WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: One More Last Chance 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:04.600 Hi, get everybody. 0:00:04.640 --> 0:00:08.280 I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:14.680 The Gimmages one more last chance addition, as the Bengals 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:18.560 hope that everything falls just right on the final weekend 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:22.000 of the season, beginning with a win over Pittsburgh on 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:26.479 Saturday night. Coming up, I'll talk to Boomer about Burrow. 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:29.440 My one on one player interview is with Ted Krris 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:32.559 and in this week's Know the Faux Conversation, we'll get 0:00:32.560 --> 0:00:35.600 an in depth look at the Steelers from the radio 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:39.280 voice Rob King. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:41.879 you by pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals official 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:46.800 hr software provider, by Ulta Fiber future proof fiber Internet 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:49.879 designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:53.680 new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for 0:00:53.720 --> 0:00:57.680 the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider. 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:58.240 Of the Bengals. 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:00.840 Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the 0:01:00.920 --> 0:01:04.840 latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:09.200 or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:14.200 the greatest thing since Second Win. The Boomer and Gunner 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:17.880 assiasin story that's the name of a film. The debut 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:21.240 on Christmas Eve on ESPN and can now be seen 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:28.760 on ESPN Plus. The film is beautiful, moving, joyous, and inspirational, 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:31.959 and it's one of the things I discussed with my 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:36.679 first guest on this episode. With all of this Joe 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:39.760 Burrow MVP talk, it is the perfect time to catch 0:01:39.840 --> 0:01:44.160 up with the bengals last most Valuable Player, Boomer Assiasin Boomer, 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:47.520 your MVP season was your fifth year in the NFL. 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.480 This is Joe Burrow's fifth year in the NFL. What 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:53.520 do you find remarkable about what he's been doing this year? 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:56.160 Seems like he's been around a hell of a lot 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:57.120 longer than five years. 0:01:57.160 --> 0:01:58.120 I can tell you that. 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:01.600 He's already jem packed in an entire career into those 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:06.600 five years. You know, I think his growth, his leadership. 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:08.720 You know, he's kind of an odd duck a little bit, 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:12.800 which I like, he's his own person, But you know, 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:16.720 you can't deny the historical things that he is doing 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:19.640 and he's accomplishing. I mean, he's on the cusp of 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:22.720 doing something only Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have done, 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:25.679 and that's forty five hundred yards forty touchdowns in less 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:29.520 than ten interceptions in a season, and I would say 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:32.000 to you, in a normal season, that would be the 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:35.720 runaway MVP numbers, and nobody would have a problem voting 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:38.919 for them. Unfortunately for them, because they're not in the playoffs, 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:41.160 because they're not winning their division, because they have to 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.959 hang on here at the end, he's probably going to 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:47.079 get less votes because of that. I think there will 0:02:47.120 --> 0:02:48.960 be some people that do vote for him. I no 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:50.880 longer have a vote, by the way, I gave that 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:55.160 up this year. I would say that Lamar Jackson and 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:57.840 Josh Allen right now have to be one A and 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:01.000 one B, and depending on what happens here the last 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:03.880 week of the season, maybe Lamar there was something even 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:06.600 more historical and throws for over four thousand or uns 0:03:06.600 --> 0:03:09.560 for over eight hundred yards, which is just insane, and 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:13.079 also throws for over forty touchdowns and has less than 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:14.400 five the interceptions. 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:16.200 I'm a broadcaster. 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:18.480 I've got a healthy ego, like a lot of people 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:21.160 in the business, but they're a handful of broadcasters boom 0:03:21.200 --> 0:03:23.560 or where. I say, you know what, I'm good, but 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:25.320 I'm not that good. 0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:28.600 You had a phenomenal fourteen year NFL career. 0:03:28.600 --> 0:03:30.919 But is there anything about Joe where you say, man, 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:34.000 I could have never done that or I didn't have that. 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:36.720 Well, you know, first of all, they play in a 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:39.440 different euro and the rules are different. So the one 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:41.600 thing or the three things, I'll say that I didn't 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:45.240 really have the benefit of or defensive holding, illegal contact, 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:48.720 and protecting the quarterback. So I didn't have those things 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:50.920 going for me back in the day. And the game 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:55.280 has changed, but nonetheless it's still extremely physical. You've got 0:03:55.280 --> 0:03:57.920 to be cerebraled, you got to be a leader, you 0:03:57.960 --> 0:03:58.760 got to stand tall. 0:03:59.520 --> 0:03:59.720 You know. 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:03.920 Actually, I wish that Joe had a top ten defense, 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.720 I really do. I mean, Patrick Mahomes has had that, 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:09.280 and you could see that they can win without having 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:12.080 to score thirty points or more a game. So the 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:14.800 thing that's remarkable to me is this run that Joe 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:17.680 is on. It's unprecedented when you think about it, when 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:20.360 you're talking about the amount of yards, the amount of touchdowns. 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:23.159 Now all of a sudden, the winning is starting to happen. 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:27.120 You know, I just think that there are things that 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:29.160 he does on the field that nobody else in the 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:33.479 NFL is capable of doing. But you can't match numbers 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:35.800 when it comes to just statistics when you're talking about 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:38.440 things like that. But he does more than numbers, and 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:40.719 you know his ability to spread it around. I know 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:42.880 that Jamar is his favorite, but you know he does 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:46.520 not mind getting everybody else involved. And you know you 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:50.080 can see on this Hard Knocks AFC North how in 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:52.320 control of the team is, how he is the leader, 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:54.800 how everybody loves poking fun at him. He pokes fun 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.839 at everybody else. So you know, those are all the 0:04:57.880 --> 0:04:59.560 great things that I see. And those are the things, 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:02.479 by the way, Dan, that I expected five years ago 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:04.480 before they drafted him, And I think you and I 0:05:04.560 --> 0:05:06.839 probably had a discussion about whether or not he was 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.279 going to be the number one overall pick. I remember 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:11.760 telling Jeff Hopson, I mean, look, how could he not 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:13.960 be the number one overall pick? And he should go 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:16.800 on to have a Hall of Fame career, And those 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:19.800 were the expectations that I had for him five years ago. 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:23.160 I can imagine that Mike Brown and everybody in Bengaledon 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:25.080 probably had the same feelings that I did. 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:29.920 Boomer, you were never shy about expressing your opinion in 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:32.599 your playing days, and Joe has been a little more 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:35.240 direct recently, expressing some of the things he would like 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:36.480 to see going forward. 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:38.080 Do you like that when you hear. 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:40.800 It, I just be careful about it. I mean, I 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:43.200 want him to be the quarterback that he is. You know, 0:05:43.279 --> 0:05:45.760 they need help, and they need help on defense in 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:49.480 the offseason. Regardless of what happens this year, maybe somehow 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.719 they get in. Maybe the Dolphins lose to the Jets, 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:55.080 maybe the Broncos lose to the Chiefs, both probably playing 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:58.680 backup quarterback. So the likely scenario is that that's not 0:05:58.760 --> 0:06:01.919 going to happen. That the Bengals won't make it, unfortunately. 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:04.760 But this offseason, when I look at it, it's not 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:08.440 about offense. It's never been about offense since he got there. 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:10.920 Maybe about the offensive line early on, and didn't play 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:13.039 with a great offensive line in the Super Bowl against 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:16.680 the Rams and almost won the game despite that, but 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.000 then at the end it came to fruition where Aaron 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:21.320 Donalds won the game for the Rams late in that game. 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:24.920 But I just think that if they could somehow get 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.279 in the top ten defensively like the Chiefs are, then 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.039 Joe may not be putting up these gaudy numbers as much, 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:32.919 but he won't be asked to do so much, and 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:35.040 maybe he'll last a hell of a lot longer. So 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:39.400 I just I hope for him that the team becomes 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:43.040 more balanced and somehow, some way he can win a 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:46.960 game twenty one to nineteen or seventeen to fourteen, if 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:48.040 it ever came down to that. 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:53.839 Does that make you reluctant to extend both wide receivers. 0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:56.320 I don't see how you can. Your quarterback's making fifty 0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:59.479 five million dollars a year, Jamar Chase will be the 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:03.080 highest paid wide receiver in football. So he will eclipse 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:06.600 Justin Jefferson, and he deserves to. I mean, you know, 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:09.400 I see a lot of stuff on X and I 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:11.000 see a lot of people posting, and every now and 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:12.960 then I'll get involved and people get mad at me 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:15.840 because you know, they want T Higgins or Jamar Chase 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:19.040 to take less money and try to keep everybody together. 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:21.280 I mean, in this day and age, in the cap 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:23.680 and the amount of money that is being spent, you 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:26.000 can't do it that way anymore. So you got to 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:30.160 be really judicious about who you're paying, how much you're 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:33.120 paying them, what you're paying them. In signing bonuses. You know, 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:35.920 the Browns are dealing with Deshaun Watson and maybe the 0:07:36.080 --> 0:07:39.560 dumbest move in the history of the NFL. I think 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:41.760 t Higgins deserves to be paid. I think he's a 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:44.560 number one receiver. I think there are a number teams 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:46.680 out there that would love to give him a four year, 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:50.760 probably thirty to maybe thirty one hundred and twenty million 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:54.400 dollar contract with about sixty million guaranteed. And why should 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:57.920 he expect less or take less because nobody else is 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:01.880 And quite frankly, if if you're a part of the NFLPA, 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:05.080 which they all are, their job is to eclipse the 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.880 guy that's in front of them when they are worthy 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:10.840 of it. And that's exactly what Jamar Chase's situation is 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:14.200 right now. So ninety million dollars to a quarterback wide 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:17.480 receiver tandem, that's a lot of money when it comes 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:19.480 to the salary cap in the NFL these days. 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:23.240 Let's specifically talk about Jamar. He hasn't even turned twenty 0:08:23.280 --> 0:08:26.680 five yet he's having a historically great season. Of the 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:29.640 guys that you threw to and you've watched since, what's 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:31.000 unique about Jamar. 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:35.360 His length, first and foremost combined with his speed, so 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:38.320 he also has an awareness on the football field. So 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:41.280 the closest guy I had was Eddie Brown. Eddie Brown 0:08:41.440 --> 0:08:44.760 was not nearly as big as Jamar is, but he 0:08:44.800 --> 0:08:47.280 had an innate ability to understand where he was on 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:49.680 the field, and no matter where you threw the ball, 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:51.280 there was always the thought that he was going to 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:53.720 take it to the house. So those are the little 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:55.960 intangible things that you know. You don't know until you 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.240 start playing and seeing a guy up close and personal, 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:00.880 you know what kind of player they are are. You know, 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:04.040 Chris and Tim McGee, Chris Comsworth and Tim McGee, they 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:07.520 were straight line runners, great route runners. They could separate 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:10.160 at the top of their routes. Jamar can do that. 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:13.959 But Jamar is a freak athlete and he's got enormous hands, 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:17.199 so he very rarely ever drops the ball. That's why 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:19.120 when he drops the ball, you're like, oh my god, 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:21.520 I can't believe he just dropped the ball. So and 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:25.720 the combination and you know, the collection of playmakers that 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:29.280 they have on the offense being orchestrated by Joe, it's 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:30.840 just it's fun to watch. 0:09:30.880 --> 0:09:32.160 I mean, Paul. 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:34.720 Brown Stadium, all the orange and black the way it looks, 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:37.960 the way the uniforms look, the helmet looks. It's great 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:40.560 to watch it up close and personal. It's just a 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:42.760 shame that I don't I just unfortunately, I don't think 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:43.800 they're going to make the playoffs. 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.000 Man, Well, let's talk about the first thing they need 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:48.520 to do, and that is beat Pittsburgh on Saturday night. 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.120 The Steelers won the first meeting forty four to thirty eight. 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:53.920 The Bengals haven't lost the game since. What do they 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:56.319 have to do to beat them in Pittsburgh on Saturday? 0:09:57.400 --> 0:10:01.880 So Joe's throwing fourteen interceptions against this defense. They were 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:03.920 a pain in the ass when I played. They're a 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:06.320 pain in the ass to Lamar Jackson, and they seem 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:08.160 to be a pain in the ass that Joe Burrow. 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:09.839 But the last couple of times he's throwing for over 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:12.600 three hundred yards against them. I would suspect it's going 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:15.160 to be that type of game again. But unfortunately for 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:18.040 the Steelers, you know, they've lost three in a row now, 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:19.720 or maybe even four in a row. I mean, they 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:23.880 are going off a cliff. I expect another probably twenty 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.880 seven to twenty four, thirty twenty seven type of game. 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:29.360 I would think the team that has the ball last 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:31.560 is going to have a chance to kick a game 0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:34.920 winning field goal. And I would remind Zach Taylor, do 0:10:35.080 --> 0:10:37.320 not give the other team an opportunity at the end 0:10:37.360 --> 0:10:40.480 of the first the end of the game regulation to 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:43.079 beat your defense because you have to protect them because 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:46.520 they need protecting. So you know, managing the clock will 0:10:46.559 --> 0:10:48.880 be important once again, as it always is in every 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:51.760 game when it's close late in late in the game. 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:55.719 If the Bengals win on Saturday, they can kick back 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:59.280 on Sunday afternoon and hope for help from Kansas City 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:02.120 and from the Jets. Give me a scenario where those 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:03.240 two upsets happen. 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.920 I think both maybe playing with backup quarterbacks. Tyler Huntley 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:10.280 could be going for Miami. They're saying Tool wants to play, 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:11.959 but you know he's got the hip injury, so I 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:13.320 don't know if they're going to put him out there 0:11:13.320 --> 0:11:15.880 in a meaning well, it's not meaningless for that. Of course, 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.920 the Jets are a basket case. They were awful last 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:22.600 week in Buffalo, but this is the NFL. That doesn't 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:25.560 mean anything. You know, Aaron Rodgers wants this five hundred 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:28.760 touchdown pass he'd like to throw to Devonte Adams. They 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:31.680 would like nothing better than to ruin the Miami Dolphins 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:35.199 hopes for a playoff themselves, which I don't think is 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:38.040 going to happen because I maybe Carson Wentz beats Denver 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:40.199 in Denver, I'm not sure that could happen, I guess, 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:43.280 and I know Carson is auditioning for other teams for 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:46.600 next year. So I think it would have to take 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:50.200 a great performance by Carson Wentz in Kansas City to 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:52.760 beat Denver. And then I think it would also have 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:57.080 to take a big performance by Aaron Rodgers thinking maybe 0:11:57.120 --> 0:11:59.640 this is my last game of my career and I 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:02.880 want to while winning a meaningless game. So I think 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:04.800 that's what it would take. It reminds me in nineteen 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:07.080 eighty six, we won our final game. We got the 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:10.120 ten and six, and I think we needed the Dolphins 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:13.120 to beat the Patriots or the Patriots to beat the Dolphins. 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:14.880 One of those two teams had to win on Monday 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.840 Night football, And I remember me and Chris sitting at 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:21.040 the waterfront. We were on Monday Night Football sitting there 0:12:21.559 --> 0:12:25.520 watching this game and unfortunately and ended in disappointment for us. 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:27.480 But we did have a good year, and it spring 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:30.080 It was a springboard that ultimately got us to the 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:31.040 super Bowl in eighty eight. 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:36.840 Boomer on Christmas Eve, ESPN aired a film named Second Wind, 0:12:37.120 --> 0:12:41.280 the Boomer and Gunner asiasin story. I was floored. I 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:45.640 was literally moved to tears. That is your family's life 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:48.160 story up on the screen. How did you feel about 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:49.040 the way it turned out? 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:53.199 It was amazing. I had a sneak preview, so I 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.640 was ready for it when they played it. And what 0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:59.560 I'm glad about is that it really told Gunner's story 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:02.080 and how he has grown into a young man who's 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:06.440 a bother and a husband himself. He's remarkable, he's got 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.880 his own job, he's doing exceptionally well, and his whole 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.840 life turned around with a miracle drug in twenty and eighteen. 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:16.920 I have been praying ever since he was diagnosed that somehow, someway, 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:19.480 we could be a part of something really, really special. 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:22.800 And in twenty and eighteen it happened. And from twenty 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:26.719 and eighteen to twenty twenty four, he's gotten married, he's 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:29.720 gotten two MBAs, he's got a job up in Boston, 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.520 he's got two kids. There are his kids. He's the 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.560 biological father. They went through IVF. He went through the 0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:38.440 needle to the testicle's root, because that's the way you 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:42.240 have to go if you are a CF father. And 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:45.720 I have a grandson and a granddaughter. So it's my miracle, 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.800 it's my super Bowl. It's everything that I could have 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.440 hoped and prayed for. And I think they did such 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:54.160 a good job of capturing who Gunner is as a person, 0:13:54.720 --> 0:14:00.160 and then watching his wife Darcy speak about Gunner aid 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.560 me chills. So I had the same feelings most people had, 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:06.360 but even more impactful. If you can imagine that. 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:10.800 I thought I knew Gunner's story, but honestly, I didn't 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:14.400 realize how dire his health had become in his early 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:17.640 twenties until the discovery of the drug that you described. 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:21.080 How concerned were you during those years that he might 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:22.560 not make it much longer? 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:26.680 You know, it's the physical part of it was apparent us, 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:30.000 you could see it. The mental part is the scary part, 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:32.520 because you don't see all the things that he's going through. 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:36.800 And you know, as a twenty two year old man 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:39.640 graduating from college and watching all of his friends go 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:42.400 off and live their lives, get their jobs, of their dreams, 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.960 and become successful young men themselves. It had to be 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:50.920 weighing on Gunner extremely heavily. And that was the thing 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:53.000 that I saw the most of You know, we could 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:55.680 deal with the physical stuff, but the mental stuff I 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:58.520 was scared about. And then when he met his girlfriend, 0:14:58.560 --> 0:15:03.560 then his wife, now his whole life changed because she 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:07.120 graduated from college in the mental health space and has 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:10.720 worked in the mental health space as a psychologist and a psychiatrist. 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:13.880 So she was the perfect person. Was like she was 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:16.680 sent from heaven. That's why I described her as the 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.760 angel that she is, because she got him out of 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:23.120 his doldrums, out of his depressed state, and gave him 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.160 a reason to live. And then when twenty and eighteen 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:28.120 came two years after I think it was two years 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.920 after they met, it was like, Okay, it's a rocket 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:33.320 ship blasting off, and we're going to do all of 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:36.120 this stuff and so much in such a quick period 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.320 of time that none of us really had a chance 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:41.840 to digest what was happening in front of our eyes. 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:44.000 And then when you sit down and you take stock 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:47.520 of all of it, you realize that later on in life, 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:51.160 she became the ultimate hero to who he has now become, 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:55.000 and they make an unbelievable pair of parents and Gunner 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:58.280 as a remarkable young man who is living his life 0:15:58.320 --> 0:15:58.840 to the fullest. 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:01.680 Now, I don't know a lot of people who have 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:05.720 changed the course of history. You have through the Boomer 0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:09.520 Assiasin Foundation. The money you raise toward research helped the 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:14.240 discovery of Trikafta, which has changed the lives of tens 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:16.880 of thousands of people. And fortunately it doesn't work for 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:21.080 every CF patient. Do you believe now, Boomer, that a 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.640 cure for CF will be discovered? 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:28.080 I think it's on the horizon for sure. And let 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:31.600 me just say this, This journey oft ourge started thirty 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.200 years ago. I had just become a New York Jet 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:36.160 and I think you over their shoulder you could see 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:39.520 the Sports Illustrated cover where it all started. And here 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:42.600 we are thirty years later. Gunner's thirty three. I'm sixty three. 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.040 Do you know how many people I asked to be 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:48.640 a part of our foundation? I mean thousands, from my 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:53.960 former teammates Chris Collinsworth and Stanford Jennings and my offensive 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:58.359 lines over the years, the coaches Sam Weisch, Bruce Cosled, 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.440 I can go on and on, companies like Cincinnati Bell 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:05.440 and my friend Jack Cassidy, Jeff Ruby from Ruby Steakhouse. 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:09.200 All these people gave a little bit, then they gave 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:11.680 some more, and then some more added up, and then 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:14.680 over the years, it's been about two hundred million dollars 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:17.040 of people that believed in the cause that I was 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:19.760 trying to sell them. And I felt like like a 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:24.000 college football coach dealing with boosters, you know, like, where's 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:26.119 the When are we going to win the national championship? 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:27.880 All right, we're getting there. We're getting there. Don't worry, 0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:29.399 but just give me some more money. I need some 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.960 more money. And when we finally hit it in twenty 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:36.040 and eighteen, you know, I sent out an email plass 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:39.439 thanking everybody that I possibly could that has been a 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:43.200 part of this incredible journey, including the families that went 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:47.240 before us that lost their loved ones assistic bibrosis, whose 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:50.000 parents are still involved in raising money from all over 0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:54.720 the country, and people that still use Cincinnati's Children's Pediatric 0:17:54.840 --> 0:17:58.480 Center that is named after Gunner, to the adult center 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:02.000 here at Columbia Presbyteria that's also named after Gunner. All 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:05.119 these institutions gave us the platform to be able to 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:09.040 really expand the patient base and make sure that we 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.080 had everything that we needed as we were going through 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:16.640 the investigated process, the research process, and I can't there's 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:18.960 not enough time in one day, or one year or 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:21.040 the rest of my life to thank all the people 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:24.200 that supported this fight. So I may be the face 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:27.359 of it. Gunner is a patient who has basically benefited 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:29.399 from it, but all those other people that were a 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:33.680 part of this long running saga that was cystic fibrosis 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:37.119 deserve a bow and deserve to take a thank you 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:39.640 for me and from all the parents that have had 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:40.600 their lives changed. 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:43.200 The film is Second Win. 0:18:43.320 --> 0:18:45.200 If you missed it on Christmas Eve, you can check 0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:48.919 it out on ESPN Plus and I strongly encourage you 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:49.640 to do so. 0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:52.680 It is an amazing story. Boomer. 0:18:52.720 --> 0:18:56.640 We always appreciate your time. Happy New Year, enjoy the grandkids, 0:18:57.080 --> 0:18:59.679 and we'll keep our fingers crossed that we're all watching 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:02.200 Bang playoff football in another week. 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:04.840 Wouldn't it be great if the Bengals had a second 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:06.840 win and made it to the playoffs this year. That 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:09.640 would be something that I could buy into. That would 0:19:09.640 --> 0:19:10.040 be great. 0:19:10.359 --> 0:19:14.800 Thanks Dan the boomerasiasin Foundation is raised somewhere in the 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:19.439 vicinity of two hundred million dollars to help people with 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:23.440 cystic fibrosis and to try to find a cure. As 0:19:23.480 --> 0:19:28.320 Boomer states in the film, money buys Science and science 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:32.000 buys life. If you would like to help, go to 0:19:32.200 --> 0:19:36.720 asiasin dot Org. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:39.400 you by pay Core, Proud to be the Bengals official 0:19:39.880 --> 0:19:44.120 hr software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:47.080 designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:50.800 new level, and by Kettering Health the best Care for 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:54.680 the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider. 0:19:54.520 --> 0:19:55.320 Of the Bengals. 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:58.600 Over the years, I have frequently referred to this week's 0:19:58.600 --> 0:20:05.000 opponent as the dreaded, hated, but grudgingly respected Pittsburgh Steelers. 0:20:05.520 --> 0:20:08.320 Let's face it, we wouldn't hate them if not for 0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:12.520 their historical success with six Super Bowl titles and their 0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:16.520 head to head success against the Bengals. Pittsburgh has won 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:20.520