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Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading

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Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth Podcast. The It's the most wonderful time

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Speaker 1: of the year addition, and by that I don't only

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Speaker 1: mean Christmas, I mean the end of the NFL season,

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Speaker 1: when your team is in playoff contention and the Bengals

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Speaker 1: have a one game lead in the AFC North with

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Speaker 1: two games to go after beating Baltimore forty one twenty one.

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Speaker 1: Coming up, you'll hear radio replays from the win, postgame

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Speaker 1: comments from players and coaches, and analysis from my broadcast

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Speaker 1: partner Dave Lapham. Then, in this week's fun Facts segment,

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Speaker 1: Safety Michael J. Thomas joins my unofficial Fun Facts Hall

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Speaker 1: of Fame with an all time classic conversation that is

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Speaker 1: guaranteed to make you laugh. The Bengals Booth Podcast is

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Speaker 1: presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play Next Level

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Speaker 1: Fantasy Football game downloaded now from the App Store and

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Speaker 1: Google Play. And here's a quick reminder that you can

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Speaker 1: have the latest edition of this podcast delivered right to

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Speaker 1: your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get

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Speaker 1: your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since my mother's Christmas potatoes.

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Speaker 1: I am from a mostly Swedish family and on Christmas Day,

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Speaker 1: my mother always makes her famous Swedish Christmas potatoes. Years

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Speaker 1: ago she wrote down the recipe for me, so now

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Speaker 1: I make them. The key ingredients are potatoes, heavy cream,

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Speaker 1: and lots of butter. There's a reason why we only

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Speaker 1: eat them once a year. Each forkful contains approximately nine thousand,

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Speaker 1: three hundred seventy two calories. My moms are universally considered

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Speaker 1: to be the greatest potatoes ever made, and at the

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Speaker 1: risk of bragging, mine rank second. Now let's get to football.

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Speaker 1: Sunday Cincinnati Baltimore showdown pitted the two teams tied for

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Speaker 1: first in the AFC North. But let's be honest, the

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Speaker 1: Ravens were the Ravens in name only. They've been devastated

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Speaker 1: by injuries all year and had a COVID outbreak this week.

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Speaker 1: It was so bad that Baltimore had to call up

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Speaker 1: ten players from its practice squad, and the casualties included

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Speaker 1: the Ravens top two quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson is dealing with

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Speaker 1: an ankle injury, and backup Tyler Huntley was one of

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Speaker 1: the guys on the COVID list. SO Baltimore starter was

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Speaker 1: thirty five year old Josh Johnson, who has claimed off

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Speaker 1: the Jets practice squad last week. Josh was a Bengals

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Speaker 1: backup in twenty thirteen and is the ultimate NFL journeyman.

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Speaker 1: Between the active roster, practice squad and training camp. He

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Speaker 1: has been with the Bucks, forty nine Ers, Browns, Bengals, Jets, Colts, Bills, Ravens, Giants, Texans, Raiders, Lions,

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Speaker 1: and Washington Football Team, a whopping thirteen NFL teams in all.

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Speaker 1: Sunday marked the ninth start of his NFL career, and

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Speaker 1: after the Bengals kicked a field goal on their opening

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Speaker 1: drive to take a three nothing lead, Johnson drove the

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Speaker 1: Ravens seventy five yards in twelve plays. Third down and

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Speaker 1: goal from the four. Murray in the backfield of the

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Speaker 1: right of Josh Johnson, he will drop back to throw

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Speaker 1: pass over the middle. Wide open for the touchdown is

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Speaker 1: Bateman as he cut inside of Mike Hilton and hauled

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Speaker 1: it in for the Ravens TD. So Baltimore led seven

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Speaker 1: to three. It was clear right away that the depleted

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Speaker 1: Ravens weren't going to roll over and play dead. The

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Speaker 1: Bengals had to answer and did, electing to go for

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Speaker 1: it on fourth and goal from the one. Mixon moves

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Speaker 1: to Burrow's left. They handed to Joe Mixing, chose in

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Speaker 1: touchdown Bengals as the decision to go for it on

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Speaker 1: fourth and goal pays off and the Bengals take the lead.

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Speaker 1: Here's Zach Taylor on the decision to go for it.

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Speaker 1: It's a mindset thing at that moment. You know, it's

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Speaker 1: it's fourth and goal on the one yard line. You know,

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Speaker 1: if we can't get in there, then we don't deserve

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Speaker 1: any points. But our guys entered the bill. It was

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Speaker 1: ten three Bengals after the first quarter. After the Ravens

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Speaker 1: punted early in the second, the Bengals attacked fur out

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Speaker 1: of the gun catches the Hopkins snap fires down field,

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Speaker 1: run go two weights pretty down the middle of the

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Speaker 1: field of the twenty to ten Yeah five whoa begar

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Speaker 1: salt good into the end zone, touchdown Bengal sixty eight yards.

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Speaker 1: Burrow to boy. They had five defenders like a picket

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Speaker 1: fence about ten yards down the football field, and John

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Speaker 1: Harbaugh is looking up the field like, what what happened?

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Speaker 1: How did he get so open, Unlike former Bengal Jerome

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Speaker 1: Simpson on Christmas Eve ten years ago or Antonio Brown

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Speaker 1: when he was still with the Steelers. Boy did not

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Speaker 1: stick the landing on his leaping somersault. But he's still

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Speaker 1: got a good grade from Joe Mixon. I'll probably give

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Speaker 1: him maybe an a minus. And the reason why I'll

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Speaker 1: give him that is because I've seen a b a

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Speaker 1: few years ago do a whole flip and land on

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Speaker 1: his feet and I was real life impressive. So, like

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Speaker 1: I said, I'll give it to a minus. But I mean,

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Speaker 1: it was seventeen seven Cincinnati and after a three and

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Speaker 1: out by Baltimore, the Bengals scored again, chasing Boyd out

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Speaker 1: to the left, Higgins out to the right. Burrow throws

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Speaker 1: caught by a wide Joson what a cut back to

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Speaker 1: the middle of the field down Bengal. Burrowed, I'm mixing

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Speaker 1: from nine yards out and the Bengals are pouring it on.

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Speaker 1: It's twenty three to seven, pending the extra point. That's

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Speaker 1: what you want to do is take the hope away

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Speaker 1: from the Baltimore Ravens. That was mixing sixteenth touchdown of

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Speaker 1: the year. He needs one more to tie Carl Pickens

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Speaker 1: franchise record. To the Ravens credit, they stared with a

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Speaker 1: thirteen play ninety yard drive, picking up first downs on

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Speaker 1: third and twelve, third and thirteen, and third and ten

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Speaker 1: before scoring on a two yard run by DeVante Freeman

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Speaker 1: to make it twenty four fourteen. But they also left

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Speaker 1: one thirty eight on the clock. Row back to throw.

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Speaker 1: He's gonna fling it high and deep down field and

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Speaker 1: it is fiends. Higgins, with a defender on either side,

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Speaker 1: goes up and over both of them and hauls it in.

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Speaker 1: It'll be first in goal at the three. Brandon Stevens

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Speaker 1: and Kievan Seymour were powerless for the leaping ability and

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Speaker 1: reach of Higgins. Higgins finished with twelve catches for one

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Speaker 1: hundred and ninety four yards, both career highs, fifty two

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Speaker 1: of the yards coming on that play. I think the

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Speaker 1: play was actually designed for Tyler and I was just

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Speaker 1: doing my job, running for the love of the game,

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Speaker 1: and I look up the balls in the air, I'm like,

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Speaker 1: holy all right, so and then I had to go

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Speaker 1: make a play, and you know, it was over two people.

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Speaker 1: It's probably one of the greatest plays in my careers.

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Speaker 1: And after two straight defensive holding penalties in the end zone,

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Speaker 1: including one that negated an interception. Burrow went to Tea again.

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Speaker 1: Burrow drops back to throw pass caught te Higgins with

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Speaker 1: a touchdown catch as he started close to the left

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Speaker 1: tackle and then just cut toward the left pyline. Made

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Speaker 1: the catch, and the Bengals have scored on all five

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Speaker 1: out their first half possessions. They scored forty one points

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Speaker 1: in Baltimore, and they're about to put their thirty first

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Speaker 1: point on the board in the first half in Cincinnati.

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Speaker 1: After missing two games early in the season with a

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Speaker 1: shoulder injury, Higgins has seventy one catches for one thousand,

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Speaker 1: twenty nine yards. Here's Burrow in the last four or

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Speaker 1: five weeks, he's been unbelievable. And the way he's catching

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Speaker 1: the ball is I've not you ever seen anything like it.

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Speaker 1: The way he's catching the ball with strong hands in traffic,

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Speaker 1: it's been awesome. The Bengals led thirty one fourteen at

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Speaker 1: the half and kept their foot on the gas on

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Speaker 1: their only possession of the third quarter. They held the

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Speaker 1: ball for ten minutes and twenty nine seconds before settling

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Speaker 1: for an Evan McPherson field goal that made it thirty

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Speaker 1: four fourteen going to the final quarter, but any thought

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Speaker 1: of resting the starters was squelched when Josh Johnson threw

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Speaker 1: an eighteen yard touchdown passed to Mark Andrews that made

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Speaker 1: it thirty four twenty one early in the fourth. Here's

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Speaker 1: Zach Taylor. They've been down similar situations like this. You know,

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Speaker 1: Green Bay had him down I think it was eleven

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Speaker 1: last week and had a three and out, and they

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Speaker 1: came rowing back and had chance to win the game,

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Speaker 1: and we were not going to allow that to happen.

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Speaker 1: So on their next drive, rather than trying to kill

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Speaker 1: the clock by running the ball, the Bengals passed on

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Speaker 1: eight straight plays and Burrow completed all eight second and

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Speaker 1: seven from the Baltimore ten, Burrow ready for the shotgun snap,

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Speaker 1: Joe has the ball, drops back three steps. He fired

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Speaker 1: headed his cot Bite Higgins touchdown Bengals as he ran

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Speaker 1: a post pattern cut position inside of Darryl Worley and

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Speaker 1: halves in burrows fourth touchdown pass of the game. It's

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Speaker 1: the first time in Joe Burrow's NFL career he's thrown

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Speaker 1: four or more. That made it forty one twenty one

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Speaker 1: and the Bengals kept throwing. Here's Burrow when asked if

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Speaker 1: the Bengals were trying to send a message, No, I

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Speaker 1: don't think so. I think their offense is moving the

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Speaker 1: ball a day. They were doing a good job, and

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Speaker 1: they're putting points on the board, and they were the

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Speaker 1: number one rush defense in the league going into the game.

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Speaker 1: So and we were throwing the ball really well. So

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Speaker 1: we needed first owns to keep their offense off the field,

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Speaker 1: I think, and we were just doing what was working.

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Speaker 1: Burrow through his final pass on third and four with

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Speaker 1: two minutes to go. Ten defenders at the line of

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Speaker 1: scrimmage for Baltimore. They send three, they cover with eight.

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Speaker 1: Burrows scrambling, throws it deep down. The old mixing makes

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Speaker 1: the catch at the ten, hand goes down half seven.

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Speaker 1: He beat Anthony Levine Burrow with a deep ball completion,

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Speaker 1: and that we'll take Joe Burrow up and over five

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Speaker 1: hundred passing yards, the first quarterback in more than fifty

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Speaker 1: years of Bengals football to ever do it. Burrow finished

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Speaker 1: with five hundred twenty five passing yards to break Boomerassison's

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Speaker 1: team record of four ninety set back in nineteen ninety

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Speaker 1: five twenty five is the fourth highest total in NFL history.

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Speaker 1: The NFL record is five fifty four, set by Norm

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Speaker 1: Van Brocklin in nineteen fifty one. Here's Burrow, I'm joining

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Speaker 1: the five hundred club. I think it means a lot

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Speaker 1: to the whole team. Now, that's not just a reflection

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Speaker 1: of means a reflection of the offensive line, the receiver's

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Speaker 1: coaching staff, and how we went out and executed today.

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Speaker 1: So that's exciting. But despite his team first modesty, Burrow

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Speaker 1: couldn't help cracking a smile when reminded about a comment

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Speaker 1: made by Ball to more defensive coordinator Don Wink Martindale

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Speaker 1: earlier this week when asked if the Ravens would use

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Speaker 1: the same strategy they used the week before against the

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Speaker 1: Green Bay duo of Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers in

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Speaker 1: hopes of shutting down Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow. To

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Speaker 1: sit here and have you think that we're going to

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Speaker 1: run the same plan against Jamar Chase as we did

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Speaker 1: Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, We're going down the wrong

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Speaker 1: street because you know, like I said last week, Davanta Adams,

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Speaker 1: he's one of the top two receivers in the league,

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Speaker 1: and he's not number two. So and Aaron Rodgers is

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Speaker 1: a Hall of Fame quarterback, and I don't think we're

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Speaker 1: ready to buy a gold jacket for Joe yet. In

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Speaker 1: fairness to Martindale, he said a bunch of complimentary things

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Speaker 1: about Burrow in that news conference, but the gold jacket

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Speaker 1: comment is the one that got the headlines and the

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Speaker 1: thing that Burrow heard. I didn't think it was a

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Speaker 1: necessary comment. I wouldn't say I was offended by it.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I'm in year two. Who knows what's going

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Speaker 1: to happen down the road. I didn't think it was

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Speaker 1: a necessary comment. Was it on your mind when you

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Speaker 1: were throwing at the end. Maybe In two games against

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Speaker 1: Baltimore this year, Burrow through for nine hundred forty one

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Speaker 1: yards and seven touchdowns with a passer rating of one

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Speaker 1: thirty one point one. Moral of the story, according to

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Speaker 1: Trey Hendrickson, don't say anything that can give Burrow an

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Speaker 1: added edge. It's just one of those things that you know,

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Speaker 1: I wouldn't go around pissing that guy off. So um, hey, yeah,

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Speaker 1: he did a great job. I know we're really proud

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Speaker 1: of him and as a defense. You know, he's important

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Speaker 1: to us. I read a couple of things, you know.

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Speaker 1: So maybe admittedly Burrow's performance and the bengals forty one

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Speaker 1: to twenty one route came against an injury and COVID

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Speaker 1: ravaged Ravens roster, but Zach Taylor says it doesn't take

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Speaker 1: anything away from the win. No heck, no, no, no, no, no.

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Speaker 1: They seventeen last year, we had hardly anybody left, you know,

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Speaker 1: and I didn't feel anybody minimizing their win against us,

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Speaker 1: and so we sure it has had no heart. It

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Speaker 1: is win in December. These guys have fought hard. We

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Speaker 1: asked them to answer the bell. They did, and that's

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Speaker 1: still the Baltimore Ravens out there playing a meaningful football

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Speaker 1: for them. And so our guys shouldn't apologize for one

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Speaker 1: second for the performance they went out there and do today.

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Speaker 1: And dang proud of those guys for how they hung

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Speaker 1: in there at the full course of the game and

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Speaker 1: be handled. You know, the adversity we've had over the

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Speaker 1: course of time too, and you know it's just our

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Speaker 1: time to sit out there and make them mark for ourselves.

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Speaker 1: The Bengals are nine and six with two games to go.

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Speaker 1: They lead Baltimore by a game, Pittsburgh by a game

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Speaker 1: and a half, and Cleveland by two. Up next a

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Speaker 1: home game against the number one playoff seat and the

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Speaker 1: AFC the eleven and four Kansas City Chiefs, a team

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Speaker 1: with an eight game winning streak, concluding a thirty six

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Speaker 1: to ten win over the Steelers on Sunday. Get your

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Speaker 1: tickets while they're still available. The Bengals Booth Podcast is

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Speaker 1: presented by Ltimate Bengals, the free to play fantasy football

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Speaker 1: game Ultimate Bengals will be awarding a weekly winner during

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Speaker 1: the course of the season with tickets, autograph merchandise, and

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00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:13,720
Speaker 1: money can't buy experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate

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Speaker 1: Bengals in the App Store and Google Play. Now time

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Speaker 1: for postgame analysis with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham lap

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Speaker 1: it's Christmas time. We're celebrating our Lord and Savior, Joe Burrow.

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Speaker 1: I hope nobody's offended. It's just a joke, but five

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Speaker 1: and twenty five yards, four touchdowns, the first quarterback in

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Speaker 1: Bengals history to throw for more than five hundred yards

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Speaker 1: in a game. We are so fortunate to have this

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Speaker 1: guy as the quarterback of this franchise for the hopefully

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Speaker 1: the next ten years at least. But man, is he good.

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Speaker 1: He really is. I mean, he's he's so special with

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Speaker 1: not just the way he throws the football, you know,

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Speaker 1: that's that's the obvious part. I think what's so unique

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Speaker 1: about him. And talked about a little bit after the

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Speaker 1: game with with Martindale and all that he can do

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Speaker 1: in the big inventory he has to draw from. You know,

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Speaker 1: Joe said, I just saw everything that I needed to

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Speaker 1: see kind of one. I needed to see it and

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Speaker 1: saw the football field and obviously he said, you know,

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Speaker 1: it's it's not just me when you go for five

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Speaker 1: hundred and twenty five yards. My line did a good job,

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Speaker 1: my receivers, my running backs, everybody. So he obviously passed

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Speaker 1: a credit like all quarterbacks do. But his receivers were

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Speaker 1: just running great routes and just separation. They they didn't

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Speaker 1: they were overmatched, I mean, under manned and overmatched, there's

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Speaker 1: no two ways about it. And the Bengals took full

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Speaker 1: advantage of it. But that's life in the National Football League.

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Speaker 1: Can't feel sorry for anybody. That's that's just the way

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Speaker 1: it is. I mean, I would have loved to have

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Speaker 1: seen Tyler Boyd get one more ball for fifteen yards,

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Speaker 1: and have those three the Triplets, the three headed Monster

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Speaker 1: all have over a hundred yards receiving the same game.

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Speaker 1: That would have been unbelievable. If if he didn't run

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Speaker 1: out of if that sixty eight yard touchdown could have

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Speaker 1: been good from eighty three, he had to go eighty

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Speaker 1: three and get the fifteen yards. You just you know,

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Speaker 1: ran out of real estate. Basically, I think anybody can

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Speaker 1: reasonably admit that the Bengals were not facing the Ravens,

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Speaker 1: a teams between players that are injured, reserve and COVID.

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Speaker 1: Baltimore is missing a ton of great players. But as

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Speaker 1: we said in the pregame and during the game, that

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Speaker 1: is not the Bengals fault. You. You try to beat

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Speaker 1: the team that you are facing. And they capitalized on

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Speaker 1: Baltimore's many good players that were sidelined. And what if

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Speaker 1: it had been a three point game and the Bengals

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Speaker 1: had edged him, They getting killed, They getting killed. So

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Speaker 1: I mean, you win by three scores and now you

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Speaker 1: know you're running it up and you're the bully, and

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Speaker 1: you know they're undermanned, and you know, why are you

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Speaker 1: doing this? And doing that. To me, it was third

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Speaker 1: and eighteen. They wanted to get a first down, and

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Speaker 1: they got the first down. Then they sat on the football.

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Speaker 1: That was the bottom line. The Baltimore Ravens Josh Johnson

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Speaker 1: was playing. He was playing football quarterback rating of ninety

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Speaker 1: eight point three twenty eight or forty three hundred yards

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Speaker 1: three and four yards passing against a you know, a

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Speaker 1: Bengals defense that has been playing playing pretty darn well.

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Speaker 1: They couldn't run the ball. They didn't run the ball,

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Speaker 1: and they couldn't when they tried to two point four

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Speaker 1: yards of carry. That's gonna do nothing but help their

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Speaker 1: their status stopping the run. But in both football teams

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Speaker 1: decided they have to throw the football in this game,

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Speaker 1: and they both did. But I mean, how about the Bengals,

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Speaker 1: Like six hundred yards offense in this one, over five

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Speaker 1: hundred yards offense in the first one eighty two points

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Speaker 1: on eleven hundred plush yards offense. That is ridiculous, ridiculous.

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Speaker 1: And in that first matchup, I mean Humphrey was matched

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Speaker 1: up on Chase when he had over two hundred yards.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's crazy. Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. It's

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Speaker 1: like a Rex Ryan kind of guy. He's brash, not

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Speaker 1: afraid to say things. He's a great defensive coordinator. Nobody

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Speaker 1: could argue that. But he made the comment during the

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Speaker 1: week that Joe Burrow basically is not ready to be

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Speaker 1: fitted for a gold jacket yet. And he's right. But

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Speaker 1: in two games against the Ravens, sixty for eighty four.

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Speaker 1: That's seventy one percent completion, nine hundred forty one yards,

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Speaker 1: seven touchdowns, one interception, passer rating of one thirty one

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Speaker 1: point one. That's a nightmare that Wink Bartondale and the

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Speaker 1: Ravens are going to have to worry about for the

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Speaker 1: next however many years. I'd say he's got the right

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Speaker 1: arm of the jacket measured out from those two games

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Speaker 1: in Baltimore. I mean that right arm is golden man.

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Speaker 1: He is he is something, and as you say, he's

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Speaker 1: not going to regress. I mean, if anything, he's even

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Speaker 1: going to get sharper if that's if that's possible. But

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Speaker 1: I've never seen it, really. I've seen a lot of

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Speaker 1: quarterbacks that have laser focus. This guy, though, is like

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Speaker 1: the same, no matter what. Big game like this, a

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Speaker 1: game where he throws one hundred, one hundred and fifty

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Speaker 1: yards as long as they win the football game. He

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Speaker 1: is truly good with it. And people, ah, yeah, that's

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Speaker 1: a bunch of talk. No, it's it's fact, it really is.

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Speaker 1: This guy is all about w's and ells and man's

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Speaker 1: gonna he's gonna put together a remarkable career. And I'm

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Speaker 1: glad that this guy is a Cincinnati Bengal again. His

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Speaker 1: mind for the game of football, he's been blessed. I mean,

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Speaker 1: the football gods said Joe Burrow, you will be born

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Speaker 1: a football genius. And not only was he born a

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Speaker 1: football genius, his mentor was his dad, who coached for

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Speaker 1: a long played at a high level, coached at a

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Speaker 1: high level. I'm sure the conversations they had when Joe

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Speaker 1: Barrow was growing up about defenses. Joe Barrow could get

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Speaker 1: up and give you a lecture about defense and install

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Speaker 1: defenses just like he can install offenses. He not only

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Speaker 1: understands his offense, he knows exactly what defenses are trying

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Speaker 1: to do to take away his offense. This guy is

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Speaker 1: unquestionably a football savant. I don't think I see any

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Speaker 1: young quarterback that gets the game of football better than

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Speaker 1: Joe Barrow. This dude. Very rarely do you fool the guy.

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Speaker 1: You know he's and he is always bitterly disappointed and

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Speaker 1: visibly upset when he's fooled. That's the only time I

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Speaker 1: see him show emotion. It's like I was fooled on that.

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Speaker 1: You know. It's not that I didn't I didn't read

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Speaker 1: it the right way. It's not that my execution was

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Speaker 1: good enough. I can't be fooled. Nobody can fool me.

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Speaker 1: That's just the way he approaches the game. And I'm

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Speaker 1: telling you, not just young quarterbacks. I think he's I

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Speaker 1: think he's as sharp as guys that have been in

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Speaker 1: the league ten years or longer. This dude gets the ball.

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Speaker 1: Put it into perspective from an offensive lineman's viewpoint, how

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Speaker 1: extraordinary it is for Trey Hendrickson, competing against the best

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Speaker 1: in the world, to have at least a half a

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Speaker 1: sack in eleven consecutive games. I mean, everybody strive for consistency.

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Speaker 1: That's a big word, you know, and it's one of

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Speaker 1: the biggest compliments that you can get. Besides, you know,

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Speaker 1: when guys say, oh, man, you're he's great. That guy's great.

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Speaker 1: The next word that you want to hear. Man, that

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Speaker 1: player is so consistent. We can just rely on him,

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Speaker 1: count on him. He's reliable. He's so consistent. That is

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Speaker 1: what you want to hear. And that's that's a bigger

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Speaker 1: population of potential population of players in the National Football League.

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Speaker 1: And Hendrickson has unique talents which make him, you know,

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Speaker 1: an upper cruss player, and he's so consistent with him.

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Speaker 1: I mean, we were talking during the broadcast that you know,

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Speaker 1: it's like sack here, sack and a half here, or

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Speaker 1: a half a sack there. It was never when Corey

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Speaker 1: Bacon had his great season, he had a five stack game.

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Speaker 1: He had a guy that couldn't handle him, and they

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Speaker 1: weren't at the point yet were sliding protections, chipping, you know,

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Speaker 1: putting a tight end over there. I mean, it was

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Speaker 1: just like, you know, you gotta go block him, you

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Speaker 1: gotta get it done. And football's evolved, so you're not

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Speaker 1: gonna you're not gonna see necessarily a situation like they're

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Speaker 1: not gonna let a guy get a five stack game,

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Speaker 1: and for him to get one or at least a

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Speaker 1: half a one for eleven straight football games is remarkable

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Speaker 1: on me. If you can get one next week against

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Speaker 1: Kansas City and tie the freak. I mean, at least

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Speaker 1: a half a sack in twelve games. I think it's

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Speaker 1: now he's got a sack in thirteen of his last

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Speaker 1: fifteen games. That's that's half a sack. At least a

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Speaker 1: half a sack in thirteen of his last fifteen games.

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Speaker 1: You cannot define consistency any better than that. So let's

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Speaker 1: set the stage now, two games to go, a one

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Speaker 1: game lead in the division over Baltimore. At least Pittsburgh

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Speaker 1: still to come as we record this conversation, but the

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Speaker 1: Bengals essentially have put themselves in the position where if

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Speaker 1: they win one more game and it doesn't really matter

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Speaker 1: all that much whether it's Kansas City or Cleveland, they

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Speaker 1: are in the playoffs. And honestly, I'd like to see

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Speaker 1: them put a string together where you know they finished

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Speaker 1: the game on an uptick, on finished the season, I

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Speaker 1: should say, on an uptick on an up note, because

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Speaker 1: you know, first thing you want to do is make

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Speaker 1: the playoffs. But if you go into the playoffs playing

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Speaker 1: on a consistent level and on an upswing from a

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Speaker 1: momentum standpoint, you feel better about it. If you if

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Speaker 1: you back your way into the playoffs or something like that.

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Speaker 1: You know, now you just feel lucky to be there.

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Speaker 1: But if you go and you beat you know, the

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Speaker 1: teams that they beat in Denver, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cleveland

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Speaker 1: when they're all most of the time when they were

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Speaker 1: playing them, was like another playoff game. And if they

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Speaker 1: can get on a mini four game quasi playoff run,

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Speaker 1: that would stand them in really good stead. So I'd

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Speaker 1: love to see them just go toe to toe with

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Speaker 1: the Kansas City Chiefs, who is They're a damn good

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Speaker 1: football team. Their defensive football team is really good. I mean,

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Speaker 1: this is well put together football team. If they can

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Speaker 1: beat Kansas City, that would be a heck of an accomplishment.

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Speaker 1: And you know that no matter what, the Cleveland Browns

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Speaker 1: are gonna want to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, particularly if

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Speaker 1: it could knock them out of the playoffs. They're gonna,

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Speaker 1: They're gonna if they're eliminated, whatever the case may be.

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Speaker 1: I've been in both situations as a Bengal playing the

426
00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:33,560
Speaker 1: Cleveland Browns, and there's they're equally sweet. They are. I mean,

427
00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,040
Speaker 1: it's like if you can particularly your last game of

428
00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,840
Speaker 1: the season is beating your in state arch rival to

429
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,400
Speaker 1: knock them out of the playoffs. You feel a lot

430
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:45,480
Speaker 1: better about yourself than if you go into the offseason having,

431
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,520
Speaker 1: you know, getten rashed by that group as they go

432
00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:52,760
Speaker 1: into the playoffs. More on Sundays when join Lap and

433
00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:56,080
Speaker 1: Lance mccalist. They're for Bengals Line Monday night from six

434
00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,480
Speaker 1: to night on seven hundred WLW. Now time this week's

435
00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,320
Speaker 1: fun Facts segment where you get to know the person

436
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,879
Speaker 1: under the pads. Time for some fun facts of Bengal

437
00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,280
Speaker 1: safety Michael Thomas, a nine year NFL VET and a

438
00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:15,080
Speaker 1: former pro bowler from Houston, Texas. Growing up in Houston,

439
00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:17,800
Speaker 1: were you obsessed with sports and did you have a

440
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,720
Speaker 1: wide variety of interests? Oh Man, definitely was obsessed with

441
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,800
Speaker 1: sports shoot through a watching football with my dad, But honestly,

442
00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:27,919
Speaker 1: baseball was my first love. Basketball just like any other kid,

443
00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,840
Speaker 1: Jordan was my favorite athlete. But other interests though, since

444
00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:34,120
Speaker 1: you asked that point, I did part take in acting

445
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,399
Speaker 1: a little bit? Well, I know you did some acting

446
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,040
Speaker 1: when you went to Stanford. I read that you had

447
00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:44,359
Speaker 1: the lead role in Killer Joe. Tell me about that man.

448
00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:48,840
Speaker 1: It was a crazy, crazy sequence of events Stanford. They

449
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:50,880
Speaker 1: loved me and all my theater arts class there. Let's

450
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:52,840
Speaker 1: just go out for this play. All right? I did it.

451
00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:55,400
Speaker 1: I did to try the audition. Next thing I knew

452
00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:58,119
Speaker 1: I had the leading role in the play. I'm all right,

453
00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:00,679
Speaker 1: we'll see where this goes. It turned it was a

454
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,040
Speaker 1: great turnout. When the show started, all my teammates came,

455
00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:05,719
Speaker 1: everybody on campus came like that. We got great reviews

456
00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:07,480
Speaker 1: and stuff, and next thing I know, you know, I'm

457
00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:09,920
Speaker 1: in newspaper articles and stuff for us. I'm like, well,

458
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,160
Speaker 1: football don't work out, Maybe I have an acting career.

459
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,840
Speaker 1: How just memorizing your lines for a play compared to

460
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,200
Speaker 1: memorizing a playbook, Oh man, it's it's it's crazy how

461
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,400
Speaker 1: great the crossover was. I remember our first actual table read,

462
00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:25,680
Speaker 1: I had already memorized everything is. I'm like, oh, you

463
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,120
Speaker 1: got to prepare attention to detail and stuff. And I

464
00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:30,439
Speaker 1: guess nobody else was supposed to be off book for

465
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:32,960
Speaker 1: like another two weeks. And when they saw me reading

466
00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:35,040
Speaker 1: my lines and getting the character as if, I was like,

467
00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:36,840
Speaker 1: you know, if we were performing to play right then

468
00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:40,240
Speaker 1: everybody was like, oh, shoot, this guy's intensive. So it's

469
00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:42,880
Speaker 1: it's definitely some crossover to it, and I just took

470
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:45,720
Speaker 1: it serious. But it's I think it's a little easier.

471
00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:49,480
Speaker 1: We're talking to Michael Thomas. Let's talk about your high

472
00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,080
Speaker 1: school football career. You were an option quarterback. Correct, Yes,

473
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,119
Speaker 1: I see, you've done your homework right. Yeah, definitely played

474
00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,840
Speaker 1: quarterback my whole career until I got to Stanford. That

475
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,239
Speaker 1: it was fun. I had the ball in my hands. Yea.

476
00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:04,919
Speaker 1: I was born on that side of the side of

477
00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:07,240
Speaker 1: the football. But at the end of the day, you know,

478
00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,439
Speaker 1: I think there were some receivers that I grew up

479
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,880
Speaker 1: with that were kind of mad at me. Definitely weren't

480
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,199
Speaker 1: throwing the ball. A lot of nimits. So from the

481
00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,600
Speaker 1: research I've read that you went to Stanford at least

482
00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,520
Speaker 1: in part because you competed against another Houston area high

483
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,080
Speaker 1: school quarterback who people listening to this have heard of,

484
00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:29,720
Speaker 1: Andrew Ltte. Is that true? Absolutely? Man, Like we were

485
00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:31,000
Speaker 1: in the same It was crazy. We were in the

486
00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:35,600
Speaker 1: same district growing up in high school. And man, every

487
00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:37,520
Speaker 1: what everybody knew of him in college or you know,

488
00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:39,840
Speaker 1: like got to see in the NFL. He's been like

489
00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,600
Speaker 1: that since we were fourteen fifteen years old. So once

490
00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:46,919
Speaker 1: he started getting recruited by Stanford and he committed, and

491
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:48,439
Speaker 1: once they started recruiting me, I was like, well, I

492
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,000
Speaker 1: know that guy's gonna be good. So shoot, if I

493
00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:51,719
Speaker 1: get in, that's where I'm going. We're gonna have success.

494
00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,040
Speaker 1: And it certainly played out that way. Does it sadden

495
00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:57,520
Speaker 1: you that his NFL career ended as soon as it

496
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:01,480
Speaker 1: did a little bit, just because I know how hard

497
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,239
Speaker 1: he worked and how you know, the aspirations of him

498
00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:05,960
Speaker 1: and what he wanted to do, you know, being great

499
00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:07,720
Speaker 1: and all that. But at the end of the day,

500
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:09,560
Speaker 1: you know, I just talked to him yesterday and you

501
00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:12,280
Speaker 1: know we stayed we stayed very close, like we're like

502
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:16,520
Speaker 1: great friends, like almost like brothers. Like he's happy and

503
00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:18,240
Speaker 1: the injuries and stuff. I know, he didn't want to

504
00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:19,960
Speaker 1: put that stup, you know, his his body and his

505
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,320
Speaker 1: family through that again going to rehab and he just

506
00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,120
Speaker 1: had his first kid. Uh, so he's happy, man. So

507
00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:27,359
Speaker 1: so it's saddened me that we couldn't all witness the

508
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,800
Speaker 1: greatness of Andrew Luck the quarterback. But at the end

509
00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:32,680
Speaker 1: of the day, the person, I think he's better. So

510
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:35,439
Speaker 1: you must have been a great student to go to Stanford.

511
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:38,600
Speaker 1: You earned your degree in sociology. What was the hardest

512
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:45,120
Speaker 1: course you took and what was your favorite course at Stanford? Oh? Definitely, Uh,

513
00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,760
Speaker 1: it was. It was definitely a culture shock to me

514
00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:50,280
Speaker 1: once I went to Stanford. Uh. Struggled a little bit

515
00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,000
Speaker 1: as a as a as a freshman, but um, and

516
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:55,480
Speaker 1: that came from playing and then I put some on

517
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:57,920
Speaker 1: stress on myself by pleasure a fred and doing all

518
00:28:57,920 --> 00:28:59,880
Speaker 1: that them all as a young guy. Right. But I

519
00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:02,600
Speaker 1: say the hardest course was probably my freshman year, a

520
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,560
Speaker 1: computer science course that all freshmen have to take, and

521
00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:07,000
Speaker 1: that let me know, Yeah, I will not be a

522
00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:10,000
Speaker 1: coder at Stanman or we're not going to coding. But

523
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:14,400
Speaker 1: I think, you know, once you learn what any type

524
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,520
Speaker 1: of college institution is looking for out of their students

525
00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,080
Speaker 1: and what they expect time management and all that stuff,

526
00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:21,960
Speaker 1: you know, I did well. And I'll say my favorite

527
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:25,320
Speaker 1: course ended up being stats statistics, just because I'm able

528
00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:27,680
Speaker 1: to take the problem of any you know, any word

529
00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:29,840
Speaker 1: problem and stuff and just be able to apply whatever

530
00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,840
Speaker 1: formula that was needed for that that equation and figure

531
00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:36,640
Speaker 1: out a solution. So I think that that type of

532
00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,280
Speaker 1: you know mind and thinking like that that's who I am.

533
00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:42,840
Speaker 1: A college degree from any institution is something to be

534
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,680
Speaker 1: proud of, but they're not all created equal. What does

535
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,080
Speaker 1: it mean to you to have a degree from that institution?

536
00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:50,640
Speaker 1: I'll say this. You know it is a recruiting tool, right,

537
00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:52,520
Speaker 1: They're a little quote, Oh you know, Stanford isn't a

538
00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:54,600
Speaker 1: four year decision. It's a forty year decision. Right. You

539
00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:56,800
Speaker 1: know what year you buy until you eat it up,

540
00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:59,600
Speaker 1: you know it sells itself. Right. But I'll say this,

541
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:03,960
Speaker 1: any anybody who graduates from Stanford, you don't truly understand

542
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,640
Speaker 1: what that means until you leave and you start to

543
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,280
Speaker 1: see the weight of oh where'd you go to school?

544
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,680
Speaker 1: And you say Stanford, and how everyone else treats you,

545
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,080
Speaker 1: and then you know that that that stamp of approval,

546
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,880
Speaker 1: that weight of that name. And then how many people

547
00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:20,880
Speaker 1: in your network, you know, from the Stanford alumni and

548
00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:22,720
Speaker 1: you know what they got going on, and they're like, oh,

549
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:24,280
Speaker 1: you went to Stafford, come on, we'll just teach you,

550
00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,120
Speaker 1: We'll bring you along. It's it's it's it's definitely a

551
00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,120
Speaker 1: great experience. I thank god I made that decision to

552
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:31,200
Speaker 1: go there. It will serve you well for the rest

553
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,840
Speaker 1: of your life. You're talking to Bengal safety Michael Thomas.

554
00:30:34,280 --> 00:30:38,400
Speaker 1: Despite an excellent college career, you weren't drafted. Did that

555
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:40,640
Speaker 1: put a chip on your shoulder? And if so, is

556
00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:43,720
Speaker 1: it's still there? Absolutely, that's not something that goes away,

557
00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:45,800
Speaker 1: you know, like everybody else you grew up. Oh yeah,

558
00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:48,480
Speaker 1: I'm gonna win the highsman, I'm gonna be the number

559
00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:50,520
Speaker 1: one overall pick. I'm gonna get drafted. Hear my name

560
00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:54,000
Speaker 1: called walk on the stage, right, and you know to

561
00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,160
Speaker 1: not go through that, you know it definitely, It definitely

562
00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:00,280
Speaker 1: changes your mindset instantly, right, I guess it forced with

563
00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:02,760
Speaker 1: you to grow up fast. You you don't come in

564
00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:05,000
Speaker 1: just why I you know Google. You know with your

565
00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,240
Speaker 1: career you're like, no, I gotta take everything serious because

566
00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:09,880
Speaker 1: only I'm not guaranteed even to get an opportunity. And

567
00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:12,760
Speaker 1: if I do it, I can't make mistakes. I almost

568
00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:15,600
Speaker 1: have to be perfect. And that mindset never changes because

569
00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:18,880
Speaker 1: you're a status of undrafted never goes away as well.

570
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:21,480
Speaker 1: And that's both on you know, in your locker room,

571
00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,240
Speaker 1: on your field, but also you know, in the business

572
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:25,880
Speaker 1: side of it. Right, So I've used that to feel me.

573
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,680
Speaker 1: I see other undrafted guys. And I see guys on

574
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,160
Speaker 1: the practice squad and when I when I see them

575
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:32,440
Speaker 1: in the locker room, I try to make sure that

576
00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:34,720
Speaker 1: I encourage. I'm like, hey, you don't know how close

577
00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:37,320
Speaker 1: you are. Keep working that opportunities go coming. When it does,

578
00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:40,560
Speaker 1: don't let it go. You spent your first NFL season

579
00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:42,800
Speaker 1: of the forty nine ers practice squad where one of

580
00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:46,880
Speaker 1: your teammates was Hall of Famer Randy Moss. His son,

581
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,400
Speaker 1: Thaddius is your teammate this year with the Bengals. Did

582
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:54,800
Speaker 1: you share that nugget with Thad when you join the Bengals. Oh? Absolutely.

583
00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:57,520
Speaker 1: I Actually I think I embarrassed myself. I got into

584
00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,160
Speaker 1: like left Weights early and he was one of the

585
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:00,960
Speaker 1: first people here as well. I was like, oh, yeah,

586
00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:02,880
Speaker 1: what's up, Early? My name is Michael, Yeah, who are

587
00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:04,480
Speaker 1: you yo? What's your name with? What school you go to?

588
00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:06,360
Speaker 1: And he kind of like I was taking it back.

589
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:08,040
Speaker 1: He's like, yeah, I went to LSU, but here, really,

590
00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:09,320
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, like say his name or

591
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:12,960
Speaker 1: nothing like that. And I realized very quickly, Oh, I

592
00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:15,680
Speaker 1: didn't realize what I was talking to. Bro. Do you

593
00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:17,360
Speaker 1: know I played with your dad? He started laughing. He

594
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,240
Speaker 1: was like, yeah, he told me a little bit about you,

595
00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,280
Speaker 1: and it was just a running joke. It was like, dude,

596
00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:23,160
Speaker 1: you know how to hold you or you played with

597
00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:25,000
Speaker 1: my dad? You know, it's kind of weird that I'm

598
00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:27,560
Speaker 1: playing with yourself. Man, Like now we joke about it.

599
00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:29,240
Speaker 1: But that was a blessing to be able for me

600
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:31,440
Speaker 1: to be able to say I played with Randy Moss

601
00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:33,240
Speaker 1: and he was probably one of the coolest teammates you

602
00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:36,080
Speaker 1: could ever have, just spoke with everybody he wanted. He

603
00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:38,440
Speaker 1: was a joy to be around, told stories, held court

604
00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:40,760
Speaker 1: and stuff like that. It's like, dude, do you understand

605
00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:43,120
Speaker 1: like I grew up yours a c the Moss people,

606
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:46,400
Speaker 1: your name's a bird, yours help and I'm just sitting

607
00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:48,080
Speaker 1: here just you know, chopping it up with You're eating

608
00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:49,600
Speaker 1: with you and stuff like So that was a great

609
00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:52,200
Speaker 1: experience and to be able to be with that, and now,

610
00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:53,920
Speaker 1: you know, I try to give him as much game

611
00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:56,240
Speaker 1: as I can from my perspective and what I went

612
00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:57,960
Speaker 1: through and knowing what he's going through now, man, So

613
00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:01,240
Speaker 1: it comes full circle. We're fun facts with Bengal safety

614
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:05,040
Speaker 1: Michael Thomas. Everybody remembers his NFL debut, but yours was

615
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:09,920
Speaker 1: especially impressive. You earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

616
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,440
Speaker 1: You're with the Dolphins at the time, Describe how you

617
00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:18,080
Speaker 1: earned it? Oh Man, from Monday to Monday and that

618
00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:21,520
Speaker 1: December fifteenth, oh Man, like that that was? That was crazy?

619
00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:25,320
Speaker 1: Uh got you know, got the call. Woke up almost

620
00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:27,440
Speaker 1: miss my opportunity. First off, Dan woke up to a

621
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,760
Speaker 1: bunch of miss miss texts and calls from my agent.

622
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:33,240
Speaker 1: Woke up. She's like, hey, if you don't let me

623
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:34,560
Speaker 1: know right now what you want to do, the team's

624
00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:36,680
Speaker 1: gonna move on to another player. They're trying to claim here.

625
00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:38,640
Speaker 1: I'm like, who is it, Miami Dolphins. Let's go like

626
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,320
Speaker 1: she score. I'm trying to play almost two years on

627
00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:44,400
Speaker 1: the press squad, Get there on like a Wednesday, the

628
00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:46,760
Speaker 1: GMTLD leg Look, we got a bunch of injuries at dB.

629
00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:49,360
Speaker 1: You're only coming here to play on special teams. Punt

630
00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:51,840
Speaker 1: return was my only job for Sunday, right, Okay, cool bit,

631
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:54,160
Speaker 1: get there. I'm doing my job. I'm happy I get

632
00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:56,800
Speaker 1: to play in the NFL. Fourth quarter comes, we're winning

633
00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:59,520
Speaker 1: the game, and then two starting dbs get hurt. So

634
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:02,240
Speaker 1: next saying you know, I gotta go into defense. Actually,

635
00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:06,000
Speaker 1: then our now Beingals defensive coordinate coordinator, lou Hana Rumo

636
00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,520
Speaker 1: was a dB coach there. He's like, thirty one, you

637
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:10,799
Speaker 1: played a little nickel, right yeah, No, nobody knows my name.

638
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:12,839
Speaker 1: They ain't not worried about me. Thirty one, you played

639
00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:15,120
Speaker 1: a little nickel in college, right yeah. So just go

640
00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,759
Speaker 1: out there to Rashad Jones and safety. They're gonna tell

641
00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:19,640
Speaker 1: you what coverage it is. You know, just just play football.

642
00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:22,880
Speaker 1: The only problem is we're going against Tom Brady in

643
00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:24,960
Speaker 1: the New England Patriots. So he sees me in the slot.

644
00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:27,719
Speaker 1: He's just picking on me down the field. Regular storyline,

645
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,160
Speaker 1: Tom Brady game, win and drive for a touchdown, right,

646
00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:32,719
Speaker 1: get to the fourth get to the red zone. He

647
00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:34,800
Speaker 1: tries me on first and goal for the game with

648
00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:37,160
Speaker 1: Amadola in the end zone or you know, elmen one

649
00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:39,680
Speaker 1: other two. And I see the ball coming Dan, and

650
00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:41,560
Speaker 1: you know, my heart is just raising and I'm like,

651
00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:43,480
Speaker 1: oh no. I was like, no, let me lose the game.

652
00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:45,680
Speaker 1: Right here, he has the ball in his hand. I

653
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:47,279
Speaker 1: fight all the way to the ground. Next thing you know,

654
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,680
Speaker 1: the ball pops out and I'm just hype my teammates.

655
00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:51,440
Speaker 1: You know, high five me. They still don't know my name.

656
00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:55,120
Speaker 1: Great job, thirty one, good job, incomplete, incomplete. So now

657
00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:57,480
Speaker 1: it's fourth and you know, fourth goal for the game.

658
00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:00,560
Speaker 1: Coach eight, call's time out there, Like, Mike, we're gonna

659
00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:02,200
Speaker 1: get you some help. You're in the safety. You're gonna

660
00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:04,439
Speaker 1: double team Edelman in the slot. And I'm like, thank you, Lord.

661
00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:06,000
Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying, Like, even if we lose,

662
00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:09,320
Speaker 1: just don't let it be on me, said hunt. Edelman

663
00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:12,040
Speaker 1: goes underneath. I free up just from you know, my

664
00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:14,960
Speaker 1: study of how to play the coverage everywhere else I've

665
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,920
Speaker 1: been next thing, the thing I know. I look up

666
00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:18,840
Speaker 1: there in the balls coming. It's like a movie slow

667
00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:23,439
Speaker 1: motion catch it fall down in the end zone. I'm like, wait,

668
00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:26,439
Speaker 1: did I just catch my first interception? Or wait, wait

669
00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,400
Speaker 1: that's for the game. Wait that's Tom Brady. I'm just crying.

670
00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:31,960
Speaker 1: I'm like going crazy. My teammates jumping up and down

671
00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:34,479
Speaker 1: on me, camera on my face, the crowd's going nuts.

672
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,320
Speaker 1: It was just wild. It was just wild, man. And

673
00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:40,960
Speaker 1: I mean I couldn't have drawn it up better. Um,

674
00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:43,600
Speaker 1: you know, And that's why I encourage every guy that's

675
00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,000
Speaker 1: on practice squad or undraft to just keep working, man,

676
00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:47,759
Speaker 1: You never know when that opportunity is gonna come, and

677
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:49,920
Speaker 1: when it does, just make the most of it. Man,

678
00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:54,600
Speaker 1: A game clinching interception off the goat Tom Brady in

679
00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:58,000
Speaker 1: the final ten seconds of your NFL debut. That's pretty incredible.

680
00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:00,840
Speaker 1: We're chatting in Michael Thomas. You're with the Dolphins for

681
00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:03,400
Speaker 1: five years, then you joined the New York Giants and

682
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:05,960
Speaker 1: you earned a Pro Bowl spot as a special team

683
00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:11,000
Speaker 1: stand out. From undrafted to practice squad to the Pro Bowl.

684
00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:14,960
Speaker 1: What did that honor mean? It was? I mean it

685
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:17,400
Speaker 1: was more than gratifying, Dan, you know, I mean everybody

686
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,760
Speaker 1: puts in so much work, in time and effort into playing,

687
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:23,600
Speaker 1: but to earn for me is to earn that respect

688
00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:26,080
Speaker 1: of everybody in the league. You know, all your peers,

689
00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:28,399
Speaker 1: everybody you've played with, and you know how much day

690
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:30,839
Speaker 1: put into it right now, so you know, I can

691
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:33,719
Speaker 1: talk all day about that and the coaches for them

692
00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:35,319
Speaker 1: to you know, you come up to you after every

693
00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:36,719
Speaker 1: game like I love the way you play, I love

694
00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,800
Speaker 1: your passing. But to finally get that stamp up approval

695
00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,400
Speaker 1: that not and been banging on it, you know for

696
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:44,920
Speaker 1: years when I was with the Dolphins. But Matthew Slater's

697
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:48,200
Speaker 1: just he's my goya. I just couldn't crack it right whatever.

698
00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:51,040
Speaker 1: So to finally get that, man, that that meant a

699
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:54,239
Speaker 1: lot to me because you know, forever, I'll be able

700
00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:55,760
Speaker 1: to say I made the Pro Bowl in the NFL

701
00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:59,040
Speaker 1: at the highest level. So yeah, it's good stuff. You

702
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:02,480
Speaker 1: spent last year playing for your hometown team, the Houston Texans.

703
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:06,279
Speaker 1: Was that a dream come true? I didn't even know it,

704
00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:08,600
Speaker 1: but yes, you know, like when I signed with the Texas,

705
00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:09,959
Speaker 1: I was never like, oh, yeah, I want to finish

706
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,479
Speaker 1: out my career or you know, advisually played for hometown team.

707
00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:14,920
Speaker 1: I've never really that never really crossed them one. Especially

708
00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:16,600
Speaker 1: if I went undrafted. I was like, shooting, we ever

709
00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:17,759
Speaker 1: want to give me a job, we ever want to

710
00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:19,960
Speaker 1: play for? That's where I'm going, right. But once I

711
00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:23,040
Speaker 1: actually signed, and you know, it came across on Twitter,

712
00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:25,600
Speaker 1: social media, you know everywhere, and everybody at the way

713
00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:29,640
Speaker 1: everybody at home reacted, you know, people like almost in tears,

714
00:37:29,719 --> 00:37:31,759
Speaker 1: are worring tears when they saw it, Like, man, I

715
00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:33,279
Speaker 1: get to root from my guy. You're playing for the

716
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,759
Speaker 1: hometown team. You know how crazy. That's my light. I

717
00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:37,920
Speaker 1: was like, thing that means a lot, you know, like

718
00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:39,640
Speaker 1: it means a lot to everybody, to the city, to

719
00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:42,719
Speaker 1: the schools I went to, and grew up in how

720
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:44,640
Speaker 1: much I was able to do for the Houston community

721
00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:46,719
Speaker 1: because I was there and I was really from there.

722
00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:49,279
Speaker 1: I mean that meant the Larne and you were the

723
00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,080
Speaker 1: Texans nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award,

724
00:37:52,160 --> 00:37:54,759
Speaker 1: recognizing what you've done off the field. I know you've

725
00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,880
Speaker 1: had a free youth football camp for several years, and

726
00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:01,279
Speaker 1: one of your focuses is teaching kids. It's about finances,

727
00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:05,320
Speaker 1: right absolutely, Like financial literacy and education. To me, like

728
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:08,160
Speaker 1: those are the keys, you know, yeah, to try to

729
00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:11,600
Speaker 1: you know, change those cycles of whatever that is really poverty,

730
00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:15,800
Speaker 1: lack of resources. It's gonna take kids going to you know,

731
00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:19,359
Speaker 1: going to school. Us being better than the generations before us.

732
00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:22,200
Speaker 1: And not to say, you know, it's wrong how we

733
00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:23,640
Speaker 1: were growing up. They were giving us the best that

734
00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:25,680
Speaker 1: they had that they had available, the knowledge that they had,

735
00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:28,400
Speaker 1: our resources that they had, right. But it has to

736
00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:31,359
Speaker 1: stop somewhere, you know, and those those you know, bad

737
00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:34,400
Speaker 1: cycles have to stop somewhere and it's the access to

738
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,000
Speaker 1: that education, It's the access to those resources. And if

739
00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:39,640
Speaker 1: I'm able to, you know, after everything I've learned, all

740
00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:41,680
Speaker 1: my experiences, be able to come and bring that back

741
00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:44,080
Speaker 1: to my hometown city. And that's that's that's what I

742
00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:46,319
Speaker 1: feel like, you know, I'm called to do. All Right,

743
00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:49,640
Speaker 1: a few wildcard categories with Michael Thomas to wrap this up.

744
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,040
Speaker 1: You answered this one actually early, but you can elaborate now.

745
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:57,000
Speaker 1: Your all time favorite athlete in any sport and why.

746
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,880
Speaker 1: Definitely growing up it was Michael Jordan hands down, you know,

747
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:02,920
Speaker 1: like like I mean like it was. It was just

748
00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,360
Speaker 1: like everybody else. It was almost like sickening, you know,

749
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:08,640
Speaker 1: like how I felt the bottom growing up. Just a

750
00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:12,000
Speaker 1: mistique about him, obviously, you just talking about sports. The

751
00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:14,880
Speaker 1: unblemish six you know what I'm saying, six six titles

752
00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:18,640
Speaker 1: and on six tries. But that work, acted that that drive,

753
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:21,440
Speaker 1: that will to win, you know, challenging teammates and stuff

754
00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:24,080
Speaker 1: like that. I don't think the last dance changed my

755
00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:27,600
Speaker 1: view that much because after being a professional athlete myself,

756
00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:29,040
Speaker 1: I know what it takes and sometimes you do got

757
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:33,520
Speaker 1: to challenge of teammates and leadership styles are different, but yeah,

758
00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:36,200
Speaker 1: So I'd say that just just that will to win

759
00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:38,279
Speaker 1: and just finding a way, just finding a way to

760
00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:41,480
Speaker 1: get it done. Aside from acting. Do you have any

761
00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:46,120
Speaker 1: other hidden talents? Nah? Man, I'd say acting probably is

762
00:39:46,239 --> 00:39:50,680
Speaker 1: that that that one hidden talent um. But you know now,

763
00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:52,560
Speaker 1: it's just trying to be the best father I can be,

764
00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:54,560
Speaker 1: still learning on the fly. I got three young kids

765
00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:55,920
Speaker 1: and trying to figure out how to be a good

766
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:58,840
Speaker 1: husband and my wife Like, that's that's about it. What

767
00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:04,720
Speaker 1: are you terrible as Oh? I'd probably say I'm terrible

768
00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,680
Speaker 1: at cooking, but that's something I am going to work at,

769
00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:09,719
Speaker 1: you know, Like I think my wife would appreciate it

770
00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:11,719
Speaker 1: as well, just to help out a little bit. So

771
00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:16,040
Speaker 1: I'd probably say cooking. You are one of three Michael

772
00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:20,759
Speaker 1: Thomas's in the NFL, including a current teammate. Have you

773
00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:23,560
Speaker 1: ever been confused for the other two? What that's on

774
00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:25,520
Speaker 1: a daily basis? I promised. If I look up my

775
00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:28,600
Speaker 1: phone right now on Instagram on Twitter, I'm getting called

776
00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:31,040
Speaker 1: slant boy yo, Like why Yo, when are you gonna

777
00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:32,920
Speaker 1: be available for the for the Saints? I drafted you

778
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:35,719
Speaker 1: in the first round. Man, Me and me and me

779
00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:39,000
Speaker 1: and my nickname is normally Mike T. But he his

780
00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,040
Speaker 1: nickname is Mike T too so and he was here first,

781
00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:43,239
Speaker 1: so I can't even go by Mike T now right,

782
00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:46,320
Speaker 1: So we call each other twin. You'll see us do

783
00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:49,800
Speaker 1: our little little acknowledgement and celebration every day. But you know,

784
00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:53,319
Speaker 1: I love his personality. It's funny. We crack jokes every

785
00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:55,080
Speaker 1: day in the locker room, but that's on a daily

786
00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:57,920
Speaker 1: basis at this point. And I'll probably I'll give you

787
00:40:58,000 --> 00:40:59,839
Speaker 1: one more. The worst part was a couple of years

788
00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:02,200
Speaker 1: when I was with the Dolphins. I think Nike was

789
00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:04,279
Speaker 1: doing like player cards or something like that and giving

790
00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:06,440
Speaker 1: every single player. You get your own player cards, you

791
00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:08,960
Speaker 1: can sign them, give them out to you know, like uh,

792
00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:13,239
Speaker 1: at your at your youth camps and events and stuff. Right,

793
00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:16,960
Speaker 1: I opened up my pack. Oh yeah, Dad, you already

794
00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:18,919
Speaker 1: know what this is going. I opened up my pack

795
00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:21,080
Speaker 1: and it was a box, of course, full of Mike

796
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:24,439
Speaker 1: Thomas for the Saints. I said, I took the social media.

797
00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:26,279
Speaker 1: I made a video on my teammates laughing at me

798
00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,520
Speaker 1: in the locker room. I said, no enough enough, you

799
00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:30,160
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, like, no, no, no, this has

800
00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:33,480
Speaker 1: to stop. Somewhere, you know. But it's funny. It's a

801
00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:37,239
Speaker 1: great name, obviously, but no, it's cool to have a

802
00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:39,080
Speaker 1: teammate with the same name as Year and we just

803
00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:41,200
Speaker 1: feed off each other. It would be nice to get

804
00:41:41,239 --> 00:41:43,719
Speaker 1: a paycheck from the saint that you are on the

805
00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:45,880
Speaker 1: same That's what I said. I am waiting. That's what

806
00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:48,360
Speaker 1: I'm waiting for. It's like, give me that check. It

807
00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:51,840
Speaker 1: saints Nike, Jordan, whoever my name's on it, Dan, and

808
00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,279
Speaker 1: disease for me. So that's what I'm waiting for. I

809
00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:58,480
Speaker 1: hope it happened. Last thing, this is kind of deep.

810
00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:04,520
Speaker 1: If you could meet anybody in history, athlete, actor, statesman,

811
00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:09,239
Speaker 1: religious figure, whoever that might be, who would that person be,

812
00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:16,640
Speaker 1: I'd probably say at this point Jackie Robinson. I played

813
00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:20,960
Speaker 1: him acting in a history fair and then performances. Ask

814
00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:24,840
Speaker 1: him I think was sixth grade and everything he stood for,

815
00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:27,680
Speaker 1: not just breaking a barrier, you know, color barrier in baseball,

816
00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:30,480
Speaker 1: but you know, just just the mindset he had to

817
00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:33,160
Speaker 1: have to go through that at that time, still go

818
00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:36,080
Speaker 1: out there and the pressure of going to perform and

819
00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:39,520
Speaker 1: you know, be a young African American male, you know,

820
00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:41,400
Speaker 1: with that much weight and you know, how did he

821
00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:44,520
Speaker 1: deal with it? Obviously I've had my things I've had

822
00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:47,000
Speaker 1: to deal with in my career, right, so I'd probably

823
00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:49,920
Speaker 1: want to, you know, have a conversation with him regards

824
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,320
Speaker 1: with dinner, you know, drink whatever, you know, and just

825
00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:54,359
Speaker 1: just just talk about that and just talk about life.

826
00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:57,239
Speaker 1: Tremendous answer, and this has been a lot of fun.

827
00:42:57,560 --> 00:42:59,200
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time. Best of luck

828
00:42:59,239 --> 00:43:01,640
Speaker 1: the rest of the year. It's been fun for me too, man,

829
00:43:01,920 --> 00:43:05,680
Speaker 1: Thank you. I hope you agree that Michael J. Thomas

830
00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:08,600
Speaker 1: earned a spot in the Fun Facts Hall of Fame.

831
00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:11,000
Speaker 1: That's going to do it for This episode of The

832
00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:14,640
Speaker 1: Bengals Booth Podcast brought to you by Ultimate Bengals, the

833
00:43:14,760 --> 00:43:18,920
Speaker 1: free to play Next Level Fantasy Football game downloaded now

834
00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:21,520
Speaker 1: from the App Store and Google Play. And if you

835
00:43:21,560 --> 00:43:24,440
Speaker 1: haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and

836
00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:26,520
Speaker 1: if you have a minute, give it a rating or

837
00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:29,960
Speaker 1: share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us.

838
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,680
Speaker 1: I'm Dan Horde. Merry Christmas and thanks for listening to

839
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:35,799
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast.