Speaker 1: The Season with Peter Schrager as a production of the
Speaker 1: NFL in partnership with I Heart Radio. Welcome everybody to
Speaker 1: the Season with Peter Schragers a rare double dip. We're
Speaker 1: doing two episodes in one week, and we thought we would,
Speaker 1: uh would spend some time talking about Tom Brady's retirement.
Speaker 1: And it was easy enough to wait till next week
Speaker 1: and jump on and be like, hey, we're gonna do no,
Speaker 1: let's do it right here, right now. Tom Brady, it's Wednesday,
Speaker 1: just retired from the NFL in a video that he
Speaker 1: filmed on his own phone. That was such a departure
Speaker 1: from last year's whatever the hell was going on with
Speaker 1: you know, first a schefter report, then he retires, but
Speaker 1: he says he's not retiring, and then he un retires.
Speaker 1: It was just a mess. This year, Brady retires by
Speaker 1: just doing a simple, raw, honest video. Here's what he
Speaker 1: had to say to his millions of followers. Good morning, guys.
Speaker 1: I'll get to the point right away. I'm retiring for good.
Speaker 1: I know the process was a pretty big deal last time.
Speaker 1: So when I woke up this morning, I figured I
Speaker 1: just press record and let you guys know first, so
Speaker 1: I won't be long winded like you only get one
Speaker 1: super emotional retirement essay and I used my up last year.
Speaker 1: So really, thank you guys so much to every single
Speaker 1: one of you for supporting me, my family, my friends,
Speaker 1: my teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There's
Speaker 1: too many. Um thank you guys for allowing me to
Speaker 1: live my absolute dream. I wouldn't change the thing. I
Speaker 1: love you all. I'm not going to spend today's podcast
Speaker 1: going through all the Bradies accomplishments and listing all the
Speaker 1: amazing winds and moments. I'll just say the announcement of
Speaker 1: the news itself. Here's what I got. I have sources
Speaker 1: close to Brady and here the video was filmed days ago,
Speaker 1: So that wasn't filmed this morning. That was a video
Speaker 1: that he filmed days ago. He went to the eighty
Speaker 1: for Brady movie premiere last night in Los Angeles. By
Speaker 1: the time that he posted the video, the sun was
Speaker 1: not up, so in l A clearly that that would
Speaker 1: not be him on the beach Wednesday morning. All that
Speaker 1: will be forgotten um days from now. No one cares
Speaker 1: about it. But what that The big takeaway is that
Speaker 1: he's known for for some time now that he was retiring.
Speaker 1: Sources with the Buccaneers told me they found out this
Speaker 1: morning prior to the video being posted. They were giving
Speaker 1: a heads up that Brady was calling a quit. So
Speaker 1: think about the sequence of time here and his head.
Speaker 1: He's watching the games over the weekend, the decisions probably formulating.
Speaker 1: It is probably formulating for a couple of weeks, makes
Speaker 1: the decision. Films. The video flies to l A does
Speaker 1: this movie premiere thing? Is asked a million questions I'm
Speaker 1: sure um does on the red carpet, doesn't give any
Speaker 1: doesn't address it. How's the Jim Gray podcast? Somewhere in
Speaker 1: there where he tells Jim Gray He's not answering any questions,
Speaker 1: all that stuff. Um. But then a simple Wednesday morning,
Speaker 1: bye week, boom video out, no statement, no marketing video,
Speaker 1: no plug to the TV twelve brand, No, no, you
Speaker 1: know I'm promoting this movie. Nothing, A simple video Brady,
Speaker 1: a man in his thoughts, succinct message. I dig it,
Speaker 1: I appreciate it. Um. That was one piece of news.
Speaker 1: The other piece of news was Sean Phaeton. So on
Speaker 1: when we recorded this podcast yesterday, I said, screaming from
Speaker 1: the mountaintops. Please please do not listen to the reports
Speaker 1: that are saying that Sean Payton is not taking a job. Please.
Speaker 1: I knew something was going down, guys, obviously, and I
Speaker 1: was saying the orange tie that he wore on Fox, Um,
Speaker 1: it might not have been an accident, that's all. I'll say.
Speaker 1: He were a big bright orange tie on Sunday. Uh.
Speaker 1: Talks with the Bronchos were well underway on Sunday, and
Speaker 1: that was going on while we were filming our show. However,
Speaker 1: they need to figure out the trade compensation with the
Speaker 1: Saints that wasn't done yet, and they also need to
Speaker 1: figure out Sean's compensation as far as salary goes. The
Speaker 1: interesting thing to piece to this is Payton is gonna
Speaker 1: get a huge salary from the Broncos. And you might say, well,
Speaker 1: salary cap doesn't matter with coaches. We don't really know
Speaker 1: how much that money is gonna be. It doesn't have
Speaker 1: to be made public. There's no salary cap, there's no
Speaker 1: announcement of how much you better believe. In coaching circles,
Speaker 1: people start hearing what he's getting, and if he's getting
Speaker 1: a certain number, there's no stopping a Kyle Shanahan, A
Speaker 1: Sean McVeigh, a Zach Taylor. Any of these guys to
Speaker 1: go to their owners and say, well, why is Sean
Speaker 1: Payton making X amount more than me? That, to me
Speaker 1: is the storyline here. Does the NFL want the coaching
Speaker 1: salaries to go out of whack? Are the owners thrilled
Speaker 1: that a new owner came in and is paying Sewan
Speaker 1: Payton a certain number? I'm trying to give you the
Speaker 1: next level analysis here. Sean Payton comes back at the
Speaker 1: age of sixty one, says, I'm gonna coach the new
Speaker 1: the Denver Bronco. I need this number, and the Broncos
Speaker 1: owners match that number. Now, if all of these Super
Speaker 1: Bowl contending coaches are below him, did they go to
Speaker 1: their owners and say, we'll wait a second. If he
Speaker 1: got that, what's stopping me from stepping away from a
Speaker 1: year doing this. It's an interesting set of dominoes and
Speaker 1: it's the pretty side of all of this. And the
Speaker 1: owners in the league, I'm sure are not thrilled to
Speaker 1: to have Shawn pay and make a certain number and
Speaker 1: all the other owners say, hey, now I've got to
Speaker 1: pay my guy that last year to Shawn Watson got
Speaker 1: a certain number as a quarterback. All the other quarterbacks
Speaker 1: are like, I need that number. Guess what that might
Speaker 1: be coming after Sean pay and gets what he got. Um,
Speaker 1: that's the unsavory side of sports. It's the business side
Speaker 1: of it. There's also a football side of it. And
Speaker 1: scheduled long before Brady's retirement was this guest today. And
Speaker 1: if you're a Bengals fan, you're gonna love it. If
Speaker 1: you're a non Bengals fan, you're gonna wish this guy
Speaker 1: was your coach. I'll tell you what. Zach Taylor is
Speaker 1: the real deal. I've known Zach going back to his
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphin days when he was coaching on Dan Campbell's
Speaker 1: interim uh Dolphins team that Joe Filbin era back then.
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor bounced around from there to the University of
Speaker 1: Cincinnati at one point, to the l A Rams at
Speaker 1: some point, Um too, then of course, elevating to be
Speaker 1: in the head coach of Cincinnati Bengals. Two rough years
Speaker 1: to start his career, two amazing years the past two years,
Speaker 1: and he has been the same guy since day one
Speaker 1: that I've met him. Zach Taylor is a great NFL coach.
Speaker 1: He is a great podcast guest. He agreed to do
Speaker 1: the season with Peter Schreeger. He has not done any
Speaker 1: other media. Fresh off a heartbreaking a f C Championship
Speaker 1: Game loss, guys, sit back and enjoy Zach Taylor, the
Speaker 1: head coach the Cincinnati Bengals. Back to back trips to
Speaker 1: the a f C Championship Game, a Super Bowl appearance
Speaker 1: last year, and a fantastic season from the Cincinnati Bengals,
Speaker 1: were welcoming in their head coach and one of the
Speaker 1: best best minds in football right now, going, Mr Zach Taylor. Zach,
Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast. I appreciated Peter. Thanks from here on.
Speaker 1: I love having you on. Alright, so, just as we're recording,
Speaker 1: this is Tuesday. I'm sorry Wednesday morning, UM, Tom Brady
Speaker 1: put out a statement a video that he's retiring. I'm
Speaker 1: not sure if if you've been able to check all
Speaker 1: the tweets or whatever, but as we sit down and
Speaker 1: do this, you guys playing against the Buccaneers this year,
Speaker 1: obviously good comeback win for you, and of course you
Speaker 1: were the Big Twelve Offensive Player of the Year Player
Speaker 1: of the Year, Um, after Brady had already won three
Speaker 1: Super Bowls, so you put this whole thing together. Your
Speaker 1: reactions to Tom Brady finally calling it quits and this
Speaker 1: time for real. Yeah, it was an awesome career. Um.
Speaker 1: I grew up watching Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and
Speaker 1: so to coach against those guys interact with him is unbelievable.
Speaker 1: So again, hats off to him for a phenomenal career.
Speaker 1: It's it's that'll be tough to ever match. Did you
Speaker 1: exchange any words after that game? I guess it was
Speaker 1: December eighteenth, Bengals Buccaneers. Brady comes to midfield. You guys
Speaker 1: come back and win that game. Is there any exchange
Speaker 1: of like, here's my words of wisdom from Tom Brady
Speaker 1: or it doesn't go down like that? Oh? No, I
Speaker 1: don't know that I've ever interacted with Tom, you know,
Speaker 1: and I've always had a ton of respect for him,
Speaker 1: but but I've never interacted with him. Yeah. Um, we're
Speaker 1: seventy two hours now outside of the a f C
Speaker 1: Championship game, which I said earlier in the week was
Speaker 1: an all time classic that everyone will remember where they were.
Speaker 1: You guys, the season's done now, it's so fresh, it's
Speaker 1: so raw, and now that you've had seventy two hours
Speaker 1: to remove yourself not only from the game, but from
Speaker 1: the season. Uh, for Bengals fans, for NFL fans, you know,
Speaker 1: just your perspective on the season that was and really
Speaker 1: how far this team came. Yeah, I'm really proud of
Speaker 1: our guys, you know, and we didn't know what at
Speaker 1: the time, but on Hawween we lost the Browns on
Speaker 1: Monday Night football to go for and for and we're
Speaker 1: really playing playoff football ever since then. You know, we
Speaker 1: just didn't know it. And so to look up and
Speaker 1: be four and four and then turn around in your
Speaker 1: fourteen and four and you're on the run that we
Speaker 1: were on. It was a credit to our guys. We're
Speaker 1: just putting their head down and and focus on each
Speaker 1: week and finding ways to win. And the next thing
Speaker 1: you know, you're in Kansas City for the HC Championship
Speaker 1: and a couple of points away from going back to
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl. And just really proud of the effort
Speaker 1: of our guys and and the discipline to get to
Speaker 1: that point. Loss like that that's so heartbreaking and obviously
Speaker 1: it's so fresh. When do you put on the tape?
Speaker 1: Is that something a coach puts on Sunday night in
Speaker 1: the flight home. Do you in the tape and never
Speaker 1: watch it? I'm always fascinated. We know that. You know,
Speaker 1: when you win one, you don't want to linker too
Speaker 1: much on on the tape and you just want to
Speaker 1: take it to the next But when the season ends,
Speaker 1: like it just ended, Like when do you go to
Speaker 1: that tape and watch the All twenty two and break
Speaker 1: it down? Yeah? You watch it on the plane afterwards
Speaker 1: on the iPad and really, um, you know, and then
Speaker 1: the next morning you go through the game. You want
Speaker 1: to be aware of of what happened and be able
Speaker 1: to talk through it with conversations with the players and
Speaker 1: other people as you need to. And um, yeah, it's
Speaker 1: painful to watch. But um, you know again we we
Speaker 1: we played hard. Proud of the way that the guys played. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, wasn't wasn't like we were prepared. It wasn't
Speaker 1: like our guys and poor performances. It was just a
Speaker 1: great game against two two heavyweight fighters, and and unfortunately
Speaker 1: we came up a little short. You know. I said
Speaker 1: it on Twitter on Sunday night and it got about
Speaker 1: a billion retweets And I'm not usually that guy searching
Speaker 1: for the retweets. But I just said, how you handled
Speaker 1: the press conference after the game was was pretty classy.
Speaker 1: It took the high road. You didn't go through play
Speaker 1: by play when you know a lot of people online,
Speaker 1: a lot of Bengals fans were upset about certain things.
Speaker 1: What's your message to the team after the game. You
Speaker 1: guys get in the locker room and there were some
Speaker 1: calls obviously whatever it is, but you know that this
Speaker 1: is more than one game and one play here and there.
Speaker 1: This was an entire season that they should be proud of. Yeah,
Speaker 1: we gotta find a way to be proud of what
Speaker 1: we did. Um, this team should be tied together forever
Speaker 1: as a special team. And I want guys to be
Speaker 1: able to reflect on that and enjoy that. UM talk,
Speaker 1: moments like that is really where your characters tested. You know,
Speaker 1: what are you gonna be about when the when the
Speaker 1: emotions are raw and and uh, you know, And so
Speaker 1: I thought it was just important that we conduct ourselves
Speaker 1: the right way. And it was really proud of the
Speaker 1: way the guys handled that. Would you would you say
Speaker 1: to us I after a game? Obviously in the moment,
Speaker 1: everyone has their reactions, but then at the end of
Speaker 1: the day, you realize this is a kid who played
Speaker 1: his best game as a pro twenty two years old,
Speaker 1: is going to be a player for this team for
Speaker 1: a while. He didn't want to push, you know, Mahomes
Speaker 1: after the whistle. We know that. So what's the message
Speaker 1: from the head coach to the young man. Well, I
Speaker 1: think what's great about Joseph is is his passion for
Speaker 1: the game and his effort on every single play. And
Speaker 1: more times than not, that's gonna pay off in a
Speaker 1: really positive way for you because he's he's an effort player.
Speaker 1: He never gives up. He gives everything he's got on
Speaker 1: every snap and uh and and so again, he'll he'll
Speaker 1: learn from that. He'll be on that stage again someday
Speaker 1: they can make a great plays for us to help us,
Speaker 1: you know, and get to that next level. And I
Speaker 1: think he'll have a great appreciation for for what happened
Speaker 1: on Sunday when he gets to that point. What kind
Speaker 1: of kid is see, I don't think anyone in America
Speaker 1: knows second round pick young guy. But like we don't know,
Speaker 1: I don't. I wouldn't be able to identify his face
Speaker 1: if he walks by and now he's this name like
Speaker 1: it's already passed. But in the moment that was like,
Speaker 1: you know, a side, So what's he like? Give us
Speaker 1: a little light on the young man. Guy, very passionate
Speaker 1: about football. He's all in. Um, just wants to be great,
Speaker 1: eight wants to help the team. And uh really really
Speaker 1: did a great job growing in his role this year.
Speaker 1: He's fought through some injuries. Really was on I R
Speaker 1: last year as rookie because he got hurt in the
Speaker 1: Tampa Bay preseason game. Um, he's bought through injuries of
Speaker 1: the course of his career, and he was really starting
Speaker 1: to hit his stride at the latter point in this
Speaker 1: season and playing good football on Sunday, you know, he
Speaker 1: made some great plays for us and and so again
Speaker 1: he's got a really bright future for us. You know,
Speaker 1: I I watched the game back. It was on Monday night.
Speaker 1: I watched it back, and it's fourth and six and
Speaker 1: here's Burrow goes back and hits Chase and then there's
Speaker 1: the other pass this to Higgins to so many great
Speaker 1: young talents on this team. And as everyone wants to
Speaker 1: rush forward and say, well, the window might be closing
Speaker 1: on forget the window might be closing. Just talk about
Speaker 1: the youth and the core of this team, and you know,
Speaker 1: and why there's a reason for great optimism not only
Speaker 1: for next year, but for the future. Cincinnati Bengals football. Yeah,
Speaker 1: such a great balance of players on our team where
Speaker 1: we've got those veteran leaders that are really talented um
Speaker 1: and they roll in the past that wisdom down to
Speaker 1: some really special young players and and those young players
Speaker 1: are willing to take that information and become even better players.
Speaker 1: And so it's just a really good collaborative effort in
Speaker 1: our locker room. Right balance of personalities, right balance of talent,
Speaker 1: right balance of age. Duke Tobyn's done a great job
Speaker 1: in the draft acquiring these these guys with talent, and
Speaker 1: then we've hit on these guys and uh, the coaches
Speaker 1: have done a really good job developing that talent as well.
Speaker 1: And so it's it's a it's a really special team.
Speaker 1: I'm happy to be a part of it. And talk
Speaker 1: about the owner because you know, Mike Brown has been
Speaker 1: there forever and for years it was like the Bengals
Speaker 1: aren't investing in this team, and there was all those criticism.
Speaker 1: Now I look at this team, it's one of the
Speaker 1: best rosters in football, new facility coming. I feel like
Speaker 1: the narrative is should be changed. Absolutely. You know, my
Speaker 1: my experience in four years here has been on the
Speaker 1: were on the same page every step of the way
Speaker 1: with with Mike Brown and the rest of family. Um,
Speaker 1: I've got so much appreciation for him and what he's
Speaker 1: meant to be and how he's allowed me to grow,
Speaker 1: the wisdom he's given me. He's been around this league forever,
Speaker 1: he's seen it evolve. Um, He's got so much wisdom
Speaker 1: to share to me, and he's just been so encouraging
Speaker 1: and patient throughout the whole process. Um that I'm incredibly
Speaker 1: grateful for for Mike and the rest of the family.
Speaker 1: It's been a fun ride for Bengals fans these last
Speaker 1: two years, and it's only gonna continue. And it all
Speaker 1: starts under center at the switch when you guys were
Speaker 1: scouting Joe Burrow and when you guys were considering him
Speaker 1: number number one overall, did you in a million years
Speaker 1: envisioned this Now he would say, yeah, this is all
Speaker 1: what's been written and this is what I do like.
Speaker 1: But did you think it could be like this good?
Speaker 1: This fast? Yeah, He's a special person. I don't know
Speaker 1: that we ever had a timetable on on when we
Speaker 1: make it to the super Bowl. They're always hopeful that's
Speaker 1: gonna happen sooner rather than later. Um, But just being
Speaker 1: around him and watching him play on his college tape,
Speaker 1: he's he was a special player and he elevated everyone
Speaker 1: around him. He had great talent, no question, but um,
Speaker 1: he's certainly maximized those players around him and maximize his abilities.
Speaker 1: And that's what he's done for us as well. And uh,
Speaker 1: we're very fortunate to have him and and uh, you
Speaker 1: know it's it's we gotta keep aiding in his development.
Speaker 1: But man, he's he's an elite player right now? Does
Speaker 1: he bust chops? Does he funny? Like? I feel like
Speaker 1: he's got this steely glaze, he's got this amazing swag
Speaker 1: all the stuff that we see. And then he gets
Speaker 1: on the field and he never wavers. He's the same
Speaker 1: guy and does not get high, does not get low.
Speaker 1: But like behind closed doors, does he bust chops? Is
Speaker 1: he funny? Is he a wise ass? Like? What's he like? Oh? Yeah, no,
Speaker 1: he's great. You know, the quarterback room is a special place. Um,
Speaker 1: And and he the personalities in that room are great
Speaker 1: with him and Brandon Allen and Jake Browning and Dan Pitcher. Yeah,
Speaker 1: they got their own thing going on in there. Uh yeah,
Speaker 1: he certainly gives it as good as he takes it.
Speaker 1: And and uh yeah, he's a fun person to be around. Yeah. Um,
Speaker 1: we'll rap shortly because I just think this is it's
Speaker 1: awesome to get access to you, and it's it's unfortunate
Speaker 1: with how the season ended, and yet there's so much
Speaker 1: to be proud of. We go back to the Monday
Speaker 1: night game and I thought you showed your true character,
Speaker 1: but also we saw a lot of I guess, grace
Speaker 1: and the good of the league. Um in the way
Speaker 1: that entire situation was handled amongst two coaches. Talk about
Speaker 1: the bond that maybe you and Sean McDermott will have
Speaker 1: the rest of your way throughout your careers going through
Speaker 1: that traumatic event. Yeah, I always had a ton of
Speaker 1: respect for Sean and the way he operates and the
Speaker 1: way that he's built that team, and and a lot
Speaker 1: of respect for Sean and and in even more so
Speaker 1: in a lot of ways for seeing how the decisions
Speaker 1: he really made at the moment were. Um, you know
Speaker 1: the life of Damar is more important than what this
Speaker 1: game is. I need to be there for him. It's
Speaker 1: my obligation as a coach to support my players and
Speaker 1: be in the hospital. And um, that made every decision
Speaker 1: after that very simple and easy. UM And and so
Speaker 1: again I've got a deep appreciation for how he handled
Speaker 1: that stuff and um he had a great pulse for
Speaker 1: his team and and we're just all really fortunate to
Speaker 1: see the way that that Damar has come out of
Speaker 1: that given what we saw on Monday night to now, UM,
Speaker 1: I think was was not a prediction anybody would have
Speaker 1: been made that he would have been doing um as
Speaker 1: well as he is right now. And that's just awesome
Speaker 1: to see. I know he still got a long ways
Speaker 1: to go, but um Man, to see where it was
Speaker 1: on Monday night, it's it's special to see. Yeah. And
Speaker 1: and your team responded by Okay, there's a coin toss
Speaker 1: not gonna be relevant, there's a neutral game not gonna
Speaker 1: be relevant. From the coaching side of it, how much
Speaker 1: did you kind of use that stuff as motivation for
Speaker 1: the team or do you stay away and just let
Speaker 1: the headlines tell the story and let the players go
Speaker 1: from there. No, we we use as much as we
Speaker 1: can get. You know, I think it's good and this
Speaker 1: professional will take any edge you can get. And you know,
Speaker 1: you could argue, yeah, the players don't need that if
Speaker 1: they're both the right stuff, but but they'll take it,
Speaker 1: you know, and it's it's good anybody you can push
Speaker 1: to trying to motivate guys to get that little extra
Speaker 1: out of them. Um. I think our team has done
Speaker 1: a great job responding to that kind of stuff. Um.
Speaker 1: And then obviously get in the playoffs and win against
Speaker 1: Buffalo is historic and it's one way everyone assumes this
Speaker 1: offensive line is gonna be in tatters and they can't
Speaker 1: protect Burrow and they put on a perfect game. You
Speaker 1: look back on this season, you look back at that moment,
Speaker 1: what's the moment you're proudest of the two Bengals? True?
Speaker 1: I just think, um, you know that those games down
Speaker 1: the stretch for us, you know, it's it's uh, having
Speaker 1: to win both those Baltimore games, having to win at
Speaker 1: Buffalo on the road and one of the toughest environments
Speaker 1: and all football, and then you throw the snow on
Speaker 1: top of it, and um, just that that stretch I
Speaker 1: think was UM, a great testament of the character of
Speaker 1: our players. And it's a long season. At that point.
Speaker 1: We played seventeen games, and we need you to be
Speaker 1: at your best, and and we were able to beat
Speaker 1: some really good football teams down the stretch, and I
Speaker 1: think I spoke to the character of our team. This
Speaker 1: this story of the Bengals is one thing. The story
Speaker 1: of your rise as a coach is another. Um. You've
Speaker 1: told me this story before you and it was on
Speaker 1: the podcast A day was Sean McVeigh, I gotta retail
Speaker 1: for this one though. Eastern Washington a workout in twenties sixteen.
Speaker 1: I guess it was you were in the what was
Speaker 1: your what was your role with the Rams? You were
Speaker 1: the wide receivers coach at the time? Are you are
Speaker 1: the quarterbacks assistant wide receivers coach at the Los Angeles Rams?
Speaker 1: And you get an assignment You're gonna fly with Sean
Speaker 1: mcveighat Eastern Washington. Take it away from there, Zach. What's
Speaker 1: the rest? Yeah, So it was me Sean. Let's need
Speaker 1: Shane waldron Um and Matt before think about that. That's
Speaker 1: who's who. Like NFL offensive coordinators, head coaches and decision makers.
Speaker 1: I love it already and Eric Yarber, and it was
Speaker 1: probably about two weeks before the draft. We got on
Speaker 1: a plane and flew around the country. We worked out
Speaker 1: Evan Ingram, We worked out as A Jones, Taywan Taylor,
Speaker 1: Western Kentucky, Adam Shaheen, Gerald Everett, and then we finished
Speaker 1: with Cooper Cup. And so I was the arm I
Speaker 1: had to throw as least this receiver. Coachs all these
Speaker 1: guys over over three days and that the last one
Speaker 1: was Cooper Cup in Eastern Washington. And I mean halfway
Speaker 1: through the workout my arm was gonna follow which lay
Speaker 1: there was a quarterback there, you know at Easter Washington
Speaker 1: kid that was able to supplement some of my throws.
Speaker 1: But um, you know, Cooper was a special player. We
Speaker 1: connected on all of them except for one. We had
Speaker 1: a we had a back end line red zone round.
Speaker 1: Remember that over threw it almost his dad in the background,
Speaker 1: you know, But uh no, Cooper, Cooper was special players
Speaker 1: on the red trip. It was cold. It was in April,
Speaker 1: but it's kind of cold and wet and just kind
Speaker 1: of a miserable day. And but we fought through it.
Speaker 1: And uh you know, Cooper had made enough impact on
Speaker 1: the organization where they drafted in the second round. Think
Speaker 1: about that, that group that you were with on that
Speaker 1: on that journey. Of course you get Cooper cup I
Speaker 1: think it was third round actually, and probably didn't even
Speaker 1: have a first round pick if it's the Rams, if
Speaker 1: I'm not mistaken, that's usually how it goes um. But
Speaker 1: think about that group now and now everyone has spread out,
Speaker 1: and it's pretty cool. You've got a cool staff of
Speaker 1: your own. We know that coach Lou and Rumo and
Speaker 1: Brian Callahan are currently in the head coaching interview process
Speaker 1: for a couple of gigs. Lou with Arizona, then Brian
Speaker 1: still alive in Indianapolis and then Arizona. Now that you're
Speaker 1: the head guy and you're watching your coordinators get this opportunity,
Speaker 1: what do you tell them as they step up to
Speaker 1: the mic and try to interview in front of these owners, Well,
Speaker 1: that they're ready for it. You know, they they've um
Speaker 1: seen how we've we've done this thing every step of
Speaker 1: the way. And I think that's what special is having
Speaker 1: those guys here for four years, from starting at the
Speaker 1: beginning to all the way at this point, and so
Speaker 1: that they've seen it. They've seen a foundation be built
Speaker 1: the way that we wanted to build it and how
Speaker 1: the cultures transformed this team, and um, so you know
Speaker 1: they can just be from the heart and go interview
Speaker 1: these and and there's special guys, and I think the
Speaker 1: owners that interview them will see that and they're gonna
Speaker 1: have great opportunities to get these jobs. Selfishly, i'd like
Speaker 1: to run a back with Goot, but I also understand
Speaker 1: there's gonna become a point where they're gonna they're gonna
Speaker 1: get these opportunities, and that's awesome for them and their families,
Speaker 1: and we're very supportive of that. Would you make of
Speaker 1: this Bengals fan base the last few months just rallying
Speaker 1: around this team and they almost you, guys, wants this
Speaker 1: plucky underdogs to like these this incredible fan base just
Speaker 1: like who wants to face us let's go. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: think we're just intertwined as a team and as a
Speaker 1: as a city, um as an overall fan base. Um,
Speaker 1: they feel a part of what we're doing. We feel
Speaker 1: we feel that from them. It's it's not the biggest
Speaker 1: city and in America, and so there's a direct connection
Speaker 1: there where we interacted these fans all the time, and
Speaker 1: we're in the schools, where in the restaurants, were in
Speaker 1: the community. UM, I think they feel a strong connection
Speaker 1: to some great players that have great personalities. Our team.
Speaker 1: I think that's that's a really fun thing to have
Speaker 1: these personalities that these kids can um, you know and
Speaker 1: connect with. I mean exactly. I see the videos of
Speaker 1: you going into these bars after wins. I think there's
Speaker 1: something to that. It's pretty cool, it's pretty neat to
Speaker 1: be a part of, and it's kind of a tradition
Speaker 1: we we fell into. Um, there's gonna be a part
Speaker 1: of us forever. And just just happy to be able
Speaker 1: to connect with the fans that way. And um, I
Speaker 1: think it's worked out well for us. Uh. Two more
Speaker 1: questions And I like asking this to all the coaches.
Speaker 1: If you could sum up Cincinnati Bengal season with one
Speaker 1: offensive play, if there was a play that you're proudest off,
Speaker 1: there's a play that you're like, you know what, dig
Speaker 1: this one up? This is this tells a lot about
Speaker 1: our squad. We had Dan Quinn on last week and
Speaker 1: I said, give me a play, and he picked a
Speaker 1: random play of Parsons chasing down a tight end, you
Speaker 1: know from ten yards that didn't It wasn't as significant
Speaker 1: as maybe a game that put into the playoffs, but
Speaker 1: it was like that was our team this year. I
Speaker 1: hate putting me on the spot, but what's a cool
Speaker 1: play that you're proud of the air Like you up
Speaker 1: that tape, let's run it back and you could guest,
Speaker 1: you know, I think the first Kansas City game, um,
Speaker 1: we were We were able to show clips of every
Speaker 1: person on our roster making impact plays on that game,
Speaker 1: every single one of them, all forty eight guys that
Speaker 1: were active. And there were so many clips of our
Speaker 1: offensive line in that game, uh, just doing a great
Speaker 1: job helping each other, you know, against a great pass rush,
Speaker 1: against great front, great linebackers. And so I don't have
Speaker 1: the one specific on the spot right here. That's I
Speaker 1: do like the question I gotta put more thought. I
Speaker 1: was gonna say, give me some j P rod and
Speaker 1: it just rumbling and get it to me. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: mean I just finished it after contact down the field
Speaker 1: for some j In that game, there were just so
Speaker 1: many point Higgins catching a huge third down to put
Speaker 1: the game on ice at the very end, um Jamaar
Speaker 1: with so many guys fighting on second down, UM to
Speaker 1: convert first downs or a third down to where we
Speaker 1: didn't we were in a third one or fourth and one.
Speaker 1: That was really that first Kansas City game. We showed
Speaker 1: so many clips of some j and and Jama Chase
Speaker 1: getting that extra inch to put us over the line,
Speaker 1: and a lot of those drives continue and it's a
Speaker 1: lot of those plays stand out. So has huge shutdowns
Speaker 1: on third down in that game. I gotta spurst downs
Speaker 1: and extended drive some touchdowns. You know, I'm I'm a
Speaker 1: writer by trade. I love the story, so like the narrative.
Speaker 1: To me, there is like fighting for every extra inch.
Speaker 1: And that's kind of the symbol of this team this year,
Speaker 1: going through the Damar Hamlin thing from the other side
Speaker 1: of it, um, having to endure the same type of
Speaker 1: uneasiness of where is this going and then having then
Speaker 1: go play football. I think that's symbolic of what your
Speaker 1: team was. Uh last but not least, what now for
Speaker 1: the for the Taylor family. Do you get a chance
Speaker 1: to maybe put down the clicker of the All twenty two?
Speaker 1: Can you take some time to unwind? Do we play
Speaker 1: video games? Are we watching cartoons? What are we doing? Yeah?
Speaker 1: My my son's downloaded uh double as seven, the old
Speaker 1: Nintendo six Golden Golden Old, and we put in a
Speaker 1: good three to four hours last night grenade launchers. They
Speaker 1: were having a blast. It kind of took me back
Speaker 1: to my my high school days. Yeah, I don't think
Speaker 1: they enjoy it with all the technology they got now,
Speaker 1: but they love it. They've got their friends over today
Speaker 1: and um, so you know that that's that's been pretty
Speaker 1: cool to spend some time with them and be able
Speaker 1: to do some old school type of stuff. And when
Speaker 1: does it start where you're like looking at draft prospects
Speaker 1: and Senior Bowl craft, Like I cringe at the thought
Speaker 1: of you having to bring up that tape. Does that
Speaker 1: happen now? Like is it this week? No? Not this week?
Speaker 1: You know, I'll take two weeks off and and still
Speaker 1: be around town and and for meetings and things that
Speaker 1: will hop around here. But jump, I can that process
Speaker 1: before the combine starts to be prepped on those guys
Speaker 1: and do does a great job. They're already moving full
Speaker 1: speed ahead there at the Senior Bowl, and US as
Speaker 1: coaches will catch up sooner rather later. When I said
Speaker 1: it on on Good Morning Football last week, going into
Speaker 1: the game and we announced the finalists for Coach of
Speaker 1: the Year, and I know you're not one for look
Speaker 1: at me, and that's certainly not in your but I
Speaker 1: don't know. Man, start off the season oh in two,
Speaker 1: losing on Halloween, four and four, go through the Damar
Speaker 1: Hamlin thing right, alof tense, straight wins, win in Buffalo.
Speaker 1: I'd sell you had a pretty good year yourself. Neck well,
Speaker 1: we we we want to win championships. That's what drives
Speaker 1: us and UM to get those numbers on the wall.
Speaker 1: You know of Division champs. We wanted waves champs. Didn't
Speaker 1: work out for us, but those are the things that
Speaker 1: really motivate us. Hey, I appreciate you taking the fifteen
Speaker 1: minutes here and talk with me and wrap it up
Speaker 1: the season. Best of luck to you. I will see
Speaker 1: you Combine. I imagine the next time i'll see you,
Speaker 1: I'll be there for four days. Yes, so alive, so alive,
Speaker 1: my friend. We'll see each other at to Shake Shack
Speaker 1: or whatever they call it was that shaking shaking steak.
Speaker 1: You want shape, no way. If you want to go
Speaker 1: to different restaurant, I'll meet you there, but I'm gonna
Speaker 1: stay away from Zach Taylor, congratulations on a great season
Speaker 1: and thanks so much for joining the pod. Awesome thanks, Peter.
Speaker 1: Tremendous person, tremendous coach and a great, great ambassador of
Speaker 1: the game. Sack Taylor. Uh, just an awesome convo. I
Speaker 1: love the image of him playing Golden Eye for four
Speaker 1: hours with his family. I got Aaron Kaufman, um, my
Speaker 1: producer right here. Aaron, when you hear you're thinking Tahiti,
Speaker 1: you're thinking Hawaii. No, he's sitting in a basement playing
Speaker 1: slappers only with his kids. You gotta come away from
Speaker 1: that conversation. Love and Zach Taylor. Yeah, I would love
Speaker 1: to get a couple of rounds of Golden Night in
Speaker 1: with him, you know, play complex and Uh. I think
Speaker 1: he was saying they were doing Grenade launch, but yeah, tremendous. Um.
Speaker 1: That's the goal of this podcast, guys. One week we're
Speaker 1: gonna have you know, Dan Quinn as he's about to
Speaker 1: go interview for head coaching jobs. The next week we're
Speaker 1: gonna have Eric stone Street, a diehard fan, talk about
Speaker 1: the audition process in Hollywood and how heartbreaking that can be.
Speaker 1: And then the very next day we're gonna bring in
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor, who was in the Super Bowl last year
Speaker 1: in the a f C Championship Games seventy two hours ago.
Speaker 1: We love doing this podcast. It's a joy and I
Speaker 1: want to thank you Aaron as always uh so good,
Speaker 1: so nimble to to make these happen. I want to
Speaker 1: thank the great Jason English at I Heeart Radio, Matt Schneider,
Speaker 1: Jason Kleinman who has been awesome with the clips. Um.
Speaker 1: I'm getting nostalgia because the season's coming to an end.
Speaker 1: We got one more left before we wrap this season
Speaker 1: and we want to go out with a bank. So
Speaker 1: we have not booked our Super Bowl week guests yet,
Speaker 1: but I want to bring in a big one. Hopefully
Speaker 1: I can uh fulfill expectations. And until then, guys, enjoy
Speaker 1: the weekend, enjoy the Pro Bowl games. Person good by Verizon,
Speaker 1: and uh no doubt. I'll be back next week and
Speaker 1: we'll be talking more ball, Chiefs, the Eagles. It's here, guys.
Speaker 1: Enjoy the season with Peter Schrager is a production of
Speaker 1: the NFL and partnership with I Heart Radio. For more
Speaker 1: podcasts from my Heart Radio, is it the I Heart
Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts,