WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Let The Good Times Roll 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.559 I get everybody. I'm Dan Horde, and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:11.440 the Bengals Booth podcast, the Let the Good Times Rule 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:14.960 edition as I sit down for a one on one 0:00:15.080 --> 0:00:18.720 visit with Bengals head coach Zach Taylor. What got him 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:21.560 through those tough first two years, what was his favorite 0:00:21.600 --> 0:00:24.360 moment from last year's Super Bowl run? And why is 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:27.760 he such a big fan of the late great pistol 0:00:27.840 --> 0:00:32.680 Pete Maravich. We'll cover that and much more, plus shorter 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:36.440 interviews with two of the bengals most important players, cornerback 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:40.720 Should have a a Wooge and new right tackle l Collins. 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:45.519 The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:48.800 Ultimate Bengals ahead of the twenty twenty two season. It's 0:00:48.840 --> 0:00:53.640 free to play next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:56.560 Get it now on the App Store and Google Play. 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:58.520 And here's a quick reminder that you can have the 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:02.560 latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:07.000 or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:13.360 the greatest thing since the Balmuda lantern. I recently purchased 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:17.119 a battery operated lantern for our outdoor deck, and while 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:20.120 it was a little on the pricey side, I love it. 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:23.600 It looks great, it's rechargeable, and you can adjust the 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:26.920 brightness from a low setting where it's almost like candlelight, 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:30.160 to a higher setting where it's bright enough for reading 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:33.600 in the dark or taking on a stroll through the woods. 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:35.959 If you want to check it out, just do a 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:43.080 search for Balmuda lantern. That's b A l mu Da. 0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:46.839 Now let's get to football. The Bengals held their first 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:50.480 four voluntary offseason practices this week, and after the final one, 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:53.200 I had the opportunity to catch up with head coach 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:56.880 Zach Taylor about the aftermath of the Bengal Super Bowl 0:01:56.960 --> 0:02:00.800 run and the long, difficult road led up to it. 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:05.120 Zachie joked recently that whenever the Matthew Stafford a T 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:07.960 and T commercial comes on, you yell at your boys 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:11.600 to change the channel. In all seriousness, our Super Bowl 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:16.079 reminders painful. Sure, you know that was a game we wanted, 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:17.880 you know, we wanted to be champions for the rest 0:02:17.880 --> 0:02:20.760 of our lives, and it was an opportunity for Barnet 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:22.840 to capitalize on. So yeah, there's some little things that 0:02:23.040 --> 0:02:25.959 that fuel you a little bit more. Maybe it's a commercial, 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:28.560 maybe it's just a highlight of the game, but that's 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:31.800 all part of just being competitive in sports. Joe Burrow 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:34.160 said earlier this week that he watched the game the 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:37.360 next day, just like he normally would watched it, back 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:39.560 stied the tape. What did I do well? What could 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:42.200 I do better? What about you? It wasn't the next 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:46.200 day for me, probably about a week later, I would imagine, 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:49.520 you know, and I've watched several times since then. I'm 0:02:49.560 --> 0:02:51.560 just trying to learn from it, you know, and things 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:53.520 that came up. We played a good football team. They 0:02:53.560 --> 0:02:57.240 made great plays as well, but it's important to learn 0:02:57.280 --> 0:02:59.280 from the game. So the next time you're in that 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:01.919 type of game, that those types of situations, or maybe 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:04.960 the Super Bowl itself, you make sure that you've learned 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.560 from it and will help yourself in the future. How 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:10.040 soon after the game did you talk to Sean McVeigh. 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:13.000 Probably a week capture, Yeah, I think he was in 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:17.880 Cancne and house that was on my couch, But yeah, 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:21.240 we we've talked several times since then. You are one 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:24.440 of only fifty nine head coaches in history to take 0:03:24.440 --> 0:03:26.600 a team to the Super Bowl eighteen are in the 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:29.200 Hall of Fame. That does not include active coaches like 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:31.360 Bill Belichick and Andy Reid that will eventually be in 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:33.600 the Hall of Fame. You're not one to toot your 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:35.800 own horn, but what does it mean to you to 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:37.680 be part of that fraternity? Well, I want to be 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:39.680 part of the fraternity that's won a Super Bowl, you know, 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:42.119 and so it's there was a lot of great achievements 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:44.800 that we had this last year, but ultimately you want 0:03:44.800 --> 0:03:47.760 to win the ultimate prize, and so I'd love to 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:51.080 revisit that conversation with you know. It's it's it's a 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:54.360 team sport. It's all about our team. But but you 0:03:54.400 --> 0:03:56.760 certainly want your organization to be in those Super Bowl 0:03:56.800 --> 0:04:00.960 winning conversations. When the team wasn't winning the first two years, 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:04.560 what were the tangible signs that told you that you 0:04:04.600 --> 0:04:07.680 were on the right track. Guys buying in the way 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:10.840 that guys approached the walkthroughs, their attitude during meetings in 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:13.120 December when we were out of the playoff, rays, and 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:15.280 just the little things like that. When you're around this 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:20.800 profession every day for the last fifteen years, those are 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:23.400 things you pick up on teams that handle things the 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:26.440 right way and teams that don't. And and just like 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:28.440 any any career where you get to work every single 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:30.359 day and you can kind of see the traits of 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:34.039 good organizations and poor ones. Those are some qualities we 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:35.760 saw from our team that we're going to help us 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:38.600 in the long run. And again it's not always as 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:43.039 immediate as you want, but again, great things take time, 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:44.800 and we feel like we built it the right way 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:47.320 with right people. Was there anybody that you leaned on 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:51.279 for advice or support? Plenty of people on staff. You know, 0:04:51.360 --> 0:04:53.120 Darren Simmons has been here for a really long time. 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:57.520 His insights always always really valued. Mark Duffner, you know, 0:04:57.560 --> 0:05:00.360 he just his experience as a head coach and multiple 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:02.240 different places he's been in the NFL a long time. 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:04.760 He's always been a great resource. My dad, my father 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:08.240 in law, Mike Sherman, my dad, Trew with Taylor, those 0:05:08.240 --> 0:05:10.960 are certainly guys that I've I've leaned on. At one 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.600 of the news conferences just before the Super Bowl, you said, 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:15.919 if I was a head coach in any other organization, 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:19.640 I probably wouldn't have been here in year three. Did 0:05:19.720 --> 0:05:22.640 Mike Brown ever give you, quote unquote a vote of 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:25.240 confidence in the first couple of years, or say anything 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:29.560 in particular that really was meaningful. I think what's great 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:33.200 about here is that it's constant communication. It's not monthly, 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:35.680 it's not once a month where you would need that. 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:39.800 When when you have a daily relationship and it's not 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:42.400 every day, it's it's every couple days sometimes sometimes some 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:46.000 weeks it's every week. But where the communication is very clear, 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.679 where it doesn't, that doesn't necessarily have to take place, 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:53.880 and that that one conversation I think that everyone's wanting 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:56.039 to hear about. You know, it's just it's when you've 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:57.800 you're always on the same page and you have such 0:05:57.800 --> 0:05:59.719 an open line of communication. I think that's what allows 0:05:59.800 --> 0:06:02.080 us to work best. Have you learned a lot about 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:04.960 Paul Brown since you've been here? I have. Yeah, I've 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:07.280 tried to read up and study on it as much 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:09.560 as possible. I'll ask Mike as many questions as I can, 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:14.280 just really intrigued by someone who's really just put such 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:16.520 as probably more of a stamp on the game of 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:19.240 football than anybody who's ever been involved in the sport. 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:24.080 Why is the city of Cincinnati and the Bengals organization 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:27.440 such a great fit for you and your family. I 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:31.080 think it's just a blue collar city. The people are 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:32.760 so great. They treat each other the right way. It's 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:35.280 like one big neighborhood, is what it really feels like. 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:40.560 You know, you don't so many people you run into 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:44.000 are from here. So there's such great pride with being 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:45.760 from here and representing the city the right way. A 0:06:45.800 --> 0:06:47.600 lot of people I meet that grew up here that 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:49.320 usually left for two or three years to go to 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:52.640 Chicago or Columbus or somewhere else, and then they come back, 0:06:52.680 --> 0:06:54.440 and I think that speaks for the city that people 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:58.120 love to come back here. It's it reminds me very 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:00.440 much at home. I think I've said this multiple times, 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:04.040 but what would you mean by that is just the 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:06.680 feel of the city in the community. There's such a 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:10.360 great community feel here that I love being part of. 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:12.240 My wife loves being part of, our kids love being 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:14.560 part of, and and you just feel such a part 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:16.520 of it here working for the Bengals living in Cincinnati. 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:20.200 Before you took the Cincinnati job, you interviewed for three 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:24.520 head coaching jobs. I'm back to back to back days, Bronchos, Bengals, Cardinals. 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:28.200 In that order. What if John Elway had offered you 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:34.720 the Broncos job after the first interview, Yeah, that would 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:38.080 have made things interesting, sure, But this was the one 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:40.200 that I always had circled that I was hoping it 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:43.320 would work out. You have no idea what the club 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:45.840 thinks or how it's going to work with other places. 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:48.600 But I just felt a connection from living here in 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:52.320 twenty sixteen, not really having any association with the Bengals 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:55.040 or the Brown family, but I just knew this was 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:58.480 a place that I could see my family enjoying life 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:01.600 and you know, being a part of an organization that 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:03.400 I've always had a ton of respects for from Afar 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:05.840 and so I'm just glad that it worked out the 0:08:05.840 --> 0:08:08.720 way that when you were a thirty six year old 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:12.240 first time head coach, what's it tough to call a 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:17.200 vet into the office to discipline or reprimand him. It's 0:08:17.560 --> 0:08:20.119 that's usually not how it unfolds, you know, there's usually 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:22.800 a process that unfolds before that, where there's clear standards, 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:26.240 clear rules that are set to where there's not a 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:28.120 lot of gray. It's more black and white, and that 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:31.480 makes some conversations easier than others. That's not to say 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:34.520 that you're not gonna have some difficult conversations. You just 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:36.840 try to build up a respect the level with everybody 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:38.640 on the team so that when those moments do come, 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:40.640 there's a relationship there to pull from. And it's not 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:44.200 just two people who have never spoken before, which which 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:46.000 can happen when you have a big roster and maybe 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:49.080 you're more of a you pull call the players on offense, 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.559 and maybe you haven't built up that connection with the 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:54.599 defensive guys. So there's certainly always been hard, difficult conversations. 0:08:54.600 --> 0:08:57.920 They're not all fun, but but you always walk away 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:00.640 feeling like he handled it as best you could. What 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:02.040 was it like the first time you had to cut 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:06.719 a guy? That part's not fun. You've had those conversations 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:09.160 as a position coached before, you know where maybe you 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:12.600 weren't the one directly cutting them, but you're you're getting 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:15.120 them immediately after cut Guys that have worked their whole 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:18.560 life for this opportunity, and some of them expect it 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.560 and they're ready for it. Some of them get blindside, 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:23.360 some of them maybe know it's coming and it still, 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:26.040 you know, catches them an emotional moment. You'd want to 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:28.280 be very respectful of that, the hard work that's gone in, 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:30.200 the people that have supported them, and where they're at 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:34.800 now in that moment. But you know, it's it's guys 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:36.360 have always done a great job of handling it in. 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:39.280 It's not a fun moment to be it now. If 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:41.760 I had to pick out a favorite moment from last year, 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:45.120 it would be the Germaine Pratt interception to wrap up 0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:47.200 the Raiders win at Paul Brown Stadium because it was 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:50.920 so cathartic for Bengals fans. I was there for the 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:53.640 Carson Palmer knee injury. I was there for the disasters 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:57.319 twenty fifteen playoff loss to the Steelers. Do you have 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:04.960 a favorite moment or moment from last year? I think, yeah, 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:07.520 a lot of favorite moments. If you're gonna pick one 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:10.680 over the other, it was probably beating Kansas City the 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:13.680 first time to get into the playoffs to win the division. 0:10:14.640 --> 0:10:16.600 I had almost phrased it that way, winning the division 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:20.760 over getting into the playoffs, because just from where we'd 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:23.760 been day one to three years later, win the division 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:27.080 with the issues we'd had playing the teams in our division. 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:29.000 You know, we got blown out several times the first 0:10:29.040 --> 0:10:31.920 two years, really saw that we had a big hill 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:34.360 to climb there with the respect that we had for 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:38.280 those teams, and so to be able to win a 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:40.000 lot of those divisional games this year and then beat 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:42.280 a really good Kansas City team to win the division 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:45.000 just felt like, you know, a lot of hard work 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:47.640 had paid off. Certainly that wasn't the ultimate prize, but 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:49.280 it was it was a giant step in the right 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:52.720 direction for us. We're sitting in your office on the 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:55.840 whiteboard you still have remember when from your first season 0:10:55.920 --> 0:10:59.240 seven games in when you're at a particularly frustrated time 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.600 trying to game play and for a game against the Rams, 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:05.120 You've added some things to that whiteboard since memories from 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:08.720 each of those seasons. Are you kind of sentimental that way? 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:11.040 Do you like to have those kind of seminal memories. 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:14.120 I do. I like to remember the challenges we face, 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:17.560 the good moments we've had. That's probably why I journal, 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:19.000 and I like to look back at old notes to 0:11:19.360 --> 0:11:22.920 remind myself of things that. You know, maybe something I 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:25.280 wrote in fall camp of twenty twenty that is really 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:28.959 optical now that I've lost sight of the same thing 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:30.360 goes when you're in the middle of the season you 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:32.280 want to remember how you felt at different moments of 0:11:32.320 --> 0:11:35.280 the season and to help you in future years. And 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:37.480 so there's you know, you try to boys. It is 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:40.160 usually Brian Callahan and I in here game planted the 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:43.360 most together and here in this room, and so certainly 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:45.760 we've we've shared some good moments. Each year. We try 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:48.000 to pull one when it feels like the right moment 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:49.880 and put it up on the board, and who knows 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:53.200 what we'll put up there next year. When Joe Burrows drafted, 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:56.160 you were asked about his swagger and you pushed back 0:11:56.200 --> 0:11:59.400 a little bit and described it more as earned confidence. 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:04.240 Why is that distinction important to you? I think some 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:07.040 guys can put on an appearance of what they think 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:10.040 they're supposed to project and what it's supposed to look like. 0:12:11.600 --> 0:12:13.920 Some can pull it off, or maybe they fool people. 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:18.080 Some m it's just their natural personality. For Joe, you 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:20.000 can just tell it's a guy who's put in the work. 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:22.800 He's not trying to be somebody that he thinks others 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:24.360 need him to be or want him to be. It's 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.240 just who he is and that that comes across very 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:29.880 clearly to everyone who interacts with him, and everyone who 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:32.920 sees him to where its not somebody trying to be 0:12:33.080 --> 0:12:36.880 somebody that they're not, and that's appreciated. He's he's earned 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:40.960 the right to be who he is, and you know 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:43.800 that's sometimes that can be hard to find, you know. 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:47.080 And we've got a guy who carries himself verywhere I 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.240 can't imagine what his life is like right now and 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:51.320 what it's going to be like going forward. Just the 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:53.520 star that he is becoming. Do you worry about that 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:57.000 at all? You're not always envious to that, you know, 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.080 to be honest with you, some people probably would be. 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:01.640 But I think being in this profession, you know the 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:05.480 challenges that come with that. Maybe you know he's he's 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:09.200 obviously very grounded and handles himself the right way, and 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:11.240 that's just this the life that he has, you know. 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:13.600 And then there's other guys certain way that have followed 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:15.160 the same path that I'm sure he can look to 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.640 and ask questions to get advice there. I'm not that person, 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:21.440 you know it, But you know, there's there's great things 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:24.400 that come from being in that position. There's certainly challenges 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:26.160 that people will never be able to relate to other 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:28.720 than the people that are in that position. I like 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:31.120 to joke that I've had one really good idea in 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:36.640 my life, and that is a chain of Toast restaurants. 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:40.920 So instead of bagel shops, everybody likes Toast, right, So 0:13:41.040 --> 0:13:44.200 every airport Kiosk is going to have a Dan Horde 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:48.319 Toast restaurant someday. So that's my great idea. Your idea 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.400 to give game balls to fans at bars and restaurants 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:55.840 after playoff wins was incredible. Did it just come to 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.520 you out of the blue. You've kind of described driving 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:01.360 by bars and rest trents in your neighborhood and thinking 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:03.360 about it. But was it like a, you know, a 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:05.360 light bulb went off and hey, that would be cool. 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:09.480 It's hard to pinpoint when exactly a thought like that 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.160 comes to your head. I think since the day I've 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:15.600 gotten this job. And I've said this before, but leaving 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:18.480 the stadium from work every day and driving through downtown, 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:24.360 past past the banks, and past the Red Stity, I 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:26.680 do always picture post game because I've driven through there 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:28.360 the first year after a lot of losses and seeing 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:32.160 people in jerseys and you know, dejected, and always pictured 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:35.880 driving through there when we're having the Super Bowl parade 0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:38.760 and seeing what those streets would look like. That's the 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:41.960 first thing that comes to your mind. From there, it's okay, 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:44.440 when we win a playoff game, you know, what's something 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:46.280 that you can really find a way to celebrate with 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:49.760 the city. I drive past mlts, you know, every day, 0:14:49.920 --> 0:14:51.840 twice a day, you know, going to work and coming 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:54.000 back from work, and you always see the people in 0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:55.880 there having a good time, and I just thought, you know, 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:58.040 it would be cool to go in there and deliver 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.320 a game. I don't remember the exact year or moment 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:03.240 that that part came it came across. I did not 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:05.160 plan on it going the way that it did. I 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:06.800 thought it was gonna be a lot more low key. 0:15:06.960 --> 0:15:09.720 I was picturing like nineteen eighty nine when nobody had 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:11.480 cell phones. There's gonna be a moment that, you know, 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:13.600 the people in the bar talked about and I walked 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:15.800 in and then one hundred cell phones popped up. So 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:18.360 I didn't think that went through all the way. But 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:20.960 I'm glad that everyone got to enjoy it. And it's 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:22.960 you know, I know that there's a lot of restaurants 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:24.480 and bars that want to be a part of this, 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:29.480 and this is going on for you know, in my mind, 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:32.320 as long as the Bengals organ organization, this is going 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:34.400 to continue to take place when we went playoff games, 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:36.280 so there's gonna be plenty of opportunities for everyone to 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:38.840 share in the experience. I think they're about fifteen of 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.280 those balls out there from the three playoff wins, and 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:43.080 anytime I see one at a place, it puts a 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:45.960 smile on my face and I usually engage the bartender 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.640 or the person in charge of the restaurant about it. 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.880 Have a lot of people lobbied you for future games 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:54.800 to try to be in position to be the next 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:56.800 place that gets one. It's hard. It's hard to get 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:58.640 in touch with me because my lack of social media. 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:00.400 It's easier to get in touch with my life. And 0:16:00.480 --> 0:16:04.000 so she's the one who usually relays the message. And yeah, 0:16:03.760 --> 0:16:07.320 there's there will always be opportunities for a lot of 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:10.160 other places to get it. You know, Northern Kentucky bars 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:12.960 outside of Cincinnati. There's plenty of ways that we can 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.040 reach a lot of a lot of great Bengals fans 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:21.040 and and different bars and restaurants. Of the fifty five 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:23.600 previous teams that were the runners up in the Super Bowl, 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:27.040 sixty nine percent have made the playoffs, only three have 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:29.880 won the Super Bowl the next year. Have you or 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:33.320 will you seek advice from coaches that took their team 0:16:33.360 --> 0:16:36.000 to the Super Bowl but didn't win it. It's something 0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:39.600 we spend a lot of time researching and studying those 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:42.160 types of teams to say, I've had direct conversations with 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:44.760 coaches who have then rebounded to go to the Super Bowl, 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:46.440 because those the people you'd be reaching out to doctor 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:48.760 right to people that didn't get it done. And so 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:52.240 you know, it's we're the twenty twenty two Cincinnati Bengals, 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:54.560 and we have a plant in place to help us 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:56.120 in the off season. We'll haven't want to help ourselves 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:58.200 in training camp and then in the season, and we're 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:00.840 going to follow that plan. And um, we know that 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:03.160 it's these seasons are long seasons. You're gonna face a 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:04.800 lot of adversity. We're gonna handle it the way that 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:07.360 seat's best for us. We've got a really motivated group 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:09.920 of players that that no, it's a long journey to 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:11.920 get back, know what it took to get there in 0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:14.199 the first place, but are very hungry and willing to 0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:16.480 do whatever it takes to try to get back in 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:19.439 the current NFL with the emphasis on the quick passing 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:25.040 game and getting the ball out quickly, could you have played? No? No, no, 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:29.159 uh no. You know, I think I'm happy with the 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:32.199 career that I had. Um, I had my opportunity, you know, 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:34.800 and in training camp with the off season with the Bucks, 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:37.520 and UM, I could see the quarterbacks around me were 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.480 we're better players and I better athletes than I, and so, UM, 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:43.000 I'm satisfied being a coach and being able to compete 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:45.320 that way. UM, I've taken my talents to the pick 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:47.119 a ball court. You know, I think that's better suited 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:51.720 for me right now. But UM, there's not any any 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:53.800 thoughts from me sitting around thing I could do this, 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:56.400 you know, those those are long gone. Do you want 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.679 your boys to be quarterbacks? I think I think that 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:02.080 they want to be quarterbacks. So that works well for 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:04.560 me as well. It's it's the position I'd like to 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:07.359 talk about and teach the most. And you know, I 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:10.560 don't even I do spend time talking about the throwing 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:13.280 mechanics with my boys. But for me, the biggest thing 0:18:13.440 --> 0:18:16.119 is just getting reps, just reps, reps. Throw however you 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:18.040 can throw as many times you get to throw, whether 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:20.000 it's dropping it in the basketball hoop in the driveway, 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:21.720 to work on touch, whether it's putting a target in 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:25.880 the backyard. Just accumulate reps and that's where the accuracy 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:28.240 comes from. There. There's obviously mechanical things that you can 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:30.320 do to work on that I'll point out occasionally to them. 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:33.879 I just want them to throw and catch, and they 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:36.080 spend a lot of time doing that, and I think 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:37.760 that's that's really as good of a teacher as you 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:40.360 can have at a young age as anything. Dave Lapham 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:43.919 tells a great story about the aftermath of Super Bowl sixteen, 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:45.760 the one he played in. He goes back to the 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:48.080 hotel room after the game. His son is about five 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:50.280 years old at the time, and he says, Daddy, why 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.960 did you guys stank so much in the first half, 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:55.120 And Lab jokes that it was all all he could 0:18:55.160 --> 0:18:58.399 do not to put the pillow over Dave Junior's ahead, 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.440 What were your boys like after the Super Bowl? They 0:19:02.520 --> 0:19:05.480 take it as hard as anybody. Certainly, I don't always 0:19:05.520 --> 0:19:08.120 see the immediate moment. You kind of hear more about 0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:11.359 it from from friends and family that are around him, 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:15.280 but they're into it, you know. It's it's amazing. They 0:19:15.400 --> 0:19:18.600 have a pretty good football IQ. They see things, they 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:20.439 got great recollection. I was in here watching them with 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:22.720 my son earlier and he remembers I asked him his 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:24.760 top three plays from this game that's on right now, 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:26.200 you know, the Ravens game here at home, and he 0:19:26.280 --> 0:19:29.159 named top three right in a row, number one being 0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:31.119 the T. Higgins moss as he called it, you know, 0:19:31.160 --> 0:19:34.440 on third and long. So it's it's fun to talk 0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:37.240