August 14, 2025 • 48 mins
Cincinnati gets ready for its second preseason game at Washington. Dan Hoard’s guests include rookie center Seth McLaughlin, former UC and NFL quarterback Tony Pike, and Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brent Suter, who loves the Orange and Black.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi again everybody on dan Hord and thanks for downloading
The Bengals Booth Podcast. The a hot needs a Second
Chance addition as the Bengals look to shine in primetime
in their second preseason game as they face the Washington Commanders.
Coming up, I'll go one on one with rookie Seth McLaughlin,
(00:25):
who appears likely to make his Bengals debut on Monday.
A Cincinnati Reds pitcher discusses his love for the Orange
and Black in Former UC and NFL quarterback turned talk
show host Tony Pike joins me for an in depth
look at where things stand for the Bengals roughly three
weeks before the season opener. The Bengals Booth Podcast is
(00:47):
brought to you by pay Corps, proud to be the
Bengals official HR software provider, by Ulta 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
(01:07):
that you can have the latest edition of this podcast
delivered write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing
wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since
my first big break. Last weekend, I received an incredible
honor as I was inducted into the Syracuse Baseball Wall
(01:28):
of Fame. I attended Syracuse University dreaming of a career
in sports broadcasting, and the most significant break of my
career was when the late Tech Simone and his son
John hired me to be the voice of the Triple
A Syracuse Chiefs. I was a kid, I was twenty
one years old and it was about a month before
(01:49):
college graduation. Everybody needs somebody to believe in them, and
I will always be grateful that the Simones believed in me.
I have no idea how my care would have turned
out if not for that opportunity. So as much as
I am honored to be on the Wall of Fame,
I am particularly grateful for the people that helped put
(02:11):
me on the path to getting there. Now, let's get
to football. One of the most intriguing undrafted rookies on
the Bengals roster is offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin. He started
twenty five games at Alabama, including a National championship game,
before transferring to Ohio State last year, where he won
(02:31):
the Remington Trophy as the best center in college football.
But at a Tuesday practice before the Buckey's eleventh game,
Seth tore as achilles, causing him to miss the rest
of the season and go undrafted. He signed with the
Bengals shortly after the draft as a free agent. With
Ted Garris entering the final year of his contract at
(02:53):
age thirty two, there could be a need at center
as soon as next year, and McLaughlin could put potentially
be in the mix if Ted's not back. Seth's completed
rehab and started practicing, and I caught up with him
this week. Seth, it sounds like a strong possibility that
you will play on Monday night in the Washington game.
(03:15):
It would be almost nine months to the day since
you suffered your torn achilles last year at Ohio State.
How close to normal do you feel at this point?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, each day I'm getting closer. I don't know if
I'm percent back yet, but I think I'm getting close.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
When the Bengals signed you, I thought that maybe it
would be kind of a red shirt ear situation where
you were learning and rehabbing and getting ready for the
following year, but you seem determined to try to play
this year if you can.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I mean, I'm a competitor. I want to get out
there as soon as I can, and I don't like
sitting on the sidelines and not helping a team win.
So I'm trying to do everything in my power to
help the team win this year, in whatever capacity that
is that the team thinks.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Achilles injuries seem like they're so random. We see it
in basketball where a guy just plants his foot and
it happens. How did it happen to you?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Yeah, it was just a scout period in the middle
of practice, stepping my right just trying to get the
scout team noseguard out of the A gap, and my
heel just dropped and it popped, and h it was
kind of just random.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
How gruesome.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
It didn't really hurt. Surprisingly, it was kind of just scary.
I well, I just popped up and I thought my
guard had stepped on me. And then I went to,
you know, walk and something felt off. And you know,
after seeing like the Aaron Rodgers injury, and I was like,
that's exactly how that looked, is exactly how this felt.
So at that point in time, I knew exactly what
had happened.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
We're visiting the Bengals center Seth McLaughlin. You took part
in one on one pass rushing drills this week, got
matched up against McKinley Jackson, who's three point thirty and
strong as an ox. He tried to bull rush you,
and you held your ground just fine. Did that convince
you in your own mind that your achilles is fine
and you're good to go?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
It was definitely a test that I was look and
forward to whenever that first big bull rush was gonna
come and seen how it reacted. And you know, it
wasn't even like a thought in my mind of like,
oh be careful here, just it felt natural.
Speaker 5 (05:09):
It felt good to some on bull rush.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
You suffered that injury in late November before Ohio State's
eleventh game of the season, and you still won the
Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football. It's
named for a former Bengal, Dave Remington. What did the
award mean to you in light of the circumstances.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
Yeah, it was a huge honor.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
At mid season, I was already you first team All
American and all these mid season awards. So I think
my ten games of play deserved to win the award,
and it's cool that they still gave it, gave it
to me after not playing the final two regular season games,
but it's a huge honor. It was a testament to
all the work I put in that offseason, you know,
trying to rebound a narrative that had already been built
(05:52):
on me, and I got to.
Speaker 5 (05:54):
Prove who I was as a player.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
It happened before the Indiana game the next week was
miss again. How difficult was that to be a Buck
guy for one year and not to play in the game.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
One of the biggest games I was looking forward to
was playing in that game, especially, you know, kind of
after a Rose Bowl loss to at Alabama to Michigan
that year and I kind of wanted to go out.
That was like the last redeeming moment that I, you know,
was looking forward to, having didn't get to play in it.
You know, it's thinks that that game went the way
it did, but I think we we redeemed ourselves in
the in the playoffs, and you know, those rings will last.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Forever, no question about that. So you spent one year
in Ohio State, the previous four at Alabama. What do
you consider yourself a former Buck Guy, a former Crimson Tide?
Speaker 4 (06:37):
What are you?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah, that's a that's a loaded question because there's a
lot of emotions that go into that. I got two
degrees from Alabama. I love the University of Alabama, you know,
but I really made a name for myself in a
legacy for myself at Ohio State. With with all the
things that I did my last year, I mean Alabama,
I'd still been a part of a national championship team.
I'd won three SEC championship starting two of those. Have
(07:01):
a lot of hardware and a lot of good feelings
from my time there. But I think I really cemented
myself as a Buckeye the last year.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
You also started in a college football playoff win over
the University of Cincinnati. That game has not remembered so
finally here, but that was one of the first starts
of your college career.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
Yeah, that was my second start.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
That was an awesome experience, you know, playing in at
and T Stadium.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
A lot of.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Nerves going into that game, just you know, after that
first after my first start, I think I got a
lot of confidence, but you know, going into a playoff
game when you didn't really expect to play the whole year,
was definitely exciting opportunity played well, We ran the ball
incredibly well. That game kept it out of you know,
sass Gardner's hands on the outside.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
So that's definitely a really fond memory for me.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Your memory is right on the money. You guys ran
for more than three hundred yards in that game. If
not for your injury last year, you surely would have
been drafted. After the draft, ESPN rank you as the
best available player still on the board. In a sense,
was it a bit of a silver lining? I know
you would have loved to be drafted, but because of that,
you were able to choose a team where you know
(08:08):
that there could be an opportunity in the relatively near future.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
God has a God has a way of doing things,
you know.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
I definitely went into I went into day two expecting
that I might get picked up by somebody. Went to
day three pretty confident I was going to get drafted
and not sure what happened. But you know, God's got
his plan and I'm on his timing and whatever that entails.
You know, he he led me to Ohio State when
I earned the transfer portal. I never really thought about
going to Ohio State in the first place, and you know,
(08:37):
he closed all the doors that I thought that I
wanted to go down and opened up Ohio State, which
I didn't even know was an option. And it's kind
of the same thing with the Bengals. You know, I
didn't really think of, like, oh, the Bengals, it'd be
a great opportunity.
Speaker 5 (08:50):
I didn't really realize how how good of an opportunity
it was.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And uh, to learn and be in such a great
offense and learn from these coaches who are incredible at
what they do.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
So I'm happy with with how it turned out.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
And it's just another thing for me to overcome, and
you know, I'm fine with that.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
I've I've done it a.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Few times in my career and I'm trying to do
it again.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
The starting center here is Ted karras ten year VET captain,
started every game at center the last three years here.
What if anything have you learned from Ted?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah, Ted's a super intense guy. You know, He's taken
notes on literally everything that's said. It's just the level
of detail that it takes to play at this level.
I think I've picked up from him early on, and
I'm you know, i'd be excited to learn from him
in the season, how he game plans and stuff, because
I had to be invaluable after all the guys that
he's been around and kind of how.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
He's morphed into the player he is.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
It'd be an awesome, you know, honor to learn from
him the rest of the season and you know, just
keep working at getting back from this injury and and
start playing really good football.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Ted of course has the sense he hat all of
the proceeds go to charity. You did something similar at
Ohio State, correctly.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yeah, I mid run the den ball hats, but that
work out for uh, for this organization. So I'll definitely,
you know, do something once I'm more established. And that's
one of my main things. I love giving back and
I feel like that's kind of why we play the game,
is to help others, and it's not just an entertainment.
It's there's a duty to the community that I, you know,
(10:18):
feel strongly about. So, yeah, I'm trying to work to
the point where i'm you know, hopefully I'm good enough
where I can have enough reach to help others.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Look forward to seeing you in action, whether it's Monday
night or shortly after that.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Thanks so much, Seth, Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
It seems like there's an undrafted free agent rookie every
year that winds up making a significant impact, and last
year there were several. Ryan Rico said franchise punting records,
Muma johng Meta played in every game and was a
major contributor on special teams, and Cam Grandy started six
games as a second tight end. We'll see if Seth
(10:57):
McLaughlin or another undrafted rookie winds up doing something similar
this year. On Wednesday of this week, an interesting group
watched the Bengals practice from the sideline. They were members
of the Cincinnati Reds, including Nick Martinez, Emilio Pagan, Matt McClain,
and Brent Sudor. It was especially meaningful for Suitor, who
(11:21):
attended Moller High School and lives in Cincinnati year round.
All right, as a Cincinnati kid, Is this cool for you?
Speaker 3 (11:30):
It is? That's an understaving for sure. This is so
cool week.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
My wife and the kids and I came into the
public practice a couple of weeks ago, an absolute blast,
But this is next level. We are you know, literally
it's standing shoulders shoulder of all the all the studs
out there.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
So this is Jiam come true for Bengals fan.
Speaker 6 (11:46):
I've been a Bengals fan since I moved here in
second grade, so this is definitely I'm pinching myself today.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Professional athletes recognize greatness and other professional athletes, which your
view of Burrough, Chase, etc.
Speaker 6 (11:59):
Just like you said, great some of the best players
in the league. Maybe it'll they'll go down to some
of the best players at the position and in the
history of the game. So such an exciting time to
be a Bengals fan to watch this greatness kind of
unfold every every Sunday. These guys are signed, committed to
this city, committed to this franchise for the years to come.
And I'm same thing. I'm pinching myself just getting to
(12:19):
watch these guys in the offseason. I always love when
football season comes around. It's so fun to watch these
guys compete. It's a great sport just going, you know,
every play, max effort, toe to toe. It's kind of
like baseball where every pitch matters like crazy that everyone's
fighting for the life. But it's like eleven guys doing
instead of three, you know, every play.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
So it's a really cool sport.
Speaker 6 (12:39):
And it always reminds me of the offseason, which is
just a great time for all, you know, all athletes
to kind of rejuvenate. So it's it's I love Bengals football,
and I love that Zach Taylor invited us out here.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
We're so appreciative.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
You've got about twelve players here. It looks like, how
did that come about?
Speaker 3 (12:55):
We got a.
Speaker 6 (12:55):
Text yesterday from Jim Are kind of our court players,
liaison coordinator sent a Texic, Hey, Zach Taylor is inviting
us for the kind of a player's only, like a
VIP access to the practice.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Anyone up? And I said, yeah, it's.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
The Pope Catholic And I said, I'm going, babe, I'll
wake up with the kids.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Just give me this hour, you know.
Speaker 6 (13:15):
So I was really really excited to jump on this opportunity.
And yeah, opportunity of a lifetime for Cincinnati fan, Cincinnati
kid watching Bengals practice like this is awesome.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Did you come to games as a kid, and if so,
any specific memories.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
I sure did some great games.
Speaker 6 (13:31):
Unfortunately, I was there at the playoff game when Carson
Palmer tours towards knee up. That was a big I've
never seen air go out of a stadium like that,
so I definitely remember that. But I was there the game.
What's his name did that backflip in the Simpson room.
Simpson did the backflip. That was amazing. I was there
Burrows almost perfect game against the Ravens a couple of
years ago, So I've been in some really really cool moments.
(13:51):
I don't think I was able to get to a
game last year, but two years ago, three years ago.
My wife at season tickets from like fourteen to nineteen,
so I was there all the time those years. So
a lot of good memories of pay Corps.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
It was.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
It's a great place.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
What was your Super Bowl experience in twenty twenty one?
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Did you watch with friends?
Speaker 4 (14:08):
Family?
Speaker 3 (14:08):
What? How did you watch?
Speaker 6 (14:09):
Yeah, we had a kind of a family and friends
party every round of the playoffs at our house, and
then we just kept it going. We thought about, you know,
last minute, buying some flights and getting out there for
the game, but decided against it. We you know, we
had two boys at the time, so we instead we
just posted kind of did the same thing had family
and friends over at our house and it was a
great game. Unfortunately we didn't, you know, come out on top,
but what a fun run that was. Memories for a
(14:32):
lifetime for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
As we have this conversation, the Reds are two games
out of the final wildcard spot. The team has obviously
built up a great young nucleus. It seems realistic to
me that both of these franchises could have great periods
coming in the next five to six years.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah, I absolutely agree.
Speaker 6 (14:48):
You know, obviously, with the Bengals signing these great players
to long term deals, and then with us, we got
you know, Ellie locked up for four or five more years.
Man McLain's locked up for a bunch of years. We
got you know, Abbid Lodolo Undergreen. These guys are here
with these guys are Reds for years, and we're so excited.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
We have a great rotation.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
I really like our bullpen, I love our position player group,
love our defensive units. So the same thing with the
Bengal left to love the team. So yeah, I think
you're right. We're heading into hopefully.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
A golden era of Cincinnati sports here coming up.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
It's been fun to visit and enjoy practice.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Thank you very much. Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Bents in his tenth major League season and second with
the Reds, and at age thirty five, he still appears
to have plenty left in his left arm. His three
point five to one ERA is basically the same as
his career ERA of three point four six. Before getting
to my next guest, here's a quick reminder that the
Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps,
(15:44):
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. The University of
Cincinnati recently announced that former Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike is
(16:09):
going into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame this year.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
It's a well deserved daughter for.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
The quarterback that led youc to the Orange and Sugar
Bowls in two thousand and eight and two thousand and nine.
Tony is a sports talk show host these days and
has been in attendance at nearly every Bengals training camp practice.
I picked his brain about camp and the upcoming season. Tony,
(16:34):
there have been fourteen training camp practices. You have attended
most of them. There's also been one preseason game. Has
your belief in the Bengals ability to compete for a
Super Bowl title increased, decreased or remain the same based
on what you've seen and explain why.
Speaker 7 (16:51):
For me, it's always it's increasing because we know what
the offense is and it didn't take you long. It
took two drives exactly, maybe even one against Philadelphia to
know that the offense is picking up right where they
left off. And I think they have, believe it or not,
more weapons. I think Chase Brown, he spent so much
of the offseason working as a three down back, catching passes,
(17:12):
pass protection. He looked unbelievable. They're getting good production. I
think TODs Brooks is going to be a really nice
addition to this team. I love the fact that they're
going to be able to utilize twelve personnel more with
Noah Fan and Mike Kasicki, because last year, before Eric
All got injured, they liked twelve personnel. I think that's
good for Joe Burrow it helps the protection, it opens
things up, and then defensively, I know it wasn't what
(17:35):
you wanted to see against Philadelphia, but if you're there
every day, I think it's hard to argue that they're
getting better defensively every day. If you've got to think,
you've got a brand new defensive coordinator with a brand
new scheme trying to implement with a lot of moving parts,
a rookie on the defensive line, a rookie at linebacker.
You've got young safeties, you got young quarter There's so
(17:56):
much youth on this team that have known one way
since they've been in the NFL well, and now they're
getting it a different way. And I love the way
they've competed. I love that they play with intensity. At times,
you feel like there's a chip on the shoulder of
the defense when they're going against that number one offense
in practice. So I think all the signs that you're
seeing are moving in the right direction there.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Lou Anarumo did a lot of good things, says the
Bengals defensive coordinator. They don't get to the super Bowl
in twenty twenty one if the defense didn't carry them
in those three playoff wins. So I almost feel guilty
saying this, but watching Al Golden over these fourteen practices
has almost made me reconsider how good lou An Arumo
(18:37):
was because things just look that much better to me.
Do you agree with that at all?
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Yeah, you know not.
Speaker 7 (18:42):
I don't want to spin everything back to UC. But
I was talking to Moegar about this. There was a
time when you remember when it was Kobe Bryant, it
was Brian Cook, it was Sauce Gardner, and you'd watch
them practice and you'd watch them play, and they just
carried themselves in a way of confidence and they flew
around the field. And a little bit of that when
I watch this defense, because as the confidence grows in
(19:04):
what you're doing, you see that speed on the field,
you know, start to separate itself. And I think early
on there's a little hesitation because everything's new, and in sports,
especially football, if you are unsure of what your responsibility is,
you just you move slower. You tend to try to
process everything instead of just going out getting ready to
(19:25):
snap and then and then going and playing. And when
this defense has started to implement, I hate the term
dumbing it down because it's not dumbing it down. But
it's more base personnel. It's allowing guys to go one
on one and make plays. But more than anything, it's
allowing guys to play confidently. They play free, and they
play fast, and you can almost see the moments in
(19:46):
practice that it starts to click with guys where it's like,
man that looked like another speed for Logan Wilson. Man
that looked like Tyson, Anderson is figuring it out right there.
We've raved about Shamar Stewart, but man, okay, Josephos flash.
There's players that flash at different times because you never
know when it's going to click for someone because install
is such a mental game. But when it does, there's
(20:09):
a speed and there's an urgency of separation that you
start to see with these guys.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
We are visiting the former you see quarterback Tony Pike.
We're having this conversation three weeks and three days before
the regular season opener in Cleveland. What is your biggest
concern at this point on each side of the ball.
Speaker 7 (20:27):
Anytime you hear the term soft tissue injury, I don't
care what sport or how delicate, it is safety on
defense because that's the leader of the defense. That's the
last line of defense, and what I think the defense
can capitalize on is just being a sound defense from
the back to the front to not have the big
(20:47):
plays that are given up. If you give up a
couple short yardage plays or a team's got to go
fifteen plays on you so be it, and then you
bow up in the red zone and you get stops
like I think Al Golden has done a good job
with during training camp.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
You can't give up big play.
Speaker 7 (21:00):
And I know you want to get after the passer,
but at the back end of the defense, you got
to have a guy that's gonna make sure not only
he's in the right spot, but all other ten guys
are in the right spot as well, and make sure
the communication is where it needs to be. So safety
a little bit still for me. On defense offense, I
still think it's the guard position. I don't think it's
Dylan Fairchild's position because I was extremely impressed with him
(21:22):
against Philadelphia. I've also extremely impressed with him watching him
in practice because now you know the defense is running
some more stunts, it's not as basic one on one rush,
and he's picking everything up. The athleticism, the footwork is there,
it's the other guard spot for me? Is it Lucas Patrick?
Is it Cody Ford? How's that going to pan itself out?
Because we know what everything else is. We know what
(21:43):
the tight ends and the running backs and the wide receivers.
We surely know what the quarterback is. To me, it's
it's still that guard position because if that gets shirt
up and you feel good about that going to Cleveland,
this offense can do crazy things.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
And it certainly looks like it's going to be Lucas
Patrick for the last couple of weeks. Now he's the
only guy that's been in there with the ones. Most recently,
Cody Ford has been practicing as the swing tackle, his
primary job last year. So again, we've still got three
weeks and three days from the opener, but it appears
that Lucas Patrick has become the guy.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
And we talk all the time about Al Golden. You
got Scott Peters, who's a new O line coach. So
now you've got a new scheme on the offensive line,
You've got new techniques that you're teaching. And I think
we are all guilty of it at some point of
just getting caught up in the moment because you want
to react to everything that's happening, especially in the media.
I'm at times reporting for five hours a day and
(22:35):
then five different calls. You've got to have something to
talk about, and at times I think you get caught
up and just focusing on the day and not realizing
he's still got three weeks and some change before the
first game. There are going to be growing pains anytime
you bring in a new system, but as you continue
to grow, I think you have a chance to learn
from it. There was a point in practice where Shamar
(22:56):
Stewart and we all know the play, beat Lucas Patrick
on a stunt and everyone makes a big deal about
that play, but that same stunt was run later in
practice and Lucas Patrick stuffed him. He stuffed Shamar Stewart
where he was, so to me, he's learning from the
mistake and they're going to continue to go through some
growing pains, but there's still a lot of time between
now in the season.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
You reference the soft tissue injury that Geno Stone is
dealing with. Did that expose a lack of depth at
safety more than maybe we even thought about.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
I think it did.
Speaker 7 (23:27):
And then I think the follow up with coach Zach
Taylor of saying, we got to figure out who we
have back there and what we have. I think it
gives opportunity to some young players, but there's not a
lot of game snaps in that secondary or in that
safety room. And that's hard to overcome because if you
start going down the list of who you're going to
be facing this year, and the ultimate goal is getting
(23:49):
to a super Bowl, and you know the offenses that
are in line with that and what the Ravens can
do and Pittsburgh ads Aaron Rodgers, we know what the
Bills and the Chiefs still are. You've got to be
able to stop the passing game and so much as
pre snap communication. So it does it. It exposes a
little bit of a concern of you hope Gino stones
there because he played great down the stretch last year,
(24:11):
But for me, it's the what's next?
Speaker 4 (24:14):
What if?
Speaker 7 (24:15):
The contingency plan always has to be in place because depth,
as we know in the NFL, very rarely are guys
going through all seventeen games without getting banged up or
missing a series or a quarter or a couple of games.
The depth is such a key piece for those contending teams.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Joe Burrow says, this is the best he's thrown the
ball in several years. You were an excellent quarterback and
an NFL draft pick. Can you see a difference between
Joe Burrow this camp and the Joe Burrow that we've
enjoyed watching the last several years?
Speaker 7 (24:43):
As he said, you're out there, you see it. I mean,
it's a confidence and it's just a swagger that he
carries himself with. It's hard to explain, but I knew
early on in camp watching him in individual drills the
way he handled individual drills, because there are times where
he he's very mechanical, but then there's other times you
see him roll out to his left, flip the hips,
(25:04):
drive the ball, and then he just kind of walks away,
and you could tell as he's walking away, he's like, yep,
that feels good. Like It's just it's hard because it's
hard to explain unless you see it in person. But
you know, I follow a lot of what Dan or
Lofsky does, and Dan ro Lofsky grated the seven best
traits for quarterbacks in the National Football League. Joe Burrow
was at the top of four of them, and you know,
(25:26):
you can't beat that mechanically, pocket presence, timing, ball placement,
you can't beat any of that with Joe Burrow. But
to think about his path to where he's at right
now and everything he's had to overcome in training camp,
from injuries to pandemics, to his number one wide receiver
not doing a snap of preseason camp, and to see
(25:47):
the numbers he's put up and now all of a sudden,
I think you see a guy that knows I've got
my full compliment of weapons. I feel the best I
have in my NFL career. I'm not rehabbing a major injury.
We're not diagnosing on every pass. Did that one wobble?
Was there enough zip on that the wristess is healthy?
And I can tell from playing the position after he
(26:07):
makes a throw the way he kind of carries himself afterwards,
like okay, okay, he's feeling himself a little bit, and
that is a dangerous thing for the NFL.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Let me play off that dan Orlowski list of traits.
So let's turn the clock back to twenty ten. You're
a rookie with the Carolina Panthers. What Joe Burrow trait
would you have liked to steal oh man U.
Speaker 7 (26:30):
The ball placement because I don't think you can beat
that in the NFL. I mean Joe Burrow, for what
it's worth. On that list, I think he's seventh or
eighth in arm strength. When's the last time you're watching
a game and a quarterback drops back, kit pats the
ball for a couple seconds and throws at seventy yards
in the air. I don't need the strongest arm, but
the ability. There's been times at camp where I've raved
(26:52):
about what the defense is doing and then just applaud
the offense because Joe Burrow drops a ball into Andrey
Yoshibas down the seam in the middle of three guys.
Like the ball placement to me is the top because
there's no way to defend that. Every defense has a weakness,
every defense has a hole. But the coordinator on the
defense is saying, okay, if they make that throw, tip
your cap. More often than not, you have to tip
(27:13):
your cap to what Joe Burrow is doing because his
ball placement is so elite and he has this he
has this ability no matter what's going on around him.
It's not like if pressure's at his feet his ball
placement waivers. It's not like if he's on the run,
his ball placement waivers. It's not like everything has to
be perfect every single time he throws the ball. The
ball goes where it's supposed to be, and that is
(27:35):
It's something you can't drill, you can't teach, it's just
God given.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
You reference some of those throws to Andra Yosi Bosh.
I shoot video basically of every play when they're scrimmaging
a training camp, and it seems to me I have
more clips of spectacular throws to Yosi Bosh than anybody else.
So then I kind of backtrack, and when Joe says
he feels like he's throwing the ball better than he
ever has or as well as he ever has, I
(28:00):
think I've seen more of those kind of intermediate throws
over the corner in front of the safety, dropped in
perfectly to Andrea Yosi Vash than anybody else. And I
wonder if maybe that's the thing that Joe in his
own mind is doing better than he ever has before.
Speaker 7 (28:14):
Yeah, it's incredible, And if you're Joe, you know what.
Jamar and t are the obvious. The battle has always
figured out Okay, how can we add more weapons? And
the more I can pump a ball to somebody else
at practice, the more I'm gonna have success on the
field because you're building that player's confidence as well.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
But I mean, I can't explain.
Speaker 7 (28:31):
That the times where there's a too high look on
defense and a backer or a nickel or a dime
is carrying the slot receiver in this case, andre Yosi Vash,
and somehow the ball fits over top of that Chase
defender and in between two safeties and there's a connection there.
And I think in previous years you've seen the connection
(28:51):
in the red zone more than anything with andre Yosi Vash.
I think now, if you're down there and you see
physically Yoshi vas looks different, like he looks bigger, faster, stronger,
he's better in and out of his breaks. And if
you think just on an offensive point of view, I know,
if I'm a defensive coordinator, I've got to bring attention
to Jamar Chase. I've got to bring attention to t Higgins.
(29:14):
Now I've got to worry about two tight end sets. Oh,
by the way, how am I going to cover andre Yoshibah?
So if you're Andre Now you have the luxury that
every time you line up, you're going to see a
team's third or fourth best cover guy. So you don't
have to beat Jay R Alexander one on one. You
don't have to beat some of the top corners in
this game. You've got to beat a team's third or
fourth best and I like those odds. With what we've
(29:35):
seen from andre Yoshibas to this point of becoming a
very impactful player.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Is it a Cincinnati three way again like it used
to be when Tyler Boyd was the third guy.
Speaker 7 (29:44):
I think it's as close as we've had it since
Tyler Boyd was here in his prime. And I think again,
if you see how this offense is built. As a
defensive coordinator, I know we've harped on it. I'm not
trying anything. I'm dropping seven, I'm rushing four. I'm hoping
to get pressure with four, and if not, I'll try
to shrink the field and win in the red zone.
(30:05):
There's no other way that you can guard this offense
because of the matchups that it presents. You know, if
you want to play your small personnel, the Bengals can
go twelve and they can run two tight ends, and
then you got to say, Okay, do I match that
with bigger personnel and then give up some stuff in
the passing game, or do I keep my lighter personnel
out there and then I get dominated in the running game.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
So it is a wide receiver.
Speaker 7 (30:27):
Dream right now to play in this offense because of
the matchups that you're going to get us at tight
end as well. But yeah, I think they can push
this year to get that three way back.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
We're chatting with former NFL quarterback Tony Pike, the host
of Since three sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty in Cincinnati.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
Let's turn to defense.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
How did you feel about the selection of Shamar Stewart
in the first round when it happened, and how do
you feel now?
Speaker 7 (30:53):
You know, I think the obvious answer was the production
and four and a half sacks, And I know playing
in the SEC is different, but you know they have
some bye weeks built in there as well against some
bad competition. So I was a little skeptical because it
felt like, here's a guy that's super athletic, but maybe
not as polished as you would hope for an impact
(31:14):
player at number seventeen. And then of course you don't
know what to think because of how the offseason transpired.
I couldn't be any higher on Shamar Stewart than I
am right now from watching since he came back to
the practice field, since he stepped foot on the field,
he has flashed with power, athleticism, His change of direction
(31:36):
is incredible, his get off. He made a play in
the Philadelphia game where he showed on the run and
if the ball was handed off, he would have made
the play. And then he was still able to get
to the quarterback on the rollout and affect the throw.
And to me, that's when it kind of clicked of okay,
even if the sacks aren't there yet for Shamar Stewart.
Look at Patrick Mahomes last year in the Super Bowl.
Wasn't a ton of sacks, but it was the most
(31:57):
uncomfortable you've ever seen Patrick Mahomes. He almost looked at
times because of the pass rush of Philly, not all
the time getting home, but just making him uncomfortable. So,
if Schamar doesn't have the sack totals that are there yet,
we've already seen at practice, We've already seen in a
game setting that he has the ability to get to
the quarterback and make him uncomfortable. And in the NFL
(32:19):
that can lead to an arm angle that changes in
a ball that sales for a quarterback or not being
able to drive into a throw and there's less on
it and a corner can undercut it. There are plays
that the secondary will make because of Shamar Stewart, even
if he's not getting home and getting the sack.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
You ready for a Dan Horde hot take, please, Shamar
Stewart might not finish in the top five in sacks.
He probably won't, at least as a rookie, he will
finish in the top five. And tipped passes. How many
balls has he already tipped?
Speaker 4 (32:48):
Yeah, in fourteen.
Speaker 7 (32:49):
Practices, it's been incredible. I mean his first practice he
had what two or three on his own, and you know,
I think he's still learning the ropes of you know,
the quarterback halo, and I know we've talked a lot
about that. But the thing is is what I think
this defense needs as a chip. I think they need
a player that's going to punch the other team in
(33:11):
the mouth and not be the one that's getting punched
in the mouth. I would rather have eleven Shamar Stewarts
that are going to play through the whistle than someone
that's maybe going to be on that timid side just
a little bit that. That was the same conversation that
was talked early in camp about Demetrius Knight. Zach Taylor
talked about, well, you know, sometimes he's a little bit
pushing the issue from a tackling or a hitting standpoint,
(33:32):
But he said, I'd rather have a guy like that
than a guy on the other end of the spectrum.
So I think both the young guys on defense they
have an impact because they play with a chip and
they play with a speed and they're the aggressors. And
if you can feed on that as a defense and
adopt that mentality, you're going to have a lot of success.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
So when Shamar Stewart stumbled and collide to with Joe
Burrow and the offensive line took exception and started to
fight on the next snap, should they have Was Shami
Stewart in the wrong even if it was accidental, No.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
I don't think so.
Speaker 7 (34:05):
If he was untouched to the quarterback and he just
got in the bubble of Joe Burrow and stood there, absolutely,
you know, I understand the skirmish in the fight. The
issue is, and players don't know this on the field
at the time. They just see Burrow down. And I
love the fact that everyone ran in because that's what
(34:25):
you want, that mentality you want. If number nine is down,
I want five offensive linemen going to pick him up.
But in that case, at least to me, it looked
like on his stunt he already had started to lose
his balance, and I think as he was beating Lucas Patrick,
he kind of got a shove from Lucas Patrick. And
if you've ever fallen before, or fallen over a period
(34:46):
of a couple of yards, it's hard enough to regain
your balance, let alone being pushed by an offensive lineman.
I think it was just his momentum because he does
his fire is different, his get off is, he's operating
a different speed. I think that was completely an accident,
and it's one of those teaching moments to say, hey,
just remember you know, we don't go near the quarterback.
(35:10):
But I don't think you can fault him for that play.
I don't think there was anything malicious. I think he
lost his balance and couldn't regain it until unfortunately he
got into the lap of Joe Burrow.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
So sometime in the last twenty four hours or so,
Brandon Schurf announced his retirement. So Bengals fans that have
still been pining for them to sign a Brandon Shurf,
the veteran offensive guard, are not going to get their wish.
If the Bengals were to decide to add a veteran
before the start of the season, do you have somebody
that you would like to see them go after?
Speaker 7 (35:41):
Uh, well, I think Arizona already scooped up Bernandez. Now
with Sheriff off the board, I think it becomes one
of those you pay attention to thirty one other teams
on cutdown day because you know what you always get
met with is well, if they're still out there, that
means thirty one other teams passed on them. That's not
the case because thirty one other teams might not have
(36:01):
the same need that you have if you're the Cincinnati Bengals.
So like free agent wise, I don't think there's anyone
that you're gonna bring in and say boom, that's an
immediate upgrade. There are always times during cutdown days in
the NFL where you say, man, that player got let
go or they moved on from him because they might
have a surplus of players they might've drafted at that position,
(36:23):
they might be confident in there one or two deep there.
So I think more than any other year, you pay
attention to cut down days and see who's left out
there and say, okay, does that make an immediate knee
or immediate upgrade do our roster right now? Are we
better with that player than we would be without.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
The other name that a lot of people bring up
is Justin Simmons, the safety who is great several years ago.
His PFF grades were lousy. Last year, he's thirty one.
He really seems to be declining. So I think that
does kind of fit under that description of well, he's
probably still out there for a reason, and maybe you're
better off seeing what's available after cutdown day for guys
that have actually played in preseason games and you can
(37:04):
evaluate how they look right now.
Speaker 7 (37:05):
Yeah, I mean, if you wanted to dive into PFF,
von Bell had a higher PFF grade last year than
Justin Simmons. And I know it's not all about the grade,
it's about the system, it's about the scheme, but he
did that playing next to one of the best safeties
in the league and Jesse Bates. So you know, I'm
not in the belief of you've got to reach or
you've got a panic, because again, there are players that
(37:27):
come about on cutdown day. I think they're going to
be active on cutdown day, not just to add one piece,
but I think they had maybe two three pieces because
of the ability of guys that have now been in
football shape. We talked about that all the time of
you know, you don't go through a training camp. You're
working out, but you're not working out the same as
you would be if you're out there on the practice
field every single day. But I think safety, I think
(37:50):
guard on cutdown day is going to be very interesting
to watch what these other teams.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Do, aside from Joe Burrow, Jamar Jason T. Higgins who
has impressed you the most at training camp and feel
free to go with one on offense and one on
defense if you feel that way.
Speaker 7 (38:06):
Yeah, I think there's times in this week Marco Wilson
flashed at corner. I think he made some really good
plays in the practice that was built up as a
lot of unscripted plays. And I want to see guys
that can go off script and react, and I think
that was impressive. But for me, Demetrius Night, I think,
is at a.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
Really solid camp.
Speaker 7 (38:24):
I can't express how hard it is for a rookie
to go through a system you've been in for years.
Then you break from that system, you scrap all of it,
and then you just worry about getting your body right
for the combine and Pro days. And then you get
through that and before you can take a breath, now
you're going to rookie mini camp, and then you're going
(38:44):
to off season workouts, and then you're going to preseason camp.
Speaker 4 (38:48):
You don't have an off season, and.
Speaker 7 (38:50):
Your mind is just always being flooded with new information.
I think he's taken to a very hard position in
the NFL extremely well. Yes, you got to finish plays,
you got to make tackles, but more often than not,
I see Demetrius Night. He's in the right place, he's
connected to a guy in coverage, he's filling a gap
correctly in the run game. I think he's had a
(39:11):
really really good camp as maybe the draft pick that
didn't get talked about because so much focus was on
Shamar Stewart and then so much focus was on Dylan Fairchild.
He kind of got sandwiched in between, and I think
he's been really, really solid. We don't talk much about him,
but Charlie Jones to me is just this solid under
the radar, doesn't make any noise, and then in the
(39:32):
preseason game you see him get targeted and he makes
some catches. You see him in the special team's return game.
He's always solid. I looked at years ago Trent Irwin
when he needed to play because of injuries to others.
It was like they didn't skip a beat when he
came in, and Joe Burrow was confident enough to find him.
And I think all the receivers, Jermaine Burtons had a
really good camp. But I think it says something when
(39:54):
you get into a preseason game and everything's firing around
you in the quarterback with just instinct, confident in going
to you knowing you're going to be doing what you
need to be doing, You're going to be in your spot.
I've been extremely impressed with him. I mentioned earlier, I
think todzs Brooks is a steal and I might be
biased because we sat there at Texas TCH and watched
what he did to the Bearcats, but Texas Tech is
(40:16):
known for a spread it out though at fifty sixty
times a game.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
He had back to back thousand yard rushing years fifteen
hundred yards.
Speaker 7 (40:23):
He's a bowling ball, and what I like most about
him is he is more than willing and able to
step in in a pass protection role. And I don't
know how big the role will be this year, but
I think you feel really good about not only him,
but when you kind of look at everything together, a
lot of the young core.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
Nucleus that's shown so far for the Bengals through.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
Camp certainly like those choices. I'll give you a couple
of mine. I think Cam Taylor Britt has been excellent
this camp. I really can't think of a bad practice
that he's had. Some have been better than others. But
he looks like the guy that we thought he was
going to be going into last season, where money of
has said, you know, there's maybe an odd chance he
becomes a pro bowler. He looks like that guy.
Speaker 4 (41:02):
Again.
Speaker 7 (41:02):
It's hard because when you watch you don't notice a
ton but that's a good thing if you're a corner,
like if you are man, there's another catch down the sideline.
Who's that on? Oh, Cam like that that's a bad thing.
There's like very few instances I can go back to
right now and say, man, that Cam got beat. And
if it is like there was a play unscripted first
(41:25):
drive when the Bengals went down and scored. It was
a third down, Joe Burrow hit Jamar Chase on a
back shoulder throw that you could not have covered any
better as a corner in the NFL. That was Cam
Taylor britt It's like, Okay, tip your cap. The best
wide receiver in football and the best quarterback just connected
and made a very good play. But even the plays
that are made, it feels like he's in the right
(41:45):
position and where he needs to be. And I don't
think you can say enough about you know, the iron
sharpens iron mentality of what the defense gets by going
against that offense every day and a Jamar Chase and
Joe Burrow, and I think you just grow leaps and
bounds from that.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
On that back shoulder catch that you just described, I
happened to be standing very close to where Jamar caught
the ball. Cam Taylor Bridd actually deflected it. Jamar still
made the catch, and afterward the cornerbacks coach Chuck Burke's
yelled out great coverage Cam just to make sure he knews.
Speaker 7 (42:19):
There's nothing else you can do in those situations. It
has just tip your cap, pat him on the back
and move on to the next play and try to
get him then.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
And the offensive guy that's impressed me the most other
than the big three is a guy we talked about earlier,
andre Yosi Vash. And I put it this way, everything
that fans want Jermaine Burton to be, andre Yosi Vash
already is big, strong, fast, runs great routes. He's become tougher,
He's become better at contested catches. So yeah, I'm interested
(42:49):
in Jermaine Burton. I hope he lives up to his potential.
I think andre Josi Vash is already that guy.
Speaker 7 (42:54):
The contested catches have stood out at camp. But I
also think his route running just looks so much cleanup.
And I think the first couple of years he knew, Okay,
this is going to be my role. Let me excel
in my red zone routes. And you saw in the
red zone Joe Burrow would find him, whereas it wasn't
in between the twenties as much.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
And I think.
Speaker 7 (43:12):
Now because what you've seen a camp, you see that
and you see the build up of the confidence that
Joe Burrow now has and andre Yoshiva. I also think
in being there, there are just guys you see, Like
you see t Higgins on a practice field and you're like,
holy cat, like he is huge. I've seen andre Yoshi
vas and you like double take this year, like that
can't be the same guy. Like whatever he's done in
(43:33):
the off season, whatever the workout regimen that he's been on,
I need to get on that because it's leaps and
bounds where he was, and it's also the little things
like there was a practice early in camp and it's
the dog days of camp he was. He was probably
out there thirty minutes after camp, signing autographs and taking
pictures and not just moving down the line, but having
genuine conversations, looking people in the eye, you know, talking
(43:56):
to fans. And I just think the way you connect
that way and the way he's connected with Burrow and
the physical nature in which he's playing right now is
poised to have some sort of breakout. I don't know
what that is, because you have so many weapons gets taled.
I don't know what andre Yoshibah's breakout year is, but
there are going to be games this year where he's
relied on to make a big catch or big catches
(44:18):
because he's getting the coverage rolled away from him. And
I think if you're the Bengals, you're confident that he's
gonna win those battles.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
A couple more things for Tony Pike. Is there a
guy or are there a couple of guys that you're
still waiting to see something from a person that you
focused on and just think to yourself, man, take the
next step.
Speaker 7 (44:37):
I think offensive line wise, you're happy with Warre Mims
has taken it. You're knowing that Dylan Fairchild is growing.
You're solid with Orlando Brown Junior. I think Lucas Patrick
you still want to see more. And what I like
about Lucas Patrick is he's not making the same mistake twice.
He's learning as he goes, but he's still got a
little bit of a ways to go. And I don't
think it's any detriment to the players themselves, but I
(45:00):
would like to see more twelve personnel. We just can't
because Mike Kasicki hasn't practiced because we haven't got a
chance to see yet and Gasicki in the game at
the same time, and what that can look like to
a defensive standpoint. Outside of that on offense, I don't
think you can take much away from what they've done.
I still think there are times where you want to
see Miles Murphy finish where again you want to talk
(45:22):
about physical You look at him and you're like, man,
that's a defensive end in the NFL. He's got all
the tools and at times he's so close to being there,
but he just doesn't finish. And if you could figure
out a way to get him to finish with the
JOSEPHO said that played at the end of last year,
adding Shamar Stewart ideally getting Trey Hendrickson back. All of
a sudden, if you're out, golden third downs become exciting
(45:44):
because now I think you have versatile guys in Miles
Murphy and Shamar Stewart that don't just have to line
up at defensive end. I think you can move him inside.
I think you can stand him up on the outside.
I think you can get really creative if you can
just get that next bit of production from a guy
like Miles Murphy.
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Final thing, is there anything you're really looking to see
in the second preseason game at Washington on Monday night?
Speaker 7 (46:07):
I would love to see the offense just be as
crisp as they were, because I view it as the
last chance you get to do that before you get
to Cleveland and a lot of folks they will scoring
get them out. There's a value from an offensive standpoint
in running a series, coming to the sideline, looking at
the iPad, getting some teaching moments and say, hey, they're
(46:28):
doing this, Let's try this on the next series. So
it's not about just go down and score and get out.
I think it's valuable to come out and get Okay,
what's going on the sideline, what are they doing? What's
our answer to it? Boom here it is, let's go
do it on the next drive. Defensively, they've got to
be better than what they were, and that's all I'm
looking for. All I want to see is, hey, the
(46:48):
baseline didn't start off great, but can you get better
against Washington than you were against Philly? Because if that's
the case, then it tells me they're improving, they're learning.
They take what they're being taught and they're putting it
on the field. There are going to be growing pains
on the defensive side of the ball. But as long
as you are getting better when you get opportunities, then
(47:08):
I think you feel good if you're al golden in
this team. And then Evan McPherson, you know, he made
a fifty one yarder in Week one. I would like
and you never want to do it because you don't
want to take away from your offense. But I'd like
if there was a third and long to maybe just
run the ball and give Evan a fifty three fifty
four yarder, because I think that confidence for him goes
a long way as well. So all three aspects, I
(47:30):
think there are good things you can see. And then
get off the field healthy and get ready for the
regular season.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
Let Evan go from seventy like the Jacksonville Oh.
Speaker 7 (47:38):
Boy, you know who held for him in college? I
don't our guy Fletcher Huh, Arkansas. How about that good
nugget there you go. That's why I deliver nuggets.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
Tony, you're doing an awesome job on Cincy three sixty
and congratulations on your recent induction into the University of
Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4 (47:57):
It is very well deserved. Thank you. I appreciate that's
always good catching.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
Up my thanks to Bearcat's legend Tony Pike. And that's
going to do it for this episode of the Bengals
Booth Podcast, brought to you by Paycore, Proud to be
the Bengals Official HR software provider, by Ulta Fiber, future
proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and
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(48:21):
best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the
official healthcare provider of the Bengals. 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 again everybody on dan Hord and thanks for downloading
The Bengals Booth Podcast. The a hot needs a Second
Chance addition as the Bengals look to shine in primetime
in their second preseason game as they face the Washington Commanders.
Coming up, I'll go one on one with rookie Seth McLaughlin,
(00:25):
who appears likely to make his Bengals debut on Monday.
A Cincinnati Reds pitcher discusses his love for the Orange
and Black in Former UC and NFL quarterback turned talk
show host Tony Pike joins me for an in depth
look at where things stand for the Bengals roughly three
weeks before the season opener. The Bengals Booth Podcast is
(00:47):
brought to you by pay Corps, proud to be the
Bengals official HR software provider, by Ulta 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
(01:07):
that you can have the latest edition of this podcast
delivered write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing
wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since
my first big break. Last weekend, I received an incredible
honor as I was inducted into the Syracuse Baseball Wall
(01:28):
of Fame. I attended Syracuse University dreaming of a career
in sports broadcasting, and the most significant break of my
career was when the late Tech Simone and his son
John hired me to be the voice of the Triple
A Syracuse Chiefs. I was a kid, I was twenty
one years old and it was about a month before
(01:49):
college graduation. Everybody needs somebody to believe in them, and
I will always be grateful that the Simones believed in me.
I have no idea how my care would have turned
out if not for that opportunity. So as much as
I am honored to be on the Wall of Fame,
I am particularly grateful for the people that helped put
(02:11):
me on the path to getting there. Now, let's get
to football. One of the most intriguing undrafted rookies on
the Bengals roster is offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin. He started
twenty five games at Alabama, including a National championship game,
before transferring to Ohio State last year, where he won
(02:31):
the Remington Trophy as the best center in college football.
But at a Tuesday practice before the Buckey's eleventh game,
Seth tore as achilles, causing him to miss the rest
of the season and go undrafted. He signed with the
Bengals shortly after the draft as a free agent. With
Ted Garris entering the final year of his contract at
(02:53):
age thirty two, there could be a need at center
as soon as next year, and McLaughlin could put potentially
be in the mix if Ted's not back. Seth's completed
rehab and started practicing, and I caught up with him
this week. Seth, it sounds like a strong possibility that
you will play on Monday night in the Washington game.
(03:15):
It would be almost nine months to the day since
you suffered your torn achilles last year at Ohio State.
How close to normal do you feel at this point?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, each day I'm getting closer. I don't know if
I'm percent back yet, but I think I'm getting close.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
When the Bengals signed you, I thought that maybe it
would be kind of a red shirt ear situation where
you were learning and rehabbing and getting ready for the
following year, but you seem determined to try to play
this year if you can.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I mean, I'm a competitor. I want to get out
there as soon as I can, and I don't like
sitting on the sidelines and not helping a team win.
So I'm trying to do everything in my power to
help the team win this year, in whatever capacity that
is that the team thinks.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Achilles injuries seem like they're so random. We see it
in basketball where a guy just plants his foot and
it happens. How did it happen to you?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Yeah, it was just a scout period in the middle
of practice, stepping my right just trying to get the
scout team noseguard out of the A gap, and my
heel just dropped and it popped, and h it was
kind of just random.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
How gruesome.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
It didn't really hurt. Surprisingly, it was kind of just scary.
I well, I just popped up and I thought my
guard had stepped on me. And then I went to,
you know, walk and something felt off. And you know,
after seeing like the Aaron Rodgers injury, and I was like,
that's exactly how that looked, is exactly how this felt.
So at that point in time, I knew exactly what
had happened.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
We're visiting the Bengals center Seth McLaughlin. You took part
in one on one pass rushing drills this week, got
matched up against McKinley Jackson, who's three point thirty and
strong as an ox. He tried to bull rush you,
and you held your ground just fine. Did that convince
you in your own mind that your achilles is fine
and you're good to go?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
It was definitely a test that I was look and
forward to whenever that first big bull rush was gonna
come and seen how it reacted. And you know, it
wasn't even like a thought in my mind of like,
oh be careful here, just it felt natural.
Speaker 5 (05:09):
It felt good to some on bull rush.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
You suffered that injury in late November before Ohio State's
eleventh game of the season, and you still won the
Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football. It's
named for a former Bengal, Dave Remington. What did the
award mean to you in light of the circumstances.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
Yeah, it was a huge honor.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
At mid season, I was already you first team All
American and all these mid season awards. So I think
my ten games of play deserved to win the award,
and it's cool that they still gave it, gave it
to me after not playing the final two regular season games,
but it's a huge honor. It was a testament to
all the work I put in that offseason, you know,
trying to rebound a narrative that had already been built
(05:52):
on me, and I got to.
Speaker 5 (05:54):
Prove who I was as a player.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
It happened before the Indiana game the next week was
miss again. How difficult was that to be a Buck
guy for one year and not to play in the game.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
One of the biggest games I was looking forward to
was playing in that game, especially, you know, kind of
after a Rose Bowl loss to at Alabama to Michigan
that year and I kind of wanted to go out.
That was like the last redeeming moment that I, you know,
was looking forward to, having didn't get to play in it.
You know, it's thinks that that game went the way
it did, but I think we we redeemed ourselves in
the in the playoffs, and you know, those rings will last.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Forever, no question about that. So you spent one year
in Ohio State, the previous four at Alabama. What do
you consider yourself a former Buck Guy, a former Crimson Tide?
Speaker 4 (06:37):
What are you?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah, that's a that's a loaded question because there's a
lot of emotions that go into that. I got two
degrees from Alabama. I love the University of Alabama, you know,
but I really made a name for myself in a
legacy for myself at Ohio State. With with all the
things that I did my last year, I mean Alabama,
I'd still been a part of a national championship team.
I'd won three SEC championship starting two of those. Have
(07:01):
a lot of hardware and a lot of good feelings
from my time there. But I think I really cemented
myself as a Buckeye the last year.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
You also started in a college football playoff win over
the University of Cincinnati. That game has not remembered so
finally here, but that was one of the first starts
of your college career.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
Yeah, that was my second start.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
That was an awesome experience, you know, playing in at
and T Stadium.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
A lot of.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Nerves going into that game, just you know, after that
first after my first start, I think I got a
lot of confidence, but you know, going into a playoff
game when you didn't really expect to play the whole year,
was definitely exciting opportunity played well, We ran the ball
incredibly well. That game kept it out of you know,
sass Gardner's hands on the outside.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
So that's definitely a really fond memory for me.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Your memory is right on the money. You guys ran
for more than three hundred yards in that game. If
not for your injury last year, you surely would have
been drafted. After the draft, ESPN rank you as the
best available player still on the board. In a sense,
was it a bit of a silver lining? I know
you would have loved to be drafted, but because of that,
you were able to choose a team where you know
(08:08):
that there could be an opportunity in the relatively near future.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
God has a God has a way of doing things,
you know.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
I definitely went into I went into day two expecting
that I might get picked up by somebody. Went to
day three pretty confident I was going to get drafted
and not sure what happened. But you know, God's got
his plan and I'm on his timing and whatever that entails.
You know, he he led me to Ohio State when
I earned the transfer portal. I never really thought about
going to Ohio State in the first place, and you know,
(08:37):
he closed all the doors that I thought that I
wanted to go down and opened up Ohio State, which
I didn't even know was an option. And it's kind
of the same thing with the Bengals. You know, I
didn't really think of, like, oh, the Bengals, it'd be
a great opportunity.
Speaker 5 (08:50):
I didn't really realize how how good of an opportunity
it was.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And uh, to learn and be in such a great
offense and learn from these coaches who are incredible at
what they do.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
So I'm happy with with how it turned out.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
And it's just another thing for me to overcome, and
you know, I'm fine with that.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
I've I've done it a.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Few times in my career and I'm trying to do
it again.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
The starting center here is Ted karras ten year VET captain,
started every game at center the last three years here.
What if anything have you learned from Ted?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah, Ted's a super intense guy. You know, He's taken
notes on literally everything that's said. It's just the level
of detail that it takes to play at this level.
I think I've picked up from him early on, and
I'm you know, i'd be excited to learn from him
in the season, how he game plans and stuff, because
I had to be invaluable after all the guys that
he's been around and kind of how.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
He's morphed into the player he is.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
It'd be an awesome, you know, honor to learn from
him the rest of the season and you know, just
keep working at getting back from this injury and and
start playing really good football.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Ted of course has the sense he hat all of
the proceeds go to charity. You did something similar at
Ohio State, correctly.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yeah, I mid run the den ball hats, but that
work out for uh, for this organization. So I'll definitely,
you know, do something once I'm more established. And that's
one of my main things. I love giving back and
I feel like that's kind of why we play the game,
is to help others, and it's not just an entertainment.
It's there's a duty to the community that I, you know,
(10:18):
feel strongly about. So, yeah, I'm trying to work to
the point where i'm you know, hopefully I'm good enough
where I can have enough reach to help others.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Look forward to seeing you in action, whether it's Monday
night or shortly after that.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Thanks so much, Seth, Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
It seems like there's an undrafted free agent rookie every
year that winds up making a significant impact, and last
year there were several. Ryan Rico said franchise punting records,
Muma johng Meta played in every game and was a
major contributor on special teams, and Cam Grandy started six
games as a second tight end. We'll see if Seth
(10:57):
McLaughlin or another undrafted rookie winds up doing something similar
this year. On Wednesday of this week, an interesting group
watched the Bengals practice from the sideline. They were members
of the Cincinnati Reds, including Nick Martinez, Emilio Pagan, Matt McClain,
and Brent Sudor. It was especially meaningful for Suitor, who
(11:21):
attended Moller High School and lives in Cincinnati year round.
All right, as a Cincinnati kid, Is this cool for you?
Speaker 3 (11:30):
It is? That's an understaving for sure. This is so
cool week.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
My wife and the kids and I came into the
public practice a couple of weeks ago, an absolute blast,
But this is next level. We are you know, literally
it's standing shoulders shoulder of all the all the studs
out there.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
So this is Jiam come true for Bengals fan.
Speaker 6 (11:46):
I've been a Bengals fan since I moved here in
second grade, so this is definitely I'm pinching myself today.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Professional athletes recognize greatness and other professional athletes, which your
view of Burrough, Chase, etc.
Speaker 6 (11:59):
Just like you said, great some of the best players
in the league. Maybe it'll they'll go down to some
of the best players at the position and in the
history of the game. So such an exciting time to
be a Bengals fan to watch this greatness kind of
unfold every every Sunday. These guys are signed, committed to
this city, committed to this franchise for the years to come.
And I'm same thing. I'm pinching myself just getting to
(12:19):
watch these guys in the offseason. I always love when
football season comes around. It's so fun to watch these
guys compete. It's a great sport just going, you know,
every play, max effort, toe to toe. It's kind of
like baseball where every pitch matters like crazy that everyone's
fighting for the life. But it's like eleven guys doing
instead of three, you know, every play.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
So it's a really cool sport.
Speaker 6 (12:39):
And it always reminds me of the offseason, which is
just a great time for all, you know, all athletes
to kind of rejuvenate. So it's it's I love Bengals football,
and I love that Zach Taylor invited us out here.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
We're so appreciative.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
You've got about twelve players here. It looks like, how
did that come about?
Speaker 3 (12:55):
We got a.
Speaker 6 (12:55):
Text yesterday from Jim Are kind of our court players,
liaison coordinator sent a Texic, Hey, Zach Taylor is inviting
us for the kind of a player's only, like a
VIP access to the practice.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Anyone up? And I said, yeah, it's.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
The Pope Catholic And I said, I'm going, babe, I'll
wake up with the kids.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Just give me this hour, you know.
Speaker 6 (13:15):
So I was really really excited to jump on this opportunity.
And yeah, opportunity of a lifetime for Cincinnati fan, Cincinnati
kid watching Bengals practice like this is awesome.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Did you come to games as a kid, and if so,
any specific memories.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
I sure did some great games.
Speaker 6 (13:31):
Unfortunately, I was there at the playoff game when Carson
Palmer tours towards knee up. That was a big I've
never seen air go out of a stadium like that,
so I definitely remember that. But I was there the game.
What's his name did that backflip in the Simpson room.
Simpson did the backflip. That was amazing. I was there
Burrows almost perfect game against the Ravens a couple of
years ago, So I've been in some really really cool moments.
(13:51):
I don't think I was able to get to a
game last year, but two years ago, three years ago.
My wife at season tickets from like fourteen to nineteen,
so I was there all the time those years. So
a lot of good memories of pay Corps.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
It was.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
It's a great place.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
What was your Super Bowl experience in twenty twenty one?
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Did you watch with friends?
Speaker 4 (14:08):
Family?
Speaker 3 (14:08):
What? How did you watch?
Speaker 6 (14:09):
Yeah, we had a kind of a family and friends
party every round of the playoffs at our house, and
then we just kept it going. We thought about, you know,
last minute, buying some flights and getting out there for
the game, but decided against it. We you know, we
had two boys at the time, so we instead we
just posted kind of did the same thing had family
and friends over at our house and it was a
great game. Unfortunately we didn't, you know, come out on top,
but what a fun run that was. Memories for a
(14:32):
lifetime for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
As we have this conversation, the Reds are two games
out of the final wildcard spot. The team has obviously
built up a great young nucleus. It seems realistic to
me that both of these franchises could have great periods
coming in the next five to six years.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah, I absolutely agree.
Speaker 6 (14:48):
You know, obviously, with the Bengals signing these great players
to long term deals, and then with us, we got
you know, Ellie locked up for four or five more years.
Man McLain's locked up for a bunch of years. We
got you know, Abbid Lodolo Undergreen. These guys are here
with these guys are Reds for years, and we're so excited.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
We have a great rotation.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
I really like our bullpen, I love our position player group,
love our defensive units. So the same thing with the
Bengal left to love the team. So yeah, I think
you're right. We're heading into hopefully.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
A golden era of Cincinnati sports here coming up.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
It's been fun to visit and enjoy practice.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Thank you very much. Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Bents in his tenth major League season and second with
the Reds, and at age thirty five, he still appears
to have plenty left in his left arm. His three
point five to one ERA is basically the same as
his career ERA of three point four six. Before getting
to my next guest, here's a quick reminder that the
Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps,
(15:44):
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. The University of
Cincinnati recently announced that former Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike is
(16:09):
going into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame this year.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
It's a well deserved daughter for.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
The quarterback that led youc to the Orange and Sugar
Bowls in two thousand and eight and two thousand and nine.
Tony is a sports talk show host these days and
has been in attendance at nearly every Bengals training camp practice.
I picked his brain about camp and the upcoming season. Tony,
(16:34):
there have been fourteen training camp practices. You have attended
most of them. There's also been one preseason game. Has
your belief in the Bengals ability to compete for a
Super Bowl title increased, decreased or remain the same based
on what you've seen and explain why.
Speaker 7 (16:51):
For me, it's always it's increasing because we know what
the offense is and it didn't take you long. It
took two drives exactly, maybe even one against Philadelphia to
know that the offense is picking up right where they
left off. And I think they have, believe it or not,
more weapons. I think Chase Brown, he spent so much
of the offseason working as a three down back, catching passes,
(17:12):
pass protection. He looked unbelievable. They're getting good production. I
think TODs Brooks is going to be a really nice
addition to this team. I love the fact that they're
going to be able to utilize twelve personnel more with
Noah Fan and Mike Kasicki, because last year, before Eric
All got injured, they liked twelve personnel. I think that's
good for Joe Burrow it helps the protection, it opens
things up, and then defensively, I know it wasn't what
(17:35):
you wanted to see against Philadelphia, but if you're there
every day, I think it's hard to argue that they're
getting better defensively every day. If you've got to think,
you've got a brand new defensive coordinator with a brand
new scheme trying to implement with a lot of moving parts,
a rookie on the defensive line, a rookie at linebacker.
You've got young safeties, you got young quarter There's so
(17:56):
much youth on this team that have known one way
since they've been in the NFL well, and now they're
getting it a different way. And I love the way
they've competed. I love that they play with intensity. At times,
you feel like there's a chip on the shoulder of
the defense when they're going against that number one offense
in practice. So I think all the signs that you're
seeing are moving in the right direction there.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Lou Anarumo did a lot of good things, says the
Bengals defensive coordinator. They don't get to the super Bowl
in twenty twenty one if the defense didn't carry them
in those three playoff wins. So I almost feel guilty
saying this, but watching Al Golden over these fourteen practices
has almost made me reconsider how good lou An Arumo
(18:37):
was because things just look that much better to me.
Do you agree with that at all?
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Yeah, you know not.
Speaker 7 (18:42):
I don't want to spin everything back to UC. But
I was talking to Moegar about this. There was a
time when you remember when it was Kobe Bryant, it
was Brian Cook, it was Sauce Gardner, and you'd watch
them practice and you'd watch them play, and they just
carried themselves in a way of confidence and they flew
around the field. And a little bit of that when
I watch this defense, because as the confidence grows in
(19:04):
what you're doing, you see that speed on the field,
you know, start to separate itself. And I think early
on there's a little hesitation because everything's new, and in sports,
especially football, if you are unsure of what your responsibility is,
you just you move slower. You tend to try to
process everything instead of just going out getting ready to
(19:25):
snap and then and then going and playing. And when
this defense has started to implement, I hate the term
dumbing it down because it's not dumbing it down. But
it's more base personnel. It's allowing guys to go one
on one and make plays. But more than anything, it's
allowing guys to play confidently. They play free, and they
play fast, and you can almost see the moments in
(19:46):
practice that it starts to click with guys where it's like,
man that looked like another speed for Logan Wilson. Man
that looked like Tyson, Anderson is figuring it out right there.
We've raved about Shamar Stewart, but man, okay, Josephos flash.
There's players that flash at different times because you never
know when it's going to click for someone because install
is such a mental game. But when it does, there's
(20:09):
a speed and there's an urgency of separation that you
start to see with these guys.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
We are visiting the former you see quarterback Tony Pike.
We're having this conversation three weeks and three days before
the regular season opener in Cleveland. What is your biggest
concern at this point on each side of the ball.
Speaker 7 (20:27):
Anytime you hear the term soft tissue injury, I don't
care what sport or how delicate, it is safety on
defense because that's the leader of the defense. That's the
last line of defense, and what I think the defense
can capitalize on is just being a sound defense from
the back to the front to not have the big
(20:47):
plays that are given up. If you give up a
couple short yardage plays or a team's got to go
fifteen plays on you so be it, and then you
bow up in the red zone and you get stops
like I think Al Golden has done a good job
with during training camp.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
You can't give up big play.
Speaker 7 (21:00):
And I know you want to get after the passer,
but at the back end of the defense, you got
to have a guy that's gonna make sure not only
he's in the right spot, but all other ten guys
are in the right spot as well, and make sure
the communication is where it needs to be. So safety
a little bit still for me. On defense offense, I
still think it's the guard position. I don't think it's
Dylan Fairchild's position because I was extremely impressed with him
(21:22):
against Philadelphia. I've also extremely impressed with him watching him
in practice because now you know the defense is running
some more stunts, it's not as basic one on one rush,
and he's picking everything up. The athleticism, the footwork is there,
it's the other guard spot for me? Is it Lucas Patrick?
Is it Cody Ford? How's that going to pan itself out?
Because we know what everything else is. We know what
(21:43):
the tight ends and the running backs and the wide receivers.
We surely know what the quarterback is. To me, it's
it's still that guard position because if that gets shirt
up and you feel good about that going to Cleveland,
this offense can do crazy things.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
And it certainly looks like it's going to be Lucas
Patrick for the last couple of weeks. Now he's the
only guy that's been in there with the ones. Most recently,
Cody Ford has been practicing as the swing tackle, his
primary job last year. So again, we've still got three
weeks and three days from the opener, but it appears
that Lucas Patrick has become the guy.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
And we talk all the time about Al Golden. You
got Scott Peters, who's a new O line coach. So
now you've got a new scheme on the offensive line,
You've got new techniques that you're teaching. And I think
we are all guilty of it at some point of
just getting caught up in the moment because you want
to react to everything that's happening, especially in the media.
I'm at times reporting for five hours a day and
(22:35):
then five different calls. You've got to have something to
talk about, and at times I think you get caught
up and just focusing on the day and not realizing
he's still got three weeks and some change before the
first game. There are going to be growing pains anytime
you bring in a new system, but as you continue
to grow, I think you have a chance to learn
from it. There was a point in practice where Shamar
(22:56):
Stewart and we all know the play, beat Lucas Patrick
on a stunt and everyone makes a big deal about
that play, but that same stunt was run later in
practice and Lucas Patrick stuffed him. He stuffed Shamar Stewart
where he was, so to me, he's learning from the
mistake and they're going to continue to go through some
growing pains, but there's still a lot of time between
now in the season.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
You reference the soft tissue injury that Geno Stone is
dealing with. Did that expose a lack of depth at
safety more than maybe we even thought about.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
I think it did.
Speaker 7 (23:27):
And then I think the follow up with coach Zach
Taylor of saying, we got to figure out who we
have back there and what we have. I think it
gives opportunity to some young players, but there's not a
lot of game snaps in that secondary or in that
safety room. And that's hard to overcome because if you
start going down the list of who you're going to
be facing this year, and the ultimate goal is getting
(23:49):
to a super Bowl, and you know the offenses that
are in line with that and what the Ravens can
do and Pittsburgh ads Aaron Rodgers, we know what the
Bills and the Chiefs still are. You've got to be
able to stop the passing game and so much as
pre snap communication. So it does it. It exposes a
little bit of a concern of you hope Gino stones
there because he played great down the stretch last year,
(24:11):
But for me, it's the what's next?
Speaker 4 (24:14):
What if?
Speaker 7 (24:15):
The contingency plan always has to be in place because depth,
as we know in the NFL, very rarely are guys
going through all seventeen games without getting banged up or
missing a series or a quarter or a couple of games.
The depth is such a key piece for those contending teams.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Joe Burrow says, this is the best he's thrown the
ball in several years. You were an excellent quarterback and
an NFL draft pick. Can you see a difference between
Joe Burrow this camp and the Joe Burrow that we've
enjoyed watching the last several years?
Speaker 7 (24:43):
As he said, you're out there, you see it. I mean,
it's a confidence and it's just a swagger that he
carries himself with. It's hard to explain, but I knew
early on in camp watching him in individual drills the
way he handled individual drills, because there are times where
he he's very mechanical, but then there's other times you
see him roll out to his left, flip the hips,
(25:04):
drive the ball, and then he just kind of walks away,
and you could tell as he's walking away, he's like, yep,
that feels good. Like It's just it's hard because it's
hard to explain unless you see it in person. But
you know, I follow a lot of what Dan or
Lofsky does, and Dan ro Lofsky grated the seven best
traits for quarterbacks in the National Football League. Joe Burrow
was at the top of four of them, and you know,
(25:26):
you can't beat that mechanically, pocket presence, timing, ball placement,
you can't beat any of that with Joe Burrow. But
to think about his path to where he's at right
now and everything he's had to overcome in training camp,
from injuries to pandemics, to his number one wide receiver
not doing a snap of preseason camp, and to see
(25:47):
the numbers he's put up and now all of a sudden,
I think you see a guy that knows I've got
my full compliment of weapons. I feel the best I
have in my NFL career. I'm not rehabbing a major injury.
We're not diagnosing on every pass. Did that one wobble?
Was there enough zip on that the wristess is healthy?
And I can tell from playing the position after he
(26:07):
makes a throw the way he kind of carries himself afterwards,
like okay, okay, he's feeling himself a little bit, and
that is a dangerous thing for the NFL.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Let me play off that dan Orlowski list of traits.
So let's turn the clock back to twenty ten. You're
a rookie with the Carolina Panthers. What Joe Burrow trait
would you have liked to steal oh man U.
Speaker 7 (26:30):
The ball placement because I don't think you can beat
that in the NFL. I mean Joe Burrow, for what
it's worth. On that list, I think he's seventh or
eighth in arm strength. When's the last time you're watching
a game and a quarterback drops back, kit pats the
ball for a couple seconds and throws at seventy yards
in the air. I don't need the strongest arm, but
the ability. There's been times at camp where I've raved
(26:52):
about what the defense is doing and then just applaud
the offense because Joe Burrow drops a ball into Andrey
Yoshibas down the seam in the middle of three guys.
Like the ball placement to me is the top because
there's no way to defend that. Every defense has a weakness,
every defense has a hole. But the coordinator on the
defense is saying, okay, if they make that throw, tip
your cap. More often than not, you have to tip
(27:13):
your cap to what Joe Burrow is doing because his
ball placement is so elite and he has this he
has this ability no matter what's going on around him.
It's not like if pressure's at his feet his ball
placement waivers. It's not like if he's on the run,
his ball placement waivers. It's not like everything has to
be perfect every single time he throws the ball. The
ball goes where it's supposed to be, and that is
(27:35):
It's something you can't drill, you can't teach, it's just
God given.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
You reference some of those throws to Andra Yosi Bosh.
I shoot video basically of every play when they're scrimmaging
a training camp, and it seems to me I have
more clips of spectacular throws to Yosi Bosh than anybody else.
So then I kind of backtrack, and when Joe says
he feels like he's throwing the ball better than he
ever has or as well as he ever has, I
(28:00):
think I've seen more of those kind of intermediate throws
over the corner in front of the safety, dropped in
perfectly to Andrea Yosi Vash than anybody else. And I
wonder if maybe that's the thing that Joe in his
own mind is doing better than he ever has before.
Speaker 7 (28:14):
Yeah, it's incredible, And if you're Joe, you know what.
Jamar and t are the obvious. The battle has always
figured out Okay, how can we add more weapons? And
the more I can pump a ball to somebody else
at practice, the more I'm gonna have success on the
field because you're building that player's confidence as well.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
But I mean, I can't explain.
Speaker 7 (28:31):
That the times where there's a too high look on
defense and a backer or a nickel or a dime
is carrying the slot receiver in this case, andre Yosi Vash,
and somehow the ball fits over top of that Chase
defender and in between two safeties and there's a connection there.
And I think in previous years you've seen the connection
(28:51):
in the red zone more than anything with andre Yosi Vash.
I think now, if you're down there and you see
physically Yoshi vas looks different, like he looks bigger, faster, stronger,
he's better in and out of his breaks. And if
you think just on an offensive point of view, I know,
if I'm a defensive coordinator, I've got to bring attention
to Jamar Chase. I've got to bring attention to t Higgins.
(29:14):
Now I've got to worry about two tight end sets. Oh,
by the way, how am I going to cover andre Yoshibah?
So if you're Andre Now you have the luxury that
every time you line up, you're going to see a
team's third or fourth best cover guy. So you don't
have to beat Jay R Alexander one on one. You
don't have to beat some of the top corners in
this game. You've got to beat a team's third or
fourth best and I like those odds. With what we've
(29:35):
seen from andre Yoshibas to this point of becoming a
very impactful player.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Is it a Cincinnati three way again like it used
to be when Tyler Boyd was the third guy.
Speaker 7 (29:44):
I think it's as close as we've had it since
Tyler Boyd was here in his prime. And I think again,
if you see how this offense is built. As a
defensive coordinator, I know we've harped on it. I'm not
trying anything. I'm dropping seven, I'm rushing four. I'm hoping
to get pressure with four, and if not, I'll try
to shrink the field and win in the red zone.
(30:05):
There's no other way that you can guard this offense
because of the matchups that it presents. You know, if
you want to play your small personnel, the Bengals can
go twelve and they can run two tight ends, and
then you got to say, Okay, do I match that
with bigger personnel and then give up some stuff in
the passing game, or do I keep my lighter personnel
out there and then I get dominated in the running game.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
So it is a wide receiver.
Speaker 7 (30:27):
Dream right now to play in this offense because of
the matchups that you're going to get us at tight
end as well. But yeah, I think they can push
this year to get that three way back.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
We're chatting with former NFL quarterback Tony Pike, the host
of Since three sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty in Cincinnati.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
Let's turn to defense.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
How did you feel about the selection of Shamar Stewart
in the first round when it happened, and how do
you feel now?
Speaker 7 (30:53):
You know, I think the obvious answer was the production
and four and a half sacks, And I know playing
in the SEC is different, but you know they have
some bye weeks built in there as well against some
bad competition. So I was a little skeptical because it
felt like, here's a guy that's super athletic, but maybe
not as polished as you would hope for an impact
(31:14):
player at number seventeen. And then of course you don't
know what to think because of how the offseason transpired.
I couldn't be any higher on Shamar Stewart than I
am right now from watching since he came back to
the practice field, since he stepped foot on the field,
he has flashed with power, athleticism, His change of direction
(31:36):
is incredible, his get off. He made a play in
the Philadelphia game where he showed on the run and
if the ball was handed off, he would have made
the play. And then he was still able to get
to the quarterback on the rollout and affect the throw.
And to me, that's when it kind of clicked of okay,
even if the sacks aren't there yet for Shamar Stewart.
Look at Patrick Mahomes last year in the Super Bowl.
Wasn't a ton of sacks, but it was the most
(31:57):
uncomfortable you've ever seen Patrick Mahomes. He almost looked at
times because of the pass rush of Philly, not all
the time getting home, but just making him uncomfortable. So,
if Schamar doesn't have the sack totals that are there yet,
we've already seen at practice, We've already seen in a
game setting that he has the ability to get to
the quarterback and make him uncomfortable. And in the NFL
(32:19):
that can lead to an arm angle that changes in
a ball that sales for a quarterback or not being
able to drive into a throw and there's less on
it and a corner can undercut it. There are plays
that the secondary will make because of Shamar Stewart, even
if he's not getting home and getting the sack.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
You ready for a Dan Horde hot take, please, Shamar
Stewart might not finish in the top five in sacks.
He probably won't, at least as a rookie, he will
finish in the top five. And tipped passes. How many
balls has he already tipped?
Speaker 4 (32:48):
Yeah, in fourteen.
Speaker 7 (32:49):
Practices, it's been incredible. I mean his first practice he
had what two or three on his own, and you know,
I think he's still learning the ropes of you know,
the quarterback halo, and I know we've talked a lot
about that. But the thing is is what I think
this defense needs as a chip. I think they need
a player that's going to punch the other team in
(33:11):
the mouth and not be the one that's getting punched
in the mouth. I would rather have eleven Shamar Stewarts
that are going to play through the whistle than someone
that's maybe going to be on that timid side just
a little bit that. That was the same conversation that
was talked early in camp about Demetrius Knight. Zach Taylor
talked about, well, you know, sometimes he's a little bit
pushing the issue from a tackling or a hitting standpoint,
(33:32):
But he said, I'd rather have a guy like that
than a guy on the other end of the spectrum.
So I think both the young guys on defense they
have an impact because they play with a chip and
they play with a speed and they're the aggressors. And
if you can feed on that as a defense and
adopt that mentality, you're going to have a lot of success.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
So when Shamar Stewart stumbled and collide to with Joe
Burrow and the offensive line took exception and started to
fight on the next snap, should they have Was Shami
Stewart in the wrong even if it was accidental, No.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
I don't think so.
Speaker 7 (34:05):
If he was untouched to the quarterback and he just
got in the bubble of Joe Burrow and stood there, absolutely,
you know, I understand the skirmish in the fight. The
issue is, and players don't know this on the field
at the time. They just see Burrow down. And I
love the fact that everyone ran in because that's what
(34:25):
you want, that mentality you want. If number nine is down,
I want five offensive linemen going to pick him up.
But in that case, at least to me, it looked
like on his stunt he already had started to lose
his balance, and I think as he was beating Lucas Patrick,
he kind of got a shove from Lucas Patrick. And
if you've ever fallen before, or fallen over a period
(34:46):
of a couple of yards, it's hard enough to regain
your balance, let alone being pushed by an offensive lineman.
I think it was just his momentum because he does
his fire is different, his get off is, he's operating
a different speed. I think that was completely an accident,
and it's one of those teaching moments to say, hey,
just remember you know, we don't go near the quarterback.
(35:10):
But I don't think you can fault him for that play.
I don't think there was anything malicious. I think he
lost his balance and couldn't regain it until unfortunately he
got into the lap of Joe Burrow.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
So sometime in the last twenty four hours or so,
Brandon Schurf announced his retirement. So Bengals fans that have
still been pining for them to sign a Brandon Shurf,
the veteran offensive guard, are not going to get their wish.
If the Bengals were to decide to add a veteran
before the start of the season, do you have somebody
that you would like to see them go after?
Speaker 7 (35:41):
Uh, well, I think Arizona already scooped up Bernandez. Now
with Sheriff off the board, I think it becomes one
of those you pay attention to thirty one other teams
on cutdown day because you know what you always get
met with is well, if they're still out there, that
means thirty one other teams passed on them. That's not
the case because thirty one other teams might not have
(36:01):
the same need that you have if you're the Cincinnati Bengals.
So like free agent wise, I don't think there's anyone
that you're gonna bring in and say boom, that's an
immediate upgrade. There are always times during cutdown days in
the NFL where you say, man, that player got let
go or they moved on from him because they might
have a surplus of players they might've drafted at that position,
(36:23):
they might be confident in there one or two deep there.
So I think more than any other year, you pay
attention to cut down days and see who's left out
there and say, okay, does that make an immediate knee
or immediate upgrade do our roster right now? Are we
better with that player than we would be without.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
The other name that a lot of people bring up
is Justin Simmons, the safety who is great several years ago.
His PFF grades were lousy. Last year, he's thirty one.
He really seems to be declining. So I think that
does kind of fit under that description of well, he's
probably still out there for a reason, and maybe you're
better off seeing what's available after cutdown day for guys
that have actually played in preseason games and you can
(37:04):
evaluate how they look right now.
Speaker 7 (37:05):
Yeah, I mean, if you wanted to dive into PFF,
von Bell had a higher PFF grade last year than
Justin Simmons. And I know it's not all about the grade,
it's about the system, it's about the scheme, but he
did that playing next to one of the best safeties
in the league and Jesse Bates. So you know, I'm
not in the belief of you've got to reach or
you've got a panic, because again, there are players that
(37:27):
come about on cutdown day. I think they're going to
be active on cutdown day, not just to add one piece,
but I think they had maybe two three pieces because
of the ability of guys that have now been in
football shape. We talked about that all the time of
you know, you don't go through a training camp. You're
working out, but you're not working out the same as
you would be if you're out there on the practice
field every single day. But I think safety, I think
(37:50):
guard on cutdown day is going to be very interesting
to watch what these other teams.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Do, aside from Joe Burrow, Jamar Jason T. Higgins who
has impressed you the most at training camp and feel
free to go with one on offense and one on
defense if you feel that way.
Speaker 7 (38:06):
Yeah, I think there's times in this week Marco Wilson
flashed at corner. I think he made some really good
plays in the practice that was built up as a
lot of unscripted plays. And I want to see guys
that can go off script and react, and I think
that was impressive. But for me, Demetrius Night, I think,
is at a.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
Really solid camp.
Speaker 7 (38:24):
I can't express how hard it is for a rookie
to go through a system you've been in for years.
Then you break from that system, you scrap all of it,
and then you just worry about getting your body right
for the combine and Pro days. And then you get
through that and before you can take a breath, now
you're going to rookie mini camp, and then you're going
(38:44):
to off season workouts, and then you're going to preseason camp.
Speaker 4 (38:48):
You don't have an off season, and.
Speaker 7 (38:50):
Your mind is just always being flooded with new information.
I think he's taken to a very hard position in
the NFL extremely well. Yes, you got to finish plays,
you got to make tackles, but more often than not,
I see Demetrius Night. He's in the right place, he's
connected to a guy in coverage, he's filling a gap
correctly in the run game. I think he's had a
(39:11):
really really good camp as maybe the draft pick that
didn't get talked about because so much focus was on
Shamar Stewart and then so much focus was on Dylan Fairchild.
He kind of got sandwiched in between, and I think
he's been really, really solid. We don't talk much about him,
but Charlie Jones to me is just this solid under
the radar, doesn't make any noise, and then in the
(39:32):
preseason game you see him get targeted and he makes
some catches. You see him in the special team's return game.
He's always solid. I looked at years ago Trent Irwin
when he needed to play because of injuries to others.
It was like they didn't skip a beat when he
came in, and Joe Burrow was confident enough to find him.
And I think all the receivers, Jermaine Burtons had a
really good camp. But I think it says something when
(39:54):
you get into a preseason game and everything's firing around
you in the quarterback with just instinct, confident in going
to you knowing you're going to be doing what you
need to be doing, You're going to be in your spot.
I've been extremely impressed with him. I mentioned earlier, I
think todzs Brooks is a steal and I might be
biased because we sat there at Texas TCH and watched
what he did to the Bearcats, but Texas Tech is
(40:16):
known for a spread it out though at fifty sixty
times a game.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
He had back to back thousand yard rushing years fifteen
hundred yards.
Speaker 7 (40:23):
He's a bowling ball, and what I like most about
him is he is more than willing and able to
step in in a pass protection role. And I don't
know how big the role will be this year, but
I think you feel really good about not only him,
but when you kind of look at everything together, a
lot of the young core.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
Nucleus that's shown so far for the Bengals through.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
Camp certainly like those choices. I'll give you a couple
of mine. I think Cam Taylor Britt has been excellent
this camp. I really can't think of a bad practice
that he's had. Some have been better than others. But
he looks like the guy that we thought he was
going to be going into last season, where money of
has said, you know, there's maybe an odd chance he
becomes a pro bowler. He looks like that guy.
Speaker 4 (41:02):
Again.
Speaker 7 (41:02):
It's hard because when you watch you don't notice a
ton but that's a good thing if you're a corner,
like if you are man, there's another catch down the sideline.
Who's that on? Oh, Cam like that that's a bad thing.
There's like very few instances I can go back to
right now and say, man, that Cam got beat. And
if it is like there was a play unscripted first
(41:25):
drive when the Bengals went down and scored. It was
a third down, Joe Burrow hit Jamar Chase on a
back shoulder throw that you could not have covered any
better as a corner in the NFL. That was Cam
Taylor britt It's like, Okay, tip your cap. The best
wide receiver in football and the best quarterback just connected
and made a very good play. But even the plays
that are made, it feels like he's in the right
(41:45):
position and where he needs to be. And I don't
think you can say enough about you know, the iron
sharpens iron mentality of what the defense gets by going
against that offense every day and a Jamar Chase and
Joe Burrow, and I think you just grow leaps and
bounds from that.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
On that back shoulder catch that you just described, I
happened to be standing very close to where Jamar caught
the ball. Cam Taylor Bridd actually deflected it. Jamar still
made the catch, and afterward the cornerbacks coach Chuck Burke's
yelled out great coverage Cam just to make sure he knews.
Speaker 7 (42:19):
There's nothing else you can do in those situations. It
has just tip your cap, pat him on the back
and move on to the next play and try to
get him then.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
And the offensive guy that's impressed me the most other
than the big three is a guy we talked about earlier,
andre Yosi Vash. And I put it this way, everything
that fans want Jermaine Burton to be, andre Yosi Vash
already is big, strong, fast, runs great routes. He's become tougher,
He's become better at contested catches. So yeah, I'm interested
(42:49):
in Jermaine Burton. I hope he lives up to his potential.
I think andre Josi Vash is already that guy.
Speaker 7 (42:54):
The contested catches have stood out at camp. But I
also think his route running just looks so much cleanup.
And I think the first couple of years he knew, Okay,
this is going to be my role. Let me excel
in my red zone routes. And you saw in the
red zone Joe Burrow would find him, whereas it wasn't
in between the twenties as much.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
And I think.
Speaker 7 (43:12):
Now because what you've seen a camp, you see that
and you see the build up of the confidence that
Joe Burrow now has and andre Yoshiva. I also think
in being there, there are just guys you see, Like
you see t Higgins on a practice field and you're like,
holy cat, like he is huge. I've seen andre Yoshi
vas and you like double take this year, like that
can't be the same guy. Like whatever he's done in
(43:33):
the off season, whatever the workout regimen that he's been on,
I need to get on that because it's leaps and
bounds where he was, and it's also the little things
like there was a practice early in camp and it's
the dog days of camp he was. He was probably
out there thirty minutes after camp, signing autographs and taking
pictures and not just moving down the line, but having
genuine conversations, looking people in the eye, you know, talking
(43:56):
to fans. And I just think the way you connect
that way and the way he's connected with Burrow and
the physical nature in which he's playing right now is
poised to have some sort of breakout. I don't know
what that is, because you have so many weapons gets taled.
I don't know what andre Yoshibah's breakout year is, but
there are going to be games this year where he's
relied on to make a big catch or big catches
(44:18):
because he's getting the coverage rolled away from him. And
I think if you're the Bengals, you're confident that he's
gonna win those battles.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
A couple more things for Tony Pike. Is there a
guy or are there a couple of guys that you're
still waiting to see something from a person that you
focused on and just think to yourself, man, take the
next step.
Speaker 7 (44:37):
I think offensive line wise, you're happy with Warre Mims
has taken it. You're knowing that Dylan Fairchild is growing.
You're solid with Orlando Brown Junior. I think Lucas Patrick
you still want to see more. And what I like
about Lucas Patrick is he's not making the same mistake twice.
He's learning as he goes, but he's still got a
little bit of a ways to go. And I don't
think it's any detriment to the players themselves, but I
(45:00):
would like to see more twelve personnel. We just can't
because Mike Kasicki hasn't practiced because we haven't got a
chance to see yet and Gasicki in the game at
the same time, and what that can look like to
a defensive standpoint. Outside of that on offense, I don't
think you can take much away from what they've done.
I still think there are times where you want to
see Miles Murphy finish where again you want to talk
(45:22):
about physical You look at him and you're like, man,
that's a defensive end in the NFL. He's got all
the tools and at times he's so close to being there,
but he just doesn't finish. And if you could figure
out a way to get him to finish with the
JOSEPHO said that played at the end of last year,
adding Shamar Stewart ideally getting Trey Hendrickson back. All of
a sudden, if you're out, golden third downs become exciting
(45:44):
because now I think you have versatile guys in Miles
Murphy and Shamar Stewart that don't just have to line
up at defensive end. I think you can move him inside.
I think you can stand him up on the outside.
I think you can get really creative if you can
just get that next bit of production from a guy
like Miles Murphy.
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Final thing, is there anything you're really looking to see
in the second preseason game at Washington on Monday night?
Speaker 7 (46:07):
I would love to see the offense just be as
crisp as they were, because I view it as the
last chance you get to do that before you get
to Cleveland and a lot of folks they will scoring
get them out. There's a value from an offensive standpoint
in running a series, coming to the sideline, looking at
the iPad, getting some teaching moments and say, hey, they're
(46:28):
doing this, Let's try this on the next series. So
it's not about just go down and score and get out.
I think it's valuable to come out and get Okay,
what's going on the sideline, what are they doing? What's
our answer to it? Boom here it is, let's go
do it on the next drive. Defensively, they've got to
be better than what they were, and that's all I'm
looking for. All I want to see is, hey, the
(46:48):
baseline didn't start off great, but can you get better
against Washington than you were against Philly? Because if that's
the case, then it tells me they're improving, they're learning.
They take what they're being taught and they're putting it
on the field. There are going to be growing pains
on the defensive side of the ball. But as long
as you are getting better when you get opportunities, then
(47:08):
I think you feel good if you're al golden in
this team. And then Evan McPherson, you know, he made
a fifty one yarder in Week one. I would like
and you never want to do it because you don't
want to take away from your offense. But I'd like
if there was a third and long to maybe just
run the ball and give Evan a fifty three fifty
four yarder, because I think that confidence for him goes
a long way as well. So all three aspects, I
(47:30):
think there are good things you can see. And then
get off the field healthy and get ready for the
regular season.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
Let Evan go from seventy like the Jacksonville Oh.
Speaker 7 (47:38):
Boy, you know who held for him in college? I
don't our guy Fletcher Huh, Arkansas. How about that good
nugget there you go. That's why I deliver nuggets.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
Tony, you're doing an awesome job on Cincy three sixty
and congratulations on your recent induction into the University of
Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4 (47:57):
It is very well deserved. Thank you. I appreciate that's
always good catching.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
Up my thanks to Bearcat's legend Tony Pike. And that's
going to do it for this episode of the Bengals
Booth Podcast, brought to you by Paycore, Proud to be
the Bengals Official HR software provider, by Ulta Fiber, future
proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and
community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the
(48:21):
best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the
official healthcare provider of the Bengals. 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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