WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: What You Need 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:04.519 Hi, get everybody. 0:00:04.559 --> 0:00:08.480 I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:10.800 The this is what you need, I'll give you what 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:15.240 you need. Addition, as I discussed what the Bengals need 0:00:15.280 --> 0:00:18.720 to do to reclaim the AFC North and ultimately return 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:22.239 to the Super Bowl with Robert Weintraub, who covers the 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:26.120 Bengals for Cincinnati Magazine and one of the best NFL 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:32.280 analytics websites ftnfantasy dot com. The Bengals Booth Podcast is 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.159 brought to you by Pai Core, proud to be the 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:39.320 Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:42.760 fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:46.520 to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:49.760 care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official 0:00:49.800 --> 0:00:51.200 healthcare provider. 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:51.920 Of the Bengals. 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:54.560 Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:58.600 latest edition of this podcast delivered write to your phone, tablet, 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:03.120 or computer by subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. It's 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:08.119 the greatest thing since the Best Photos of twenty twenty three. 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:11.440 At the top ofthe Bengals dot com home page, one 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:15.240 of the categories you can click is Photos, which connects 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:18.600 you to a wide variety of photo galleries. If you 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:21.680 haven't done so already, I encourage you to check out 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:26.360 the one titled best of twenty twenty three season. Team 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:30.080 photographer Ryan Meyer has selected the top photos he took 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:34.679 during the past season, and his work is amazing. Some 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:39.160 of my favorites include Joe Burrow on one knee firing 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:42.800 an imaginary arrow into the sky, the upper torso of 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:46.520 Trey Hendrickson emerging from smoke to take the field before 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:50.040 a game, and Cam Taylor Britt dancing in the locker 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:53.400 room after a Bengals victory. There are more than two 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:58.080 hundred photos in all, and Ryan's work is spectacular. Be 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:01.360 sure to check out the best foot Photos of twenty 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:05.040 twenty three. Now time to get to this week's guest. 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:09.680 Robert Weintraub covers the Bengals for Cincinnati Magazine and wrote 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:13.320 the Bengals season preview chapter for this year's edition of 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:19.200 the FTN Football Almanac formerly known as The Football Outsiders Almanac. 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:23.560 Robert writes about the team honestly and critically, but it's 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:27.280 worth pointing out that he is a diehard Bengals fan. 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:31.080 Robert you wrote about the roller coaster ride that was 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:34.440 this past season on a weekly basis for Cincinnati Magazine. 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:38.240 This is a Bengals podcast. So let's start with the positives. 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:41.160 What were they in your view this year? 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:44.760 There were any I'm trying to remember off the top 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:48.959 of my head if there were any. Yeah, you know, obviously, 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:51.959 it started on such a funk with Joe's injury in 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:55.560 training camp and then sort of seemed to have all 0:02:55.600 --> 0:02:59.400 these hairpin turns of optimism and pepsimism sometimes. 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:00.560 You know, in this quarter. 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:04.440 It was such a bizarre season, and so much of 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:06.880 it wrapped around Joe's overall health and then of course 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:09.120 when he went out. I thought that was one of 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:12.320 the main positives, the development of Jake Browning and the 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:14.799 way the team rallied around him in a lot of ways, 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:17.920 the way they showed that they're not just a quarterback, 0:03:18.919 --> 0:03:22.400 in an all pro quarterback level quarterback who could you know, 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:25.120 carry the team on his back. They had quite a 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:29.040 bit to offer there, just beyond what Joe could offer. 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:31.880 So I think that was one of the main developments. 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:36.800 But overall, I think you have to say it was 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:39.880 mostly a negative season just because of the expectations and 0:03:39.920 --> 0:03:42.760 because of what we see going on, not just in 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:45.840 the Greater AFC, but in the AFC North. Anytime the 0:03:45.880 --> 0:03:48.600 rest of the division makes the playoffs and you're the 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.880 one team excluded, even with a winning record, that that 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:55.680 feels bad. And you know, it felt good to see 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:58.880 the Browns lose their game and the Steelers lose their game. 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.680 In some ways, that was the old positives of the season. 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:07.640 But I think overall we just assume flush twenty twenty 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:11.000 three down the memory hole and begin a fresh in 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:13.640 twenty twenty four with a healthy Joe Burro playing seventeen 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:17.200 games plus a few more hopefully in the postseason, as 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:19.440 we've gotten used to. It's hard to believe, but we've 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:23.800 gotten so used to playoff, deep, playoff runs in Cincinnati 0:04:23.839 --> 0:04:27.800 that when they don't happen for whatever reason, you really 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:29.880 left with a sour taste in your mouth. And you know, 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:32.200 in some ways that's a positive too. It's just the 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:35.440 bar has been raised on what a successful season is 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:38.240 in Cincinnati, and that can be nothing but good. The 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:41.440 expectations are higher, and after so many years of really 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:45.320 low expectations in Cincinnati, the idea that a season where 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:47.960 you just missed the playoffs despite a winning record is 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:51.120 viewed as a really kind of a terrible disappointment overall, 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:53.120 kind of a good thing if you can look at 0:04:53.160 --> 0:04:57.400 it from the glass half full method of looking at things. 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:00.440 I think that's probably how most Bengals fans would look 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:02.960 at it. Maybe the one other thing I would throw 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:05.440 in is that they managed to have a winning record 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:13.320 despite burrows injuries against statistically the most difficult schedule ever 0:05:14.640 --> 0:05:15.560 of all time. 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:16.240 If you can believe it. 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:18.920 Yes, the numbers that we'd crunch at what used to 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:23.000 be Football Outsiders and is now Ftnfantasy dot Com, So 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.680 go to that web address for all your advanced statistical needs. 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:30.919 I'll spare you the way. 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.320 It went down in terms of the name changed, but. 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:38.000 Indeed it was the most difficult schedule ever played in 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:42.240 since DVOA, which is the efficiency stat that we use, 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:45.560 has been tabulated going back to the early eighties, So 0:05:45.600 --> 0:05:47.760 that should tell you. I mean, obviously, we mentioned just 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:50.480 a minute ago that three teams in the division made 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:54.000 the playoffs, and Baltimore in particular had a historic season. 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:58.000 Playing them twice obviously was something that tipped the scales 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:01.320 and the difficult schedule apartment for sure. 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:03.960 And you know, you look back at those games. 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:06.160 Burrow was semi healthy in one and they lost by 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:09.039 three points and were ahead when he went out for 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:11.840 the season, and the other. It's not like you can 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.000 come away with those games and think that the Ravens 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:14.880 were some kind of. 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:17.640 Way better than the Bengals. 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:20.240 Obviously, if Burrow had played and been healthy in both 0:06:20.240 --> 0:06:23.480 those games, you like their chances. So despite playing that 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:26.360 extremely difficult schedule all the way through, and of course 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:28.800 that included the forty nine Ers who they defeated handily, 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:33.040 and the Steelers and the Browns who had good seasons 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:38.440 dboa wise, four games there. Yeah, Bengals were obviously, you know, 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:41.280 all those games, and that just tells you, like you said, 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:43.320 they came away with a nine to eight record, they 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:47.479 lost their quarterback, they showed development in certain other areas, 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:48.839 and they had. 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:50.120 To play such a difficult schedule. 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:53.120 The only issue is, of course, those three teams in 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:55.680 the division aren't going anywhere. We'll see how that plays 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:58.440 out next year. But nevertheless, you have to like their 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:01.119 chances going forward, assuming that Burrow was healthy. 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:01.960 Robert. 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:05.159 It's very interesting because in the FTN Football Almanac prior 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:07.359 to the season you wrote about the Bengals building a 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:11.720 team that could beat Kansas City, specifically could beat Kansas 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:14.360 City to get to the Super Bowl. Did that make 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:18.840 it harder or does that make it harder to beat Baltimore, 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:20.920 Cleveland and Pittsburgh. 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:23.880 Yeah, I think there is a bit of a taking 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:25.720 your eye off the ball that was right in front 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:27.880 of you, so to speak, in sinsais. 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:29.920 It's hard to blame them when you go. 0:07:29.880 --> 0:07:32.520 To the championship game twice in a row against the 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.440 same team and you see that their team is obviously 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:38.720 built in a similar way with the superstar quarterback, trying 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:41.240 to get a young fleet defense that doesn't cost a 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:44.920 lot of money and fill in around that. You know, 0:07:44.960 --> 0:07:49.680 from there, it made sense for them to maybe not explicitly, 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:53.000 but you know, implicitly try and do the same thing 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:56.840 and kind of attack what they saw against Kansas City. 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:58.560 They figured that was going to be the team they'd 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:03.080 run up against. There was obviously healthy respect, I think 0:08:03.120 --> 0:08:05.800 for the other three divisional teams, but in a way, 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:09.720 they wound up at least this season, kind of building 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:11.880 a team that was a little light in the loafers, 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:15.160 shall we say, didn't have enough rear end perhaps for 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:18.600 the division that they're in, and I think if they 0:08:18.800 --> 0:08:21.120 had to do it over again, they might have adjusted 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.600 the way they built certain aspects of the defense slightly. 0:08:24.640 --> 0:08:26.200 I mean, there's only so much you can do, and 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:28.480 you have guys on the roster that you were expecting 0:08:28.520 --> 0:08:31.160 to fill those roles that maybe didn't step up enough 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:34.280 or got hurt. You know, things happened in the NFL. 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:36.400 But I think there'll probably be a bit of a 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:40.840 readjustment this season or this offseason in terms of let's 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:43.800 go back to doing what you know Marvin Lewis always 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:47.080 did first and foremost, shall we say, which was build 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:50.440 your team to win your division first, compete against those 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:53.679 six games, and then you know, whatever happens after that 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:57.040 will take that as it comes. But I do think 0:08:57.080 --> 0:08:59.120 they'll try and look, you know, at the Ravens and 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:02.400 the Browns a particular, and say they ran over us 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:02.840 this year. 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:05.280 How do we avoid that? In twenty twenty. 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:08.480 Four, Visiting with Robert Weintrauve writes about the Bengals for 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:11.840 Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter or x 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:15.559 if you have embraced the name change at Rob Wine 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:18.840 w E I n let's talk about the five game 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:22.120 stretch where Joe Burrow is healthy and the Bengals went 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:24.920 four and one. We're pretty dominant, and their wins over 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:28.800 San Francisco and Buffalo. I tend to think that those 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.480 were the real Bengals, But in those games where their 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.240 weakness is just temporarily hidden. 0:09:37.640 --> 0:09:39.960 Yeah, I mean to a point, you know, I mean, 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:43.360 I think that's the case. Anytime you have a team 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:45.920 operating at all cylinders so to speak, or tina looks 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:48.720 really good because of what you expect. In this case, 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:52.240 their offense and Joe Burrow. Yeah, that's what they do. 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:54.960 I mean, that's what a great quarterback does. He masquerades 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:57.560 other elements of your team that might not be as 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:00.400 strong because the other team is so busy trying to 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:02.839 deal with what they The Bengals did so well. I mean, 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:06.679 it sounds like that's a negative. Yeah, masquerades some of 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:09.600 their some of their flaws. But that's kind of the point. 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:14.000 I mean, you know, especially after Joe gets this big money, 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:16.400 there's always going to be an element of the team 0:10:17.040 --> 0:10:19.800 that isn't one hundred percent or where you want it 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:23.280 to be. It's not a game changing at every single 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:26.840 unit on the field. That's just not possible. So you know, 0:10:26.920 --> 0:10:29.440 you build to your strengths. In this case, Joe Burrow, 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:31.760 and as you saw, let's say, in the forty nine 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:34.640 ers game, you know, they dominated the game through their 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:38.200 passing attack, and because they were so effective at it, 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:39.080 that opened. 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:39.559 Up other areas. 0:10:39.920 --> 0:10:43.360 It made their areas of quote unquote weakness, you know, 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:46.000 kind of less so because the forty nine ers were 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:48.120 chasing the game in a lot of ways, they had 0:10:48.160 --> 0:10:50.520 a much better tackling game and a much better sort 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:53.560 of defensive defense against the pass in that game than 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:57.079 they ordinarily would, especially you know, in the fourth quarter 0:10:57.120 --> 0:10:59.600 when they needed it. You know, the forig nine ers 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:02.199 may play those games. They did in that game, they 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:04.840 threw for a lot of yards, brought perty played very well, 0:11:04.880 --> 0:11:07.040 but as you say, you didn't really think about that 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:09.520 aspect of the game because he made a couple of mistakes, 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:11.760 and he did so because he was playing in a 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:14.800 way he wasn't accustomed to, playing from behind, chasing the game, 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:17.920 chasing Joe Burrow. That's the way the Bengals want to play. 0:11:17.960 --> 0:11:21.360 So yeah, the answer to the question is yes, but 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:25.160 that's by design. Unfortunately, of course, when your quarterback then 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:28.679 gets hurt or you know, as we saw before, those 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:33.319 truly healthy games plays in unlimited capacity. Obviously, those fulls 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:35.880 come to the ford not so easy to disguise, and 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:37.839 then you have problems and you have to adjust your 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:41.160 game plan and kind of seek out victories as best 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:43.439 you can. Jake Browning in a couple of those games 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:47.000 masked flaws in the same way that Burrow did, you know, 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:48.440 especially against the Vikings. 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:51.559 So you know, it's kind of the way. 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:55.840 Of the NFL roster building, Tawe roster building. I guess 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:58.280 he'd say, that's kind of what you have to do. 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.760 Play to your strength, maximize it and working around the 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.199 portions of your team that are not so good and 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:06.880 hope that the other team is you know, behind and 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:10.480 can't take advantage of what you don't do as well. 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:15.480 Let's talk defense. What do the analytics like DVOA tell 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:18.560 us about the Bengals defensive woes and what needs to 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:19.200 be fixed. 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:24.199 Yeah, the analytics meet the eye test. I think you'd 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:28.400 say they played pretty poorly, especially against the run, but 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:30.480 also in a lot of areas against the past. One 0:12:30.480 --> 0:12:32.720 thing that was curious was that they were actually top 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:36.240 ten against number one wide receivers in the past and 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:39.800 played well against should say they were thirteenth against number 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:43.160 one and top ten against number three receivers, thirty second 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:48.480 in the league against number two wide receivers, which shows 0:12:48.520 --> 0:12:52.400 you that the depth was not there. Chido Ouzias, you know, 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:56.840 come back from injury was obviously an issue. Injuries to 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:00.760 cam Britt, you know, that obviously played a huge role 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:03.520 in that because the depth with effected after that and 0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:06.040 just you know, the communications issues of having such a 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:09.719 young secondary played itself out in a way that other 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:11.960 teams took advantage of the matchups where they found it. 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:15.240 They were also poor against defending tight ends, extremely poor. 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.920 So tight ends did a number as it's happened in 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:20.880 the past against Cincinnati, and. 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:21.920 Their run defense was poor. 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:25.120 They'd actually had a fairly strong pass rush, especially in 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:28.080 what we call adjusted sack rate. They actually were top 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:31.080 ten better than Pittsburgh, better than Cleveland. Teams that are, 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:35.000 you know, supposed to have this all dominant pass rush. 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:37.600 I think overall, though, the pressure rates kind of brought 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.839 them back toward those teams, which is why you saw, 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:45.359 you know, when Trey Hendrickson basically wasn't storming the quarterback 0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:48.440 and getting to him. They were lacking in that area. 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:52.400 They still require, you know, more consistent pass rush or 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:56.160 at least pressure not necessarily sacks, but pressure from other 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:59.079 elements of that front four in the passing game and. 0:13:59.040 --> 0:13:59.960 Then the running game. 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:02.719 Even with DJ Reader at full out out there was 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.560 it was a disaster in a lot of ways. It 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:08.960 was bad upfront, and they're the Evan statistics which we 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:12.640 separate into the line play versus open field and second 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:13.400 level yards. 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:14.880 Bad across the board. 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:18.360 The tackling was poor after being so good really in 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:20.680 the back half of twenty one and all of twenty 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:24.720 twenty two, it took a step backward. Hard to really put, 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:27.880 you know, a pinpoint on why that happened exactly other 0:14:27.960 --> 0:14:31.600 than young players, lack of practice time, and just you know, 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:34.600 sort of the way the game's unfolded, and something. 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:35.360 To do with their opposition. 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:38.200 So I think they'll be a real sort of come 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:40.680 to Jesus moment in the offseason. Luen Rumo is going 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:43.160 to get back to basics, get these guys tackling again, 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:46.920 and you know, just that aspect that improved so much 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:49.840 from Cincinnati from twenty twenty and twenty twenty one into 0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:52.960 the playoff run, and then in twenty twenty two. 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:54.440 You know, they didn't do. 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:57.720 A lot different in those years schematically at all. What 0:14:57.760 --> 0:15:00.520 they did do was tackle more efficiently and much more effectively. 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:02.480 If they can get back to that level of tackling 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.000 with a little bit more beef inside, and we'll see 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:09.000 what happens with DJ Reader and or his replacement, you 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:12.800 know that could that'll be a real area they'll shine 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:15.240 a spotlight on, I think, defensively and look to get 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:16.840 since the night back to where they were at least 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:19.400 approach where they were in twenty to twenty two. 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:23.560 I thought Jordan Battle had a very solid rookie year. 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:26.320 The Bengals certainly are not about to give up on 0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:30.440 Dax's hill. Can we assume that that will be a 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:33.360 much better safety duo with a year of experience in 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:34.880 NFL coaching under their belt. 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.600 Yeah, I don't think there's any way it can't be, 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:41.560 you know, I mean, barring injury. You see it all 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:44.800 over the league. Young players go up and down. That's 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.920 just the nature of it. The defense they were asked 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:50.760 to play was very complicated. Part of the reason they 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:54.640 drafted Jordan Battle, which was something of a surprise given 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:56.320 some of their other needs at the time in the 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:58.560 draft last year, was that they thought that he. 0:15:58.480 --> 0:15:59.160 Could handle it. 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:02.840 He's obviously still that alabamda Alabama under the master Nick Saban, 0:16:03.200 --> 0:16:05.280 and he showed that he could. It wasn't that he's 0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:08.320 such a you know, more gifted football player than Nick 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:10.720 Scott or other guys out there, but you know, he 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:14.240 can comprehend what's needed on a play to play level, 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:17.480 and he understands where he needs to be, where he 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:20.480 needs to be. Visa VIA's teammates is you know, not 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:23.080 necessarily under his control. And that's the kind of thing 0:16:23.080 --> 0:16:25.840 that really has to improve, and I think it only 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:29.480 can improve with more reps under their belt and communication 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:34.440 passing off receivers, knowing where to be and telling the 0:16:34.480 --> 0:16:37.360 other guys in the secondary in the back seven who 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:39.760 to guard and where to be on the field during 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:40.600 any given play. 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:44.640 You know, these are the kind things that are just experience. 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:48.400 It's just playing and playing and playing. And he kind 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:51.640 of had to be thrown into the fire and take 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:54.120 your lumps. That's just kind of how it works in 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:56.600 the NFL. Very few guys come in and are instant 0:16:56.600 --> 0:17:00.560 stars that have no you know, no improvement required, no 0:17:00.680 --> 0:17:01.680 seasoning required. 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:02.560 They're just that great. 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:05.120 Battle was a good, you know, good story and played 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:06.440 very well for a third rounder. 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:07.680 But you know he made mistakes too. 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:10.880 So it's just a question of getting those guys more 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:15.400 time together. There's no point in pulling the plug on them, 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:18.359 either one of him or Hill or even Nick Scott. Really, 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:21.560 you could upgrade as your third safety if you want, 0:17:21.560 --> 0:17:23.880 but you know that that might be not the best 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:26.040 place to put your dollars in free agency. If you're 0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:28.480 looking to upgrade the rest of the team, I think 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:30.760 they'll just need to, you know, to get into the 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.119 film room, and no reach guy is meant to be. 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:35.399 And I think that's where we saw, you know, the 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:38.679 lack of Jesse Bates, of course, but Von Bell in particular, 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:42.000 just as a leader and somebody who knew exactly where 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:45.040 to go and more important, where to tell the other 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:48.520 guys where to go, even at after the snap or 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:50.960 right at the snap. You saw it a lot with 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:53.640 Bell pointing and telling guys, you're coming. 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:55.439 Here, here's what they're trying to do. 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:58.080 Don't let them do it, you know, with hand signals 0:17:58.160 --> 0:18:01.800 and barking at his teammates. They missed Vaughan quite a bit, 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:04.920 and I think, you know, there's no reason to think 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:08.320 that Battle can't develop into a Von Bell like player 0:18:08.359 --> 0:18:10.399 now that he's had a year under his belt and 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:12.400 can take on that same role. I think that's why 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:14.480 they drafted him, and I think he had a very 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:16.880 promising step in that direction as a rookie. 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:21.600 So the Bengals' biggest defensive need is what. 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.000 Well, I think the obvious is when you say biggest, 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:32.400 because literally and figuratively, it's that run stepper inside. Assuming 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:37.440 DJ Reader is not available. Not a Bengal who knows 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:39.400 what the status will be given. 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:41.040 Is unfortunate injury. 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:44.240 He really hates to see an injury and that he's 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:47.359 had already once in his career and so difficult to 0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:49.399 come back from, especially as he pushes thirty. 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:52.400 And you know, it's just that kind of leg. 0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:54.760 Injury is difficult for anybody, much less somebody who weighs 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:58.439 three hundred plus pounds. So we shall see what we 0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:01.000 shall see in DJ's case, but I think they'll definitely 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:05.000 be looking at somebody else to help, you know, buck 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:08.840 up the interior run defense first and foremost, even with 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:12.520 Reader there, it suffered guy. They really need a three 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:16.840 tech and a sort of nose tackle slash zero tech 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:19.680 guy to be able to handle two blockers at once, 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:24.480 penetrate upfield, get some pressure on the quarterback, make plays 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:25.040 in the backfield. 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:25.800 The Bengals were. 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:30.360 Terrible in both stuffed what we call it FtM fancy stuffed, 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:34.720 which is basically stopping short yardage and also making the 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:38.520 plays for negative yards against the run. They were terrible 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:40.320 in both of that, and that a lot of times 0:19:40.359 --> 0:19:42.960 comes down to not having penetrators up front. I think 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:46.480 they'll definitely look to improve on that, either in the 0:19:46.520 --> 0:19:49.520 draft or free agency or both. Perhaps, you know, it 0:19:49.600 --> 0:19:53.520 comes down to how you're gonna approach that. You want 0:19:53.560 --> 0:19:56.399 to get somebody in free agencies. Don't put yourself in 0:19:56.440 --> 0:19:58.080 a position where you have to get a guy like 0:19:58.119 --> 0:20:00.400 that in the draft, especially picking a eighteenth. 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:01.840 It's a little dodgy. 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:03.560 Who's going to be left You never know for sure, 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:05.960 and you never want to put yourself in a position 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:08.840 where you have to go for a certain position in 0:20:08.840 --> 0:20:11.200 the draft obviously, so I think they'll look to a 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:14.879 guy like at Grover Stewart, maybe of Indianapolis Tiger Tart 0:20:14.920 --> 0:20:19.800 who had some issues in Tennessee before signing out with 0:20:19.800 --> 0:20:22.280 the Texans late in the year. Some AFC South guys 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:27.920 there or some of the other possibilities throughout the league, 0:20:28.000 --> 0:20:31.560 but guys who they know can occupy space and up 0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:34.520