WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Start Me Up 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.120 Hi, do anybody, I'm Dan Horde and this is the 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:10.119 Bengals Boot Podcast to start me Up edition, as we 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:12.480 look back at a three point win over the Chicago 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:16.200 Bears to open the preseason. Coming up, my broadcast partner 0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:18.560 Gave Lapp them will join me to discuss the players 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:20.880 that stood out to him in that game. We'll hit 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:23.639 on what's going on with the offensive line, and Lapp 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:26.520 will take us inside the mind of an NFL rookie 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:28.640 who is wondering if he is going to make it 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:32.120 or if he is going to get cut. Plus, in 0:00:32.120 --> 0:00:34.880 this week's fun facts segment, you'll get to know kicker 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:37.880 John Brown, who made both of his attempts in the opener, 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:41.280 a field goal and an extra point. And here's the kicker, 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:44.959 no pun intended. It was the first time he had 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:48.320 ever attempted a field goal or a pat in a 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:53.440 game at any level. We'll find out how that's even possible. 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.360 All of that is straight ahead, but first, here's a 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:58.760 quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of 0:00:58.800 --> 0:01:01.720 this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:06.560 by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. It's the 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:12.000 greatest invention since having a camera on your phone. Are 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:13.760 you old enough to remember what it was like to 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:16.840 lug a camera around, or worse yet, not have one 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:19.880 when you needed it. It's wonderful not to have to 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:23.720 worry about that anymore, even if you're tired of seeing 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:28.200 everybody's selfies, as was the case last year on this podcast, 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:30.520 when we get to the regular season, I'll do in 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:34.560 depth recaps of every game with radio replays and locker 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.520 room interviews that we'll be posted in time for your 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:40.880 ride to work on Monday morning. But since we're talking 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:43.880 about the preseason opener, we'll keep it to one highlight. 0:01:44.240 --> 0:01:47.400 Here's the game winning touchdown pass from Jeff Driscoll to 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:51.120 rookie Auden Tate with two minutes and four seconds to go, 0:01:51.520 --> 0:01:53.920 second down and eight at the Bear's thirty three, Driscoll 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:56.559 fakes to the right, looking around for a running lane. 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:59.480 Now running backward, he'll throw deep off his back foot. 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:04.280 Roden hey dud with a touchdown catch right at the 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:08.720 goal line, going up and over Sean Franklin and using 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:12.240 all of his six five frame to haul in the score. 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:18.000 How about Auden Tate just continues to make big plays again, 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:22.040 contested catch John Franklin. The third falls to the ground. 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:26.160 I mean, at that point it's over. Driscoll says, I'm 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:29.200 going to Tate. Tate rewarded me. It was nullified by 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:32.880 penalty offset penalty. But I'm telling you what this guy 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:35.800 is a playmaker. Auden Tate was the last of the 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:40.720 bengals eleven draft picks this year, number two fifty three overall, 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:44.680 he was almost mister irrelevant. There were only three draft 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:47.720 picks after him. But Tate is certainly in the mix 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:51.040 to make the fifty three man roster. In short, he 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:55.200 could go from number two fifty three to the fifty three. 0:02:55.880 --> 0:02:57.640 Now time to take an in depth look at the 0:02:57.639 --> 0:03:01.240 preseason opener with Dave Lapham as he agains his thirty 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:05.040 third season in the Bengals radio booth. Lap time to 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:07.639 review the preseason opener, the thirty to twenty seven win 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:10.520 over the Chicago Bears. Let's start out with some guys 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:13.040 that stood out to you. Get me four on offense 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:17.239 to begin with, well, first and foremost, I'd have to 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:19.280 go with Andy Dalton, you know, not just the way 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:21.320 he played six to eight hundred and three yards two 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:24.640 touchdowns in a pick. Quarterback rating just under one hundred 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:27.280 and seventeen. The pick was in his fault, as everybody knows, 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:30.720 John Ross slipped coming out of his route, hits the 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:33.480 deck and it's an easy read for fuller breaks in 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:35.160 the football. He gets to pick six out of it. 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:37.440 But and he really should have been seven for eight 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:39.280 for like one hundred and fifteen hundred and twenty yards. 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:43.920 I mean that was he was open. Ross probably make 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:46.200 the catch. I mean, so now he's got a quarterback 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:49.080 raiding approach one hundred and thirty or whatever. Not only 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:51.600 way he played, but as we saw Dan, it was 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:54.280 to track me on and off the sideline. I mean 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:58.240 they were stubb stuting personnel, different formations, and Andy has 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:00.280 just run on top of all of it. You have 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:03.320 to have a quarterback that knows every nuance of it, 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:06.800 exactly what's going on, to be the maestro, the conductor 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:09.440 in the in the huddle, getting everybody on and off 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:12.080 the field lined up properly, and then run the plane 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:15.680 and execute it. And Andy, Andy's smartest the Dickens. I mean, 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.320 I have told the story a few times. I remember, 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:20.320 you know, having him when he's a red shirt freshman, 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:23.880 when he was at TCU playing against Texas at Texas 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:27.120 and Gary Patterson's a head coach at TCU at the 0:04:27.120 --> 0:04:29.040 time as he is now, and I said to him 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:31.360 the production and coach, man, you know, red shirt freshman 0:04:31.440 --> 0:04:33.760 quarterback down here against the Longhorns, and that's when Mac 0:04:33.800 --> 0:04:37.440 Brown had him rolling. They were good, good defense. He goes, Man, 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:39.760 I'm telling you it might sound crazy, but that's at 0:04:39.839 --> 0:04:41.880 least of my concerns. This guy's is mature as a 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:44.479 red shirt senior. He said, we got we got you know, 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:48.039 upper classman following him around, like you know, he's the 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:50.920 lead duck and they're all the ducklings. And he said, 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:53.240 he's smart at whip man. He's got it down. He 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:55.760 knows everything, he knows what the defense is going to 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.000 try to do to stop him. And so he's always 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:02.359 had that football I and UM and talking to the 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:06.040 coaching staff you know that are involved with Andy. Coordinators, 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:08.719 position coaches on down, all of them are like, man, 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:15.520 it's it's one smart duck, so redheaded duck. Yeah. So 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:17.640 I mean, I think I think that part of it 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:19.680 is I think Andy's going to have a really good 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:22.680 year if the offensive line plays Solow the in front 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:26.000 of him as we've talked about Joe Mixon having that 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:31.440 twenty four yard touchdown to me was remarkable on a 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:35.080 couple of fronts. Not remarkable, but positive on a couple 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:38.960 of fronts. His ability, you know, after the catch, makes 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:42.160 a corner linebacker miss and then you know, spins out 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:45.360 on a cornerback and they detach them, just like the 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:48.560 Newton Patriots we talked about, you know, detach those running backs. 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:50.400 Mixing can run a route tree, Gio can run a 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:54.560 route tree. These were These running backs are like receivers. 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:56.400 They have those kind of that kind of skill set. 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:59.279 And Joe is the widest receiver in the formation and 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:01.640 got a match up you know that was favorable in 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:04.760 his in his way against the linebacker and you know, 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:08.360 two of them. So I like that. So you saw 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.360 all those kind of things you know from from Bill Laser, 0:06:11.720 --> 0:06:14.000 and then the players putting the players in positions to 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:18.080 succeed getting favorable matchups, and then they reward him by 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:23.159 executing it. That twenty four yard touchdown catch was beautiful. 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:28.919 Think of beauty. AJ Green. He's pretty good, news flash, 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:34.279 he's good. This dude can play different spots in the formation, 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:37.720 you know, different routes and He had two catches one 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.480 twenty six yards to one twenty two yards. Two catches 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:43.880 over twenty yards average twenty four yards to catch. That's AJ, 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:47.000 you know. And one of them a shallow cross where 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:49.640 he's just outrunning people. You get him at that level 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:52.200 of defense, nobody can run with the guy. And then 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:54.440 the back shoulder when the defender was running with him 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:56.760 a little bit. Andy and AJ are on the same page, 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:00.560 almost mental philepathy, you know, the unspoken word put it 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:03.000 back shoulder and a J makes a play. That was 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:06.800 a tiny window that Andy Dalton delivered a perfect throat too, 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:09.680 And that that's another thing about him. All through camp, Dan, 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:12.200 he's been he's been hitting those those tight windows. He 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:14.560 really has. He's he's been as accurate as I've seen him. 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:17.320 He's had a remarkable camp. And I think it, I 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:19.840 think it translated. And then of course you have to 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:21.440 go with odd and take you know, the thirty three 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:26.000 yard touchdown. U. Every everybody on the sideline when we 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:27.800 were talking doing lock him out to the game, They're like, 0:07:27.880 --> 0:07:29.480 we knew what was going to happen, you know, we 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:31.280 were just waiting was nineteen gonna go up and get it? 0:07:31.320 --> 0:07:33.880 Like he has every practice and he's done it against 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.440 you know, quality corners Drake ker Patrick and others. So 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:40.520 who he's going against isn't you know, the top shelf 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.360 cornerback in the NFL. And he's trying to prove that 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:46.240 he should have a roster spot. So he made a 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:51.160 you know, great catches. He's a contested catch babn, huge 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:55.480 catching radius, long arm, strong, hands six five twenty eight pounds. 0:07:56.080 --> 0:08:01.320 The question is, um Cody Corp played well on special teams. 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:04.320 Cody core has proven he can play gunner. I don't 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:06.400 think got In Take can play gunner. Too big, not 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:09.880 enough speed. He may have to play inside some inside 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:13.040 positions on special teams. Can he prove he can do that? 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:16.120 Because you know, Josh Malone has been nicked up, so 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:18.840 Darren Simmons didn't want to use him on special teams 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:21.320 and expose him to more with the hamstring problem. So 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:23.600 he's shown he can do it. So these guys all 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:27.960 play special teams, not just return but special teams coverage things, 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.160 you know, so he's gonna have to throw his hat 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.960 in that mix. But you know the way he can 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.800 perform the red zone. You're thinking, can I find a 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:38.280 roster spot for him. I mean, can he do more 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:40.400 than just red zone or third down things for us? 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:42.760 Can he play some special team snaps? So that's what 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:46.480 he's looking at down the road. Those are my offensive guys. Defense. 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:50.480 Gino Adkins again, another news flash, he's pretty good. He's 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:54.120 Georgia Bulldogs. Man, they've been good to the Bengals. He 0:08:54.240 --> 0:08:58.520 had that quarterback sack, causal holding penalty. He's just you know, 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:01.080 you try to single him up. I don't care if 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:04.920 it's preseason, regular season, you know, playoffs, whenever. If you 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:07.560 single him up, he will destroy you, and he did 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:12.920 so watching him perform inside is you know, a defensive 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:16.360 coordinator's best friend is a three technique that can man 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:19.760 handle people, and Gino Adkins can do that. Carlos Dunlap 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.040 the tackle he had was a tackle for loss, So 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:24.319 it's like a quarterback sack. It's a disruption, it's a 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:27.880 it's a it's throwing them off schedule. They're behind the chains. 0:09:27.960 --> 0:09:30.520 So both of your Pro bowlers make players on the 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:32.480 other side of the line of scrimmage, and coach Austin 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:34.400 wants to play on the other side of that line 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:37.520 of scrimmage and be aggressive and and have that translated 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:39.800 into turnovers and all that sort of thing. So to 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:44.200 see you know those guys who was impressive to watch 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:48.360 Carl Lawson hustle. I mean, the guy motor City, you know, 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:51.960 just ran down plays from behind Daniel on a on 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:57.000 a scramble captain short of a first down quarterback he hit. 0:09:57.200 --> 0:09:59.320 I think it was Tyler hitting in the arms. He 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:04.280 was trying to release to football and causing incompletion by hustling. 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:06.559 So to see him doing those kind of things was 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:08.800 good and then didn't show up on the stat sheet. 0:10:08.840 --> 0:10:15.120 But watching Will Jackson play is fun to me. Smooth, confident, 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:19.800 I mean, fluid. It's just he he has that mindset. 0:10:20.240 --> 0:10:23.000 Nobody's gonna beat me about the Bears testing him deep 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:25.400 on the first play of the game. That yeah, that 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:28.160 was that was interesting, and he's like, bring it on, 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:30.920 you know, that's fine, give me a pick. I'll be 0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:33.360 good with that. I think he's going to have. I 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:37.360 think Mixing and Will are going to have big, big years, 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:40.920 you know, breakout type years. I think they're both primed 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:44.920 and ready for that. But watching him play that cornerback position, 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:47.959 seeing a lot of good cornerbacks, you know, over the 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:50.079 years with the Bengals and others around the NFL and 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:55.720 his whole demeanor, mindset, length, speed. There's not a whole 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:57.319 lot of people like him out in the streets. Man, 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:01.280 He's a rare, rare breed. There's no doubt. Special teams 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:05.959 m Hardy Nickerson three tackles all in special teams tripled 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:08.640 his production of last year. I mean he showed up 0:11:08.640 --> 0:11:12.320 on special teams. C J. Goodwin showed up. But Dan, 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:14.640 you know, I would expect him to. You know, he's 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.160 fast and he's experienced, been on other NFL teams, twenty 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:19.720 eight years old, playing at the stage he was playing 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:22.199 that in the game, I think he was he should dominate, 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:24.600 and he showed up. He did, he flashed. Now you 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:27.439 have to now it comes to the chess match of okay, 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:30.040 play who do I play against better competition to see 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:33.439 a better evaluation. This guy dominated people that he should dominate. 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:35.400 Now can he hang with the big boys? You know, 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:38.800 let's graduate him from kindergarten to the next level of school. 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:41.920 So that's that's the process. That's that's that's going on 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:45.400 now for the coaches and the players. Offensive line question 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:48.120 for you, do you expect to see different starters on 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:52.280 the line in game two, potentially, you know, you may 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:57.560 have a situation where you know, Coach Pollock says, I 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.040 just want to I just want to make sure. I 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:03.760 just want to see, you know, Westerman stepped up big 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:08.080 at the guard position. He to me, plays with the 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:11.240 most explosiveness and power of those inside guys. He is 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:13.920 a knee beender, a true kneebender. When you watch him 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:16.360 come off the ball, he is in. He's a coaching 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:18.560 reel for the football position to be in to deliver 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:23.320 a strong blow as an offensive lineman. And he's never bending, 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.199 he's never leaning. I should say he's never leaning forward. 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:29.240 When an offensive lineman's chain gets in front of his feet, 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:32.440 you're in trouble. You can't lean in pass protection. You 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:34.600 shouldn't lean in the running game. You have to be 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:39.000 in a good power position, like a squat sitting position, explosive. 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:41.600 And he does that as well as any or better 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.720 than anybody on the offensive line. And I've got to remember, 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:47.079 he missed a few practices and lost twelve pounds. He 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.079 had food poison. He lost twelve pounds, So he is 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:51.880 feeling funky, you know. And I thought last year he 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:56.120 finished the season strong physically, and you know, based on 0:12:56.320 --> 0:12:58.640 the way he performed, he may get a shot. He 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.040 may get a shot at you know, at right guard, 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:04.800 um and see see what he can do. I thought, 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:08.440 I thought Bobby Hart, you know, did find Bobby Hart 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:09.960 has a tendency when I watch him, he has a 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:12.439 tendency to lean like I'm talking about in pass protection 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:15.200 when he and and it's a natural Tennessee, Dan, I mean, 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:16.640 these guys are at the You're coming at you. They're 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:17.880 going to deliver a blow. So you want to you 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:19.680 want to go get them. You have to fight that 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:24.000 you I can't. Don't don't over expose yourself, don't commit yourself. 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:25.920 It makes it easier for the defensive playoff. You have 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:29.520 to be patient except those blows. I mean, give ground grudgingly. 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:31.760 It's no fun being an old lineman. You're going backwards. 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:33.760 These studs are coming and beating you up going forward. 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:36.520 But that's why not many guys can play it. And 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:39.800 so it's going to be interesting see how that how 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:42.760 that shakes down. One of the couple other things about 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:45.440 the game, Dan, four, you get away from the first 0:13:45.480 --> 0:13:49.440 preseason game in the third quarter, there were two players 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:51.400 that people aren't going to want to talk about much 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:54.640 or notice much in a three point when the Bengals 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:57.720 win thirty twenty seven, and it happened in the same drive. 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:01.720 First and ten from the Bears eighteen yeard line, goes 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:04.040 sixty nine yards, breaks it out to the right side, 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:08.280 Brandon Wilson runs them down, saves four points. They have 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.320 to kick a field goal. If he doesn't make that tackle, 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:13.560 Bengals lose a three point game. As it shakes down, 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:18.600 he makes a four point saving tackle by just sheer speed. 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:20.520 This kid, and he flashed on special teams that he 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:22.840 can run. We saw him last year run. You saw 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:25.000 him in college. The dudes a stud he's an athlete. 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:28.000 And then later in that drive, second and twenty from 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:30.920 the Bengals twenty three yard line, Brey overthrows Gentry wide open, 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.120 I mean wide open by fifteen yards on any side 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:36.560 of him, and he's got to walk in touchdown. They 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:39.160 have to settle for four three points again, so a 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:42.120 four point overthrow. So on that drive they gave up. 0:14:42.120 --> 0:14:44.720 They spit the bid on four points two different plays. 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:47.320 Early and late in that drive Bengals and Bengals keep 0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:49.200 at twenty three, twenty lead and ultimately win the game 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:51.840 thirty twenty seven. So it's plays like that, you know 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:54.160 that you look back on and say, man, you know, 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:56.760 if either one of those go the other way, Bengals 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:59.520 don't win that first preseason game. And when you look 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:01.920 at him like, man, yeah you don't, you don't really 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.560 think of those as big plays because the defense gives 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:07.520 up a big play, But it could have been bigger 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:11.480 if Wilson doesn't hustle. For rookies playing in their first 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:15.200 NFL preseason game, that's obviously very exciting. Then you come 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:18.840 back a day or two later for reviewing the tape 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:22.040 and getting graded by an NFL coaching staff, is that 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.440 a big deal? It is? It is a big deal. 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:29.040 And I think most of the players I know I 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:31.680 was as a rookie, I was my own worst critic. 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:34.000 Even if I did a good job, I'm like, oh, man, 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.080 I could have done that better. You know, you just 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:40.080 it's like you you feel like you have to be perfect, 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.440 and you know you can't get in your own head. 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:47.880 That's the biggest thing. If you overanalyze it, you just 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:49.880 you're gonna kill yourself. You won't be able to sleep 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.160 at night. You're gonna have ulcers instead of win a 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:55.920 job on a football team. And my rookie year, I 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:59.760 learned that valuable lesson. I was drafting third round Daryl White, 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.440 the other All American guard from he was from Nebraska. 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:04.800 We both get drafted in the third and fourth round 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:07.080 to battle for a guard spot. We were on the 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:09.920 AP All American team and I'd got an a normina 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.040 and great guy. So we're going at it, and uh, 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:15.800 six preceding games, first three, I'm playing a lot, you know, 0:16:15.960 --> 0:16:17.800 I'm getting my share of snaps. And then all of 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:20.520 a sudden, all I'm playing is on the wedge on 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:22.520 the extra point field goal team. I'm like, oh, man, 0:16:22.800 --> 0:16:24.920 I must have not done as well as I thought, 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:27.800 you know, And I thought maybe I was right. Maybe 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:29.680 I should have been harder on myself when I was 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:32.440 doing the self evaluation because the coach's grades must I 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:37.080 must suck in those grades and those evaluations. So Darrell's 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:39.920 playing and I'm not, and uh, I just getting married 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:41.880 to Lynn, and you know, I'm calling Saved, Saved the 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.320 classified ads. I'm coming home. I think I have to 0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:49.000 be looking for a job. So last cut go into 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:51.600 the room, and as it turns out, I couldn't find 0:16:51.600 --> 0:16:54.920 my desk. It put tape on the desk on the 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:57.800 names of the players. Well, Stan Walters, our Syracuse boy, 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:01.360 had hidden my desk in the closet. So I got 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:05.520 in there. I thought I was cut the turk didn't. 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:08.359 Frank Smiles didn't asking me for my playbook. I go 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:10.560 in and get dressed. Now I'm embarrassed because I think 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:13.120 I'm gone. So I looked for Darrel. He's not there either, 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:16.000 and uh, I find out I'll make it well like 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:20.359 Paul Brown comes up to me after the meeting, says, congratulations, 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:24.000 young man, I said, coach, I thought, don't think, I said, well, 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:26.200 when I didn't play in the last week, don't think 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:29.080 I don't think. We were getting taped from a film 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:31.879 on Daryl. So we shopped him. He's a green Bay packer. 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:34.480 We traded in green Bay, and so that was a 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:37.840 valuable lesson. Just play, keep your head down, play, don't 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:41.080 overthink it, don't try to take on roles and responsibilities 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:45.119 aren't yours. You just play. Coaches, coach general manners, decide 0:17:45.119 --> 0:17:47.040 who makes it and the owners and and then you 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:50.160 just play. And as it turned out, Daryl get traded 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:52.959 made the Green Bay Packers, So you know, you just 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:57.359 you just never know. When you're in these preseason games, 0:17:57.680 --> 0:17:59.879 you're not just auditioning for one team. You're a just 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:02.200 thirty two teams, and the players all have to bear 0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:05.320 that in mind. Your competitive nature is I don't want 0:18:05.320 --> 0:18:07.359 to get caught. I don't want to get traded. I 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:09.639 don't want them not wanting me. I want to be 0:18:09.800 --> 0:18:11.640 you know, I want to prove that I belong here. 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:14.919 But you know, the jobs are competitive. There's only so 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:16.760 many of them. You just can't get in your own head. 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:19.520 That's the biggest advice I can give. So following up 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:21.520 on that, we know most of the guys that are 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:23.399 going to be on the fifty three man roster, and 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:26.600 so do they, But there are jobs at the bottom 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:30.120 of the roster and on the practice squad that are 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:32.680 well paying jobs. Even the lowest guy in the roster 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:35.120 on the practice squad's going to make six figures. Here 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:39.720 do the preseason games elevate the level of wondering where 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:41.919 you stand on the totem pole if you are one 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:45.360 of those guys, or are you doing that every single 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.760 day from the first day of training gap. It's funny 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:52.960 when when you're in your own head, and I really 0:18:53.440 --> 0:18:56.359 figured out pretty quickly, I'm just not competing with the 0:18:56.400 --> 0:18:59.200 offensive lineman. If I'm toward the back end of the 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:01.800 number of keeping eighth lineman and I'm the eighth guy, 0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:05.399 I'm competing with, you know, the sixth defensive back, the 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.520 seventh line, I'm competing with the end of the roster 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.399 of all those guys. So at that other linebacker and 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:13.119 defensive back, they're all playing on special teams. I'm just 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:15.119 on the field goal extra point. You know. Now you 0:19:15.160 --> 0:19:18.560 start your mind starts racing, and I did. That was 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:20.919 part of it in my head too. I'm like, I 0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:22.840 wonder if I'm the last lineman, am I they going 0:19:22.880 --> 0:19:25.200 to keep me over this other guy or this guy 0:19:25.200 --> 0:19:27.919 and this guy. So you do start thinking about all that. 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:31.959 And I'm not saying everybody does. Um. Pat mcinelley, who 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:34.960 is a year behind me. After my rookie year, Pat 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:38.639 mcinelley came to the team out of Habvid and he 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:40.679 and I hit it off pretty well, and he always 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:42.600 killed me for getting accepted and not going to Harvard. 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:44.840 Beat the heck out of me. But he said that 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:46.800 you know, I thought, you're smart. That's the stupidest thing 0:19:46.800 --> 0:19:49.199 anybody could do is get accepted and not go I 0:19:49.280 --> 0:19:54.480 beg to differ. You chose wisely, That's right, I said, Pat, 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:59.680 Harvard's not the only institution of academia in this country, sou. 0:20:00.480 --> 0:20:03.240 We would do, we would do a roster every single 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:05.480 meet me in my room after dinner. Let's let's let's 0:20:05.520 --> 0:20:08.119 figure this out, and we would We just trying to, like, 0:20:08.280 --> 0:20:10.600 you know, try to plot and plant a little bit 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:13.000 of maybe think, to try to think what the coaches 0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:15.200 were thinking. And we knew it was an exercise of futility. 0:20:15.240 --> 0:20:17.639 But we'd always bet on who could come up with 0:20:17.680 --> 0:20:19.440 the most players at the end of the year, and 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:22.280 you know, just to fun exercise. But yeah, you do. 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:25.360 I mean you start thinking about what's the worst case scenario, 0:20:25.400 --> 0:20:27.880