Speaker 1: I get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast. The Done Dune and am On
Speaker 1: the next one. Done Dune and Amanda the Next one. Addition,
Speaker 1: as the Bengals look to build on lopsided wins over
Speaker 1: the Raiders and Steelers, with a third straight victory over
Speaker 1: the LA Chargers coming up, I'll talk to an old
Speaker 1: friend who happens to be one of the NFL's best broadcasters.
Speaker 1: I an Eagle from CBS. He called that Raiders game
Speaker 1: two weeks ago and he'll be in the booth again
Speaker 1: on Sunday. My one on one player interview is with
Speaker 1: t Higgins as we discussed the Cincinnati three way of Higgins,
Speaker 1: Boyd and Chase. And finally, it's my midweek conversation with
Speaker 1: Dave Lapham. Have we reached the point where the Bengals
Speaker 1: offensive line isn't even a point of concern anymore? Lapp
Speaker 1: will weigh in. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by
Speaker 1: Ultimate Bengals. The free to play Next Level to See
Speaker 1: Football game downloaded now from the App Store and Google Play.
Speaker 1: And here's a quick reminder that you can have the
Speaker 1: latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet,
Speaker 1: or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's
Speaker 1: the greatest thing since raucous crowds. I called a UC
Speaker 1: basketball game at Miami University on Wednesday, and the atmosphere
Speaker 1: at Mollette Hall was electric, largely due to the student section. Sure,
Speaker 1: they did a frequent chant that was similar to FUC
Speaker 1: that wasn't exactly classy, but by and large, their energy
Speaker 1: made for a great environment. And that's what I'm hoping
Speaker 1: to see and here this Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.
Speaker 1: Bengals fans have been awesome this year, and I hope
Speaker 1: you bring the noise against the Chargers. If you can't
Speaker 1: be there on Sunday and watch the game on TV instead,
Speaker 1: you'll be listening to one of the best play by
Speaker 1: play announcers in the business. I An Eagle from CBS.
Speaker 1: I've known I for more than thirty years after we
Speaker 1: both graduated from Syracuse, and I caught up with him
Speaker 1: this week. Buddy Ian Eagle is in the booth for
Speaker 1: CBS this week, and hopefully that makes the prep a
Speaker 1: little bit easier. Since you had the Bengals and Raiders
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas. I and
Speaker 1: what stood out to you from seeing the Bengals in
Speaker 1: person for the first time this year. I think the
Speaker 1: word that comes to mind is dynamic. The fact that
Speaker 1: they can do it through the air, We've seen it
Speaker 1: time and time again, and now the way the ground
Speaker 1: game is going with Mixon, they can beat you in
Speaker 1: so many different ways. Defensively, they've gotten back to where
Speaker 1: they were early in the season. And I think this
Speaker 1: is how it is in the NFL if you're a
Speaker 1: fanbase and you feel like you have a legitimate, standout
Speaker 1: quarterback on your team that carries you through for potentially
Speaker 1: ten years in this league. So Bengals fans are in
Speaker 1: a really good place right now because they believe they've
Speaker 1: got their guy and the team is building around on Burrow.
Speaker 1: It's a very likable group and you could tell they've
Speaker 1: got the makings of something special here. Chargers fans feel
Speaker 1: the same way, and I'm sure CBS was thrilled that
Speaker 1: this game did not get flexed to primetime. You get
Speaker 1: the Joe Burrow justin Herbert matchup on Sunday. Do you
Speaker 1: think these two guys who are only in their second
Speaker 1: NFL seasons, are already among the top ten quarterbacks in
Speaker 1: the NFL. And we are not known to overhype in
Speaker 1: the media. That's not something that we ever do. But
Speaker 1: if you do look at this with a real, honest lens,
Speaker 1: it's hard not to get excited about what these two
Speaker 1: guys bring to the field. In addition to their physical skills,
Speaker 1: which have been very obvious. Early on, you could tell
Speaker 1: that both guys belonged. The learning curve was not that steep.
Speaker 1: When you sit down with them and you talk with them,
Speaker 1: you can understand why players want to follow them. There
Speaker 1: are natural leadership abilities there and characteristics, and I can
Speaker 1: understand why both teams feel very confident moving forward that
Speaker 1: they've got the right personalities, the right skill sets, and
Speaker 1: two guys that want to be great. And I know
Speaker 1: that sounds like it should be the obvious and that
Speaker 1: should be the norm, but it requires the work and
Speaker 1: it requires a full dedication. And what I've seen with
Speaker 1: both of these guys is that just that they're not
Speaker 1: in it for the stardom, for the different advertisements that
Speaker 1: might come their way. They're in it to be great
Speaker 1: football players, and that's their first priority. I in Eagle.
Speaker 1: This our guest. Your broadcast partner, Charles Davis joined us
Speaker 1: a few weeks ago, and he talked about how it's
Speaker 1: his feeling that Cincinnati is one of the most fun
Speaker 1: teams to watch in the NFL. Do you think that
Speaker 1: that has become the national perception of the Bengals. I
Speaker 1: think it has. And it's amazing how things can transform
Speaker 1: so quickly in this league. And it's a reminder what
Speaker 1: makes the NFL so great. You can make major improvements
Speaker 1: in one year, but it doesn't always necessarily translate for
Speaker 1: a five to seven year period. You can get lucky
Speaker 1: with a lighter schedule, easier schedule, a couple of good
Speaker 1: free agent signings and catch a few breaks and win
Speaker 1: ten games and make the playoffs and build some real
Speaker 1: momentum in your market. But to sustain it is much
Speaker 1: more difficult. And I think the difference with Cincinnati they
Speaker 1: don't feel like a one hit wonder. It feels like
Speaker 1: they're really building something here. There is a fun factor
Speaker 1: with this team. Burrows presence and his swagger is a
Speaker 1: big reason why, but you can feel it with the
Speaker 1: rest of the skill position players and now defensively, sitting
Speaker 1: down with Hendrickson a couple of weeks ago. I believe
Speaker 1: there's real chemistry on this defense, and the jump that
Speaker 1: we've seen has been real creating opportunities for the front.
Speaker 1: The sacked numbers are way up, the pressure numbers are
Speaker 1: way up. They are benefiting on the back end as
Speaker 1: well because we're seeing some real important turnovers and opportunistic moments,
Speaker 1: and it's three pronged. Now. They're young, they're fun, and
Speaker 1: they're figuring out how to win in this league. That's
Speaker 1: a dangerous combination. Two weeks ago, in the Raiders game
Speaker 1: that you called, Joe Mixon had thirty carries for one
Speaker 1: hundred and twenty three yards. He followed it up last
Speaker 1: week with one hundred and sixty five yards in the
Speaker 1: Bengals dominant win over the Steelers. Do you think that
Speaker 1: this is the best version of Cincinnati with Joe Mixon
Speaker 1: leading the way? I do, Dan, What I saw in
Speaker 1: that Vegas game up close and personal is everything that
Speaker 1: coach Taylor laid out that they want to wear out
Speaker 1: an opponent. Of course, we know in this league, what's
Speaker 1: the blueprint. Get a lead, hold on to the lead,
Speaker 1: don't feel the stress and pressure of a tight fourth
Speaker 1: quarter when you can rely on someone that can milk
Speaker 1: the clock and really begin to dominate upfront. That's exactly
Speaker 1: how it played out against Las Vegas. Fairly tight game,
Speaker 1: opportunities there for the Raiders, signs of life in the
Speaker 1: third quarter and then lights out late in the third
Speaker 1: into the fourth. The Bengals did as they pleased. They
Speaker 1: controlled the line of scrimmage and Joe Mixon got better
Speaker 1: as the game went on. There is this lost art
Speaker 1: in the NFL, and that is running the football with
Speaker 1: regularity and doing it with a bell cow. Most teams
Speaker 1: tend to figure out a way to come up with
Speaker 1: alternative methods because they just don't have that physical running attack.
Speaker 1: Since Nattie has it. It's so obvious when they get
Speaker 1: it rolling and I don't see anything stopping that train.
Speaker 1: Will there be teams that could go outscore the Bengals
Speaker 1: the rest of the way. Yeah, that might be a question.
Speaker 1: But the physical side of it what Cincinnati has shown
Speaker 1: me in the games I've watched on television and now
Speaker 1: the games I've seen in person Thursday Night Radio and
Speaker 1: the Vegas game. As you mentioned, it's their calling card.
Speaker 1: I an eagle is our guest he'll do the game
Speaker 1: on Sunday four CBS. The Bengals are seven and four
Speaker 1: right now that the number one wild card team in
Speaker 1: the AFC. Baltimore is the only team in the AFC
Speaker 1: with fewer than four losses, they have three. Who is
Speaker 1: the team to beat in your opinion in the AFC?
Speaker 1: And where do the Bengals fit in in the playoff
Speaker 1: picture right now? This has been such a fluid situation,
Speaker 1: and I certainly have had shifting opinions based on what
Speaker 1: I've seen in person and what I've recognized around the league.
Speaker 1: The parody is real, maybe more so than any other
Speaker 1: year that I can remember, and I've been doing NFL
Speaker 1: games in some form for twenty five years. With that said,
Speaker 1: Kansas City is still the most dangerous team. The fact
Speaker 1: that they've gotten their defense at least in order, at
Speaker 1: a point where it's more competitive and they can feel
Speaker 1: better about what they're doing as a collaborative group, that
Speaker 1: to me is still the standout. Their offense, as we know,
Speaker 1: is elite. And while Mahomes has experienced a little bit
Speaker 1: of humility, he's never been overly cocky. He's never been
Speaker 1: one to walk into the meeting and pound his chest
Speaker 1: when we sit down with the Kansas City Chiefs, but
Speaker 1: his play has done the talking for his time as
Speaker 1: a starting quarterback. It's the first time we've seen him
Speaker 1: look mortal, and he's come out the other side looking
Speaker 1: very sharp. So to me, Kansas City is still the team.
Speaker 1: Are there some holes there? Defensively? Are their weaknesses the
Speaker 1: teams can take advantage of and expose. Yes, they're not perfect,
Speaker 1: but they're probably the most complete group right now in
Speaker 1: the AFC, and the Bengals will see the Chiefs at
Speaker 1: Paul Brown Stadium right around Christmas. In the twenty five
Speaker 1: years that you've been doing the NFL, you've called some
Speaker 1: memorable Bengals games and moments. I think of the final
Speaker 1: game in twenty seventeen, the Tyler Boyd touchdown catch against
Speaker 1: Baltimore that docked the Ravens out of the playoffs. What
Speaker 1: other Bengals games or moments come to mind for you.
Speaker 1: I've had a few of them. Corey Dillon had some
Speaker 1: huge games when I was doing a bunch of Bengals
Speaker 1: games during that stretch. I remember Chad Johnson putting up
Speaker 1: big numbers with incredible, remarkable catches that only he could
Speaker 1: really put his signature too. He had a knack for
Speaker 1: the dramatic and certainly brought a very interest, dynamic and
Speaker 1: personality to our production meetings. The one that you laid
Speaker 1: out just based on what was at stake, and little
Speaker 1: did I know at that moment, and I'm sure for
Speaker 1: you as well. When you're calling the game, you're locked
Speaker 1: in on what's happening in the moment. But what was
Speaker 1: happening with the Buffalo Bills, we later found out, was
Speaker 1: such a genuine, authentic thing that you hoped for in
Speaker 1: the NFL when a team wrapped up early, that game
Speaker 1: went a little bit longer Cincinnati and Baltimore. The Bills
Speaker 1: were done, they got the win, They're waiting to see
Speaker 1: what happens. They're huddled up in the locker room watching it.
Speaker 1: And to see that reaction the way that it happened
Speaker 1: was pretty incredible. So the domino effect of Dalton to Boyd,
Speaker 1: the Ravens out the Bills in Euphoria in Western New York,
Speaker 1: and the flair for the dramatic as we know with Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: and the way that the Buffalo community then supported Andy Dalton,
Speaker 1: that was pretty special. It was just a confluence of
Speaker 1: these events all happening at once in real time that
Speaker 1: led to a pretty special moment. Final thing for Ian Eagle.
Speaker 1: We've got the Bengals and Chargers coming up on Sunday.
Speaker 1: The most memorable game ever played between these two franchises
Speaker 1: was the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, where the Bengals made
Speaker 1: it to the nineteen eighty one Super Bowl. Your partner
Speaker 1: on TV for many years was Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts.
Speaker 1: Did he ever say anything to you about the Freezer Bowl?
Speaker 1: He did. It's not vernacular. I could repeat right now, Dan,
Speaker 1: but let's just say there were some choice words in there.
Speaker 1: Dan absolutely said more than once it was the coldest
Speaker 1: he ever was in his life, and no exaggeration. Of course,
Speaker 1: I would let him speak for himself on this topic,
Speaker 1: but I do know that there are moments where he
Speaker 1: can still feel it in his right hand. He was
Speaker 1: frost bitten. That is not hyperbole, that is not after
Speaker 1: the fact, revisionist history. He felt that for many, many years,
Speaker 1: and he said to me that there are still days
Speaker 1: that he feels it. He has such admiration for Ken
Speaker 1: Anderson and for that group. I know for him, it
Speaker 1: was probably the most bitter pill he ever had to swallow.
Speaker 1: As a professional quarterback in the NFL, he had so
Speaker 1: many incredible moments. Hall of Fame player for people in
Speaker 1: our age group. Dan was a stud. It was a
Speaker 1: stud quarterback. But that's one that unfortunately for him, the
Speaker 1: way the events unraveled that day. In any other setting,
Speaker 1: I think they believe they were the best team in
Speaker 1: the NFL, that they would have handled San Francisco and
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl, that it was their destiny. But they
Speaker 1: just happened to walk into literally a freezer in Ohio
Speaker 1: on that afternoon. For the record, the Bengals destroyed them
Speaker 1: in San Diego during the regular season that year, so
Speaker 1: Dan might be wrong with his percentI not think we're
Speaker 1: played out, but they were more. Do you remember what
Speaker 1: happened the week before Dan were over time in Miami.
Speaker 1: It was like seventh, seven thousand degrees. Yeah, thanks, change question.
Speaker 1: Let's bring him in. Let's bring him in on the zoom, Dan,
Speaker 1: so you're there next time, it'll be a three way zoom.
Speaker 1: I and this has been great. I always appreciate your time.
Speaker 1: Look forward to seeing you on Sunday. Dan. You're the best.
Speaker 1: Not only is I an Eagle one of the best
Speaker 1: broadcasters out there, but he's the father of one of
Speaker 1: the best young broadcasters in the business. You'll be enjoying
Speaker 1: the work of Noah Eagle for the next twenty five years. Now,
Speaker 1: time for this week's one on one player interview as
Speaker 1: I talk football and eventually a little fashion with Bengals
Speaker 1: wide receiver t Higgins t six sketches for one hundred
Speaker 1: and fourteen yards last week, meaning that you, Jamar and
Speaker 1: Tyler have all had one hundred yard games now this season.
Speaker 1: Do you know based on your film study of the
Speaker 1: Steelers going into a game like that that you are
Speaker 1: likely to get a bunch of targets or doesn't it
Speaker 1: work that way? I'm pretty sure like every every receiver
Speaker 1: you know in the league go into a game hoping
Speaker 1: and thinking that they're going to get a bunch of
Speaker 1: targets in you know, completing all those targets, you know,
Speaker 1: having a big game. So of course, yeah, I thought
Speaker 1: that no going into the game, that I was going
Speaker 1: to have a big game. The three of you guys
Speaker 1: are all averaging about four and a half catches per game.
Speaker 1: What does that say about Joe Burrow and what's it
Speaker 1: say about the Bengals offense. You know, it says a
Speaker 1: lot about Joe. You know, he spreads the ball out
Speaker 1: and you know he doesn't have you know, one guy
Speaker 1: like you know what I'm saying that he doesn't have
Speaker 1: one guy. He has multiple guys that that can go
Speaker 1: out there and get the job done. And you know,
Speaker 1: for as for the offense, you can just shoot the ball.
Speaker 1: And we got a bunch of playmakers all over the field,
Speaker 1: whether it be in the backfield with the with the
Speaker 1: running backs or you know, the tight ends, or with
Speaker 1: the receivers. We're chatting with te Higgins. I think most
Speaker 1: people consider the Cincinnati three way, a few three guys,
Speaker 1: to be one of the best receiving trios in the NFL.
Speaker 1: Here's my question, our t Higgins, Jamar Chase and Tyler
Speaker 1: Boyd the best trio of blocking receivers in the NFL
Speaker 1: and turning the field. You got to turn the film
Speaker 1: and watch it, because I mean, if these paths these
Speaker 1: past few games, we've been blocking our ass off, you know,
Speaker 1: for our running backs, and you know, because once we
Speaker 1: get them, guys going is angle doing them but open
Speaker 1: it up for us. So you know, by us being
Speaker 1: a team player and and going out there and getting
Speaker 1: those blocks opened up those runs for Joe and samaj
Speaker 1: and Chris Man. It just opens us open us up
Speaker 1: with the passing game. So it just, you know, it correlates.
Speaker 1: Jamar said last week he doesn't like to block, but
Speaker 1: he knows it's part of the gig. You said after
Speaker 1: the game on Sunday, you love it, not just like it.
Speaker 1: Love it. Why you know, It's always been a part
Speaker 1: of my games every since high school, you know, just
Speaker 1: because by me being a you know, a big receiver. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, I have to implement that into my game.
Speaker 1: And you know, um, I mean if you don't block,
Speaker 1: then you don't get you know what I'm saying, Uh,
Speaker 1: the running backs don't get enough love him and get
Speaker 1: out there and do what they do and get in space.
Speaker 1: So us receivers, you know, we have key blocks and
Speaker 1: you know, I just love doing it. So so after
Speaker 1: the thirty one point went over Pittsburgh, some of the
Speaker 1: guys said, hey, it's just another step on the journey.
Speaker 1: We've got bigger things that we're playing for, etc. You said, Man,
Speaker 1: it feels good. Why you know, it always feels good
Speaker 1: to get a win. Like that. You know, that's a
Speaker 1: big win, um, and then a specially over arrival, you know.
Speaker 1: Not to me, we don't get that many opportunities to
Speaker 1: win like that, especially versus a team like Pittsburgh. You know,
Speaker 1: they've been good, you know for many years, and I
Speaker 1: mean that's off to them. You know, they're they're pretty
Speaker 1: good team that just had a rough day. Um, we
Speaker 1: was the better team that day and we got out
Speaker 1: on them. So we're talking to T Higgins. I've been
Speaker 1: doing the Bengals games now for eleven years on the radio,
Speaker 1: and I'm not sure that I've ever seen a team that,
Speaker 1: at least to me, seems like it's enjoying the process
Speaker 1: as much as this one. You guys seem to be
Speaker 1: having fun at practice every day much less on game day.
Speaker 1: Am I reading that right? Oh yeah, you definitely are. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, because you gotta have you gotta have fun
Speaker 1: when when you're putting the work in you know and practice, uh,
Speaker 1: whether it be whether it be you know, working out
Speaker 1: after practice, you know, working out in the weight room,
Speaker 1: you gotta have fun. And again, you gotta put join
Speaker 1: in the game. And because if you don't, if you're
Speaker 1: not having fund then what are you out here for?
Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. If you're having fun and
Speaker 1: you know you're playing for your teammates, playing for each other,
Speaker 1: and then the outcome will be good. As you can see. Um,
Speaker 1: we're we're turning this program around, this this organization and
Speaker 1: and hopefully and keep going. You got a home game
Speaker 1: this week against the Chargers. The Chargers secondary features Derwin James,
Speaker 1: one of the best safeties in the NFL. What stands
Speaker 1: out when you watch him on tape, Man, he's a dog,
Speaker 1: you know, he's he's one of those one of those
Speaker 1: safety that's gonna come down and hit you. He don't
Speaker 1: care who you are. Actually, he's a he's a great player. Man.
Speaker 1: It's a long, good time, good friend of mine. Um,
Speaker 1: just about me knowing him, I just I just know
Speaker 1: that he's you know, with him, especially with him having
Speaker 1: that injury last year set back. I know he didn't
Speaker 1: like that. So I'm just glad to see that he's
Speaker 1: out there on the field making plays. And but he's
Speaker 1: a he's a he's an outstanding player and and he's
Speaker 1: a playmaker all right. As you can probably tell, I'm
Speaker 1: not exactly a man of style. And fashion, but you
Speaker 1: had quite the luck after the game last week. You
Speaker 1: had north Face overalls on. Now, normally we think of
Speaker 1: that as like ski gear and hiking gear, but these
Speaker 1: were north Face Gucci overalls plus beautiful gold chains, matching hats.
Speaker 1: How much energy do you put into your weekly Luk?
Speaker 1: It depends. You know. Sometimes I come in and I'll
Speaker 1: have a day where I just want to you know,
Speaker 1: just just casual and and and be comfortable. I wouldn't
Speaker 1: say that the overalls was a comfortable because it definitely was,
Speaker 1: But sometimes I want to come in and you know,
Speaker 1: have a you know, be styled, be styled, and um,
Speaker 1: come in looking looking good. You know, because you look good,
Speaker 1: you play good. So uh, I think this week I'm
Speaker 1: gonna come in with some with something else that that
Speaker 1: that's pretty crazy, but we'll see. So it's a competitive
Speaker 1: among you guys for who looks the path. I told
Speaker 1: him at the beginning of the season that I got
Speaker 1: the best drip out of us receivers. So I mean,
Speaker 1: as for now, I think I'm winning, but I mean
Speaker 1: we'll let the we'll let the people tell big thumbs
Speaker 1: up for me. Last week, I thought that looked sharp
Speaker 1: and the game obviously was awesome. Congratulations, best of luck
Speaker 1: this week, Thanks your time, Thank you. T told reporters
Speaker 1: before the season that he put a sign that says
Speaker 1: one K on his mirror this year, signifying his goal
Speaker 1: of having a one thousand yards season. His stats took
Speaker 1: a hit when he missed a couple of games with
Speaker 1: a shoulder injury early in the season, but he's up
Speaker 1: to five hundred sixty yards with six games to go,
Speaker 1: meaning he would have to average seventy three yards a
Speaker 1: game over the final six to get there. That is
Speaker 1: exactly what T has averaged over the last five weeks.
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals, the
Speaker 1: free to play next level fantasy football game. Ultimate Bengals
Speaker 1: will be awarding a weekly winner during the course of
Speaker 1: the season, with tickets, autograph merchandise, and money can't buy
Speaker 1: experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals in the
Speaker 1: app stores. Now time to discuss the latest Bengals news
Speaker 1: and Sunday's matchup against the Chargers with my broadcast partner
Speaker 1: Dave Lapham Lap was last week's final score or forty
Speaker 1: one to ten, A bigger statement about how good the
Speaker 1: Bengals are or how bad the Steelers are. You know,
Speaker 1: I'm a believer in the in the axiom because I've
Speaker 1: been there in situations where it just kind of spirals
Speaker 1: out of control. Um, and I am a big believer.
Speaker 1: And you never as good as you think you are,
Speaker 1: never as bad as you think you are. You're probably
Speaker 1: somewhere in between. And I think the two franchises aren't
Speaker 1: that far apart. It's not you know, every time they played,
Speaker 1: it wouldn't be a thirty point differential kind of thing.
Speaker 1: But you know, the key, the key is when you
Speaker 1: when you have an opportunity to put your foot on
Speaker 1: the gas and bury an opponent, you got to do it.
Speaker 1: And Bengals did it. They really did it. And uh
Speaker 1: So there is no doubt though that it's it's past
Speaker 1: the crossing point where one's ascending one's declining. That the
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh Steelers are on the back back end of that curve.
Speaker 1: They're in a decline and the Bengals are on the
Speaker 1: positive side of their ascension, in my opinion. And it's
Speaker 1: all you have to do is look at the quarterbacks.
Speaker 1: I mean, look what Joe Burrow did. The rushing touchdown
Speaker 1: he had, and watching Ben was like watching a guy
Speaker 1: who needs Ben Gay. I mean, you know it's like
Speaker 1: he could he couldn't really move all that well, you know.
Speaker 1: So it's his arm strength is not what it was,
Speaker 1: his athleticism is nowhere near what it was, and Joe
Speaker 1: Burrow's arm strength and everything's ascending, you know. I mean,
Speaker 1: he's still he's still on the on the come. As
Speaker 1: they say, I unintentionally aged Joe Burrow last week. By
Speaker 1: the way, on our most recent podcast, he is twenty
Speaker 1: four turning twenty five next week, not twenty five turning
Speaker 1: twenty six. So I apologize for that mistake. In the
Speaker 1: last two weeks, Joe Mixon his average twenty nine carries
Speaker 1: for one hundred and forty four yards. Is that Joe
Speaker 1: Mixon driven offense what the Bengals need to be for
Speaker 1: the rest of this year? You know, I think that
Speaker 1: teams are going to have to account for that. It
Speaker 1: wouldn't surprise me if the Chargers come out eating the
Speaker 1: box and say you're not doing to us what you
Speaker 1: did to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and fine, Joe spread them
Speaker 1: out and slice them up and then if they you know,
Speaker 1: go small to try to adjust to that, you know,
Speaker 1: bunch them up and run at them. I mean, that's
Speaker 1: the thing is they can they can do both. They're
Speaker 1: not a prisoner of either of their ways to attack
Speaker 1: a defense. So that versatility, I think it is big
Speaker 1: and to me, it was just it was amazing to
Speaker 1: watch the Pittsburgh steels. I thought when the Bengals had
Speaker 1: difficulty stopping the run in the past, they were catching
Speaker 1: blockers and looked at me, that's what Pittsburgh was doing.
Speaker 1: Instead of attacking people and getting off blocks, they were
Speaker 1: catching them and just getting ridden out of there. I mean,
Speaker 1: they displaced that front seven the Bengals did over and
Speaker 1: over and over again, laterally knocking guys to the ground.
Speaker 1: Guys were on the ground. Can't make tackles when you're
Speaker 1: on the ground. Um, you know, driving linebackers bush get
Speaker 1: driven ten yards down the field by Quentin Spain. You know,
Speaker 1: it's like, wow, that's that's just that's that's mind boggling.
Speaker 1: So I don't think you're going to see that happen
Speaker 1: on a you know, a regular basis, and that you're
Speaker 1: gonna have to be able to do both. Bottom line
Speaker 1: is where the Bengals want to go, You're gonna have
Speaker 1: to be able to do both. We felt like when
Speaker 1: we were good in nineteen eighty one that we could
Speaker 1: run the ball on Pete Johnson against anybody. But when
Speaker 1: they made adjustments that were too tempting, it's like, you know,
Speaker 1: let's shoot, we got tons of weapons, let's throw it.
Speaker 1: Let's throw it, and then just we had had an
Speaker 1: answer for everything that they were trying to do, and
Speaker 1: if you executed it properly, you found yourself in pretty
Speaker 1: good shape. But I mean, Joe Joe mixing such a weapon.
Speaker 1: In my mind, I'm I'm a proponent of balance, you know.
Speaker 1: I mean, I think it don't force the ballets, but
Speaker 1: over a period of time, doesn't even if there be
Speaker 1: an entire season, over a period of five games, be
Speaker 1: pretty balanced and your play selection and hopefully the results
Speaker 1: of that play selection. That's that's the perfect world right there.
Speaker 1: It seems like every few weeks I ask for your
Speaker 1: opinion about the offensive line. Here's my question this week.
Speaker 1: Have we reached the point where it's not even really
Speaker 1: a big concern anymore? I think I think we're getting there,
Speaker 1: you know, I mean I think that you know, when
Speaker 1: I when I watched them from the end zone, like
Speaker 1: an end zone shot. It reminds me of Jim McNally
Speaker 1: watching their techniques. They stepped with the exact same foot,
Speaker 1: They're hand placement exactly the same. It's like watching three
Speaker 1: hundred pound june tailor dancers, you know. I mean, they're
Speaker 1: totally choreographed in total sync. It's it's it's amazing to
Speaker 1: watch them and that that is repetition, repetition, repetition that
Speaker 1: formulates that and builds that. And man, they're your executing
Speaker 1: at a really high level now. And when you are balanced,
Speaker 1: you know, pass protection is so much easier, it's so
Speaker 1: much less difficult when you know a defensive player has
Speaker 1: to consider that you're going to be able to run
Speaker 1: the football some and getting in down and distances where
Speaker 1: you know you're able to run or pass the football,
Speaker 1: and being in a game where the score dictates you're
Speaker 1: able to run or past the football. You know, that's
Speaker 1: the big thing is when they're operating like they're operating
Speaker 1: and they get the big leads that they get, the
Speaker 1: defense really doesn't have to stop think is heavily about
Speaker 1: stopping the run. They know they're gonna have to throw
Speaker 1: to catch up, and the Bengals have been in that situation.
Speaker 1: That's a bad situation to be in if you're an
Speaker 1: offensive lineman. Terrible. It can't be any worse because these
Speaker 1: guys are really skilled athletically, and then they can rush
Speaker 1: the past or all of them. So the game itself,
Speaker 1: the you know, each game takes on its different complexion
Speaker 1: ebbs and flows. Who has a command and this one
Speaker 1: it was easy, It was easy to stay with the
Speaker 1: running game. They just you know, the thirty one points
Speaker 1: at halftime, and in building up to that thirty one
Speaker 1: point halftime lead, a lot of it was just pounding
Speaker 1: them in the running game. It's not always going to
Speaker 1: be that way. It's not like you can say, okay,
Speaker 1: well we'll take that and we'll just apply it to
Speaker 1: the next week. Because these coordinators are too good, the
Speaker 1: coaches are too good, and you have to you always
Speaker 1: have to be able to adjust and deal with the
Speaker 1: ebb and flow and the chess matches perpetual, you know,
Speaker 1: always uh, it never ends in checkmate, you know, it
Speaker 1: always always ends up you know, check and somebody gets
Speaker 1: out of checkmate and you move on and then you
Speaker 1: go to another week. So it's crazy. Except for Super
Speaker 1: Bowl Sunday. That's the only time you get a checkmate.
Speaker 1: That's right, when when when that game ends, when the
Speaker 1: final snap of that football game ends, the final whistle
Speaker 1: blows checkmate for somebody. So for the first seven weeks
Speaker 1: of the season, the defense is great. Then for two
Speaker 1: weeks against the Jets and Browns, it wasn't very good.
Speaker 1: Now for the last two weeks it's been terrific. Again,
Speaker 1: anything jump out in the last couple of weeks. You know,
Speaker 1: I think the fact that the complimentary football we're talking
Speaker 1: about was so good, you know, I think that's a
Speaker 1: I think that's a big factor. I really do. I
Speaker 1: mean I think I think when you're when you have
Speaker 1: a football team that has the potential be as good
Speaker 1: as this football team, they feed off each other offensively
Speaker 1: and defensively. And I think that, you know, offensively, I
Speaker 1: think that because I can remember this when when you
Speaker 1: know we had a good team and when offenses started,
Speaker 1: you know, spanking our defense, I was in shock as
Speaker 1: a team and I'm on the stydeline like what, man,
Speaker 1: I didn't expect this. I didn't I didn't think this
Speaker 1: team was going to be able to do this to us.
Speaker 1: And you can't do that because now it's starting to
Speaker 1: affect how you play a little bit. Now you might feel,
Speaker 1: you know, like a tremendous sense of urgency. You don't
Speaker 1: want to panic by any stretch, but it's like, oh, man,
Speaker 1: I didn't expect this. We better, we better step it up,
Speaker 1: we gotta you know, we gotta go double time here. Well,
Speaker 1: that's the worst thing in the world you can do.
Speaker 1: That's that's that's the worst reaction. So, um, yeah, it
Speaker 1: it's such a such a team sport. I mean, everything's
Speaker 1: so codependent on the other, you know, it's it's it's crazy.
Speaker 1: I'm very interested, very interested to see how this football team,
Speaker 1: how quickly they can continue to make adjustments. I think
Speaker 1: that's the biggest thing that they've grown into, the coaching
Speaker 1: staff making good adjustments, getting feedback from players coming off
Speaker 1: the field, and making them immediately, you know, immediate adjustments,
Speaker 1: both offensively and defensively. I think that the that the
Speaker 1: rapport and the chemistry between player to player, coach to coach,
Speaker 1: coach to player, player to coach, all of it is
Speaker 1: getting better and better and better, and I think as
Speaker 1: a result, they're gonna be able to play at a
Speaker 1: higher level. The Chargers are coming to town this week,
Speaker 1: the first ever matchup between the first pick and last
Speaker 1: year's draft, Joe Burrow and the sixth pick in last
Speaker 1: year's draft, Justin Herbert. They're only in their second seasons.
Speaker 1: Are these guys already top ten NFL quarterbacks in your opinion?
Speaker 1: I mean, I think I think they're They're knocking on
Speaker 1: the door. If they're not, I mean, I think they
Speaker 1: can be. Um Man Herbert has such immense athletic ability.
Speaker 1: I've said this before a couple of times. You know,
Speaker 1: when I hear Drew Brees marvel at the guy's arm
Speaker 1: talent and that the ball, when he throws the football
Speaker 1: at such a tight spiral with such velocity, it picks
Speaker 1: up speed as it's like ten yards down the field.
Speaker 1: He said, I can actually see the ball start to accelerate.
Speaker 1: He goes, that's that explosiveness is rare, and he does
Speaker 1: have that kind of arm talent. Honestly, stuff I've seen
Speaker 1: here lately. Um I don't think he's trying to throw
Speaker 1: the ball through their chest, but he throws it so
Speaker 1: hard they lead the league and drop passes. I mean,
Speaker 1: he throws a hot potato man. You know, when the
Speaker 1: ball bounces, it gets into the pads and bounces around.
Speaker 1: That's going to be a big key in my mind,
Speaker 1: the Bengals handling tips, handling you know, balls that are
Speaker 1: dropped when interceptions are there an opportunity they have to
Speaker 1: capitalize on that um And that's that's I guess, probably
Speaker 1: a good problem to have, but it's still a problem.
Speaker 1: You know, you maybe learned to take a little bit
Speaker 1: off of it, but that's that's a that's an interesting
Speaker 1: dynamic a little bit with with a quarterback and receivers, uh,
Speaker 1: you know, getting into and make him pay for those
Speaker 1: kind of things, make him pay for tips, make him
Speaker 1: pay for overthrows. Because his arms so powerful, sometimes he
Speaker 1: gets in a situation where his release point, if it's
Speaker 1: off a little bit, he'll get an overthrow because his
Speaker 1: arm is so strong. And you've got to take advantage
Speaker 1: of those those kind of things. But I think, I
Speaker 1: think he can hurt you with his feet. I mean
Speaker 1: he's six five two forty two thirty five two forty
Speaker 1: runs four six or better. I mean he's got some
Speaker 1: freakish ability and Joe's sneaky sneaky with his movement skills.
Speaker 1: That touchdown run shows that making Fitzpatrick tough guy to
Speaker 1: do that too in space, and Joe did it to
Speaker 1: him frozeen pretty good. Um and and I do think
Speaker 1: both of them are very very intelligent guys. But I
Speaker 1: do think Joe's football IQ is he just seems in
Speaker 1: such total control all the time. And I think that
Speaker 1: Herbert is maybe still where you can get him not panicked,
Speaker 1: but you can get him to be in too much
Speaker 1: of a hurry, I guess, Whereas Joe always seems so
Speaker 1: composed and total control, I think Herbert is still fluster's
Speaker 1: maybe too strong a word, but maybe get him concerned
Speaker 1: a little bit, you know, give him uncomfortable. That's that's
Speaker 1: that's a big key. It's it looks to me so
Speaker 1: difficult for defenses to get Joe Burrow to look uncomfortable.
Speaker 1: It's got the same face all the time. Whereas Herbert,
Speaker 1: I think, you know, shows a little bit more of
Speaker 1: I wasn't expecting this, I haven't seen this. I think
Speaker 1: that's the maybe the final difference between those two guys,
Speaker 1: and a lot of it's just pure makeup and personnelity,
Speaker 1: and that sort of thing. The Chargers are dead last
Speaker 1: in the NFL. It's stopping the run. They're given up
Speaker 1: one hundred and forty five rushing yards per game. That's
Speaker 1: basically what Joe Mix and his the last two weeks.
Speaker 1: Is that the biggest key on Sunday. I think it's
Speaker 1: a huge factor. Um And like I said, I just
Speaker 1: I'm not sure that the that the Chargers want to
Speaker 1: play the slow death, you know, and just let the
Speaker 1: Cincinnati Bengals offensive line and Joe Mixon just grind them,
Speaker 1: put him in a meat grinder and score and take
Speaker 1: time off the clock and build a lead. And Herbert's
Speaker 1: doesn't He's not getting anywhere near the number of possessions
Speaker 1: and he has to force the football and all of
Speaker 1: those kind of things. But then you look at it
Speaker 1: and say, boy, if you if you don't load the
Speaker 1: box up, you know they're gonna pound you. If you
Speaker 1: do load the box up, they can make big plays
Speaker 1: against you. Yeah, it's I do think that is that's
Speaker 1: going to be in my I'm very interested to see
Speaker 1: how they come out to start the game because people
Speaker 1: are gonna be oh, man, I can't believe they're not running.
Speaker 1: Joe Mix alos they get, you know, seven and dropping
Speaker 1: a nap into the box late, which they do do
Speaker 1: they do try to to Sky's things. It's going to
Speaker 1: be interesting to see at the snap of the football
Speaker 1: how many people the Chargers actually having the box at
Speaker 1: the snap of the football to try to handle Joe
Speaker 1: Mixon in the running game, because it might look a
Speaker 1: little different pre snap and then post snap after the
Speaker 1: snap of the football. It could it could look the
Speaker 1: opposite to what you might have seen in some situations there.
Speaker 1: But that's obviously a major concern. The thing is with Herbert.
Speaker 1: Herbert leads the National Football League. They they've got six wins,
Speaker 1: five fourth quarter comebacks. His five fourth quarter comebacks lead
Speaker 1: the NFL. So no lead is safe with this guy,
Speaker 1: unless it's a ridiculous lead like the Bengals have had.
Speaker 1: But if you're up seven to ten points, even fourteen,
Speaker 1: you know, a couple of scores, that's not necessarily safe
Speaker 1: with the guy of his skill set. So that's going
Speaker 1: to be an interesting dynamic to take and follow a
Speaker 1: little bit too. I think most people listening to this
Speaker 1: know that you were the starting left guard on the
Speaker 1: Bengals first Super Bowl team in nineteen eighty one. You
Speaker 1: were the starting right guard on the team that had
Speaker 1: the best winning percentage in team history. In nineteen seventy
Speaker 1: five when the Bengals went eleven and three. Do you
Speaker 1: see any similarities to those two great teams, two of
Speaker 1: the all time best in Bengals history? And what is
Speaker 1: developing right now? Yeah? You know, I can, Dan, I
Speaker 1: can see in both of those seasons when Kenny Anderson
Speaker 1: a quarterback, and I see a lot of similarities with
Speaker 1: what Kenny Anderson brought to the table and with Joe
Speaker 1: Burrow brings to Let's see a lot of similarities both
Speaker 1: physical makeup, mental composition, of all of those kinds of things.
Speaker 1: And I also see a we really like I talked
Speaker 1: about before, the relationship between the players were very close.
Speaker 1: The coaching staff was very close, But then the relationship
Speaker 1: between coaching staff and players was very close as well.
Speaker 1: And does that happen by winning or does that house
Speaker 1: the winning to happen? That's the you know, chicken or
Speaker 1: the egg, big question. But no matter how it occurred,
Speaker 1: it did take place those seasons, and it built as
Speaker 1: the season went on. And I can vividly remember on
Speaker 1: Wednesday morning, we'd come in and Lindy and Fani was
Speaker 1: our offensive coordinator in nineteen eighty one, and Bill Walsh
Speaker 1: was the guy that was shaping the offense in nineteen
Speaker 1: seventy five, and I can remember we'd come in and
Speaker 1: like what we got? Now? What are they put together?
Speaker 1: I mean, these guys were brilliant, and it was like, Oh,
Speaker 1: who's going to be the featured deal today this week?
Speaker 1: What what personnel grouping? Oh, this one looks like it's
Speaker 1: Titan orient. Oh, man, this one we're going to crush
Speaker 1: people with Pete. I mean, it was it was like
Speaker 1: we couldn't wait. It was like, man, we didn't even
Speaker 1: want to day off. We just wanted to get right
Speaker 1: back to it. And I can see that with this
Speaker 1: group a little bit like that. I think they're starting
Speaker 1: to feel, you know, that type of that type of
Speaker 1: a bond and chemistry theirs with Lou and all of
Speaker 1: the defensive coaches, and then you know, offensively the same
Speaker 1: way with all the coaches that are putting together game plans.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's that I can remember that part
Speaker 1: of it. Sometimes when the preparation for a game feels
Speaker 1: like it's not a grind, it's not like, oh man,
Speaker 1: we either do. It's like, oh man, I can't wait
Speaker 1: to get back to it. Then you know you've got
Speaker 1: something cooking. And I kind of sense that that's that's
Speaker 1: where this team is. They can't wait for not only
Speaker 1: the next game, they can't wait for the next week
Speaker 1: to prepare for that next game because they have so
Speaker 1: much confidence and what the coaches are presenting to them,
Speaker 1: and they know that if they fine tune it during
Speaker 1: the week and go out and execute, they're gonna be
Speaker 1: in good shape. There were a lot of great moments
Speaker 1: last week. The most amusing moment was seeing the choreographed
Speaker 1: end zone celebration featuring Joe Mixon and his offensive lineman.
Speaker 1: My final question for this week's podcast. Would a young
Speaker 1: Dave Lapham have enjoyed doing an end zone dance with
Speaker 1: his fellow offensive lineman after a Pete Johnson touchdown? Oh? Absolutely, absolutely,
Speaker 1: I would have liked. You know, big boys always feel
Speaker 1: like they got a little rhythm, you know, So yeah,
Speaker 1: I would have. I would have enjoyed that. I mean,
Speaker 1: the celebrations have gotten to be almost like an additional show.
Speaker 1: You know. It's it's like it's a it's a side act.
Speaker 1: To what's going on during the course of the football game.
Speaker 1: And man, you have to you have to start to
Speaker 1: be real creative. Now it's it's taken on a almost
Speaker 1: a life of its own. But yeah, I think, like
Speaker 1: Jonah Williams said, you know, it's like, yeah, you feel
Speaker 1: like you want to be part of that, and it is. It's. Uh,
Speaker 1: you might, it might take you well beyond your comfort level,
Speaker 1: but you're doing it because you're part of something bigger
Speaker 1: than just you know, your concern uh for your self embarrassment.
Speaker 1: You know, you're just you're out there just having fun
Speaker 1: with a bunch of guys. And that's that's what when
Speaker 1: I looked at it, I'm like, well, you know, some
Speaker 1: of them have a little rhythms about but yeah, you
Speaker 1: feel like, uh, go out in that dance floor, cut
Speaker 1: a little rug, that's what that's what. Uh, that's what
Speaker 1: those guys were doing. And that was that was that
Speaker 1: was fun to see. And I'll tell you what, Joe Mixon,
Speaker 1: say what you want, but that guy is a lightning
Speaker 1: rod for the energy, enthusiasm, all the sort of things
Speaker 1: that the team feeds off of. He's the energy source, man,
Speaker 1: I mean, he's the he's the son of the solar system.
Speaker 1: You know, he's the epicenter for that energy. Man, he
Speaker 1: really is. He's something else. I'm an excellent dancer at
Speaker 1: a wedding the minimum of three drinks in me emphasis
Speaker 1: on minimum. I'm telling you, yeah, I um, I used
Speaker 1: to I used to like to, uh like to cut
Speaker 1: the rug a little bit. Um. Lynda accused me or
Speaker 1: liking to cut it too much, I guess over the years.
Speaker 1: But uh yeah, it's uh, it's fun to watch guys
Speaker 1: who have such great footwork on a football field. Sometimes
Speaker 1: it carries it over the dance floor. Other times it
Speaker 1: looks like two left feet and ten big toes. That's
Speaker 1: going to do it. For This episode of the Bengals
Speaker 1: Booth Podcast brought to you by Ultimate Bengals, the free
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Speaker 1: the App Store and Google Play. And if you haven't
Speaker 1: done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and if
Speaker 1: you have a minute, give it a rating or share
Speaker 1: a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm
Speaker 1: Dan Horde, and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast.