November 26, 2025 • 34 mins
Joe Burrow discusses his return to the field for a Thanksgiving Night showdown in Baltimore. Dan Hoard’s guests include Cris Collinsworth from NBC Sports, offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, and punter Ryan Rehkow.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi, get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
The Bengals Booth Podcast. The I'm Back in the Saddle
Again addition, as Joe Burrow returns to the field for
a Thanksgiving Nights showdown in Baltimore. Coming up, Joe tells
us why Now, and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher weighs in
(00:24):
on how Joe Flacco might have influenced Joe Burrow. Ben
Chris Collinsworth joins me for an in depth look at
the team, and finally it's punter Ryan Rico on mastering
the art of not kicking the ball too far. The
Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by Paycorp, proud
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(00:46):
Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home,
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(01:10):
greatest thing since Elllbean slippers. When the weather turns cold,
I turn to my Elllbean slippers. They're soft, warm, and durable,
making them the perfect thing to wear around the house
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(01:34):
if you have cold feet, literally go to lllbean dot com,
click footwear and then click slippers. As they say in
New England, they're wicked good, and so is Joe Burrow,
the Bengals quarterback, is set to return to action on
Thursday night, two months and thirteen days after tearing ligaments
(01:56):
at the base of his left big toe. Joe knows
that some people believe he should sit out for the
rest of the year since the Bengals faced long odds
for making the playoffs, but that's not how he's wired.
On Tuesday, he explained why he's back and why he's
back now, look at.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
It from my perspective.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I'm a football player, and if I get hurt, I'm
gonna go through the rehab process and then I'm gonna
let everybody know when I feel like I can.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Go out there and play. I don't really know what
else to say about that.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I'm not gonna ever go to somebody and say, yeah,
I'm healthy, But you know, I don't think I don't
think I should go out there and play. That doesn't
make a lot of sense to me. I'm not gonna
live my life and play this game scared of something happening, like, yeah,
something's gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It's football.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Guys are gonna get hurt, Guys are gonna get concussions.
You're gonna break bones, tear ligaments. It's a physical, intense game.
That's that's part of this. And yeah, I've had injuries.
There's not a lot I can do about that. I
worked really hard to have that not happen. But what
I can do is when it does happen, I can
(03:13):
control how I'm attacking my rehab and attacking practice and
doing everything in my power to get back as quickly
as possible. That's what I did. Number One, It's a
division game. I got a lot of respect for the
people on the opposite side of the ball, but when
you play people twice a year, you get tired of them,
you don't like them. It's a division rivalry. You got
(03:34):
respect for him, but it's intense out there. It's something
I wanted to be out there for playing on Thanksgiving.
It's something I've always wanted.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
To do that.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I pushed for in the past, and the NFL gave
it to us, and then you know, the injury happened
and thought I wasn't gonna be able to play, and
then as we got closer, I felt like it was
a real possibility. So that's exciting to me. And it's
a national stage to go out improve yourself again after
not playing for several weeks, and every opportunity that you
(04:07):
get to go improve all the hard work that you've
put in the type of player you are is something that.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I try to take advantage of. I'm a football player.
I get paid a.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Lot of money to go and play a game with
my friends, and we work really hard, and you know,
it's intense and there's jobs on the line, but at
the end of the day, it's a game, and I've
worked hard to put myself in this position and get
as healthy as I can be to go out and
play with these guys, and that's something I wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
He returns behind an offensive line that has shown considerable
improvement since Joe's Week two injury. Under new O line
coach Scott Peters. Over the last five weeks, Chase Brown
has averaged eighty five rushing yards per game and six
yards per carry, and it is six starts for Cincinnati.
Joe Flacco was only sacked nine times and a half
(05:00):
times per game, which is roughly what the league leaders
averaged last year. Flacco, of course, helped by getting rid
of the ball quickly, and this week offensive coordinator Dan
Pitcher was asked about Burrow tweaking his style of play
in hopes of avoiding future injuries.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Care about what you do, and you're passionate about what
you do. I think you're always striving to be the
best version of yourself. I know that's true for myself.
So inasmuch as anybody who exists in that mindset.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
Do they do you need to be open.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
To Hey, maybe there's something I can adjust here, Maybe
maybe there's an element of my play.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
That that can be tweaked.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
And I think he is open to that. I think
I think you'd be foolish to say any of us
that know this is this is the way and there
is no adjusting and deal with it. Well, I mean,
that's you can go that route. But if you're not
going to be self critical, so yeah, I don't. I'm
not going to speak for him. He's obviously done a
(06:02):
lot of incredible things in this league and he's an
incredible player, and I expect him to continue to be
an incredible player in this league. And how his career
evolves and how he evolves as a player.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
We'll see.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
I'm excited to see it because he's a lot of
fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Following up on that, he's had an example now in
the building the last five weeks of a forty year
old guy who doesn't want to get sacked, doesn't want
to get hit. I mean, do you think a little
of that gets incorporated just from seeing Flaka?
Speaker 5 (06:33):
Sure? Maybe?
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Again, like that's that's all part of the maturation process.
That there's a natural arc of a player's career that
occurs and particulate that position. And so many of the
great players in our league at that position are great
because there's an element of their play that allows them
to produce when it's not perfect. And defenses are good,
(07:00):
defensive coaches are good. We try our best to be
in the best play we can be in every time,
but it's just not possible, and so balancing that ability
to extend and create with when do I do that,
Is this an appropriate time? What's the big picture? I'm
making sure I'm taking care of myself so that I
can remain available to my team and my organization. That's
(07:23):
one big stew that all of it goes in there,
and you have to just do your best to make
the right choice in the moment. And he's very cognizant
of that. I think his comments reflect that, and I
think he's he's introspective and it's all part of the process.
So you know, I'm excited to watch him play. I'm
really happy that he's back.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Burow returns for a Thursday night game in Baltimore. Last year,
in two starts against the Ravens, he threw for eight
hundred and twenty yards with nine touchdowns and one interception,
and two of the most entertaining games of the year.
It's no under the NFL chose to put Cincinnati versus
Baltimore on Thanksgiving Night. The NBC Sunday Night Crew will
(08:07):
broadcast the game, but Chris Collinsworth will not be in
the booth. NBC is allowing Chris to spend the holiday
with his family, but he took time to join me
this week. Chris, you will not be in Baltimore on
Thursday night, but Joe Burrow will be seventy four days
after suffering his toe injury, assuming that he returns to action.
(08:29):
What impact do you expect it to have on the
entire team.
Speaker 6 (08:33):
Well, I think it's already had an impact, right. I mean,
they were saying how defensively they were better last week
because Joe Burrow was in practice, and they showed it
looked like it when they're out there on the field.
It's when the star player, the fifty million dollar player,
whatever you want to say, decides that even in potentially
(08:57):
a meaningless season, it doesn't mean it's not They knock
off the Rays two times their remaining schedules such that, hey,
they could you know, it's not impossible for them to
make the playoffs if Joe gets hot. And I'm sure
Jamar is going to be a little motivated this week
as well. But just the fact that he wants to
come back and play I think says something about him
(09:19):
the team, and it definitely does give him a little uplift.
And could they beat Baltimore twice? Yes, yes, and they've
already split with Pittsburgh, so conceivably they could end up
with the best record in the division. And I you know,
stranger things have happened in this league. We know that
stranger things have happened.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
The Bengals obviously have to weigh risk reward with bringing
Joe back, depending on how things go the rest of
the way. Where do you come down on that argument.
Speaker 6 (09:51):
I'm not a doctor and I have no idea what
the long term impact of this could be. For me,
it's worth a fight, I guess, for as long as
that fight lasts and you're still alive, potentially for the playoffs.
Speaker 7 (10:08):
But I.
Speaker 6 (10:11):
Want to win a championship, right, I mean, that's in
my career, That's what I missed out on. We lost
twice in a Super Bowl, and I only am interested
in one thing, and that's winning a championship. So if
winning a championship, my best opportunity to do that is
with a completely healthy Joe Burrow next season and let
(10:32):
him get completely well, then I would lean that way.
But if the doctors say, hey, it doesn't make any
difference at all. He's to the point now where he's
not going to be any different today than he would
have been to start next season. Then, yeah, I get it,
I get it. Let him play, But I'll be like you, well,
now i'll be because I'll be holding my breath. It
(10:53):
wouldn't be good for you broadcasting the game to hold
your breath. But it'll be hard to watch, you know,
It'll just be and and he's he's so good. But
he loves Joe loves being in the action. He loves
hopping up through the line of scrimmage, he loves dancing
around in there, and he makes great plays doing it.
(11:14):
But you know, every time he tiptoes into the center
of that pass rush, it's going to be it'll be
it'll be a tough night for the fans.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I'll say that those plays are some of the plays
that make him who he is. It's why he's one
of the best players in the NFL. What can he do?
What can the Bengals do when he's on the field
to protect him as much as possible.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
I don't think you can do that. I really don't,
you know.
Speaker 6 (11:39):
And I don't think he's going to be running too
many naked bootlegs out there, or quarterback options or anything
like that. But when you're playing. You're playing, and it's honestly,
it's what makes preseason so hard.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
It was like, you know, it's preseason.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
You're trying to get ready, you're working on a few things,
but you don't want to get hurt. And I used
to say, yeah, I want to catch one pass, get
hit a little bit, not too hard, and then just
go to the sideline and get ready for the season.
But yeah, it's it's you just got to go, you know.
I think if Joe or the Bengals try to do
(12:18):
anything different than what they would have done ordinarily with him,
I think he'll know it and he'll probably make him
crazier and he'll hop around and try to make plays anyway.
So I just don't think you can take a natural
competitor and try to make him something he's not.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Jamar Chase does return this week. It also returns to Baltimore,
where he had two hundred and sixty four receiving yards
and three touchdowns on a Thursday night game last year.
You've seen all the greats. What separates Jamar Chase from
just about everybody else?
Speaker 6 (12:53):
I do think he's a great one. I think he
has a chance to be most certainly a Hall of Fame,
but maybe even a notch above that. He's so strong.
I mean that, that to me is what sticks out.
It's like we all caught balls in open space and
(13:13):
then you know, somebody wraps their arm around us and
slows us down a little bit, and somebody else makes
a tackle. You can wrap your arms around this guy
and it's not going to slow him down. I mean,
he is a running back in every sense of the
forum from the waist down and has been.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
He's so fast, he's just a blur.
Speaker 6 (13:35):
So you got to protect the quick screen to him
because he can break that for seventy which I think
he did. Was that Baltimore he did that against last
year is one of the best plays I've ever seen.
And then a couple of years ago he did one
in Baltimore just like that. So yeah, he's I'm sure
Baltimore was wishing that he had been suspended this one,
(13:57):
not the other one. But I truly think I think
he's the best receiver there's ever been in Cincinnati. And
I'm telling you that takes a lot for me to
say that, and not because of me, but because of
some of the other guys that I've played with and
I've seen play there, so I'm excited to see him
back on the field and I'm sure he's going to
(14:17):
be He's going to be fired up and ready to play.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Chris, Let's talk about the O line for a moment.
They're starting a second year guy at right tackle and
two rookies at the guard positions. Both of the last
five games, they're averaging about five and a half yards
per run. Joe Flacco, who was only sacked nine times
during that five game stretch, do you think the Bengals
are starting to build a solid line for Joe Burrow
going forward.
Speaker 6 (14:41):
I think this is going to be one of the
really interesting questions is Joe Flacco is a veteran, and
one thing we know about forty plus year old men,
they don't particularly like getting hit, right, So I think
that what Joe Flacco has proven is it doesn't matter
who the offensive line is sometimes if your quarterback has
(15:05):
the mentality of I'm not going to take a sack.
Which was Tom Brady, which was Peyton Manning, which was
Eli Manning. I mean, those guys really believed that if
they were around come playoff time, that they had a
chance to win a world championship. And I think to
some extent, it'll be interesting for Joe Burrow to have
(15:30):
seen what Joe Flacco did and not taking those hits,
not taking the sacks, being willing to get the ball
out of his hands. He's got two of the best
catch and run wide receivers in the game today, and let.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Them take those hits.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
Because really, the times that we've seen Joe make it
through to the playoffs, they do have a chance to
win a Super Bowl. They can win in Buffalo, in
Kansas City, they can beat the teams they couldn't be beat.
But he's got to get there. And so, yeah, I
just got to be honest with you. If I were
his coach, I would say, let's take a look at
(16:10):
what Flacco did while you were out with the same
offensive line more or less, and he wasn't taking those hits,
And is there a way to incorporate.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
Some of that.
Speaker 6 (16:21):
So not trying to lessen your game or your play style,
but we've got to get you to the playoffs in
order for it to mean anything, right, And I think
that that's something he may take to heart.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Let's talk about the defense for a moment of the
last couple of weeks, the defense, so subtracting defensive touchdowns
by the other team is given up twenty points and
nineteen points. So it's been better. What's the next step?
What must this defense do to feel good about it
going forward?
Speaker 6 (16:50):
Yeah, I think eventually they're going to have to get
their pass rush going. And Hendrickson not being what he's
been the last couple of years and being out for
as long as he's been is definitely part of it.
But studying the Denver Broncos this week and the way
they're rushing the passer, I mean, that's that's how you
win championships. Quarterbacks that are great quarterbacks are not even
(17:14):
good quarterbacks when they're under pressure.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
And it's just a fact.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
So if the Bengals can finally get somebody, it looks
like they're working out some of the stuff in the secondary.
I was reading some of the stuff about Geno Stone
and the tackling and all of that today, so it's
you know, I think at the end of the day,
they've got to go hit the quarterback. Every I interview
(17:40):
every defensive coordinator in the league every single week and
go around and like, so, what is the plan.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
We got to hit the quarterback. We got to hit
the quarterback, you know.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
And so when you're doing that on a regular basis
and you think about some of the great teams in
league history, that's what they're doing. And you know, the
New York Giants with Lawrence Taylor, Pittsburg Steelers, me and
Joe Green. You go right down the list. And if
they could ever, I wish they could just get that player.
(18:08):
You know, Hendrickson's been that the last couple of years.
The boy would be nice to get a twenty two
year old like that. You know, they could just Micah Parsons.
Would that be cool?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
That would definitely be cool. So they take on the
Ravens on Thursday night. Baltimore started one in five. They
haven't lost since. Are the Ravens all the way back?
Speaker 6 (18:29):
It just depends on Lamar and how healthy he's been.
You know, they really haven't had they started with slowly
on the defensive side, they're getting better. They're probably a
little bit like the Bengals, but they've lost some key
people over there on the defensive side too. So it's
(18:49):
I don't it's not an unbeatable Ravens team.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
I mean, let's just put it that way.
Speaker 6 (18:53):
This is a team and we've seen the Bengals now
slug it out with some good teams and losing and
heartbreaking ways. I mean, the Bengals have found ways at
the end of some of these games to lose. That's
just breathtaking. And so do I think they can go
into Baltimore and get a win here?
Speaker 5 (19:12):
I do.
Speaker 6 (19:13):
I do understand why Joe Burrow wants to play, because
if they did win here now they would be right
a game back. I think of the Ravens at that point,
something like that. I'm gonna do some funny math here,
but it then gives you a reason to play Joe
Burrow the next week. And that's the way I would
look at this. I would just think of this like,
(19:36):
let's just we got a chance. Let's play him. You know,
let's play him. He's going to be fresh, he didn't play,
you know, he's not playing on four days rest like
everybody else is. Let's give it a shot and make
a decision and pray he doesn't get hurt.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Chris, in eighty seven, you played on a team that
won four games. The next year you were in the
Super Bowl. The Bengals did the same thing in twenty
twenty one where it wins the year before and then
they were in the Super Bowl. What's the key for
this team to get right back into contention if they
don't have a miraculous run this year.
Speaker 6 (20:10):
It was a wake up call for us because we
had in eighty six, we we had a good year,
we had won ten games, didn't make the playoffs, which
was painful, and then in eighty seven had the bad year,
but it was also the strike year and we didn't
get to those games. The replacement games weren't that much fun.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
So I lost all those.
Speaker 6 (20:34):
So we went from one in one to one in
four when we came back, and it was just a
train wreck after that.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
So but then we were mad, you know. It was
like we're.
Speaker 6 (20:47):
Embarrassed and mad and all those things. And I think
this team has to get mad. I think they have
to decide that they're going to be a Super Bowl
championship team. They've got the players, I mean they do.
They've got players that can do it. I would have
to study their defense a little bit more to know
exactly what it was, but I do like what Al's
(21:09):
doing now. It seems like they've kind of hit on
something here lately, and I'm guessing that he probably has
learned a lot about this.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
Defense and who can do what.
Speaker 6 (21:19):
And you know a lot of times you hear this
guy's a good player, that guy's a good player, but
until you spend a year with him, you don't know
what their their skill set is. You don't you want
to Every coach says the same thing. I want to
take that player and put him in position to do
what he does best. Well, I think Al probably knows
what each of those players do best now, and he
(21:41):
probably also knows what players can't do and what they're missing.
You know, what is it that this defense just doesn't
have personnel wise?
Speaker 5 (21:51):
And I've got to.
Speaker 6 (21:52):
Think that they are going to go very heavy in
this draft on the defensive side. That would be that
would be the quickest solution, in my mind, is to
just load up and then let the Superstars go to
work on offense.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Final thing for Chris collins Worth last Sunday night, you
called your five hundredth NFL game as an analyst. Five
hundred is a big number. When the theme song kicks
in and you hear Carrie Underwood's voice, is the rush
as great as it's ever been, yeah.
Speaker 6 (22:26):
Kind of, you know, it's like it's the one thing
that you know, I did a lot of years in
the studio too, but there's nothing like going to the ballpark.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
You know.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
It's like, I pay my own hard earned money to
go watch games everywhere around the country, and I always
say that, you know, I'm sitting there.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
A lot of times.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
I'll be in Dallas Stadium and I look across the
way and there's Jerry Jones sitting in his box and
it's directly across from us where we are, and we
have basically the same exact position, the same exact box,
And I'm looking over there and I'm going Cherry spent
billions of dollars to have that seat right there, and
I'm getting paid to sit in mind, this is pretty good.
(23:10):
So I try to always appreciate it, always love it,
and yeah, I've got to admit when we're going on
the air, I'm still feeling the butterflies and the energy
and the crowd at that point is they're introducing the
home team, and guy, if there's something better feeling than that,
I don't know what it is. So it's been an
(23:32):
amazing journey for me. I would have never imagined. I
thought I was just buying a couple of years to
help me pay for law school when I got finished playing.
I used to tell Holly every week or every year, like, look,
this is temporary. Very soon another Hall of Fame quarterback's
going to retire and they're going to take my job.
And that's okay because every dollar I make along the
(23:55):
way here is helping me, you know. And then you know,
thirty something years later, I'm still doing it. In my
wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Chris, I know how busy you are. Thanks so much
for your time. I always appreciate it and enjoy Thanksgiving
with the family.
Speaker 5 (24:10):
Thanks Dan, good talking to you, Budd.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by Paycreps,
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the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is
the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. No punter in
(24:34):
NFL history with enough punts to qualify for all time
records has averaged more than fifty yards of punt. Perhaps
Ryan Rico will become the first. In his first season
and a half with the Bengals, Rico is averaging fifty
point six and this year his average is over fifty two.
But Rico is still a work in progress when it
(24:55):
comes to pinning teams deep in their own territory without
punting the ball into the end zone. We discussed it
this week. Ryan, you are averaging fifty two point three
yards per punt, which is number one in the NFL.
Do you know the NFL single season record for punting average?
(25:15):
Do you know it?
Speaker 7 (25:16):
I do not know it. I think it's I want
to say it's around fifty three.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
It is fifty three point one. It's held by Tennessee's
Ryan Stonehouse. So you are less than a yard behind.
Does it become a goal when you know you're that close.
Speaker 7 (25:33):
I wouldn't say so. I feel like the gross average
it's it's good and all, but I feel like as
a team we're more focused on the net and so
I think, yeah, the gross has been great, we just
need to get the net up. But as far as
trying to break a record, I feel like those are
one of the things that happen if it just so
happens to come about. But for me, I'm not like,
(25:54):
oh shoot, I need to have this average to reach
that record at any given game.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
So the net is forty two point eight, which is
very good. You're eighth in the NFL in that category,
and it would be a little better if not for touchbacks.
You've got nine touchbacks so far this year. Did you
even worry about taking something off your punts when you
were in college.
Speaker 7 (26:17):
Man, not as much. I feel like it's kind of
been a unique thing this year. We've had a lot
of punts that are in that kind of gray area,
and so those are the ones that we work the
most on in practice. And so that's like the most
frustrating thing so far about the season is the amount
of touchbacks, just because those are opportunities to pin teams
(26:39):
deep and set up the defense. So I feel like
in college, a lot of it was either you need
to flip the field or it's like your traditional just
try and pin them deep. You're kind of hitting from
the plus fifteen in So this year it's been a
little bit unique just in the way that kickoffs and
everything work. The offenses are usually starting a little bit
closer to that great area. And so that's again we
(27:02):
spent a lot of time working on developing that touch
and taking better lines, and that's got to be on
me to go out and transition the practice onto the
field in the game.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
I feel like it's easier to develop that as opposed
to try to get stronger. If you've got the ability
to boom one a long way with tremendous hangtime, I
would think at least that the developing the other skill
is something that you can do.
Speaker 7 (27:28):
Yes, I definitely feel like to your point, yeah, it's
a lot easier to kind of rain things in a
little bit rather than like, Okay, I got to swing
out of my shoes to get it further. And that's
what Darren always says. He's like, your greatest blessing is
also your greatest curse. So that's definitely something that I'm
well aware of, and it is it's frustrating, but it
(27:50):
just feels like we're right on the edge of really
being able to dial things in. And again it's just
it's your two I'm still just learning the kind of
nuances as far as that goes. But I mean, I'm
going to be my biggest critic, and I know that
I got to cut those down and put our team
in better spots.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
We're visiting with Ryan Rico broadcast college games as well.
Roughly forty percent of college teams have an Australian punter.
You are from the state of Washington, do you almost
feel like an endangered species at this point? I do.
Speaker 7 (28:21):
I feel like I feel like it's almost becoming a
little bit of a lost art in the traditional sense
of punting, because you get those Australian guys in and
they're very talented, very very talented. I mean, they've been
grown up kicking a ball longer than most Americans have,
and so I feel like that gives them an advantage
in that sense. I think it's cool that the NFL
(28:43):
is still so much tailored around hitting the spiral, hitting
the traditional ball, but it is it's definitely crazy to
look around. I mean, that's one of the reasons why
my youngest, my younger brother transferred was because BYU wanted
to transition to kind of the rollout Australian way, and
they brought a guy in who could do that at
a high level. So yeah, it is. It's kind of crazy.
(29:05):
To see the college landscape shift in that direction especially,
But it's kind of been a thing in the making
for a couple of years, I feel like.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
So the NFL changed the rules for kicking balls this year.
Instead of pulling them out of the box the morning
of the game, you guys received footballs in the off
season that you could prepare to your liking. Do you
and Evan McPherson have different kicking balls or is it
one big bag of balls that the two of you
(29:33):
guys share.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (29:34):
No, we're very similar in our line of thinking as
to what we like in the cable, and so I
think that's been a good thing where it's not like, hey,
our equipment, guys, you got to get this ball in.
When Ryan's in this ball in, when Evan's kicking, we're
both on the same page and it's kind of like, Okay,
this is the ball that we really like. This is
a ball that's like, Okay, if we needed to go
(29:54):
to it, we'd be great. And then the third ball
it's like, yeah, it's still be good, but you have
your favorit. It's kind of as anybody would in that sense.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
So Evan set the franchise record last week with a
sixty three yard field goal, and you and long snapper
Will Wagner obviously have to do your jobs as well
in order for that to happen. Were you excited to
see him top sixty because that's kind of a line
for NFL kickers. You're either a member of the club
or you're not.
Speaker 5 (30:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (30:22):
I think that's something that we see out of Evan
a lot in practice, and it's unique because we always
talk about it, just the adrenaline and the difference that
that makes, whether it's in a live practice situation, whether
it's in a game. And so Evans has an incredible
leg talent, but then you get in the game and
I feel like that's really where the flip kind of switches.
(30:45):
And so, I mean, we saw it in Green Bay,
like he had the distance from sixty seven and he
didn't even hit that one well the first time. So
we go out onto the field knowing that, Okay, you
got clear conditions and you're sixty five and in like,
Evan's got a really good shot of making it. So
it was awesome to have a front row seat to that,
and as soon as he hit it, it was like, okay, yeah,
he hit that one. Really well and just super excited
(31:07):
for him to be able to kind of set that
record for the franchise, but also for him just setting
a new personal best to right.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
And you are a former BYU Cougar. The Cougars were
at the University of Cincinnati last Saturday night. I was amazed,
truly amazed by how many fans made the trip. I've
seen it before if it's a drive, but I've never
seen that many people before willing to fly to Cincinnati
to see their college team play. How would you describe
(31:36):
the BYU fan.
Speaker 7 (31:37):
Base, man, I feel like it's it's something I don't
think I took it for granted because I was always
in awe as well. You would transfer it didn't or
you would you travel no matter where it was in
the country. You felt like, Okay, Like BYU is showing
out like they have a lot of a lot of fans,
and so Cougarnation in that sense is like I think
(31:57):
that they have a leg up on almost any other
fan base in callege just because it is affiliated with
the church, and so you got members of the church everywhere,
and so a lot of it is people traveling. But
then you get the people that are local who are
still by you fans, and it's their opportunity to go
and support the team. So I think it's really unique
that BYU is able to do that and just kind
(32:19):
of show up in full force no matter where it is.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
You'll be punting on Thanksgiving Night this year, the Bengals
playing in Baltimore. How do you feel about the opportunity
to play under such a big spotlight.
Speaker 7 (32:29):
Yeah, I think it's I think it's incredible. I mean,
Zach he made the point today, He's like, think about
every Thanksgiving you've ever been at. You're looking at the
football games, who's playing, who's going to perform? And so
the fact that we get to be a part of
that is definitely fulfilling a childhood dream like, oh, wouldn't
it be cool to be one of those guys playing
on Thanksgiving? And now it's kind of up to us.
(32:52):
It's like, Okay, how do you want to go out
and perform and what kind of impression do you want
to leave on all the people who are watching. So
it's definitely a cool opportunity.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your wife, continue success.
Speaker 7 (33:03):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Here's a quick invitation to join LAPP in Wayne box
Miller for the Bengals pep Rally Show. This week. They'll
be at the on the Rhine Eatery the food hall
on the second floor above the downtown Kroger on Friday
from three to six and their scheduled guest in the
final hour is Bengals backup quarterback Sean Clifford from Saint
Xavier High School. That's going to do it for this
(33:26):
episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by
pay Corps, Proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider,
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(33:47):
If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this
podcast and if you have a minute, give it a
rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans
find us. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for listening to
The Bengals Booth Podcast.
Hi, get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
The Bengals Booth Podcast. The I'm Back in the Saddle
Again addition, as Joe Burrow returns to the field for
a Thanksgiving Nights showdown in Baltimore. Coming up, Joe tells
us why Now, and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher weighs in
(00:24):
on how Joe Flacco might have influenced Joe Burrow. Ben
Chris Collinsworth joins me for an in depth look at
the team, and finally it's punter Ryan Rico on mastering
the art of not kicking the ball too far. The
Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by Paycorp, proud
to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta
(00:46):
Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home,
business and community to a new level, and by Kettering
Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health
is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's
a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition
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(01:10):
greatest thing since Elllbean slippers. When the weather turns cold,
I turn to my Elllbean slippers. They're soft, warm, and durable,
making them the perfect thing to wear around the house
this time of year. They're so popular that Elllbean sells
a pair every few seconds during its peak season. So
(01:34):
if you have cold feet, literally go to lllbean dot com,
click footwear and then click slippers. As they say in
New England, they're wicked good, and so is Joe Burrow,
the Bengals quarterback, is set to return to action on
Thursday night, two months and thirteen days after tearing ligaments
(01:56):
at the base of his left big toe. Joe knows
that some people believe he should sit out for the
rest of the year since the Bengals faced long odds
for making the playoffs, but that's not how he's wired.
On Tuesday, he explained why he's back and why he's
back now, look at.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
It from my perspective.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I'm a football player, and if I get hurt, I'm
gonna go through the rehab process and then I'm gonna
let everybody know when I feel like I can.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Go out there and play. I don't really know what
else to say about that.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I'm not gonna ever go to somebody and say, yeah,
I'm healthy, But you know, I don't think I don't
think I should go out there and play. That doesn't
make a lot of sense to me. I'm not gonna
live my life and play this game scared of something happening, like, yeah,
something's gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It's football.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Guys are gonna get hurt, Guys are gonna get concussions.
You're gonna break bones, tear ligaments. It's a physical, intense game.
That's that's part of this. And yeah, I've had injuries.
There's not a lot I can do about that. I
worked really hard to have that not happen. But what
I can do is when it does happen, I can
(03:13):
control how I'm attacking my rehab and attacking practice and
doing everything in my power to get back as quickly
as possible. That's what I did. Number One, It's a
division game. I got a lot of respect for the
people on the opposite side of the ball, but when
you play people twice a year, you get tired of them,
you don't like them. It's a division rivalry. You got
(03:34):
respect for him, but it's intense out there. It's something
I wanted to be out there for playing on Thanksgiving.
It's something I've always wanted.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
To do that.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I pushed for in the past, and the NFL gave
it to us, and then you know, the injury happened
and thought I wasn't gonna be able to play, and
then as we got closer, I felt like it was
a real possibility. So that's exciting to me. And it's
a national stage to go out improve yourself again after
not playing for several weeks, and every opportunity that you
(04:07):
get to go improve all the hard work that you've
put in the type of player you are is something that.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I try to take advantage of. I'm a football player.
I get paid a.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Lot of money to go and play a game with
my friends, and we work really hard, and you know,
it's intense and there's jobs on the line, but at
the end of the day, it's a game, and I've
worked hard to put myself in this position and get
as healthy as I can be to go out and
play with these guys, and that's something I wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
He returns behind an offensive line that has shown considerable
improvement since Joe's Week two injury. Under new O line
coach Scott Peters. Over the last five weeks, Chase Brown
has averaged eighty five rushing yards per game and six
yards per carry, and it is six starts for Cincinnati.
Joe Flacco was only sacked nine times and a half
(05:00):
times per game, which is roughly what the league leaders
averaged last year. Flacco, of course, helped by getting rid
of the ball quickly, and this week offensive coordinator Dan
Pitcher was asked about Burrow tweaking his style of play
in hopes of avoiding future injuries.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Care about what you do, and you're passionate about what
you do. I think you're always striving to be the
best version of yourself. I know that's true for myself.
So inasmuch as anybody who exists in that mindset.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
Do they do you need to be open.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
To Hey, maybe there's something I can adjust here, Maybe
maybe there's an element of my play.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
That that can be tweaked.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
And I think he is open to that. I think
I think you'd be foolish to say any of us
that know this is this is the way and there
is no adjusting and deal with it. Well, I mean,
that's you can go that route. But if you're not
going to be self critical, so yeah, I don't. I'm
not going to speak for him. He's obviously done a
(06:02):
lot of incredible things in this league and he's an
incredible player, and I expect him to continue to be
an incredible player in this league. And how his career
evolves and how he evolves as a player.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
We'll see.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
I'm excited to see it because he's a lot of
fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Following up on that, he's had an example now in
the building the last five weeks of a forty year
old guy who doesn't want to get sacked, doesn't want
to get hit. I mean, do you think a little
of that gets incorporated just from seeing Flaka?
Speaker 5 (06:33):
Sure? Maybe?
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Again, like that's that's all part of the maturation process.
That there's a natural arc of a player's career that
occurs and particulate that position. And so many of the
great players in our league at that position are great
because there's an element of their play that allows them
to produce when it's not perfect. And defenses are good,
(07:00):
defensive coaches are good. We try our best to be
in the best play we can be in every time,
but it's just not possible, and so balancing that ability
to extend and create with when do I do that,
Is this an appropriate time? What's the big picture? I'm
making sure I'm taking care of myself so that I
can remain available to my team and my organization. That's
(07:23):
one big stew that all of it goes in there,
and you have to just do your best to make
the right choice in the moment. And he's very cognizant
of that. I think his comments reflect that, and I
think he's he's introspective and it's all part of the process.
So you know, I'm excited to watch him play. I'm
really happy that he's back.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Burow returns for a Thursday night game in Baltimore. Last year,
in two starts against the Ravens, he threw for eight
hundred and twenty yards with nine touchdowns and one interception,
and two of the most entertaining games of the year.
It's no under the NFL chose to put Cincinnati versus
Baltimore on Thanksgiving Night. The NBC Sunday Night Crew will
(08:07):
broadcast the game, but Chris Collinsworth will not be in
the booth. NBC is allowing Chris to spend the holiday
with his family, but he took time to join me
this week. Chris, you will not be in Baltimore on
Thursday night, but Joe Burrow will be seventy four days
after suffering his toe injury, assuming that he returns to action.
(08:29):
What impact do you expect it to have on the
entire team.
Speaker 6 (08:33):
Well, I think it's already had an impact, right. I mean,
they were saying how defensively they were better last week
because Joe Burrow was in practice, and they showed it
looked like it when they're out there on the field.
It's when the star player, the fifty million dollar player,
whatever you want to say, decides that even in potentially
(08:57):
a meaningless season, it doesn't mean it's not They knock
off the Rays two times their remaining schedules such that, hey,
they could you know, it's not impossible for them to
make the playoffs if Joe gets hot. And I'm sure
Jamar is going to be a little motivated this week
as well. But just the fact that he wants to
come back and play I think says something about him
(09:19):
the team, and it definitely does give him a little uplift.
And could they beat Baltimore twice? Yes, yes, and they've
already split with Pittsburgh, so conceivably they could end up
with the best record in the division. And I you know,
stranger things have happened in this league. We know that
stranger things have happened.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
The Bengals obviously have to weigh risk reward with bringing
Joe back, depending on how things go the rest of
the way. Where do you come down on that argument.
Speaker 6 (09:51):
I'm not a doctor and I have no idea what
the long term impact of this could be. For me,
it's worth a fight, I guess, for as long as
that fight lasts and you're still alive, potentially for the playoffs.
Speaker 7 (10:08):
But I.
Speaker 6 (10:11):
Want to win a championship, right, I mean, that's in
my career, That's what I missed out on. We lost
twice in a Super Bowl, and I only am interested
in one thing, and that's winning a championship. So if
winning a championship, my best opportunity to do that is
with a completely healthy Joe Burrow next season and let
(10:32):
him get completely well, then I would lean that way.
But if the doctors say, hey, it doesn't make any
difference at all. He's to the point now where he's
not going to be any different today than he would
have been to start next season. Then, yeah, I get it,
I get it. Let him play, But I'll be like you, well,
now i'll be because I'll be holding my breath. It
(10:53):
wouldn't be good for you broadcasting the game to hold
your breath. But it'll be hard to watch, you know,
It'll just be and and he's he's so good. But
he loves Joe loves being in the action. He loves
hopping up through the line of scrimmage, he loves dancing
around in there, and he makes great plays doing it.
(11:14):
But you know, every time he tiptoes into the center
of that pass rush, it's going to be it'll be
it'll be a tough night for the fans.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I'll say that those plays are some of the plays
that make him who he is. It's why he's one
of the best players in the NFL. What can he do?
What can the Bengals do when he's on the field
to protect him as much as possible.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
I don't think you can do that. I really don't,
you know.
Speaker 6 (11:39):
And I don't think he's going to be running too
many naked bootlegs out there, or quarterback options or anything
like that. But when you're playing. You're playing, and it's honestly,
it's what makes preseason so hard.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
It was like, you know, it's preseason.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
You're trying to get ready, you're working on a few things,
but you don't want to get hurt. And I used
to say, yeah, I want to catch one pass, get
hit a little bit, not too hard, and then just
go to the sideline and get ready for the season.
But yeah, it's it's you just got to go, you know.
I think if Joe or the Bengals try to do
(12:18):
anything different than what they would have done ordinarily with him,
I think he'll know it and he'll probably make him
crazier and he'll hop around and try to make plays anyway.
So I just don't think you can take a natural
competitor and try to make him something he's not.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Jamar Chase does return this week. It also returns to Baltimore,
where he had two hundred and sixty four receiving yards
and three touchdowns on a Thursday night game last year.
You've seen all the greats. What separates Jamar Chase from
just about everybody else?
Speaker 6 (12:53):
I do think he's a great one. I think he
has a chance to be most certainly a Hall of Fame,
but maybe even a notch above that. He's so strong.
I mean that, that to me is what sticks out.
It's like we all caught balls in open space and
(13:13):
then you know, somebody wraps their arm around us and
slows us down a little bit, and somebody else makes
a tackle. You can wrap your arms around this guy
and it's not going to slow him down. I mean,
he is a running back in every sense of the
forum from the waist down and has been.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
He's so fast, he's just a blur.
Speaker 6 (13:35):
So you got to protect the quick screen to him
because he can break that for seventy which I think
he did. Was that Baltimore he did that against last
year is one of the best plays I've ever seen.
And then a couple of years ago he did one
in Baltimore just like that. So yeah, he's I'm sure
Baltimore was wishing that he had been suspended this one,
(13:57):
not the other one. But I truly think I think
he's the best receiver there's ever been in Cincinnati. And
I'm telling you that takes a lot for me to
say that, and not because of me, but because of
some of the other guys that I've played with and
I've seen play there, so I'm excited to see him
back on the field and I'm sure he's going to
(14:17):
be He's going to be fired up and ready to play.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Chris, Let's talk about the O line for a moment.
They're starting a second year guy at right tackle and
two rookies at the guard positions. Both of the last
five games, they're averaging about five and a half yards
per run. Joe Flacco, who was only sacked nine times
during that five game stretch, do you think the Bengals
are starting to build a solid line for Joe Burrow
going forward.
Speaker 6 (14:41):
I think this is going to be one of the
really interesting questions is Joe Flacco is a veteran, and
one thing we know about forty plus year old men,
they don't particularly like getting hit, right, So I think
that what Joe Flacco has proven is it doesn't matter
who the offensive line is sometimes if your quarterback has
(15:05):
the mentality of I'm not going to take a sack.
Which was Tom Brady, which was Peyton Manning, which was
Eli Manning. I mean, those guys really believed that if
they were around come playoff time, that they had a
chance to win a world championship. And I think to
some extent, it'll be interesting for Joe Burrow to have
(15:30):
seen what Joe Flacco did and not taking those hits,
not taking the sacks, being willing to get the ball
out of his hands. He's got two of the best
catch and run wide receivers in the game today, and let.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Them take those hits.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
Because really, the times that we've seen Joe make it
through to the playoffs, they do have a chance to
win a Super Bowl. They can win in Buffalo, in
Kansas City, they can beat the teams they couldn't be beat.
But he's got to get there. And so, yeah, I
just got to be honest with you. If I were
his coach, I would say, let's take a look at
(16:10):
what Flacco did while you were out with the same
offensive line more or less, and he wasn't taking those hits,
And is there a way to incorporate.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
Some of that.
Speaker 6 (16:21):
So not trying to lessen your game or your play style,
but we've got to get you to the playoffs in
order for it to mean anything, right, And I think
that that's something he may take to heart.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Let's talk about the defense for a moment of the
last couple of weeks, the defense, so subtracting defensive touchdowns
by the other team is given up twenty points and
nineteen points. So it's been better. What's the next step?
What must this defense do to feel good about it
going forward?
Speaker 6 (16:50):
Yeah, I think eventually they're going to have to get
their pass rush going. And Hendrickson not being what he's
been the last couple of years and being out for
as long as he's been is definitely part of it.
But studying the Denver Broncos this week and the way
they're rushing the passer, I mean, that's that's how you
win championships. Quarterbacks that are great quarterbacks are not even
(17:14):
good quarterbacks when they're under pressure.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
And it's just a fact.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
So if the Bengals can finally get somebody, it looks
like they're working out some of the stuff in the secondary.
I was reading some of the stuff about Geno Stone
and the tackling and all of that today, so it's
you know, I think at the end of the day,
they've got to go hit the quarterback. Every I interview
(17:40):
every defensive coordinator in the league every single week and
go around and like, so, what is the plan.
Speaker 5 (17:45):
We got to hit the quarterback. We got to hit
the quarterback, you know.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
And so when you're doing that on a regular basis
and you think about some of the great teams in
league history, that's what they're doing. And you know, the
New York Giants with Lawrence Taylor, Pittsburg Steelers, me and
Joe Green. You go right down the list. And if
they could ever, I wish they could just get that player.
(18:08):
You know, Hendrickson's been that the last couple of years.
The boy would be nice to get a twenty two
year old like that. You know, they could just Micah Parsons.
Would that be cool?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
That would definitely be cool. So they take on the
Ravens on Thursday night. Baltimore started one in five. They
haven't lost since. Are the Ravens all the way back?
Speaker 6 (18:29):
It just depends on Lamar and how healthy he's been.
You know, they really haven't had they started with slowly
on the defensive side, they're getting better. They're probably a
little bit like the Bengals, but they've lost some key
people over there on the defensive side too. So it's
(18:49):
I don't it's not an unbeatable Ravens team.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
I mean, let's just put it that way.
Speaker 6 (18:53):
This is a team and we've seen the Bengals now
slug it out with some good teams and losing and
heartbreaking ways. I mean, the Bengals have found ways at
the end of some of these games to lose. That's
just breathtaking. And so do I think they can go
into Baltimore and get a win here?
Speaker 5 (19:12):
I do.
Speaker 6 (19:13):
I do understand why Joe Burrow wants to play, because
if they did win here now they would be right
a game back. I think of the Ravens at that point,
something like that. I'm gonna do some funny math here,
but it then gives you a reason to play Joe
Burrow the next week. And that's the way I would
look at this. I would just think of this like,
(19:36):
let's just we got a chance. Let's play him. You know,
let's play him. He's going to be fresh, he didn't play,
you know, he's not playing on four days rest like
everybody else is. Let's give it a shot and make
a decision and pray he doesn't get hurt.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Chris, in eighty seven, you played on a team that
won four games. The next year you were in the
Super Bowl. The Bengals did the same thing in twenty
twenty one where it wins the year before and then
they were in the Super Bowl. What's the key for
this team to get right back into contention if they
don't have a miraculous run this year.
Speaker 6 (20:10):
It was a wake up call for us because we
had in eighty six, we we had a good year,
we had won ten games, didn't make the playoffs, which
was painful, and then in eighty seven had the bad year,
but it was also the strike year and we didn't
get to those games. The replacement games weren't that much fun.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
So I lost all those.
Speaker 6 (20:34):
So we went from one in one to one in
four when we came back, and it was just a
train wreck after that.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
So but then we were mad, you know. It was
like we're.
Speaker 6 (20:47):
Embarrassed and mad and all those things. And I think
this team has to get mad. I think they have
to decide that they're going to be a Super Bowl
championship team. They've got the players, I mean they do.
They've got players that can do it. I would have
to study their defense a little bit more to know
exactly what it was, but I do like what Al's
(21:09):
doing now. It seems like they've kind of hit on
something here lately, and I'm guessing that he probably has
learned a lot about this.
Speaker 5 (21:18):
Defense and who can do what.
Speaker 6 (21:19):
And you know a lot of times you hear this
guy's a good player, that guy's a good player, but
until you spend a year with him, you don't know
what their their skill set is. You don't you want
to Every coach says the same thing. I want to
take that player and put him in position to do
what he does best. Well, I think Al probably knows
what each of those players do best now, and he
(21:41):
probably also knows what players can't do and what they're missing.
You know, what is it that this defense just doesn't
have personnel wise?
Speaker 5 (21:51):
And I've got to.
Speaker 6 (21:52):
Think that they are going to go very heavy in
this draft on the defensive side. That would be that
would be the quickest solution, in my mind, is to
just load up and then let the Superstars go to
work on offense.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Final thing for Chris collins Worth last Sunday night, you
called your five hundredth NFL game as an analyst. Five
hundred is a big number. When the theme song kicks
in and you hear Carrie Underwood's voice, is the rush
as great as it's ever been, yeah.
Speaker 6 (22:26):
Kind of, you know, it's like it's the one thing
that you know, I did a lot of years in
the studio too, but there's nothing like going to the ballpark.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
You know.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
It's like, I pay my own hard earned money to
go watch games everywhere around the country, and I always
say that, you know, I'm sitting there.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
A lot of times.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
I'll be in Dallas Stadium and I look across the
way and there's Jerry Jones sitting in his box and
it's directly across from us where we are, and we
have basically the same exact position, the same exact box,
And I'm looking over there and I'm going Cherry spent
billions of dollars to have that seat right there, and
I'm getting paid to sit in mind, this is pretty good.
(23:10):
So I try to always appreciate it, always love it,
and yeah, I've got to admit when we're going on
the air, I'm still feeling the butterflies and the energy
and the crowd at that point is they're introducing the
home team, and guy, if there's something better feeling than that,
I don't know what it is. So it's been an
(23:32):
amazing journey for me. I would have never imagined. I
thought I was just buying a couple of years to
help me pay for law school when I got finished playing.
I used to tell Holly every week or every year, like, look,
this is temporary. Very soon another Hall of Fame quarterback's
going to retire and they're going to take my job.
And that's okay because every dollar I make along the
(23:55):
way here is helping me, you know. And then you know,
thirty something years later, I'm still doing it. In my
wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Chris, I know how busy you are. Thanks so much
for your time. I always appreciate it and enjoy Thanksgiving
with the family.
Speaker 5 (24:10):
Thanks Dan, good talking to you, Budd.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by Paycreps,
proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by
Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business,
and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health
the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is
the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. No punter in
(24:34):
NFL history with enough punts to qualify for all time
records has averaged more than fifty yards of punt. Perhaps
Ryan Rico will become the first. In his first season
and a half with the Bengals, Rico is averaging fifty
point six and this year his average is over fifty two.
But Rico is still a work in progress when it
(24:55):
comes to pinning teams deep in their own territory without
punting the ball into the end zone. We discussed it
this week. Ryan, you are averaging fifty two point three
yards per punt, which is number one in the NFL.
Do you know the NFL single season record for punting average?
(25:15):
Do you know it?
Speaker 7 (25:16):
I do not know it. I think it's I want
to say it's around fifty three.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
It is fifty three point one. It's held by Tennessee's
Ryan Stonehouse. So you are less than a yard behind.
Does it become a goal when you know you're that close.
Speaker 7 (25:33):
I wouldn't say so. I feel like the gross average
it's it's good and all, but I feel like as
a team we're more focused on the net and so
I think, yeah, the gross has been great, we just
need to get the net up. But as far as
trying to break a record, I feel like those are
one of the things that happen if it just so
happens to come about. But for me, I'm not like,
(25:54):
oh shoot, I need to have this average to reach
that record at any given game.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
So the net is forty two point eight, which is
very good. You're eighth in the NFL in that category,
and it would be a little better if not for touchbacks.
You've got nine touchbacks so far this year. Did you
even worry about taking something off your punts when you
were in college.
Speaker 7 (26:17):
Man, not as much. I feel like it's kind of
been a unique thing this year. We've had a lot
of punts that are in that kind of gray area,
and so those are the ones that we work the
most on in practice. And so that's like the most
frustrating thing so far about the season is the amount
of touchbacks, just because those are opportunities to pin teams
(26:39):
deep and set up the defense. So I feel like
in college, a lot of it was either you need
to flip the field or it's like your traditional just
try and pin them deep. You're kind of hitting from
the plus fifteen in So this year it's been a
little bit unique just in the way that kickoffs and
everything work. The offenses are usually starting a little bit
closer to that great area. And so that's again we
(27:02):
spent a lot of time working on developing that touch
and taking better lines, and that's got to be on
me to go out and transition the practice onto the
field in the game.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
I feel like it's easier to develop that as opposed
to try to get stronger. If you've got the ability
to boom one a long way with tremendous hangtime, I
would think at least that the developing the other skill
is something that you can do.
Speaker 7 (27:28):
Yes, I definitely feel like to your point, yeah, it's
a lot easier to kind of rain things in a
little bit rather than like, Okay, I got to swing
out of my shoes to get it further. And that's
what Darren always says. He's like, your greatest blessing is
also your greatest curse. So that's definitely something that I'm
well aware of, and it is it's frustrating, but it
(27:50):
just feels like we're right on the edge of really
being able to dial things in. And again it's just
it's your two I'm still just learning the kind of
nuances as far as that goes. But I mean, I'm
going to be my biggest critic, and I know that
I got to cut those down and put our team
in better spots.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
We're visiting with Ryan Rico broadcast college games as well.
Roughly forty percent of college teams have an Australian punter.
You are from the state of Washington, do you almost
feel like an endangered species at this point? I do.
Speaker 7 (28:21):
I feel like I feel like it's almost becoming a
little bit of a lost art in the traditional sense
of punting, because you get those Australian guys in and
they're very talented, very very talented. I mean, they've been
grown up kicking a ball longer than most Americans have,
and so I feel like that gives them an advantage
in that sense. I think it's cool that the NFL
(28:43):
is still so much tailored around hitting the spiral, hitting
the traditional ball, but it is it's definitely crazy to
look around. I mean, that's one of the reasons why
my youngest, my younger brother transferred was because BYU wanted
to transition to kind of the rollout Australian way, and
they brought a guy in who could do that at
a high level. So yeah, it is. It's kind of crazy.
(29:05):
To see the college landscape shift in that direction especially,
But it's kind of been a thing in the making
for a couple of years, I feel like.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
So the NFL changed the rules for kicking balls this year.
Instead of pulling them out of the box the morning
of the game, you guys received footballs in the off
season that you could prepare to your liking. Do you
and Evan McPherson have different kicking balls or is it
one big bag of balls that the two of you
(29:33):
guys share.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (29:34):
No, we're very similar in our line of thinking as
to what we like in the cable, and so I
think that's been a good thing where it's not like, hey,
our equipment, guys, you got to get this ball in.
When Ryan's in this ball in, when Evan's kicking, we're
both on the same page and it's kind of like, Okay,
this is the ball that we really like. This is
a ball that's like, Okay, if we needed to go
(29:54):
to it, we'd be great. And then the third ball
it's like, yeah, it's still be good, but you have
your favorit. It's kind of as anybody would in that sense.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
So Evan set the franchise record last week with a
sixty three yard field goal, and you and long snapper
Will Wagner obviously have to do your jobs as well
in order for that to happen. Were you excited to
see him top sixty because that's kind of a line
for NFL kickers. You're either a member of the club
or you're not.
Speaker 5 (30:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (30:22):
I think that's something that we see out of Evan
a lot in practice, and it's unique because we always
talk about it, just the adrenaline and the difference that
that makes, whether it's in a live practice situation, whether
it's in a game. And so Evans has an incredible
leg talent, but then you get in the game and
I feel like that's really where the flip kind of switches.
(30:45):
And so, I mean, we saw it in Green Bay,
like he had the distance from sixty seven and he
didn't even hit that one well the first time. So
we go out onto the field knowing that, Okay, you
got clear conditions and you're sixty five and in like,
Evan's got a really good shot of making it. So
it was awesome to have a front row seat to that,
and as soon as he hit it, it was like, okay, yeah,
he hit that one. Really well and just super excited
(31:07):
for him to be able to kind of set that
record for the franchise, but also for him just setting
a new personal best to right.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
And you are a former BYU Cougar. The Cougars were
at the University of Cincinnati last Saturday night. I was amazed,
truly amazed by how many fans made the trip. I've
seen it before if it's a drive, but I've never
seen that many people before willing to fly to Cincinnati
to see their college team play. How would you describe
(31:36):
the BYU fan.
Speaker 7 (31:37):
Base, man, I feel like it's it's something I don't
think I took it for granted because I was always
in awe as well. You would transfer it didn't or
you would you travel no matter where it was in
the country. You felt like, Okay, Like BYU is showing
out like they have a lot of a lot of fans,
and so Cougarnation in that sense is like I think
(31:57):
that they have a leg up on almost any other
fan base in callege just because it is affiliated with
the church, and so you got members of the church everywhere,
and so a lot of it is people traveling. But
then you get the people that are local who are
still by you fans, and it's their opportunity to go
and support the team. So I think it's really unique
that BYU is able to do that and just kind
(32:19):
of show up in full force no matter where it is.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
You'll be punting on Thanksgiving Night this year, the Bengals
playing in Baltimore. How do you feel about the opportunity
to play under such a big spotlight.
Speaker 7 (32:29):
Yeah, I think it's I think it's incredible. I mean,
Zach he made the point today, He's like, think about
every Thanksgiving you've ever been at. You're looking at the
football games, who's playing, who's going to perform? And so
the fact that we get to be a part of
that is definitely fulfilling a childhood dream like, oh, wouldn't
it be cool to be one of those guys playing
on Thanksgiving? And now it's kind of up to us.
(32:52):
It's like, Okay, how do you want to go out
and perform and what kind of impression do you want
to leave on all the people who are watching. So
it's definitely a cool opportunity.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your wife, continue success.
Speaker 7 (33:03):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Here's a quick invitation to join LAPP in Wayne box
Miller for the Bengals pep Rally Show. This week. They'll
be at the on the Rhine Eatery the food hall
on the second floor above the downtown Kroger on Friday
from three to six and their scheduled guest in the
final hour is Bengals backup quarterback Sean Clifford from Saint
Xavier High School. That's going to do it for this
(33:26):
episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by
pay Corps, Proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider,
by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate
your home, business and community to a new level, and
by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans.
Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals.
(33:47):
If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this
podcast and if you have a minute, give it a
rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans
find us. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for listening to
The Bengals Booth Podcast.
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