WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Next Year 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:04.400 Hi, get everybody. 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:08.240 I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. 0:00:08.440 --> 0:00:12.799 The next year is gonna be better than this year's edition, 0:00:13.320 --> 0:00:15.720 as I discussed this year's schedule with one of the 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:19.959 people most responsible for putting it together, NFL VP of 0:00:20.000 --> 0:00:23.599 Broadcast Planning, Mike North. But first a pair of five 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.880 minute conversations with one of this year's third round draft picks, 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:31.479 Jermaine Burton and last year's first round draft pick, Miles Murphy. 0:00:31.840 --> 0:00:34.520 The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Core, 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:38.839 proud to be the Bengals official hr software provider, by 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:42.879 Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business, 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:46.080 and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:49.440 the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is 0:00:49.479 --> 0:00:53.040 the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:55.840 quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:59.040 this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer 0:00:59.160 --> 0:01:03.400 by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:08.480 thing since a steam mop. We have a hardwood floor 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:10.360 in our kitchen and it's always been a pain in 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:14.040 the neck to keep clean until my recent purchase of 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:18.039 the Pure Steam ten one steam mop. You pour in 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:21.319 the water, it heats up in thirty seconds and you 0:01:21.400 --> 0:01:25.360 quickly swivel around the room to leave the floor sparkling clean. 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:28.840 It's almost like a zamboni, and it comes with a 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.279 couple of reusable cloth pads, so after you clean the floor, 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:36.320 you remove one of those disgusting looking pads and toss 0:01:36.360 --> 0:01:40.000 it in the washing machine. So how happy am I 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:43.000 with the purchase of my steam mop. I'll put it 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:46.560 this way, the old five second rule for kids has 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:50.360 been expanded to at least seven seconds in our kitchen. 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:53.120 Now let's get to football. 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.639 Since the draft, I've been having fun with this year's 0:01:56.680 --> 0:02:01.360 class by asking them five questions specifically for each player. 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.880 Among other things, we've learned that first round draft pick 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:08.160 a Marius Mims hasn't surrendered a sack since he was 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:11.120 a junior in high school, and that second round draft 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:15.400 pick Chris Jenkins considers himself a nerd with a comic 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:19.280 book collection. Now time to learn about the first of 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:25.400 two players selected in Round three. Time for five questions 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:29.880 with rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton. Question number one, you 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:33.120 played for two of the greatest college football programs in 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:37.000 the country, Georgia and Alabama. Tell me the best thing 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:41.440 about playing for each of those schools. 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:44.720 You know, the competitiveness and the environment, hands down, you know, 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:49.320 plan for those you know, particular programs. You know, it 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:51.920 comes with a lot of you know, competition, you know, 0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:56.320 passionate players, and really just overall great. 0:02:56.120 --> 0:02:59.119 Experience of the game of football from coaching wives as well. 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:02.160 So you know, that's probably the most main thing, is 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.840 the competitiveness that I had to go through, all right. 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:08.400 Question two, is there an NFL wide receiver that you 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:10.280 think you are most similar to? 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:13.280 You know, it isn't so many. 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.200 It's so many great receivers in the NFL that have 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:20.600 like so many different kind of you know, uh abilities, 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:22.160 And you know, I feel like I can you know, 0:03:22.400 --> 0:03:23.800 there's I feel like there's a lot of receivers that 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:24.760 probably do the same thing. 0:03:24.840 --> 0:03:26.400 So if I had to pinpoint one. 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:27.000 I probably not. 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:29.799 But I do feel like there are, you know, probably 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:31.720 some great receivers that do some stuff a lot. 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:35.440 I think of you as a taller Steve Smith. Do 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:37.600 you remember Steve Smith. He's played for the Panthers and 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:40.280 the Ravens when I watched your highlights, that's the person 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:42.600 that came to mind really of a player. 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:45.960 No facts that I love that, I love that. I 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:46.760 love that comparison. 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:49.080 All right, Question number three for Jermaine Burke. And we 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:51.600 learned on draft night that you've been working with former 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:54.720 Bengals wide receiver TJ. Gushman Zada for several years and 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:57.200 he has nothing but great things to say about you. 0:03:57.840 --> 0:04:00.280 What were some of the biggest things you learned from him, 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:02.520 whether it was on the field or off the field. 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:06.520 You know that no matter what, it's a business, and 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.200 you know you have to do your part, you know, 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:12.720 and it's nobody else's fault that you aren't where you 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:15.480 are supposed to be physically and mentally. So you know 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:17.800 that's just the main thing. You know, keep the main thing, 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:19.720 the main thing, and keep working and you know. 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:20.720 Have some fun with it though. 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:23.000 Of course, you know that TJ is a real uh 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:24.640 you know, he's a he's a real funny dude, and 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:26.479 uh but you know he can he can turn it 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:28.000 on that switch and you know it's time to work. 0:04:28.080 --> 0:04:30.120 So you know, I'm pretty sure that's what he means 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:32.040 by you know, you can hit that switch and relax 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:34.040 a little bit and you know, be yourself, but at 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:36.440 the same time, never never get too far away from yourself. 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:37.359 Dude. 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:39.680 Know he holds the franchise record for most catches in 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:40.120 a season. 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:41.760 I did not know that. 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:43.360 N'red and twelve. 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.400 Geez, I'm gonna talk to him, so he gonna say. 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.320 But he was like, oh yeah, that was nothing. 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:52.720 On his way to a Pro Bowl. He was one 0:04:52.760 --> 0:04:55.680 hell of a player. Question number four for Jermaine Burton, 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:59.640 who is your all time favorite athlete in any sport 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:01.040 and why? 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:03.600 I probably said Kobe Bryant. 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:07.440 I would say Kobe because you know his passion and 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:10.160 his aggression and you know the way he worked, and 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.000 you know, I just feel like it's really unmatched. 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:14.560 And uh, I love his energy. 0:05:14.640 --> 0:05:14.800 You know. 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:18.440 You know it's back when it was the USA, it 0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:19.600 was USA versus. 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:22.240 I forgot what it was. Wherever Paugasa is from, they went, 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:25.560 he went against their country. And you know, Pakastan and 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:28.840 the Kobe are really great friends, you know, almost best friends. 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:30.560 They played on the Lakers together, you know, real close. 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:34.520 And I was watching a documentary and Kobe said, first play, 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:35.200 I'm running. 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:37.400 Through Paul his chest and like they were. Everybody was like, 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:37.719 how are you doing? 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:39.680 That's your homeboy, like that's your like this and that, 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:41.880 and he was like nah, like like you set the 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:44.000 tone and you know, first play he actually did that. 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:46.720 So with that kind of like set up. Uh, I 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:49.039 don't know, it just it's got different with me. And 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:51.680 you know, I really respected that, and because you know 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:53.400 the fact that Paul didn't even take it like oh 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:56.520 just I mean it was like nah, he's Kobe is 0:05:56.520 --> 0:05:58.840 on like you know, so the real competition there and 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:01.919 the competitiveness and the agression uh, with that Kobe had. 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:05.640 You know, as a California kid, how devastating was it 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:06.640 when Kobe passed. 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:09.800 It's kind of crazy, honestly. 0:06:10.040 --> 0:06:13.960 Uh, you know, just looking up to him and you know, 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:16.680 always seeing things about him, and you know, it's just 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:19.400 it hit me. S it hit It was so random 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:22.840 and it was just so weird that I didn't know 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:27.280 how to react for so long. But you know, I 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:28.560 I don't know, it was just it was something that 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:29.200 just didn't see. 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:29.440 It right with me. 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:33.320 It was weird, alright. Fifth and final question for Jermaine Burton. 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:37.640 Tell us something about you that not many people know. 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:43.320 You know, I love space, into astrology, and I believe in. 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:51.240 Aliens a triple crown. So how into space? I mean, 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:54.680 they're you know, there are obviously efforts to send people 0:06:54.760 --> 0:06:57.480 to send you know, regular Joe's into space. Is that 0:06:57.600 --> 0:06:58.880 something you dream of doing someday? 0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:03.440 Yes, ultimately a bucket list, you know, cross off that 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:04.600 I would love to you. 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:09.600 Know, eventually hopefully have the ability to. But yeah, that's 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:10.840 that is something I would be dout for. 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:13.920 All right, Well, you believe in aliens. He kind of 0:07:13.960 --> 0:07:16.600 looked like one on the football field. It's great to 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:19.000 have you in Cincinnati. Appreciate the time that's sluck going forward. 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:20.440 Thank you, boss man. I appreciate you. 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:22.320 For what it's worth. 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.440 I think Jermaine has looked extremely impressive in his first 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:28.720 few practices, and since Jamar Chase and t Higgins have 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:32.680 not taken part in this voluntary phase, Burton has been 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:33.800 one of the leading. 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:35.160 Targets for Joe Burrow. 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:38.880 Speaking of looking impressive, I posted some video on Twitter 0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:42.360 recently of Miles Murphy hitting a sled that got a 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:45.440 lot of attention because he looks like a monster. It 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:48.040 provided a reminder for why the twenty two year old 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:50.440 was a first round pick. And when I caught up 0:07:50.440 --> 0:07:54.600 with Miles recently, we started our conversation by reminiscing about 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:56.520 his draft experience last year. 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:00.840 Maybe in the morning. 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:04.240 Fifty people at my drab party, so it was and 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:09.240 it was all like close friends, family, extended family, neighbors. 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:12.680 So I was really I was literally just enjoying their company. 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:14.480 It was a it was a part of the whole night, 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:17.520 So I was, I was, I was enjoying the company. 0:08:17.560 --> 0:08:22.200 And then phone rang got around close. 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:24.720 To midnight, so it was it was. 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:27.080 It was a fun night because one hundred and fifty 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:28.680 people make it more stressful for you. 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:30.040 At one point. 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.240 At one point, yeah, because I was like, this is 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:36.800 a little bit longer than I expected. But phone, phone eventual, 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:40.560 pune eventually rang, and I would say, but everybody was excited, 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:42.760 called everybody on stage, So it was it was a 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:43.520 fun night for sure. 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:46.720 We're visiting with Miles Murphy. Tell me about your off season. 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:48.280 What have you done for fun? What have you done 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:48.760 to get better? 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:51.520 Okay, right after this season, went back home to Atlanta, 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:54.880 just to When I first went home to Atlanta for 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:58.240 about a week or so, I did absolutely nothing. I 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:01.400 just wanted to enjoy my family, but then again, it's 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:02.360 hard for me to sit still. 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:03.520 So I admitted. 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:06.760 I immediately flew out to Arizona for all of February 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:10.040 that's some training, and started working out, and then came 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:14.000 back to Atlanta for March. Up until now, just really 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:17.439 just working and putting on, putting on muscles, because about 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:19.840 to say, I was just saying, like my routine every 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:22.880 all season is buke up, put on muscle, and then once. 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:24.920 We get close to the season, lean out. 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:27.200 Because right now, right now I'm sitting at around like 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:29.679 two seventy eight to eighty, but I always get down 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:32.160 to about two seventy three to seventy two. 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:34.880 Right before the season, going into the draft, you're trying 0:09:34.880 --> 0:09:37.440 to win the Olympics essentially fastest time you can have 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.400 win all these tests. Now that you've had an experience 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.760 of playing a season in the NFL, does it change 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.520 where you say, all right, strength is what I need 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.160 or whatever quality there might be. 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:54.960 I will say there are two types of conditions. There's 0:09:55.080 --> 0:10:00.480 a combine condition and there's football condition. I was in 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:05.840 great combined condition a year ago now, but not in 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:08.160 good football condition for sure. So I feel like right 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:10.000 now I'm in really good football condition. 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:13.240 By saying endurance is great, strength is there. 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:17.800 So I feel like my preparation for this upcoming season 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:19.760 is much better than it was last year. 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.160 How did you feel about your game and the final 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:25.560 game of the season versus the beginning of your rookie year? 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:26.320 How did you grow? 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:30.199 I was a lot more comfortable, to say the least, honestly, 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:34.520 because I knew one what to expect. The big I 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:37.880 feel like the biggest mental difference from college now is 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:39.439 the playbook. 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:42.360 Is a little bit easier, but the on field. 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:45.600 In game adjustments when the crowd is extremely loud is 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:46.960 a lot more difficult. 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:48.960 That's that's that's the biggest. 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:49.560 Game change in my opinion. 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:53.600 Towards the end of the season, I was not thinking, 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:57.120 not thinking for a linebackers, but I was like predicting 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:58.240 and like knowing what they. 0:10:58.120 --> 0:10:59.960 Were already going to say, what the adjustment was. 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:03.760 So I was Ozma's definitely moving faster and just knowing 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:07.160 wants to do, Norman to expect from from outside of 0:11:07.160 --> 0:11:11.360 the ball in the off line, and just like I 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:13.360 always always start a playing when it came to the 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:16.000 pass rushing, especially so to the second half of. 0:11:15.920 --> 0:11:19.560 The season, Bengals added Sheldon Rankins to your musician group. 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:22.080 How much do you know about him? I know he 0:11:22.120 --> 0:11:23.880 played with Tray early on when he was at. 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.360 The Saints and was at the well at the Texans 0:11:26.360 --> 0:11:28.200 actually did very well there. It's also it's a little 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:30.280 bit of this film. I love the way he passed 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:31.959 rushes just from the inside, So I feel like he's 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:35.880 gonna add more pressure to what we already have on 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:36.480 the inside. 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:38.120 So I feel it'll be a good addition. 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:40.240 When you have a guy like that that's great and 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:43.280 rushing from the inside, How much does it help you? 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:44.559 Coming from the edge. 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.400 Helps a lot, by to say, even like even like 0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:50.559 with a big Reader last year, although all people say 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:54.439 he's not not a pass rusher, sure he still gets 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:56.800 double teamed and that takes a lot of pressure off 0:11:56.840 --> 0:12:00.720 of us. So really having just a really good interior 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:03.839 force in there helps. 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:06.600 To edge guys because that's just more one on one, 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:08.679 one on one opportunities. 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:11.959 Less slides to us, so it's less for us to 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:12.480 worry about. 0:12:12.559 --> 0:12:15.160 Honestly, how will you miss DJ Reader personally? 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:17.439 Really, just his vibe in the locker room about to 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:21.160 say his uh, his vibles felt every every time he 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:24.120 walked to the locker room. But uh, you know we 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:26.320 I texted him as soon as I got the news 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:29.760 that he was going to Detroit say congratulations, and he 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:33.120 you know, he's just obvious, just a great guy. 0:12:33.160 --> 0:12:33.560 You guys know. 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:36.240 Also, I'm about to say he his vibe was just 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:39.680 felt always always had good energy, always cracking jokes. So 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:42.640 I'm pretty sure that's how everyone will remember him. 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:44.280 Appreciate your time. Great to say. 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:44.520 Sure. 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:49.079 As I mentioned, Miles is still only twenty two years old. 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:51.880 In fact, he's younger than eight of the ten players 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:55.199 the Bengals drafted this year. The only two picks who 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:58.920 are younger are first rounder a Marius Mems and sixth 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:02.920 rounder Cedric Johnson. The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to 0:13:02.920 --> 0:13:05.360 you by pay Corps, Proud to be the Bengals official 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:10.040 HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:12.720 designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:16.240 new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:20.560 the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider. 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:21.160 Of the Bengals. 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:26.320 Mike North is the NFL's vice president of Broadcast Planning 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:29.280 and one of the league's top executives in creating the 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:32.719 schedule each year. He joined me this week for an 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:36.320 in depth look at the Bengals schedule and included some 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:41.920 possible hints for things we might expect in the near future. Mike, 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:45.000 the NFL had some great options for the NFL Kickoff 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:48.360 game this year, involving the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:52.040 City Chiefs. She chose a rematch of the AFC Championship game, 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:55.760 Baltimore facing Kansas City. But I was surprised that you 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:59.920 followed that by having the Bengals Chiefs in Week two. 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:02.520 You can make the case that those are Kansas City's 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:04.760 top two home games of the year. Why did you 0:14:04.800 --> 0:14:06.559 decide to start the season with those two? 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:10.160 Yeah, let me take your second question first. We actually 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:13.599 kind of backed in to kickoff. We actually had CINCYKSE 0:14:14.400 --> 0:14:17.880 kind of earmarked from the very beginning as a CBS 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:20.200 four to twenty five Eastern Time doubleheader, obviously one of 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:24.000 the biggest games in the AFC last season, probably was 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:26.920 the biggest game in the AFC at least going in 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:30.120 so a year ago at this time, Bengals Chiefs with 0:14:30.200 --> 0:14:32.840 the whole you know, Burrowhead and all that kind of stuff. 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:36.720 That was CBS's actually really their top ask of the 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:41.360 scheduling team was cincykse tell the AFC story, you know, 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:44.880 where the network of the AFC and the schedule makers decided, 0:14:44.920 --> 0:14:47.320 you know, it would be fun SINCYKC in Week seventeen. 0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:49.360 Wouldn't that be great? All the way at the end 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:51.880 of the season, Burrow and mahomes for the one seed 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:54.760 in the AFC that didn't quite work out the way 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:57.760 we had envisioned, so kind of thought it through this 0:14:57.840 --> 0:14:59.360 year and thinking about if we are going to do 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.920 Cincy case on the CBS again, and it was a 0:15:01.960 --> 0:15:04.320 candidate for Sunday Night, for Monday Night, for Thursday night, 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:06.520 for Black Friday, for Kickoff. A lot of good homes 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:08.600 for that game, obviously, But once we kind of came 0:15:08.640 --> 0:15:10.360 around to putting it up back on CBS in a 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:13.000 double header window, felt like we probably should put that 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:15.920 one in early since we ran it late last year 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:17.640 and maybe by the time we got to it wasn't 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:19.880 what we hoped for, So put that one in early. 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:23.280 Then that takes Cincinnati out of the mix for Kickoff, 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:25.480 and then you look at the rest of Kansas City's 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:27.960 potential home opponents, and to your point, any one of 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:30.120 them would have worked. There was a lot of conversation 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:33.520 about Houston and kind of run on the Detroit angle back. 0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:36.560 They were kind of new on the national scene a 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:38.840 year ago, they were frisky at the end of the 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:43.200 previous season and had earned that national exposure. So maybe 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:45.880 a bit of a flyer, if you will, on Detroit 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:49.000 as kickoff for last year, maybe Houston fit that bill 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:51.040 for this year. But when you see what we did 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:52.680 down there at the bottom of the schedule with the 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.320 Christmas round robin the Saturday to Wednesday, that's how we 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:59.280 decided to use Houston. We decided to use Vegas for 0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:02.080 Black Friday. We decided to use the Chargers both ends 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:06.240 of the Chargers games in National Windows doubleheader and Sunday Night, 0:16:06.520 --> 0:16:08.160 So we kind of came back all the way around 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:10.720 to Baltimore for kickoff, and that one ended up being 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:12.080 really the book end of It's going to be a 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:13.640 really fun first weekend of the season. 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:17.160 I love all these puzzle pieces. As you alluded to, 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:19.960 the Game seven of the Week seventeen matchup between the 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:22.560 Bengals and Chiefs last year didn't work out as intended. 0:16:22.600 --> 0:16:26.200 Because of Joe Burrow's wrist injury. How closely has the 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:31.160 NFL been following his progress before determining how many high 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:33.640 profile window games the Bengals get this year. 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:36.960 Yeah, I mean, look, we're trying to watch everybody, right, 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:39.200 and you think about all the quarterbacks coming back from injury, 0:16:39.400 --> 0:16:41.800 and also some of the quarterbacks coming out of college, Like, 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:44.320 what do any of us know? It's May. We'll see 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:46.720 what happens by the time the season rolls around September. 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:51.000 But watching closely really is the answer. And hopeful that 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:53.760 all these quarterbacks, whether it's Aaron Rodgers or Joe Burrow 0:16:53.920 --> 0:16:56.160 or Justin Herbert or any of these guys coming back 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.320 from injury, hopefully they're healthy week one. From the best 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:00.960 of our intel, we think they're gonna be ready to 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:02.920 go at training camp, and I know the fans are 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:05.200 looking forward to seeing them right and early in the season. 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:07.240 So that's why you see them in national windows early 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:07.600 like that. 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:11.719 So the Bengals open the season at home, the Cincinnati 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:16.440 Reds are on the road. Historically, that lines up pretty consistently. 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:18.639 If the Reds are home, the Bengals are on the road. 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.560 If it's the opposite. The Bengals are at home. Is 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:25.040 it that simple from the NFL's perspective, Yeah, I mean. 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:26.879 It's not as simple as saying, because the Reds are 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:28.920 on the road, the Bengals must be home. But if 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:30.960 the Reds are at home, we know that putting a 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:33.960 Bengals home game there creates a little extra tension, a 0:17:33.960 --> 0:17:36.879 little extra trouble with the parking lots, with the police, 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:39.560 with the municipal services, with the downtown traffic. So as 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:42.520 best we can, we try to avoid having them both 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:44.640 play at the same time. But I know Downtown has 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:48.760 handled multiple big events at times, and I'm pretty sure 0:17:48.800 --> 0:17:51.160 you played Bengals and Reds games at the same time, 0:17:51.240 --> 0:17:53.040 maybe one in the afternoon and one and night. So 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:55.399 we know it can be done. But again, as we 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:58.000 sit here in May and we start this process, our 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:01.040 best schedule probably doesn't create those conflex unless we really 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:01.399 need to. 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:05.440 Our guest is Mike North, the NFL's VP of broadcast Planning. 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:09.000 I know the NFL does what it can to try 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:11.919 to make things as equitable as possible, but here is 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:15.720 a small gripe from a Bengals perspective. The Bengals play 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:20.040 a road game in Baltimore in primetime on Thursday, November seventh. 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:23.280 It's the third straight year they've played a road game 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:26.520 in Baltimore in primetime. It's the second straight year they've 0:18:26.520 --> 0:18:30.159 played a road game on Thursday night in Baltimore. Yeah, 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:31.800 do you try to avoid streaks like that? 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:34.760 You know, a streak of three years in a row. 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:38.439 Obviously not something that's fatal to any finished schedule. I'll 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.000 also tell you, like the travel right, a trip to 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:43.840 Baltimore for a short week playing a division opponent that 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:46.000 you know pretty well. I don't think that's one that 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:48.719 we would say, hey, that's completely unfair, we shouldn't do that. 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:51.880 But after conversations such as these and hearing from enough 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:55.119 Bengals fans and coaches and general managers, yeah, I imagine 0:18:55.160 --> 0:18:57.040 that's something we'll probably keep an eye on for next season. 0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.040 The challenge for us, as you know, is we play 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:01.560