WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Higher Ground 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.279 Hi, get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:11.360 The Bengals Booth Podcast. The gonna keep on try until 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:16.600 I reach my highest ground audition as the Bengals look 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:19.520 to follow a thrilling season opening win over the Vikings 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.599 by adding a road win over Andy Dalton and the 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:26.319 Chicago Bears. Coming up, I'll talk to NFL Red Zone 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:30.360 host Scott Hanson about the demands of hosting seven hours 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:33.960 of commercial free football and get his thoughts on this 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:37.200 year's Bengals. My one on one player conversation this week 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:40.360 is with Evan McPherson, coming off one of the greatest 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:44.520 debuts by a kicker in NFL history. Dave Lapham joins 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:47.000 me to discuss the latest Bengals news and share some 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:50.000 keys to this week's game. And finally, it's our Know 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:52.560 the Faux segment as we discussed the Bears with their 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:57.160 outstanding radio voice, Jeff Joniac. The Bengals Booth Podcast is 0:00:57.200 --> 0:01:01.120 presented by bud Light Seltzer. Refresh the game, and here's 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:03.480 a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:06.360 of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:10.680 computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify or 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:15.240 pod Bean. It's the greatest thing since the new smoke 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:18.920 belching Tigers at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals have put 0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:21.120 a lot of time, effort, and money into adding fun 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:24.120 and excitement to the game day experience at Paul Brown Stadium, 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:27.399 including the ruler of the Jungle ceremony that takes place 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:30.600 shortly before kickoff. I'm also a fan of the new 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:34.399 twelve foot tall tiger sculptures that the players run through 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:37.240 when they exit the tunnel and take the field. It 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:41.120 makes for a great visual as the Tigers exhale smoke 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:44.640 as the players come charging out. I suppose we can 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:49.960 call them who end day. Now, let's get to my guests. 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:53.200 Up first, a former colleague of mine more than twenty 0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:57.400 years ago at WTVHTV in Syracuse, New York, after we 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:01.600 both graduated from Syracuse University. Now you can watch him 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:06.480 for seven hours every Sunday during the NFL season. He 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:09.799 is the man who made your TV remote obsolete on 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:15.240 NFL Sundays, the indefatigable host of NFL Red Zone. My 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.960 friend Scott Hanson. So Scott, the Bengals and Vikings gave 0:02:19.000 --> 0:02:23.359 you the perfect NFL Red Zone game last Sunday. Well, 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:25.639 first of all, to the one and only Dan Hoore, 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:29.440 the man who helped usher me in to this crazy 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:32.919 business that is sports broadcasting. Hello, and good to see 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.360 your old friend. Yeah, they provided the greatest Red Zone 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:40.040 game of the week for us in a couple of regards. 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:43.280 One drama on the field, of course, and a toss 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:45.720 up game in overtime. But you might not have thought 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:50.000 about this. We had nine games in the one o'clock 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:55.320 Eastern window. Okay, we had four games in the four 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:59.079 o'clock Eastern window, but this week, Week one, they were 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:03.680 all four twenty five Eastern kickoffs, meaning we were We 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:05.520 went into the show thinking there's gonna be like a 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:08.919 twenty minute gap when these games end at four o'clock. 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:11.080 There's gonna be twenty to twenty five minutes that we're 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:14.839 gonna have to fill of like dead space, and old Boy, 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:17.079 the Bengals and Vikings when they got going and when 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:19.480 they we couldn't decide a winner, we were like, we 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:22.120 just need one to go to overtime. The whole NFL 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:27.040 Red Zone crew was cheering for it, and yeah, y'all delivered, 0:03:27.160 --> 0:03:30.079 and especially by the way, this is inside information here 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:34.800 our coordinating producer, our our top producer on the entire show. 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:40.240 Die hard Bengals fan. Alan Flowers is his name. We 0:03:40.360 --> 0:03:45.040 call him Flow and he runs the show and he 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:47.880 loves himself some Bengals, so he was he was thrilled 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:52.680 that overtime and a Bengals victory. Shout out to Alan Flowers. 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:56.280 It's good to know well represented a NFL headquarters. We're 0:03:56.320 --> 0:03:58.800 chatting with Scott Hanson, the host of NFL Red Zone. 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:01.680 You can follow him on Twitter at Scott Hansen. So 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:04.000 you are a college athlete, you're on the football team 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:09.040 at Syracuse. How physically taxing is seven hours of commercial 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:13.680 free football? It actually is. I will I try and 0:04:13.760 --> 0:04:16.200 keep myself in good shape. I'm fifty years old now, 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:18.640 try and keep myself in good shape, keep my energy 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:23.520 high and whatnot. I'll be doing like Cardio in May 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:27.680 or June. And I literally think this is for this 0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:30.960 is for the late the last hour of NFL reds 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:35.840 pushed through because I want to have energy and enthusiasm 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:41.320 commensurate with the action in the last hour like I 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:45.200 did the first hour. Because my form of sportscasting is 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:50.560 everything I do is usually a big highlight that someone 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:55.040 is living or dying with, either in reality football, rooting 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:58.679 for their favorite NFL team, or in fantasy football because 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:01.240 their guy just scored a touchdown or their opponent just 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:04.400 scored a touchdown or drop the pass or gave up something. 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:07.240 So I try and have that energy all the way 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:09.919 through and Dan, at the end of the show, I 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:14.560 legitimately am fried. I am fried. I take my earpiece 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:17.120 out of my left ear because I only have one 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:19.240 earpiece in so I take it out of my left ear. 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:22.520 And because there's been stimulus in my left side of 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:26.680 my brain for seven straight hours, I pull that earpiece 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:30.040 out and I almost lose my balance, no joke, because 0:05:30.240 --> 0:05:33.320 it's so it's so constant. But hey, I just like, 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:35.560 just like your favorite NFL players, I try to give 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:39.039 you everything I've got on an NFL Sunday, and you succeed. 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:41.480 So when you're not working and you're watching Monday night 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:44.760 football or Thursday Night football or a college game on Saturday, 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:48.920 can you watch one game without having all of the 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:52.560 screens going yeah, yes and no. So as you and 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:55.760 I are speaking, we were coming off the heels of 0:05:55.800 --> 0:06:02.520 the spectacular Ravens Ravens Raiders Monday Night game. And I 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:08.520 actually have five TVs on my media wall, which I 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:10.640 know some people are listening to this, but if there's 0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:12.600 people that can see the camera, let me just turn 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:16.480 the camera here. There's my media wall is over my shoulder. 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:18.520 It might not look big, but that's a seventy inch 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:23.760 screen surrounded by four fifty inch screens. And for Monday 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:27.359 Night football, I had the Monday Night broadcast on the 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:32.719 main screen. Then I put the Peyton and Eli simulcast 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:35.799 broadcast that people are talking about on one of the screens. 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:38.919 I had NFL Network on another screen, and then I 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:41.120 had a movie on one more screen, and I had 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:46.039 a news network on another screen. So I guess my 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:49.360 brain is there's a groove cut into my brain that 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:54.119 I need multiple, multiple streams of stimulus to enjoy even 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.560 one football game. I thought the kitchen was good, the 0:06:57.600 --> 0:07:02.120 media wall is even better. We're talking to NFL Red 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:05.400 Zone host Scott Hanson. So NFL Red Zone started in 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:09.040 two thousand and nine. On Opening Day that year, your 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:12.880 first show, the Bengals are hosting the Denver Broncos. Cincinnati 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:15.400 scores with forty one seconds to go to take the lead. 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:19.880 Seven seconds later, a deflected pass winds up in the 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:22.960 hands of Brandon Stokely from the Broncos. He takes at 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:26.360 the distance eighty some yards to give Denver a dramatic win. 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:30.640 Did you know at that point this channel is going 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:35.840 to be gigantic. Yeah, that's an astute observation because and 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:39.680 that was the moment in week one of episode one 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:43.239 in season one for NFL Red Zone where we said, 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:46.240 this is going to change the way people watch football. 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:50.400 Because keep in mind, they were on the negative side 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:52.480 of the fifty yard line. But we cut to that 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:55.360 game and caught lightning at a bottle at that moment 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:58.800 in a way that previously football fans were not able 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:02.040 to see that not lie, not in real time, right, 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:04.400 And when we cut to it and the past one 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:07.640 in the air, and Gus Johnson was broadcasting the game too, 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:10.400 and he always throws a little extra verve into his 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:14.440 play by play calls, we were like, Wow, this is 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:17.280 we have seen the light. This is going to change 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:20.440 the way people watch football. And there's not a week 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:24.760 that goes by in football season that someone doesn't tweet 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:29.040 me or message me, or bump into me somewhere and say, hey, Scott, 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:31.800 NFL red zone has changed the way I watched football. 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:35.360 It's very gratifying. So let's talk about the twenty twenty 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.480 one Bengals. What are your impressions of Joe Burrow one 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:42.160 game into a second season, let's go. I mean, I 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:45.439 figured I liked what wasn't to like prior to the 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:48.160 knee injury. He was throwing for about three hundred yards 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:51.040 a game, right, And granted they had been trailing in 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:53.319 games and whatnot, and Mixon had missed some time in 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:56.199 the offensive line was kind of a mess shuffling guys 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.360 in and out for a while, but he was able 0:08:58.360 --> 0:09:00.640 to have success in his rookie See, he's in clearly 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:04.400 the hardest season for a quarterback to have success. And 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:08.040 I don't know him personally, but looking at him from 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.800 the outside, I figured he would attack his rehab in 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:14.600 a way that he has that energy and enthusiasm for 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:17.320 sixty minutes on an NFL Sunday, So I figured he 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:20.160 would come back strong. I didn't know he would quite 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:22.280 perform the way that he did in Week one, but 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:25.960 I did really believe that the diversified weapons that the 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:30.040 Bengals have, specifically on the outside, I don't think. I 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:33.839 think you're gonna have seventeen games this year where the 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:38.800 three main wide receivers could go one after another. Oh, 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:41.600 Higgins leads the yard, it leads in yards this week, 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:45.280 Chase leads it in this week. And I thought Tyler Boyd, 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:46.760 who was going to be the guy, maybe he might 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:48.680 end up with the best statistical numbers at the end 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:52.040 of the season. So for defenses facing the Bengals this year, 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:54.200 and if Burrow is on and sharp as he was 0:09:54.240 --> 0:09:56.720 in Week one, it's gonna be like trying to stop 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:59.480 water with your fingers. You know, you can get some 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:01.000 of it, You're not going to get all of it. 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:03.439 What else caught your eye in the Week one went 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:06.240 over the Vikings. They were able to close the deal 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:09.640 when it looked like maybe previous Bengals teams might not 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:11.520 have been able to do. Now they caught a little 0:10:11.520 --> 0:10:13.160 bit of a break, but they also forced some of 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:15.840 the breaks that they capitalized on. Right, But you've been 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:17.800 around the team longer than I have. We've both been 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:22.000 watching obviously for years decades. But that's the type of 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:26.480 game where some Bengals fans were probably like, here we 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:30.440 go again, Right, we had this thing. We had it 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:33.040 and we're giving it away again and all of that, 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:35.560 and they didn't. They found a way they closed it out. 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:37.640 So that was something that would if I was a 0:10:37.640 --> 0:10:39.640 Bengals fan, that was something that would give me hope 0:10:39.679 --> 0:10:42.360 going forward. We are talking to Scott Hanson, the host 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:45.440 of NFL Red Zone, So Bengals fans are obviously hoping 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:47.400 this is the year that the team can take a 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:50.200 quantum leap forward. Do you have a key or a 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:52.760 couple of keys for what you think will help the 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:56.240 Bengals improve this year. Balance on offense, and we just 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:59.560 talked about the wide receivers. That's balance within the passing game. 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:02.559 But if Joe Mixon can beat Joe Mixon, and if 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:04.920 he gets this rhythm with the offensive line where they 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:07.839 can get ahead of the sticks, oh, play action is 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:11.160 going to be lethal. Lethal. You got three guys they 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:14.640 could get behind many safeties in the league. And if 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:16.480 they've got to creep up a little bit more, if 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:18.839 Mixon's running at four and a half yards a clip 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:21.680 or something you know somewhere around there and is gashing 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:24.480 occasionally where they've got to commit more to the box, 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:28.880 there's no reason to think that the Bengals could not 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:34.800 be a top top twelve, top ten scoring offense this year. 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:39.240 And then it goes to get a lead, play opportunistic defense, 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:43.120 get some sacks, create some turnovers, and that's a winning formula. 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:45.880 In the NFL. It's gonna be a it's a brutal division, 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:49.640 though we all know the division is brutal, no question, 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:51.600 but great call with Joe. He is leading the NFL 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:54.840 and rushing through Week one. So this week the Bengals 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:58.440 head to Chicago be reunited with Andy Dalton as he 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:01.160 starts for the Chicago Bear. What are a couple of 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:03.640 things that you're interested about in that matchup? Well, I 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:06.080 wish that game was in Cincinnati, first of all, because 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:09.000 it would be pretty fascinating to watch. We've already seen 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:12.360 quarterbacks going against their old teams and whatnot. Sam Darnold 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:15.280 with the with the Panthers just this first week against 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:20.760 the Jets. I think this I was at So I'm 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:24.400 talking to you from Los Angeles, where NFL Media is headquartered, 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:27.040 and I live and work out here, and I went 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:30.079 to the Rams game on Sunday night. After red zone. 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:33.040 I wasn't tired of football, so I went back to it, 0:12:33.040 --> 0:12:35.440 and he got three more hours of football after the 0:12:35.440 --> 0:12:37.560 seven hours of red zone. And I went to the 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:40.559 Rams Bears game in person. All you all watched it 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:46.880 on TV. The Bears defense can get got deep, right Stafford. 0:12:46.920 --> 0:12:50.000 Had he hit the two deep shots that were both touchdowns, 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:52.360 there were other passes that were that were there to 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:54.600 be made. And it goes back to what I was 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:57.560 just telling you hit him up front, hit him with 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:01.520 some mix and make them respect the run and burrow 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:04.240 with some play action and pick one of those wide 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:07.120 receivers is going to be on their third defensive back right, 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:11.920 And like I would expect at this point to see 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:16.120 a fifty yard bomb be there for the Bengals. Whether 0:13:16.200 --> 0:13:18.280 or not they hit it, it's going to be there, 0:13:18.480 --> 0:13:20.560 and that could be a determining factor as to whether 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:22.679 or not it's a win or a loss. If you're 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:25.040 able to score seven points on that and not have 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:29.080 to go on an eleven play drive, I hope to 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:32.280 call it. Be ready. You're gonna have to hit a 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:34.800 lot of high notes this year, or you're gonna have 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:37.880 to hit hit a lot of those big plays. High 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:42.040 vocal chords are ready. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:45.080 by bud Light Seltzer. It's light and refreshing with a 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:48.720 hint of fruit flavor. And last week's win over the Vikings, 0:13:48.720 --> 0:13:52.240 Evan McPherson became the youngest player in NFL history to 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.839 kick a game winning field goal in overtime. I spend 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:59.880 five minutes with Mick Fearless this week discussing his debut 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:05.040 and potential nicknames Evan. As soon as c j Uzama 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:08.760 made that fourth down catch, we all knew it was 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:11.240 going to come down to a game winning field goal attempt. 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:13.920 I went back and timed it. You had two minutes 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.199 and forty seconds to think about it. Did the butterflies 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:20.520 start to get big? No, I wouldn't say the butterflies 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:23.280 really started to get big. I was super confident and 0:14:24.200 --> 0:14:26.080 walking out there about the field goal. I felt really 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:29.120 good about it, and I knew if I just I guess, 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:30.800 put a good stroke on it, hit it well, that 0:14:31.400 --> 0:14:33.880 there's a really good chance it was going through. So 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:35.880 you said after the game you had never had a 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:39.480 game ending field goal attempt before, But how many times 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:42.200 did you practice that? How many times have you done that? 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:44.800 Three to one? Thing? In your mind? No, I mean 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:47.880 I think that's something that every kicker does at least 0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:51.240 once every I guess practice session. You could say your 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:54.280 last kick is a quote unquote game winner in your mind. 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:58.080 So I've done that probably, yeah, probably thousands of times 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:02.360 over I guess my time kicking. You wore a watch 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:05.440 in training camp that measured your heart rate. What did 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:08.720 you learn and has it been helpful? Yeah, No, it's 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:12.720 been super helpful. Um, I learned that early during training camp. 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:16.760 It was kind of high, which I felt like was 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:19.400 hard for me to perform to the best my ability. 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:26.240 And so just feeling that, knowing whenever it's rising and 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:31.120 just kind of taking a couple of deep breaths, just 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:33.720 whenever I feel it kind of rising, and just lowering 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:36.480 them back down and and just I guess you could 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:40.000 say thinging happy thoughts or or thinking back to to 0:15:40.160 --> 0:15:42.360 field goals that I've made, you know, either a couple 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:46.080 of minutes ago or in the last practice. Um, you 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:48.080 know I've done it before, so I know I can 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:50.040 do it. You know, in the moment we're talking to 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.640 rookie kicker having McPherson, so you make the kick and 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:56.200 fellow rookie Jackson Carmen hoist you in the air. Did 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:59.600 he catch you by surprise? And what was that moment? Like? Yeah, no, 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:02.320 I'd say you definitely caught me by surprise, UM a 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:05.920 little bit, and uh that moment was surreal, and uh 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:09.360 it's definitely one that I won't forget. UM, just to 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:12.480 be putting out up our position. UM. I'm just super 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:16.920 thankful and grateful for this team and organization to U 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:21.360 to trust me, U to win the game. UM, And 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:24.320 you know, I just hope I can help this team 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:26.800 win a lot more games. UM, hopefully made to the 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:30.200 playoffs and and ultimately to the Super Bowl. I was 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:32.360 watching you during the pregame warm ups. You hit a 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:34.880 fifty seven yarder in the same direction that you hit 0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:37.400 the fifty three yarder in the game. Does stuff like 0:16:37.480 --> 0:16:40.800 that matter? Yeah? I mean I think it definitely matters 0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:44.280 in pre game just seeing your limits and obviously testing 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:47.280 the wins in both directions. UM. I knew with the 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.040 fifty three yarder, I was at the win kind of 0:16:50.040 --> 0:16:52.640 behind my back, um, and with the game winner on 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.120 us a little into it, so it just kind of 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:57.920 hit it pure and I was gonna fly straight. So 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:01.120 I was at a University of Incinnati practice a few 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:03.720 weeks ago, and they're kicker. Cole Smith came running up 0:17:03.760 --> 0:17:06.360 to me all excited because he noticed the in your 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:09.400 first preseason game, on your first field goal forty yards 0:17:09.440 --> 0:17:11.440 or at Tampa Bay, you kick the ball over the 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:15.399 net behind the goal post. And he said, in his words, 0:17:15.800 --> 0:17:21.800 that's next level, dude. What was that like? And was 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.720 the equipment staff annoyed that you cost him a ball? Honestly, 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:27.959 I didn't know it went over the net until Um 0:17:29.240 --> 0:17:31.639 Trunk came up to me. It's like, you know, you're like, 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:36.280 you lost the k one ball or our one ball. 0:17:36.440 --> 0:17:37.760 And I was like, how, He's like, it went over 0:17:37.800 --> 0:17:40.000 the net, so you can't get it back. No, the 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:42.680 fans just take it, um, And so we we were 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:44.760 down the ball that game and it was pretty funny. 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:49.560 But um no, yeah, I mean just knowing that I 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:53.360 hit a really good ball, UM, I think that, uh, 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:55.600 you know, hitting over the net is not out of 0:17:55.640 --> 0:18:00.640 the question for me. So let's review your first NFL game. 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:03.800 Youngest kicker in NFL history to boot a game winning 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:06.960 field goal and overtime, you received a game ball. You 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.640 were named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:12.960 That's a pretty good debut. Yeah it's not bad. Um, 0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:15.439 Like I said, I'm super I guess, blessed and thankful 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:17.680 to be a part of this team and just the 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:21.400 position that they put me in and the games and 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:24.440 and just knowing I have great guys you know that 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:27.760 have my back whether I make it or miss it. Um, 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:30.560 I know that you know, they're they're always going to 0:18:30.640 --> 0:18:33.560 be there right right there for me. And um, yeah, 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:36.280 I mean I'm just super excited of how my career started. 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.480 And you know that really means nothing. Now. Um, you know, 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:42.360 we're onto Chicago and um, you know, we just got 0:18:42.359 --> 0:18:44.160 to go in and repeat the same thing we did 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:47.680 against Minnesota last thing. There seems to be an obsession 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:50.919 among Bengals fans with coming up with the best nickname 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:57.159 for you haf An, Almighty mc, fearless, Kick Fearson, Money, 0:18:57.200 --> 0:19:01.840 mick any thoughts. I think all the all the nicknames 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:05.440 are pretty catchy, pretty funny, and it's made me think 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.520 a lot about, you know, maybe coming out with a 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:11.760 merch line, you know, maybe with T shirts with some 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:14.159 nicknames on it, and maybe the fans would like that. 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:17.080 We'll see, um, maybe something maybe we can work on 0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:19.640 that and get those kind of pushed out to everybody. 0:19:19.680 --> 0:19:22.960 But no, I think all the nicknames have been pretty 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:26.520 unique and funny. I was bummed I didn't come up 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:28.879 with nick fearless. That would have been perfect. After the 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:32.320 game winning catch a kick rather, congratulations on a great start, 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:35.920 best of luck this week. Yeah, thank you. By the way, 0:19:36.000 --> 0:19:38.240 the kicker that Evan beat out for the starting job 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:42.240 in Cincinnati, Austin Seibert, is kicking for the Detroit Lions. 0:19:42.560 --> 0:19:45.160 He went one for two in Week one, hitting from 0:19:45.200 --> 0:19:49.480 forty nine yards but missing from fifty one. Now time 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:51.800 to discuss some of the key storylines heading into Week 0:19:51.840 --> 0:19:55.840 two with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham lap Let's start 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:58.880 with the news of the day on Wednesday. Safety Ricardo 0:19:58.920 --> 0:20:01.400 Allen suffered a hand in last Sunday. He is going 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:03.520 to go on ir He'll be out for at least 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:07.480 three weeks. He's the third safety, so you wouldn't think 0:20:07.520 --> 0:20:10.280 that would be a huge loss. But he played twenty 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.080 one snaps ad safety last week. He played nineteen on 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:15.960 special teams. He had five tackles. He was actually the 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:19.200 Bengal's highest graded defensive player according to Pro Football Focus, 0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:22.280 So how big of a loss, is it? I think 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:24.320 it's I think it's a loss. I think I think 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:26.560 it hurts him. And there's a trickle down effect, a 0:20:26.640 --> 0:20:29.880 ripple effect in that, you know, they decided to bring 0:20:29.920 --> 0:20:32.159 up Trent Irwin at this point from the practice squad, 0:20:32.160 --> 0:20:37.160 which kind of puts the balance of the player distribution 0:20:37.240 --> 0:20:39.560 out of whack a little bit. Too many receivers, too 0:20:39.600 --> 0:20:43.080 few in the secondary, and that means Brandon Wilson. I 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:46.000 think Darren Simmons is thinking, you know, well, if if 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:47.920 he's going to go on ir Brandon Wilson's going to 0:20:47.960 --> 0:20:50.439 be playing some more safety, how much can I use 0:20:50.520 --> 0:20:53.720 him as a returner? Trent Irwin has done some return work, 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:56.680 so maybe he's just kind of leveraging that a little bit. 0:20:57.440 --> 0:21:00.440 But they also brought Sean Davis onto the practice squad, 0:21:00.960 --> 0:21:03.320 originally a second round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, So 0:21:03.440 --> 0:21:07.359 maybe the roster manipulation hasn't ended yet. But I think 0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:10.720 they're trying to figure out how they're gonna handle that. 0:21:10.720 --> 0:21:13.199 That loster Ricardo Allen, he's got a little bit of 0:21:13.200 --> 0:21:15.480 a hamstring issue. He had it at training camp as well, 0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:18.720 and exacerbated the problem on top of the hand, So 0:21:18.880 --> 0:21:21.640 you have three weeks now to get that hamstring taken 0:21:21.680 --> 0:21:24.600 care of and squared away. So the hand and the hamstring. 0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:26.720 But he's got more problems than run over dog right now. 0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:30.119 Tray Von Henderson is also a practice squad option, a 0:21:30.160 --> 0:21:32.600 guy who played pretty well in the preseason at safety. 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:36.560 No question yep's he would have been. You know, you'd 0:21:36.600 --> 0:21:40.200 think logically, well, you know, just one for one Trayvon Hempson, 0:21:40.520 --> 0:21:42.640 and who knows it may end up how it's gonna 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:47.359 what's going to be the final roster configuration, you know, 0:21:47.400 --> 0:21:51.560 going into the Chicago Bears game. But like you said, Ricardo, 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:55.119 Allen is lu and Ruma loves him in terms of 0:21:55.280 --> 0:21:58.040 not only is play on the field, in terms of 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:00.440 how hard he plays and effrety gives and all that, 0:22:00.520 --> 0:22:03.840