WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: I'm So Excited 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.160 I get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:11.119 the Bengals Booth Podcast. The I'm so excited and I 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:15.079 just can't hide it. Addition, as the Bengals look to 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:18.560 advance to the AFC Championship Game by knocking off the 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:21.240 number one playoff seed in the AFC, the twelve and 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:25.040 five Tennessee Titans. Coming up, I'll talk xes and o's 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:28.800 with one of my favorite podcast guests, Greg Cosell from 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:32.160 NFL Films and ESPN. My one on one player interview 0:00:32.240 --> 0:00:36.000 is with offensive lineman Quentin Spain. My broadcast partner Dave 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:38.440 Lapplom joins me to look at the injury concerns on 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:41.839 the Bengals defensive line and in our Know the Faux segment, 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:45.120 we'll hear from John Burton, a TV sports anchor and 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:49.159 radio talk show host in Nashville. The Bengals Booth Podcast 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:52.640 is presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play Next 0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:56.360 Level fantasy football game, downloaded now from the app Store 0:00:56.640 --> 0:01:00.720 and Google Play and by on Location in the official 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:05.560 hospitality partner of the NFL, Visit on Location exp dot 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:09.360 com for exclusive access to the biggest events in the NFL. 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:13.720 All season long, including Super Bowl fifty six. Here's a 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:15.760 quick reminder that you could have the latest edition of 0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:19.080 this podcast delivered write to your phone, tablet, or computer 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:23.120 by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest 0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:29.200 thing since Zach Taylor getting carded. Cj Uzama appeared on 0:01:29.240 --> 0:01:32.000 Good Morning Football on the NFL Network on Thursday and 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:35.640 shared a hilarious tidbit. When Zach Taylor showed up at 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:38.800 Mount Lookout Tavern on Saturday to present a game ball 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:41.320 to the fans after the playoff win over the Raiders, 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:46.280 a bouncer asked to see his id. Uzama said he 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:49.760 learned that from Kevin Huber, who was an eyewitness. That 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:53.640 tells us two things. That Zach has a youthful appearance. 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.800 We already knew that, and that he's not spending a 0:01:56.880 --> 0:02:00.559 lot of time hanging out at Mount Lookout Tavern. Now 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:04.960 let's get to this week's guests. It's the Bengals and 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:07.600 Titans this Saturday, and there is nobody I would rather 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:09.799 talk to preview the game than the great Greg co 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:13.960 Sell from NFL Films and the NFL Matchup Show on ESPN. 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:17.480 Greg before the twenty twenty draft. You are nice enough 0:02:17.520 --> 0:02:20.640 to give me your printed up notes about Joe Burrow, 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:23.280 and I want to highlight three things that you wrote 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:27.399 going into the draft. Number one, consistently precise ball placement. 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:31.360 Number two, a quick processor of pressures and coverage. Number 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:35.320 three efficient pocket movement. Clearly you thought that Joe Burrow 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:38.280 had the chance to be an excellent NFL player. What 0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:39.760 do you think of him now in the way that 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:42.480 he's playing? Well, you know what, Dan, Every once in 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:46.320 a while, I guess right, you know, And I mean 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:49.280 I really liked Burrow coming out, and I think, you know, 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:51.120 one of the things I look for is when you 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:53.360 see a player as a rookie, and obviously his rookie 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:56.400 year was shortened, but he did play a good amount. 0:02:56.639 --> 0:02:59.679 When you see a player that shows the same traits 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:03.080 early in his NFL career that he showed in his 0:03:03.240 --> 0:03:06.480 really strong college career, I always think that's a really 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:10.359 positive sign because that to me, particularly for a quarterback, 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:13.480 that means that the game is not too fast for him, 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:17.040 that he's still playing within his skill set and his traits. 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:20.079 And I think that was pretty evident with Burrow a 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:22.760 year ago. Obviously, the team wasn't quite as good, so 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:26.400 there were some poor performances as a team. I remember 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:29.079 one game against Baltimore where I think they lost maybe 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:31.360 thirty to seven something like that, and they were just 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:34.840 overwhelmed by pressure. But the team wasn't quite good enough. 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:37.880 You know, now as the team has gotten better, obviously 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:41.440 with Jamar Chase defense, I think is better than it 0:03:41.520 --> 0:03:45.400 was a year ago. But the point I'm making about 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.320 Burrow is you saw those traits even a year ago, 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:53.160 so I'm not surprised that he's sort of taken another 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.880 step forward. This is not an X and O statement, 0:03:56.920 --> 0:04:00.880 but there's just a calmness and a poison posure to 0:04:00.920 --> 0:04:04.040 the manner in which he plays. He just navigates the 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:08.080 pocket so well. He manages the pocket really well, and 0:04:08.160 --> 0:04:10.120 I don't know if you can teach that. You know, 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:13.680 everybody now focuses on quarterbacks that can run out of 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:16.320 the pocket because we're so used to seeing the greatness 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:19.480 of a Patrick Mahomes those kinds of plays, but no 0:04:19.520 --> 0:04:22.839 one really talks about the more nuanced and more subtle 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:26.640 movement that's required within a smaller area, you know, an 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:29.279 area that I sometimes describe as the size of a 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:31.320 boxing ring even though it might even be a little 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:34.839 smaller than that. Let's talk about Jamar Chase next, because 0:04:34.839 --> 0:04:37.560 you also shared your predraft notes about Jamar and you 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:39.920 said I loved him, so I can't wait to see 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:42.760 what you say. Yeah, well, here's what you said. He 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:47.760 has the explosive playmaking dimension that all NFL teams look for. 0:04:48.360 --> 0:04:53.520 How has Jamar Chase changed the Bengals offense? Anytime you 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:56.080 have a vertical dimension, and by the way, they have 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:59.000 two vertical dimensions, because te Higgins can do that as well. 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:02.800 He's a different player because of his length, so his 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:06.680 stride length doesn't make him look as explosive. But stride 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:09.000 length is a trait for a wide out. But Chase 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:14.760 is dynamically explosive and he's also incredibly physical. I mean, 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:18.920 think much of this pass game. He runs a lot 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:22.119 of inbreaking routes, so he works the middle of the field, 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:25.760 but he also aligns up predominantly as their boundary X, 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:28.520 meaning the single receiver to the short side of the field. 0:05:29.000 --> 0:05:31.400 And this is where the tandem with Joe Burrow is 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:35.760 so effective because Burrow is an aggressive mindset thrower, so 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:39.239 even if a corner is an off coverage, They'll still 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.560 run vertical routes, and whether Chase gets on top of 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:46.000 the corner or whether they throw back shoulder fades, that 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:49.760 depends obviously on the corner and however they have that 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:52.480 worked out. That just doesn't happen on a whim. But 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:55.720 he definitely adds a vertical dimension. He adds a run 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:59.200 after catch dimension. Was that the Chiefs game in which 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:01.320 he caught the seventy two yard touchdown where he caught 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:04.240 the quick little out route and he just burst. I mean, 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:09.120 watching that live on television was it was unbelievable because 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:13.400 that the speed with which he just broke away was remarkable. 0:06:13.440 --> 0:06:18.839 So he's a truly complete receiver, and he's super competitive, 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:23.120 and I think that that is always something that it 0:06:23.279 --> 0:06:25.440 can be really important. Do you have to be that 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:28.039 guy to be a good receiver? Maybe not, but when 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:30.360 you are, And I think that's one reason I made 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:33.839 the comparison in my evaluation to someone like Steve Smith, 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:38.680 super competitive player, Jamar Chase, and he's I guess there's 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:40.400 not a lot of talk now about the fact that 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:44.520 they maybe should have taken Penny Sewell, huh. That definitely 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:47.080 has died down as that died down a little bit, 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:50.600 just a smidge. I took a lot of grief about that. Dan. 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:53.080 You know, people were telling me I was an idiot 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:55.080 and I didn't know football. You know, you always should 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:58.080 take an offensive lineman, and I just thought Chase was 0:06:58.120 --> 0:07:00.880 a special, special talent that there there's not a lot 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:03.680 of Jamar Chase kinds of players. Well, I'm one of 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:06.760 the morons that's said take Pina Suel. So I'm very happy, 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:10.080 very happy to have been wrong. We are chatting with 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:12.440 a great Greg co Cell from the NFL Matchup show 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:17.680 on ESPN. Let's specifically talk now Bengals offense versus Titans defense. 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:20.040 This is the number two run defense in the NFL. 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:23.200 They've got a great front four. What do the Bengals 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:25.440 need to do to have success on Saturday? Yeah, this 0:07:25.560 --> 0:07:28.440 is going to be a challenge for this reason. First 0:07:28.440 --> 0:07:30.760 of all, I don't anticipate that they'll run the ball 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:34.280 really effectively. I still think, assuming the game is close, 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:36.840 that they need to run with a volume. But I'd 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:39.200 be very surprised if Mixon has you know, twenty four 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:42.000 one forty. But I still think they have to run 0:07:42.080 --> 0:07:44.800 the ball because I don't believe which gets into the 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:47.840 next part of the equation. I don't believe that their 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:50.880 offensive line will be good enough to hold off that 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:54.320 pass rush if they ask Joe Burrow by choice to 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:57.320 drop back forty times or forty five times, and unless, 0:07:57.360 --> 0:08:00.440 of course, the score demands that. And I think that's 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:03.440 one of the key matchups in this game. The defensive 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:08.240 profile of the Titans is four man pass rush, multiple 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:12.120 coverage concepts. They're not a high percentage blitz defense. When 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:16.560 they do bring a secondary player, meaning the slot corner 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:20.080 might come, David Long, the linebacker might come, it's still 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:22.400 normally a four man rush. It's what we call a 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:26.240 four man zone exchange. They don't really rush five and 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:30.760 awful lot. And this is a really good pass rush group, 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:35.560 particularly inside in their subfront where it's Simmons and Autrey, 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:41.160 two really really good players, I mean almost special players. 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:45.040 Everybody knows about Simmons. Autry has been overlooked a bit. 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:48.160 He played with Indianapolis a year ago. He's your classic case, 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:50.720 the guy who lines up outside and your base and 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:53.880 comes inside as a d tackle and inside pass rusher 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:57.080 in your sub fronts. And he's a really really good player. 0:08:57.240 --> 0:08:58.959 And you know what they're very good at, and this 0:08:59.160 --> 0:09:01.160 is this is home now during the week for the 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:03.760 Bengals and the coaching staff. They're really good at what 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:07.520 we call t T stunts, tackle and tackle stunts. Whether 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:10.959 it's Simmons who goes first as the penetrator and Autry loops, 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:14.640 or whether Autry goes first as the penetrator and Simmons loops, 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:17.719 they're really good at that and it's very difficult to 0:09:17.760 --> 0:09:21.319 deal with. Last week's opponent, the Raiders, also primarily a 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:24.839 rush four type team, although it's obviously somewhat different. But 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:27.520 how did you feel the Bengals offensive line did last week? 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:30.440 For the most part, I thought they did pretty well. 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:34.320 I actually thought that Jonah Williams had a really solid 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:37.040 game and left tackle and quite honestly, Dan, and again, 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:38.640 you know, all I do is talk about the tape. 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.360 I thought he's struggled at times this year and one 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:44.160 on one pass protection, and that'll be a big factor 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.320 again in this game. But I thought Williams had a 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:49.760 really good game. He predominantly worked against Ngakwa. I thought 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:53.360 he did really well. Now, the quarterback helps there because 0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:57.520 Joe Burrow has such a great feel for timing rhythm anticipation. 0:09:58.440 --> 0:10:01.760 Rarely DC burrows in the pocket or get stuck in 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:04.400 the pocket. Every once in a while, every quarterback does. 0:10:04.679 --> 0:10:07.360 But Burrow is not that guy, you know, for the 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:11.720 most part. So and plus he has very good movement skills, 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:14.840 so you know, rarely, I mean Burrow does get sacked 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:17.439 because he and I know he got sacked a lot 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:19.720 this year. Because I think he's one of those guys. 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:21.720 You know, I've not talked to him, so I don't 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:24.040 know what's exactly in his head. But I think he's 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:26.280 also one of those guys that believes he can make 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:29.280 every throw, and there are times he's just gonna wait 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:32.080 because he thinks, hey, if I just wait another beat longer, 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:35.120 that throw will be there. And sometimes it's not. So 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:38.240 he does get sacked. But I think this is a 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:42.000 key matchup in this game because their old line is 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:44.480 and you know this is it's not a great past 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:47.600 protecting gold line, and there will be some negative plays. 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:51.120 You just hope that those negative plays don't result in turnovers. 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.080 Let's turn to the other side of the ball. The 0:10:53.080 --> 0:10:55.960 Titans have a great running attack led by Derrick Henry. 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:57.600 It looks like the King will be back for the 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:01.160 first time since Halloween. What must the Bengals do on 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:04.319 the defensive end. Well, this is an offense that likes 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:06.959 to run a lot out of base personnel. Whether they 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:09.720 line up with two tight ends, sometimes three tight ends, 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:13.120 they'll line up with a full back. So I've been 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:15.200 given this a lot of thought. We've seen the Bengals 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:18.120 in their base defense this year primarily be a five 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:22.920 two front, five across with two stack backers Pratt and Wilson. 0:11:24.280 --> 0:11:26.600 So the question to me is is that what they're 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:29.000 going to line up with, because the one issue you 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:33.120 face is when you have fewer bodies at the second level, 0:11:33.160 --> 0:11:35.000 and of course they can bring down a safety, which 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:37.280 I think they'll have to and basically play with a 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:40.760 single high safety. So whether they bring down bell or baits, 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:45.559 that's their call. You know, you don't want to get 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:48.840 caught short at the second level because Henry gets to 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.440 the second level, and you don't want to be short 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:53.920 bodies at the second level because then he's going to 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:56.400 get to the third level and then you have a problem. 0:11:56.800 --> 0:12:00.760 So I'm really curious to see what they do out Well, 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:03.000 you know, one thing that was interesting this past week 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:05.960 and I kind of view the Raiders as a running 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:08.760 team to some degree. They played a ton of nickel 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:12.320 versus the Raiders when they lined up with multiple tight ends. 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:15.360 I would be very surprised if they take that approach 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:18.800 this week. I think you need the bigger bodies simply 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:22.240 to tackle Henry. So I think you're going to see 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:24.800 more of the five two front bring a safety down 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:27.319 because you need a lot of bodies around Derrick Henry 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:29.720 because he's we know Henry can take it to the house, 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.280 but he's also the master of making a three yard 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:34.880 game into a seven yard game and then it's second 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:36.200 and three and you don't want to be in that 0:12:36.280 --> 0:12:39.400 situation all game. Final question for Greg ko Sell, and 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:42.240 I appreciate your time. What do you think of the 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:46.760 Bengals future and the young nucleus that they've built. Is 0:12:46.840 --> 0:12:49.559 this the tip of the iceberg for what Bengals fans 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.560 can look forward to? Well, I think offensively, you'd have 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:56.280 to be excited. They've got a very young offense. You know, 0:12:56.320 --> 0:12:58.920 I think the old Lion probably needs to be addressed 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:01.880 in the draft. They need to get better with more depth, 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:04.720 more competition, so they can improve. But you've got your 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:08.120 quarterback you've got your white outs. People forget about boy 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.480 he's not old. So you know you have three really 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:15.920 good white outs who fit extremely well. You know, I've 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:18.839 always liked Joe Mixon a lot, and and you know, 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:21.800 I never I'm not one who who tells coaches you 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:24.120 know what I think they should do. I just remember 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:26.720 Mixing at Oklahoma. I thought he was a great receiver 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:29.120 who split out a lot. I would just love to 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:32.000 see that more. But you know that's that's up to them. 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:35.199 You know, that's not a criticism. So I think they 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:38.920 have a really good group. If they can get the 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:41.760 offensive line to be a little better, I can't imagine 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:43.800 why this offense would be one of the league's best 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:48.960 for a number of years. Defensively, I think they're going 0:13:49.000 --> 0:13:51.040 to want to get better at corner. Overall, I think 0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:53.000 a Woozy had a solid year, and he's not a 0:13:53.040 --> 0:13:54.960 young I mean, he's not an older player. He's a 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:57.400 young player. So I think you feel good about a 0:13:57.400 --> 0:14:00.800 Woozy who at times they didn't match up to top receivers. 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:02.840 I remember when they played Green Bay, he matched up 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.600 to Davante Adams, So I think they probably feel he 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:07.440 can do that. I think they're going to have to 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:11.600 get better at the other corners spot going forward. You know, 0:14:11.640 --> 0:14:14.040 Hendrickson had a really nice year for them, but I 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:17.040 would my guess is that they would believe that they 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:19.720 need a little more from the pass rush. They're not 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:22.480 They're not a heavy blitz team, although they do increase 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:25.600 pressure on third down, but overall, they're not a team 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:27.440 that you think of as hey, they're coming after you. 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:30.600 So I think they would probably like to get another 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:34.840 pass rusher, whether it's on the edge or whether it's inside. 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:38.600 I'm really intrigued by Hubbard's kind of ability, which I 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:41.000 don't know if they'll do more of. Maybe not this 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:42.880 year because it's tough to put all this in now, 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:45.960 but I'm really intrigued by Hubbard's ability kind of as 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:48.480 a joker player. We saw him do that this week 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:50.400 where he got a sack, but they did that on 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:52.920 a couple of other occasions as well. I think he's 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:55.560 athletic enough to be kind of that, you know, that 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:59.080 kind of player. But you know, I think they'll definitely 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:02.040 look for a pass rusher. Greg there's nobody better at 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:04.920 studying the tape and making a complicated game a little 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:07.120 bit easier for the rest of us to understand. So 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:10.080 I really appreciate your time and keep up the great work. 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.400 Then I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Here's one 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:15.160 thing to keep in mind when it comes to improving 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:18.520 the pass rush. Next year, the Bengals will get Joseph 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:21.640 Osai back from his knee injury. The third round draft 0:15:21.640 --> 0:15:24.720 pick looked tremendous in past rush drills at training camp 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:28.480 last year and in his preseason debut against Tampa Bay 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.680 before suffering that injury. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.960 by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play fantasy football game. 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:39.360 This year, Ultimate Bengals awarded a weekly winner during the 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:42.920 course of the season with tickets, autograph merchandise, and money 0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:47.280 can't buy experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:51.200 in the app Store and Google Play Up. Next, this 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:54.400 week's one on one player conversation with one of the 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:57.440 highest graded players on the Bengals offensive line this year, 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:02.040 left guard Quentin Spain. But you spent the first four 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.960 years of your NFL career in Tennessee. It started forty 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:08.280 eight games for the Titans. Does that add anything to 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:11.400 this playoff game for you? Yeah, it's always gonna add 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:14.400 something to this playoff game going back to Tennessee. But 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:17.760 when I was in Buffalo, I went back to Tennessee too, 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:20.880 so I already got the Ravens game. But it's still 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.400 a chip on my shoulder that going back to where 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:26.800 I started at visiting with Quentin Spain. You made your 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:30.760 Bengals debut against the Titans last year at Paul Brown Stadium, 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:33.720 and it was a memorable game because you famously signed 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:35.600 with a team on a Friday and then played just 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:38.840 about every snap on Sunday, even though you didn't know 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:42.280 all of your teammates names. What do you think that 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:46.760 showed your teammates and coaches in that win? It showed 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:49.360 It showed my team and the coaches. With my coaches 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:52.680 that I was like I was approval coming in signing 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:58.880 late and planned that Sunday one practice one walked through, 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:03.120 So it showed them that teach me to playbook. I'm 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:06.000 a quick learner. I can learn on the wrong fly, 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:10.080 So that's a good advantage that I have been in 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.720 the league. Like I don't feel like most people can 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:16.320 do what I did. We're chatting with Quentin Spain, Clinton, 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:18.600 You hurt your ankle in the next to last game 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:21.560 of the regular season against Kansas City. It looked bad 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:24.359 from the broadcast booth. Were you worried at the time 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:28.159 that your season might be over? I was, or because 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:31.920 I like I hurt my ankle and my knee, so 0:17:32.080 --> 0:17:35.760 I was feeling like dad. Most two injuries in one. 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:39.399 So once I got back to the locker room and 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:42.119 took X rays, my ankle was hurting the most, so 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:44.800 I wanted filling my knee. So but I know I 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:47.720 heard in my knee too, so most of the pain 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:49.760 was at the ankle, So you forget about what the 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:52.359 second pain that you worry about the most, the most pain, 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:56.840 so it was my ankle. So that week off I had, 0:17:57.000 --> 0:17:59.399 I was getting like getting treatment at home because I 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:01.560 had COVID, so I had to stay home. I was 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:05.480 rehabbing at home gag Ready, doing stuff for my ankles 0:18:05.520 --> 0:18:10.440 while they was practicing and playing played Cleveland. So that's 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:14.199 why I came back this playoff game because I was 0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:17.760 taking advantage of my own rehab where the guys pretty 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:19.879 excited when you were able to take part in that 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:23.600 first practice the week of the first playoff game, and 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:27.280 it was decided because I told him, like my mind 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:30.840 said it differently, it's playoff. I can't can't miss games 0:18:30.840 --> 0:18:34.199 like the opportunities like that, So I like when I 0:18:34.240 --> 0:18:37.040 was at home, I was just attacking, attacking my rehab, 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:38.720 so because I can't listen to a a game that they 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:41.159 depending on me and I depend on them, so I 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:43.800 had to get back. But you've had an excellent year. 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:45.679 Your ranked is one of the top twenty guards in 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:48.359 the NFL this year by Pro Football Focus. Do you 0:18:48.480 --> 0:18:50.600 think it's been one of your best seasons and what 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:53.879 stands out to you about this year? Um? Yeah, I 0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:56.959 feel like this have been a great season for me, 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:00.800 coming all the situation I had in Buffalo, little leaving 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:05.120 mid season, and Zach gave me another chance. Because last year, 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:08.560 after my exit meeting, I told Zack like this team 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:12.760 like I told Zack the same thing I told McDermott 0:19:12.760 --> 0:19:16.560 and Buffalo like this team special, and I want to 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:19.879 come back. So when I told Zac that, I'm like, 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:22.040 I really want to come back. I see a special 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:24.520 team and and you see what we were doing this year. 0:19:24.600 --> 0:19:28.000 So I'm happy he gave me an opportunity. You told 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:31.440 reporters earlier this year, that you thought the offensive line 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:34.080 needed to bond more on and off the field, so 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:38.679 you initiated the weekly Thursday night offensive line dinner. Do 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:42.200 you think that had a big impact. Yeah, that really 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:45.679 had a big impact of the offensive linement because I 0:19:45.760 --> 0:19:48.520 know we come to work every day and we hear, 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:53.000 but we're not really bonding. We really at work game 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:55.200 planning and stuff. So I like, I told the line, 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:58.360 I'm like, everybody do this in the league. On Thursday, 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.280 we get away from footba. I understand you see us 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:04.800 all day, but it's special to see us outside of 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:08.119 football get to know each other better because at the 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:10.760 end of the day, when we on the field, we 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:13.760 plan for each other. So if I don't understand, like 0:20:14.040 --> 0:20:17.320 don't know nothing about you, how can I trest you? 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:20.879 Like all that stuff, So communication and the bonding and 0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:23.160 stuff we do on Thursday, I think it really helped 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:25.280 because we see if you plug an out a guy, 0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:29.240 yet we still communicate together because we all at dinner 0:20:29.320 --> 0:20:32.520 eating and talking about family, what they what we like 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:35.320 to do, what like, stuff we don't like, and stuff 0:20:35.359 --> 0:20:39.240 like that might have been some of your favorite spots. 0:20:38.760 --> 0:20:42.760 The favorite spot was Jeff Ruby because I feel like 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:45.840 Jeff Ruby is the best steakhouse in Cincinnati. But we've 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:47.680 been to a couple of spots. I took the guys 0:20:47.720 --> 0:20:51.000 to Route Roof or Rufe Chriss. We've been in a 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:53.600 lot of different spots that I never heard of. So 0:20:54.800 --> 0:20:56.919 every time we went so I make if it's a 0:20:56.920 --> 0:20:59.200 good spot, I make sure I write it down because 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:03.520 I'll come back to We're chatting with Clenton Spain. You 0:21:03.600 --> 0:21:06.199 face the Titans on Saturday. This is a team with 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:10.840 an excellent front four led by interior lineman Jeffrey Simmons 0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:15.760 described number ninety eight, and he's he's that guy. He's 0:21:15.800 --> 0:21:19.080 the angle on that defense. He's physical and he played 0:21:19.080 --> 0:21:21.879 to the whistle and if you come like have as, 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:25.560 you will make you pay. And it's not just him either, 0:21:25.720 --> 0:21:29.879