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Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody on Dan Hoard and thanks for downloading

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Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast.

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Speaker 2: B from you.

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Speaker 1: I get opinions addition as spots. Nineteen Sports director Joe

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Speaker 1: Daniman joins me to tackle ten fun questions ranging from

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Speaker 1: the likelihood of the Bengals returning to the playoffs. Two

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Speaker 1: are Bengals related hot takes. The Bengals Booth Podcast is

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Speaker 1: brought to you by pay Core, Proud to be the

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Speaker 1: Bengals official HR software provider, by Ulta Fiber future proof

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Speaker 1: Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community

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Speaker 1: to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best

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Speaker 1: care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official

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Speaker 1: healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a quick reminder

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Speaker 1: that you can have the latest edition of this podcast

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Speaker 1: delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing

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Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since

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Speaker 1: the kindness of Zach Taylor and Brian Callahan. A few

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Speaker 1: days before Christmas, our friend Jay Morrison, who has been

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Speaker 1: writing about the Bengals for nearly three decades, most recently

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Speaker 1: for Bengals Talk dot Com, lost his wife Nicky when

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Speaker 1: a medical procedure turned catastrophic. Last week, a celebration of

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Speaker 1: Nicky's life was held by Jay and their two kids

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Speaker 1: at a hotel in Hamilton, and the Bengals head coach

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Speaker 1: and former offensive coordinator asked to pay for the event.

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Speaker 1: Coach Taylor and his wife Sarah attended the event as well.

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Speaker 1: It's not uncommon for coaches to become friendly with the

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Speaker 1: reporters that are around their team on a regular basis,

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Speaker 1: but I can't imagine there are many who are as

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Speaker 1: thoughtful and kind as Zach Taylor and Brian Callahan. Now

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Speaker 1: let's get to this week's guest. My friend Joe Daneman

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Speaker 1: is the sports director at Fox nineteen in Cincinnati and

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Speaker 1: does that job as well as anybody in the country.

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Speaker 1: He's a great storyteller, and his work ethic has earned

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Speaker 1: Joe the universal respect of players, coaches, fellow reporters, and

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Speaker 1: most importantly, his viewers. Joe gave me about an hour

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Speaker 1: of his time this week to tackle ten questions night

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Speaker 1: about the Bengals and one about Sunday Super Bowl. All right, Joe,

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Speaker 1: I want you to answer my first question on a

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Speaker 1: percentage basis, So zero percent chance to one hundred percent chance.

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Speaker 1: Here goes, what is the likelihood that the Bengals return

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Speaker 1: to the playoffs next year?

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Speaker 2: Okay, So I'm going to go big on this number,

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Speaker 2: and quite honestly, even though it might feel big to

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Speaker 2: some of the listeners, I think it might end up

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Speaker 2: being too low. So the number I've landed on is

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Speaker 2: seventy five percent chance the Bengals are back in the

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Speaker 2: playoffs next year, and I think I want to go

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Speaker 2: as high as eighty or eighty five percent, because Dan,

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Speaker 2: I've done it on I'll do it again. I have

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Speaker 2: put my foot in my mouth two years ago and

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Speaker 2: I said, I guarantee if Joe Burrow plays seventeen games

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Speaker 2: in any NFL season, that team will make the playoffs.

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Speaker 2: Two years ago, he played seventeen games, had a near

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Speaker 2: MVP kind of season, and the Bengals were just short

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Speaker 2: of making the playoffs. Now, that year felt extreme, almost

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Speaker 2: as if everything that could go wrong for the Bengals

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Speaker 2: did go wrong that year, and they still had a

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Speaker 2: shot in the final window on Sunday of the final

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Speaker 2: Sunday of the season to make the playoffs, and they

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Speaker 2: didn't make it. But here's the number, Okay, seventy five percent,

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Speaker 2: because you think about Joe Burrow's last thirteen starts, the

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Speaker 2: Bengals are ten and three. Even if you go back

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Speaker 2: to his last seventeen starts, which is part of the

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty five and twenty twenty four seasons, they were

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Speaker 2: eleven and six. Eleven wins will get you into the playoffs.

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Speaker 2: So my bet is on Joe Burrow, and my bet

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Speaker 2: is that Joe Burrow will play all seventeen games in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty six, and if he does so, I'm putting

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Speaker 2: it at seventy five percent. The Bengals are in the playoffs,

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Speaker 2: all right.

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Speaker 1: I like it. And if you are worried about anybody

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Speaker 1: listening thinking that your seventy five percent is too high,

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Speaker 1: are you ready for mine? Ninety percent? Yeah, ninety if

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Speaker 1: Joe Burrow plays at least fifteen games, ten percent if

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Speaker 1: he doesn't. The Bengals have missed the playoffs each to

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Speaker 1: the last three years. In the first of those three years,

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Speaker 1: he missed seven and a half games. Last year he

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Speaker 1: missed nine and a half games. It's not the only

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Speaker 1: reason they missed the playoffs in those seasons. San Francisco

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Speaker 1: made the playoffs this year, even though Brock Purty missed

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Speaker 1: eight games. But more often than not, if you're starting

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Speaker 1: quarterback misses a big chunk of time, you are going

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Speaker 1: to struggle. Lamar Jackson missed four games this year. The

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Speaker 1: Ravens the playoffs. Jayden Daniels missed ten games this year.

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Speaker 1: Washington's got the seventh pick in the draft. I think

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Speaker 1: the Bengals defense will improve enough that I'm confident in

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Speaker 1: saying there's a ninety percent chance the Bengals will go

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Speaker 1: to the playoffs if Joe Burrow plays at least fifteen games.

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Speaker 1: So you're off the hook. Your seventy five percent now seems.

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Speaker 2: Low, okay, because I said at the beginning, I said

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Speaker 2: it felt like seventy five percent was even low to me. Okay,

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Speaker 2: So now I feel confident of boosting that up to

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Speaker 2: eighty five percent. So there we go. Final number. Lock

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Speaker 2: it in. Eighty five percent chance the Bengals are back

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Speaker 2: in the playoffs next season.

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Speaker 1: If Joe plays at least fifteen games. Correct, All right,

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Speaker 1: Topic number two. We are about a month away from

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Speaker 1: the start of free agency. In your opinion, what must

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Speaker 1: the Bengals do? What did they need to do? Not

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Speaker 1: Mooy it'd be great if they did this, this, and this.

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Speaker 1: What must they do?

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Speaker 2: I have landed on the idea that I don't feel

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Speaker 2: comfortable with the Bengals going into twenty twenty six with

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Speaker 2: Miles Murphy and Shamar Stewart being their number one and

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Speaker 2: number two defensive ents. Now, they might grow into that,

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Speaker 2: And we've seen the growth from Miles Murphy here in

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Speaker 2: the last season, the second half of the last season,

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Speaker 2: how much he came on at the end of the season.

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Speaker 2: And I think it's still incomplete to have any kind

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Speaker 2: of a judgment on what Shamar Stewart is or what

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Speaker 2: he might become. But I think you can't go into

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Speaker 2: opening Day with hope that those guys have developed into

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Speaker 2: your number one and number two outside of quarterback and

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Speaker 2: maybe even the wide receiver position, the guys who catch

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Speaker 2: the ball from the quarterback. The number one most valuable

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Speaker 2: commodity in the NFL is guys who affect the quarterback.

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Speaker 2: And we saw it against the Jets, we saw it

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Speaker 2: against the Bears when the Bengals didn't have their closer,

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Speaker 2: Trey Hendrick. Those are games that got away from them

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Speaker 2: in the final minutes. They've got to have somebody who's

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Speaker 2: a proven Sunday ready commodity in the NFL. That is

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Speaker 2: a capital letters need for the Cincinnati Bengals to go

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Speaker 2: into free agency and find a guy that can do that.

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Speaker 2: And we know he can do that because he's proven

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Speaker 2: he can do that in the NFL. Now you're talking

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Speaker 2: about one of the most valuable positions in the NFL

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Speaker 2: and these guys. There will be bidding wars for these

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Speaker 2: guys all over the league to find the best, and

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Speaker 2: maybe the Bengals do a good job again like they

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Speaker 2: did with Trey Hendrickson, of finding the kind of player

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Speaker 2: that's just ready to break out. Maybe he's not that

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Speaker 2: Tier one guy that everybody's going to be bidding for

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Speaker 2: and giving just insanemounts of money to. Maybe they can

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Speaker 2: find that second tier guy that's ready to take that

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Speaker 2: next jump like Trey Hendrickson did when it felt like

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Speaker 2: the Bengals overspent for him in New Orleans. And then

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Speaker 2: his return on investment is in the stats, leading the

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Speaker 2: league in sacks and now is the number one edge

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Speaker 2: guy on the free agent market as we expect this

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Speaker 2: coming free agency. So that's my number one need outside

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Speaker 2: of that. Dalton Reisner. Re signed Dalton Reisner. It feels

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Speaker 2: like a no brainer. The offensive line has been fortified

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Speaker 2: and solidified with him. Get him signed before free agency.

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Speaker 2: But the capitol letters need for me is finding a

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Speaker 2: proven commodity on the edge to help this team affect

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Speaker 2: the quarterback in twenty twenty six.

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Speaker 1: All right, I've got a couple of capital letters needs.

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Speaker 1: We're on the same page. For one, I say they

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Speaker 1: must add at least one proven pass rusher. I don't

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Speaker 1: care if it's an edge, I don't care if it's

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Speaker 1: a tackle. Somebody with a proven track record of getting

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Speaker 1: after the quarterback. Ideally, like you expressed, it's the next

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Speaker 1: Trey Hendrickson. I wouldn't expect him to be that good.

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Speaker 1: But somebody ascending second contract guy a lot of tread

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Speaker 1: left on the tires. But short of that, maybe it's

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Speaker 1: an old guy that's got one year left of productive football.

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Speaker 1: A Bosa, a Khalil Mack, a Kaleis Campbell who's going

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Speaker 1: to be forty. I don't care. Somebody with a proven

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Speaker 1: track record for getting after the quarterback. That is a need. Secondly,

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Speaker 1: an upgrade from Geno Stone that's in need. Gino made

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Speaker 1: sense when they signed him. He's had moments where he's

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Speaker 1: been okay, but I think that they really need to

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Speaker 1: upgrade that spot. It's a deep market in this particular

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Speaker 1: free agency at safety. Maybe former Bear cap Brian Cook

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Speaker 1: will be the guy. His contracts up with Kansas City.

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Speaker 1: So to me, those are two capital letter needs, a

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Speaker 1: pass rusher and an upgrade at safety.

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Speaker 2: There's a reason I didn't say safety as a capital

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Speaker 2: letters need in free agency. That maybe is a tease

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Speaker 2: to a little bit later in the podcast of where

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Speaker 2: I think they can address that need at safety of

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Speaker 2: upgrading ginostone. There's no doubt there's an upgrade needed there,

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Speaker 2: but I'm with you a pass rusher, right, yeah, it

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Speaker 2: could be interior or edge. And you mentioned some of

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Speaker 2: those guys the bosas the Max the Campbell's. Imagine adding

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Speaker 2: a player like that to a room as young and

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Speaker 2: as inexperienced as the Bengals have, like with Shamar Stewart,

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Speaker 2: even though Miles Murphy's been in the league several years.

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Speaker 2: To give those guys that kind of person in the

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Speaker 2: room to help them added bonus.

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Speaker 1: All Right, we're chatting with Fox nineteen's Joe Daniman. You

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Speaker 1: can follow him on X at Fox nineteen Joe topic

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Speaker 1: number three. A few years ago, the Bengal shocked everybody

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Speaker 1: by signing the number one offensive lineman available on the

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Speaker 1: free agent market, Orlando Brown Junior. Nobody saw it coming

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Speaker 1: in some ways kind of fell fortuitously into their but

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Speaker 1: nonetheless they got the job done. Give me an unlikely

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Speaker 1: but bold move that would fire up the Bengals fan

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Speaker 1: base if they could pull it.

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Speaker 2: Off, kind of like what the Reds just did with

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Speaker 2: Aohanniosmorenz right before this season gets going. That fired up

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Speaker 2: the fan base and was come somewhat unexpected considering how

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Speaker 2: quiet it had been. Okay, so there's three names I'm

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Speaker 2: going to give you that would be an unlikely but

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Speaker 2: bold move because they are going to be top level

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Speaker 2: free agents that a lot of teams are going to

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Speaker 2: be putting bids in to come play defense for them.

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Speaker 2: Devin Lloyd and Devin Bush the two Devns linebacker. Okay,

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Speaker 2: so we saw the experiment in the second half of

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Speaker 2: the season with the Bengals playing their two rookie linebackers,

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Speaker 2: Demetrius Knight Junior and Barrett Carter, kind of like what

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Speaker 2: you said with Geno Stone. Some good moments, but also

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Speaker 2: some moments where you said, man, if they had a

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Speaker 2: veteran right there that could make plays improve in it

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Speaker 2: in the league. Evan Lloyd and Devin Bush are those guys,

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Speaker 2: but they're going to come with a huge price tag.

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Speaker 2: So those two names. The other one is Jalen Phillips.

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Speaker 2: If you talk about a guy who's going to get

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Speaker 2: to the quarterback, Jalen Phillips is going to get to

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Speaker 2: the quarterback. That is a proven commodity. But again it's

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Speaker 2: going to be a huge splash when it comes to

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Speaker 2: the amount of money he's going to get. So those

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Speaker 2: are the three names. But I really want to say this.

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Speaker 2: The unlikely but bold move that I think the Bengals

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Speaker 2: should make and I think would satisfy the fan base,

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Speaker 2: would be signing Chase Brown, DJ Turnerm and Dak Silda

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Speaker 2: contract extensions early because we've seen in previous years sometimes

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Speaker 2: the Bengals have waited too long to get that done

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Speaker 2: and it's come back to hurt them. In the case

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Speaker 2: of Jamar Chase T. Higgins, you name the player, the

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Speaker 2: price tag has gone up, and sometimes so far up

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Speaker 2: that it hurts them if they get ahead of it

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Speaker 2: right now with Chase Brown, DJ Turner and Dax Hill.

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Speaker 2: Then you tell the fan base we're changing. Okay, that's

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Speaker 2: different than how they've done it before. We've seen them

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Speaker 2: step out of their comfort zone on some of these contracts,

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Speaker 2: including Joe Burrows. Can they do that now with Chase Brown,

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Speaker 2: which would be a fascinating conversation in the modern NFL

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Speaker 2: economy of giving a running back a second contract. And

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Speaker 2: then DJ Turnament Dax Hill, two guys who have proven

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Speaker 2: it they're ready. They can be this team's bookend corners.

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Speaker 2: I say, bold, move, fire up the fan base, show

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Speaker 2: you're going to be different. Reward Chase Brown, DJ Turnament,

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Speaker 2: Dax Hill. This has always been in my time covering

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Speaker 2: the team, a draft, develop, retain organization. Here they are

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Speaker 2: three players you drafted, you developed, they're getting into their prime.

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Speaker 2: Keep them in Cincinnati because of what they can give

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Speaker 2: you in their second contract. All three players deserve it.

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Speaker 2: I say reward.

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Speaker 1: All three love it, and I don't even necessarily think

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Speaker 1: that that's that far fetched. Maybe all three might be

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Speaker 1: a little bit beyond what they're looking to do, but

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Speaker 1: I could certainly see them getting deals done with at

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Speaker 1: least a couple of those guys. I'm going to go

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Speaker 1: even bolder than that. I've got two possibilities. Number One,

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Speaker 1: trade for Max Crosby's gonna cost you a bundle, but

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Speaker 1: he's signed for the next four years about thirty million

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Speaker 1: a year. It's actually a little higher than that. So

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Speaker 1: you're committing a big chunk of your defensive salary cap

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Speaker 1: space to one player. But he's a difference maker and

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Speaker 1: it would obviously fire up the fan base. And then

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Speaker 1: my second one is something that I'm really not in

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Speaker 1: favor of, but I'm going to toss it out there anyway.

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Speaker 1: Trade up in the first round. If Ruben Bain is

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Speaker 1: your guy or David Bailey is your guy, and you think,

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Speaker 1: you know what, based on all of our research, he's

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Speaker 1: just not going to be there at number ten. Take

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Speaker 1: a big swing now, moving up from ten to say four,

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Speaker 1: based on the draft chart the teams use, would cost

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Speaker 1: you your second round pick. I don't think I'm in

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Speaker 1: favor of that, but if a team was willing to

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Speaker 1: do it for my third round pick, I think I

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Speaker 1: would do that. So couple of possibilities for you. Swing

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Speaker 1: a big trade for Max, move up in the first

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Speaker 1: round to get your guy.

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Speaker 2: And it's interesting too, because it depends how high you

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Speaker 2: are moving. Yeah, if you're going from ten to four

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Speaker 2: to get your guy, then the second round might be

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Speaker 2: the price. But if you're moving ten to eight or

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Speaker 2: ten to seven because my guys there, I don't want

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Speaker 2: who's picking at eight to nine or whatever, then that

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Speaker 2: might not cost you your second round pick. So I

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Speaker 2: think it depends on how high you want to jump.

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Speaker 2: But listen, I'm always on board with taking a big

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Speaker 2: swing in the draft to move up as high as

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Speaker 2: possible if you have targeted a guy and think he

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Speaker 2: can help you from day one.

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Speaker 1: Topic number four with Joe Danaman. In an otherwise disappointing season,

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Speaker 1: what was the biggest positive last year?

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Speaker 2: I think it's DJ Turner's breakout because I remember sitting

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Speaker 2: there at training camp having side conversations on the sidelines

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Speaker 2: about the idea that DJ Turner might not be a

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Speaker 2: starter for this team, that DJ Turner might be one

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Speaker 2: of the biggest disappointments, and he turned out to be

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Speaker 2: one of the biggest bright spots for this team, not

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Speaker 2: just with his play, but doing what we do and

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Speaker 2: seeing his maturity of how he handles himself, not only

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Speaker 2: with the media, but answering questions about his place within

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Speaker 2: the team and his understanding of what he means to

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Speaker 2: that room. I think you saw a lot of growth

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Speaker 2: from DJ Turner, not only on the field, but also

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Speaker 2: mentally and leadership wise and understanding that, Okay, it's time

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Speaker 2: now that I might be getting towards a second contract.

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Speaker 2: I can be a leader and a difference maker and

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Speaker 2: a guy that people look up to inside this room.

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Speaker 2: So I don't that was one of the best stories

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Speaker 2: of the team, and I thought the biggest positive because

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Speaker 2: now you can kind of look at it and say

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Speaker 2: that's taken care of. I mean, he's one of the

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Speaker 2: best at what he does in the AFC. And you

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Speaker 2: look at the other side, And we talked about it

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Speaker 2: earlier about extending both DJ and Dax, and I think

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Speaker 2: Dax has established himself as a very reliable, good starter.

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Speaker 2: So as a starting point for a defense that still

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Speaker 2: needs to be rebuilt. Then I said this last season

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Speaker 2: before the offseason that you're not going to rebuild this

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Speaker 2: defense in one offseason. The fact that you have a

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Speaker 2: couple of foundational building blocks Dax Hill and DJ Turner,

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Speaker 2: it's a great place to start from. In the NFL.

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Speaker 2: So DJ Turner's breakout season not only on the field,

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Speaker 2: but the way he's handling himself and the way he

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Speaker 2: kind of views himself now within the organization. To me,

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Speaker 2: I thought that was one of the positive developments of

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Speaker 2: last season.

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Speaker 1: No doubt. My biggest positive was the improved play of

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Speaker 1: the offensive line after the buye in Week nine, so

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Speaker 1: basically halfway through the season. Pro football Focus great of

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Speaker 1: the Bengals offensive line is the fourth best pass blocking

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Speaker 1: line in the NFL. Number four. They allowed five sacks

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Speaker 1: in the last eight games. Dalton Reisner started at right

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Speaker 1: guard in the last seven of those games. So that

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Speaker 1: gets back to the point that you made earlier about

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Speaker 1: the importance of trying to bring him back, and I

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Speaker 1: agree that that's big. If you go all the way

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Speaker 1: back to Week six, that was the Green Bay game

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Speaker 1: when Jake Browning stopped playing quarterback, so Flacco and Burrow.

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Speaker 1: From there on, Pro football Focus great of the Bengals

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Speaker 1: as the sixth best pass blocking line in the NFL.

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Speaker 1: So now you're talking about twelve games, that's not a

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Speaker 1: small sample size. That's the bulk of your season. So

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Speaker 1: for all of the Borough era year after year. The

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Speaker 1: topic up until now had always been can you give

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Speaker 1: him a good enough line? They've done it. I think

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Speaker 1: we've learned that Scott Peters is an excellent defensive line coach.

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Speaker 1: To me, that's the biggest positive. We're not even really

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Speaker 1: talking that much about the offensive line anymore, and that

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Speaker 1: is a huge thing to be able to say with

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Speaker 1: Joe Burrow at quarterback.

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Speaker 2: And I think it's a big reason that you say

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Speaker 2: a ninety percent chance the Bengals go back to the

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Speaker 2: playoffs next year and I landed at eighty five percent

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Speaker 2: for the Bengals to go back to the playoffs next

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Speaker 2: year is because they don't have to touch almost anything

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Speaker 2: on offense. They can devote almost all of their energy

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Speaker 2: to defense. Now. They did that last year in the

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Speaker 2: draft when they use five of their six players in

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Speaker 2: the draft on defense. But I think there's some urgency

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Speaker 2: now when we had the Duke Tobin press conference to

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Speaker 2: really understand they need Sunday proven players on defense and

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Speaker 2: free agency. I think they understand that. Duke Tobin, if

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Speaker 2: you go back and listen to the full one hour

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Speaker 2: in six minutes, my biggest takeaway was how much he

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Speaker 2: understood how much this team needs a pass rush and

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Speaker 2: I think he gets it that. Yeah, they've taken swings

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Speaker 2: on Miles Murphy and they've taken swings on Shamar Stewart.

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Speaker 2: They might do it again with Ruben Bain in this draft,

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Speaker 2: or pick your favorite pass rusher in this draft. But

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Speaker 2: it's like quarterback. If you don't have one, you keep

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Speaker 2: swinging until you get one. And I think the Bengals

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Speaker 2: kind of understand they're going to have to get that

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Speaker 2: in free agency and not wait just for the draft.

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Speaker 2: They've got to get a proven commodity. And that goes

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Speaker 2: back to my point about the offense. You don't have

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Speaker 2: to touch it outside of bringing back Dalton Reisner or

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Speaker 2: figuring it out who plays that position if you don't,

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Speaker 2: and that's a big reason that offensive line. The continuity

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Speaker 2: of the offense, why both you and I and I'm

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Speaker 2: sure a lot of people listening to this think the

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Speaker 2: Bengals aren't far off from getting back to the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: I am going to toss in one more positive that

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Speaker 1: Joe burrows surgically repaired tow was fine. Remember when we

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Speaker 1: learn that it was a Grade three turf toe injury

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Speaker 1: and that surgery is going to be required. Jack Lambert

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Speaker 1: retired because of that. Dean Sanders had toes amputated because

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Speaker 1: of that. Technically it was blood clots. But you remember

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Speaker 1: the conversation at the time. Let me ask you this,

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Speaker 1: were you a little bit nervous seeing him run around

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Speaker 1: in the Pro Bowl games?

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Speaker 2: One hundred percent? Of course too. I mean I'm nervous

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Speaker 2: watching Jamar Chase do a backflip into the end zone

381
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Speaker 2: and t Higgins run around. Yeah, because it's the Pro

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Speaker 2: Bowl game. I'll say this. You can go into my phone, Dan,

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Speaker 2: and I could pull up text messages on the day

384
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Speaker 2: that Joe got hurt, and you'll you'll find text messages

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Speaker 2: as I sent to people saying seasons done, Joe's not

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Speaker 2: coming back. By the time he comes back, the season

387
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Speaker 2: will be so far gone. What's the point. I agree

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Speaker 2: with you. It's one of the best positives. The fact

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Speaker 2: that not only did he get back as soon as

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Speaker 2: he did, he played good football and he made it

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Speaker 2: out of the season okay and well enough that he

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Speaker 2: was willing to go participate in the Pro Bowl was

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Speaker 2: a really cool thing. So yeah, I'm with you on

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Speaker 2: that topic.

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Speaker 1: Number five, aside from their six and eleven record. What

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Speaker 1: was the Bengals' biggest disappointment.

397
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Speaker 2: That the Joe Flacco story should have been the best

398
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Speaker 2: story in the NFL. It's remarkable what the Bengals did.

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Speaker 2: They traded for this guy. He's forty years old. He's

400
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Speaker 2: on the road on the phone talking to Zach Taylor,

401
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Speaker 2: going over the playbook before he goes to play the

402
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Speaker 2: Green Bay Packers on the road, and the guy delivers

403
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Speaker 2: really good football over a two month period, including I

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Speaker 2: think if he went back and looked at the highlight

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Speaker 2: of the season outside of the Thursday night Thanksgiving night

406
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Speaker 2: women all the Bengals were around the turkey and Joe

407
00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:38,000
Speaker 2: Burrow was back throwing touchdowns, I would say the Thursday

408
00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:42,560
Speaker 2: night win against the Pittsburgh Steelers was the other season highlight,

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Speaker 2: and that was mastered by Joe Flacco. What he did

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Speaker 2: at his age, with almost no time to get into

411
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Speaker 2: a playbook and then was so likable when he was

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Speaker 2: at the podium in front of a microphone, so relatable

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Speaker 2: to so many guys are who were dad's talking about

414
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Speaker 2: living the dad life and playing football, going to restaurants

415
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Speaker 2: by himself, trying to sneak in a meal and have

416
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Speaker 2: some alone time, all these things that connected with so

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Speaker 2: many people. It was an incredible story and would have

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Speaker 2: been the best story in the NFL if the Bengals

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Speaker 2: weren't one in seven in his eight starts as the quarterback.

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Speaker 2: So that's my biggest disappointment is that we leave this

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Speaker 2: season saying that Joe Flacco on what he did, and

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Speaker 2: it's amazing because look, I always watched Joe Flacco from afar.

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Speaker 2: I knew what he was about on the football field.

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Speaker 2: I knew nothing of his personality. I became a fan

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Speaker 2: Joe Flaco and there are so many people in Cincinnati

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Speaker 2: that becomes huge fans of Joe Flacco. That's a win

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Speaker 2: for Bengals fans that forever they'll have this moment in

428
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Speaker 2: time with Joe Flacco and they'll look back on his

429
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Speaker 2: one season here in Cincinnati, if it is his one

430
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Speaker 2: season in Cincinnati, and look back at it finally, But

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Speaker 2: it should have been such a bigger national story than

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Speaker 2: it was just because the Bengals weren't winning games.

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Speaker 1: If nothing else, they should have been able to beat

434
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,879
Speaker 1: the Jets and Bears. They scored thirty eight and forty

435
00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,840
Speaker 1: two with Joe Flackwood quarterback and did not manage to

436
00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,200
Speaker 1: win either of those games. Even if they just win

437
00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:19,119
Speaker 1: those two games and still missed the playoffs, it would

438
00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:22,520
Speaker 1: have added so much to the Flacco legend just to

439
00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,199
Speaker 1: have this winning streak where they're scoring a ton of

440
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,480
Speaker 1: points when he's the first forty year old in franchise history.

441
00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:33,320
Speaker 2: The lore of Joe Flacco. It's amazing because Dan on

442
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,520
Speaker 2: the final day of the Bengals availability, the day after

443
00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,800
Speaker 2: the season ended, and you do the exit interviews with

444
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,399
Speaker 2: all the players. So we all made our way around

445
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,720
Speaker 2: the locker room. You know, we talked to some important guys.

446
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,119
Speaker 2: DJ Turner, who's got a contract coming up, Chase Brown,

447
00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,520
Speaker 2: Dalton Reisner, all these players that fans are interested in.

448
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,479
Speaker 2: I posted all of our interviews to YouTube, and the

449
00:24:55,640 --> 00:25:01,080
Speaker 2: numbers that Joe Flacco got dwarfed every other player that

450
00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:03,640
Speaker 2: I posted on YouTube. So you can see the kind

451
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,840
Speaker 2: of connection Bengals fans had to Joe Flacco right now.

452
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:08,960
Speaker 2: Even my wife last night, I was home during the

453
00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,439
Speaker 2: Pro Bowl and I would yell, hey, Jamar just did this.

454
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:13,600
Speaker 2: He just did this. I said, Hey, Joe Flacco's on

455
00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:16,199
Speaker 2: the field. She gets up from the kitchen table to

456
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:19,560
Speaker 2: watch Joe Flacco. That's the kind of pole he has

457
00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:22,080
Speaker 2: here in Cincinnati now, which I think is a great thing.

458
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,480
Speaker 1: All Right. I've got a couple of biggest disappointments that

459
00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,440
Speaker 1: I scribbled down. Number one that Jermaine Burton never became

460
00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:33,200
Speaker 1: a dependable pro. He said all of the right things

461
00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,520
Speaker 1: going into this season. He appeared to have learned from

462
00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,840
Speaker 1: his rookie year, but it obviously didn't last. He wasn't

463
00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,280
Speaker 1: active for a single game. He was released with four

464
00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:47,840
Speaker 1: games to go. I always enjoyed my interactions with Jermaine.

465
00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:51,480
Speaker 1: My interviews with him were fine, But I say all

466
00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:56,440
Speaker 1: the time, our brains are wired differently, and what makes

467
00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:00,920
Speaker 1: perfect sense to me might not make sense to somebody else.

468
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:05,720
Speaker 1: For whatever reason, things just never added up properly for Jermaine.

469
00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:09,520
Speaker 1: I don't think he's a malicious person, but for whatever reason,

470
00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 1: he just didn't prove to be capable of doing what's

471
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:15,879
Speaker 1: required to be an NFL pro every day. Maybe he

472
00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:17,879
Speaker 1: could do it five days a week, but he just

473
00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:20,600
Speaker 1: was not able to demonstrate he could do it seven

474
00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:21,240
Speaker 1: days a week.

475
00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:25,080
Speaker 2: I'm with you all. My interactions with him were great.

476
00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:27,879
Speaker 2: We had him on our live show at Newport He

477
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,240
Speaker 2: was one of our better guests at that time, was

478
00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:34,879
Speaker 2: very introspective, said all the right things, wanted to do well.

479
00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:37,359
Speaker 2: But I tell people all the time, you know, we

480
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,840
Speaker 2: don't know these guys. We only know what we see

481
00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,640
Speaker 2: from the brief time or inside their little world, So

482
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,359
Speaker 2: we don't know everything there is to know about a person.

483
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:51,480
Speaker 2: But the biggest disappointment football wise with him was now

484
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:53,359
Speaker 2: the Bengals are in a spot where do they have

485
00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:57,560
Speaker 2: to look at upgrading the number three wide receiver position

486
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,680
Speaker 2: because Jermaine Burton was supposed to be guy you could

487
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,280
Speaker 2: put next to Jamar Chase and T Higgins, maybe even

488
00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:07,560
Speaker 2: BET's replacement if T didn't sign another contract here in Cincinnati.

489
00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:09,840
Speaker 2: So it's one of those things that are the Bengals

490
00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:14,160
Speaker 2: going to look to in free agency that spot wide

491
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,159
Speaker 2: receiver three? Look at it in the draft in the

492
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,199
Speaker 2: middle rounds. That wasn't supposed to be something that were

493
00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:22,359
Speaker 2: going to have to address. Now they do because Jermaine

494
00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:25,160
Speaker 2: Burton never really materialized in Cincinnati.

495
00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,160
Speaker 1: The other thing for me would be that Trey Hendrickson's

496
00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,280
Speaker 1: time with the Bengals ended the way that it appeared

497
00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:34,639
Speaker 1: to end. I think keeping him last year was the

498
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,680
Speaker 1: right move. The Bengals expected to be a Super Bowl contender.

499
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:41,240
Speaker 1: They felt like Trey, coming off back to back seventeen

500
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:45,200
Speaker 1: and a half sax seasons could help them potentially get there.

501
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,680
Speaker 1: As it turned out, he only had four He only

502
00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,240
Speaker 1: played in seven games. The whole thing was strange. He

503
00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:53,400
Speaker 1: just kind of seemed to vanish in early November when

504
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,440
Speaker 1: he had his injury. So I'm bummed that a great

505
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,439
Speaker 1: run ended the way it did. Trey was another that

506
00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,399
Speaker 1: was really good to me personally. I know he bumped

507
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:05,679
Speaker 1: heads with some members of the media at times, but

508
00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:08,800
Speaker 1: he treated me really well. Wish him the best going forward.

509
00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:11,080
Speaker 1: We'll see what the Bengals do if they decide to

510
00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:13,080
Speaker 1: attack and trade him or just let him go. But

511
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,760
Speaker 1: that was a Bengals tenure that unfortunately ended on a

512
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:17,479
Speaker 1: sour note.

513
00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:21,080
Speaker 2: And if you go on Google and type in NFL

514
00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:24,640
Speaker 2: free agents, guess who pops up as the number one

515
00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,440
Speaker 2: free agent in the nfls Trey Hendrickson for a team

516
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:31,639
Speaker 2: that's desperate for someone who's a proven commodity at edge.

517
00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,640
Speaker 2: It's such a shame that it has to end this way,

518
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,920
Speaker 2: because the Bengals need him. He could be the missing

519
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,240
Speaker 2: piece to help them get over the hump, for whatever

520
00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:43,600
Speaker 2: hump they want to get to, not just making the playoffs,

521
00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:46,960
Speaker 2: but winning playoff games. It's a shame that it's soured

522
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,160
Speaker 2: this way, and his time in Cincinnati is most likely

523
00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:52,960
Speaker 2: up because of the mutual need both sides. Half.

524
00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,640
Speaker 1: We are halfway through our ten questions with Joe. We'll

525
00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:59,960
Speaker 1: discuss the draft next, but first, here's a quick reminder

526
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,040
Speaker 1: that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by

527
00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:06,080
Speaker 1: pay Core, proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider,

528
00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:10,560
Speaker 1: by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate

529
00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:13,600
Speaker 1: your home, business, and community to a new level, and

530
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,840
Speaker 1: by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans.

531
00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:21,400
Speaker 1: Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals.

532
00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:26,080
Speaker 1: All Right, topic number six. With a tenth pick in

533
00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:31,120
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty six NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select,

534
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,120
Speaker 1: and I will let you fill this in any way

535
00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:34,760
Speaker 1: you choose to.

536
00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,480
Speaker 2: I would be most excited if the Bengals drafted Caleb

537
00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:43,680
Speaker 2: Downs at number ten. I get it, it's a safety

538
00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,959
Speaker 2: as a top ten pick that just does not happen

539
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:53,280
Speaker 2: in the NFL. But Caleb Downs would affect the entire defense.

540
00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,000
Speaker 2: And I'm glad I've got another podcast platform to do

541
00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:59,880
Speaker 2: this because I was on Tony Pike Show on ESPN

542
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:04,000
Speaker 2: fifteen thirty and the words Caleb Downs is not a

543
00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,360
Speaker 2: playmaker came out of my mouth and I did not

544
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:10,200
Speaker 2: mean it for it to come out that way. Caleb

545
00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:14,280
Speaker 2: Downs is a different safety than you might think a

546
00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,440
Speaker 2: team would take in the top ten. If you think

547
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:20,800
Speaker 2: top ten safety, you're thinking playmaker like Ed Reid. You're

548
00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:25,000
Speaker 2: thinking playmaker like Troy Polamalo. I watched every snap Caleb

549
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,840
Speaker 2: Downs played at Ohio State the last two years. He

550
00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:31,280
Speaker 2: doesn't make a ton of plays with the ball in

551
00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:33,360
Speaker 2: the air, doesn't go up and intercept a lot of

552
00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:36,000
Speaker 2: passes and then take the passes back for a touchdown.

553
00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,520
Speaker 2: He does have a punt return for a touchdown against

554
00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:40,920
Speaker 2: Indiana two years ago, which was one of the most

555
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:45,080
Speaker 2: electrifying plays of the Ohio State season. But he is

556
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,479
Speaker 2: a playmaker in the fifteen yards from the line of

557
00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:53,240
Speaker 2: scrimmage to the safety position and even in the backfield.

558
00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:56,440
Speaker 2: The guy doesn't make mistakes. I call him the iceman

559
00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:00,560
Speaker 2: right top gun iceman Ice Cold never makes mistakes. This

560
00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:06,000
Speaker 2: guy never makes mistakes, he never misses tackles, He makes

561
00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,600
Speaker 2: plays in the backfield, He gets guys lined up. He

562
00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:13,160
Speaker 2: can play multiple positions. I think when you add a

563
00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:17,400
Speaker 2: playmaker like that, that becomes a chess piece, that becomes

564
00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:20,680
Speaker 2: a game changer. Bengals fans think about this. Who does

565
00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:24,680
Speaker 2: Zach Taylor always talk about as the best player and

566
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:28,520
Speaker 2: hardest player to game plan four in the AFC North

567
00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:32,240
Speaker 2: Kyle Hamilton. He says it all the time. He's there.

568
00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,000
Speaker 2: Kyle Hamilton. Now, his measurables are a little bit different.

569
00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,520
Speaker 2: Kyle Hamilton's tall, long. Caleb Downs is not that, but

570
00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:43,360
Speaker 2: he doesn't make mistakes. He's versatile like Kyle Hamilton. If

571
00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,120
Speaker 2: the Bengals want to get their Kyle Hamilton and have

572
00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:50,920
Speaker 2: that position taken care of, boom Caleb Downs. Now, if

573
00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:53,560
Speaker 2: you want to take another swing at edge or someone

574
00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,480
Speaker 2: who gets to the quarterback, that's cool too. And we

575
00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,160
Speaker 2: saw what Ruben Bain did in the College Football Playoff.

576
00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:04,640
Speaker 2: He's a game wrecker, and game wreckers are hard to find.

577
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,040
Speaker 2: Everybody in the NFL is going to be looking for

578
00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,600
Speaker 2: them in free agency and in the draft. There's a

579
00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,320
Speaker 2: reason those guys go in the top ten. If he's there,

580
00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:14,320
Speaker 2: I have no problem with that. But if it were

581
00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:18,680
Speaker 2: up to me, I would want Caleb Downs playing safety

582
00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:19,920
Speaker 2: for the Cincinnati Bengals.

583
00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:23,800
Speaker 1: So before Zach Taylor said the things that he said

584
00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:26,400
Speaker 1: this past year about Kyle Hamilton, he used to say

585
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:30,240
Speaker 1: similar things about Mega Fitzpatrick. So you're right, a great

586
00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,360
Speaker 1: safety along those lines, and makeham might be a little

587
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:37,040
Speaker 1: bit more, certainly more like Caleb Downs than Kyle Hamilton is.

588
00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:40,560
Speaker 1: A safety of that magnitude can have a huge impact

589
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:43,640
Speaker 1: on what the opposing team's offense wants to do. So

590
00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,800
Speaker 1: I'm down for Caleb Downs. He would be third on

591
00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:51,960
Speaker 1: my list. Ruben Bain first, David Bailey second, Caleb Downs third.

592
00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:54,959
Speaker 1: I suspect a lot of Bengals fans would be happy

593
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:58,200
Speaker 1: with any of those three. So I'm just going to

594
00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,360
Speaker 1: kind of assume that none of them are going to

595
00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:03,360
Speaker 1: be there, just to prepare myself for what the Bengals

596
00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:05,440
Speaker 1: are going to have to do if they're all gone.

597
00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:10,240
Speaker 1: With the tenth pick in the twenty twenty six NFL Draft,

598
00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:16,720
Speaker 1: the Cincinnati Bengals select the best defensive player available. This

599
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:21,640
Speaker 1: defense needs difference makers, guys that are going to rank

600
00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,400
Speaker 1: among the best in their position group. I think they've

601
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:30,080
Speaker 1: got one in DJ Turner. I think based on training

602
00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,080
Speaker 1: camp last year, there's still a chance that Jamar Stewart

603
00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,960
Speaker 1: eventually becomes a guy like that. But I'm not sure

604
00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:40,240
Speaker 1: I feel that way about anybody else. I think they've

605
00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:42,600
Speaker 1: got a lot of good players, but I don't know

606
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:45,800
Speaker 1: that they have anybody that's going to be considered among

607
00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:49,320
Speaker 1: the best at their position group. That should be the

608
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:53,520
Speaker 1: goal with the tenth pick in the draft. Now. Ideally

609
00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,320
Speaker 1: it's not a corner because I think they've got two

610
00:33:56,320 --> 00:33:59,280
Speaker 1: really good ones in DJ Turner and Dax Hill. But

611
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:04,040
Speaker 1: if the best safeties and defensive linemen and even linebackers

612
00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:08,480
Speaker 1: are gone, then I'm okay with a cornerback. I want

613
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:13,440
Speaker 1: a defensive difference maker, and that's the goal in the

614
00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,120
Speaker 1: top ten. If you look back at the bengals last

615
00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:22,000
Speaker 1: several top ten picks Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, AJ Green,

616
00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:25,480
Speaker 1: John Ross. So they didn't go four for four, but

617
00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:28,719
Speaker 1: they went three for four, three superstars out of the

618
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,960
Speaker 1: last four times they've had a top ten pick. How

619
00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:37,880
Speaker 1: about a defensive superstar again, almost regardless of position. With

620
00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:39,200
Speaker 1: a tenth pick in the draft.

621
00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:42,480
Speaker 2: It's like the scene from Draft Day with Kevin Costner

622
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:44,799
Speaker 2: reach into the pocket. It's going to say, on the

623
00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:49,400
Speaker 2: piece of paper, draft defense, no matter what in the

624
00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:51,319
Speaker 2: first round. And I think we look back on this

625
00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,080
Speaker 2: conversation this time next year, as the Bangles are getting

626
00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:56,600
Speaker 2: ready to play in Super Bowl sixty one, we will

627
00:34:56,600 --> 00:35:00,080
Speaker 2: look back at this and say, the Bengals found a

628
00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:03,920
Speaker 2: difference maker at number ten. I'm not sure the Bengals

629
00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:06,520
Speaker 2: can get back to the super Bowl if they don't

630
00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:09,600
Speaker 2: hit on this draft pick. I think it's that urgent

631
00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,480
Speaker 2: for this team to get it right at number ten.

632
00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:16,759
Speaker 2: Find a guy who changes games, who affects game plans,

633
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:21,400
Speaker 2: puts fear into an offensive coordinator's mind. That the Bengals

634
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,640
Speaker 2: can find someone that they can hit on with the

635
00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,120
Speaker 2: tenth pick that can come in Day one, be a

636
00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:29,600
Speaker 2: difference maker. I think you're talking about a team ready

637
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:30,200
Speaker 2: to take a step.

638
00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:34,080
Speaker 1: We're visiting with Fox nineteen sports director Joe daniman topic

639
00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:37,719
Speaker 1: number seven. The national media loves to bash the Bengals.

640
00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:42,600
Speaker 1: Is there anything the Bengals deserve credit for that never

641
00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:43,400
Speaker 1: gets mentioned?

642
00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:45,880
Speaker 2: You mentioned it earlier. I'm gonna go with what you

643
00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:49,680
Speaker 2: said earlier that they've quietly built a good offensive line.

644
00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:52,279
Speaker 2: It's been the punching bag of the Joe Burrow era.

645
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:57,120
Speaker 2: I think back to the Jamar Chase and Pane's soul

646
00:35:57,239 --> 00:36:01,160
Speaker 2: meme that was making its rounds Oliver ex leading up

647
00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:03,239
Speaker 2: to that draft. I think back to the playoff win

648
00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,080
Speaker 2: in Tennessee when I believe Joe was sacked nine times,

649
00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:08,239
Speaker 2: and the Super Bowl loss to the Rams and the

650
00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:11,040
Speaker 2: number of sacks in that game. Look, the offensive line

651
00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:15,280
Speaker 2: is not perfect, but Joe has said it, Zach Taylor

652
00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:17,879
Speaker 2: has said it. It's right now, the best it's been

653
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:20,720
Speaker 2: in Joe Burrow's time in Cincinnati. You put the stats

654
00:36:20,719 --> 00:36:24,000
Speaker 2: out there second half of the season, PFF says, fourth

655
00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:28,200
Speaker 2: best in the NFL. Now that they have continuity, Now

656
00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:31,160
Speaker 2: that they have the right pieces. Now it's time to

657
00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:35,360
Speaker 2: make sure that extends into twenty twenty six. By bringing

658
00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:38,520
Speaker 2: Dalton Reisner back. They have found it. He wants to

659
00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:41,799
Speaker 2: be here. You've heard Ted Karris talk about it. You've

660
00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:44,080
Speaker 2: heard of Marius Mims talk about it, how much they

661
00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:48,000
Speaker 2: like playing next to him, what he brings in tangibles

662
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:50,600
Speaker 2: and also tangibly. I think if you could run it

663
00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:54,800
Speaker 2: back in twenty twenty six, and again it's not perfect,

664
00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:59,200
Speaker 2: it's not a dominant offensive line, but it's the best

665
00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:01,960
Speaker 2: it's been with Joe Burrow and Zach Taylor. I think

666
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:05,560
Speaker 2: the Bengals quietly deserve some credit for finally getting it

667
00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:08,560
Speaker 2: right after so many people pointed the finger at the

668
00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:11,319
Speaker 2: Bengals and said, that's the reason Joe Burrow is going

669
00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:14,120
Speaker 2: to want to leave Cincinnati. That's the reason Joe Burrow

670
00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:16,200
Speaker 2: is going to be and Andrew luck and retire early.

671
00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:19,759
Speaker 2: They've gotten it right. They now have found a way

672
00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:22,680
Speaker 2: to build an offensive line that can protect their quarterback.

673
00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:23,920
Speaker 2: They deserve credit for it.

674
00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:27,800
Speaker 1: I think they deserve more credit for how they manage

675
00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:33,280
Speaker 1: the cap. So when they extended first Joe, then Jamar

676
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:36,759
Speaker 1: and t on the same day, what did everybody say, Well,

677
00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:39,840
Speaker 1: that's great, but you'll have no money left to spend

678
00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:43,680
Speaker 1: on your defense. It's no secret that the Bengals drive

679
00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:47,439
Speaker 1: hard bargains. There have been times that it probably cost

680
00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:49,600
Speaker 1: them money in the long run. We could acknowledge that,

681
00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:52,399
Speaker 1: but I think they should get credit for spending up

682
00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:56,759
Speaker 1: to the salary cap and yet always seeming to have

683
00:37:57,040 --> 00:38:02,160
Speaker 1: some room the next year to add somebody. Now right now,

684
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,840
Speaker 1: depending on what website you look at, they are either

685
00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:09,000
Speaker 1: seventh or eighth in effective salary cap space. Again, that's

686
00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:11,960
Speaker 1: with one of the highest paid quarterbacks, the highest paid

687
00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:16,080
Speaker 1: wide receiver, certainly the highest paid number two receiver in

688
00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,400
Speaker 1: the NFL. So I think they deserve credit for putting

689
00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:22,040
Speaker 1: themselves in position to fix the defense this year with

690
00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:24,400
Speaker 1: the cap space that they have in spite of some

691
00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:25,360
Speaker 1: of those huge deals.

692
00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:28,640
Speaker 2: And we've seen the Bengals when they do have cap

693
00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:32,719
Speaker 2: space and a game plan and an urgency to get

694
00:38:32,719 --> 00:38:36,279
Speaker 2: it fixed defensively, that they can fix it in one offseason.

695
00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:39,120
Speaker 2: They did it in twenty twenty one. They added all

696
00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:42,319
Speaker 2: the pieces and Bengals fans don't need me to lay

697
00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:44,120
Speaker 2: out the list of all the players that they brought

698
00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:46,880
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty one that helped them go to a

699
00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:49,279
Speaker 2: Super Bowl. But I think you go back to that

700
00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:51,840
Speaker 2: run in the Super Bowl year, it was the defense

701
00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:54,920
Speaker 2: who helped carry this team all the way through the

702
00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:58,000
Speaker 2: AFC Championship Game and then within a couple of minutes

703
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:01,960
Speaker 2: of winning, the franchises for Super So with that effective

704
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:05,719
Speaker 2: cap space and an urgency, now it feels to get

705
00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,120
Speaker 2: it right. There's a good chance here the Bengals make

706
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:09,320
Speaker 2: a big swing in free agency.

707
00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:11,759
Speaker 1: Joe, you did a weekly one on one interview with

708
00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:14,239
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor for Fox nine team this year. You got

709
00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:17,160
Speaker 1: to know him well. He is the only AFC North

710
00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:20,399
Speaker 1: coach who kept his job this season. Do you think

711
00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:24,760
Speaker 1: the upcoming season is make or break for Zach Taylor?

712
00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:30,320
Speaker 2: I think it's only fair to the moment in time

713
00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:33,680
Speaker 2: in Bengals history, the moment being the Joe Jamar t

714
00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:37,920
Speaker 2: window that if it doesn't work this coming season, that

715
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,640
Speaker 2: the Bengals have to try a new voice. So yes,

716
00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:42,440
Speaker 2: I do think it's a make or break season for

717
00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:45,160
Speaker 2: Zach Taylor. What does make or break mean? I don't know.

718
00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:47,560
Speaker 2: I'm gonna have to see it and see how it

719
00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:51,279
Speaker 2: looks and see how it feels. But certainly if they

720
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:53,520
Speaker 2: go back to the playoffs, if they win a playoff

721
00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:55,719
Speaker 2: game or two, it kind of feels like, Okay, the

722
00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:58,360
Speaker 2: Bengals are back on track. Zach's the guy we know.

723
00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:02,960
Speaker 2: Joe likes Zach. But we've seen now in the NFL

724
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:09,040
Speaker 2: how quickly sometimes a new voice can accelerate timelines for

725
00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:13,440
Speaker 2: teams New England Patriots. What four wins to the Super

726
00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:18,120
Speaker 2: Bowl with Mike Rabel. Look at Seattle, whant to coach

727
00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:22,200
Speaker 2: in his second season, Super Bowl. Look at the Bears,

728
00:40:22,560 --> 00:40:26,640
Speaker 2: Ben Johnson new coach, team going back to the playoffs.

729
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:31,520
Speaker 2: So sometimes yes, a change at that position, a new

730
00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:36,760
Speaker 2: voice can re energize, reinvigorate a team. But Zach Taylor,

731
00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:42,439
Speaker 2: I believe, I believe deserves one more year. I don't

732
00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:48,960
Speaker 2: think people sometimes fully credit the idea of coaching without

733
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:51,960
Speaker 2: your quarterback and the Bengals not making the playoffs this

734
00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:57,040
Speaker 2: last year and Joe Burrow missed nine games. Eight games,

735
00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:59,680
Speaker 2: that's a lot. It's hard for a team to make

736
00:40:59,719 --> 00:41:01,600
Speaker 2: it back to the playoffs. It's hard to fire a

737
00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:04,160
Speaker 2: coach that has gotten you to a Super Bowl, in

738
00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:06,560
Speaker 2: the AFC Championship and back to back years in the

739
00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:10,759
Speaker 2: last five years because his quarterback wasn't healthy. Now, I

740
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:12,920
Speaker 2: know that's not as simple as just that, but I

741
00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:16,959
Speaker 2: do believe Zach Taylor deserves one more year, a prove

742
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,839
Speaker 2: it season for the Bengals head coach to prove he

743
00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,680
Speaker 2: can do it with this group. And based off of

744
00:41:22,719 --> 00:41:25,760
Speaker 2: our numbers, I think if you put a ninety percent

745
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:27,839
Speaker 2: chance or an eighty five percent chance on the team

746
00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,799
Speaker 2: going to the playoffs. Then they don't make it, that's

747
00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:34,280
Speaker 2: a massive disappointment and a new voice might be needed.

748
00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:36,840
Speaker 2: So yes, I do think make or break year for

749
00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:38,880
Speaker 2: Zach Taylor and his coaching staff.

750
00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:43,120
Speaker 1: I think that's probably the case. This will be Zach's

751
00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:47,040
Speaker 1: eighth year as the Bengals head coach. Keep in mind

752
00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:51,040
Speaker 1: that puts him halfway to Marvin Lewis's tenure, so we

753
00:41:51,080 --> 00:41:54,319
Speaker 1: know Mike Brown is very patient. But one thing to

754
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:58,080
Speaker 1: keep in mind with Marvin going into or roughly the

755
00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:01,000
Speaker 1: same spot, So going into his nineth year, the fan

756
00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:04,000
Speaker 1: base was down on him. They were ready for a change,

757
00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:08,480
Speaker 1: and that's kind of when like Marvin two point oh began.

758
00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:12,320
Speaker 1: They drafted Andy and AJ and they got good again

759
00:42:12,440 --> 00:42:14,960
Speaker 1: and they went to the playoffs five straight years. Unfortunately,

760
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:17,759
Speaker 1: they couldn't get over the hump and win a playoff game,

761
00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:21,480
Speaker 1: But sticking with Marvin proved to be a good move,

762
00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:23,719
Speaker 1: I believe. I mean, it's hard to make the playoffs

763
00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:27,560
Speaker 1: five straight years, especially in the AFC North, so I

764
00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:31,720
Speaker 1: think Zach is poised to have a similar resurgence. Andy

765
00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:36,040
Speaker 1: probably needs to. But at roughly the same time, when

766
00:42:36,120 --> 00:42:38,960
Speaker 1: Marvin had his two point oh and they got good again.

767
00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:42,560
Speaker 1: I think that that's, you know, what the Bengals are

768
00:42:42,560 --> 00:42:45,120
Speaker 1: banking on with Zach. We'll see if it happens. We

769
00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:49,240
Speaker 1: both think it's likely this year at least, but something

770
00:42:49,239 --> 00:42:51,880
Speaker 1: to keep in mind in terms of the likelihood that

771
00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:54,800
Speaker 1: he sticks around for a while as the Bengals head coach.

772
00:42:55,680 --> 00:43:02,080
Speaker 1: Topic number nine, Give me a Joe Daniman related hot take.

773
00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:05,680
Speaker 2: Okay, so I think this is a hot take, but

774
00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:09,480
Speaker 2: my bold move earlier wasn't nearly as bold as yours.

775
00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:12,439
Speaker 2: So I'll go as hot as I think I can go.

776
00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:18,800
Speaker 2: That Jamar Chase does something that not even Jerry Rice,

777
00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:24,560
Speaker 2: Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson pick your all time favorite big

778
00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:29,399
Speaker 2: name wide receiver has ever done, and that's become the

779
00:43:29,440 --> 00:43:34,080
Speaker 2: first player in eighty years to win the wide Receiver

780
00:43:34,239 --> 00:43:39,399
Speaker 2: Triple Crown twice. If he played all seventeen games this year,

781
00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:42,480
Speaker 2: remember the one game he missed because of suspension, he

782
00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:44,880
Speaker 2: would have finished with the most catches in the NFL.

783
00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:48,040
Speaker 2: He would have broken his own franchise record for most

784
00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:51,440
Speaker 2: catches in a season. The yards, the touchdowns, They were

785
00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:54,480
Speaker 2: slightly down this season, but he played nine games without

786
00:43:54,560 --> 00:44:00,320
Speaker 2: Joe Burrow one hundred and eighty five targets is absolutely absurd,

787
00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:04,799
Speaker 2: and that's in sixteen games. So I know, thinking, oh,

788
00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:07,120
Speaker 2: he might get two hundred targets next year, that's not

789
00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:08,880
Speaker 2: going to happen because you look back at some of

790
00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:11,840
Speaker 2: the games that he had the target share. That Thursday

791
00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:14,160
Speaker 2: night game against Seattle when he had won twenty four

792
00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:17,520
Speaker 2: twenty five targets, maybe that target number isn't going to

793
00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:20,480
Speaker 2: go higher than one eighty five. But you give him

794
00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:24,600
Speaker 2: something around that number, he will win the triple ground

795
00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:28,640
Speaker 2: for a second time in three years, something that hasn't

796
00:44:28,680 --> 00:44:32,400
Speaker 2: been done by the same player twice in the NFL

797
00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:34,719
Speaker 2: since the nineteen forties.

798
00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:39,080
Speaker 1: Love it, excellent hot take, And actually, as you're building

799
00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:41,160
Speaker 1: up to the climax there, I thought you were going

800
00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:45,319
Speaker 1: to say something slightly different, which made me wonder if

801
00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:48,840
Speaker 1: this is going to happen. How about Jamar Chase becoming

802
00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:53,240
Speaker 1: the first two thousand yard receiver in NFL history. Calvin

803
00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:57,400
Speaker 1: Johnson came closest. Megatron had nineteen something, I believe, but

804
00:44:57,719 --> 00:45:00,320
Speaker 1: nobody's ever hit two thousand as a wide receiver. Running

805
00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:02,919
Speaker 1: Backs have done it, so as much as they throw

806
00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:05,760
Speaker 1: it these days in the NFL, you would think somebody's

807
00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:07,400
Speaker 1: going to do it sometime soon. Why not?

808
00:45:07,480 --> 00:45:10,680
Speaker 2: Jamar and Calvin Johnson did his I believe in a

809
00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:15,400
Speaker 2: sixteen game schedule, So now seventeen games, Hey, why not?

810
00:45:15,640 --> 00:45:18,880
Speaker 2: That's even hotter? Okay? I like that one better than

811
00:45:18,880 --> 00:45:22,520
Speaker 2: the Striple Crown twice two thousand yards for Jamar Chase.

812
00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:27,520
Speaker 1: All right, mine is Bengals related. I think this one's

813
00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:28,160
Speaker 1: pretty hot.

814
00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:29,880
Speaker 2: Are you ready ready?

815
00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:35,880
Speaker 1: Chris collins Worth is the greatest analyst in the history

816
00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:38,120
Speaker 1: of sports TV In any.

817
00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:42,920
Speaker 2: Sport, he's outstanding, and him with Taurico is the best

818
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:44,040
Speaker 2: listen in the NFL.

819
00:45:45,040 --> 00:45:50,000
Speaker 1: So anytime I post anything positive about Chris on X,

820
00:45:50,760 --> 00:45:53,600
Speaker 1: a bunch of people get back to me and say,

821
00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:55,919
Speaker 1: you've got to be kidding, right, he sucks. I hate

822
00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:59,319
Speaker 1: Chris collins Worth. If you hate Chris collins Worth, it's

823
00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:04,080
Speaker 1: probably be because he said something critical but honest about

824
00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:07,400
Speaker 1: the team that you root for. John Madden is the

825
00:46:07,440 --> 00:46:12,280
Speaker 1: most beloved commentator in sports history. Bob Trumpy was awesome.

826
00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:15,120
Speaker 1: He's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as an announcer,

827
00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:18,840
Speaker 1: not as a tight end pickout. Tim McCarver and baseball

828
00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:23,440
Speaker 1: Hubie Brown and basketball Bill Raftory Tony Kuback for when

829
00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:27,359
Speaker 1: I was a kid in baseball. I honestly think if

830
00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:29,840
Speaker 1: I had to pick one in all of those sports,

831
00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:37,520
Speaker 1: it would be Collinsworth. Honest, critical, funny, uber, prepared at

832
00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:41,640
Speaker 1: all times. That is my hot take. Chris Collinsworth is

833
00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:45,040
Speaker 1: the greatest color analyst in the history of televised sports.

834
00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:50,960
Speaker 2: Honest, critical, intelligent, m HM, and conversational. You know, you

835
00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:53,439
Speaker 2: go back to what we do, and when we went

836
00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:56,719
Speaker 2: to Syracuse, the number one thing they told us when

837
00:46:56,719 --> 00:47:00,239
Speaker 2: you do a broadcast is be as conversational as you

838
00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:06,719
Speaker 2: possibly can be. And it's conversational explaining sometimes some difficult

839
00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:13,640
Speaker 2: concepts for a not avid football viewer. You get someone

840
00:47:13,680 --> 00:47:16,759
Speaker 2: on Sunday Night, I'm sure you get somewhat of a

841
00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:20,560
Speaker 2: football fan that's not watching every moment breaking down the

842
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:22,839
Speaker 2: All twenty two. There is kind of a casual fan.

843
00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:27,560
Speaker 2: His ability to be conversational in what he does, and

844
00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:30,280
Speaker 2: he still feels like he's excited about what he's seeing

845
00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:33,080
Speaker 2: and still enjoys what he's doing. And I think that's

846
00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:36,279
Speaker 2: so important to what it is for a viewer to

847
00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:41,080
Speaker 2: enjoy what they're watching. If the person who's commentating on

848
00:47:41,160 --> 00:47:44,000
Speaker 2: the game, seems to be enjoying it. It feels like

849
00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:46,160
Speaker 2: I'm going to enjoy it too. That's what I've liked

850
00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:49,680
Speaker 2: about tom Brady. Tom Brady's not perfect, but Tom Brady

851
00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:51,920
Speaker 2: seems to be having a great time when he's up

852
00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:55,080
Speaker 2: there in the booth, and I really enjoy hearing that

853
00:47:55,200 --> 00:47:57,640
Speaker 2: and listening to that, and with Chris collins Worth, that

854
00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:01,080
Speaker 2: really comes through how much he's still loves to do

855
00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:01,919
Speaker 2: what he does.

856
00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:07,439
Speaker 1: All right. Our tenth and final topic very topical. Who

857
00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:09,560
Speaker 1: wins the Super Bowl and why.

858
00:48:11,120 --> 00:48:14,360
Speaker 2: I'm pretty heavy on the Seahawks in this game, and

859
00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:17,879
Speaker 2: I understand how prepared Mike Vrabel and his staff will

860
00:48:17,920 --> 00:48:22,399
Speaker 2: be for this game. But if there are five paths

861
00:48:22,440 --> 00:48:24,680
Speaker 2: for these teams to win this game, I think four

862
00:48:24,719 --> 00:48:28,719
Speaker 2: of the paths go to the Seahawks and there's one

863
00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:32,440
Speaker 2: path for the Patriots. The fact that Seattle shows up

864
00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:36,200
Speaker 2: with that defense, with their run game, the way Kenneth

865
00:48:36,239 --> 00:48:39,360
Speaker 2: Walker has looked now that Zach Charboney is not playing,

866
00:48:39,680 --> 00:48:42,239
Speaker 2: did a masterful job Seattle did all season long, and

867
00:48:42,400 --> 00:48:45,880
Speaker 2: keeping Kenneth Walker fresh for the playoffs and now eventually

868
00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:48,239
Speaker 2: the Super Bowl. I think he's a difference maker with

869
00:48:48,280 --> 00:48:49,680
Speaker 2: the ball in his hand and he'll get the ball

870
00:48:49,719 --> 00:48:52,239
Speaker 2: fifteen to twenty times. He's going to make some big

871
00:48:52,280 --> 00:48:56,480
Speaker 2: plays against New England. I think the one path for

872
00:48:56,800 --> 00:49:00,000
Speaker 2: New England to win the game is if Sam Darnold

873
00:49:01,040 --> 00:49:05,640
Speaker 2: just Sam Darnald's this thing and turns the ball over twice.

874
00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:08,560
Speaker 2: What are you doing with that pass? Oh my gosh,

875
00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:11,800
Speaker 2: he dropped the snap. Sam Darnald turned into a pumpkin

876
00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:14,560
Speaker 2: on the Super Bowl. That's the path for me for

877
00:49:14,640 --> 00:49:18,280
Speaker 2: the Patriots. But if Sam Darnald doesn't throw this thing away,

878
00:49:18,719 --> 00:49:21,920
Speaker 2: I think Seattle's defense, their run game, and their ability

879
00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:24,840
Speaker 2: to make plays and wide receiver with JSN, I think

880
00:49:25,160 --> 00:49:28,160
Speaker 2: that ultimately leads to a Seattle pretty comfortable win to

881
00:49:28,200 --> 00:49:28,759
Speaker 2: the Super Bowl.

882
00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:32,120
Speaker 1: Don't know about comfortable, but I agree that Seattle's going

883
00:49:32,160 --> 00:49:35,000
Speaker 1: to win. And there's probably just as much of a

884
00:49:35,080 --> 00:49:39,120
Speaker 1: chance that Drake May pulls a Sam Donald as there

885
00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:42,200
Speaker 1: is that Sam Donald pulls a Sam Donald. Drake May

886
00:49:42,200 --> 00:49:45,720
Speaker 1: has fumbled six times in the playoffs so far this year.

887
00:49:46,440 --> 00:49:50,800
Speaker 1: The Patriots had the third easiest schedule in the last

888
00:49:50,840 --> 00:49:54,600
Speaker 1: forty eight years, according to the Metrics. To their credit,

889
00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:57,440
Speaker 1: they won the games. They beat good teams in the playoffs.

890
00:49:57,520 --> 00:50:00,800
Speaker 1: They are a good team and they're in a sending teams,

891
00:50:00,840 --> 00:50:02,840
Speaker 1: so this might be the last chance in a while

892
00:50:03,160 --> 00:50:07,520
Speaker 1: to get them. But I think Seattle is proven this

893
00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:10,040
Speaker 1: year to be the better team on both sides of

894
00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:12,920
Speaker 1: the ball. They're the number one seed in the NFC

895
00:50:13,520 --> 00:50:16,040
Speaker 1: and got through a division that had three teams that

896
00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:20,040
Speaker 1: won twelve or more games. They are battle tested. The

897
00:50:20,080 --> 00:50:23,960
Speaker 1: defense is awesome, number one scoring defense, number one against

898
00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:27,719
Speaker 1: the run. Again, I kind of agree with you. Sam

899
00:50:27,800 --> 00:50:30,400
Speaker 1: Donald was part of twenty turnovers this year, most in

900
00:50:30,440 --> 00:50:33,120
Speaker 1: the NFL. He's probably going to commit one or two

901
00:50:33,239 --> 00:50:36,080
Speaker 1: in the Super Bowl. But if he doesn't fall on

902
00:50:36,160 --> 00:50:39,560
Speaker 1: his face, I think Seattle wins. I think it's probably

903
00:50:39,600 --> 00:50:42,080
Speaker 1: going to be a close game, but I think Seattle wins.

904
00:50:42,400 --> 00:50:45,200
Speaker 2: So I don't like to open myself for people to

905
00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:48,680
Speaker 2: come back and point a finger and say gotcha. But

906
00:50:48,840 --> 00:50:52,200
Speaker 2: during the second half of the Rams Seahawks NFC Championship,

907
00:50:52,239 --> 00:50:54,880
Speaker 2: I tweeted, this is one hell of a Super Bowl,

908
00:50:55,920 --> 00:50:59,400
Speaker 2: So it's out there. If the Patriots win it on Sunday,

909
00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:01,560
Speaker 2: people will come at me and say, oh yeah, how

910
00:51:01,560 --> 00:51:05,320
Speaker 2: about that JB varsity game from the ABC Championship And

911
00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:08,000
Speaker 2: NFC Championship is what it kind of felt like to me.

912
00:51:08,239 --> 00:51:10,440
Speaker 2: So I've got it out there that I think Seattle

913
00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:12,319
Speaker 2: is gonna win and win comfortably. So I think I

914
00:51:12,400 --> 00:51:13,239
Speaker 2: have to stand by it.

915
00:51:13,800 --> 00:51:16,480
Speaker 1: The underdogs one for the last file boys. So it

916
00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:19,480
Speaker 1: is the super Bowl. We'll see, but we are in

917
00:51:19,520 --> 00:51:22,440
Speaker 1: agreement about two things. Number one, the Bengals are going

918
00:51:22,480 --> 00:51:25,880
Speaker 1: to the playoffs next year eighty five percent we've settled

919
00:51:25,880 --> 00:51:29,120
Speaker 1: on as our number. And that Seattle will win the

920
00:51:29,160 --> 00:51:33,200
Speaker 1: Super Bowl. Joe, this has been great. Really appreciate your time,

921
00:51:33,680 --> 00:51:36,880
Speaker 1: great takes as always, and look forward to doing it

922
00:51:36,920 --> 00:51:38,399
Speaker 1: again sometime relatively soon.

923
00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:42,040
Speaker 2: Always a pleasure, Dan, anytime you need me. I always

924
00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:42,920
Speaker 2: enjoy doing this one.

925
00:51:42,960 --> 00:51:45,600
Speaker 1: You're the best that's going to do it for This

926
00:51:45,680 --> 00:51:48,160
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927
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928
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929
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930
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931
00:52:02,800 --> 00:52:06,480
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932
00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:09,600
Speaker 1: If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this

933
00:52:09,719 --> 00:52:11,799
Speaker 1: podcast and if you have a minute, give it a

934
00:52:11,880 --> 00:52:15,320
Speaker 1: rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans

935
00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:18,560
Speaker 1: find us. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for listening to

936
00:52:18,680 --> 00:52:20,440
Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth podcast