Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast. The It's not over yet. It's
Speaker 1: not over yet. Head addition, as the Bengals look to
Speaker 1: rebound from a dismal night in Cleveland as they host
Speaker 1: the two and six Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Coming up,
Speaker 1: I'll talk to team captain Michael Thomas about the devastating
Speaker 1: loss of chitubey Owooge and his advice to the youngsters
Speaker 1: who are now getting thrown into the fire. It's a
Speaker 1: must listen conversation. I'll also chat with Adam Rank from
Speaker 1: the NFL Network and NFL dot Com, who says the
Speaker 1: Bengals are still the team to beat in the AFC
Speaker 1: North and finally, in our Know the Faux segment, we'll
Speaker 1: get the latest on the Panthers from their radio voice,
Speaker 1: a Niche Shroth. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by
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Speaker 1: the greatest thing since leftover Halloween candy. We live at
Speaker 1: the end of a cul de sac and in recent
Speaker 1: years haven't received many tricker treaters. Still, you have to
Speaker 1: be prepared just in case, so I always buy a
Speaker 1: healthy supply of Reese's cups and kit kats. I was
Speaker 1: obviously in Cleveland on Halloween night this year, and when
Speaker 1: I got home, my wife informed me that only one
Speaker 1: kid showed up at our door. So if I look
Speaker 1: extra pudgy in the weeks to come, you'll know why.
Speaker 1: Now let's get to football. Chitubeya Wouje tore his ACL
Speaker 1: on Monday night and we'll miss the rest of the season.
Speaker 1: Pro Football Focus has him graded is the twenty fifth
Speaker 1: best corner in the league this year, ranking number two
Speaker 1: last season behind the Rams Jalen Ramsey. Here's defensive coordinator
Speaker 1: lou Ana Roumo. You quantify what Cheeto means to your
Speaker 1: defense on and off the field. Yeah, he's uh one Again.
Speaker 1: I got a lot of favorites, but he's one of them. Um,
Speaker 1: great human being to start um. You know, it's just it. Uh.
Speaker 1: For as much as he cares in today's world about
Speaker 1: his teammates, you know, he talked to him, you know
Speaker 1: obviously yesterday, and uh, you know his first thing is,
Speaker 1: I want to be involved. I'll still watch tape. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna still be a leader that you know, he's talking
Speaker 1: about that as he was gonna go have knee surgery.
Speaker 1: You know that doesn't happen these days. And he's tells
Speaker 1: you who he is as a man, and that's what's
Speaker 1: most important to me. So irreplaceable on the field, irreplaceable
Speaker 1: in the locker room, that's just who he is. Cheeto's
Speaker 1: injury occurred late in the second quarter on a night
Speaker 1: where the Bengals others star corner Eli Apple was out
Speaker 1: with a hamstring injury. During the game, Trey Flowers aggravated
Speaker 1: his hamstring that left the Bengals with rookie cam Taylor
Speaker 1: Britt starting at one outside cornerback spot and rookie safety
Speaker 1: Dax Hill pressed into service out of position at the other.
Speaker 1: Taylor Britt will almost certainly stay in the starting lineup
Speaker 1: as a Wouget's replacement and will have to quickly learn
Speaker 1: from his mistakes, like the one he made on the
Speaker 1: Browns third offensive play on Monday first in ten Cleveland
Speaker 1: from the twenty eight, Jacoby Prissette under center, double tight
Speaker 1: ends in for the Browns. They faked to Nick Chubb.
Speaker 1: Prissette flings it down field and it is caught by
Speaker 1: Donovan People's Jones tries to hurdle a Bengals defender six
Speaker 1: seeds in going up and over Jesse Bates and gets tackled.
Speaker 1: At the Cincinnati thirty five Cam Taylor Britt gambelled. He
Speaker 1: rolled the dice and he came up sneake eyes. He
Speaker 1: thought he to pick a player on the football. People's Joe,
Speaker 1: he tried to undercut it, make a play on it,
Speaker 1: and he did. And then all of a sudden, people
Speaker 1: Jones not only has to catch, he's running up the
Speaker 1: sideline and he hurdles looked like Edward Moses hurtling over
Speaker 1: Jesse Bates. Taylor Bread gambled by diving in front of
Speaker 1: the receiver to deflect the ball, and when he missed,
Speaker 1: it became a thirty seven yard game. Lou Anna Romo
Speaker 1: was asked about that rookie mistake. Yeah, I had a
Speaker 1: really clean clear coaching point after that play, don't ever
Speaker 1: do that again. Fair enough, they did come reasonably close
Speaker 1: to getting the ball. Yeah, I know, I almost won
Speaker 1: the lottery too. The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to
Speaker 1: you by pay Corps. More than twenty nine thousand customers
Speaker 1: trust pay Corps to help them recruit, pay, engage, and
Speaker 1: retain employees. Learn more at paycorps dot com. All kidding aside,
Speaker 1: the Bengals have real issues at cornerback. Eli Apple told
Speaker 1: reporters on Wednesday that he thinks he'll be able to
Speaker 1: play this week, but somebody will have to come up
Speaker 1: from the practice squad to add depth, and there are
Speaker 1: two corners available undrafted rookie Alan George and Marvel Tell,
Speaker 1: who last played in the NFL in twenty nineteen with Indianapolis.
Speaker 1: For perspective on the injuries in the secondary, I turned
Speaker 1: this week to eleven year veteran Michael Thomas, who has
Speaker 1: many duties as one of the Bengals captains. Michael had
Speaker 1: occurred to me when you went out for the coin
Speaker 1: toss on Monday night in Cleveland that you couldn't lose.
Speaker 1: If you win, you take the ball. If you lose,
Speaker 1: the other team almost always defers. That's the way I
Speaker 1: played out on Monday night. Has the pressure of the
Speaker 1: coin toss been removed? Oh? Absolutely, And that's crazy. It's
Speaker 1: not crazy because you're you're such a smart you know,
Speaker 1: a guy in a suited, his game been aroundis so long,
Speaker 1: and you understand our philosophy. So that's definitely doesn't exactly
Speaker 1: my thought process. It's like, all right, doesn't if I
Speaker 1: win the coin toss? We want the ball anyway, So like, like,
Speaker 1: it definitely took the pressure off for me. Normally it's like, man,
Speaker 1: here's a tails. You know, we're trying to defer. But
Speaker 1: that I'm great that I'm I'm grateful that Zach has
Speaker 1: told us, you know, we want to try to take
Speaker 1: the ball. And I don't feel that pressure going into
Speaker 1: coin toss anymore. What's that moment like for you to
Speaker 1: march out there with a teammate or teammates for the
Speaker 1: coin toss to set the stage for a game. Oh man, Uh,
Speaker 1: it's a high on a one because you're pretty much
Speaker 1: elected as a captain, and you know, sometimes we bring
Speaker 1: extra guys out there if that if that game means
Speaker 1: a little something more to them. If they've played in
Speaker 1: that you'll played for that team before there from that city.
Speaker 1: But it's a lot of it's it's a lot of
Speaker 1: weight because you represent your team. You're tell you're sending
Speaker 1: a message to other team. These are the guys that
Speaker 1: we're saying represents our team. So whoever you bring out
Speaker 1: there as your best, you know, like, okay, it's our guys.
Speaker 1: Rest your guys. And then clearly when it comes to
Speaker 1: the weight of the coin toss, you know you you'n't
Speaker 1: ask the TeV sometimes you know, you televise that get
Speaker 1: a lot of people who sends sends us pictures you know,
Speaker 1: are on social media, a tweetness and whatnot showing us
Speaker 1: of those moments. So I want to make sure one
Speaker 1: I don't mess it up. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: I don't stutter, I don't, I don't, I don't my
Speaker 1: boys don't crack, you know what I'm saying. I gotta
Speaker 1: make sure I sound confident in whatever I call. But
Speaker 1: just just knowing that I represent my team and that's
Speaker 1: a high honor, and you know you command that type
Speaker 1: of respect. Or visiting with Captain Michael Thomas, you were
Speaker 1: very emotional after the game on Monday, regarding the injury
Speaker 1: to Chittabo Wouje, Why does that loss in particular hit
Speaker 1: everybody so hard? What Cheeto brings to this organization is
Speaker 1: more than just his position as a starting corner, a starting,
Speaker 1: true number one corner in this league. Probably one of
Speaker 1: the best to do it in my opinion, regardless of
Speaker 1: what the rankings say, because of the attention to detail
Speaker 1: that he brings hisself, that he demands from everybody in
Speaker 1: our secondary room. It forces everyone to elevate their game,
Speaker 1: and it's his presence. Man as a natural is organic.
Speaker 1: He's talking, he's a great teammate, He's open with everyone.
Speaker 1: He encourages others to, you know, have an opinion. He's
Speaker 1: okay and he's very comfortable. We're telling somebody, hey, we
Speaker 1: need you, We got to pick it up. That ain't right.
Speaker 1: That ain't it. When you have a guy like that
Speaker 1: who is authentic and brings that type of energy every day,
Speaker 1: it makes you want to come in this building and
Speaker 1: go to work. I gotta be right for him. And
Speaker 1: to lose something like that, to lose that type of
Speaker 1: presence and you know he'll be around. But it's different.
Speaker 1: As a player when you're out there fighting and competing
Speaker 1: versus when you're kind of going through an injury, going
Speaker 1: through your process and you're you know, kind of on
Speaker 1: the sideline. So to lose that, That's why I was
Speaker 1: emotional for me and still is. He's in high spirits.
Speaker 1: Continue to pray for him, and you know, just telling
Speaker 1: them trust this process. Geetos out Eli Apple this last
Speaker 1: week's game of a hamstring injury. Trey Flowers aggravated his
Speaker 1: hamstring during the game. As an eleven year veteran and
Speaker 1: a member of the secondary, what will you do this
Speaker 1: week to try to counsel the younger guys who are
Speaker 1: going to be pressed into action, I'll let them know, man,
Speaker 1: in this league, the game and profession that we chose
Speaker 1: to play. Art ever asked for his opportunity, and when
Speaker 1: it comes, you have to take advantage of. You don't
Speaker 1: know when it's gonna come. I don't know if it'll
Speaker 1: ever come, but you have to prepare as if you
Speaker 1: believe the next play it's gonna be the play I
Speaker 1: get in and it's gonna be my time. And you know,
Speaker 1: I could give them stories about what it was like
Speaker 1: my first game in the NFL and my you know,
Speaker 1: getting my opportunity, and I can just constantly keep telling
Speaker 1: them why don't need to prepare, why don't need to prepare?
Speaker 1: Because the perfect example was this past Monday night. It
Speaker 1: happens quick. Nobody accounted for that. Nobody accounted for that,
Speaker 1: and just like that got young decks. I go in
Speaker 1: there at corner, buddy, you know what's saying like it's
Speaker 1: it's it happens fast, and they gotta stay ready. Guys
Speaker 1: on the side like an a g Allen George, Tyson Anderson.
Speaker 1: Then when one of my chance come, when I'm gonna
Speaker 1: get a chance to play. That's this league. Man, been
Speaker 1: around it, seen it a long time. I remember what
Speaker 1: it was like being at Allen George and praying for
Speaker 1: my opportunity. You don't saying just young guys in general,
Speaker 1: always got to prepare, Always gott to prepare because you
Speaker 1: never know when it's gonna happen. Monday night's game in
Speaker 1: Cleveland was rough, but in last year's Super Bowl season
Speaker 1: you had lost to the Browns. That was more lopsided
Speaker 1: than that game was. Having said that, is it perplexing
Speaker 1: when you have a night where everything goes wrong offense
Speaker 1: is bad, defense is bad. Evan McPherson, miss kicks. I
Speaker 1: mean everything that you guys could have done poorly went poorly. Yeah. Uh,
Speaker 1: not a fan of these Halloween games. I'll just say
Speaker 1: I'll say that, Yeah, it was one of those when
Speaker 1: it rains, it poors type Knights. But the beauty and
Speaker 1: that is we got a very short week, got a
Speaker 1: very short week, and we get an opportunity very quickly
Speaker 1: to move on and go prove ourselves against another opponent
Speaker 1: on Sunday. And that's what I love about this this league.
Speaker 1: You only get so many opportunities. Seventeen is only guaranteeing,
Speaker 1: so you got to take advantage of every single one.
Speaker 1: And so we get another one this Sunday. Can't dwell
Speaker 1: on that, as terrible as it was, can't dwell on it.
Speaker 1: Let's move forward. Let's go find a way. We'll get
Speaker 1: this one going into the by. The by, as you mentioned,
Speaker 1: is a week away. You've gone through training camp, it'll
Speaker 1: be nine regular season games after Sunday. How much does
Speaker 1: everybody look forward to that break? I mean, not looking
Speaker 1: past this game at all, but clearly that break marks
Speaker 1: You're a huge mouthstone for a lot of reasons, Mike,
Speaker 1: get some some cavalry, some reinforcements back right, get a
Speaker 1: lot of chance for the guys who are still competing,
Speaker 1: but you know, nursing some things, but you know, giving
Speaker 1: us everything, get a chance to hell, look a mental break,
Speaker 1: just to say, okay, let's reset and refocus. Right. But
Speaker 1: at the end of the day, we all know, after
Speaker 1: you know, pretty much getting hit in the mouth Monday night,
Speaker 1: we gotta go take care of this one before we
Speaker 1: get to that. By the game is against Carolina this Sunday. PJ. Walker,
Speaker 1: his replaced Baker Mayfield, is their starting quarterback. I'm sure
Speaker 1: you saw the footage of his touchdown pass last week
Speaker 1: and traveled sixty seven yards in the air. That's the
Speaker 1: longest since the NFL started measuring this stuff a few
Speaker 1: years ago. What was your reaction to that. I mean,
Speaker 1: p J. Walker is a guy who has had to
Speaker 1: earn everything he's been. You know, he's gotten in this
Speaker 1: NFL as a testament to who he is as a player,
Speaker 1: as a person. So we gotta know and understand we're
Speaker 1: not going against oh a second, you know, a backup quarterback,
Speaker 1: our third stream quarter We're going against a guy who
Speaker 1: has proven he can play in this league. He has
Speaker 1: some guys that he trusts, he has some chemistry wore.
Speaker 1: He gonna try to get their balls that they playmaker.
Speaker 1: And we're gonna have to put out best for four,
Speaker 1: best ever for it. And it's gonna take all hands,
Speaker 1: you know, whoever's healthy, whoever's able body. We're gonna have
Speaker 1: to get out there, and we're going against a guy,
Speaker 1: like I said, who can play the quarterback position clearly
Speaker 1: at a high level. He's breaking records, you know what
Speaker 1: I say. He's doing some stuff that you haven't seen.
Speaker 1: So we gotta put our best foot for best ever
Speaker 1: for Sorry, gonna get this one last thing. Your fellow
Speaker 1: members of the secondary have chosen you to be that
Speaker 1: guy who gives the little in the tunnel pump them
Speaker 1: up speech before you guys take the field, do you
Speaker 1: think about what you're going to say during the course
Speaker 1: of the week or does it strictly come from the
Speaker 1: heart and from the mind. Definitely, everything I say is offending.
Speaker 1: It does come from the heart. But I will never
Speaker 1: go out there unprepared to not having something I thought
Speaker 1: about and what they're saying, like, what what can I say?
Speaker 1: To these men to either motivate them. I mean, it's
Speaker 1: the NFL. You shouldn't have to motivate nobody. But come on, dog,
Speaker 1: like there's cameras, there's cameras around, Like, this is the
Speaker 1: moment right here that all the guys are looking to
Speaker 1: you for something. You know what I'm saying, give us
Speaker 1: something like O g give us something up. So I
Speaker 1: gotta think about what I'm gonna say to him. It's
Speaker 1: always gonna be something that's real. Is gonna always gonna
Speaker 1: be something that's relevant into the moment. Play off somebody,
Speaker 1: if they if they have any history with the team
Speaker 1: we're playing, play off them, you know, if there's you know,
Speaker 1: something that happened during the week, or something that happened
Speaker 1: this past week, if there's something we're looking forward to
Speaker 1: trying to do this in the next game. I always
Speaker 1: trying to use that, use something that's relevant, use something
Speaker 1: that's current, and just be real with my guys. And
Speaker 1: I think that's what I appreciated. I always appreciate your
Speaker 1: time and insight. Thank you so much, help form Dann,
Speaker 1: thank you. The Bengals Booth podcast just presented by Bengals
Speaker 1: Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're free to play with tickets
Speaker 1: and sign merchandise up for grabs. Find both inside the
Speaker 1: Bengals app Way back at the beginning of training camp,
Speaker 1: I had a chance to appear on the NFL Network
Speaker 1: to discuss the Bengals, and this week I caught up
Speaker 1: with one of the guys who was on the show
Speaker 1: with me that day. Our guess this week is Adam
Speaker 1: Rank from the NFL Network and NFL dot Com. Adam,
Speaker 1: you were on the set Monday night after a rough
Speaker 1: night for the Bengals in Cleveland. What was your takeaway
Speaker 1: from that game? Just a bad night for the Bengal
Speaker 1: Is there something that concerned you a little more than that? Well,
Speaker 1: I mean I was a little disappointed, because I feel
Speaker 1: like I am now a friend of the Bengals having
Speaker 1: been there over the summer. I was disappointed, obviously, because
Speaker 1: I wanted to see, you know, this offense play the
Speaker 1: way that we know it can play. You know, less
Speaker 1: than three hundred yards in that game is not indicative
Speaker 1: of what the Bengals are able to do. My first
Speaker 1: thought was like, well, Jamar Chase must be the most
Speaker 1: valuable player in the NFL, because you know it is
Speaker 1: really noticeable when he's not out there. But honestly, you
Speaker 1: know what, we see this way too much in the NFL.
Speaker 1: You don't want to get too excited when your team's
Speaker 1: playing really well, and you don't want to get too
Speaker 1: bummed out when things are not kind of going their way.
Speaker 1: And I think that at some point during that contest
Speaker 1: you were like, all right, this is not going to
Speaker 1: be the Bengals night. Miles Garrett was playing out of
Speaker 1: his mind. There were some things happening there in Cleveland,
Speaker 1: and you're like, you know what, this is one of
Speaker 1: those things that just happens in the NFL. I did
Speaker 1: my homework. I want everybody to know. But because if
Speaker 1: the Bengals win this week against Carolina, they're five and four,
Speaker 1: which not coincidentally or coincidentally was their record last year.
Speaker 1: So let's not get let's not get too bummed up.
Speaker 1: Words of wisdom to be sure from Adam rank So
Speaker 1: at four and four, this was a team that you
Speaker 1: picked to win the AFC North prior to the season.
Speaker 1: What is your big picture take on the Bengals to date? Well,
Speaker 1: I still believe that they're going to end up winning
Speaker 1: the division. I know that Baltimore is ahead of them
Speaker 1: right now. But I look at Cleveland, I don't think
Speaker 1: I think Cleveland had that one little gasp. They played
Speaker 1: really well on a Monday night. I'm not really convinced
Speaker 1: that they're all the way back. Pittsburgh already selling off players,
Speaker 1: so that's a good sign for you. But I really
Speaker 1: like this Bengals team. I think the pieces are there.
Speaker 1: I think the most troubling thing is the offensive line.
Speaker 1: You spend a lot of resources and you're like, let's
Speaker 1: not clicking here. You know, Joe Burrow has been sacked
Speaker 1: the second most in the NFL this season, behind only
Speaker 1: justin Fields, and we saw it on Monday night, Like,
Speaker 1: how can they not protect him? Is what is wrong here?
Speaker 1: And so I really wanted to see, you know, a
Speaker 1: better utilization of Joe Mixon like that always that he's
Speaker 1: getting the usage. You know, he's involved, he's there. It's like,
Speaker 1: why is this not translating? He was so fantastic last season.
Speaker 1: It's just not working. And so again I don't want
Speaker 1: to put too much of it on Jamar Chase, but
Speaker 1: perhaps that's got something to do with it. Hayden Hurst
Speaker 1: really needs to get involved. But again Ultimately, and I
Speaker 1: know there are some injuries on defense, I still think
Speaker 1: this is a very talented football team. And I think
Speaker 1: that when you're in a high profile, primetime game, things
Speaker 1: get kind of overblown. So as long as you can
Speaker 1: go out this week against the Carolina Panthers re establish yourself,
Speaker 1: I think this seems going to be just fine. Adam
Speaker 1: prior to the Super Bowl last year, you simply put
Speaker 1: it this way, Joe Burrow is magic. What do you
Speaker 1: like most about the Bengals quarterback? You know what that
Speaker 1: is one of the things like and in those losses
Speaker 1: that you know, if you look at it, it does
Speaker 1: come down to Joe Burrow and every game that the
Speaker 1: Bengals have lost this season, his passer rating has been
Speaker 1: below one hundred. You go over one hundred, you win
Speaker 1: the game. There are certain things, though about Joe Burrow
Speaker 1: that it's hard to describe, Like when you're watching it,
Speaker 1: sometimes you're there's quarterbacks that you just see that just
Speaker 1: have an it factor that there's something about them like
Speaker 1: unafraid to make plays, can make plays, just the command
Speaker 1: of the team, Like it's you can look around the
Speaker 1: league and you see quarterbacks who are playing well I'll
Speaker 1: use Dan. I'm not trying to take shots at Daniel Jones,
Speaker 1: but Daniel Jones is playing well this season. But do
Speaker 1: you ever get the sense that when you're watching a
Speaker 1: Giant's game, like Daniel Jones is gonna win this sport.
Speaker 1: Even somebody like Geno Smith, who again is playing very
Speaker 1: well inside the system, You're like, yeah, he's winning games.
Speaker 1: And they'll go out there and they'll beat the Falcons
Speaker 1: in the regular season, they'll go to LA and they'll
Speaker 1: upset the Chargers. Like, I can see that kind of
Speaker 1: stuff happen. But there are times when you watched Joe
Speaker 1: Burrow and you saw this in the playoffs last year,
Speaker 1: when you absolutely need something to happen, Joe can make
Speaker 1: it happen. We have friends in our life who are
Speaker 1: like that. You're like, somebody's reliable, but somebody's exciting. You know,
Speaker 1: somebody's gonna make something happen. That's the one thing about
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow that I watch and you're just like, you
Speaker 1: know what, when I'm watching these games, I don't feel
Speaker 1: like they're really out of it all the time, because like,
Speaker 1: what can Joe Burrow do? Like what can happen? And
Speaker 1: I think a lot of that does go in tandem
Speaker 1: with Jomar Chase being there, but you know a lot
Speaker 1: of it is Burrow as well, and so I don't
Speaker 1: know what it is, you know what happened on Monday
Speaker 1: night where it escaped, but he has that it factor
Speaker 1: which is unquantifiable sometimes but he definitely has for visiting
Speaker 1: with Adam Rank. You can follow him on Twitter at
Speaker 1: Adam Rank. You have been known to occasionally wear costumes
Speaker 1: on the NFL network. So what do you think of
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow's game day wardrobe choices? I love it, know what,
Speaker 1: I think a lot of people, you know, appreciate it.
Speaker 1: I know that when he walked into the Louisiana Superdome
Speaker 1: and he was wearing Jamar Chase's LSU jersey, You're like, well,
Speaker 1: game over, just whatever. I don't know, like this it's over,
Speaker 1: Like why are you even bothering to play this? And
Speaker 1: I think a lot of it too, you know, lends
Speaker 1: into the aura of Joe Burrow, you know, the swagger,
Speaker 1: the smoking the cigar after the LSU championship, and I
Speaker 1: think you know, and rightfully so, some people are on
Speaker 1: Twitter and they're they're making poignant or making comments about like,
Speaker 1: well he gets a pass because of you know, the
Speaker 1: way he holds himself, and I'm like, yeah, but there's
Speaker 1: there's something about drift swagging you understand. You know, when
Speaker 1: you see it, it's kind of like going back to
Speaker 1: the Rick Flair days of watching the nWo and the
Speaker 1: WCW when I was growing up, or you're like, oh,
Speaker 1: that guy just has it, Like yeah, he pulls it off.
Speaker 1: He's he's wearing a fur coat. It looks awesome. When
Speaker 1: you see me on the NFL network doing it, You're like, now,
Speaker 1: this guy doesn't happen, like it doesn't translate. But when
Speaker 1: you see Joe Burrow do it, You're like, oh, yeah,
Speaker 1: he's got it. He's got it going on. So I
Speaker 1: just say this, you got to protect that resource. He's
Speaker 1: a national treasure and I don't like seeing him get
Speaker 1: sacked that much. I don't like seeing him harangued by
Speaker 1: Miles Garrett. So you need to make sure you're protecting
Speaker 1: him at all costs. I thought you looked good in
Speaker 1: the fur coat. By the way, doctor Rankenstein, I'm not
Speaker 1: so sure, but the fur coat was a good look
Speaker 1: for you. Thank you so much. I try, I try
Speaker 1: we're visiting with Adam Rank. As you mentioned earlier, you
Speaker 1: were here in Cincinnati for Welcome Back Saturday, that big
Speaker 1: training camp practice inside of pay Course Stadium, the day
Speaker 1: that Evan McPherson hit the sixty five yard field goal.
Speaker 1: What were some of your taking takeaways from being around
Speaker 1: the team in person that day. Well, first of all,
Speaker 1: I want to say that I love the city. When
Speaker 1: I was Renee Young or Renee she goes by her
Speaker 1: real name now with aw she had tweeted out one
Speaker 1: time that Cincinnati was the San Diego of the Midwest,
Speaker 1: and I'm like, I'll be the judge of this in
Speaker 1: southern California. And then I went there and I'm like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I kind of get it. I get the vibe. I
Speaker 1: understand the weather is obviously different, but I get it.
Speaker 1: I get where you're coming from. So I was. I
Speaker 1: was enthralled with the city. I love the fan base,
Speaker 1: I love the enthusiasm, and of course, you know, coming
Speaker 1: off a Super Bowl appearance will do that for you.
Speaker 1: But then you got around the team. I really like
Speaker 1: the crew of players that they put together, and you go,
Speaker 1: you get to bounce around some training camps and you
Speaker 1: get to spend some time with some of the players,
Speaker 1: and I really like the core of the players. I love,
Speaker 1: I love what Zach Taylor's got going on. It felt
Speaker 1: like a really good vibe. I really was impressed, you know,
Speaker 1: with this Bengals team. Again. I felt like, you know, again,
Speaker 1: when you're coming off a Super Bowl appearance, you know,
Speaker 1: things change. You know, we've all seen major league Charlie
Speaker 1: Sheen shows up the next year all corporate, but I
Speaker 1: didn't get that from the Bengals. And I really do
Speaker 1: believe that this team is very talented, and I still
Speaker 1: think that they're slept on. Like that was the one
Speaker 1: takeaway too. It's like this Bengals team in training camp
Speaker 1: was better than the training camp team of last season,
Speaker 1: and I think the similar thing can happen as well,
Speaker 1: because there's way too many talented players on that offensive
Speaker 1: line to be given up this Manny Sacks And I
Speaker 1: know it looks dire right now and it doesn't look good,
Speaker 1: but I again, when you look at the talent, you're like, yeah,
Speaker 1: it's there. And I know that it's disappointing not seeing
Speaker 1: Jamar Chase play right now, but you still have a
Speaker 1: really good receiving Corps. I think that Hayden Hurst was
Speaker 1: a great pick up during the offseason. Love Tyler Boyd,
Speaker 1: loved t Higgins, And again, it's just a matter of
Speaker 1: getting it going. And Joe Mixon can't be held down
Speaker 1: forever like that's an anomaly the way he's not getting
Speaker 1: it going. But again, we get paid too much money
Speaker 1: to go out there and overreact each and every week
Speaker 1: to these small, little occurrences. But we know that when
Speaker 1: it comes time to shine that this Bengals team has
Speaker 1: proven that they can beat anybody. The Bengals host the
Speaker 1: Panthers this Sunday at one o'clock. Do you have a
Speaker 1: key or keys for the Bengals to come away with
Speaker 1: a win. Well, the one thing that you should note,
Speaker 1: and this doesn't bode well when you're in you're looking
Speaker 1: at the division record, but three of the Bengals losses,
Speaker 1: as you're very aware, come in the NFC North and
Speaker 1: or AFC North. Excuse me, you got it. But they've
Speaker 1: been very good outside of the division, which is cool,
Speaker 1: but you got to start winning some of those division games.
Speaker 1: Number one. Number two, though you've got a pretty good
Speaker 1: handle on the Panthers. I think you're two and oh
Speaker 1: against this Panthers team recently, and the Panthers have played
Speaker 1: much better football as of late, ever since they traded
Speaker 1: away Christian McCaffrey and they elevated PJ. Walker to their
Speaker 1: starting quarterback. He was a player that I thought, you know,
Speaker 1: was kind of overlooked. You talk to anybody who ever
Speaker 1: played with PJ. Walker who was down in Caroline, and
Speaker 1: I've had the benefit of working with Steve Smith and
Speaker 1: Thomas Davis. They love PJ. Walker, So I think that
Speaker 1: he's a better quarterback than people are given him credit for.
Speaker 1: They have some quality running backs. I think Deonte Foreman
Speaker 1: is a lot better than people think of. Choba Hubbard
Speaker 1: will return this week, and of course DJ Moore is
Speaker 1: one of the elite talents and wide receiver who's never
Speaker 1: really seemed to take off, but has been over the
Speaker 1: last couple of weeks been playing exceptionally well. So this
Speaker 1: is going to be a test once again for this
Speaker 1: Bengals secondary, who last week had a little bit of
Speaker 1: trouble stopping Amari Cooper. DJ Moore is kind of in
Speaker 1: that category too. They have to play much better at
Speaker 1: stopping Dj Moore. You gotta play better against the run.
Speaker 1: Deonte Foreman is not Nick Chubb, but still that guy
Speaker 1: is a good player, and if you allow him to
Speaker 1: get you into that second level, it's going to be
Speaker 1: a problem. But I think we'll see a renewed effort
Speaker 1: from the Bengals this week. And as long as you
Speaker 1: slow down, Dj Moore, I think you'll be okay. It's
Speaker 1: not going to be the walkover. I know a lot
Speaker 1: of Bengals fans probably looked at this game in the preseason.
Speaker 1: We're like, well, this is a win. Realize that this
Speaker 1: is a better people than a better team than people
Speaker 1: are giving them credit for. But I do believe the
Speaker 1: Bengals will put it together. And by the way, protect
Speaker 1: a quarterback. That's the one good thing. You know. The
Speaker 1: Panthers have some talent on the defensive line too, protect
Speaker 1: that quarterback, Adam Rank. The Chamber of Commerce appreciates the
Speaker 1: kind words about our city, and I appreciate you doing
Speaker 1: this today. Thanks so much for your time, Keep up
Speaker 1: the good work. Thanks so much for having me, and
Speaker 1: hopefully you know I'll be out in Cincinnati soon and
Speaker 1: if so, we'll have to have to hook up and
Speaker 1: maybe go catch a ball game or two. The Bengals
Speaker 1: Booth podcast is brought to you by Kettering Health, the
Speaker 1: official healthcare provider of the Bengals. With more than one
Speaker 1: hundred twenty care facilities and fifteen hundred care providers. Kettering
Speaker 1: Health is committed to guiding you to your best health.
Speaker 1: Visit ketteringhealth dot org to learn more. Now time for
Speaker 1: this week's Know the Faux Segment. The Panthers are two
Speaker 1: and six. They fired their coach Matt Rule and bench
Speaker 1: their quarterback Baker Mayfield after five games and replace them
Speaker 1: with Steve Wilkes and p J. Walker. They should be
Speaker 1: two and one since those changes, but managed to lose
Speaker 1: in overtime to the Falcons last week in a game
Speaker 1: that Carolina here to have one twice. Panther's radio voice
Speaker 1: a Niche Shroff, discussed that wild finish and the state
Speaker 1: of the team when he joined Dave Lapham and me
Speaker 1: on the Bengals Game Plan Show. There was a point
Speaker 1: where it looked like the Panthers were in control of
Speaker 1: the game, and then you know, the Falcons get a
Speaker 1: pick six before halftime, and then towards the end of
Speaker 1: the game, Yeah, the Panthers are backed up. It's fourth down,
Speaker 1: and long. They really had no choice but to go
Speaker 1: for it. They don't get it. The game seems all
Speaker 1: but lost, and then Falcons go three and out. They
Speaker 1: gotta kick a field goal, so that kept the margin
Speaker 1: at six and then sixty two yards. P J Walker
Speaker 1: to DJ Moore ties the game here, you are thick
Speaker 1: in thirty four thirty four, twelve seconds left. You kick
Speaker 1: an extra point, you'll win. You're in first place. DJ
Speaker 1: took his helmet off. Fifteen yard penalty assessed on the
Speaker 1: pat which is now forty eight yards. It's a missed pat.
Speaker 1: You go to overtime, you get an interception, You got
Speaker 1: another chance at a game winning field goal, you missed that,
Speaker 1: and then the Falcons go down and score. So there
Speaker 1: were so many opportunities to win. There were so many
Speaker 1: opportunities where it looked like the game was lost in
Speaker 1: a lot of ways. It was a microcosm of the
Speaker 1: entire Panthers season. Probably within the last four or five
Speaker 1: minutes of the game. You know, it seems like Steve Wilkes.
Speaker 1: The players seem to love this guy. I mean the energy, enthusiasm,
Speaker 1: the level of play. It's like, okay, they feel like
Speaker 1: he got a raw deal. It seems like, you know,
Speaker 1: in Arizona going three and thirteen and getting getting blown
Speaker 1: up after just one year, and he's obviously been with
Speaker 1: the Panthers organization for a while. Now he's back, and
Speaker 1: it just seems like the relationship he must have those players,
Speaker 1: because man, they're playing hard for this dude, am I
Speaker 1: on face? There is a fact. No, there's definitely been
Speaker 1: a power change. And yeah, this is no slide against
Speaker 1: Matt Rule, but Steve Wilkes, when he was hired in
Speaker 1: the offseason to be the defensive backs coach, came to
Speaker 1: Carolina with significant currency with the fan base, something Matt
Speaker 1: Rule just did not have. He was the defensive coordinator
Speaker 1: when the Panthers were winning, when they went to a
Speaker 1: Super Bowl. He's a Charlotte native. He played his college
Speaker 1: ball at app State. He played arena football in the
Speaker 1: city of Charlotte. So people within this city, the fan base,
Speaker 1: they were rooting for Steve Wilkes. And really the unsaid,
Speaker 1: unspoken thought within the building when he was hired was
Speaker 1: if the Panthers get off to a bad start, you
Speaker 1: might see Steve Wilkes as the interim head coach. That's
Speaker 1: what transpired. And David Tepper, the owner of the Panthers,
Speaker 1: the day before Steve Wilkes had his introductory press conference,
Speaker 1: said if Steve Wilkes does an incredible job, he's going
Speaker 1: to have every opportunity to be the next head coach
Speaker 1: of this football team. Well, what you saw against Camp
Speaker 1: Bay a couple of weeks ago, where they've got Brady
Speaker 1: and I know their offensive line isn't the same, and
Speaker 1: I know Brady maybe not, you know, it might not
Speaker 1: be the same quarterback, and he's going through his own thing,
Speaker 1: and the offense has added struggles. But that was a
Speaker 1: couple of days after they traded Christian McCaffrey. They had
Speaker 1: traded Robbie Anderson earlier in the week. They were down
Speaker 1: JC Horn and Jeremy Chin, their top two defensive backs,
Speaker 1: and they dominated Tampa Bay to the tune of twenty
Speaker 1: one to three, and did so with a fourth string quarterback.
Speaker 1: In my book, that counts is incredible given where the
Speaker 1: Panthers were going into that game, and then even against
Speaker 1: Atlanta they showed fight, they came back. There's a different feeling,
Speaker 1: there's a different temperature right now around this team. And
Speaker 1: Steve Wilkes has a lot to do with it. We
Speaker 1: are chatting with a nice Shroff, the voice of the
Speaker 1: Carolina Panthers. P J. Walker's going to start at quarterback
Speaker 1: on Sunday afternoon. I saw this guy against the University
Speaker 1: of Cincinnati on a couple of occasions while he was
Speaker 1: the quarterback at Temple, and he was great. So I
Speaker 1: can't say I'm shocked by how well he's been playing
Speaker 1: for Carolina, But how has he kept the starting job
Speaker 1: and has he been a legitimate upgrade from how Baker
Speaker 1: Mayfield was playing early in the year. Yeah, the reality, Dan,
Speaker 1: is this the Panthers quarterback play for the first five
Speaker 1: six weeks. The season wasn't just bad, it had been
Speaker 1: historically bad. You look at Baker's QBR, it's sub twenty.
Speaker 1: It's one of the lowest, if not the lowest, since
Speaker 1: ESPN had been charting QBR. PJ. Walker was not supposed
Speaker 1: to be on this team. If guys didn't get hurt.
Speaker 1: You go back to the preseason, Matt Corral their third
Speaker 1: round pick out of old Miss liszt Frank injury out
Speaker 1: for the season. They were going to take three quarterbacks, Baker,
Speaker 1: Sam Darnold and Matt Correll. Well, when Carrel got hurt,
Speaker 1: PJ was still the odd man out. They were just
Speaker 1: going to take two guys, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold.
Speaker 1: Then Sam Darnold gets hurt and PJ makes the roster.
Speaker 1: Baker was not very good when he started. PJ came
Speaker 1: in and in the second start at the Bucks game,
Speaker 1: they really unleashed him. They let him throw the ball
Speaker 1: down the field. They didn't do that in the first
Speaker 1: game against the Rams, and he made some plays with
Speaker 1: his arm. He's got the ability to make some plays
Speaker 1: with his feet. Long term, who knows, there's still a
Speaker 1: lot of season left, but by far PJ Walker deserves
Speaker 1: to be the starter, at least for the foreseeable future,
Speaker 1: given his play compared to what quarterback play was before
Speaker 1: he took the reins. Defensively, this football team is solid
Speaker 1: and sound. And I'll tell you watch you watch some
Speaker 1: tape ninety five, Derek Brown just jumps off the screen.
Speaker 1: I mean, this dude like he's making every play. And
Speaker 1: then I start looking at stats. Forty total tackles, tied
Speaker 1: for second most in the league amongst defensive lineman, six
Speaker 1: passes broken up, He's deflected six balls, that leads the team.
Speaker 1: It's number one in the NFL amongst defensive linemen. This
Speaker 1: dude makes play after play after play unbelievable. You know,
Speaker 1: I'm glad you brought up Derek Brown because he does
Speaker 1: not get talked about nationally. And having watched him through
Speaker 1: these first seven eight games, the biggest differences. He's been
Speaker 1: consistently good. He showed flashes his first two years with
Speaker 1: the Panthers. Remember it's not like he's some undrafted free agent.
Speaker 1: This guy was a legitimate, bonafide top ten pick out
Speaker 1: of Auburn, and they had been waiting for him and
Speaker 1: waiting for him, and there were questions even going into
Speaker 1: this season. Is Derek Brown a real star? Is he
Speaker 1: just a guy, you know, a starter on maybe a
Speaker 1: second division team? Do they know what Derek Brown is?
Speaker 1: He's been a bonafide all Pro up until this point.
Speaker 1: He's been their best player offense, defense, special teams. He's
Speaker 1: reaked havoc. Even some of the turnovers that the Panthers
Speaker 1: forced earlier this season, Derek Brown was the reason they happened.
Speaker 1: If you go back to the Saints game, there was
Speaker 1: a scoop and score for a touchdown. The guy that
Speaker 1: blew the play up was Derek Brown. So he has
Speaker 1: had a hand in just creating chaos. He's been an
Speaker 1: agent of chaos. Yeah, I've called him a human tempest
Speaker 1: on the air. And the guy again can move in
Speaker 1: a way that guys at his size should not be
Speaker 1: able to move. But he's been winning the point of
Speaker 1: attack consistently for the Panthers all season, and he's here's
Speaker 1: my final question for you, Caroline, is two and six.
Speaker 1: So you look at that record and you think, well,
Speaker 1: they're they're probably looking at a top ten draft pick
Speaker 1: next year. But nobody in the NFC South has a
Speaker 1: winning record. You've got a winning record in your division.
Speaker 1: You're two and one, You've got wins over Tampa Bay
Speaker 1: and the Saints. Ye, so is the feeling. Yeah, our
Speaker 1: records two and six? So what seven men? Seven wins
Speaker 1: might get you into the playoffs this year? In the South,
Speaker 1: somebody has to win the division. And I'm gonna quote
Speaker 1: Homer Simpson default the two greatest words in the English language.
Speaker 1: There's a there's a classic Simpsons episode where they're vying
Speaker 1: to go to space and any Gumble gets drunk the
Speaker 1: night before and they say mister Simpson, by default, you're
Speaker 1: the guy that's going to go on this NASA trip.
Speaker 1: And he starts screaming default, default, the two greatest words
Speaker 1: in the English language. Well, somebody, by default is gonna
Speaker 1: win the NFC South and go to the postseason. And
Speaker 1: right now, the Bucks have not been inspiring. I know,
Speaker 1: the Panthers have had their struggles. Obviously, the Saints haven't
Speaker 1: been inspiring. The Falcons don't trust their passing game at all.
Speaker 1: It's a run heavy team and they're really beat up
Speaker 1: in the secondary. They've got the worst pass defense in
Speaker 1: the NFL. So nobody in this division has shown that
Speaker 1: they've got any staying power right now. Nobody really made
Speaker 1: any notable moves, you know, in the last day or
Speaker 1: so with the trade deadline there, so it's wide open.
Speaker 1: And if you look at the Panthers remaining schedule, I
Speaker 1: think the Cincinnati games an interesting barometer because at the
Speaker 1: outset of the season, and at least early on you say,
Speaker 1: whoa AFC champions on the road? I don't know. And
Speaker 1: now you look at Jamar Chase being out, the injuries,
Speaker 1: you guys have had a specially on defense, especially in
Speaker 1: the secondary. That game probably looks a lot more winnable
Speaker 1: than did it just a few weeks ago. You know,
Speaker 1: U Foreman has had back to back hundred yard rushing days.
Speaker 1: He's played well. PJ Walker's played well. DJ Moore has
Speaker 1: played well. And I think you know, as a former lineman,
Speaker 1: I like to look up front at the offensive line
Speaker 1: and what you guys have done. Sixth pick of the draft,
Speaker 1: first round, six pick of the draft, and the Shears
Speaker 1: draft to left tackle. The left guard was drafting the
Speaker 1: third round to potentially play left tackle. He's kicked into guard.
Speaker 1: You got a free agent from the Ravens at center.
Speaker 1: You have a free agent from the Rams at right guard,
Speaker 1: and then your right tackle as a third rounder back
Speaker 1: in twenty seventeen. It's a solid offensive line. And I'm
Speaker 1: telling you what it looks like. When you need yards,
Speaker 1: you have to have it run to that left side.
Speaker 1: It looks like that left side is pretty athletic and
Speaker 1: fairly dominant. In my off base there, no, it's funny.
Speaker 1: The old line a season ago was bad. It was
Speaker 1: awful at times. It was a sieve. They weren't great
Speaker 1: in pass bro they weren't great in the run game. Obviously,
Speaker 1: Christian McCaffrey being out exposes you even more. They had
Speaker 1: a priority this year in the offseason to upgrade that unit,
Speaker 1: bringing in Bozeman from the Ravens, who's actually just been
Speaker 1: starting the last two games, which coincidentally have been their
Speaker 1: two best rushing performances of the season. By the way,
Speaker 1: without Christian McCaffrey, Corbett solidified right guard. You guys saw
Speaker 1: him with Cleveland Ikey Aquan who's the left tackle out
Speaker 1: of NC State. They feel he could be a franchise
Speaker 1: cornerstone and a ten year starter at left tackle. This
Speaker 1: is a really good unit. The old line right now
Speaker 1: is the strength of the offense. And even without McCaffrey,
Speaker 1: in Deonta Foreman, it's a little bit of a different element.
Speaker 1: He's not going to give you the pass catching the
Speaker 1: Christian Gabia, but he is a bulldozer and he can
Speaker 1: move people and he can run between the tackle. You
Speaker 1: have three touchdowns on Sunday against the Falcons. Put the
Speaker 1: play to me, which really justified this staff's faith in
Speaker 1: the old line was a two point conversion where they
Speaker 1: just saiday, we're going to run it to Foreman right
Speaker 1: up the middle, and he got the two yards when
Speaker 1: everybody in the building knew it was coming to Foreman
Speaker 1: and it was going up the middle our thanks to
Speaker 1: a niche. And here's an invitation to join Lapping me
Speaker 1: at the Wings and Rings location in Beckett Ridge for
Speaker 1: the Bengals Pepper Rally show this Friday from three to six.
Speaker 1: That's going to do it. For this episode of the
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Speaker 1: Dan Horde and thank you for listening to The Bengals
Speaker 1: Booth Podcast