WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: It's Time 0:00:03.560 --> 0:00:06.519 I get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:13.360 the Bengals Booth Podcast. The It's time to begin, isn't it. Addition, 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:16.560 as the Bengals announced they are adding a long awaited 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:20.200 Ring of Honor to Paul Brown Stadium. Coming up, I'll 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:23.759 talk to Elizabeth Blackburn, the Bengals Director of Strategy and Engagement, 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:26.159 as she explains why the Bengals are moving forward with 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:28.520 a Ring of Honor, how many players will make up 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:31.400 the initial class and how they are being chosen, and 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:34.800 if that picture of a snow covered stadium back in 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:38.280 February that included a hint of today's news was a 0:00:38.360 --> 0:00:42.879 clever tease or an honest mistake. Then I'll talk to 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:47.040 the greatest player in franchise history, Anthony Munio's about Bengals 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:50.160 legends being honored this year and for years to come, 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:53.519 and I'll sneak in a few questions about the draft 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:57.840 as well. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by bud Light. 0:00:57.920 --> 0:01:01.160 Seltzer refreshed the game and here's a quick reminder that 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:04.319 you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:08.760 write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:12.840 Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean. It's the greatest thing 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:18.880 since the book God's at Play. That book, written by 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:22.200 Tom Callahan, a columnist for the Cincinnati Inquirer back in 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:26.280 the nineteen seventies, include some great material about Paul Brown 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:31.240 and the Bengals, including this nugget. Once a training camp 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.640 in Wilmington, Callahan and Brown were having lunch and the 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:37.880 writer said, I'm looking for a column, Paul, Do you 0:01:37.920 --> 0:01:43.000 have any ideas Paul Brown gave him this quote. I'd 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:45.240 take a closer look at this new six foot two 0:01:45.280 --> 0:01:48.960 fellow Ken Anderson. I'd be especially interested and how much 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:52.360 taller than six two he appears to stand in the pocket, 0:01:52.680 --> 0:01:55.320 and how the veteran players out offense respond to him. 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:58.919 I'd forget that he's just a third round draft choice. 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:02.080 I'd ignore the fact that he went to a nothing school. 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:06.520 I'd trust my eyes. That's what I'd do if I 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:11.760 were a newspaper columnist today. Pretty cool stuff, right again. 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:14.920 The title of the book is God's at Play and 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:19.280 the author is Tom Callahan. Speaking of Paul Brown, the 0:02:19.280 --> 0:02:22.720 Bengals announced this morning that the legendary coach and Anthony 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:25.839 Munio's are the first two members of their new Ring 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:28.560 of Honor. Two more will be added to this year's 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:32.760 initial class in an upcoming vote by season ticket members. 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:35.640 I spoke to the Bengals Director of Strategy and Engagement, 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:41.600 Elizabeth Blackburn, about today's announcement. Today, the Bengals are announcing 0:02:41.760 --> 0:02:44.120 the addition of a Ring of Honor at Paul Brown 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:48.440 Stadium beginning this year. What led to that decision probably 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:51.840 started with the fact that we have a very strong 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:55.919 desire from our amazing fans and season ticket holders to 0:02:56.800 --> 0:03:01.040 have a Ring of Honor and the cinc Addy Bengals 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:06.880 have such a rich history and our fans in the 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:11.280 community want to celebrate that. A piece that was always 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:14.400 holding us back was it's just a name on a wall, 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:21.239 and for these legends in Bengal's history, it didn't feel 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:26.840 like it was enough. And so over the last twelve 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:32.760 to fourteen months, the company has shifted our approach to 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:37.640 content and we have added a lot of capability in 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:44.360 video and photo content, and that and the digital channels 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:49.000 that exist today with our app, our website, social media, 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:53.880 combined with our ability to create great content, gave us 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:58.600 an additional piece that we could pair with a physical 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:02.880 ring of honor that finally felt made it feel like 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:06.960 it was enough. We were doing justice to these amazing 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:12.120 legends in Bengal's history, like Anthony Muno's like Paul Brown, 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:17.359 to really tell their stories in addition to showing their 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:21.039 name or name and number on the facade in the stadium. 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:23.839 How many people will make up the initial class and 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:26.760 how will they be chosen? The initial class will have 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:31.400 four inductees or calling them our first four. Two of them, 0:04:31.440 --> 0:04:37.000 Paul Brown and Anthony Munio's were are automatically inducted as 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:41.360 our Pro Football Hall of Fame representatives of the club. 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:45.560 And we will fill out the second half of the 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:50.920 inaugural class through a season ticket member vote. And that 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:56.960 component is really important because we know how much the 0:04:57.279 --> 0:05:01.360 season ticket members have wanted this. This makes them part 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.440 of the process. So we're really excited about the ability 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:09.279 to engage our season ticket members to help us induct 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:14.360 or vote for the second half those next two inductees 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:18.279 for our full inaugural class of four. How did you 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:20.640 settle on for for year one and what will be 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:22.560 the procedure for adding to the Ring of honor in 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:26.400 future years. Our goal with the Ring of Honor is 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:30.640 to build it in a sustainable way, and we want 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:36.760 this Ring of Honor to remain prestigious and engaging for 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:41.160 a long long time to come. So we went through 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:45.680 many debates so and there's definitely no perfect answer. So 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.600 many people want there to be more and there might 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:51.200 be some people who want it to be even more exclusive, 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:56.560 and we just felt like four for the first year. 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:02.240 It just struck that balance, and we do plan to 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:06.960 continue to add in future years, and we hope that 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:11.000 those votes it will be a voting component in future 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:15.440 years as well. We hope that the future years still 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:20.800 carry weight and excitement and prestige like this initial year, 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:24.400 so that the Ring of Honor lasts in a significant 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:26.839 way for a long time to come. We're talking to 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:30.520 Elizabeth Blackburn, the Bengals director of Strategy and Engagement. Will 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:33.680 the initial class be honored at one game this year? 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:35.839 Will you spread it out throughout the course of the year. 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:41.760 We are going to honor the entire inaugural class together 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:45.760 at one game. We want that one game to be 0:06:45.800 --> 0:06:50.640 really special, and we're working through a neat and significant 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:54.880 way to unveil the ring altogether. We haven't picked what 0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:57.880 that date or game is yet. We still are waiting 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:01.680 to hear what the twenty twenty one schedule, but we 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:06.479 will select a designated or dedicated Ring of Honor game, 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:10.640 and we will honor all four inductees. We plan to 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:16.240 do a halftime ceremony, obviously COVID protocols contingent, but we're 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:20.840 very optimistic about what the stadium environment is going to 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:22.640 be like this year. We think it's going to be 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:28.240 a really special year when celebrating your past and looking 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:32.480 ahead at a bright future converge with this landscape of 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:36.160 bringing communities back together again. So we're excited for that 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.520 Ring of Honor game and we're excited to announce it 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:41.120 when we know when it will be. On a snowy 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:45.040 day back in February, the social media team tweeted out 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:48.320 a picture of the stadium covered in snow, a lovely photograph, 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:52.280 and eagle eyed fans zoomed in and noticed the names 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:54.680 of some of the all time legends displayed around the 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:58.120 stadium and different colors and different letter fonts. Was that 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:03.240 a clever Easter egg for Bengals fans or an honest mistake, Dan, 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:05.720 I'm never going to tell you the answer to that question, 0:08:05.840 --> 0:08:09.600 although I probably should anticipate getting it a lot, But 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:14.840 all I will say is seeing the fans reaction to 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:19.080 finding that and then it made the local news and 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:23.200 the buzz that it created was really excited and makes 0:08:23.280 --> 0:08:28.560 me very excited to formally unveil it and get the 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:32.720 reaction because there's pent up demand, if you will, and 0:08:32.760 --> 0:08:35.040 it was really exciting to see that from the fans 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:39.880 In years to come. Could there be statues outside of 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:43.280 Paul Brown Stadium, a team hall of Fame, any other 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:47.040 ways to honor all time Bengals legends. I will give 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:50.000 you my personal answer on this, but which is I 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:53.240 set it to our team a lot. I think everything 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:58.479 is on the table right now, and how we celebrate 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:03.760 and honor our passed and build out new traditions to 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:08.000 do that is a work in progress and I couldn't 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.319 tell you right now what it's going to look like, 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:15.720 but I do know that I personally and are my 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:21.080 family and the organization. I love tradition and so finding 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:26.560 more traditions is a really important thing. Final question for 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:30.160 Elizabeth Blackburn, the Bengals Director of Strategy and Engagement. I've 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:32.720 talked to your grandfather Mike about this in the past, 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:37.600 and his position was always football is the ultimate team sport. 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:40.720 It's hard to honor the quarterback or the wide receiver 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:43.920 without also honoring all of the guys that make their 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:49.600 success possible. Did you help change his mind? So when 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:54.560 we brought down Anthony Munio's for an interview after we 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.360 told him that he was going to be one of 0:09:56.360 --> 0:10:03.760 the two initial inductees. During Anthony's interview, he started talking 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:08.760 about the Ring of Honor as a team and the 0:10:08.840 --> 0:10:11.640 way I like to think of the Ring of Honor, 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:17.720 while it is celebrating individuals for their achievements and contributions 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:21.960 on the field and in the community, is that I 0:10:22.000 --> 0:10:26.280 hope that their Bengals Ring of Honor becomes a new 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:31.720 form of a team. And I hope that the individuals inducted. 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:34.679 I hope that the season ticket members who get to vote, 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:37.000 I hope that everyone who gets to play a part 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:41.200 of it feels like they're a part of this team. 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:46.480 And I think for the actual inductees, as we over 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:49.840 time add more and more, it will be exciting to 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.640 see the Ring of Honor turn into this all time 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:58.880 Bengals team and connect players and coaches and individuals across 0:10:59.120 --> 0:11:04.640 different era of the team into one team. I know 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:07.000 this is going to create a lot of excitement among 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:10.640 Bengals fans and former players, and I appreciate you sharing 0:11:10.679 --> 0:11:13.400 some of the information that went into this decision. Thank 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:17.080 you Elizabeth, Thank you Dan. It will be interesting to 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:19.800 see who will be added to this year's initial class. 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:24.760 Ken Anderson, Ken Riley, Tim Crumray, Boomeris Hiason, Chad Johnson, 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:28.959 Willie Anderson, David Fulcher and others are all worthy candidates 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:31.720 for the voters, but no vote was needed for the 0:11:31.760 --> 0:11:34.680 first player added to the Bengals Ring of Honor. He 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:37.960 is widely considered to be the greatest offensive lineman to 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:43.440 ever play the game. Hall of Famer Anthony Munio's Anthony, 0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:45.719 how did you get the news and what was your 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:50.079 immediate reaction? Well, you know, it's interesting because, first of all, 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:52.880 I gotta share this because this is our twentieth anniversary 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.360 for our foundation. So I had contacted the Bengals about 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:59.160 doing something for us for the foundation, you know, making 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:02.000 a commitment over the phone with Troy, and he got 0:12:02.040 --> 0:12:04.920 back to the family and he said, let me let 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:06.760 me talk to them and I'll call you well, he 0:12:06.800 --> 0:12:08.920 called me, is this can you come in a day 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:10.560 next week? And this was a couple of weeks ago. 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:12.480 I said, yeah, I can come in and talk about it. 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:16.400 So I went to the Bengals office expecting maybe to 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:18.440 meet with him and Katie about you know, hey, what 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:20.359 are you guys gonna be able to do for the foundation? 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:23.360 And all of a sudden I walk in. Mike's in there, 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.800 Katie's in there, Troy's in there, Elizabeth's in there. Peb 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:29.720 was out getting rehab on his hip that he's messed up. 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:33.200 So the whole family was in there, and I'm like, oh, okay, 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.240 and so we sat down and then Mike started out 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:38.840 by by sharing with me that, you know, they were 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:41.760 going to do a Ringham honor and the two initial 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:45.200 inductees were going to be, you know, Paul Brown and myself. 0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:47.600 And I was like, oh, my goodness. So I got 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:49.360 the word in front of the whole family and the 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:52.480 fact that the original two, or the inaugural two are 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:56.200 going to be Paul Brown, who started the foundation, and myself, 0:12:56.400 --> 0:12:59.920 it's humbling, it's exciting. And then we just sat around 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:03.840 shared stories, I mean, and it was fun because you know, 0:13:04.040 --> 0:13:07.720 Troy and Katie are a little older. But Elizabeth I 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:10.000 think she might have been born the year I retired 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:13.080 or a year after I retired. But we sat there 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:15.640 and just shared stories, and she was kind of on 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.839 the corner over there, just smiling and she and she 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:21.160 sent me an email after her she goes, that's exactly 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:23.360 what this is all about. You know. I shared a 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.640 story about, you know, Paul Brown and how much he 0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:28.880 meant and you know that Mike was talking about they're 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.959 they're watching the Rose Bowl on January first in nineteen 0:13:32.040 --> 0:13:34.319 eighty him with his brother Pete and Paul and how 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:36.520 they just you know, he shared that whole story about 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:38.800 how that went down, and so, you know, it was 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:41.720 pretty exciting just not only getting that, but being able 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:44.599 to just connect and share some stories, some memories, some 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:48.480 history that you know has happened over the years. That's 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:51.800 really interesting. It's no secret that Mike has been reluctant 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:55.240 to do this, thinking that football is the ultimate team 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:58.480 game and it's hard to honor a quarterback or running 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:02.480 back without honoring everybody that made their success possible. Could 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:06.080 you sense in that conversation that now that this decision 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:09.400 has been made, he's excited about it. I think so. 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.280 And you know, I think the one thing you know 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:15.520 about Mike, at least when I'm around him most, is 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:17.640 usually a camp you know, he's kind of sitting in 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:20.240 the cart, and he's always cordial, and we always talk 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:23.520 about football and and he loves the guys that come 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:27.080 by practicing. So I think that's always been there with him. 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:29.840 Maybe the reluctancy of making doing a Ring of Honor, 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:32.840 but I think he's always appreciated all the guys. I think, 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:35.560 deep down inside, I think there's a lot of excitement 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:39.960 for this and for me, just the opportunity to celebrate. 0:14:40.160 --> 0:14:43.320 And you know, because you know the history, the number 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:45.520 of guys that have gone and played in you know, 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:48.960 with this franchise, I mean before I was here, during 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:52.040 my years and then after. It's just phenomenal that the 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:55.320 great players that we've had in this organization now we 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:58.440 get to celebrate and recognize the guys. We are talking 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:01.800 to Hall of Famer Anthony Moone, it was initial member 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:05.000 of the bengals first Ring of Honor class. In February, 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:08.160 pictures leaked that made it pretty clear that the Bengals 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.600 were at least strongly considering a ring of honor. It 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:16.160 got the fans talking what about former players? Well, it's 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:18.280 funny because when that came out, I think I had 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.200 like a handful of texts coming Okay, what do you know? What? 0:15:21.320 --> 0:15:23.960 I said? What do I know about? What the Ring 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:25.920 of Honor? I'm like, wait, what are you talking about? 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:28.400 Because I had no clue. I hadn't seen the pictures 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:30.960 until a couple of my staff here had sent them 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:34.560 to me some close friends, you know. So yeah, I 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.080 didn't know anything about it, and I really hadn't talked 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:38.680 to any of the guys about it because of course, 0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:40.920 you know, February is still cold. We're not on the 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:43.760 golf course as much as we have, so you know, 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:47.480 I think I maybe had played with Jim Breach. You know, 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:49.960 we'll play when it's forty degree, so, you know, I 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:51.920 think the weather was good enough and we were playing 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:53.960 a little bit, but we just kind of said, wouldn't 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.760 that be cool if that's really going to happen. So 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:58.640 I think there was you know, at least I haven't 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:00.200 talked to the guy. I think there's a out of 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:03.120 excitement now that this is going to happen. What do 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:06.400 you think it'll mean? To former players, including guys that 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:10.200 aren't likely to get in but played with guys that 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:14.040 we'll get in. Well again, excitement and just the memory 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:17.120 of being teammates. You know. Sure, you're only going to have, 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:18.960 you know, a certain number of guys to be there, 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.080 but from what I understand, it's going to be a 0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:24.120 celebration for all guys, which I think is cool, not 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:26.640 just the guys going in the Ring of Honor, but 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:29.160 like you, just the teammates. And I think, you know, 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:31.600 I think that's going to be exciting to be part 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.840 of that celebration, you know, because quite frankly, I'm going in. 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:37.720 Maybe the guy that played next to him, he's not 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:40.840 going in, but he is very important in me getting 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:44.640 involved getting inducted into this Ring of Honor because you know, 0:16:44.920 --> 0:16:47.040 he was a very important part of my career and 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:49.520 all the other guys I played with. So I really 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:52.480 believe it's going to be exciting for guys going in 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:55.600 and guys that might not go in. We're visiting with 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:59.600 Anthony Munio's back in twenty seventeen, when the Bengals celebrated 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:03.160 their fifth of season, most of the franchises all time 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:06.200 greats made it back to Cincinnati to be honored. Did 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:08.679 that feel like a turning point in any way in 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:12.159 the relationship between the former guys in the organization. I 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:15.159 think so. I think that was huge. And again, you know, 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:17.840 we had those Saturday night dinners where you know, guys 0:17:17.880 --> 0:17:20.080 were telling stories and of course the stories get a 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:23.320 lot better than when they actually happened, but I think 0:17:23.359 --> 0:17:26.399 it was I think the guys really appreciated that, really 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:29.440 felt comfortable, and like you said, everybody made it back 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:31.840 and there was you know, we had those Saturday night 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:34.639 dinners and they were packed. I mean, there was all 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:36.880 kinds of guys and to hear, you know, from me, 0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:39.600 to meet guys like Tommy Tommy casting over that I'd 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:43.600 never met, or guys that played I'd seen Mike Read before, 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:46.320 but I hadn't officially met Mike Read. You know, those 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:48.720 are the guys that really laid the foundation for guys 0:17:48.760 --> 0:17:50.960 like me that you know, came in the eighties. So, 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:53.720 you know, I think that was really kind of that 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:56.679 turning point of you know, guys saying, hey, man, you 0:17:56.680 --> 0:17:59.320 know they did this. Hopefully things happened, you know, more 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:01.760 often in the future, and it looks like it's going 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:05.360 to be that way. You have obviously received the ultimate 0:18:05.480 --> 0:18:08.520 NFL honor in being inducted into the Pro Football Hall 0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:10.600 of Fame, and a couple of years ago you were 0:18:10.680 --> 0:18:13.800 named to the NFL's one hundred anniversary All Time Team. 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.640 But does this honor feel a little bit different because 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:20.560 it is the team you played for? It certainly does. 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:23.840 I mean this, I played my entire career here. This 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:26.080 is my home. You know, we've been here forty one 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:28.679 years now. I mean it's like, you know, when I 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:31.359 go back to southern California, still feels like this is 0:18:31.359 --> 0:18:33.560 where I'm from. But we come back here and this 0:18:33.680 --> 0:18:36.200 is home. You know, our kids and grandkids and long 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:40.439 time friends are here. So it is special because you know, 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:43.639 first of all, the gratefulness that I have I shared 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.720 earlier when Mike Brown was talking about him and Paul, 0:18:46.880 --> 0:18:50.000 his dad and Pete sitting around watching that eighty Rose Bowl. 0:18:50.400 --> 0:18:52.600 I had no clue if I'd even be drafted oruld 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:54.600 get a chance to go to an NFL camp. And 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:57.440 the fact that the Brown family and the Bengals took 0:18:57.440 --> 0:19:00.000 a shot, they drafted me and gave me a chance. 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:03.159 I mean, that's why it's even more special that we 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:05.800 live in Cincinnati. I got to play all thirteen years 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:08.880 with the Bengals, and when from what I understand, more 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:11.600 than half the teams had failed me, said no way, 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:14.359 we want to touch this guy damn as good. And 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:16.560 not only did the Bengals draft me, but with the 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:19.240 third pick in the entire draft. It is very very 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:21.879 special that now you know this is happening. You know 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:24.280 we live here the team I played my whole career 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:28.000 for and is very very special. All Right, this conversation 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:30.480 is largely about the Ring of Honor. But the draft 0:19:30.600 --> 0:19:33.560 is three weeks away, and I think people would scream 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:35.400 at me if I didn't ask you a few questions 0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:40.240 about that. What do you think of Piney sewell, Rashaan Slater, 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:42.640 if you've studied either of these guys, and the possibility 0:19:42.680 --> 0:19:46.000 of taking an offensive lineman fifth overall, well, you know, 0:19:46.359 --> 0:19:49.320 I'm excited possibility of taking an old lineman with that 0:19:49.400 --> 0:19:52.200 fifth pick. I know we signed Riley Reef and he's 0:19:52.240 --> 0:19:54.960 an excellent lineman. That to me, that's a piece of 0:19:55.000 --> 0:20:00.440 a puzzle that they can continue to put together. In Slater, 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:02.960 I'm not that familiar with I've watched Pinna quite a 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:06.000 bit of course, you know him being a Pac twelve guy, 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:08.240 and you know them beating up on my trojans as 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:11.520 much as they did, So I would not be disappointed 0:20:11.560 --> 0:20:16.040 at all if suel Pine ended up wearing the stripes 0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:19.360 going from that crazy green and yellow or whatever they 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:24.280 were up there. But no, I would be excited. If 0:20:24.760 --> 0:20:26.879 you know, I'm in my mind, I'm already thinking of 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:29.679 different combinations along that offensive line. If you get a 0:20:29.680 --> 0:20:31.960 guy like Pinnay, you know, and you have Jonah coming 0:20:32.000 --> 0:20:34.239 back and healthy and he's got that experience, and now 0:20:34.240 --> 0:20:36.320 you got Riley Reid, then you got the other guys 0:20:36.320 --> 0:20:39.000 that are still there, you know, Cephila and the guys 0:20:39.040 --> 0:20:42.720 like that Hopkins coming back from the injury. So uh yeah, 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:45.600 I would be I'd be thrilled if they you know, 0:20:45.640 --> 0:20:47.920 I know there's a lot of talk about this pretty 0:20:47.960 --> 0:20:50.439 good wide receiver, and I'm thinking, oh my goodness, come on, 0:20:50.680 --> 0:20:53.639 I think we have enough weapons. Let's get Joe Burrow protected, 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:56.600 give him an opportunity not to worry about getting a hit, 0:20:56.880 --> 0:20:58.840 and let him utilize you know, te Higgins and all 0:20:58.880 --> 0:21:01.760 the other guys that he has. But yeah, I be 0:21:01.800 --> 0:21:04.280 interesting to see what happens as a come draft day. 0:21:04.680 --> 0:21:07.120 From what you've seen a piney sewell, what stands out 0:21:07.680 --> 0:21:10.600 just a big kid, big kid who is flexible and 0:21:11.119 --> 0:21:12.840 you know he can get out in space and move 0:21:12.880 --> 0:21:16.280 extremely well. I mean that to me, that's the thing 0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:19.720 that impresses me. You know, strength and arms length and 0:21:20.000 --> 0:21:22.680 that's that's all good, but if you can get out there. 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:25.720 I think he's bigger than I thought he was. I 0:21:26.119 --> 0:21:28.320 don't know. I think he was three. I'm not sure 0:21:28.320 --> 0:21:30.879 exact way, but I thought he's about three fifteen, three twenty. 0:21:30.880 --> 0:21:32.520 He might be a little bigger than that. I think 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:35.880 it's closer to three thirty. Yeah, that kind of flexibility 0:21:35.880 --> 0:21:39.439 and movement exactly. And that's what impresses me about a 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:41.520 big guy playing left tackle is that you know their 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:43.520 ability to move out in space. And I've seen that 0:21:43.560 --> 0:21:46.520 with him. And and he's a competitor. I mean he 0:21:46.640 --> 0:21:49.439 is a competitor. He gets after you. And from what 0:21:49.520 --> 0:21:53.080 I understand never met the kid a young man, he's 0:21:53.080 --> 0:21:56.520 supposed to be just a phenomenal young man, a man 0:21:56.560 --> 0:22:00.439 of character and you know, great work ethic. So you know, 0:22:00.800 --> 0:22:03.320 again I'm going by what I've heard and what i've read, 0:22:03.800 --> 0:22:06.880 but I'm going a lot. By what I've seen when 0:22:06.880 --> 0:22:10.400 I watch him on television during the game, it sounds 0:22:10.440 --> 0:22:13.879 like if he's the pick, that he would probably begin 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:17.280 his career with a year at guard, since Riley Reef 0:22:17.359 --> 0:22:19.800 was signed for a year to play right tackle in 0:22:19.840 --> 0:22:23.359 all likelihood, would that be difficult in your opinion? I 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:27.040 don't think so, you know, I think I think that 0:22:27.040 --> 0:22:28.840 would be good. I think that would be good. And 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:32.120 I think with someone with that athleticism and that ability, 0:22:32.400 --> 0:22:36.000 I would imagine it shouldn't be that difficult. But you know, 0:22:36.119 --> 0:22:39.159 just thinking of that, that combination, I mean, do you 0:22:39.160 --> 0:22:41.800 you know, play him next to Jonah? Do you move him, 0:22:41.840 --> 0:22:44.360 you know, Jonah inside him? I mean you can kind 0:22:44.359 --> 0:22:46.399 of mess with that and then check that out, you know, 0:22:46.600 --> 0:22:49.719 because now you've got that right tackle that is he's uh. 0:22:50.040 --> 0:22:52.280