WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Not Over Yet 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:06.400 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:10.720 The Bengals Booth Podcast. The It's not over yet. It's 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:14.760 not over yet. Head addition, as the Bengals look to 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:17.960 rebound from a dismal night in Cleveland as they host 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:21.560 the two and six Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Coming up, 0:00:21.600 --> 0:00:24.720 I'll talk to team captain Michael Thomas about the devastating 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:28.280 loss of chitubey Owooge and his advice to the youngsters 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:31.159 who are now getting thrown into the fire. It's a 0:00:31.280 --> 0:00:35.080 must listen conversation. I'll also chat with Adam Rank from 0:00:35.080 --> 0:00:38.159 the NFL Network and NFL dot Com, who says the 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:40.879 Bengals are still the team to beat in the AFC 0:00:41.080 --> 0:00:43.880 North and finally, in our Know the Faux segment, we'll 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:46.600 get the latest on the Panthers from their radio voice, 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:50.879 a Niche Shroth. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:55.560 Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet capable of delivering multi 0:00:55.600 --> 0:00:59.120 gigabit speeds designed to take your home, business and community 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:02.360 to a new level. Elevate your connection with all to 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:05.400 fiber Now. Here's a quick reminder that you can have 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:09.000 the latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:13.479 or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:19.080 the greatest thing since leftover Halloween candy. We live at 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:21.240 the end of a cul de sac and in recent 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:24.720 years haven't received many tricker treaters. Still, you have to 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:27.920 be prepared just in case, so I always buy a 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:31.760 healthy supply of Reese's cups and kit kats. I was 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:34.840 obviously in Cleveland on Halloween night this year, and when 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:37.959 I got home, my wife informed me that only one 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:42.280 kid showed up at our door. So if I look 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:45.600 extra pudgy in the weeks to come, you'll know why. 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:51.480 Now let's get to football. Chitubeya Wouje tore his ACL 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:54.200 on Monday night and we'll miss the rest of the season. 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:57.760 Pro Football Focus has him graded is the twenty fifth 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:01.320 best corner in the league this year, ranking number two 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:06.240 last season behind the Rams Jalen Ramsey. Here's defensive coordinator 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:10.720 lou Ana Roumo. You quantify what Cheeto means to your 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:14.040 defense on and off the field. Yeah, he's uh one Again. 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:16.960 I got a lot of favorites, but he's one of them. Um, 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:22.520 great human being to start um. You know, it's just it. Uh. 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:27.359 For as much as he cares in today's world about 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:30.480 his teammates, you know, he talked to him, you know 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:33.640 obviously yesterday, and uh, you know his first thing is, 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:35.760 I want to be involved. I'll still watch tape. I'm 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:37.480 gonna still be a leader that you know, he's talking 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:41.240 about that as he was gonna go have knee surgery. 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.000 You know that doesn't happen these days. And he's tells 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:45.880 you who he is as a man, and that's what's 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:51.280 most important to me. So irreplaceable on the field, irreplaceable 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:55.920 in the locker room, that's just who he is. Cheeto's 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:58.640 injury occurred late in the second quarter on a night 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:01.959 where the Bengals others star corner Eli Apple was out 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:06.480 with a hamstring injury. During the game, Trey Flowers aggravated 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:10.079 his hamstring that left the Bengals with rookie cam Taylor 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:14.280 Britt starting at one outside cornerback spot and rookie safety 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:18.280 Dax Hill pressed into service out of position at the other. 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:21.840 Taylor Britt will almost certainly stay in the starting lineup 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:25.160 as a Wouget's replacement and will have to quickly learn 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:27.960 from his mistakes, like the one he made on the 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:31.919 Browns third offensive play on Monday first in ten Cleveland 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:35.400 from the twenty eight, Jacoby Prissette under center, double tight 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:38.200 ends in for the Browns. They faked to Nick Chubb. 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:42.240 Prissette flings it down field and it is caught by 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:46.200 Donovan People's Jones tries to hurdle a Bengals defender six 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.720 seeds in going up and over Jesse Bates and gets tackled. 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:54.160 At the Cincinnati thirty five Cam Taylor Britt gambelled. He 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:56.960 rolled the dice and he came up sneake eyes. He 0:03:57.080 --> 0:03:59.960 thought he to pick a player on the football. People's Joe, 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:03.040 he tried to undercut it, make a play on it, 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:05.320 and he did. And then all of a sudden, people 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:07.720 Jones not only has to catch, he's running up the 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:12.080 sideline and he hurdles looked like Edward Moses hurtling over 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:15.320 Jesse Bates. Taylor Bread gambled by diving in front of 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:17.960 the receiver to deflect the ball, and when he missed, 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:22.040 it became a thirty seven yard game. Lou Anna Romo 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:25.599 was asked about that rookie mistake. Yeah, I had a 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:30.159 really clean clear coaching point after that play, don't ever 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:38.040 do that again. Fair enough, they did come reasonably close 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:40.039 to getting the ball. Yeah, I know, I almost won 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:43.800 the lottery too. The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:46.839 you by pay Corps. More than twenty nine thousand customers 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:50.920 trust pay Corps to help them recruit, pay, engage, and 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:56.719 retain employees. Learn more at paycorps dot com. All kidding aside, 0:04:56.720 --> 0:05:00.520 the Bengals have real issues at cornerback. Eli Apple told 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:02.919 reporters on Wednesday that he thinks he'll be able to 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:05.680 play this week, but somebody will have to come up 0:05:05.720 --> 0:05:08.400 from the practice squad to add depth, and there are 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:13.559 two corners available undrafted rookie Alan George and Marvel Tell, 0:05:13.920 --> 0:05:17.520 who last played in the NFL in twenty nineteen with Indianapolis. 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:21.279 For perspective on the injuries in the secondary, I turned 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:24.960 this week to eleven year veteran Michael Thomas, who has 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:29.520 many duties as one of the Bengals captains. Michael had 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:31.320 occurred to me when you went out for the coin 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:34.440 toss on Monday night in Cleveland that you couldn't lose. 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:38.760 If you win, you take the ball. If you lose, 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:41.280 the other team almost always defers. That's the way I 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:43.680 played out on Monday night. Has the pressure of the 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:48.000 coin toss been removed? Oh? Absolutely, And that's crazy. It's 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:50.240 not crazy because you're you're such a smart you know, 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:52.440 a guy in a suited, his game been aroundis so long, 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:57.680 and you understand our philosophy. So that's definitely doesn't exactly 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:00.320 my thought process. It's like, all right, doesn't if I 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:03.040 win the coin toss? We want the ball anyway, So like, like, 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:05.920 it definitely took the pressure off for me. Normally it's like, man, 0:06:06.000 --> 0:06:08.120 here's a tails. You know, we're trying to defer. But 0:06:08.200 --> 0:06:12.719 that I'm great that I'm I'm grateful that Zach has 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:14.080 told us, you know, we want to try to take 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:16.120 the ball. And I don't feel that pressure going into 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:19.599 coin toss anymore. What's that moment like for you to 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.840 march out there with a teammate or teammates for the 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:25.840 coin toss to set the stage for a game. Oh man, Uh, 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:27.840 it's a high on a one because you're pretty much 0:06:27.880 --> 0:06:30.560 elected as a captain, and you know, sometimes we bring 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:32.840 extra guys out there if that if that game means 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:34.400 a little something more to them. If they've played in 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:36.880 that you'll played for that team before there from that city. 0:06:37.120 --> 0:06:38.719 But it's a lot of it's it's a lot of 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:42.080 weight because you represent your team. You're tell you're sending 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:43.520 a message to other team. These are the guys that 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:46.640 we're saying represents our team. So whoever you bring out 0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:48.680 there as your best, you know, like, okay, it's our guys. 0:06:48.680 --> 0:06:51.080 Rest your guys. And then clearly when it comes to 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:53.039 the weight of the coin toss, you know you you'n't 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:55.880 ask the TeV sometimes you know, you televise that get 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:58.200 a lot of people who sends sends us pictures you know, 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:02.000 are on social media, a tweetness and whatnot showing us 0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:04.400 of those moments. So I want to make sure one 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:05.640 I don't mess it up. You know what I'm saying. 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:07.560 I don't stutter, I don't, I don't, I don't my 0:07:07.600 --> 0:07:09.440 boys don't crack, you know what I'm saying. I gotta 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:12.320 make sure I sound confident in whatever I call. But 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:15.560 just just knowing that I represent my team and that's 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:17.920 a high honor, and you know you command that type 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:21.040 of respect. Or visiting with Captain Michael Thomas, you were 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:25.320 very emotional after the game on Monday, regarding the injury 0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:29.640 to Chittabo Wouje, Why does that loss in particular hit 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:36.440 everybody so hard? What Cheeto brings to this organization is 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:41.040 more than just his position as a starting corner, a starting, 0:07:41.080 --> 0:07:43.440 true number one corner in this league. Probably one of 0:07:43.480 --> 0:07:47.040 the best to do it in my opinion, regardless of 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:52.520 what the rankings say, because of the attention to detail 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:58.440 that he brings hisself, that he demands from everybody in 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:03.920 our secondary room. It forces everyone to elevate their game, 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:07.520 and it's his presence. Man as a natural is organic. 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:10.920 He's talking, he's a great teammate, He's open with everyone. 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:15.520 He encourages others to, you know, have an opinion. He's 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:18.280 okay and he's very comfortable. We're telling somebody, hey, we 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:20.160 need you, We got to pick it up. That ain't right. 0:08:20.280 --> 0:08:22.520 That ain't it. When you have a guy like that 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:25.920 who is authentic and brings that type of energy every day, 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:27.680 it makes you want to come in this building and 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:30.400 go to work. I gotta be right for him. And 0:08:30.440 --> 0:08:32.480 to lose something like that, to lose that type of 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:34.680 presence and you know he'll be around. But it's different. 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:39.960 As a player when you're out there fighting and competing 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.839 versus when you're kind of going through an injury, going 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:45.680 through your process and you're you know, kind of on 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:48.480 the sideline. So to lose that, That's why I was 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.920 emotional for me and still is. He's in high spirits. 0:08:53.080 --> 0:08:55.640 Continue to pray for him, and you know, just telling 0:08:55.679 --> 0:09:00.280 them trust this process. Geetos out Eli Apple this last 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:03.480 week's game of a hamstring injury. Trey Flowers aggravated his 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:07.880 hamstring during the game. As an eleven year veteran and 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:10.600 a member of the secondary, what will you do this 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:12.800 week to try to counsel the younger guys who are 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:15.440 going to be pressed into action, I'll let them know, man, 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:19.440 in this league, the game and profession that we chose 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:21.840 to play. Art ever asked for his opportunity, and when 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:24.520 it comes, you have to take advantage of. You don't 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:26.640 know when it's gonna come. I don't know if it'll 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.720 ever come, but you have to prepare as if you 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:33.280 believe the next play it's gonna be the play I 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:36.400 get in and it's gonna be my time. And you know, 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:38.720 I could give them stories about what it was like 0:09:38.760 --> 0:09:40.880 my first game in the NFL and my you know, 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:43.600 getting my opportunity, and I can just constantly keep telling 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:45.240 them why don't need to prepare, why don't need to prepare? 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:48.719 Because the perfect example was this past Monday night. It 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:53.600 happens quick. Nobody accounted for that. Nobody accounted for that, 0:09:53.960 --> 0:09:57.360 and just like that got young decks. I go in 0:09:57.360 --> 0:09:59.600 there at corner, buddy, you know what's saying like it's 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:02.880 it's it happens fast, and they gotta stay ready. Guys 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:06.240 on the side like an a g Allen George, Tyson Anderson. 0:10:06.320 --> 0:10:07.960 Then when one of my chance come, when I'm gonna 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:11.360 get a chance to play. That's this league. Man, been 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.640 around it, seen it a long time. I remember what 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:16.199 it was like being at Allen George and praying for 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:18.480 my opportunity. You don't saying just young guys in general, 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:21.559 always got to prepare, Always gott to prepare because you 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:24.240 never know when it's gonna happen. Monday night's game in 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.439 Cleveland was rough, but in last year's Super Bowl season 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:29.800 you had lost to the Browns. That was more lopsided 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:33.640 than that game was. Having said that, is it perplexing 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:37.160 when you have a night where everything goes wrong offense 0:10:37.280 --> 0:10:40.800 is bad, defense is bad. Evan McPherson, miss kicks. I 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:45.520 mean everything that you guys could have done poorly went poorly. Yeah. Uh, 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:48.720 not a fan of these Halloween games. I'll just say 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:52.000 I'll say that, Yeah, it was one of those when 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:54.960 it rains, it poors type Knights. But the beauty and 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:57.600 that is we got a very short week, got a 0:10:57.720 --> 0:11:01.160 very short week, and we get an opportunity very quickly 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:05.480 to move on and go prove ourselves against another opponent 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:08.760 on Sunday. And that's what I love about this this league. 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:12.160 You only get so many opportunities. Seventeen is only guaranteeing, 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:14.640 so you got to take advantage of every single one. 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.440 And so we get another one this Sunday. Can't dwell 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:20.560 on that, as terrible as it was, can't dwell on it. 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:22.679 Let's move forward. Let's go find a way. We'll get 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:25.600 this one going into the by. The by, as you mentioned, 0:11:25.720 --> 0:11:28.040 is a week away. You've gone through training camp, it'll 0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:30.959 be nine regular season games after Sunday. How much does 0:11:31.000 --> 0:11:34.240 everybody look forward to that break? I mean, not looking 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:38.280 past this game at all, but clearly that break marks 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.520 You're a huge mouthstone for a lot of reasons, Mike, 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:46.360 get some some cavalry, some reinforcements back right, get a 0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:49.360 lot of chance for the guys who are still competing, 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:51.400 but you know, nursing some things, but you know, giving 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:55.199 us everything, get a chance to hell, look a mental break, 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:59.280 just to say, okay, let's reset and refocus. Right. But 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:01.760 at the end of the day, we all know, after 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:04.280 you know, pretty much getting hit in the mouth Monday night, 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:07.079 we gotta go take care of this one before we 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:11.720 get to that. By the game is against Carolina this Sunday. PJ. Walker, 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:14.760 his replaced Baker Mayfield, is their starting quarterback. I'm sure 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:17.040 you saw the footage of his touchdown pass last week 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:20.480 and traveled sixty seven yards in the air. That's the 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:23.280 longest since the NFL started measuring this stuff a few 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:25.800 years ago. What was your reaction to that. I mean, 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:28.520 p J. Walker is a guy who has had to 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:31.559 earn everything he's been. You know, he's gotten in this 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:35.600 NFL as a testament to who he is as a player, 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:39.280 as a person. So we gotta know and understand we're 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:42.199 not going against oh a second, you know, a backup quarterback, 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:45.840 our third stream quarter We're going against a guy who 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:48.400 has proven he can play in this league. He has 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:50.320 some guys that he trusts, he has some chemistry wore. 0:12:50.320 --> 0:12:51.840 He gonna try to get their balls that they playmaker. 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:54.000 And we're gonna have to put out best for four, 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:56.440 best ever for it. And it's gonna take all hands, 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:59.079 you know, whoever's healthy, whoever's able body. We're gonna have 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:00.920 to get out there, and we're going against a guy, 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:04.080 like I said, who can play the quarterback position clearly 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:05.800 at a high level. He's breaking records, you know what 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:07.400 I say. He's doing some stuff that you haven't seen. 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:10.480 So we gotta put our best foot for best ever 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.920 for Sorry, gonna get this one last thing. Your fellow 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:17.679 members of the secondary have chosen you to be that 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:20.160 guy who gives the little in the tunnel pump them 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:22.960 up speech before you guys take the field, do you 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:25.000 think about what you're going to say during the course 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:26.800 of the week or does it strictly come from the 0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:31.400 heart and from the mind. Definitely, everything I say is offending. 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:33.679 It does come from the heart. But I will never 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:36.920 go out there unprepared to not having something I thought 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.160 about and what they're saying, like, what what can I say? 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.840 To these men to either motivate them. I mean, it's 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:44.320 the NFL. You shouldn't have to motivate nobody. But come on, dog, 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:47.600 like there's cameras, there's cameras around, Like, this is the 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:49.839 moment right here that all the guys are looking to 0:13:49.960 --> 0:13:51.440 you for something. You know what I'm saying, give us 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:54.160 something like O g give us something up. So I 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:55.760 gotta think about what I'm gonna say to him. It's 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:57.680 always gonna be something that's real. Is gonna always gonna 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.800 be something that's relevant into the moment. Play off somebody, 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:02.640 if they if they have any history with the team 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:06.040 we're playing, play off them, you know, if there's you know, 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:07.959 something that happened during the week, or something that happened 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:10.400 this past week, if there's something we're looking forward to 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:12.440 trying to do this in the next game. I always 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:14.720 trying to use that, use something that's relevant, use something 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:17.320 that's current, and just be real with my guys. And 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:19.760 I think that's what I appreciated. I always appreciate your 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:21.960 time and insight. Thank you so much, help form Dann, 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:25.960 thank you. The Bengals Booth podcast just presented by Bengals 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:29.520 Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're free to play with tickets 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:33.640 and sign merchandise up for grabs. Find both inside the 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:37.200 Bengals app Way back at the beginning of training camp, 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:39.800 I had a chance to appear on the NFL Network 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:42.920 to discuss the Bengals, and this week I caught up 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:44.960 with one of the guys who was on the show 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:48.720 with me that day. Our guess this week is Adam 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:52.320 Rank from the NFL Network and NFL dot Com. Adam, 0:14:52.360 --> 0:14:54.880 you were on the set Monday night after a rough 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:58.080 night for the Bengals in Cleveland. What was your takeaway 0:14:58.080 --> 0:14:59.960 from that game? Just a bad night for the Bengal 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:03.080 Is there something that concerned you a little more than that? Well, 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.400 I mean I was a little disappointed, because I feel 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:07.520 like I am now a friend of the Bengals having 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:11.960 been there over the summer. I was disappointed, obviously, because 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:15.680 I wanted to see, you know, this offense play the 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:17.520 way that we know it can play. You know, less 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:20.880 than three hundred yards in that game is not indicative 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:23.880 of what the Bengals are able to do. My first 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:25.920 thought was like, well, Jamar Chase must be the most 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:29.400 valuable player in the NFL, because you know it is 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:33.600 really noticeable when he's not out there. But honestly, you 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:36.440 know what, we see this way too much in the NFL. 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:39.720 You don't want to get too excited when your team's 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:41.720 playing really well, and you don't want to get too 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:44.440 bummed out when things are not kind of going their way. 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:47.080 And I think that at some point during that contest 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:48.480 you were like, all right, this is not going to 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:51.560 be the Bengals night. Miles Garrett was playing out of 0:15:51.600 --> 0:15:55.040 his mind. There were some things happening there in Cleveland, 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:56.640 and you're like, you know what, this is one of 0:15:56.640 --> 0:15:59.320 those things that just happens in the NFL. I did 0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:02.040 my homework. I want everybody to know. But because if 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:05.440 the Bengals win this week against Carolina, they're five and four, 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:09.760 which not coincidentally or coincidentally was their record last year. 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:12.200 So let's not get let's not get too bummed up. 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:15.400 Words of wisdom to be sure from Adam rank So 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:17.800 at four and four, this was a team that you 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:20.400 picked to win the AFC North prior to the season. 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:24.240 What is your big picture take on the Bengals to date? Well, 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:26.080 I still believe that they're going to end up winning 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:28.040 the division. I know that Baltimore is ahead of them 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:30.080 right now. But I look at Cleveland, I don't think 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:34.480 I think Cleveland had that one little gasp. They played 0:16:34.480 --> 0:16:36.720 really well on a Monday night. I'm not really convinced 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:41.480 that they're all the way back. Pittsburgh already selling off players, 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:44.200 so that's a good sign for you. But I really 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:46.720 like this Bengals team. I think the pieces are there. 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:49.080 I think the most troubling thing is the offensive line. 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:55.520 You spend a lot of resources and you're like, let's 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:58.840 not clicking here. You know, Joe Burrow has been sacked 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.880 the second most in the NFL this season, behind only 0:17:01.960 --> 0:17:04.520 justin Fields, and we saw it on Monday night, Like, 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:07.440 how can they not protect him? Is what is wrong here? 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:10.600 And so I really wanted to see, you know, a 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:15.000 better utilization of Joe Mixon like that always that he's 0:17:15.000 --> 0:17:18.520 getting the usage. You know, he's involved, he's there. It's like, 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:21.719 why is this not translating? He was so fantastic last season. 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:25.159 It's just not working. And so again I don't want 0:17:25.160 --> 0:17:27.160 to put too much of it on Jamar Chase, but 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:30.320 perhaps that's got something to do with it. Hayden Hurst 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:33.679 really needs to get involved. But again Ultimately, and I 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:35.840 know there are some injuries on defense, I still think 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:38.400 this is a very talented football team. And I think 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:42.440 that when you're in a high profile, primetime game, things 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:44.840 get kind of overblown. So as long as you can 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:49.120 go out this week against the Carolina Panthers re establish yourself, 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:52.240 I think this seems going to be just fine. Adam 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:55.000 prior to the Super Bowl last year, you simply put 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:59.359 it this way, Joe Burrow is magic. What do you 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:02.720 like most about the Bengals quarterback? You know what that 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:05.200 is one of the things like and in those losses 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:06.760 that you know, if you look at it, it does 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:08.679 come down to Joe Burrow and every game that the 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:11.160 Bengals have lost this season, his passer rating has been 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:14.000 below one hundred. You go over one hundred, you win 0:18:14.040 --> 0:18:17.760 the game. There are certain things, though about Joe Burrow 0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:20.920 that it's hard to describe, Like when you're watching it, 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.159 sometimes you're there's quarterbacks that you just see that just 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:27.439 have an it factor that there's something about them like 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:31.840 unafraid to make plays, can make plays, just the command 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:34.399 of the team, Like it's you can look around the 0:18:34.480 --> 0:18:37.720 league and you see quarterbacks who are playing well I'll 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:40.320 use Dan. I'm not trying to take shots at Daniel Jones, 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:42.960 but Daniel Jones is playing well this season. But do 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.480 you ever get the sense that when you're watching a 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:48.240 Giant's game, like Daniel Jones is gonna win this sport. 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:51.720 Even somebody like Geno Smith, who again is playing very 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:55.000 well inside the system, You're like, yeah, he's winning games. 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:56.560 And they'll go out there and they'll beat the Falcons 0:18:56.560 --> 0:18:58.800 in the regular season, they'll go to LA and they'll 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:01.280 upset the Chargers. Like, I can see that kind of 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:04.240 stuff happen. But there are times when you watched Joe 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:06.480 Burrow and you saw this in the playoffs last year, 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:10.920 when you absolutely need something to happen, Joe can make 0:19:10.920 --> 0:19:13.160 it happen. We have friends in our life who are 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:17.199 like that. You're like, somebody's reliable, but somebody's exciting. You know, 0:19:17.240 --> 0:19:20.160 somebody's gonna make something happen. That's the one thing about 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:22.159 Joe Burrow that I watch and you're just like, you 0:19:22.200 --> 0:19:25.240 know what, when I'm watching these games, I don't feel 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:27.240 like they're really out of it all the time, because like, 0:19:27.280 --> 0:19:29.679 what can Joe Burrow do? Like what can happen? And 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:31.360 I think a lot of that does go in tandem 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:33.760 with Jomar Chase being there, but you know a lot 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.000 of it is Burrow as well, and so I don't 0:19:36.000 --> 0:19:38.400 know what it is, you know what happened on Monday 0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:41.960 night where it escaped, but he has that it factor 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:46.520 which is unquantifiable sometimes but he definitely has for visiting 0:19:46.520 --> 0:19:48.680 with Adam Rank. You can follow him on Twitter at 0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:52.880 Adam Rank. You have been known to occasionally wear costumes 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:55.760 on the NFL network. So what do you think of 0:19:55.880 --> 0:20:00.199 Joe Burrow's game day wardrobe choices? I love it, know what, 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:03.000 I think a lot of people, you know, appreciate it. 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:06.840 I know that when he walked into the Louisiana Superdome 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:10.760 and he was wearing Jamar Chase's LSU jersey, You're like, well, 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:14.160 game over, just whatever. I don't know, like this it's over, 0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:16.520 Like why are you even bothering to play this? And 0:20:16.600 --> 0:20:18.280 I think a lot of it too, you know, lends 0:20:18.359 --> 0:20:22.320 into the aura of Joe Burrow, you know, the swagger, 0:20:22.359 --> 0:20:25.800 the smoking the cigar after the LSU championship, and I 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:27.919 think you know, and rightfully so, some people are on 0:20:27.920 --> 0:20:31.399 Twitter and they're they're making poignant or making comments about like, 0:20:31.440 --> 0:20:34.159 well he gets a pass because of you know, the 0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:37.359 way he holds himself, and I'm like, yeah, but there's 0:20:37.400 --> 0:20:41.280 there's something about drift swagging you understand. You know, when 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:42.919 you see it, it's kind of like going back to 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:47.040 the Rick Flair days of watching the nWo and the 0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:49.320 WCW when I was growing up, or you're like, oh, 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:51.440