WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Getting Better 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.480 Hi, Get Everybody on Dan Horde and this is the 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:13.800 Bengals Booth podcast, The Getting beats all the time, better, better, 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:19.440 better audition as the Bengals look for their second win 0:00:19.480 --> 0:00:21.360 in a row this week, as they faced the five 0:00:21.400 --> 0:00:24.720 and seven Browns in Cleveland. Coming up, I'll be joined 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:27.920 by my broadcast partner Dave Lapham as we discussed the 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:32.200 latest Bengals news, including the return of John Ross, a 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:37.159 fair assessment of offensive lineman Bobby Hart, and what seems 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:40.760 like an absurd question, do the Bengals have to worry 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:44.720 about one win going to their heads? My locker room 0:00:44.760 --> 0:00:48.239 conversation this week is with safety Jesse Bates, who describes 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:51.120 just how good it felt to no longer have to 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:54.280 worry about possibly joining the two thousand and eight Lions 0:00:54.600 --> 0:00:57.440 and the two thousand and seventeen Browns and the Owen 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:00.760 sixteen Club. And in this week's No the Fox segment, 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:03.720 we'll get the lowdown on the Cleveland Browns from one 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:06.760 of my favorite radio play by play guys in the NFL, 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:11.120 Cleveland's Jim Donovan. All of that is straight ahead, but first, 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:13.600 here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:17.760 edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:22.880 or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:28.319 or pod Bean. It's the greatest thing since the movie 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:32.240 die Hard. The Christmas season is upon us, and that 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:35.399 means there should be plenty of opportunities while scanning around 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:39.679 the dial to find the perfect Christmas movie. Die Hard. 0:01:40.240 --> 0:01:43.319 It's one of my all time favorite movies period. Bruce 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:46.920 Willis has never been better. Alan Rickman is the perfect 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:50.120 villain as Hans Gruba, and it's one of the most 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:57.080 quotable movies ever, from Shoot the Glass to Hans Bubby, 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:03.240 I'm Your White Knight, to Yippie Kaye mother, Well, you 0:02:03.320 --> 0:02:07.760 know the rest. So tis the season to be jolly 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:10.320 and to spend a couple of hours at the Nakatomi 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:14.200 plazat Christmas Party. Now, let's get to the latest Bengals 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:17.400 news with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham, and we start 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:20.560 with a Bengals defense that held the New York Jets 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:23.239 to two hundred and seventy one yards and two field 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.240 goals last week and did not give up a twenty 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:30.600 yard play for the first time in twenty seven games. 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:33.720 Lap the Bengals defense has held three straight opponents to 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.080 seventeen or fewer points. Is that mostly due to mediocre 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:40.239 opponents or do you see signs that the defense might 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:44.000 actually be decent. I think it's a combination of both, 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:47.680 you know. I do think that anytime you hold any offense, 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.080 I don't care if it's peewee football out of the 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:52.720 end zone and limit them to field goals, you've done 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:55.440 a hell of a job. And I thought that defensive 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:57.840 performance they had last week was masterful. Really. I mean, 0:02:57.840 --> 0:02:59.280 they didn't even let him in the red zone. They 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.080 didn't even let him inside the twenty yard line one snap, 0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:05.919 just a yeoman's effort right there. But I do think 0:03:05.960 --> 0:03:09.679 that it's a combination of the level of the opponent 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:13.359 and the people up front, coupled with the Bengals getting 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.120 healthy on their side of it defensively, so instead of 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:18.840 six man rotation, they've had a full eight man rotation 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:23.400 against lesser groups, And that combination, that synergy of not 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:25.960 as good an opponent up front and having all of 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:29.440 your guys and keeping your stars fresh, fresher in the 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:32.359 fourth quarter and all throughout the football game has been 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:35.680 a big, big deal. Because in the opener against Seattle 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:39.760 when all hands were on deck. Defensive line kicked some tail, 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:43.360 I mean, just dominated up front. And then the injuries 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:47.840 start happening and they're playing good quality opponents and Lamar 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:49.960 Jackson's of the world and you're down a few guys 0:03:49.960 --> 0:03:52.960 in your front seven. You know, those things kind of 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:56.720 snowball the wrong way. Now maybe you're playing you know, 0:03:56.760 --> 0:03:59.480 you're done with Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. You don't 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:03.240 have to worry about that that craziness anymore. You don't 0:04:03.240 --> 0:04:05.040 have the forty nine ers with what they were doing, 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:08.280 a lot of those offenses and those offensive lines are gone, 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:12.080 and you're playing, you know, offenses that aren't quite as 0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:15.240 explosive with less talent in their offensive line, and you've 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:17.880 got your troops back. I think I think it's that 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:23.800 that entire storyline right there. John Ross, his eligibolter, returned 0:04:23.800 --> 0:04:26.080 from the injured list this week. It sounds like he's 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.720 going too. How does that impact the playbook? Well, I mean, 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:33.520 I keep going back to Deshaun Watson, you know, talking 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.800 about um he had he had a subpart performance and 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:40.520 then the following week came back and played very well, 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:43.200 you know, and then Thursday Night football. He had another 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:45.880 great game. But when he went from the poor performance 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:48.279 to coming back and playing well, he was asked after 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:52.039 the game, you know, what's the difference in how you performed? 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:55.640 You said, got Fuller back. Fuller of Notre Dame stretched 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:58.160 the field man. Bengals almost drafted him, they wanted him, 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:01.080 and the Texans got them right. The Bengals did, and 0:05:01.120 --> 0:05:03.960 then later on they draft John Ross to that same role. 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:07.279 So Fuller and Ross provide the same thing. What's Fuller 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:10.479 provided to Deshaun Watson, Ross is going to provide to 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:14.080 Andy Dalton, and what Fuller provided to his cohorts the 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:17.520 receiver position, John Ross is going to provide to Tyler 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:20.360 Boyd and his cohorts at the receiver position as well. 0:05:20.440 --> 0:05:25.359 So I think that it's just having speed, somebody that 0:05:25.680 --> 0:05:28.719 you know, takes the top off the defense. The box 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.040 that the Bengals will have been playing and will finally 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.279 be open and they'll be able to walk outside the 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:35.600 box and get some fresh air and say, wow, it's 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:39.840 nice out here, you know. And I think there's going 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:41.680 to be an impact. And like we've talked about a 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:44.719 few times, it not only impacts the passing attack where 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:47.760 guys like Tyler Boyd and Tyler Eiffert, can you know, 0:05:47.800 --> 0:05:50.760 abuse the middle of the football field. When John Ross 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:52.520 is stretching one side of it, he is going to 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:57.119 tilt coverage. You know. It opens up some running lanes 0:05:57.120 --> 0:05:59.640 for Joe Mixon, makes it easier for the offensive line 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:03.880 to create some cavities for Joe Misson to take advantage 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:08.520 of and man up in Cleveland, it's grass in Miami's grass. 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:11.560 Oh my goodness, of AJ Green would come back as well, 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:16.159 And obviously that's a hope in her prayers. There's no 0:06:16.200 --> 0:06:18.240 indication that that would be the case at this point 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:20.640 in time. But if he were to come back, have 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:22.920 John Ross on one side, AJ Green and the other 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:25.680 taking the top off the defense on both sides of 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:30.400 the football field, I mean, the offense would look so different. 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:33.279 People would be like, where's this been. It's been on 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:36.840 the sideline with injury. I mean, the Bengals have been playing. 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.640 They've been hamstrung all season long in terms of what 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:42.880 they really are offensively. Let's talk about a wide receiver 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:45.440 who does not have great speed, Audent Tate. He never 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:48.320 really seems to be open, but he's become a key weapon. 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:51.039 He had four catches for sixty six yards last week. 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:53.239 He's on a pace for seven hundred forty five receiving 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:56.000 yards this year. Have you ever seen anybody quite like 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:59.200 Auden Tate? You know, he's I've seen a lot of 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:03.160 receivers that you know, don't didn't have great speed, but 0:07:03.800 --> 0:07:07.200 could find a way to get open, you know, Danny 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:11.160 Abramowitz and Fred Bolitnikoff, and I mean, but that's that's 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:14.160 back a lot of years ago. Chip Myers was a 0:07:14.160 --> 0:07:18.960 big receiver, tall, not super speed, but kind of deceptive speed. 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:22.680 Pat mcinally same type of guy, big, tall receiver, deceptive speed. 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:25.760 This guy, though, is six to five almost two hundred 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:27.680 and thirty pounds, like two hundred and twenty eight pounds, 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:30.240 So you know, I'm sure a lot of teams in 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.080 the league there was a temptation to say, hey, let's 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:35.200 get him up to like two thirty eight, two forties 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:38.760 and see if he can play tight end. But he's 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.920 he is a gifted wide receiver. I mean that's due 0:07:41.960 --> 0:07:44.880 to the injuries. He's had a legitimate chance, and he's 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:48.760 proven that he belongs in the National Football League's He's 0:07:48.760 --> 0:07:50.440 a guy that he's not going to run by you. 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:53.480 But when he's covered, he's open because he'll box you out. 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:56.640 I mean, he uses his body position to his advantage. 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.760 He's got extremely long arms, so you know, he's got 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:03.000 these big candle levers that he's got a huge catching radius. 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:05.040 And when he gets his hands on the football, they're 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:09.160 extremely strong. They're like suction cups, and he wins contested catches. 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:11.720 And the one thing that he does is when he's 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:13.320 right at the end of his route, at the top 0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:16.000 of his route, he does have the step to short 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:19.000 space quickness for his size, and he can get you know, 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:22.280 a little bit of separation just enough where he'll be 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:24.360 able to use his body and do the things that 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:27.560 that he can do. But man, I mean we've seen 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:30.320 him contorting his body and you know, diving and making 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.280 these circus catches. I mean, it's it's incredible to watch 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:37.680 this kid and quarterbacks feel totally confident going back shoulder 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:39.480 if he's covered, just going back shoulder to take get 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:42.120 it anywhere in that vicinity. He'll make a play on it. 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:45.240 It's it's been impressive to watch. He's been you know, 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:48.800 he's been a nice storyline to follow this year. Offensive 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:51.920 coordinator Brian Callahan had praised for right tackle Bobby Hart 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:54.719 this week. It wasn't effusive, but he said he's had 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:59.800 a solid season overall. Do you agree. I think people are. 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:02.840 I mean, they'd love to pile on on Bobby Hart, 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:04.960 there's no question. I mean it started with the contract. 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:07.760 You know, he gets more money than people felt like 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:11.280 he should get, so he becomes an easy target, you know, 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.480 in their mind. And he'll have his you know, a 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:17.120 moment where he jumps off sides or whatever. But his 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:21.440 whole thing is he wants to be on the cutting 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:24.640 edge of I have to get off these defensive linemen. 0:09:24.640 --> 0:09:26.839 I don't want to let them have a good get 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:30.360 off on me. I'm quick, My strength was my feet. 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.120 I'm an He's an athletic guy, he really is. He's 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:36.040 not a big, group overpower you type guy, but he's 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:39.120 got really good feet, he's got long arms, he uses 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:42.840 his hands well, and yeah, honestly, he's he's played pretty solidly. 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:46.840 I mean, you know, where would they be without Bobby 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:49.040 Hart and Trey Hopkins. I mean those guys have been 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:52.120 the staples, you know, in terms of and Bobby Honestly, 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:55.360 since the Baltimore game, the second Baltimore game. Has been 0:09:55.400 --> 0:09:58.080 playing with a bum shoulder and it's he said, it's 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:00.840 not getting worse, but he's had a harness on it 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:03.000 from time to time and you can't really get it 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:05.560 up above his head. But you don't need to to 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:07.320 be able to block. So he has enough of his 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.839 power and his strength where he can keep his hands 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:13.520 and arms below his shoulders and be able to block people. 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:16.679 So the fact that he's out there sucking it up, 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:20.320 you know, playing hurt and the shoulder injury is not fun. 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:22.400 Believe me, when you have shoulder problems, it's not fun 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:25.480 when you're alignment because you know you're dealing with you're 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:28.240 dealing with that pain every snap. So you know, I 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:31.680 think that saying that he's had a solid season would 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:34.120 I wouldn't dispute that. I wouldn't disagree with that whatsoever. 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:37.560 Speaking of the old line, rookie Michael Jordan was back 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:39.480 in this dining lineup last week. How did he do 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:43.280 a lot better? You know, I thought, you know, lesson 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:46.520 learned and was learned against a great player, I mean, 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:49.960 Cameron Heyward is He's a man. There's no doubt about that. 0:10:50.360 --> 0:10:54.040 Fellow Buckeye. He's having a Pro Bowl season. I don't 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:55.600 think he gets enough credit, even though it's a Pro 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:57.960 Bowl player. It's like nobody talks about him enough in 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:00.840 my opinion. But you know, Michael learned a lot that 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:04.000 football game in Pittsburgh. As a line they gave up 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:06.520 eight sacks and Cameron Hayward had two and a half 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:11.360 of them. So he's worked his way back. He was 0:11:11.480 --> 0:11:14.480 nicked up a little bit injury wise, worked his way back. 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:17.240 They started using him as the extra tight end and 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:20.960 formations and there he is out there again. Another guy 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:25.880 with huge radius, I mean, long athletic, can move his feet, 0:11:26.360 --> 0:11:29.720 He's got power. The biggest thing about Michael Jordana that 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:33.840 has impressed me extremely mature. I mean he's only twenty 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:36.640 two years old. I think he just recently turned it 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:40.400 and his parents raised him right. I mean, that kid 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:44.239 is mature and a lot of guys might have crumbled 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:47.640 and assumed the fetal position to never recover after what 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:50.480 happened with Cameron Hayward. But he uses as a learning 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:52.320 tool and I think he's gonna have a hell of 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:54.000 a career. I think he's gonna play a long time. 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:56.040 I think he's gonna play at a very high level 0:11:56.080 --> 0:12:00.760 for a long time. I think they feel like traded 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:04.120 up to get him for a reason, and I think 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:07.920 they feel comfortable with it. Bengals in Cleveland to take 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:10.280 on the Browns this Sunday, Lap the Browns. Around the 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:14.600 cover of Sports Illustrated's NFL Preview edition, SI predicted that 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:17.560 the Browns would win the AFC North. Well, they're five 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:20.240 and seven. They lost to the Steelers last week with 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:23.880 Devlin Duck Hodges at quarterback. Are you surprised that the 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:30.079 Browns aren't that good? You know, I think that sometimes 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:33.920 expectations are set so high it's almost impossible to achieve them. 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:41.160 And honestly, a first time head coach takes time. I mean, 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:43.680 he was assistant running back coach. I think at the 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:45.520 beginning of the year a year ago, it was crazy. 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:49.640 I mean, the Mete York rise has been just, you know, 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:53.199 a site to behold. Freddy Kitchens came out of nowhere, 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.959 and you know, I really thought that the way they 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:01.120 the way they responded, you know, last year to Greg Williams, 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:03.000 I really thought that that might be a direction that 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:06.120 they go and maybe make Freddy Kitchens offensive coordinator because 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:09.400 there's a relationship with Baker Mayfield. Because of his relationship 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:11.960 with Baker Mayfield, they named him the head coach and 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:16.320 let Greg Williams walk so and I think the defense 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:18.600 was playing so well into Greg Williams. I would have 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.839 just kept him around and kept that kind of style 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:24.680 of play that they were responding to. So I you know, 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:28.120 I think I think part of it is decisions that 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.800 were made in the coaching aspect of it, and then 0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:35.520 a lot of times you accumulate star players like they did, 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:38.560 doesn't mean it's going to work in terms of chemistry, 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:43.240 in terms of you know, defining roles on a football team, 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:46.400 checking egos and all the things that have to go 0:13:46.480 --> 0:13:49.920 with that. So I thought they would be better. I 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:53.120 did not see them, you know, being a super Bowl winner, 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.280 of being a Super Bowl participant, winning the AFC Championship. 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:58.360 I didn't see that. But I saw them being a 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:01.160 potential playoff team. You know what, the talent they have, 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:04.160 and they haven't performed up to that level. There's there's 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:06.920 no doubt about that, and there's there's a myriad of 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.720 reasons why, and it just goes to show you that 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:14.600 the intangibles are at least as maybe more important than 0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:18.079 intangibles when you're putting the thing together. And I think 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.680 I think this football team is probably a pretty good 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:23.720 example of that lap. After setting a rookie record with 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:26.880 twenty seven touchdown passes and becoming a pitch man for 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:30.640 every other advertiser on TV, Baker Mayfield has had a 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:34.120 lousy year. He has last among qualifying quarterbacks and passer rating. 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.760 He's got fourteen interceptions. That's the third most in the NFL. 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.320 Are we talking second year growing pains or something more? 0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:45.000 That's that's a great question. I mean, I think that 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:49.760 a lot of times defensive coordinators have a full offseason 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:52.560 to take a look at Baker Mayfield, what he does best, 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:56.240 to take away from him, Like Bill Belichick always says, 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:58.720 take a player's strength, the way, make him play left 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:00.720 handed if he's a right handed player, or vice versa, 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:06.640 you know, And I think people are doing that with 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:10.440 Baker Mayfield somewhat. Maybe he's not handling the looks and 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:12.880 the pressures as much or as well as he did. 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:15.880 That's a good question. I mean, it would have to be. 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:17.760 You don't have to be tracking him almost on a 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:19.800 week to week basis. Up there to see and to 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:22.720 see what they're doing against him. And part of it 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:27.040 too is you know, bringing in a guy like Beckham 0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:31.040 and you know you've got Landry who you had established 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:33.240 a relationship. Now Beckham wants the ball. I mean, it's 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:35.160 just it's kind of a tug of war. Even if 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:39.280 it's not something that is verbalized, you know that everybody 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:42.040 wants to football. It's to me, it's almost like when 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.280 you have too many superstars at one position group, it 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:47.520 can be an issue. You know there you're always better 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:50.720 off having a clear cut number one and then you know, 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:53.320 and then everybody else has roles. Sometimes when you have 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:55.960 one and one a or two ones or whatever it is, 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:58.160 that can kind of play with a quarterback a little 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:01.520 bit too. I think losing his tight end to injury, 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:05.360 who's a big time playmaker, was a factor in it 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:08.440 as well. He does like to utilize the tight end. 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:10.160 He had a great one when he was at Oklahoma 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:13.240 Andrews was playing well, you know, for the Baltimore Ravens. 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:17.600 So he's very mindful of involving tight ends in the 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:21.520 passing game. So it's a bunch of things. Offensive line 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:24.160 I don't think is his playing as well, maybe as 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:28.000 they did last year. So it's probably not just a thing. 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.320 It's like it always is. It's an accumulation of a 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:35.120 lot of things, and sometimes those little things start accumulating, 0:16:35.120 --> 0:16:38.720 they become big issues. Lap As crazy as this might sound, 0:16:39.000 --> 0:16:41.760 after No. And eleven start, did the Bengals have to 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:45.360 worry about one win going to their heads? You know, 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:49.160 handling success, that that old story is a factor, and 0:16:50.120 --> 0:16:53.200 you know, one win, he can't hardly term it success, 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.040 but it is such a relief. It's like that nasty 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:58.440 pimple that filled and all that pressure and finally that 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:01.560 sucker pops, you know. I mean, that's what you're hoping 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:05.280 might happen, and the Bengals get that victory and it 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:09.920 alleviates and leaves all that pressure. But Dan, it wasn't 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:12.240 a masterpiece. I mean, they averaged one point eight yards 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:15.000 a carry. They had no players of twenty yards or more. 0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:18.720 Their longest run was nine yards, their longest pass I 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:21.320 think was seventeen. It was a touchdown. I mean, it 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:24.879 wasn't like they ripped it up offensively. Defensively, you know, 0:17:24.920 --> 0:17:29.400 they were unbelievable defensively. They've only given up one touchdown 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.080 the last ten quarters of play. I mean, that's that's 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:35.680 pretty phenomenal and thirty nine points in the last three games. 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.520 They've been building and getting better on the defensive side 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:41.399 of things. But there were a lot of corrections to 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.120 be made looking at that tape. And I bet if 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:47.159 guys looked at that tape against the New York Jets, 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:50.639 particularly offensively, they can point to other games as an 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:54.280 offensive line where we blocked guys better than that and 0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:57.040 lost the football game by two scores. We didn't block 0:17:57.119 --> 0:18:00.280 these guys as well in the running and we by 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:03.679 two scores. So it's a crazy game, and you just 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:06.159 always have to try to improve on your techniques and 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:09.840 fundamentals and and try to make plays. I mean, it's 0:18:09.880 --> 0:18:12.639 all about making plays and limiting the plays that the 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:16.919 other team makes. It's that simple. Best analogy ever, getting 0:18:16.920 --> 0:18:20.160 a win after an on eleven start is like popping 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:24.560 a nasty pimple. I wouldn't want to see that line 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:27.720 on a T shirt, although someday I hope to see 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:31.000 a Dave Lapham T shirt with the words A loose 0:18:31.000 --> 0:18:34.960 groin is a happy groin. Now, time for this week's 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:37.840 locker Room Conversation. As I visit with a second year 0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:40.439 Bengal who will be looking for his first win in 0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:44.960 three tries against Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns. We're 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:47.280 in the locker room with second year safety Jesse Bates. 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:49.919 Give me a few words to describe how good it 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:53.639 felt on Sunday night. Yeah, it's a lot of worries 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.680 I can say about getting the first win. Obviously, it's 0:18:57.720 --> 0:19:00.879 something that we've won it all year. Um, it sucks 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:03.520 that we had to wait until week twelve or whatever 0:19:03.560 --> 0:19:06.840 it was, but we finally got the monkey off our 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:10.359 back and hopefully we can continue to build some minimum 0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:13.000 for next year, just knowing that we're that we can't 0:19:13.000 --> 0:19:15.480 play for any championships this year. So we're talking to 0:19:15.560 --> 0:19:18.000 Jesse Bates. When you guys came back to work on Monday, 0:19:18.000 --> 0:19:20.160 did everybody have a little pep in their step? Yeah? 0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:23.680 It was a little different, um watching the film compared 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:26.679 to you know, losing. Um, I think we played a 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:30.280 complete game as a whole football team, not just defensively 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:35.000 or offensively. I think we played well consistently throughout the game. 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:37.880 So that was good to see. I hate to even 0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:40.000 ask the question, but there've only been two oh and 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:43.760 sixteen teams in history. As the losses were mounting, were 0:19:43.760 --> 0:19:49.080 you getting worried about that potential scarlet letter? UM? It's 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:54.560 funny there was no conversation throughout the players thinking about 0:19:54.600 --> 0:19:56.720 going on sixteen. I think we're we did a really 0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:59.040 good job of just going in to every week, just 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:01.880 going one to know UM. And unfortunately, like I said, 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:04.879 we had to wait until week thirteen or whatever it 0:20:04.960 --> 0:20:09.280 was to get the first win. UM. We amongst you know, 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:13.120 family and friends, you never want to be that team UM. 0:20:14.200 --> 0:20:17.000 For example, like the Cleveland Grounds. I mean they're they're 0:20:17.000 --> 0:20:19.480 all sixteen UM, and we don't want to be that. 0:20:19.600 --> 0:20:22.040 So hopefully we can stack some wins and you know, 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:24.320 makes the season feel a little better on the back end. 0:20:24.640 --> 0:20:26.920 We're talking to Jesse Bates. Over the last three weeks, 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:31.000 the defense is given up seventeen, sixteen and six points. 0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:33.760 That's going to get you a win almost any time. 0:20:34.320 --> 0:20:37.199 What's been the difference? UM, I just think that we 0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:42.760 executed UM the game plan very well. UH. The biggest 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:45.479 thing that a lot of people have noticed is that 0:20:45.520 --> 0:20:48.800 we haven't given up a lot of explosive players. UM. 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:51.840 And that's been the key part that hurt us um 0:20:51.840 --> 0:20:54.240 in the first part of the season. Um. And also 0:20:55.080 --> 0:20:57.800 we've we've been able to generate some turnovers as well 0:20:57.840 --> 0:21:00.600 and stop the run. So those three things. I mean 0:21:00.880 --> 0:21:04.000 that that has been the huge key for us defensively 0:21:04.240 --> 0:21:06.480 to give up. I mean I think that we're giving 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:09.600 up to touchdown or a touchdown and up past ten 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:13.120 quarters or something like that. Um, it's just good that 0:21:13.400 --> 0:21:15.960 we're playing well. It just needs to continue to snowball effect, 0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:18.800 like I said, and build the momentum to weeks on. 0:21:18.960 --> 0:21:22.920 Go ahead, Jesse, your thirteenth in the NFL and solo tackles. 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:26.960 Switch is necessarily ideal when you're playing safety. But how 0:21:27.040 --> 0:21:29.359 much pride do you take and getting guys to the ground. 0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:33.040 Um yeah, it's something that Um, that's that's my job. 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:36.199 That's my job description. Um, I'm a safety. I'm the 0:21:36.280 --> 0:21:39.040 last line of defense. And UM, if you can't get 0:21:39.040 --> 0:21:41.040 people on the ground, you're not doing your job, your 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:43.879 job very well. So UM, me and me and Sean 0:21:44.400 --> 0:21:47.400 we take pride and you know, getting guys on the ground, 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:51.400