October 29, 2024 • 40 mins
The Bengals lost. There are issues. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic and The Growler Podcast joined us to discuss them.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You better believe this is a big game.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Spikes the ball in the back of the aside.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Three in five Bengals are looking to say their season
when they line up against a two and six Raider.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Chay Breck sent comahawk chops under the grind.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
The Orange and Black, put a whoopman on a silver
and co catch the call from Dan Hoard and Dave Lepa.
Coverage starts Sunday morning at nine on ESBN fifteen thirty,
Official Home of the Bengals.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
That's us.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
What's up, Good afternoon, hobo echer.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Thank you so much for listening.
We are broadcasting from its basically been to before this
year Buffalo Wild Wings and Anderson Run Beachmont.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
We are here.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
It's a short show today. We're here till five thirty
this afternoon. We have a UK exhibition game coming up
at five thirty, the Wildcats taking on Minnesota State.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
So here's what that means for you.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
It means that instead of getting here before six o'clock
to win our prizes, you gotta get here before five third.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
What are our prizes.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Well, we've got a couple of really cool looking bud
light Bengals Nike golf hoodies.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Those are terrific.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
We've also got, thanks to our friends at bud Light,
a pair of tickets to the game on Sunday Bengals Raiders.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
You know you want to go.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
You might be down on the Bengals and you might
be swearing them off and the season's over, but you're
gonna say no to free tickets.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Of course you're not. You're gonna say yes to them.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Also gonna say yes to a five dollars bud Light
talls buy one, get one half off traditional Wings and me.
So we're here at b Dubbs Anderson and we're having
a lot of fun, and so come on out and
join us. We've had some really cool crowds last few weeks.
We were Middletown last week and the crowd in Middletown
was awesome. I don't know if they were there for me.
(01:48):
There just happened to be a lot of people there
was awesome. And we're back at this location where they
have treated us very very well. Our guy, Paul Danner
Junior is here. Could not make the trek to Middletown,
but he's with me here on the east side of Cincinnati.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
I feel better. I feel so much better being here
in person.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Equilibrium got thrown off. You're not being here, you know it?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Throw it throws off my whole week, mo, Like this
is just this is part of my balance. You know,
we're creatures of habits. Yeah, we got to keep doing
the same thing. So when I don't, when I don't
get this drive to wherever, we're going to kind of
compose my thoughts so I can be as good for
your show as I possibly can be. My whole week
is thrown off. My whole balance is thrown off. And
(02:29):
I and I think that's probably part of the reason
why the Bengals played bad against you.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
I think that's it.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I think we've I think there's a lot of different
things that people have talked about, but I think that's it.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
It's you missed out on that way. Yea.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
So all right, take the l I'm just gonna start
with this. Is this salvageable and not salvageable in the
regard well that's the thing. Not in the well, you
know what they can make those games in December?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Matter?
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Is this salvageable? Like we we started by talking about
the start of the season by talking about them being
in competition with the Chiefs and the Ravens, the Buffalo
Bills and the US Texans, and they couldn't.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Seem farther away from that right now.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
So in that regard, in the context of how we
talked about them in June and July, is this salvagable?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah? I think so. Okay, I don't think it's impossible.
I mean, again, that's saying is there any real shot
of it? It doesn't look great. I mean, everybody has
eyeballs and can see what's going on out there, and
there's so many problems, and I think, weirdly, I think
it's more salvageable in the short term in the long term,
(03:32):
like it feels broken in a big picture. But I
think they could salvage this season still just because of
the makeup of things, like Joe's still playing great right
at some point theoretically t Higgins will come back and
and when you have Tea and Jamar and Joe Burrow
(03:53):
right now, like it cooks right like sweet seen the show,
the defense is not gonna be good. I think everybody
can come to terms with that. It's there's no world
that it lives up to even some of the can
they just be okay conversations that we kind of have, like,
it's probably not gonna be that. That said, I they
(04:16):
still seem like a team that could make the playoffs. Yeah,
I still think the AFC is I mean, even the
bad version of this team had Baltimore to a dropped
field goal and had Kansas City be I mean, and
that is understanding everything that we said. They're not gonna
win a playoff game scoring less than thirty points. Yeah, okay,
(04:39):
like we know how they're gonna have to win if
they do it. But is it salvageable to get in
and be the last team that some of the Yeah,
I think that's still it's still on the table. It's
just I think you come to terms with the fact
that the defense just feels like it's just not going
(05:03):
to get to any level that makes anything other than
Joe Burrow has to do some heroics he can, and
because he can do heroics, it's salvageable. The big picture
of it feels much more daunting to me than than
the short term. In what way, boy, who you're building
(05:23):
around on defense? Tell me one where do you start?
Henderson's the best player you got one year up in
his contract, which he probably won't be happy about in
this off season. They get right, Okay, are we building
around anybody else up there? Any of your young guys
you drafted, No, the older guys are moving on from him.
(05:45):
Are you building around Cam Taylor Brittin. No? Are you
building around DJ Turner?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
No?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Are you building around anybody Geno Stone, Jordan Batno? Are
you building around Jermaine Pratt and Logan Wilson. They're fine,
and they're I think they're perfectly fine. Two linebackers is
probably the best spot that you have. You have nothing
to build around. Your picks that you made to backfill
(06:11):
this defense and start the next generation of a solid
defense have all not just not been okay, not just
not become your core. They've regressed. And your older players
are looking old because you knew that was coming, and
that's why you drafted guys to try to be This
was supposed to be the two ships passing in the
(06:32):
Night's portion, Like midway through this year was when you
were gonna say, okay, the older players are starting to
look a little old, and younger players ascend, and then
their roles reversed and that was the plan. Well one
of them is happening. Yes, the older players are going
down and the younger players are going with them, and
(06:52):
so you need a lot of picks and a lot
of money to fix that. And you know what they
won't have when they pay Jamar Chase theoretically and then
have to then watch T Higgins theoretically walk is a
ton of money. Limp, Limp. Yeah, Yeah, well they hope
walk jog wherever he goes, and and and then and
(07:16):
that's not even getting into what you're gonna have to
start talking about on the offensive side of the ball,
while it's your interior offensive line, how are you gonna
find another number two receiver? Or are you gonna pay
T Higgins? Like all of the long term questions, boy,
they feel like a lot. But what they have here
right now, as bad as it's been, is you can
(07:38):
you could see a way that they could put it
together and and be a team that we're talking about
making the playoffs and then could go could go into
any any place in a six, three, seven to two
game and get a win. Would they be good enough
to do that three games in a row?
Speaker 3 (07:55):
No?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I don't think so. I mean that the defense would
have to see dramatic change by these young players down
the stretch. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
You you mentioned something though that I think is important
because you know, we as fans during the season tend
to take a very short term view, right the next game,
the next week, the next opponent this season. Can they
make the playoffs? Can they win when they get there.
I think that's part of what has made this little
eight game stretch so sobering is it is sort of
(08:23):
signaled what life might look like in some regards minus
t Higgins offensively and then defensively. You know, Trey Hendrickson
didn't have a good game on Sunday and that's okay,
the Fred Johnson revenge game. Yeah, I really thought game thoughts,
that's what you were going to write about.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
After the game, Fred came back and.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
All right, so Trey had a bad game, So that
means the rest of the defense has a bad game. Well,
I mean, Trey's older, so theoretically he's going to have
more bad games and then one day he's not going
to be here and oh boy, then it's his collection
of defensive linemen that are introducing. I think that's an
important part of this that not many people are talking
about that they could fix this for the time being.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
But boy, down the road, well we.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Talk about like team needs going into the off season,
that list is going to be longer than it's been
in quite a while.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I have said this, you know, during the preseason, during
the off season, even at the end of last year,
I wrote this, this year was going to be defined
by the growth of this of these young draft picks,
like because they had for the future of the franchise,
the near foreseeable future, had to start to offset the
(09:39):
Borrow money that's coming, the Chase money that's coming with
another collection of young players that give you that surplus
that they got before from Burrow and Higgins and Chase.
And if you don't, and that's why it's so hard
for teams to win when they get off the rookie
(10:01):
quarterback contract, because it's just the margin for air is
so thin, and you have to hit on your draft picks,
you just and you probably have to hit on them
at premium positions to get that value back. And when
you not only don't hit on them, but you miss
on everything at premium positions, even the best laid plans
(10:24):
that you thought you had don't matter, and it's just
that's what this that's so much of what this comes
back to it at all, at all of these spots,
in every conversation that we're having right now on both
sides of the ball, is about so many of these
young players not becoming the next Jesse Bates, the next
(10:45):
t Higgins, the next Sam Hubberd or Trey Hendrickson, the
next any of these draft picks go down the line.
There's so many of them that aren't giving you anything,
the next Cheeta bay Aluzia. They haven't gotten the next
any thing out of all these guys, and he just
it's just killing him at this point.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
Paul Danner juniors with us the Athletic dot Com The
Growler Podcast, where we explored some of these themes. I
know the latest episode is out. I uh, I want
to run a few things past you. My new job
that I'm volunteering for. Oh good, the new nickname for
the Bengals kicker, and we have to figure out where Lunarumo.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Should be shopping today. Plus we have to talk about
the Marvin Lewis revenge game.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Yes, I mean, look, if Fred Johnson can get revenge,
oh yeah, yeah, it.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Is a quarter after three.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
We're at Buffalo Wild Wings on the East Side and
Anderson on Beach Month. We're here until five thirty today.
We've got Bengals Raiders tickets to give away. We've got
buy one, get one half all Traditional Wings. We've got
button Light toalls for five bucks.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
All we need is you. On ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Station, Cincinnati's es move on and bostin Almore. I think
you should continue.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Let me keep going.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Then three sixteen tomorrow which twelve News on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Twenty one minutes after three o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen
thirty broadcasting today from Buffalo Wild Wing's on Beachmont.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Paul Danner Junior is here.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
We're giving away tickets to Bengals v. Raiders, thanks to
our friends at Budlight.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Got to get here before five thirty to win them.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Our show ends early today for UK basketball, the Wildcats
taking on Minnesota State in an exhibition tilt.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Paul is here. There's lots to get to. I feel like.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Lu An Arumo and the defensive players should go shopping today, yeah,
and buy something nice.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Are they gonna go to Kenwood Mall? Like Leye Collins
days could Yeah, because I feel like due to the
sequence as you put it on your podcast.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Yeah, the sequence third and one and fourth and one.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
Yeah, because of the hyper focus on that, what we
saw from the defense is not being ignored, but it's
not the highlights what everybody is focusing on it Bengals
sort of on sundated.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Hey don't look over here, look over here.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
And the beneficiary of that is lou Anarumo rushing three
the entire game, not putting any pressure on the quarterback,
Jordan Battle getting torch cam Taylor Brick committing penalties, Von
Bell missing tackles, and so those guys should get together
and get everybody involved with third and one and fourth
and one, from Zach to Joe to Zack Moss to
Jamar Chase, maybe throw something to Cooper to Gene. I
(13:26):
don't know, because like, we focused on that a lot,
even like Tony and I yesterday Tony and football, should
we focus on that a lot? And I'm driving home
and I'm like, I'm I'm not sure we spend as
nearly as much time on how awful that defense was and.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Is the offense didn't punt? Yeah, you know, and we
spend all the time ripping them and now Green they
had the fourth down and they had two turnovers in
fair right, But we're spending all the time on an offense.
Didn't punt, Yeah, because that is where the defense has
(13:59):
put them. They have put them into position where and
I sort of talked about this on the walkout and
wrote about this in my postgame column, was that they
are a franchise that has put too much on their
franchise quarterback, Like this is I don't care Superman or not.
(14:20):
You can't ask him to support an absolute dog defense. Okay.
You can't ask him to support a non existent running game.
You can't ask him support a second wide receiver that
isn't t Higgins right now at this point and whenever
and whatever's going on with that, you know where they're
(14:41):
just not getting enough production out of anybody else. You
can't ask him to support a fourth down play call
that means throwing it behind the sticks. You can't ask
him to get every third and twelve third and twenty
two third and nine third and seven and he's got
to make four guys miss and and do these magical plays.
(15:01):
And he can do those, and he does them. Multiple
times a game. But it feels like he's constantly having
to loaves and fishes this thing to make it all work.
And he's and he's doing it to the highest QBR
in the league, and he's doing it at a level
that is remarkable. But there is they have just put.
(15:21):
We've found out what the breaking point of is, Like,
what's the level of support you have to give? Some yeah,
some some need some support in order because it puts.
And what stood out to me in the moment of
the sequence of the timeout, third down, fourth down, score
(15:43):
interception is the impatience of the moment, the absolute if
we don't do it now, this is we have to
be aggressive. We have to go for it. We have
to incur risk in our decision making to make up
for what's happening on defense because they are not stopping
a soul. And so that means from your own thirty
(16:06):
nine you look at the last three possessions that went
TD TDTD for the Eagles with ease important, and you
look at the state of the game and you say,
this is a shootout. Have to get touchdowns. We can't
play field position. I can't even try to play field
position here because you know what's gonna happen. If you do,
(16:28):
we have to score touchdowns. You got Joe Burrow, so
go for it. Burrow dropping back, have to go score. Now,
have to keep up to I'm gonna force one deep
to Jamar. And this is a throw he takes all
the time. Sure, it's still a force. It's still an
impatient throw because Vic Fangio is gonna dare you to
not lose your patience, and he did because what was
(16:52):
happening on defense forced him to. And so I just
all of that is connected to each other. And but
it all starts because you feel like you have to
be perfect offensively because the defense is against any team
with any kind of teeth just gets absolutely swallowed.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Hole because I felt like torturing myself.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Yeah, I went back and watched yesterday morning the sequence
and Iron Eagle and Charles Davis are having a discussion
about whether or not the Bengals should go.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
For it there, and to me, it was a no brainer.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Yeah, but Charles Davis said, this is desperate, and my
counter to that is circumstances create desperation. Blame the defense
for creating the desperation. The Bengals had offensively you don't
want to be in a position where you're trailing, you're
in minus territory and you're going for it on fourth
and one.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
No, And maybe in.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
Different set of circumstances you would still say we're going
to go for it. But it was aggressive, I think,
crossing over slightly into desperation.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
But I can't blame them, no, And I just felt
like every way you look at it said go for it.
Whether we're talking about the analytics what gave which gave
it a plus five point one percent, a very strong
go rating, the eye test of what had just happened
on the previous three eagles drives, and the mantra of look,
whenever we're in a big moment, put the ball in
(18:11):
Burrow's hands right now, let him throw it beyond the sticks,
but put the ball in Burrow's hands when you feel
like a game changing moment is here. And that was it.
I mean it was you're either gonna punt it back
and you know what's probably gonna happen next, or you're
gonna go for it and try to complete that drive.
And so for me, that goes back to the philosophy
that we've talked about and criticize Zach Taylor rightly for
(18:32):
taking it out of his hands in certain moments this year,
for being conservative in certain moments this year. Be aggressive,
play aggressive, Let Burrow try to go win you a game.
And it didn't work out. But I didn't have a
problem with the decision in that regard.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
No, I've for years, going back, you know, twelve thirteen years,
I lobby to be the Bengals Director of common Sense. Yeah,
which is a job that has sort of become common
in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
They just they call it fancy name. You don't want that, No,
you're a man, all right.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
So I'm I'm going back and forth on a couple
of different opportunities for me to work for the Bengals
on game day. One is you know, they the coach
has the headset and there's two buttons.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Offensive button, defensive button.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
We create an apparatus where I hit a button on
any situation where there's a yard to go, and I
override everything and just go Snake, Snake. Hey, No, what
we're gonna do here, Snake. We're gonna put Matt Lee
on the field, and we've got this play for Snake.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Right.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
I think it's a great snake, yes, and just interrupts
any and all snake.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Or like in college football you see him hold up
those plat cards and it just you know, just make
it very up.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
I don't think why hide it, hide snake. Just the
picture of something somebody sneaking snake and.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Just tell the other guys. It ain't hard to figure
out what the quarterback is going to snake.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
You know how they always put up like, you know,
be quiet for the offense or whatever. I think you
put it up on the video board, sneak snake.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Just put it up on all the boards, sneak.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Coming and just and dare them. I mean the Eagles
basically do that with the brotherly shove that I.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
Said this on your your podcast today though, would have
been nothing cooler than do the tush push and then
you kind of look over at the other sideline. They're
like wave like thanks God, you know, give the Mike
Tomlin thumbs up like last night.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
The other one is if you so the Bengals primary
colors are black and orange. Is somebody allowed to like
be like in like a like a lime green shirt
or something.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Sure? Well, they you always have the TV people on
the side. They have they have the big oven Mitch,
maybe what about with would oven.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Mits work for your situation?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
So it's fourth down, I wear some sort of color
that stands out, and I stand next.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
To where the marker is, so we're not throwing the ball.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Has to go past me?
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Yeah see, you know, and I don't know what we
call that or just someone who you know just ensures.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Hey, if it's fourth and two, we're gonna try to
throw the ball.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Three yards like I've got one. I got as much as.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
We complicate this sport, and it could be deeply, deeply complex, right,
I feel like if I ran this past my second
grade daughter, Bengals need a yard. So I'll give you
two options, Craus. We could do this, or I could
like draw a diagram. Here's the they have to go here.
So should they throw the ball here over this line
(21:32):
or here in front of it? My seven and a
half year old is smart enough to go.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
What about past it? I think that's the right goal.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
I think we're gonna go past it. Dad. You know what,
all right?
Speaker 2 (21:43):
I have one? What if we have one where you
have a buzzer? Okay, and any time any receiver or
running back or eligible person goes in motion that goes
back and forth. Yeah, you can hit a buzzer and
the play stops before it's out. It's an automatic timeout
that just shuts the game down right then, So the
(22:04):
play does not continue after the stupid back and forth
motion thing starts before they hike it, because you know
that play is going to fail. Fun shoot it to
the sun enough. It doesn't work.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
I don't know that. I have a bigger pet peeve.
It used to be the shovel pass. Yeah, and then
the shovel pass worked in the Bear's commander's game, and
Indiana used the shovel pass for a two point conversion,
and so all right, you got shovel whatever, it's no
longer the shovel pass.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
It's fourth, it's fourth and four.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
We throw it to the three like Andy Dalton did
that one year twenty seventeen, and like it was fourth
and seventy.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Threw a three yard pass, and I everybody murdered him
for it. Joe doesn't, and we just well, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Well, you know, I don't understand, see I My opinion
is the Bengals have their version of the tush push.
You know what it is? Hey, let all let everybody
go out there and let Joe Burrow process and if
it all breaks down, find a way to fine. You
find a guy and do a thing like that is
it's one of the most unstoppable things that they have.
All you need is a yard or two. Have everybody
(23:08):
out there have it where he can just throw it
quickly to somebody that gets open, and if it all
breaks down, can go and do some magic and make
it all happen, because guess what, he does it all
the time. So why not? Why is it that these
short yarded situations are always so full of everybody's compact
And here's Matt Lee and Zach Moss is gonna go
run up the middle and they're gonna try to do
(23:29):
this like or we're gonna throw it behind the sticks
and that's it's. It's instantly out and you have no
other choice. Or you throw it behind the six or
four half time in Carolina and and wait to see
what happens. Zach mosspeiled you out there. Otherwise we'd be
talking about that the same way we're talking about this
Andre Yoshivasha and New England, like all of this stuff,
you're where it's one option Joe is so good at
(23:51):
multiple options, and then even if all that breaks down,
finding an option you didn't know exist and making that
work for you. The idea of taking that off the
time table in any kind of a short yard situation
like that, to me is like being like, we don't
really like the touch push. Yeah, I don't think we
want to do it, even though it works every single time.
I feel like they already have it and just never
(24:11):
use it.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
So you just hire me to stand there like next
to the guy holding the marker like on the on
the other side.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
And just jump up and down run to me here, yeah,
throw it here. I mean, I cannot tell you.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
I was in a crummy mood on Sunday anyway because
I slept for forty five minutes.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
That that set me off. I'm not supposed to be
set sent me off. I'm still not over it.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
I understand where where'd you sleep for forty five minutes.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Flying back from Colorado overnight?
Speaker 2 (24:42):
You manage forty five minutes?
Speaker 3 (24:44):
I got forty five minutes asleep.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean credit to you though, Power through
the show, Power through the game. Yeah, I mean I
credit you for that, and and shout out to tpe
a Tony Pike with no voice? Who is just grind?
That was grinding?
Speaker 4 (25:02):
Twenty six Away from four o'clock Rebuffalo Wild Wings in Anderson,
Paul Danner Junior on ex at Paul Danner Junior, read
his work at the Athletic dot Com, and of course,
the Growler Podcast. Latest episode Baalds Don't Lie dropped just
a short while ago. I'm Oeger here till five thirty.
Beat Ups ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
You better believe this is a big game.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Spikes the ball in the back of the.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Upside forty infined Bengals are looking to save their season
when they line up against that two and six Raiders.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
Breck Sam Tamahawk chops under the ground.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
The Orange and Black put a whoopman on the silver
and patched the call from Dan Wood and Dave Lapper.
Coverage starts Sunday morning at nine on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Official Home of the.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Dave Lapple, and you're listening to the Home of the Bengals,
ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Thanks you.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
Away from four o'clock ESPN fifteen thirty one, casting from
Buffalo Wild Wings Anderson's Buy one one half. All the
traditional wings bud light balls are friends in mud light
them given as surprises. Some Nike Golf, Bengals, Hoodies, Bengals, Traders,
tickets and more. Get here before uh five thirty Paul Danner,
Junior's here for another few minutes. Do you know anything
(26:18):
about the world of cryptocurrency?
Speaker 2 (26:23):
I don't know, not not an I don't either.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
I don't either.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
I don't think I do hitcoin. I mean, I know
it was It's not an area that you want to
be dabbling right now. I don't think.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
I don't I never have it.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
There's I know that there's crypto bros. Yeah, yeah, and
I don't want to be one of them.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
There was ft x is that that went away, and
then it was dog coin or something. I don't know
anything about cryptocurrency. It strikes me as volatile and unreliable. Yeah,
where we're gonna take money mac turn them into crypto mac.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
I know what I'm gonna get. Yeah, sorry, Yeah, it's fair.
It's fair.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
What makes him a weapon is his ability to make
kicks from distance.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
His first two years.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
Money seventeen of nineteen, four for four in the postseason
since the beginning of last year ten of eighteen. If
you want to take away the one where Ryan Rico
screwed up the whole fine ten of seventeen.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
It's not terrible. But he's just another kicker.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
If he can't make those kicks with more frequency, and
if the Bengals can't lean on him to do that,
it should change how they play offense.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
They had a weapon. He's not a weapon anymore.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
He's a kicker. Yeah, Crypto, Crypto Mac, I like your nickname.
I think that's I think that's well done. I will
say in terms of Evan McPherson, we talked to him
a little bit yesterday and to Darren Simmons, and he's
apparently having Pro Bowl warm ups.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I've been told that's meat's great. That's fine, that's great. Sure.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
I do great shows in my car by myself when
I'm driving to work.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Boy, you should have heard that take I had at
one fifteen when I was driving in.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
That's where. That's where it's at. He's frustrated by the
fact that hasn't translated to the game.
Speaker 4 (28:09):
Is that going to be a part of the Pro
Bowls selection process. Yeah, some tape of him making highlight videos.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Of like pregame of kicking over the cheerleaders and stuff.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
Awesome. Great.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
I heard Jamer Candelario crushed it in batting practice this year.
Will Benson kept hitting moonshots in BP this season.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Yeah, you should see them shag fly balls. Well. The
thing that I think about Evan, I am not in
I'm not hitting the old panic button. I actually have
a panic button on my desk outside. I needed to
purchase one after this year, sure to have one ready,
but I know where it's at, But I don't feel
like I need to hit it because I still think
(28:51):
he is I think A he is confident b I
do think there is an adjustment. And Darren Simmons said
this to us yesterday talking and I hadn't thought totally
about this, that just that kick and the rico, that
the snap too from cow and that that moment still
being a little bit in the back of his head
(29:12):
in terms of fully trusting the operation when he goes
to go through it, particularly from those fifty plus balls
where you're just you even even an inch of hesitation
or extra or whatever, and you get it up in
a little bit of a pull in the wind and whatever.
I so he is such a calm kid, like he's
(29:33):
he really is, Like he's a calm guy. He's pretty
good at understanding the big picture and being confident in himself.
And so I don't think he's gonna get in his
own head, Like he doesn't come across to me like
somebody who's gonna let this get into his own head.
And I do think that they're in a good place
in terms of talking through it and understanding it and
(29:54):
dealing with it pretty logically and just understanding that they
need to just keep getting reps and confidence in the opera.
And so I think he'll be fine. I think he
will eventually be fine. I don't think this is a
I mean, last year he did not miss a single
kick inside of fifty. To me, that was the more
(30:14):
telling thing. And there have been misses this year inside
of To me, that shows the fifty ones you want
him to be that and because that's separate, but that's
what makes I get it. No, I'm not. I'm saying
if if there I would more watch what's happening inside
of fifty to hit the panic button on him, because
(30:34):
I think he will. As long as he's confident hitting
the ball, striking it like he can, he'll make those fifties.
I really do think that's the case. But I think
you can know that things are wrong by when you
are having these mess ups that are having inside of
fifty two, and because when he's kind of on it,
I don't feel like you see him miss those hardly ever,
so there's a lack.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Of confidence in the overall operation.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
It sounded like that was, you know, he didn't want
he did. He's specific typical, no want to say that.
He specifically was like, I have no problem with it's
all on me whatever. But Darren's saying, your part of
this conversation is he's had four holders in four years.
You know, you go through something like that, it can
at least be in the back of your head a
little bit, and any hesitation can cause problems. That's just
(31:17):
part of the time on task that they're working through.
That was how that was what was said to us yesterday.
Right wrong or indifferent. I think I think that he
will probably be okay, but it's obviously very much noted
what's going on.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
Yeah, I mean, the best way that I could put
it is when he's missed some of those kicks before,
I've been surprised Sunday. I did not expect him to
make the kick, and that's maybe not fair, but when
he didn't, I was like, Yep, there he is. And
and again like when I say he's just another kicker,
that that's fine. NFL kickers are reliable from fifty and
(31:54):
inn I what I liked about f McPherson is you
can get points in the place where the Baltimore Ravens
have gotten points for years because they have a guy
who's like Justin Tucker, and the kicker we have seen
since the beginning of last year has kicked more like.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Chris Tucker. I don't know Chris Tucker.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
I mean they paid him like he's just another kicker,
because they didn't pay him the top of market, no
doubt no.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
But but again, like I'm just I understand so so
so Okay, that's in his head.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Maybe that's in his head.
Speaker 4 (32:27):
They don't think I'm very good, So there's a lot
of stuff going on in Evin.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
McPherson's head that yeah, I guess that's been put there.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Uh, I'm just that's me just talking out loud. I'm
not actually in his head, as you know.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
I understand.
Speaker 4 (32:45):
What uh what should the role for Jermaine Burton be?
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Just I can't there be a guy that just goes
deep every play? Right? Is that a problem? No? Make
him think about it. So like look again and it's
like sneak, I say, put it up on the board, right,
put it up on the video board. Burton going deep.
Attention defense, Burton going deep again? Right, and just keep
(33:10):
running him down there and say, Jermaine, we're just gonna
we're just gonna act like it doesn't matter. You just
go ahead and kill Guess what, you'll have to take
a guy with you. That's the thing to put a
safety out of it, over it if you want to.
If he continues to catch up me, every he's unbelievable
tracking the ball clearly has it, has a knack and
a skill for it. And just every once in a
while he decides to stop and like turn around at
(33:32):
like fifteen yards and joke and throw to him there
just to keep flying. Yeah whatever, why don't I mean again,
I'm sure that you notice. And even the plays that
he's out there, it's like he's usually someone's telling him
kind of where to go a little bit okay, and
I think that's probably gonna be part of what has
to happen. But you know, you heard Joe. You know
that that was probably what crack me up the most
(33:53):
about the press confers with Joe on Sunday. It was
like admitting, almost like, well, Germaine's really gonna be good.
I'm gonna have to keep the dialogue going. We're gonna
have to keep talking to JERMI I didn't think I
get to this point where I'm gonna have to go
back in down this road, but I clearly have to,
like I've gotta get Germane on the same page. I can.
You can see it. It's like admitting of like, we're
(34:15):
gonna have to keep working through his understanding of stuff
and all the complications of how they like to run
their offense and the way they move, and they can't
play this, that and the other.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
It's true.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
I mean, he has to get your main up to
speed as much as he possibly can, because it's clear
that as far as other weapons and option goes, he's
the best one outside of the time.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
That's the thing. It's intensified because.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Nobody else's wee.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Week I don't know if T.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
Higgins is gonna play, and ever since Andrea Yoshavash retired,
we're looking for somebody else to.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
What. I don't know. Ye, I think he might have
been still with the team. He's still the winner. You know,
this is kind of this is really kind of nice. Yeah,
this is really he kind of fits win the third
time now, because that's kind of it is a part
of the Moagar Award, and that's that they don't actually
(35:10):
pan out when it comes time to play. So maybe
this is kind of showing that maybe you you did,
you were right in giving it to him twice.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Well, and I feel bad for saying this because I
think we all just naturally root for him because he's
an under but he was a six round pick from
an Ivy League school.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Yeah, and he's and I think he and I think
he has come a long way. I think he's I
think he might he still has potential, right, But like again,
you do end up really having to say that to
yourself when really heavily relying on him to be T Higgins.
I mean, we always kind of laughed at the idea
(35:47):
of like, well, he's not going to have to be
T Higgins. But for the games of Tea's been out
this year, they've asked him to be t Higgins, right,
and because they don't really have any other option as
far as who to put in there. And it's gone,
how it's gone.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
Marvin Lewis is coming back.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Yeah, excited. Yeah, it's cool. I I mean, I'm glad
he's still in the league. I'm you know, I mean,
like about seventy five percent of NFL markets right now
they're calling for the head coach to be fired. So
Marvin might be the head coach before who knows, Maybe
it happens after the game.
Speaker 4 (36:18):
So there was a game a couple of weeks ago
where Antonio appears late in the game, was down by
eight points.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
He chose to kick a field goal.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
To pull within a touchdown the decision, and my takeaway
was Marvin was in a saidset, yeah, kick it.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
Mar Marvin was Marvin was, hey, kick, what we.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
Want to do is kick pull within five, pull within five,
let's let's touchdown.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
Wins it.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah, right, it'd be cool. Yeah, I'm I'm I hope,
I hope, you know, I I hope that people in
the in the big picture appreciate Marvin Lewis for what
he did, yes, and not for you know how things
went down at the end, because he certainly for all
that he did and all the time he put in
and dealt with UH deserves deserves, you know, different than
(37:02):
any sort of a negative. Don't think there's a negativity. No,
I think people are past it. Brow helped heal that.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
I think people acknowledge he didn't win as much as
we would like. But the good outweighs the bad, and
that's how I feel about it. But like, if the
Raiders win this game, they're gonna do a lot of
Mar's gonna get a game ball, Mar's back.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
I don't want that.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Boy, you don't want that? Can you imagine? I really like,
is there anything that you can't imagine at this point
after what we've seen this year?
Speaker 4 (37:32):
Is there is there anyone that you can't imagine short
of the stick? We got a kicker who's got.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Copy can't stop anybody. You'll think Gardner Minshew can't come
in here. And well, I want it to be des
ridden bro right, I wouldn't that be now that now
that Actually I don't know.
Speaker 4 (37:47):
That I can no, because then if I have to
watch the Bengals get trounced again. At least I'm happy
for Dez instead of Gardner Minshew, who just trying too hard.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Right, Yeah, No, this has been productive.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
I feel I want you. I didn't want it to
feel this dark, you know what I mean. It's just
kind of where we're at. I get it.
Speaker 4 (38:06):
This is I was thinking about this after I did
your podcast today. This is the saltiest I have been
since in the Zach Taylor era. It really is. This
is the saltiest. This is like the most dejected frustrated
that I have been. Yeah, And and part of it
is I think what you articulated at the top, and
I know I gotta wrap things up here, but I'm
(38:28):
I think about like what lies ahead, and I'm just
at the end of each of the last few seasons,
I thought, next year is going to.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
Be better, even at the end of the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (38:38):
Hey, they're they're coming back at the end of the
AFC Championship Game, all right, They're coming back at the
end of last year. You know what, they went nine
and eight in a bad year, fourth place schedule, get healthier,
They're gonna be fine.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
I don't I don't feel that way.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Yeah, it's the first time you can see them failing Burrow, yeah,
and breaking them right like where it's like but then
and then you end up up on the yes and
you go down that road right.
Speaker 3 (39:02):
Which none of us want to do.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
No, nobody wants to do. But you haven't seen Burrow
fail until now you're seeing, well, we're seeing that point
of like you have to give him something, and we're
seeing what failing even with Burrow looks like. And that
is frightening because that just means you're just right back
to being any other peace.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
Also, I have one other thing really quick. This is
just another idea of this is about crypto bros. No,
it's not about crypto bros. Statistically, I don't think you
should get credit for a completion if it's behind the sticks.
I think you should get two incompletions charged to your
So I don't know if you're going to the owners
meetings this year or whatever, you know, kicking around new
(39:42):
ways to evaluate players and stuff. If you complete a
pass short of the stick, it's an incompletion unless it's
fourth down.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
Then you get two incompletions and.
Speaker 4 (39:51):
You get to you should get credit for a completion
if the pass doesn't do anything the objection.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
The object is to gain yardage.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
All yardage accumulated on set passes counts as negative yard
as torture total.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
That's very, very well put.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
Read Paul Danner Junior at the Athletic dot com and
uh check out his podcast. I was a guest that
I was just as sunny then as I have been
in this segment.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
It was great.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Balds, don't lie.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
We went We went long today because there was a lot,
a lot to get to.
Speaker 4 (40:18):
We're at Buffalo Wild Wings the annual Chad and Rick
College basketball season.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
The Spectacular is coming up next.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
We're at b Dubs on the East Side on Beachmont
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Bus has
You better believe this is a big game.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Spikes the ball in the back of the aside.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Three in five Bengals are looking to say their season
when they line up against a two and six Raider.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Chay Breck sent comahawk chops under the grind.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
The Orange and Black, put a whoopman on a silver
and co catch the call from Dan Hoard and Dave Lepa.
Coverage starts Sunday morning at nine on ESBN fifteen thirty,
Official Home of the Bengals.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
That's us.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
What's up, Good afternoon, hobo echer.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Thank you so much for listening.
We are broadcasting from its basically been to before this
year Buffalo Wild Wings and Anderson Run Beachmont.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
We are here.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
It's a short show today. We're here till five thirty
this afternoon. We have a UK exhibition game coming up
at five thirty, the Wildcats taking on Minnesota State.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
So here's what that means for you.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
It means that instead of getting here before six o'clock
to win our prizes, you gotta get here before five third.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
What are our prizes.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Well, we've got a couple of really cool looking bud
light Bengals Nike golf hoodies.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Those are terrific.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
We've also got, thanks to our friends at bud Light,
a pair of tickets to the game on Sunday Bengals Raiders.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
You know you want to go.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
You might be down on the Bengals and you might
be swearing them off and the season's over, but you're
gonna say no to free tickets.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Of course you're not. You're gonna say yes to them.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Also gonna say yes to a five dollars bud Light
talls buy one, get one half off traditional Wings and me.
So we're here at b Dubbs Anderson and we're having
a lot of fun, and so come on out and
join us. We've had some really cool crowds last few weeks.
We were Middletown last week and the crowd in Middletown
was awesome. I don't know if they were there for me.
(01:48):
There just happened to be a lot of people there
was awesome. And we're back at this location where they
have treated us very very well. Our guy, Paul Danner
Junior is here. Could not make the trek to Middletown,
but he's with me here on the east side of Cincinnati.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
I feel better. I feel so much better being here
in person.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Equilibrium got thrown off. You're not being here, you know it?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Throw it throws off my whole week, mo, Like this
is just this is part of my balance. You know,
we're creatures of habits. Yeah, we got to keep doing
the same thing. So when I don't, when I don't
get this drive to wherever, we're going to kind of
compose my thoughts so I can be as good for
your show as I possibly can be. My whole week
is thrown off. My whole balance is thrown off. And
(02:29):
I and I think that's probably part of the reason
why the Bengals played bad against you.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
I think that's it.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I think we've I think there's a lot of different
things that people have talked about, but I think that's it.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
It's you missed out on that way. Yea.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
So all right, take the l I'm just gonna start
with this. Is this salvageable and not salvageable in the
regard well that's the thing. Not in the well, you
know what they can make those games in December?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Matter?
Speaker 4 (02:51):
Is this salvageable? Like we we started by talking about
the start of the season by talking about them being
in competition with the Chiefs and the Ravens, the Buffalo
Bills and the US Texans, and they couldn't.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Seem farther away from that right now.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
So in that regard, in the context of how we
talked about them in June and July, is this salvagable?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah? I think so. Okay, I don't think it's impossible.
I mean, again, that's saying is there any real shot
of it? It doesn't look great. I mean, everybody has
eyeballs and can see what's going on out there, and
there's so many problems, and I think, weirdly, I think
it's more salvageable in the short term in the long term,
(03:32):
like it feels broken in a big picture. But I
think they could salvage this season still just because of
the makeup of things, like Joe's still playing great right
at some point theoretically t Higgins will come back and
and when you have Tea and Jamar and Joe Burrow
(03:53):
right now, like it cooks right like sweet seen the show,
the defense is not gonna be good. I think everybody
can come to terms with that. It's there's no world
that it lives up to even some of the can
they just be okay conversations that we kind of have, like,
it's probably not gonna be that. That said, I they
(04:16):
still seem like a team that could make the playoffs. Yeah,
I still think the AFC is I mean, even the
bad version of this team had Baltimore to a dropped
field goal and had Kansas City be I mean, and
that is understanding everything that we said. They're not gonna
win a playoff game scoring less than thirty points. Yeah, okay,
(04:39):
like we know how they're gonna have to win if
they do it. But is it salvageable to get in
and be the last team that some of the Yeah,
I think that's still it's still on the table. It's
just I think you come to terms with the fact
that the defense just feels like it's just not going
(05:03):
to get to any level that makes anything other than
Joe Burrow has to do some heroics he can, and
because he can do heroics, it's salvageable. The big picture
of it feels much more daunting to me than than
the short term. In what way, boy, who you're building
(05:23):
around on defense? Tell me one where do you start?
Henderson's the best player you got one year up in
his contract, which he probably won't be happy about in
this off season. They get right, Okay, are we building
around anybody else up there? Any of your young guys
you drafted, No, the older guys are moving on from him.
(05:45):
Are you building around Cam Taylor Brittin. No? Are you
building around DJ Turner?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
No?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Are you building around anybody Geno Stone, Jordan Batno? Are
you building around Jermaine Pratt and Logan Wilson. They're fine,
and they're I think they're perfectly fine. Two linebackers is
probably the best spot that you have. You have nothing
to build around. Your picks that you made to backfill
(06:11):
this defense and start the next generation of a solid
defense have all not just not been okay, not just
not become your core. They've regressed. And your older players
are looking old because you knew that was coming, and
that's why you drafted guys to try to be This
was supposed to be the two ships passing in the
(06:32):
Night's portion, Like midway through this year was when you
were gonna say, okay, the older players are starting to
look a little old, and younger players ascend, and then
their roles reversed and that was the plan. Well one
of them is happening. Yes, the older players are going
down and the younger players are going with them, and
(06:52):
so you need a lot of picks and a lot
of money to fix that. And you know what they
won't have when they pay Jamar Chase theoretically and then
have to then watch T Higgins theoretically walk is a
ton of money. Limp, Limp. Yeah, Yeah, well they hope
walk jog wherever he goes, and and and then and
(07:16):
that's not even getting into what you're gonna have to
start talking about on the offensive side of the ball,
while it's your interior offensive line, how are you gonna
find another number two receiver? Or are you gonna pay
T Higgins? Like all of the long term questions, boy,
they feel like a lot. But what they have here
right now, as bad as it's been, is you can
(07:38):
you could see a way that they could put it
together and and be a team that we're talking about
making the playoffs and then could go could go into
any any place in a six, three, seven to two
game and get a win. Would they be good enough
to do that three games in a row?
Speaker 3 (07:55):
No?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I don't think so. I mean that the defense would
have to see dramatic change by these young players down
the stretch. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
You you mentioned something though that I think is important
because you know, we as fans during the season tend
to take a very short term view, right the next game,
the next week, the next opponent this season. Can they
make the playoffs? Can they win when they get there.
I think that's part of what has made this little
eight game stretch so sobering is it is sort of
(08:23):
signaled what life might look like in some regards minus
t Higgins offensively and then defensively. You know, Trey Hendrickson
didn't have a good game on Sunday and that's okay,
the Fred Johnson revenge game. Yeah, I really thought game thoughts,
that's what you were going to write about.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
After the game, Fred came back and.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
All right, so Trey had a bad game, So that
means the rest of the defense has a bad game. Well,
I mean, Trey's older, so theoretically he's going to have
more bad games and then one day he's not going
to be here and oh boy, then it's his collection
of defensive linemen that are introducing. I think that's an
important part of this that not many people are talking
about that they could fix this for the time being.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
But boy, down the road, well we.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Talk about like team needs going into the off season,
that list is going to be longer than it's been
in quite a while.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I have said this, you know, during the preseason, during
the off season, even at the end of last year,
I wrote this, this year was going to be defined
by the growth of this of these young draft picks,
like because they had for the future of the franchise,
the near foreseeable future, had to start to offset the
(09:39):
Borrow money that's coming, the Chase money that's coming with
another collection of young players that give you that surplus
that they got before from Burrow and Higgins and Chase.
And if you don't, and that's why it's so hard
for teams to win when they get off the rookie
(10:01):
quarterback contract, because it's just the margin for air is
so thin, and you have to hit on your draft picks,
you just and you probably have to hit on them
at premium positions to get that value back. And when
you not only don't hit on them, but you miss
on everything at premium positions, even the best laid plans
(10:24):
that you thought you had don't matter, and it's just
that's what this that's so much of what this comes
back to it at all, at all of these spots,
in every conversation that we're having right now on both
sides of the ball, is about so many of these
young players not becoming the next Jesse Bates, the next
(10:45):
t Higgins, the next Sam Hubberd or Trey Hendrickson, the
next any of these draft picks go down the line.
There's so many of them that aren't giving you anything,
the next Cheeta bay Aluzia. They haven't gotten the next
any thing out of all these guys, and he just
it's just killing him at this point.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
Paul Danner juniors with us the Athletic dot Com The
Growler Podcast, where we explored some of these themes. I
know the latest episode is out. I uh, I want
to run a few things past you. My new job
that I'm volunteering for. Oh good, the new nickname for
the Bengals kicker, and we have to figure out where Lunarumo.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Should be shopping today. Plus we have to talk about
the Marvin Lewis revenge game.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Yes, I mean, look, if Fred Johnson can get revenge,
oh yeah, yeah, it.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Is a quarter after three.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
We're at Buffalo Wild Wings on the East Side and
Anderson on Beach Month. We're here until five thirty today.
We've got Bengals Raiders tickets to give away. We've got
buy one, get one half all Traditional Wings. We've got
button Light toalls for five bucks.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
All we need is you. On ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Station, Cincinnati's es move on and bostin Almore. I think
you should continue.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Let me keep going.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Then three sixteen tomorrow which twelve News on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Twenty one minutes after three o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen
thirty broadcasting today from Buffalo Wild Wing's on Beachmont.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Paul Danner Junior is here.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
We're giving away tickets to Bengals v. Raiders, thanks to
our friends at Budlight.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Got to get here before five thirty to win them.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Our show ends early today for UK basketball, the Wildcats
taking on Minnesota State in an exhibition tilt.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Paul is here. There's lots to get to. I feel like.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Lu An Arumo and the defensive players should go shopping today, yeah,
and buy something nice.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Are they gonna go to Kenwood Mall? Like Leye Collins
days could Yeah, because I feel like due to the
sequence as you put it on your podcast.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Yeah, the sequence third and one and fourth and one.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
Yeah, because of the hyper focus on that, what we
saw from the defense is not being ignored, but it's
not the highlights what everybody is focusing on it Bengals
sort of on sundated.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Hey don't look over here, look over here.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
And the beneficiary of that is lou Anarumo rushing three
the entire game, not putting any pressure on the quarterback,
Jordan Battle getting torch cam Taylor Brick committing penalties, Von
Bell missing tackles, and so those guys should get together
and get everybody involved with third and one and fourth
and one, from Zach to Joe to Zack Moss to
Jamar Chase, maybe throw something to Cooper to Gene. I
(13:26):
don't know, because like, we focused on that a lot,
even like Tony and I yesterday Tony and football, should
we focus on that a lot? And I'm driving home
and I'm like, I'm I'm not sure we spend as
nearly as much time on how awful that defense was and.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Is the offense didn't punt? Yeah, you know, and we
spend all the time ripping them and now Green they
had the fourth down and they had two turnovers in
fair right, But we're spending all the time on an offense.
Didn't punt, Yeah, because that is where the defense has
(13:59):
put them. They have put them into position where and
I sort of talked about this on the walkout and
wrote about this in my postgame column, was that they
are a franchise that has put too much on their
franchise quarterback, Like this is I don't care Superman or not.
(14:20):
You can't ask him to support an absolute dog defense. Okay.
You can't ask him to support a non existent running game.
You can't ask him support a second wide receiver that
isn't t Higgins right now at this point and whenever
and whatever's going on with that, you know where they're
(14:41):
just not getting enough production out of anybody else. You
can't ask him to support a fourth down play call
that means throwing it behind the sticks. You can't ask
him to get every third and twelve third and twenty
two third and nine third and seven and he's got
to make four guys miss and and do these magical plays.
(15:01):
And he can do those, and he does them. Multiple
times a game. But it feels like he's constantly having
to loaves and fishes this thing to make it all work.
And he's and he's doing it to the highest QBR
in the league, and he's doing it at a level
that is remarkable. But there is they have just put.
(15:21):
We've found out what the breaking point of is, Like,
what's the level of support you have to give? Some yeah,
some some need some support in order because it puts.
And what stood out to me in the moment of
the sequence of the timeout, third down, fourth down, score
(15:43):
interception is the impatience of the moment, the absolute if
we don't do it now, this is we have to
be aggressive. We have to go for it. We have
to incur risk in our decision making to make up
for what's happening on defense because they are not stopping
a soul. And so that means from your own thirty
(16:06):
nine you look at the last three possessions that went
TD TDTD for the Eagles with ease important, and you
look at the state of the game and you say,
this is a shootout. Have to get touchdowns. We can't
play field position. I can't even try to play field
position here because you know what's gonna happen. If you do,
(16:28):
we have to score touchdowns. You got Joe Burrow, so
go for it. Burrow dropping back, have to go score. Now,
have to keep up to I'm gonna force one deep
to Jamar. And this is a throw he takes all
the time. Sure, it's still a force. It's still an
impatient throw because Vic Fangio is gonna dare you to
not lose your patience, and he did because what was
(16:52):
happening on defense forced him to. And so I just
all of that is connected to each other. And but
it all starts because you feel like you have to
be perfect offensively because the defense is against any team
with any kind of teeth just gets absolutely swallowed.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Hole because I felt like torturing myself.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Yeah, I went back and watched yesterday morning the sequence
and Iron Eagle and Charles Davis are having a discussion
about whether or not the Bengals should go.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
For it there, and to me, it was a no brainer.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Yeah, but Charles Davis said, this is desperate, and my
counter to that is circumstances create desperation. Blame the defense
for creating the desperation. The Bengals had offensively you don't
want to be in a position where you're trailing, you're
in minus territory and you're going for it on fourth
and one.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
No, And maybe in.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
Different set of circumstances you would still say we're going
to go for it. But it was aggressive, I think,
crossing over slightly into desperation.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
But I can't blame them, no, And I just felt
like every way you look at it said go for it.
Whether we're talking about the analytics what gave which gave
it a plus five point one percent, a very strong
go rating, the eye test of what had just happened
on the previous three eagles drives, and the mantra of look,
whenever we're in a big moment, put the ball in
(18:11):
Burrow's hands right now, let him throw it beyond the sticks,
but put the ball in Burrow's hands when you feel
like a game changing moment is here. And that was it.
I mean it was you're either gonna punt it back
and you know what's probably gonna happen next, or you're
gonna go for it and try to complete that drive.
And so for me, that goes back to the philosophy
that we've talked about and criticize Zach Taylor rightly for
(18:32):
taking it out of his hands in certain moments this year,
for being conservative in certain moments this year. Be aggressive,
play aggressive, Let Burrow try to go win you a game.
And it didn't work out. But I didn't have a
problem with the decision in that regard.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
No, I've for years, going back, you know, twelve thirteen years,
I lobby to be the Bengals Director of common Sense. Yeah,
which is a job that has sort of become common
in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
They just they call it fancy name. You don't want that, No,
you're a man, all right.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
So I'm I'm going back and forth on a couple
of different opportunities for me to work for the Bengals
on game day. One is you know, they the coach
has the headset and there's two buttons.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Offensive button, defensive button.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
We create an apparatus where I hit a button on
any situation where there's a yard to go, and I
override everything and just go Snake, Snake. Hey, No, what
we're gonna do here, Snake. We're gonna put Matt Lee
on the field, and we've got this play for Snake.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Right.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
I think it's a great snake, yes, and just interrupts
any and all snake.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Or like in college football you see him hold up
those plat cards and it just you know, just make
it very up.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
I don't think why hide it, hide snake. Just the
picture of something somebody sneaking snake and.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Just tell the other guys. It ain't hard to figure
out what the quarterback is going to snake.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
You know how they always put up like, you know,
be quiet for the offense or whatever. I think you
put it up on the video board, sneak snake.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Just put it up on all the boards, sneak.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Coming and just and dare them. I mean the Eagles
basically do that with the brotherly shove that I.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
Said this on your your podcast today though, would have
been nothing cooler than do the tush push and then
you kind of look over at the other sideline. They're
like wave like thanks God, you know, give the Mike
Tomlin thumbs up like last night.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
The other one is if you so the Bengals primary
colors are black and orange. Is somebody allowed to like
be like in like a like a lime green shirt
or something.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Sure? Well, they you always have the TV people on
the side. They have they have the big oven Mitch,
maybe what about with would oven.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Mits work for your situation?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
So it's fourth down, I wear some sort of color
that stands out, and I stand next.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
To where the marker is, so we're not throwing the ball.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Has to go past me?
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Yeah see, you know, and I don't know what we
call that or just someone who you know just ensures.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Hey, if it's fourth and two, we're gonna try to
throw the ball.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Three yards like I've got one. I got as much as.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
We complicate this sport, and it could be deeply, deeply complex, right,
I feel like if I ran this past my second
grade daughter, Bengals need a yard. So I'll give you
two options, Craus. We could do this, or I could
like draw a diagram. Here's the they have to go here.
So should they throw the ball here over this line
(21:32):
or here in front of it? My seven and a
half year old is smart enough to go.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
What about past it? I think that's the right goal.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
I think we're gonna go past it. Dad. You know what,
all right?
Speaker 2 (21:43):
I have one? What if we have one where you
have a buzzer? Okay, and any time any receiver or
running back or eligible person goes in motion that goes
back and forth. Yeah, you can hit a buzzer and
the play stops before it's out. It's an automatic timeout
that just shuts the game down right then, So the
(22:04):
play does not continue after the stupid back and forth
motion thing starts before they hike it, because you know
that play is going to fail. Fun shoot it to
the sun enough. It doesn't work.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
I don't know that. I have a bigger pet peeve.
It used to be the shovel pass. Yeah, and then
the shovel pass worked in the Bear's commander's game, and
Indiana used the shovel pass for a two point conversion,
and so all right, you got shovel whatever, it's no
longer the shovel pass.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
It's fourth, it's fourth and four.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
We throw it to the three like Andy Dalton did
that one year twenty seventeen, and like it was fourth
and seventy.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Threw a three yard pass, and I everybody murdered him
for it. Joe doesn't, and we just well, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Well, you know, I don't understand, see I My opinion
is the Bengals have their version of the tush push.
You know what it is? Hey, let all let everybody
go out there and let Joe Burrow process and if
it all breaks down, find a way to fine. You
find a guy and do a thing like that is
it's one of the most unstoppable things that they have.
All you need is a yard or two. Have everybody
(23:08):
out there have it where he can just throw it
quickly to somebody that gets open, and if it all
breaks down, can go and do some magic and make
it all happen, because guess what, he does it all
the time. So why not? Why is it that these
short yarded situations are always so full of everybody's compact
And here's Matt Lee and Zach Moss is gonna go
run up the middle and they're gonna try to do
(23:29):
this like or we're gonna throw it behind the sticks
and that's it's. It's instantly out and you have no
other choice. Or you throw it behind the six or
four half time in Carolina and and wait to see
what happens. Zach mosspeiled you out there. Otherwise we'd be
talking about that the same way we're talking about this
Andre Yoshivasha and New England, like all of this stuff,
you're where it's one option Joe is so good at
(23:51):
multiple options, and then even if all that breaks down,
finding an option you didn't know exist and making that
work for you. The idea of taking that off the
time table in any kind of a short yard situation
like that, to me is like being like, we don't
really like the touch push. Yeah, I don't think we
want to do it, even though it works every single time.
I feel like they already have it and just never
(24:11):
use it.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
So you just hire me to stand there like next
to the guy holding the marker like on the on
the other side.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
And just jump up and down run to me here, yeah,
throw it here. I mean, I cannot tell you.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
I was in a crummy mood on Sunday anyway because
I slept for forty five minutes.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
That that set me off. I'm not supposed to be
set sent me off. I'm still not over it.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
I understand where where'd you sleep for forty five minutes.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Flying back from Colorado overnight?
Speaker 2 (24:42):
You manage forty five minutes?
Speaker 3 (24:44):
I got forty five minutes asleep.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean credit to you though, Power through
the show, Power through the game. Yeah, I mean I
credit you for that, and and shout out to tpe
a Tony Pike with no voice? Who is just grind?
That was grinding?
Speaker 4 (25:02):
Twenty six Away from four o'clock Rebuffalo Wild Wings in Anderson,
Paul Danner Junior on ex at Paul Danner Junior, read
his work at the Athletic dot Com, and of course,
the Growler Podcast. Latest episode Baalds Don't Lie dropped just
a short while ago. I'm Oeger here till five thirty.
Beat Ups ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
You better believe this is a big game.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Spikes the ball in the back of the.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Upside forty infined Bengals are looking to save their season
when they line up against that two and six Raiders.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
Breck Sam Tamahawk chops under the ground.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
The Orange and Black put a whoopman on the silver
and patched the call from Dan Wood and Dave Lapper.
Coverage starts Sunday morning at nine on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Official Home of the.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Dave Lapple, and you're listening to the Home of the Bengals,
ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Thanks you.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
Away from four o'clock ESPN fifteen thirty one, casting from
Buffalo Wild Wings Anderson's Buy one one half. All the
traditional wings bud light balls are friends in mud light
them given as surprises. Some Nike Golf, Bengals, Hoodies, Bengals, Traders,
tickets and more. Get here before uh five thirty Paul Danner,
Junior's here for another few minutes. Do you know anything
(26:18):
about the world of cryptocurrency?
Speaker 2 (26:23):
I don't know, not not an I don't either.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
I don't either.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
I don't think I do hitcoin. I mean, I know
it was It's not an area that you want to
be dabbling right now. I don't think.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
I don't I never have it.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
There's I know that there's crypto bros. Yeah, yeah, and
I don't want to be one of them.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
There was ft x is that that went away, and
then it was dog coin or something. I don't know
anything about cryptocurrency. It strikes me as volatile and unreliable. Yeah,
where we're gonna take money mac turn them into crypto mac.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
I know what I'm gonna get. Yeah, sorry, Yeah, it's fair.
It's fair.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
What makes him a weapon is his ability to make
kicks from distance.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
His first two years.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
Money seventeen of nineteen, four for four in the postseason
since the beginning of last year ten of eighteen. If
you want to take away the one where Ryan Rico
screwed up the whole fine ten of seventeen.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
It's not terrible. But he's just another kicker.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
If he can't make those kicks with more frequency, and
if the Bengals can't lean on him to do that,
it should change how they play offense.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
They had a weapon. He's not a weapon anymore.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
He's a kicker. Yeah, Crypto, Crypto Mac, I like your nickname.
I think that's I think that's well done. I will
say in terms of Evan McPherson, we talked to him
a little bit yesterday and to Darren Simmons, and he's
apparently having Pro Bowl warm ups.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I've been told that's meat's great. That's fine, that's great. Sure.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
I do great shows in my car by myself when
I'm driving to work.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Boy, you should have heard that take I had at
one fifteen when I was driving in.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
That's where. That's where it's at. He's frustrated by the
fact that hasn't translated to the game.
Speaker 4 (28:09):
Is that going to be a part of the Pro
Bowls selection process. Yeah, some tape of him making highlight videos.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Of like pregame of kicking over the cheerleaders and stuff.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
Awesome. Great.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
I heard Jamer Candelario crushed it in batting practice this year.
Will Benson kept hitting moonshots in BP this season.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Yeah, you should see them shag fly balls. Well. The
thing that I think about Evan, I am not in
I'm not hitting the old panic button. I actually have
a panic button on my desk outside. I needed to
purchase one after this year, sure to have one ready,
but I know where it's at, But I don't feel
like I need to hit it because I still think
(28:51):
he is I think A he is confident b I
do think there is an adjustment. And Darren Simmons said
this to us yesterday talking and I hadn't thought totally
about this, that just that kick and the rico, that
the snap too from cow and that that moment still
being a little bit in the back of his head
(29:12):
in terms of fully trusting the operation when he goes
to go through it, particularly from those fifty plus balls
where you're just you even even an inch of hesitation
or extra or whatever, and you get it up in
a little bit of a pull in the wind and whatever.
I so he is such a calm kid, like he's
(29:33):
he really is, Like he's a calm guy. He's pretty
good at understanding the big picture and being confident in himself.
And so I don't think he's gonna get in his
own head, Like he doesn't come across to me like
somebody who's gonna let this get into his own head.
And I do think that they're in a good place
in terms of talking through it and understanding it and
(29:54):
dealing with it pretty logically and just understanding that they
need to just keep getting reps and confidence in the opera.
And so I think he'll be fine. I think he
will eventually be fine. I don't think this is a
I mean, last year he did not miss a single
kick inside of fifty. To me, that was the more
(30:14):
telling thing. And there have been misses this year inside
of To me, that shows the fifty ones you want
him to be that and because that's separate, but that's
what makes I get it. No, I'm not. I'm saying
if if there I would more watch what's happening inside
of fifty to hit the panic button on him, because
(30:34):
I think he will. As long as he's confident hitting
the ball, striking it like he can, he'll make those fifties.
I really do think that's the case. But I think
you can know that things are wrong by when you
are having these mess ups that are having inside of
fifty two, and because when he's kind of on it,
I don't feel like you see him miss those hardly ever,
so there's a lack.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Of confidence in the overall operation.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
It sounded like that was, you know, he didn't want
he did. He's specific typical, no want to say that.
He specifically was like, I have no problem with it's
all on me whatever. But Darren's saying, your part of
this conversation is he's had four holders in four years.
You know, you go through something like that, it can
at least be in the back of your head a
little bit, and any hesitation can cause problems. That's just
(31:17):
part of the time on task that they're working through.
That was how that was what was said to us yesterday.
Right wrong or indifferent. I think I think that he
will probably be okay, but it's obviously very much noted
what's going on.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
Yeah, I mean, the best way that I could put
it is when he's missed some of those kicks before,
I've been surprised Sunday. I did not expect him to
make the kick, and that's maybe not fair, but when
he didn't, I was like, Yep, there he is. And
and again like when I say he's just another kicker,
that that's fine. NFL kickers are reliable from fifty and
(31:54):
inn I what I liked about f McPherson is you
can get points in the place where the Baltimore Ravens
have gotten points for years because they have a guy
who's like Justin Tucker, and the kicker we have seen
since the beginning of last year has kicked more like.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Chris Tucker. I don't know Chris Tucker.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
I mean they paid him like he's just another kicker,
because they didn't pay him the top of market, no
doubt no.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
But but again, like I'm just I understand so so
so Okay, that's in his head.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Maybe that's in his head.
Speaker 4 (32:27):
They don't think I'm very good, So there's a lot
of stuff going on in Evin.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
McPherson's head that yeah, I guess that's been put there.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Uh, I'm just that's me just talking out loud. I'm
not actually in his head, as you know.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
I understand.
Speaker 4 (32:45):
What uh what should the role for Jermaine Burton be?
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Just I can't there be a guy that just goes
deep every play? Right? Is that a problem? No? Make
him think about it. So like look again and it's
like sneak, I say, put it up on the board, right,
put it up on the video board. Burton going deep.
Attention defense, Burton going deep again? Right, and just keep
(33:10):
running him down there and say, Jermaine, we're just gonna
we're just gonna act like it doesn't matter. You just
go ahead and kill Guess what, you'll have to take
a guy with you. That's the thing to put a
safety out of it, over it if you want to.
If he continues to catch up me, every he's unbelievable
tracking the ball clearly has it, has a knack and
a skill for it. And just every once in a
while he decides to stop and like turn around at
(33:32):
like fifteen yards and joke and throw to him there
just to keep flying. Yeah whatever, why don't I mean again,
I'm sure that you notice. And even the plays that
he's out there, it's like he's usually someone's telling him
kind of where to go a little bit okay, and
I think that's probably gonna be part of what has
to happen. But you know, you heard Joe. You know
that that was probably what crack me up the most
(33:53):
about the press confers with Joe on Sunday. It was
like admitting, almost like, well, Germaine's really gonna be good.
I'm gonna have to keep the dialogue going. We're gonna
have to keep talking to JERMI I didn't think I
get to this point where I'm gonna have to go
back in down this road, but I clearly have to,
like I've gotta get Germane on the same page. I can.
You can see it. It's like admitting of like, we're
(34:15):
gonna have to keep working through his understanding of stuff
and all the complications of how they like to run
their offense and the way they move, and they can't
play this, that and the other.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
It's true.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
I mean, he has to get your main up to
speed as much as he possibly can, because it's clear
that as far as other weapons and option goes, he's
the best one outside of the time.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
That's the thing. It's intensified because.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Nobody else's wee.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Week I don't know if T.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
Higgins is gonna play, and ever since Andrea Yoshavash retired,
we're looking for somebody else to.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
What. I don't know. Ye, I think he might have
been still with the team. He's still the winner. You know,
this is kind of this is really kind of nice. Yeah,
this is really he kind of fits win the third
time now, because that's kind of it is a part
of the Moagar Award, and that's that they don't actually
(35:10):
pan out when it comes time to play. So maybe
this is kind of showing that maybe you you did,
you were right in giving it to him twice.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Well, and I feel bad for saying this because I
think we all just naturally root for him because he's
an under but he was a six round pick from
an Ivy League school.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Yeah, and he's and I think he and I think
he has come a long way. I think he's I
think he might he still has potential, right, But like again,
you do end up really having to say that to
yourself when really heavily relying on him to be T Higgins.
I mean, we always kind of laughed at the idea
(35:47):
of like, well, he's not going to have to be
T Higgins. But for the games of Tea's been out
this year, they've asked him to be t Higgins, right,
and because they don't really have any other option as
far as who to put in there. And it's gone,
how it's gone.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
Marvin Lewis is coming back.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Yeah, excited. Yeah, it's cool. I I mean, I'm glad
he's still in the league. I'm you know, I mean,
like about seventy five percent of NFL markets right now
they're calling for the head coach to be fired. So
Marvin might be the head coach before who knows, Maybe
it happens after the game.
Speaker 4 (36:18):
So there was a game a couple of weeks ago
where Antonio appears late in the game, was down by
eight points.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
He chose to kick a field goal.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
To pull within a touchdown the decision, and my takeaway
was Marvin was in a saidset, yeah, kick it.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
Mar Marvin was Marvin was, hey, kick, what we.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
Want to do is kick pull within five, pull within five,
let's let's touchdown.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
Wins it.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah, right, it'd be cool. Yeah, I'm I'm I hope,
I hope, you know, I I hope that people in
the in the big picture appreciate Marvin Lewis for what
he did, yes, and not for you know how things
went down at the end, because he certainly for all
that he did and all the time he put in
and dealt with UH deserves deserves, you know, different than
(37:02):
any sort of a negative. Don't think there's a negativity. No,
I think people are past it. Brow helped heal that.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
I think people acknowledge he didn't win as much as
we would like. But the good outweighs the bad, and
that's how I feel about it. But like, if the
Raiders win this game, they're gonna do a lot of
Mar's gonna get a game ball, Mar's back.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
I don't want that.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Boy, you don't want that? Can you imagine? I really like,
is there anything that you can't imagine at this point
after what we've seen this year?
Speaker 4 (37:32):
Is there is there anyone that you can't imagine short
of the stick? We got a kicker who's got.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Copy can't stop anybody. You'll think Gardner Minshew can't come
in here. And well, I want it to be des
ridden bro right, I wouldn't that be now that now
that Actually I don't know.
Speaker 4 (37:47):
That I can no, because then if I have to
watch the Bengals get trounced again. At least I'm happy
for Dez instead of Gardner Minshew, who just trying too hard.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Right, Yeah, No, this has been productive.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
I feel I want you. I didn't want it to
feel this dark, you know what I mean. It's just
kind of where we're at. I get it.
Speaker 4 (38:06):
This is I was thinking about this after I did
your podcast today. This is the saltiest I have been
since in the Zach Taylor era. It really is. This
is the saltiest. This is like the most dejected frustrated
that I have been. Yeah, And and part of it
is I think what you articulated at the top, and
I know I gotta wrap things up here, but I'm
(38:28):
I think about like what lies ahead, and I'm just
at the end of each of the last few seasons,
I thought, next year is going to.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
Be better, even at the end of the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (38:38):
Hey, they're they're coming back at the end of the
AFC Championship Game, all right, They're coming back at the
end of last year. You know what, they went nine
and eight in a bad year, fourth place schedule, get healthier,
They're gonna be fine.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
I don't I don't feel that way.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Yeah, it's the first time you can see them failing Burrow, yeah,
and breaking them right like where it's like but then
and then you end up up on the yes and
you go down that road right.
Speaker 3 (39:02):
Which none of us want to do.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
No, nobody wants to do. But you haven't seen Burrow
fail until now you're seeing, well, we're seeing that point
of like you have to give him something, and we're
seeing what failing even with Burrow looks like. And that
is frightening because that just means you're just right back
to being any other peace.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
Also, I have one other thing really quick. This is
just another idea of this is about crypto bros. No,
it's not about crypto bros. Statistically, I don't think you
should get credit for a completion if it's behind the sticks.
I think you should get two incompletions charged to your
So I don't know if you're going to the owners
meetings this year or whatever, you know, kicking around new
(39:42):
ways to evaluate players and stuff. If you complete a
pass short of the stick, it's an incompletion unless it's
fourth down.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
Then you get two incompletions and.
Speaker 4 (39:51):
You get to you should get credit for a completion
if the pass doesn't do anything the objection.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
The object is to gain yardage.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
All yardage accumulated on set passes counts as negative yard
as torture total.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
That's very, very well put.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
Read Paul Danner Junior at the Athletic dot com and
uh check out his podcast. I was a guest that
I was just as sunny then as I have been
in this segment.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
It was great.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Balds, don't lie.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
We went We went long today because there was a lot,
a lot to get to.
Speaker 4 (40:18):
We're at Buffalo Wild Wings the annual Chad and Rick
College basketball season.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
The Spectacular is coming up next.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
We're at b Dubs on the East Side on Beachmont
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Bus has
Mo Egger News
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.