WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Nick Of Time 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:06.600 I get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:13.160 The Bengals Booth Podcast. The Loving the Nick of time. Addition, 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:17.480 as we get acquainted with the newest Bengal safety, Nick Scott, 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:21.119 who signed a three year contract on Monday, reportedly for 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:24.520 twelve million dollars, I think you'll enjoy getting to know 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:27.400 him as much as I did. He wasn't the only 0:00:27.400 --> 0:00:30.440 free agent to sign on Monday, as Max Sharping agreed 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:33.640 to return to Cincinnati on a one year deal. I'll 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:37.280 spend a few minutes with Mammoth Max as well. The 0:00:37.360 --> 0:00:40.600 Bengals will have new starting safeties following the departures of 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:44.240 Jesse Bates and Von Bell. We'll discuss that with safety's 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:48.640 coach Rob Livingston. And then it's the fourth edition of 0:00:48.680 --> 0:00:52.800 our NFL Expert Mock Draft as Charles Davis from CBS 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:57.080 takes his turn on the Pro Football Focus mock simulator. 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.640 The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by Paycorps. 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:04.600 More than twenty nine thousand customers trust Paycorps to help 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:09.880 them recruit, pay, engage, and retain employees. Learn more at 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:13.760 paycorp dot com. Now here's a quick reminder that you 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:17.160 can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered write 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:21.240 to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:26.240 get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since seeing abundant 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:30.800 Bengals gear at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport. If you 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.760 don't live in Cincinnati, you might not know that the 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:38.400 international airport is actually located across the river in Kentucky. 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:41.000 I've done a lot of flying in and out of 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:44.360 CVG Airport over the years, and it wasn't too long 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:47.039 ago that if you stopped in the gift shop you 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:51.280 saw a bunch of Kentucky Wildcats gear, plenty of Cincinnati 0:01:51.320 --> 0:01:55.520 red stuff, and then maybe just maybe a few items 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:59.240 with a Bengals logo. Well that's not the case anymore. 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:02.560 I'm my most recent trips to the airport, I've noticed 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:06.880 that Bengals gear dominates. A Super Bowl appearance followed by 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:10.799 a return trip to the AFC Championship Game has electrified 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:15.680 the entire region. Here's hoping they're selling Bengals Super Bowl 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:19.560 Championship gear at the airport at this time next year. 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:23.960 Now let's get to my first guest. Nick Scott is 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:27.840 a great example of hard work paying off, the Rams 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:31.440 selected him with the two hundred forty third pick in 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:36.280 the twenty nineteen draft. There were only eleven picks after 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.760 him that year. After being a core special teams player 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:43.000 in his first two seasons, Scott became a starting safety 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:46.760 late in twenty twenty one due to injuries to Jordan 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:50.600 Fuller and Taylor rap and he took every snap in 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:54.440 the rams four playoff wins that year, including the Super 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:58.240 Bowl victory over the Bengals. That led to a starting 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:01.680 job last season, and Scott finished fifth on the Rams 0:03:01.680 --> 0:03:05.679 and tackles and added two interceptions and two forced fumbles. 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:10.440 LA has been forced to shed payroll, trading Jalen Ramsey 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:14.120 and releasing Bobby Wagner, among others. And while they tried 0:03:14.120 --> 0:03:17.000 to bring Nick Scott back, he elected to sign with 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:23.040 Cincinnati instead. I talked to him on Monday, Nick, Welcome 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:26.800 to Cincinnati. Aside from the financial aspect, how did the 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.400 Bengals make it clear to you how badly they wanted 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.880 you here? Oh? I say, just by bringing me in 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:34.280 the building and you know, sitting me down with the 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:38.520 legend coach Lou you know, talking ball with him was 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:41.960 also and also coach Robbie. I mean, those guys know 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:46.000 their stuff, you know. So after I met them and 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:48.280 got a chance to meet the owner and see how 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:51.640 genuine he was, and and you know coach Zach Taylor 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:53.800 and all that stuff. I mean, just coming in the 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:56.880 facility and being around those guys, you know, it's pretty 0:03:56.880 --> 0:03:59.320 clear that, you know, this organization is moving in a 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:01.840 great direction and I want to be part of that. 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:05.680 We can add the legend Coach Lou to his many nicknames. 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:07.880 Now a lot of people have been referring him to 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:10.120 as the mad Scientist for some of the things that 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:12.120 he's drawn up over the last couple of years. For 0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:17.200 that stuff to work, it takes really smart players, and 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:22.240 it sounds like that's a key reason for your success. Yeah. 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:25.120 You know, I've been blessed with my ability, and you 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:28.680 know the mental aspect. You know, I'm a sponge. You know, 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:32.000 I'm always willing to learn and everything like that. So 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:35.520 I wouldn't consider myself necessarily a brainiact, but you know, 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:37.320 I'm excited because I know I'll be able to get 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:40.320 some good information, not just from Coach Lou and Coach Rob, 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:42.400 but these players who have been in this system for 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.800 a while it's a real tight knit group, it's very apparent. 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.599 You know, pretty much everybody in that D DV room 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:50.640 has already reached out to me and welcomed me as 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:53.320 part of the team. So, you know, I'm extremely excited 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:55.960 to work with that group because of how talented they are. 0:04:56.600 --> 0:05:01.240 The Bengals have prioritized signing and drafting guys that love football, 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:03.960 love the grind. You were a two time captain at 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:07.120 Penn State, you won the Sportsmanship Award in the Big Ten. 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:09.680 Clearly it sounds like you are one of those guys. 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:13.160 What is it about this game that speaks to you? 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:18.000 Just you know how competitive you have to be. You know, 0:05:18.040 --> 0:05:21.400 I was the youngest of three boys, but you know 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:23.320 I tried every day. My heart is to be the 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:26.520 alpha the group, even though it didn't always work. But 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:29.279 just you know, having that competitive nature instilled in me, 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:32.400 and you know, the excitement and joy you get from 0:05:32.440 --> 0:05:36.360 making plays and also watching your teammates make plays, there's 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:39.080 really nothing like it. And I also like the physical aspect. 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:42.520 I like the idea of imposing your will on somebody 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:46.240 else because you're allowed to. When you went to Penn State, 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:48.800 you started out as a running back. Did you embrace 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:52.240 that change to safety pretty quickly? Yeah, I really did. Um, 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:54.440 you know, I was a running back, but you know, 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:57.520 it became pretty clear pretty early that that wasn't going 0:05:57.560 --> 0:06:00.160 to be how I could best help the team. At 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.599 the time, I was playing special teams, so you know, 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:05.000 I went up to my coaching and said, hey, you know, 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:06.960 I want to be a great special teams player. I 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:09.200 think it'd be you know, more of my benefit if 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:12.280 I'm working on tackling in that type of position every day. 0:06:12.320 --> 0:06:14.960 So you know, I'd love to move to safety and 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:17.160 just perfect that craft, and I was able to do that. 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:20.160 I'm sure as a free agent, you were looking around 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:22.559 the league and trying to evaluate who had a need, 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:25.640 and I think most people around the league figure Jesse 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:28.440 Bates was probably going to sign elsewhere. Von Bell was 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:30.919 a little bit more up in the air. But once 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:34.200 he did, did you say to yourself and to your agent, 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:37.920 I would fit in Cincinnati. Yeah. You know, I've been 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:41.800 talking to Cincinnati, my agent and I, you know, ever 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:45.000 since we could, and so there was always a little 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:47.120 bit of interest there. Obviously, they had to figure out 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:49.960 what they wanted to do with those guys. But yeah, 0:06:50.000 --> 0:06:52.159 This was one of the top teams on my radar 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:55.599 just because of you know, the location, the city, the fans, 0:06:55.640 --> 0:07:00.960 and you know obviously what they're capable of. So yeah, 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:04.159 it's been a great fit so far, even though it's 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.920 only been five minutes. But I'm excited about what these 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:09.200 next three years are gonna hold. Looks like you will 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:11.920 be paired at safety with another Big ten guy and 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:14.080 Dax Hyler, who was a first round pick last year, 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:18.120 being from the Big Ten. Did you watch his games? 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:21.200 Are you familiar with him? Yeah, I'm definitely familiar with him, 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:23.840 and you know, he's an athletic freak. I remember watching 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:27.720 him in a preseason game, I think his his rookie year, 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:29.920 and just watching him ball out and do that stuff. 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:32.360 I was extremely happy for him, like I am any 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:34.640 Big ten guys, even though he went to Michigan. But 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:39.680 now I'm extremely excited about Dax and you know his potential, 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:43.240 and you know, I'm sure I'll be able to take 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:45.160 them some things from his game, and I hope he, 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:47.520 you know, feels free to ask me questions and to 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:49.000 take some stuff from my game. But I think it 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:52.080 will be a great little duo. We're chatting with next Scott. 0:07:52.200 --> 0:07:55.040 You didn't overlap with Zach Taylor with the Rams, but 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:57.920 did you hear stuff about him from your teammates there? 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:00.520 Oh yeah, people still talk about Zach tayl over there 0:08:00.520 --> 0:08:02.400 and what he was able to do with that offense 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:04.600 and everything like that. So you know, he left a 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:07.760 great mark on that organization, and you know obviously has 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:11.000 taken you know, what he learned and his own traits 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:13.240 and brought it over here and is having great success. So, 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:15.280 like I said, it was a no braiding for me. 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:18.400 You have a Super Bowl ring at the Bengals expense. 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:22.680 What stands out about your Super Bowl experience? The whole 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:25.680 week and then the game itself? Oh man, I was 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:30.280 just super grateful that entire week, you know, just you know, 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:32.320 people that know my story know that I was a 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:36.160 special teams guy, was drafted in the seventh round. You know, 0:08:36.200 --> 0:08:38.680 I try my best just to work hard every day 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:41.440 and put myself in my teammates in a position to 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:43.320 be successful. And I was able to do that to 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:46.560 the point where my coaches and teammates trusted me being 0:08:46.559 --> 0:08:49.679 out there as a starter. So just extremely grateful for 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:53.440 that experience. When loser draw you know, and that's something 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:55.760 I'll chaished for the rest of my life. Glad you 0:08:55.800 --> 0:08:59.400 mentioned your journey because I read that you gave the 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:02.760 commencement address at your former high school, and I saw 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:05.680 an interview where you described your message to the students. 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:10.520 Embrace your role, but don't settle for it. From seventh 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:14.640 round pick to special team's ace, to starter to highly 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:17.960 coveted free agent, that's somebody who embraced his role but 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:20.520 didn't settle for it. Now, that's that's exactly right. That's 0:09:20.520 --> 0:09:22.960 something that I lived by, And you know, I can't 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:28.000 stress enough how important it is for me to help 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:32.120 my team be successful, regardless of the role, whether that's 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:35.040 starting safety, whether that's water boy, or whether that's special 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:39.360 team or everybody's extremely important to a team and their success. 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:43.200 But there's no shame in, you know, having goals and 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:47.200 aspirations and wanting to be greater, because if you're striving 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:49.400 for a greater it's only going to make you better 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.640 and the people around you better. As an NFL draft 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:54.319 pick and a guy who's played four years in the 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.880 league so far, you've obviously made decent money. But when 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:00.720 you earn that second contract, now you're in a different 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:04.360 tax bracket. What is the level of satisfaction for you 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:08.400 for having earned this? Oh man, it's a huge blessing. 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:10.800 You mentioned tax bracket. It's even more of a blessing. 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:16.760 I can earn that money in Ohio versus California research. 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:20.640 But yeah, it's a it's a huge blessing. I'm just 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.640 so excited about. Um, you know what this can do 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:28.480 for my entire family. Um, you know, my family that 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:31.760 I grew up with as well as my own little nucleus. UM. 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:35.160 So you know, I don't necessarily see that money as mine, 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.880 but more of money for my family and the community, 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:41.320 and you know, an opportunity to be a blessing around 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:44.319 with people around me. Your wife and young son are 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:46.480 in the room with us right now, three months old, 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:52.640 behaving very well. What do you enjoying about fatherhood so far? 0:10:53.040 --> 0:10:57.839 Oh man? UM, just honestly watching you know, the mother 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:01.600 that my wife has grown into. He's already a fantastic mother, 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:05.120 so it's awesome to step in this parent role with her. 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:09.000 We're learning a lot about each other in that role, 0:11:09.040 --> 0:11:12.280 and you know, just seeing Jack change every day and 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:14.840 you know, one of the tougher parts as soon as 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:16.960 we get him locked down, he switches it up on 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:19.719 us and he's entering a new phase and everything like that. 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:22.200 But you know the best thing that we got going 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:24.040 right now is we're starting to get some laughs and 0:11:24.120 --> 0:11:26.440 some chuckles out of him. So you know, my whole 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:28.520 day is pretty much spent around trying to get him 0:11:28.559 --> 0:11:31.520 to laugh. Just like the name Jack or was there 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:35.080 added meeting behind it? Now there's added meeting. So my 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:39.320 actually at home, my father mostly and my mom, they 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:41.320 refer to me as Jack and they have since I 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:44.800 was a child, short for Jack Rabbit. I was a 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:48.560 high octane, bouncing off the walls individual, So they've been 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:50.880 calling me Jack and Jack Rabbit since I was a kid. 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:53.800 And you know, I wanted to name my son after myself, 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:55.960 but you also wanted him to feel like he has 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:58.480 his own legacy that he can lead. So we felt 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.160 like Jack was a perfect fit. Jack Rabbit's a good 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:04.600 description for RANGEI safety, Yeah for sure, Yeah, I definitely 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.400 got range. I'm pretty sure I still got some hops. 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:13.120 So that whole DV group is pretty athletic, so you 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:14.960 know they're gonna be giving me a run for my money. 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.800 But hey, if we're all you know out there flying around, 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:20.800 jumping around, making plays. I'm excited for what we can do. 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:23.040 You had a forty one inch vertical at the combine. 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.160 I believe you definitely have some hops. Yeah, I got 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:28.920 some springs for sure. Yeah. That was obviously, you know, 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:30.680 a blessing to be able to have a pro day 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:32.680 and kind of put my name out there with some 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:35.840 good numbers. This is an exciting day for the Bengals 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:38.440 and for you and your family. Congratulations on a well 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:41.440 deserved opportunity in Cincinnati. Thank you so much. I'm gonna 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:45.640 try this out again who Day. The Bengals Booth podcast 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:48.880 is brought to you by Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals. 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:52.320 They're free to play, with tickets and side merchandise up 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:57.120 for grabs. Find both inside the Bengals app. Following my 0:12:57.200 --> 0:13:00.600 conversation with Nick, I joined some other Bengals reporters and 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:04.720 talking to safety's coach Rob Livingston about the overhaul of 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:08.440 his position group following the departures of Jesse, Bates and 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:13.040 Von Bell. That duo almost never came off the field 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:17.040 over the past five years. Jesse missed just one start 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:20.320 due to injury, and over the past three seasons, Vaughan 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:26.280 didn't miss any. Livingston says their impact will continue even 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:28.880 though they are no longer with the team. Yeah, I 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:31.040 know they left it better than they found it, and 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:32.760 that's not a shot at what it was before. But 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:34.920 that's all you can you know, in this league, in 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.720 my personal opinion, whether you're a position coach or a player, 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:41.199 change is going to happen, right, So when you leave 0:13:41.240 --> 0:13:44.000 a place, if it is in better shape than it 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:45.320 was when you found it, that's all you can do. 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:48.199 For Jesse, he's a guy that came in and obviously 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:51.080 started as a rookie, which never happened around here at 0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:54.120 that point. And you know, he's kind of shown hey, 0:13:54.200 --> 0:13:57.840 if you give young players the keys to the car 0:13:57.880 --> 0:13:59.480 and just let them go and take the good with 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.800 the bad, then they can have success. And you know, 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:04.520 for Vaughan, Von came in at a time when we 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:07.760 needed veteran leadership and kind of trudged through a really 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:11.000 a year and we'll see on his chest the whole time, 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:12.880 and you know, if you weren't on your p's and q's, 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:15.160 he'd beat you to work and he'd be the first 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:17.720 guy you see working out and he's just the grinder, 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:21.520 the ultimate grinder. So yeah, things will be done here 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:25.040 for a long time. Because Vaughan and jested it that way, 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:28.720 Livingston knows exactly what he's getting and Nick Scott. Scott's 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:32.560 college coach at Penn State was James Franklin, and Livingston 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:37.280 was on Franklin's coaching staff at Vanderbilt in two eleven, 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:41.040 so he has plenty of contacts on the Penn State 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:45.000 staff who gave him the skinny on the Bengals new safety. 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:47.520 I've worked all those guys, so those were easy conversations 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:50.600 and they all came back really the same answer. Love 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:54.400 the guy was a captain, great leader of phenomenal leadership ability. 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:56.840 You'll love him, get him any way you can. So 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:01.160 just the overriding like, hey, this is a great guy 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:03.760 from all the sources that I talked to. Was was 0:15:03.800 --> 0:15:07.480 exciting to hear. Scott is a great athlete. Prior to 0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:10.440 his draft he ran a four four three forty with 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.920 a forty one inch vertical leap and a ten foot 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:18.200 eight inch broad jump. Those are all elite measurements, but 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:21.040 he wasn't a high draft pick because he didn't start 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:23.920 until his senior year at Penn state, and he's a 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:28.440 bit undersized at safety, but despite being about fifteen pounds 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:32.000 lighter than von Bell, Scott packs a punch. You gotta 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:34.040 have a tone center. You gotta have somebody that can 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.560 that can you know, set the tone on early down 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:38.720 so to get you to these third and long so 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:40.800 you can have fun and do some some fun thing 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:44.080 on defense. So you know that is ingrained in him. Again, 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:46.160 you're talking about a guy who has had to earn 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:48.520 every inch of the NFL he's had, you know, your 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:51.480 seventh round pick. You're a non combine guy. Those guys 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:53.960 aren't supposed to make it much less make second contracts. 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:56.920 So I think it's the testaments to to who he is. 0:15:56.960 --> 0:16:00.000 Excuse me, what he's about the doors that he's already 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:02.760 he knocked down, You know, again, he shouldn't be here 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:05.200 into his credit he is, and that should let you 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:07.840 know kind of the toughness and the mental fortitude that 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:11.000 he has. For sure, the bengals other starting safety is 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:14.520 not a scrappy underdog. It's last year's first round draft 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:18.440 pick Dax Hill, who got snaps at a wide variety 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:21.880 of positions while waiting his turn as a rookie The 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:25.520 beauty of Dax's rookie year was that he played a 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.560 lot of spots, so you know he's seen a lot 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:30.920 of different things. You know, a last training camp was 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:32.840 what it was. Dax's a starting free safety and had 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:35.680 a really good camp, and you know, Jess shows up 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:37.800 and Jess obviously had a phenomenal years, a phenomenal player. 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:39.200 So we're playing in Pittsburgh. I think it was the 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:42.520 first third down the game, so we put Dime out there, 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:45.400 so Dax is out there, so unfortunately they convert it. 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:47.520 So for the first time in his life, he's got 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:49.000 to run off the field and you can just see 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:51.160 like the wheels turning, like okay, it's first and ten, 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:53.040 Like no, no no, no, dude, Like you gotta come off 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:56.880 like you're not out there anymore. So packages were different, 0:16:56.920 --> 0:16:58.920 I mean little things, And I know that sounds stupid, 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:00.920 but like when you go from being a full time 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:04.400 starter your whole life to now you're a reliever. Right 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:06.680 it's the bottom of the seventh, you're coming in, there's 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:08.720 two outs and you got to get a guy out right. 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.680 I mean, that's a different lifestyle for for people. So 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:14.560 you know, he'll admit it. I mean, there were some highs. Obviously, 0:17:14.560 --> 0:17:15.520 the play he made at the end of the New 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:18.720 Orleans game was phenomenal, had some other really good plays, 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:19.960 and there were some lows. I mean, that is what 0:17:20.000 --> 0:17:23.320 it is. You're a rookie, so it's a good starting point, 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:27.360 you know. Selfishly, I'm happy that the highs were good 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:29.480 and the lows were bad, so that hey, dude, I 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:31.439 got a chip on my shoulder and away we go. 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:34.000 So I got a lot of you know, stresses and 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:35.960 worries in my life, and he's not one of them. 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:37.640 He was the first round pick for a reason, so 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.040 I'm super excited and Livingston it's also eager to see 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:44.080 what Tyson Anderson can do. He was selected in the 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:47.480 fifth round last year but didn't play a single snap 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:51.359 after suffering a hamstring injury in training camp. You can 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:53.239 put yourself in issues and say, ah, that must have 0:17:53.240 --> 0:17:54.840 sucked your whole life. You want to play in the 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:56.879 NFL and you get hurt like the last week of 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:00.520 camp and you're on ir all year. So you know, 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:03.040 the positive to that is he had all year to 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:05.119 be in meetings and it's a Wrencher year at the 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:09.360 end of the day, which everybody probably needs. So it's 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:12.199 an exciting time. Obviously, he's got to be chumping at 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:15.239 the bit to get going and you know, prove what 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:17.600 he can do and we'll be excited to have him 0:18:17.600 --> 0:18:20.600 and everything he can do. You know, it'll be it'll 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:22.760 be a big year for him. Now that Orlando Brown 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:24.879 and Nick Scott of signed, the Bengals can look to 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:28.880 address other needs in free agencies, such as tight end, 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:34.240 running back or cornerback. The dollars obviously have to make sense, 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:39.560 but Livingston says getting free agents to consider Cincinnati is 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.320 no longer a challenge. All the guys to a man 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:44.399 that come in and say, hey, look, we look, we 0:18:44.520 --> 0:18:47.320 see how you guys play. There's something special here. You know, 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:49.600 we want to be a part of it. And four 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:52.320 years ago it wouldn't like that. You know. Again, I 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:55.000 was telling somebody like, you know, we'd have a free 0:18:55.000 --> 0:18:57.760 agent visit four years ago, and you know, I'm I'm 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.000 a college coach again, Like, hey, man, if you come here, 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:02.119 we can win. I promise it'll be great. It's a 0:19:02.160 --> 0:19:05.000 great place to live. You know, players come here now 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:06.280 it's like, hey, I want to be here. What do 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:09.600 I have to do? So I think it's it's such 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:12.280 a testament to the people upstairs to obviously mister Brown, 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:14.040 Katie and Troy, how they've kind of built this thing 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:16.280 with the new amenities and you look how nice the 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:17.760 locker room and the training room is going to be. 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:20.840 And I think we all realized Number nine still placed quarterback, 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:23.359 so that helps a lot as well. But it's just 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:25.800 the men in there, like, uh, you know guys nobody 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:28.359 talks about all right, Like like Mike Thomas. Mike Thomas 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:30.280 is in year eleven, kind of the same story we 0:19:30.320 --> 0:19:33.520 talked about. You know, college free agent, second third fourth contract, 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:36.200 Pro Bowl player could be the CEO of a fortune 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:38.280 five hundred company, could do whatever he wants. And the 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:40.000 dudes here every morning, like at six am, when a 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:42.520 smile on his face. So it's people like that that 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:45.720 make this thing go. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought 0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:49.560 to you by Alta Fiber, future proof fiber Internet capable 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:53.400 of delivering multi gigabit speeds designed to take your home, business, 0:19:53.400 --> 0:19:57.359 and community to a new level. Elevate your connection with 0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:00.959 Alta Fiber. In the AFC champion Ship Game loss at 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:04.159 Kansas City, the Bengals had three backups starting on the 0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:08.399 offensive line, with Jackson Carmen and Hakimadenogy at the tackle 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:12.080 spots and Max Sharping at right guard in place of 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:15.640 the injured Alex Kappa. It was obviously a tough day 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:18.520 for the old line, as Kansas City had five sacks 0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:23.080 and twelve quarterback hits, but it should be pointed out 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:26.439 that the subs were stellar the week before, allowing just 0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:29.240 one sack and paving the way for one hundred and 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:33.800 seventy two rushing yards in the win at Buffalo. Max 0:20:33.840 --> 0:20:36.960 Sharping was a second round draft picked by Houston and 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:40.280 a three year starter for the Texans before the Bengals 0:20:40.280 --> 0:20:43.040 signed him off of waivers just before the start of 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:46.400 last year. He signed a one year extension on Monday, 0:20:46.760 --> 0:20:49.760 and I spent a few minutes with him moments after 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:53.760 he put pen to paper. I believe this was the 0:20:53.760 --> 0:20:55.679