WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Welcome To Miami 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:07.000 Happy holidays everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:12.200 the Bengals Booth podcast, the Welcome to Miami Bien then 0:00:12.280 --> 0:00:17.520 Nedasami Ami edition, as we preview Sunday's game against the 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:21.239 Miami Dolphins at hard Rock Stadium. Coming up, you'll hear 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:24.239 from AJ Green, who made an official this week he 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:29.000 will not play a single snap in twenty nineteen. Aj 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:35.040 discusses his injury, his contract, and his future. In my 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:38.839 weekly midweek visit with Dave Lapham will discuss why he 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:42.080 would have loved to block for Joe Mixon, his admiration 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:46.199 for Dolphins qb Ryan Fitzpatrick, and we'll discuss the options 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:49.360 the Bengals will have if they wind up with a 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:52.600 number one pick in the draft. Finally, and this week's 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:55.440 Know the Faux segment, we'll talk to Cameron Wolf, who 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:59.360 covers the Dolphins for ESPN. He's had a challenging job 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:02.400 just from bring names and faces this year, since the 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:06.440 Dolphins have used the most players of any team in 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:09.600 NFL history. All of that is straight ahead, but first, 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:11.959 here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:15.240 edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:20.680 or computer. By subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:26.240 or pod Bean. It's the greatest thing since a good nugget. 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:29.160 One of the things I try to do before every 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:32.080 game that I broadcast is try to find some good 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:35.920 nuggets of information about the players and coaches to work in. 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:40.440 When appropriate, it might be an anecdote, an unusual stat 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:44.160 maybe a funny quote, little things that I hope make 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:49.240 the broadcast more entertaining. For example, this week, if there's time, 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:52.160 I might bring up the fact that Dolphins quarterback Ryan 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:56.160 Fitzpatrick is the father of seven kids, and he had 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:59.440 a great line about it in the offseason. He blames 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:02.640 his off season weight gain on all of his kid's 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:07.240 birthday cakes. Now let's get to football. This week, Geno 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:09.880 Atkins was named to the Pro Bowl for the eighth time, 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:13.600 that second most in Bengals history behind Hall of Famer 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:18.040 Anthony Muno's who made it eleven times. AJ Green made 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:20.600 it in each of his first seven seasons before the 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:24.120 streak ended last year due to injury, and after missing 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:27.640 the second half of last season, aj will miss all 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:30.760 of this season due to the ankle injury he suffered 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:34.480 in the first training camp practice aj saw a foot 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.480 specialist in Green Bay this week to make sure that 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:41.200 he is on course for a full recovery. Everything looks 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:45.200 good for me. I just need it some more combromation 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:48.440 and confirmed that, you know, just looking into my future, 0:02:48.440 --> 0:02:51.400 how would it, how would it be? And will be 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:54.400 no lingering effect on that? Everything will be fine. So 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:56.600 have you decided you won't play this year? Though? Yeah, 0:02:56.639 --> 0:02:59.720 I probably won't play this year. I think. Came to 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:01.560 Just and he's like, it's best for me to just 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:04.079 stick this year off, um, just to get this thing 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:08.040 to heal, so, you know, and long running though. You know, 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:09.720 for the next couple of years of my career, I 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:12.560 would have no problem. So what do you think you 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:15.120 need to show the Bengals or any other team at 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:18.000 this point regarding your future that I need to show 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:21.160 anybody anything. Everybody know what I can do when I'm 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:23.320 on the field. I'm just having these last couple two 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:26.040 years have been bad breaks. Um. That's one thing I 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:29.480 can't control. I can control is you know how I prepared, 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:31.480 and I know how I am on off the field, 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:33.359 how I prepared, the work I put in on and 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:36.800 off the field. So for me, Um, you know, a 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:38.840 lot of people think it's it's a lot of mental 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.880 in this thing. I'm sad up. I don't you know. 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:43.560 I don't get too high on myself. I never get 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:45.840 too low on myself. I stayed the course. You know, 0:03:46.080 --> 0:03:48.880 you play this game long enough, stuff like this gonna happen. 0:03:49.000 --> 0:03:53.560 So um, that's for pushing me. Um. So what is 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:56.160 your hope in terms of your future? Oh? We see, 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:58.280 Like I said, my thing is not right now is 0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:00.840 just to get get healthy and get to hundred percent 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:05.160 and then we go from there. I staying here your preference. 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:08.080 It's also you know, it's always always I wanted to 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:10.560 stay here a break every record here. Um. But also 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:13.680 as a side of a business that you have to understand. 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:17.280 M every great business have you got to make difficult decisions. 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:19.640 And for me, I'm my own business, so I have 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:21.960 to make decisions. I'm on my end as well. So 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:25.480 you have said that you would understand being tagged if 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.120 it happens. Yeah, of course, um, you know that's what 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:30.080 the tag is eighteen me and so I'm not running 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:34.240 away from that um so um um. But that also 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:37.200 shows you know they're not committed. So and then in 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:40.920 that circumstance, I have to protect myself. So the last 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:43.560 time that you signed AJ, there was kind of you 0:04:43.680 --> 0:04:48.159 and Julio grouped together. Do you still feel like that 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:51.479 is the bar in light of your injuries? Uh? You 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:53.200 know for me, Man, I feel like me and Julio 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:56.000 is saying, Uh, these last two years, I've been hurt, 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:58.520 but everything else before that, I feel like we're naked 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:00.400 at the guy who lives, a guy that you know 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:02.960 I got the utmost respect. He did everything the right way. 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:05.359 He'd been playing out his mind, UM, and you know 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:08.719 he deserved everything he gets. UM. So it's an unbelievable receiver. 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:11.640 But also I understand the value that I bring to 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:13.919 this team and certainly if I was out on that 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:16.960 field this year, we wouldn't be oneing or where we're 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:19.280 at today, and everybody knows that. So I understand my 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:21.719 value for the team, and UM, I think anybody everybody 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:25.120 else understand how value I am to this team. But 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:27.480 it's a midpoint that we have to meet at. UM. 0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.560 I don't know what that midpoint is, And like I said, 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:33.800 we'll go from there. For a while, there it looked 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:35.680 like you were tracking to come back, and then there 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:38.160 was that practice where there was swelling. It seemed to 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:42.720 be kind of like the setback. Is that accurate? Oh yeah, 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:46.640 I was just swallowing up a little bit. UM. For me, 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:48.440 I was just trying to push, trying to push, trying 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:51.080 to push, trying to push you get back, I never 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:53.839 you know, we it was you know, for me, I 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:56.520 wanted to get back so fast, so we skipping a 0:05:56.520 --> 0:06:00.480 little bit of the process, just trying to you know, build, build, build, bildum, 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:04.080 trying to stack days to make sure how this thing responds. UM. 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:08.120 But unfortunately it didn't respond to the way we wanted 0:06:08.160 --> 0:06:10.880 to UM. So now right now I'm just focused on 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:13.080 this building it back and as close as getting there, 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:16.200 I can run routes full speed now. Nothing no, no, really, 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:19.200 no setbacks with that. Just just building the scrength right 0:06:19.240 --> 0:06:20.720 now and to get my range of motion back. It's 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:23.400 the bigger thing. If the team was in playoff contention, 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:26.640 would you try to play? That's that's tough still now 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.600 where I need to be UM, Like I said from 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:32.239 the beginning, you no matter we're going to a playoff, 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:34.560 It's still have been a hard decision to make because 0:06:34.640 --> 0:06:38.120 I also know I'm not on the contract, and um, 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:40.000 you know I can't go out there and put bath 0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.760 them out there. Um. So when you talk about your 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:46.360 value to the franchise, your on field play speaks for itself. 0:06:47.080 --> 0:06:49.960 It seems like there's a good possibility that Andy won't 0:06:50.000 --> 0:06:53.599 be back next year. Are you that like the one 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:57.840 icon left leading this group forward? Oh? We don't know, man, 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:00.240 I can't. I wish I could look into the eacher 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:02.960 and tell you what's gonna be for for both of us. 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.720 But we've been here for the last nine years, did 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:10.720 some great things. But you know, things happen, like I said, 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:12.800 and he still got a lot of football left to play. Man, 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:15.440 he can whatever happens wherever he goes, if he's here 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:18.400 or not, he's gonna be unbelievable. Um. It's not a 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:20.720 lot of quarterbacks that's done the stuff that he is 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:24.520 done up to his career. And for me, you know, 0:07:24.600 --> 0:07:26.400 they got a franchise. I got a franchise. They can 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:29.080 franchise me and I can be here for another year 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:31.000 and or we get a deal done, or we don't 0:07:31.040 --> 0:07:33.440 get a deal gunning. But like I said, I'm prepared 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:37.560 for anything. Um. Um, A pay Man got cut from 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:40.600 the coats that opened a lot of eyes. Then anybody can. 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:43.240 It's replaceable. So for me, like I said, I just 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:45.320 roll with the punchers. Man um from the type of guy, 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:47.640 just try to say very level head and then just 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:51.240 whenever my time is is up, or my time is 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:53.880 here or wherever it's I'll be ready to play football. 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:57.200 What do you see as your value beyond the field? 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:00.880 H For me, man, it's just what I bring to 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:05.120 the table off the field. Man is my leadership. You know, 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:07.280 I'm a guy to lead by his ample. I'm gonna 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:10.520 give you everything I got each week in and out, 0:08:11.200 --> 0:08:14.920 on and off the field. Here's my take on the situation, 0:08:14.960 --> 0:08:19.120 and this is strictly my opinion. If AJ Green truly 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:22.680 wants to stay in Cincinnati, he'll reach a contract extension 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:25.640 with the Bengals. The team has made it abundantly clear 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:28.440 that they want him to stay, and the Bengals have 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:32.400 almost always worked out deals with their top veterans. I 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:36.480 would be surprised if another team makes a more generous offer. 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:40.280 If aj has decided it's time to move on, I 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:43.080 would expect the Bengals to use the franchise tag to 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:47.280 retain his rights and then look to trade him, similar 0:08:47.280 --> 0:08:51.480 to what the Texans did with Jadeveon Clowney. Time to 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:54.080 move on from that topic and turn to this week's 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:58.440 midweek conversation with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham. You had 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:01.240 an interesting exchange with Joe Mick in the postgame interview 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:04.079 last week where you said, as a former offensive lineman, 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.680 you would have loved a block for him. Why because 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:12.080 he finishes every run hard, and that's all you can 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:14.760 ask for out of out of a running back. If 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:16.880 your alignement is you know, if you're going to how 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:18.840 to do all the dirty work, to everything you possibly 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:21.440 can to make his life easier, you want him to 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:25.320 reward you with full out, all out, one hundred percent effort. 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.720 And Joe does that. And Joe I used to love 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:31.880 running backs that had the emotion like him. It would 0:09:31.880 --> 0:09:33.880 get you going. You're you know, you feed off of 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:36.079 each other, you know, you try to get some juice flown, 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:38.880 and then he gets his role and then there's nothing 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:42.000 better than as a lineman to think you have a 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:43.680 decent block and you look up and you see the 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.280 back numbers of the uniform jersey with the last name, 0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:48.160 so now you know it's the back, going in the 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:50.920 right direction, and man, he's he's at the next level, 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:53.520 He's at the second or third level. And it's a 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:57.640 great feeling. I can't even describe it. And I think 0:09:57.640 --> 0:09:59.800 with Joe too, it's like, you don't have to do 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:03.200 nature guy. You just have to make your guy declare something. 0:10:03.240 --> 0:10:05.240 The one thing you don't want to do if you're 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:07.800 trying to block for Joe Mixon, it's just let your 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:10.920 defensive lineman control you. You know, It's it's like who's 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:13.480 gonna who's gonna make the other guy declare first? Who's 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:16.199 gonna flinch? You know, And because all Joe needs is 0:10:16.240 --> 0:10:20.800 a definitive declaration of is he is he taking a side? 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:22.360 I'm taking the other? I mean, Joe, you don't have 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:23.719 to You don't have to blow a guy up. You 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:25.520 don't have to pancake, and you don't have to walk 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:27.520 him off the line of scrimmage five yards. You have 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:29.320 to just give him a little and he'll get a 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:31.240 lot out of it. So you know, that's the kind 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:33.319 of guy that you know, I would love to block for. 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:35.760 And you know the other thing about him is I 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:38.480 appreciate he sticks his nose in there and blitz pick up. 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:40.960 He's not a pretty boy, you know, It's like it's 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:43.360 too good for me. I'm a runner, I'm nothing else. 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:45.200 You know, what do you do when you don't have 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:46.920 the ball in your hands, you know, either running or 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:49.360 catching it. I mean, that guy's so much It would 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:51.760 be so much fun to block for screen pass this 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:54.840 war because you know he's coming. You can probably feel 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:56.880 the earth move when Joe's digging up the turf, you know. 0:10:57.360 --> 0:11:01.640 And as a blocker, he's an effort guy. He gets 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:04.320 after it. So I think those are some of the 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:07.480 reasons that we always used to like we were to 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:11.800 ordain a running back, an unofficial member of the Hog 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:15.480 fraternity when he passed protected well and blitz pickup, like 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.760 we ordained you. We ordain you, you know, just as 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:21.520 part of the part of the process. And Joe would 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:24.160 have been a sixth lineman a lot of games Man 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:27.520 the way he and Giovanni Bernard as well, both of 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:29.760 those guys are really really good in blitz Pickup. I 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:33.160 like the fact that he expressed childlike glee that Tom 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:35.600 Brady is willing to send him at Jersey. The thing 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:39.880 about Joe is unbridled joy for the game for life. 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:44.080 Joe is he's a fan of the game. I mean, 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:46.280 he appreciates the game on a lot of levels, I think, 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:51.240 and he appreciates greatness, and he appreciates, you know, somebody achieving, 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:53.160 you know, at the highest level. And he wants to 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:56.400 be the best. And you know, in talking with his 0:11:56.600 --> 0:12:00.880 running back coach, Coach Sheldon, he he wants to be coached. 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:05.760 He wants to be hard coached, so you know every detail, 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:08.959 where you point your toe, you know where your eyes 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:13.600 is supposed to be. And Joe's gotta heavery respect for 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:15.640 this new running back coach. And he says, every time 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:17.760 I come out of his room, I feel like I've 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:20.800 learned something. So there's a good dynamic going on there. 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:25.080 What is wrong with lighting up with your quarterback under 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:29.080 center on fourth and one and running a quarterback sneak? 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:32.680 Not much that I can see, but I'm old school. 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.640 I mean, I think if Bill Belichick does it with 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:38.600 Tom Brady as much as he does it with the Goat, 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:42.640 everybody's greatest of all time and deservedly so there must 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:45.440 be something to it. I know, as a lineman, you're 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:47.760 certainly going off to hold your block as long you 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:49.440 can come off the line of scrimmage. If you just 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:52.280 win at that tenth of a second coming off the 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:53.960 line of scrimmage, you don't have to really win big, 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:57.600 just stalemate. A quarterback that's over six feet tall can 0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:02.720 just fall forward for you know them, I do. I 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:05.840 do one thing. I'm not seeing much anymore on third 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.000 and fourth and short and you don't see it. A 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:09.480 whole lot of the goal ie need The guy's going 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:11.360 up and over and I don't know if it's a 0:13:11.360 --> 0:13:13.920 player safety stuff. They're told not to anymore. Don't leave 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:16.440 your feet when you're airborne. You're not in control of 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:18.679 your body anymore. Other people can do damage to you. 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:22.720 But on that fourth and a foot and Danny Shelton, 0:13:23.080 --> 0:13:25.840 to give him credit, he won. Block was missed at 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:28.480 the line of scrimmage and he won at that point, 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:31.199 I mean up and over. I've seen so many guys 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:34.720 do it. Hershall Walker was great at it. Walter Payton 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:37.760 was great at it. You know a lot of guys 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:40.280 over the years, and that that seems to be an 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:42.920 art that isn't practiced anymore. They put the paints away 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:45.760 on that one, I guess. So, yeah, there's there's a 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.440 few things, I mean, but all I can say is 0:13:49.000 --> 0:13:52.800 it just from a mathematical standpoint, when you're back in 0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:56.080 the shotgun and you're coming, you know you do. You're 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:58.800 able to come downhill in your vision, but you don't 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:02.080 need a whole lot of vision, and that constricted an area. 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:03.880 I think you're just trying to get to the line 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:07.880 of scrimmage as quickly as you can. And I don't know. 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:10.480 That's that's my take on it. I understand there are 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:13.960 other quarterback sneak, you know, going up under center. You 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:15.679 don't have to run the quarterback sneak. You can hand 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:16.920 it off and you can go up and over and 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:19.200 all that, and you can still run play action pass 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:22.120 and things off of it. But you do have to 0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:25.320 have faith that in your offensive line that they can 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:27.680 come off the line of scrimmage and at least control 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:31.240 and enough of your quarterback to to you know, take advantage. 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:34.480 Let's talk defense. Over the last four weeks, the Bengals 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:36.840 d is allowing an average of three hundred and eight 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:39.400 yards per game. That would be sixth best in the 0:14:39.520 --> 0:14:42.080 NFL if they had that average over an entire season. 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.520 Is this at all similar to the running game, where 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:47.880 the new coaching staff kind of had to figure out 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:51.640 what works for this group of players. I think there's 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.520 a lot to be said for that. You know, coach 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:57.800 Selton said that about Joe. You know, he'd never this 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.560 is the first time he'd had a new running back 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:03.080 coach in his career in the NFL and had the 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.640 same guy in college, and now this has change. And 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:09.440 I it is a factor. Um every time I went 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:13.040 through a new staff and new offensive line coach and 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:16.480 other position coaches. It's like you have to figure out 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:19.320 what they expect of you, and they have to figure 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:22.040 out what you can and can't do. And there's a 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:26.440 process there. So it's not it's not overnight. U with 0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:31.200 with respect of the defense, it's they've they're not allowing 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:34.240 chunks anymore. I mean, it's it's not over and over 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:36.920 and over again. And something has to do with some 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:38.600 of it has to do with who they played. I mean, 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:41.880 you know, you play the forty nine ers, you know 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:45.120 you play Baltimore twice. I mean you're you're playing teams 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:47.760 that are at the cutting edge and executing at the 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:51.440 highest level offensively, so you start getting carved up in 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:55.000 some of those games in rapid fire. It's a blow 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:58.080 to your confidence. And then you know, you get past 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:01.640 that and you see, Okay, some of these offenses are immortal, 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:04.840 and I'm gonna if I'm in the right place, I'm 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:06.440 not going to give up a chunk play. Because with 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:09.000 some of these offenses, even when you're in the right place, 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:11.560 the challenging, you miss a tackle. You know, it's like 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:15.320 they're just so much better athletically. Now, now guys aren't 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:17.480 at that level athletically, and you're in the right place 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:21.480 and you're you're making a tackle. So I think I 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:24.520 credit The hardest thing to do is when when you 0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:28.360 start off and it's all tumbling downhill, is to grab 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:31.400 yourself by the bootstraps and collectively you pull yourself up 0:16:31.440 --> 0:16:34.800 out of the hole. I give the defense a lot 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:37.360 of credit for that. I give the Running Game Coach 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:39.680 Turner and everybody involved with the Running Game a lot 0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:42.320 of credit for that. And uh, you know that's just 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:44.800 if they could figure out how to score points, you know, 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:48.880 a few more points. You know, they're they're only scoring 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:51.920 fifteen points a game. Miami's given up over thirty one. 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:55.400 Something's got to give. I mean, the number of points 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:58.120 the Dolphins have given up. It's crazy because of their 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:00.000 starting I mean, they were giving a forty fifty points 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:04.760 a game is nuts. Something's going to give. On Sunday, 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:07.320 Lap the Bengals faced the Dolphins and thirty seven year 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.520 old quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick this week. He started for the 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:12.919 Bengals back in two thousand and eight when Carson Palmer 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:15.919 was hurt. Miami is the eighth team that he has 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:19.040 started for that as an NFL record for quarterbacks. You 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:22.320 love the guy, right, I do. And I'm probably prejudiced 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:25.080 because my nephew, Brian, was a co captain with him 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:28.520 at Harvard, and my nephew told me stories about him 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:32.920 when he played at Harvard and everything about him. He's 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:37.760 got every intangible you can have. His personnelity is so amazing. 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:45.359 Intelligence level of humor is off the charts. Intelligence level 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:48.400 period is off the charts. Intelligence of humor is off 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:51.320 the charts. Everything is off the charts. He just he 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:54.400 is one of those guys that you can't find yourself 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:57.000 not gravitating toward, you know. And what he did with 0:17:57.040 --> 0:17:59.080 his young son at at the pressor when he had 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:01.480 his son is going to be going to Harvard obviously 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:07.719 three or a multiplication of two three digit numbers, and 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:10.040 Son just immediately gave the arrans and they're all with 0:18:10.040 --> 0:18:13.600 their calculators in the press room and you know, of 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:16.359 course it's right. Boom throws the microphone and off he goes. 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:18.680 I mean that that's fits you in a nutshell, I think. 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:23.560 But he is. My nephew told me there is never 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:28.200 a bad day around Ryan Fitzpatrick. He always finds something 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:32.800 good and positive to focus on, talk about, do whatever 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:36.399 the case. Maybe. He is never negative and I remember 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:38.280 all the quarterbacks in the quarterback room with him the 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:41.760 same way. Totally supportive, never negative, and when he get 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:45.160 his chance, he just he's a guy that he's because 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:48.840 of his intelligence. He has confidence and nothing's too big 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:52.840 for him. He fears nothing or no one, and he 0:18:52.880 --> 0:18:55.200 will rip it. He'll rip the ball down the field. 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:58.680 Now he's going to give his player, his teammates champion. 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:01.119 He's going to give the opponent chance as well. He 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:04.760 doesn't care. He feels like, you know, for every mistake 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:08.159 that might occur, he's gonna make four plays. That's his 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:11.359 mindset and he'll live with that all day long, every 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:16.440 day in the entire season, So with Ryan Fitzpatrick, you're 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:19.160 never gonna You're never gonna find him in the huddle 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:25.399 being guys am. He's aggressive, aggressive, everything is full speed ahead, 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:28.639 and hell with the consequences. Let's just go get it. 0:19:28.920 --> 0:19:31.399 Let's just go and talk about, you know, damage control 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:33.640 afterwards if we have to, but let's not talk about 0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:38.240 it beforehand. Miami had the worst three games start in 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:42.480 NFL history. Lap They were outscored one thirty three to 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:46.200 sixteen in the first three weeks. They started the euro 0:19:46.320 --> 0:19:49.640 in seven, but since then they've been respectable. They've gone 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:52.840 three and four in their last seven games. What problems 0:19:53.000 --> 0:19:57.520 well the Dolphins present for the Bengals on Sunday is 0:19:57.600 --> 0:20:00.320 it is amazing. And you had in Game four there 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:02.520 else going one hundred and sixty three to twenty six. 0:20:02.600 --> 0:20:05.440 They lost that game thirty to ten to the Chargers. 0:20:06.160 --> 0:20:09.040 It's mind boggling. They've let up thirty points and more, 0:20:09.160 --> 0:20:12.280 nine times, thirty five points and more, five times forty 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:16.399 points or more. Three times. They won three football games 0:20:16.440 --> 0:20:18.760 and they've lost two games by a point. So you 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:22.440 talk about up and down the graph, flying up and sinking, 0:20:22.720 --> 0:20:25.560 I mean, it's unbelievable, but I think the problems that 0:20:25.600 --> 0:20:29.159 they face a Bengal's face with the Miami Dolphins is 0:20:29.200 --> 0:20:34.720 just an attitude of throw cautions of the wind. And 0:20:34.960 --> 0:20:38.520 I think it's an organizational thing. I think Flora's the 0:20:38.560 --> 0:20:40.640 new head coaches. Let's you give me everything you got. 0:20:40.640 --> 0:20:42.800 I'm giving you everything you've got kind of thing. And 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:45.040 we already talked about Ryan Fitzpatrick a little bit, but 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:48.119 it's him. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been with eight football teams. 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:50.639