Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It was such a disappointing loss for many reasons last night.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
It's our playground for sports fans like you really Sincy
three sixty tomorrow which well noon on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
A playground for sports fans. What's up mole or ESPN
fifteen thirty, we're broadcasting at Buffalo Wildings about the playground
for Hungary here at beat ups in Anderson until five
o'clock Bengals Steelers on Sunday. If you don't have tickets,
or if you have tickets and you don't want to
(00:34):
sit out in the cold, or if you try to
win tickets here but don't win them, you can watch
the game here and then after the game read the
postgame coverage of our friend Kelsey Conway of The Inquirer
in Cincinnati dot com. And if you're a UC basketball fan,
you'll watch her on the sideline tomorrow. As UC gets
set to return to the floor at fifth Third Arena,
Kelsey is on X at Kelsey el Conway and kind
(00:55):
of not to join us. As the Bengals get set
to host Pittsburgh hig Kelsey him, how you doing, I've
never been better? How about yourself?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm pretty great?
Speaker 4 (01:07):
I'm excited for the UC basketball.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Game tomorrow night and then Thanksgiving, so.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
I'm excited you didn't mention the Bengals game.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I'm going day by Dave.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Okay, very good you were. You were there yesterday among
those chatting with Evan McPherson, who was I think pretty
detailed and kind of outlining some of the issues that
he is dealing with. What were your takeaways from listening
to Evan Speaker's mind.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Well, one, it was really good on Evan. We went
up to him right away in open mocker room, and
you know, he didn't have any issues with talking with us,
which is always appreciated when the guys are pros like that.
So I'll first say that. But my two main observations
with it are one, he did really seem Evan's kind
(02:02):
of a happy, go lucky guy, Like I'm not really
sure i've ever seen Evan McPherson have a bad day,
but he really doesn't seem like he's lost any confidence,
Like I don't think he is like dealing with what
you would call like the yips, Like I really think
he views it as I've just missed a lot of
(02:22):
important kicks. He said, you know, I've really got to
make notes. But I really pressed him on Okay, this
hasn't just been one or two kicks he's missed, Like,
you know, you've really struggled this season.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
What what are the.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Themes that you're figuring out when you go back and
you rewatch the kicks with Darren Simmons, special teams coordinator,
Like what.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
What is the theme?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
And what?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
He said, I'm and I know you guys talked about
it yesterday a little bit when he played it sound,
but he said that it's been really unique for him
because all of his missions have been going wide left,
and he said that's not really something that's ever happened
to him before in his career because he's a right
foot kicker. So just him breaking down the nuances of
what's gone wrong with his kicks, I think is a
(03:05):
good thing. Like they've identified the problem with him, but
now it's about correcting it. And I said, you know,
do you still feel confident that if the game's on
the line on Sunday in a cold weather game, that
you can go knock one through from fifty plus out?
And he said absolutely, So I think that those are
my biggest observations. He doesn't seem like he's lost any
confidence and he knows what he's doing wrong. Now it's
(03:27):
just on him to fix it, and he's got to
fix it fast because there's only six games left in
the regular season and they need him to figure this
out because they can't go into another off season with
a kicker controversy, because we've been dealing with the punter
controversy every off season and the last thing they need
is a kicker controversy.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
You know question, So you know, you said you don't
think that Evan has lost confidence in himself, and I
would agree with that based on what I watched and
listened to. The question that I have is as have
his teammates and coaches more importantly love him.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Well, that's something that well, we'll never know because you
asked Zach Taylor, and this is Zach Taylor all the time.
Like he's a super optimistic, positive person when talking about
the players on his team, and that's necessary. But you
learn a lot in just some of the decisions that
they've made, and I think that they'll I think the
(04:22):
bye week was a reset for every single person and
every coach, and I think they are really going to
make some decisions down the line, whether it be trotting
Evan out there a couple more times, because forget about
the playoffs, and you can't even talk about that right
now until the Bengals prove that they can win.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
They need to.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Find answers in these next six games and finding out
if Evan McPherson can get his swag back and be
the clutch kicker is one of the most important questions
that this team has to get answered because it was
not something that anyone was prepared for. So I think
it's something that is really really going to be interesting
to see down the stretch here. And I think the
(05:01):
only way you can really figure it out with him
is if you keep allowing him to see if he
can make some of these kicks, and if he can't,
then they're going to have to reevaluate it. But I
think the bye week they're using that as a reset
for a lot of players, including Evan McPherson.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
How does the reset impact the defense?
Speaker 4 (05:23):
The reset impacts the defense, And I'm not sure how
about we say we'll see because and I know you
guys have talked about it at nauseum on this show with.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Sayner, But to me, I don't think that they can
fix their issues in one week. I think the Bengals
personnel is what it is right now, the scheme is
what it is. Do I think that they can play
better down the stretch, absolutely, But I don't think that
they can fix their problems on defense in just a
week off. If I'm being completely honest, I think that
(05:59):
they have a major flaw in their personnel up front
and at the safety position. And I'm just not sure
that a week away is gonna, you know, fix all
of that for this team. But they're choosing to look
at it as a positive. And I said, there's one
of questions I asked ak Taylor before the bye week.
I said, you know, you're really able to identify what
(06:20):
you want your offense to be, Like, what do you
think your defense needs to be down the stretch to
win some games? Like if there's one thing you got
to do better? And he was like, we'll get off
the field on third down. Unfortunately, that involves every level
of the defense, so that's not just one or two
things that they can fix. So that's why I think,
to me, I'm not really sure you're going to see
much different from Cincinnati defense down the stretch, if I'm
(06:43):
being completely honest.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Yeah, but they have a ping pong table back, so
I think that's going to be really the igniter to
a key last third of the season run.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
They they have the ping pong tables back, but they
don't have Jackson Carmen on the ping pong tables, and
he will, of all Bangals players in the last couple
of years, the number one user of those ping pong tables.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
So maybe there's a correlation between Jackson's relative lack of
success with the Bengals and the time he was putting
in on the ping pong table. How much is Lilo
Anna Rumo coaching for his gig over these final six games.
Speaker 5 (07:20):
You know, I've found a lot about that, and I
think everything is on the table. But I truly think
and this is me just having, you know, had conversations
over the last year. I'm not reporting anything as if
this is like new breaking news, but I really do
think that they believe well, I think it would probably
(07:43):
it depends on who you talk to the bank of organization,
right Like, if you talk to a coach when things
aren't going wrong, they're the first to say, well, you know,
I could use more talent here here, here, here, and
then personnel. You know, they usually have their view of
how they would do things if they were a coach,
So everybody is always going to look out for themselves
in situations like this. But I just don't know if
(08:05):
you can go there with Lou an Arumo yet, because
the talent is just so bad at certain positions that
were bad going into this year. And you know, I
could have told you back in in May that the
defensive line wasn't going to be much better because you
know the fact that they thought Sheldon Rankins, who three
(08:25):
of his six sacts last year came in one game.
You always have to be worry of those those type
of performances like Sheldon Rankins and Chris Jenkins and McKinley Jackson.
We're going to be the answer to a defensive line
that was already struggling, Like, I don't know how much
you can blame that on Lou And if you don't
have any sort of a pass rush, it's going to
(08:47):
just completely deteriorate the rest of your defense. All where
Lou deserves, you know, blame for is the safety position
because he's a defensive back. You know, coach at Hart.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Same with Cam Taylor, Brat like he has his hands
in that regression of that and their inability to sign safeties.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
But I'm just not sure that because of the way.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Things have gone this season that they're going to completely
look at it as you know, he is our problem
and we might need to move on from him, just
because I don't know how you can say he deserves
to go, but all of the people that put the
roster together should get to stay.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
So it's going to be interesting. But I think if.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
It goes really bad, then I think that conversation would
you know, heat up. But I'm just it's interesting because
I know Zach Taylor really believes in Lulana Roumoh.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
So we'll see how this goes.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I have two minutes here. I'm going to leave the
last topic of conversation up to you. I'll give you
a choice, Okay, okay, okay. We could talk about Joe Mixon,
or we could discuss where we're going to go in
San Antonio the weekend of the Final Four when we're
there to watch the Bearcats.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
Can I take the ladder? I think that you see basketball.
I'm really excited to watch, you know, with you when
the games really get going after the new year. But
I think tomorrow's game might be sneaky good against Alabama State.
We just had a chance to talk to coach Maddick
today as the broadcast crew, and they've played some of
(10:18):
these teams like right now, they're playing those games where
they get paid, and they played LSU pretty close. They
gave Akron a fight a couple of nights ago. So
I think that's the first half might be sneaky good.
And of all of the games you see has played
besides Georgia Tech, I think this one might be the closest,
just based off of Alabama State's personnel, but obviously thinking
(10:41):
TVA Cincinnati win. But I'm fired up and I'm excited
about you SE's future in basketball. But as we both know,
all of it rides on that game against NAVIOR, right.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
You know, Kelsey, sure the Bearcats haven't won that game
since mc cronin's the last season, but you know that
game is not That game is not the end all
and be all. It doesn't have to be for either team,
And so you know there are regardless of which school
you're root for, there are bigger fish to fry in
the two teams respective leagues, and so I am looking
(11:14):
forward to the Skyline Chili Crosstown shootout. But if the
Bearcats don't win, they can still have a very successful season.
That's me already laying the groundwork for how I might feel.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
If you're already giving yourself.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Yeah, sure, I've done this quite a while. Absolutely all right,
Well we'll see at the game tomorrow. Thank you very much, Thank.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
You so much for having me on. Though.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I one more thing. I have to ask you my
pole question because I mentioned the ping pong table. If
you were an NFL player, which table would you prefer
in your locker room? Ping pong, billiards, foosball or air hockey.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
I think I'm going air hockey.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Think I am too, Think I am.
Speaker 5 (11:54):
Good, great minds think alike. Right, Yeah, I haven't.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I haven't made a definitive choice, but I'm leaving air
hockey night. We'll talk soon. Thank you very much. Thanks
mal Chelsea Conway does a terrific job covering the Bengals
for the Inquirer and Cincinnati dot Com. We're gonna go
to Kansas City in fifteen minutes and learn more about
the Red's newest acquisition. But first, everything you need to
know about one of the crown jewels of the Thanksgiving
(12:21):
slash Holiday season in Cincinnati. Next on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati sports.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Station Cincy three sixty with Tony Pike.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Do we want to move on?
Speaker 2 (12:30):
We'd have to keep going and Boston Elmore.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I think you continued. Let me keep going.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Then Cincy three sixty tomorrow which twelvenoons on ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati's ESPN