how difficult you might thought this

687
00:37:46,719 --> 00:37:51,200
Speaker 1: defense or how complicated you thought this defense was. And

688
00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:53,800
Speaker 1: that's the art, because everybody can't do it, you know

689
00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:56,719
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. So and it forced me because I

690
00:37:56,760 --> 00:38:00,160
Speaker 1: wound up coaching my son's football team to three to

691
00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:04,160
Speaker 1: three championships. I've learned how the coaches coach me to

692
00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:06,640
Speaker 1: do the same with my kids, and it's already in

693
00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:08,880
Speaker 1: the messages. So I just go back and rewind what

694
00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:11,440
Speaker 1: I just told y'all. A lot of guys have a

695
00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:13,719
Speaker 1: lot of information in their head, and I'm talking about

696
00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:15,520
Speaker 1: Hall of Famous and they know the game and they

697
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:18,239
Speaker 1: can play the game, but they can't relay the game

698
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:22,279
Speaker 1: or they can't teach as the great ones due. I'll

699
00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:24,359
Speaker 1: tell you what, your son and his teammates are lucky

700
00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:27,120
Speaker 1: to have you coaching the man. Three championships. That's pretty

701
00:38:27,239 --> 00:38:31,160
Speaker 1: that's pretty strong. So Mike, Mike Thomlin obviously is defensive

702
00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:35,279
Speaker 1: oriented as a head coach, so obviously he and Keith

703
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:39,000
Speaker 1: bought to have a great relationship, working relationship. Mike, Mike

704
00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:42,120
Speaker 1: knows probably you know, I can make some suggestions, but

705
00:38:42,239 --> 00:38:44,560
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna step on Keith's toes.

706
00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:46,960
Speaker 1: Keith is the coordinator, but Mike, I'm sure has a

707
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:51,080
Speaker 1: lot of input, doesn't he. You got them right, I mean,

708
00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:53,799
Speaker 1: you don't. Don't forget coach. He was a defensive back

709
00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:57,279
Speaker 1: coach when they won the Super Bowl coach, he wind

710
00:38:57,360 --> 00:38:59,799
Speaker 1: up going to Minnesota being a defensive coordinator. I guess

711
00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:02,840
Speaker 1: who number one in the run stop and we was

712
00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,680
Speaker 1: number two. It was the Minnesota Vikings number one stopping

713
00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,319
Speaker 1: the run and we was right under them at number two.

714
00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:14,280
Speaker 1: But Coach T his love is secondary. He loves, he loves,

715
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:17,960
Speaker 1: he loves his secondary guys. That's why he went and

716
00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:21,879
Speaker 1: got Minka you know, That's why went and got Joe

717
00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:25,399
Speaker 1: Ye So And usually, you know, the prins Burghs killers.

718
00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:28,120
Speaker 1: We usually draft corners, but we've been missing a lot.

719
00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:30,840
Speaker 1: But when you got a sneaky free agent guy like

720
00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:33,600
Speaker 1: that Mike Hilton, you know what I'm saying, who comes in?

721
00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:36,960
Speaker 1: When you got a guy like Cam Sudden, who comes

722
00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,280
Speaker 1: in in the slide ether, they can play in the sloder,

723
00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:41,839
Speaker 1: they can play on the outside. But that's that's coach

724
00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:44,600
Speaker 1: T fourte But don't please, don't get it twisted, because

725
00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:47,080
Speaker 1: he felt like, over the course of his coaching career,

726
00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,440
Speaker 1: he's learned the best from a Tony Dungee in the

727
00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:54,600
Speaker 1: four three in the best in the three four out

728
00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:57,480
Speaker 1: of a Dick La Boat. Yep. You know, like when

729
00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,719
Speaker 1: you think about the game of football, now you know

730
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,960
Speaker 1: you're watching your fan, you're a coach, What do you

731
00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:07,600
Speaker 1: like about the game. Now, obviously the way you hit

732
00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:09,680
Speaker 1: has changed a lot. You think it would have been

733
00:40:09,719 --> 00:40:13,920
Speaker 1: hard for you to adjust. No, I was. I was

734
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:17,000
Speaker 1: going through this adjustment as I was playing, and coach

735
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:20,759
Speaker 1: and Coach T did a great job of making sure

736
00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:25,640
Speaker 1: we adjusted like the old like the two thousand and three,

737
00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:29,920
Speaker 1: two thousand and six pitch Birds stillers, Coach T say, hey, man,

738
00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:32,359
Speaker 1: we ain't get away with these hits no motive. Yeah,

739
00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:34,920
Speaker 1: this is where I'm telling y'all, this is where the

740
00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:37,880
Speaker 1: league is going. I know y'all may disagree with it

741
00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:41,960
Speaker 1: and call it fantasy footballs or powder for football, but

742
00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:45,520
Speaker 1: I'm telling y'all, old school catch this is where the

743
00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:48,759
Speaker 1: league is going. And god damn Coat was at least

744
00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:51,600
Speaker 1: three years ahead of his time, so he already was,

745
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:56,200
Speaker 1: you know, transcending, transcending into one of those coaches who

746
00:40:56,360 --> 00:40:59,240
Speaker 1: understood and had a clear mind and seeing it before

747
00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:02,839
Speaker 1: everybody else. So he was talking to us before everybody else.

748
00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:06,360
Speaker 1: That's why you see the Pittsburgh Steelers rarely getting penalized

749
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,799
Speaker 1: for illegal hits because it's been instilled in us since

750
00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:12,040
Speaker 1: Coach T was there and coach he did a great

751
00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:15,000
Speaker 1: job of just teaching and practicing and making sure where

752
00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:18,239
Speaker 1: where what the league is going. So let me ask

753
00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:21,600
Speaker 1: you in terms of injury, we talked about Spillan obviously,

754
00:41:22,200 --> 00:41:25,759
Speaker 1: Williams duprees out out for sure, Hayden. How beat up

755
00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:27,239
Speaker 1: are all the stealers? How many guys do you think

756
00:41:27,239 --> 00:41:28,960
Speaker 1: will be able to make the dance and who's not

757
00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:31,560
Speaker 1: going to be able to? Man, I don't know, And

758
00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:33,680
Speaker 1: that's a tough question, that's a real good question. But

759
00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:38,080
Speaker 1: I do know schematically why they'll be ready on defense. Right,

760
00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:40,880
Speaker 1: That's that's that's what that's that's what I will know,

761
00:41:41,239 --> 00:41:43,200
Speaker 1: you know, just looking at Coach T and coach but

762
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,000
Speaker 1: they're gonna look at that roster. They're gonna see who

763
00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:49,040
Speaker 1: could help them from game the game. From game the game,

764
00:41:49,080 --> 00:41:51,399
Speaker 1: you're gonna see a different lineup and and and that's

765
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:55,719
Speaker 1: what I think it happens. Coach T, to me is

766
00:41:55,719 --> 00:41:58,120
Speaker 1: a Hall of fame coach. And I played with coach Kyle.

767
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,359
Speaker 1: He's a Hall of fame coach. I think Coach getting

768
00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:02,960
Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame just as well. Yeah, But when

769
00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:05,080
Speaker 1: you when you when you have a coach that can

770
00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:08,880
Speaker 1: sit back and not be stubborn and say this is

771
00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:11,959
Speaker 1: what I know, this is what I'm doing, and mess

772
00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:15,440
Speaker 1: up your personnel or don't adjust to your personnel. That's

773
00:42:15,560 --> 00:42:19,879
Speaker 1: destruction coach. As we can see with a depleted linebacker. Course,

774
00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:24,360
Speaker 1: he's adjusting weekend week out on what he have on

775
00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:27,680
Speaker 1: that roster schematically and going in the game and at

776
00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:32,000
Speaker 1: least giving this team a chance to win. Organizationally, three

777
00:42:32,560 --> 00:42:36,120
Speaker 1: head coaches since the Vietnam War, no Hall of fame,

778
00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:39,359
Speaker 1: Kyra hall of fame, Tomlin will be Hall of fame.

779
00:42:39,719 --> 00:42:41,640
Speaker 1: That is putting the battle the ball man. That is

780
00:42:41,719 --> 00:42:44,840
Speaker 1: one hell of a decision making organization right there. In

781
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:49,400
Speaker 1: terms of picking head coaches, that's start with the Runeys.

782
00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:51,799
Speaker 1: And I'm gonna go, don't give mister a big shout

783
00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:54,000
Speaker 1: out because he don't used to get it. He's a

784
00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:56,919
Speaker 1: man behind the scene. That's that starts with the whole

785
00:42:57,000 --> 00:42:59,759
Speaker 1: Runny family, you know. So I just took my hat

786
00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:02,520
Speaker 1: the Runey's family. But like you say, when you got

787
00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:07,640
Speaker 1: three coaches, nestability and I'll tell you this, we learned

788
00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:11,200
Speaker 1: that as soon as you walked in that Pittsburgh organization

789
00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:13,880
Speaker 1: on that second floor you saw in them lobarties, and

790
00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:17,000
Speaker 1: you saw the mean Joe Green, the lan Swan's, Frank

791
00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:20,800
Speaker 1: o'harris's third Branshaws, the Jack Lambs. You've seen all of

792
00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:23,160
Speaker 1: them guys just come around and mel blunts. You've seen

793
00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:26,760
Speaker 1: all them guys come around often. And you see guys

794
00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:29,520
Speaker 1: just stay and live in Pittsburgh. And there's a reason

795
00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:32,600
Speaker 1: why you stay and live in Pittsburgh. Like Pittsburgh, it's

796
00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:36,360
Speaker 1: really still a city, you know. But you I gotta

797
00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:40,080
Speaker 1: give it to the Runis because they treat their players

798
00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:44,279
Speaker 1: like family, Like you don't just work for me. You know,

799
00:43:44,440 --> 00:43:47,120
Speaker 1: when when when the owner you know, know your kid

800
00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:49,200
Speaker 1: and know your girlfriend and know your wife's name, or

801
00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:52,200
Speaker 1: when you come downstairs after a meeting and he didn't

802
00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:56,160
Speaker 1: gave everybody gifts for their kids, that's really family, you

803
00:43:56,239 --> 00:43:58,759
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. And I'm getting this off of

804
00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:02,520
Speaker 1: other guys coming from other different organizations, and as soon

805
00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:04,239
Speaker 1: as they walk in and tho, they just see it

806
00:44:04,320 --> 00:44:07,920
Speaker 1: and feel it, like I see why y'all went, I

807
00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:10,879
Speaker 1: see why y'all got this brotherhood. I see why y'all

808
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:14,960
Speaker 1: have this commaraderie, like y'all really are a family. And

809
00:44:15,080 --> 00:44:17,920
Speaker 1: that's what you gotta love about the Pittsburgh still Is organization.

810
00:44:18,040 --> 00:44:20,719
Speaker 1: But please don't never get it twisted. It starts with

811
00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:23,719
Speaker 1: the Rooney family, you know. I uh, when you think

812
00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:26,319
Speaker 1: about the matchup with the Bengals, you guys have had

813
00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:29,759
Speaker 1: the Bengals number for quite a while. And as we

814
00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:33,320
Speaker 1: wrap up here, talk about did you guys view playing

815
00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:36,000
Speaker 1: the Bengals as much of a rivalry as the Bengals

816
00:44:36,040 --> 00:44:41,400
Speaker 1: did here? Not at all, not one bit Cleveland, not

817
00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:45,439
Speaker 1: not at all. It was the Baltimore Ravings. Yeah, yeah,

818
00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:47,880
Speaker 1: that's I mean, it's when you talk about the AFC

819
00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:51,680
Speaker 1: North and winning the AFC North and going to Super

820
00:44:51,719 --> 00:44:53,640
Speaker 1: Bowls and making it to the playoffs for the past

821
00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:56,799
Speaker 1: twenty years, who you're talking about either Chris burg Still

822
00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:00,640
Speaker 1: or the Baltimore Rakings. Okay, let's bring it back either first.

823
00:45:00,719 --> 00:45:03,200
Speaker 1: If you want to go to the early nineties, who

824
00:45:03,239 --> 00:45:05,840
Speaker 1: are you talking about getting into the playoffs trying to

825
00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:09,960
Speaker 1: Hoiston Lombardy. You're talking about the Pitts Burr Stealers us

826
00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:13,680
Speaker 1: the Baltimore Rags and and that's and that's just how

827
00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,440
Speaker 1: it's been for at least twenty five years. But I

828
00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:20,200
Speaker 1: tell you this, and I said this on my show

829
00:45:20,239 --> 00:45:26,080
Speaker 1: to Day as well. I said, between Cleveland, the Baltimore Ravens,

830
00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:30,040
Speaker 1: and the Cincinnati Banks, Pittsburgh will have to draft a

831
00:45:30,200 --> 00:45:35,080
Speaker 1: franchise quarterback this up and coming draft. And the reason

832
00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:38,080
Speaker 1: why you got I call him Joe Cool, y'all call

833
00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:42,120
Speaker 1: him Joe Burrow. You got Joe Cool sitting in the pocket,

834
00:45:42,200 --> 00:45:47,600
Speaker 1: A natural a natural born leader, unnatural born leader. It's

835
00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:50,080
Speaker 1: crazy how a young guys can come as a rookie

836
00:45:50,480 --> 00:45:52,840
Speaker 1: and you can see the eyes sitting in the huttel

837
00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:57,440
Speaker 1: undivided on this man when he's calling the plays, ready break,

838
00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:00,400
Speaker 1: all synchronized and let's at least try to win the

839
00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:03,239
Speaker 1: ball game. You can see it like I saw. I

840
00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:05,680
Speaker 1: saw that Lshoe Like everybody was getting mad at me

841
00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:08,879
Speaker 1: when I saw Joe Cool, and Lshoe was like, well,

842
00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:11,960
Speaker 1: he's gonna be some special. He's gonna be some special

843
00:46:11,960 --> 00:46:16,440
Speaker 1: in the league. And he just when you have a

844
00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:21,160
Speaker 1: rookie who win as high as Joe, who can, who

845
00:46:21,239 --> 00:46:24,880
Speaker 1: can pretty much say whatever he wants as then talking

846
00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:29,279
Speaker 1: down about his teammates on the season and not having

847
00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:31,880
Speaker 1: a good offensive line right now and not able to

848
00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:34,879
Speaker 1: win ball games because of the defense sometimes, but when

849
00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:37,520
Speaker 1: you have a rookie that says in probably he's the

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00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:42,279
Speaker 1: best guy on offense, say it's me, it's I. Yeah,

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00:46:42,320 --> 00:46:45,520
Speaker 1: that needs to get better. You don't have more on

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Speaker 1: the Monday night matchup on the Bengals pep Rally Show

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00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:52,600
Speaker 1: this Friday afternoon from three to six on ESPN fifteen thirty.

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Speaker 1: That's going to do it for this episode of the

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Speaker 1: Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by bud Light, Seltzer

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00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:01,120
Speaker 1: refreshed the game. If you ever done so already, please

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00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:03,080
Speaker 1: subscribe and if you have a minute, give it a

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00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:06,600
Speaker 1: rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans

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00:47:06,719 --> 00:47:09,920
Speaker 1: find this podcast. I'm Dan Horde and thank you for

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00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:12,960
Speaker 1: listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast.