1/2/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Season is on the line. Cool after last week's overtime,
We're not over. It's all Joe Burrow and his big
bed Bengos face one more jumpy.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
This is a match, Cool season. Pittsburgh Steeler Joe Barrow,
Jamar Change and che Peg and the Orange and Black
down the Black and Gold and keep their playoff dreams alive.
Crazy to get the call from Dangerous Dan Hoard and
Mighty Dave. Coverage began Saturday.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
At four on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of
the Lagos.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
That's us.

Speaker 4 (00:34):
Good afternoon on all Eger. It's six minutes having three.

Speaker 5 (00:37):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Thank you so much for listening.
Hope your twenty twenty five is off to an awesome start.

Speaker 4 (00:44):
Happy New Year.

Speaker 5 (00:45):
It's our first show of twenty twenty five. It is
our last show at the football season here at Buffalo
Wild Wings.

Speaker 4 (00:52):
We are at the Kenwood location today.

Speaker 5 (00:55):
So if you're thinking to yourself, I want to watch
the Sugar Bowl Notre Dame versus Georgia, which kicks off
in just over an hour, actually just under an hour.
But I don't want to miss anything that Moe says,
and I want to hear it all live. Well, you
could do both here. You could watch the game. You
can get an ice cold bud Light. We've got five
dollars bud Light talls. You can get some wings and

(01:16):
take advantage of the six for nineteen ninety nine menu,
which is two entrees, two sides, two fountain drinks for
less than twenty bucks. And you can listen to the
show and you might win some awesome bud Light swag,
including the Holy Grail of Coolers, the Holy Grail of
Bengal giveaways, the Bengals bud Light cooler. We have one
more to give away. We're gonna give it away today.

(01:39):
We are here Toll six so you can watch the game,
you could have dinner, you could enjoy happy hour, you
could win something, and you could be here for our show.
What else could you ask for? And between now and
four o'clock, Paul Danner Junior's here.

Speaker 6 (01:52):
You know what else you can add to that list?

Speaker 7 (01:54):
Now?

Speaker 3 (01:54):
You can also rewatch the first Bengals Steelers game, which
is awesome. So apparently being aired looks like NFL Network
maybe reshowing that game, no man, So if you want
to take that in again and relimits and set yourself
up for this weekend.

Speaker 5 (02:09):
Why are they showing that. I mean, I know why
they're showing it. Showing it because the two teams play
on Saturday.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Night they do. Why Why because it was a great
day for Russell Wilson in company.

Speaker 5 (02:18):
It was the last good day for Russell Wilson in company.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
Right, They've got to be happy to be seeing this
Bengals defense show up even though they're playing better. They are, Yes,
they're playing better. Yeah, a lot of inuts. I am
optimistic about Saturday. Sunday different deal.

Speaker 5 (02:33):
But I am optimistic about Saturday, which we're gonna get
to in uh in just a little bit.

Speaker 4 (02:38):
Paul Danner Junior covers.

Speaker 5 (02:39):
The Bengals for at the Athletic dot Com has a podcast,
the Growler Podcast. The schedule's kind of been all over
the place. Yeah, it'll be nice to get back to normal.

Speaker 6 (02:49):
I don't even know what normal is anymore.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
I mean, we're on the fifth primetime road game of
the season, which is universe like not even close the
most despised time slot from a personal chur Sure, it's
just awful and we're gonna have to like drive back
through a snowstorm on Sunday morning, apparently on top of
the fifth primetime road game of the season. I haven't

(03:13):
known what day or year now it is for a
long time, so I yeah, I don't even know what
normal is, but I'm I'm happy if anybody wants to
point me in that they're actually well, the normal.

Speaker 5 (03:23):
For I think for you guys and for fans has
been over the last couple of weeks. Calculating these Bengals odds,
which now is quite simple. I'm not even sure why
we're bothering with DVOA, why we're bothering with percentages.

Speaker 4 (03:35):
It's a three team parlay.

Speaker 5 (03:36):
Yeah, it's Bengals winning as moneyline favorites on the road.
It's Kansas City winning as substantial underdogs outright, and it's
the Jets winning as dogs outright, which I checked last
night with thefanduel dot com. The odds are plus eighteen hundred.
Those are the odds. Hey, that's that's the number. So
that's the number if.

Speaker 4 (03:56):
You believe this is gonna happen.

Speaker 5 (03:57):
And we have a young lady here who before the
show to me it's gonna happen.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Gonna happen.

Speaker 5 (04:02):
You wage for one hundred dollars. You're gonna win eighteen hundreds? Yeah,
pretty good.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Look as someone who's maybe made some bad decisions that
lend me to having a plus eighteen hundred in front
of him and felt confident before, let me tell you
it's it's not great. It's not great. However, uh, you know,
it's not impossible, and they'll take that right now.

Speaker 6 (04:22):
I'm really curious. At some point, at some.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
Point in Kansas City, Andy Reid had to have sat
down and looked around the table coaches and was like,
we really don't want to burrow the playoffs do like
we all we do is beat Denver right right, over
and over and over again. So why don't we just
like play the practice squad QB guy right and run
our preseason play calls, yeah and call it a day.

Speaker 4 (04:48):
So I listened to you and Jay talk about this
yes on the podcast.

Speaker 5 (04:52):
And the Chiefs have a track record in the Andy
Reid era of playing a meaningless last game of the season,
sometime with the number one seed locked up, sometimes with
a lower seed locked up, and in those scenarios they
don't play their starters. They have won some of those games. Yeah,
they typically do play hard. Now the flip side of

(05:12):
that is if the Bengals do go to the postseason,
they go to Buffalo. The Bills have been the Kansas
City kryptonite this season, They've played them very competitively in
the playoffs in the past.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
And so is.

Speaker 4 (05:23):
Isn't there a part of your if you're Andy Reid, where.

Speaker 5 (05:25):
You go, you know what, The Bengals could go to
Buffalo and then they scrape them off the.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
Plate for us, yeah, or really wear them out and
take them, take them to the wire or whatever, as
opposed to maybe you think it'd be easier against them.

Speaker 6 (05:37):
It's probably some combination that to me.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
To me, it's this. To me, this is the decision
that you worry about. Carson Wentz is playing well, Let's
say okay, and he's put three nice quarters together and
the game is close. Do they pull him for the
practice squad quarterback guy and say that's we've seen enough.

Speaker 6 (05:57):
We're just here getting work right, didn't playseason.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Game, We'll playing like and we're gonna we're gonna let
this guy, he's been here, We're gonna let him get
some reps in. And And is that the decision? That's
what I'm curious about, Like that's to me the difference
between otherwise, you play, Carson Wentz, you play to win
the game, and everybody's out there trying to win the game.
But if they make a decision like that, and they
have earned the right to make that decision, and the
Bengals have earned their right to have to live as

(06:22):
victims have said.

Speaker 5 (06:23):
Yeah, look, I am not gonna blame Andy Reid for
whatever he does. He has earned that right. The Bengals
have put themselves at the mercy of a team that
has the playoffs locked up.

Speaker 4 (06:32):
That's the Bengals fault.

Speaker 5 (06:33):
Andy Reid's job is to coach his team with what
is in the best interests of the team and the organization,
serve with the pleasure of the people that he works for,
and coach the players who play for him.

Speaker 4 (06:43):
So I have no problem with whatever he does. That said,
if that scenario, if that.

Speaker 5 (06:49):
Specific scenario unfolds, it's seventeen all end of three, Wentz
is playing well and Andy Reid goes, yeah, you know
what I saw what.

Speaker 4 (06:57):
I needed to see.

Speaker 5 (06:58):
Yeah, all right, next, I am I'm not gonna like
it because it's gonna negatively impact the Bengals.

Speaker 4 (07:04):
But as a lover of chaos. Yeah, here for it,
Here for it.

Speaker 6 (07:07):
And then that guy comes in and tears it up too?

Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah? Why not? Yeah? No, I mean and that said,
then you look at the Jets and you're like, I mean,
they've been competitive, but god, they were so bad last week.
They look like they're already on one. They're on two
in the one two three can coon situation? Ye, And
it's just like, is this really? But you never know.
Crazy things happen in week eighteen. You never know what's

(07:32):
gonna happen, and you can always hang on to that.

Speaker 5 (07:34):
Have we done the work into whether Carson Wentz or
not has a favorite charitable cause? Aaron Rodgers, I don't
really want to know what his favorite charitable cause is.

Speaker 4 (07:47):
I think the Darkness Retreats for kids. I do not know.
But have we have we done the work?

Speaker 5 (07:53):
Because you know, you remember Andy Dalton against the Ravens
a couple of years ago, s toorches them with Tyler Boyd.
It sends the bill to the playoffs, and uh so,
Buffalo fans donated a bunch of money to Andy Dalton's foundation,
seizing that momentum. A few weeks later, Blake Bortle's and
the Jags beat the Steelers in a playoff game, and

(08:13):
I got people to raise I think we donated like
six hundred and twenty bucks to the Blake Bortles Foundation.
I still get their mailers because of this. So this
has kind of become a thing. So if Carson Wentz
delivers a victory for the Chiefs and helps the Bengals,
and then Aaron Rodgers does what he does and delivers
a Jets victory over the Dolphins, are we prepared to

(08:35):
donate money to the charitable causes most near and dear
to the hearts of those two qbs?

Speaker 8 (08:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (08:41):
Can you can you just send some of it to
Sauce Gardner's favorite?

Speaker 4 (08:45):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (08:45):
I mean that probably?

Speaker 4 (08:46):
OK?

Speaker 6 (08:46):
Fine, Yeah, or just or just donate it to since
he rains.

Speaker 3 (08:49):
I guess that'd be fine too, Sauce, and say that
and staid, of course, I think you got to figure
out what Carson Wentz's charity is right now that we're
gonna do this, Karen, I think this is a good,
good movie. Go find that. Uh, and and so we'll
have that right so you can just have it ready
for people if they need it.

Speaker 5 (09:08):
All right, Very good which of the you asked this
the Jay, Yeah, which of the three prongs concerns you
the most?

Speaker 3 (09:17):
I you know, the obviously the FanDuel number would would
tell you, or what that The Kansas City game should
be the most concerning. I think they'll play hard. I
I do think that Kansas City will play hard there
and that.

Speaker 5 (09:31):
The players who play, I think we'll show a representative effort.

Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yeah, and so I think I don't think that's totally
I still I think you're probably most concerned about that.
And then I think you're I'm still concerned about the
Bengals in Pittsburgh. I mean, I just when you consider
what we we know, how tough that can be. They
still have things to play for. What the what Russell

(09:55):
Wilson and company did to this defense last time they played.
I don't think there's there's no certainly know slam dunk
involved in that one either. They're all pretty close. But
you're right, Kansas City is probably the one that you're most.

Speaker 5 (10:06):
Well because I think the Broncos are okay, I think
the Broncos are better than Miami. Yeah, I don't think
the Dolphins are very good. I mean, obviously issues at quarterback. Themselves.
And so even if the Jets lay down the way
they did against Buffalo, Buffalo is really good. I don't
think Miami can seize and take advantage. Look, the Browns
didn't want to win that game last week, and it
was competitive going in to the middle parts of the

(10:27):
fourth quarter.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
Yeah, I mean, you're still You're still got you know,
a Jets team that has been right there. Outside of
the last week, they've really been right there with most
of the teams they've been playing. They just found ways
to lose. Whatever. It's still I keep us saying this
all year, but it's still Aaron Rodgers, isn't it. I
don't know if it is anymore. Yeah, whatever's going on there,
but I mean, it still is Aaron Rodgers versus a

(10:50):
backup quarterback. And so is it possible. It's absolutely possible
that you could that you could see that happen. It's
just gonna be a matter of candid you know, can
the Chiefs backups muster enough to make it happen.

Speaker 5 (11:05):
Carson Wentz heads the AO one Foundation. Okay, Now, the
AO one Foundation's website doesn't seem to be operating at
the moment, so maybe that's what we have to raise
money to do.

Speaker 6 (11:19):
Is that's where you start. You're going to hire a website,
got that money?

Speaker 4 (11:23):
But that's that's that's what it is.

Speaker 5 (11:28):
According to Wikipedia, it started in two thousand and seventeen
and it was active as of twenty twenty one. Activities
for underprivileged youth, service dog support, hunting an outdoor opportunities
for the physically disabled, and veterans.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
Sounds a great cost to me.

Speaker 4 (11:47):
It sounds like an awesome cause.

Speaker 3 (11:48):
I will start if anybody can donate their time to
getting their up their website.

Speaker 5 (11:51):
Offre Yeah, I just I need to see I need
to see the website work before I can tell you
whether or not the foundation is still active.

Speaker 4 (11:58):
But if it is, that's certainly.

Speaker 3 (11:59):
That's a good place. Again.

Speaker 5 (12:00):
Yeah, and then we'll google Aaron Rodgers and find out
what he's up to off the field.

Speaker 3 (12:04):
I don't know, you want to do that?

Speaker 5 (12:05):
Have you tried to watch his documentary? Now it is
seventeen minutes. Oh the website is working? Oh yeah, there
it is?

Speaker 3 (12:14):
Oh kid, use a little update.

Speaker 5 (12:16):
Yeah, let's see when. Their most recent tweet was February
of twenty four, so the last year. Okay, sure, sure,
maybe why not.

Speaker 3 (12:28):
It's got a chance, all right.

Speaker 5 (12:29):
So the Carson Wentz does have something that he cares
about off the field that we could help.

Speaker 4 (12:34):
We could boost if he and the chiefs.

Speaker 3 (12:37):
I'll get in contact with Kansas City pr and make
sure that that that's okay, okay place to send the money,
or we could again, we could just you could just
send it to their facilities.

Speaker 4 (12:44):
Just send it to me.

Speaker 5 (12:45):
Eighteen minutes after three o'clock where at Buffalo Wild Wings
in Kenwood. Paul Danner Junior is here from the athletic
till four.

Speaker 4 (12:51):
We are here until.

Speaker 5 (12:53):
Six on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 8 (12:59):
With us.

Speaker 4 (12:59):
Where you're a Buffalo.

Speaker 5 (13:00):
Wild Wings and Kenwood. I'm here till six o'clock, so
come on out and join us. We're giving away the
Bengals cooler thanks to bud Light, which I used over
New Year's It is awesome. Also some other Bengals goodies
as well, including the Nike Golf Bengals hoodie thanks to
our friends at bud Like so you got a game
on Sunday or Saturday night Bengals and Steelers a lot

(13:23):
riding on it. Meanwhile, the noise continues to build as
it relates to Joe Burrow wanting t Higgins back. Yeah,
in twenty twenty five and beyond, and so you wrote
about this. I mean to me, this was the shot
across the bow. This was it right. You don't quote.
You don't want to make a living out of letting
great players leave the building. I think that's why you've

(13:44):
got to do everything you can to get those deals
done early.

Speaker 4 (13:47):
It is like, that's not a guy just expressing his need.

Speaker 5 (13:50):
That's a guy saying, well, you've done this and you
screwed this up, so don't do it again.

Speaker 4 (13:55):
Yeah, I'm here for it.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
The reason that these guys are so hard to sign
right now because these deals were not already done, you know,
and the fact that you're talking a couple of years now,
you've been dealing with this T Higgins situation. You got
to the goal line last year and couldn't get it
over the top with Jamar before the season started, you know,
which is just still it was in the moment, it

(14:19):
was immediately afterwards. It's still and now even more so,
just unbelievable that that didn't get done when you consider
how do you get that close at that moment and
still kick the can down the road. And so yeah,
I think that was a there's no other way to
look at it other than that was a direct shot saying, Hey,
this is how, this is why we're in this spot

(14:42):
and taking it public. I think that's to me. I
don't think any surprise is here that Joe would feel
this way or be willing to voice those opinions so
the front office can hear them. The fact that it's
gone public like that, that he's saying it in this
way and wielding his power in that way is the

(15:07):
surprising element of this. And he has had every opportunity
to either walk it back or lessen the impact of
it or give a yeah, but I know I said this,
but no and no. It has been a double down
every time, and now it's turned it into this thing
where the you know, a very complicated situation with t Higgins,

(15:29):
who is gonna be free to make it to free
agency unless they tag him again and do some sort
of tag trade or whatever happens there. I mean, but
more than like there he is, with free agency right
in front him, He's gonna be very rich and a
complicated situation is kind of coming down to Burrow versus
front office. Yes, and it's like with a clear winner

(15:51):
right in front of us, and you can see who
won and who lost and where that iron will be directed.
And Joe has calculated that out nicely. Yeah, to try
to apply the pressure. And I don't blame him. And
I've flipped on this multiple times. I'm willing to admit this.
We've probably you could probably go back and find me

(16:11):
on both sides of this multiple times. Over the well,
you give something a chance to play out over the
course of two three years, things change often, and they've
changed dramatically right now, you know what I mean. I
feel like because Burrow has been so loud about this,
because you have had a bunch of other players who
you thought you might be able to pay or what

(16:33):
or have extensions for down the line, who you don't
have anybody really to pay that's coming up in the
near future. You have a guy that handled this situation
at the absolute A one A level you could ask
a person to handle a situation like t Higgins did.
Proved himself to be the type of person that they
quite frankly need more of in that building, not just

(16:55):
from a quality player, but from a handling your business
the right way. You have had a pick.

Speaker 6 (17:02):
That didn't work out in Jermaine Burton.

Speaker 3 (17:06):
You have had free agents that you went in there
and said, all right, let's keep let's get that free
agent hand moving, and you've had multiple failures there. The
Sheldon Rankins lesson of didn't quite know what it was
gonna be until he got in the building, and it
just didn't quite make all very clear reminders that you
should hold on to a good thing when you have

(17:28):
it and you know what it is. This organization used
to be about that. I thought one hundred percent and
that was what they dedicated themselves to, and this is
a situation with chance where they can prove that again.
But I think I've come back on that side of
where are you going to get better value that you
can more know, know that you can depend on out

(17:50):
of your twenty five million dollars or whatever. If everybody
can find a way to make this work through restructures
or whatever, where can you better find value you can
depend on what that money that won't be a missing
free agency. This year's Sheldon Rankings, this year's Geno Stone,
this year's Jermaine Burton. Trying to fill it through the
draft than you can with just paying te Higgins and

(18:11):
rolling those three dudes out there and saying this is
our team, Come and get us.

Speaker 4 (18:15):
That's where I am.

Speaker 3 (18:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (18:16):
And you wrote about this in the aftermath of Saturday Night,
which was storybook in so many ways, but also is
this it? This is the last time I get to
watch T Higgins in person in a Bengals uniform, And
you wrote about things that I think are hard to
quantify with metrics and with dollars. Yeah, And that's and

(18:37):
we've both made this point separately. T Higgins is a
rookie in twenty twenty and I'm sure thinking, like, dude,
I'm about to be the man. And then they acquire
Jamar Chase and he instantly becomes the man, and t
Higgins doesn't gripe, at least publicly. He goes through this
two year saga are they going to sign him? Will
they tag him? And the things we thought were gonna
happen didn't. Oh, he's he's not gonna sign the ten

(19:00):
until August when he has to signs it. In June
shows up the day one of camp practices. You guys
talk with him and he's like, I'm good I'm making
twenty two mil. I'm fine, like, I'm gonna do my thing.
My day will come. Like could not have handled this better.
And I think because of that. I tweeted this after
the game on Saturday night. I can't think of many

(19:20):
players Bengals players who are more beloved.

Speaker 4 (19:23):
And I think it's the player. It's a very good player,
and it's.

Speaker 5 (19:28):
Big moments that he's had, but I think it's how
he's handled the business part of this in a way
that appeals to people, appeals to me. And you mentioned
the kind of person they reed like, I could look
at the numbers and go, T Higgins is a good player.

Speaker 4 (19:41):
Boy.

Speaker 5 (19:41):
It's nice to have good players, But that's the kind
of person you want. That's the kind of person you
want to build around. I think there's value there that
can't necessarily be measured by metrics, by analytics, or even
by assigning a specific dollar amount.

Speaker 3 (19:57):
To it, and by the need for What do we
do and the season starts going wrong, and it's week
three or four and things seem off, what do we say?

Speaker 6 (20:05):
What's your identity?

Speaker 3 (20:07):
Who are you is? What do you what's your vision?

Speaker 6 (20:09):
What's your identity? There's your identity.

Speaker 3 (20:11):
Your identity is being the best passing offense in football
because you have Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase and t Higgins
and that's who you are. And if you have those
three guys this year maybe a proof more than anything.
If you only have those three guys, Yeah, you're a
five hundred ball club, right and you can be that
now you need you can go into the rest of
it after that.

Speaker 6 (20:32):
To me, there's nothing wrong with saying it, And the.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
Problem was that there were other ways you felt like
you could more appropriately use that money before. And the
defense is its own issue. But like, there's nothing wrong
with saying in this league where passing the ball wins
and you've proven what do you know what this is
and can be to just say, you know what, We're
just gonna invest in these guys and say that this
is our team and find a way to make the

(20:57):
rest of it work out. It's not that you can't this.
This has always been to me, the misunderstood element is
people have thought that they don't want to or they're
too cheap to. It has been a philosophical thing not
to they have the money, obviously you can do it.
It's just a matter of how do you best build
a team that can win, building more of a balanced
defense around him and putting more money on that side,

(21:19):
or do you just dedicate picks over there and different
ways to do it. You always could do it this way.
The Eagles are doing it that way, the Dolphins are
doing it that way. Teams can do it that way.
It's more understood to do it that way now than ever,
where the receivers are all making so much money because
their value has never been higher. You can do it.
And I think this the lesson of this season might

(21:41):
be that before it didn't seem right to do it,
and now it kind of does.

Speaker 5 (21:44):
I asked you the Wednesday after the Dallas game, which
is when Joe really changed the conversation permanently with his
comments about tea after that dramatic victory, I asked you
to put a percentage on it, and you said fifty
five percent.

Speaker 3 (21:58):
Then he comes back, yeah, now sure it's higher, because
you know you haven't Because that after that, there was
then there was the opportunity to be like, well, you know,
if you're clearly something, it's that I still you know,
I think higher. Uh, seventy two and a half how's
that say? How does that sound?

Speaker 6 (22:18):
I'm not going to go fully to the three quarters
Camilla there.

Speaker 3 (22:21):
But it's higher. I think it's on the rise. The
thing is, though, you know, you you you, there's still
it's not like you're hearing anything definitive anywhere outside of
Burrows Plan, Yeah, you know or whatever. You know. He
seems to think he's pretty confident. When he sounds that confident,
I tend to believe him right, And I do think
it matters. I do think his voice has resonated. I

(22:42):
think something underdiscussed part of this is perhaps how much
Saturday Night resonated in the owner's box. I mean, moments
turn things for this ownership group often, and and that
was a moment for the fan base, the type of
moment that they want to create to keep the fan
base the way they are in a year that has

(23:04):
had them turn against them in so many ways and
a lot of people questioning their fandom to this team
and this ownership group. And I think this has become
the issue that's clearly at play between them and their
fans right now of are you dedicated to keeping this
thing that makes everyone feel so good, that makes this
stadium feel and look like that. Are you dedicated to
keeping that together? And can you find a way to

(23:25):
make that work? And I think there's there's a bit
of that that that can land, whether it's on the
lap of Mike Brown or that filters down to Troy
and Katie or whoever, or Duke or whatever it is.
I feel like that can have an impact too, of
turning the tide of saying, you know what, let's really
figure out a way to do this.

Speaker 5 (23:44):
When the season was hanging in the balance, Joe Burrow
threw the ball to t Higgins.

Speaker 3 (23:48):
Yeah, so there you go.

Speaker 4 (23:51):
Mechanically, it's the way.

Speaker 3 (23:53):
It's the CounterPunch that no one ever has an answer for,
is you can you can give all all the clouds
and doubles to Jamar and say, anybody but Jamar, you
can do that. You can try to blitz, and you
can do all kinds of things. You can try to
force and force your hand in certain things. You can
never account for the fact that they can. Then just

(24:14):
do that to t Higgins for an entire game, and
he'll catch everything, and he'll make every play, and he'll
be dynamic, short, long, run, all the right routes, do
everything correctly and be big in big spots. Man. It's
just when you have that, when you have something that
the hole league can't counter, it's hard to just let

(24:35):
that walk away and say it's for the better men
of the team.

Speaker 5 (24:37):
All Right, we talked about t Higgins. Now we have
to talk about Kid York when we come back. Or
a Buffalo Wild Wings Gedwood on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (24:44):
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (24:46):
Bridge begins Saturday at four on ESPN fifteen thirty, The
official home of the BENGALSPS.

Speaker 5 (24:53):
Headlines, or a service Excuse me, The Kelsey Chevrolet Home
of lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their
family to yours for life, Kelsey chev dot Com. Joe Burrow,
Jamar Chase, and Trey Hendrickson have been voted to the
AFC team in the Pro Bowl Games. Yeah, Chase Brown
third alternate, Orlando Brown fourth alter.

Speaker 4 (25:15):
How many alternates do they have for the Pro Bowl Games?

Speaker 3 (25:18):
I choose not to care about the Pro Bowl.

Speaker 5 (25:20):
Kendall Milton comes off the practice squad. He's a running back.
Chase Brown's not gonna.

Speaker 6 (25:23):
Play right, I think, no, I think there's a chance.

Speaker 3 (25:27):
I think it's gonna be one of those go out
there before the game and see how what you can do,
See how it feels, see what he's capable of doing.
I mean it's how explosive do you feel like you
can be on on a high ankle spring and whatever
he says, they'll go from there.

Speaker 5 (25:40):
How many care is Khalil Herbert going to get if
Chase can't go. You're gonna say they like Khalil Herbert.

Speaker 3 (25:47):
No, I'm not not, because I don't think they like
Khalil Herbert.

Speaker 6 (25:52):
I think they're gonna throw the ball.

Speaker 3 (25:53):
I think. I mean that's where their matchup.

Speaker 4 (25:55):
So Rand that speed option for him, that was kind
of cool.

Speaker 3 (25:58):
I was pretty that. I love it. I mean that
was one of Joe Burrow's special plays that he just
pulled out of thin air, almost like he does when
he gets hit by eighteen guys behind the line and
still makes a touchdown happen. He just like was like, hey,
we could run the speed option. We worked on that once, Yeah,
and did No. I think I think eight to ten carries.

(26:19):
I think they're gonna throw the ball. I mean that
the Pittsburgh defensive line is their strength. They're having all
kinds of problems in their secondary right now, and you
have mismatches everywhere, you should be able to drop back.

Speaker 6 (26:31):
And throw it a bunch and take advantage.

Speaker 5 (26:33):
Of the final quarterfinal game of the college football Playoff
is the Sugar Bowl, which kicks off in just about
thirty minutes, Notre Dame taking on Georgia College basketball, The
West Miller Show tonight at eight that is on seven
hundred WLW from the original. Montgomery in Indiana takes on
Rutgers tonight, and hockey the Blue Jackets skate against Detroit.

(26:54):
How gonna feel if Kaid york is trotting out there
on Saturday night with the season hanging in the balance,
and he's gonna make a kick to tie the game.

Speaker 3 (27:01):
You think you're going to be feeling not great? I mean,
you know, in case you felt good before the one
he went out for it last weekend, no one's gonna
feel great. That's why I mean, outside of truly, there's
no other option other than to kick the field goal here.
I don't think that we'll see him in that situation.
I think you're going to see a lot of go
for it's on fourth downs. I think you're going to

(27:23):
see a lot of trying to score touchdowns instead of
field goals, to winning two point conversions to win games.
I would expect all of that to be in play.
I don't think that there's how could there be any
faith in k York to go out there and make
a kick at this point. I mean you, the dice
has been cast. They just it's better, I guess, than

(27:44):
bringing somebody else in off the street at this point.
I don't know. Perhaps, uh you know, they seem they're
going to stick with him. And then he did make
a fifty nine yarder.

Speaker 4 (27:54):
The kid did two games ago at halftime.

Speaker 3 (27:56):
Made a big kick for that dude.

Speaker 6 (27:58):
And I'm saying, why not? Uh yeah, I know, I
I don't.

Speaker 5 (28:02):
As beloved as T Higgins is, Kid York is the
exact opposite end of the spectrum.

Speaker 3 (28:08):
Uh yeah, I mean, you get a kick. It's been
a tough year for kickers across this sleegue. Man, There's
been more notable misses by kickers this year than I
can remember in forever. And that includes Evan McPherson, who's
still well, he was eligible. He's not going to play
this weekend, but you know, still around you.

Speaker 5 (28:26):
Guys gave the media Cooperation Award to Mike Hill. Is
he gonna be in the running to win it next year?

Speaker 3 (28:32):
It's a great question, I say, is there not a
place on the roster for guys that can make plays?
Because there he's one of like three guys on that
defense that makes place. Yeah, and so they found this
sort of role for him. I think it's obvious. I mean,
he's he's not able to cover at the same levels
he did previously. There's a reason for that. He's been

(28:52):
taking off blitzing corner roll. Dude, if you, I mean, why,
what's the problem with having that right? And I don't know,
I don't what does that do for your plans you
have for I feel like they need bodies in the
secondary regardless, and if there's a I just it just
seems like it's hard to imagine that there's not still
a place where you could come up with a way

(29:14):
to keep him around. It depends on what his market is,
I mean, how sold after he is. I don't know.
I think there's a number of decisions like that are
gonna be tough to tell. History would suggest that they
would let him go. But if there's a one year
deal for a two or three million dollars that that

(29:36):
is ends up being where his market is. I don't
know that would be the case, but if that ends
up being the case, I could see both sides agreeing
on that.

Speaker 5 (29:42):
Has anybody ever won the Cooperation Award two years in
a row?

Speaker 6 (29:47):
I don't think so.

Speaker 3 (29:48):
I don't.

Speaker 4 (29:48):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
I don't think that's I have to go back through
the ark, because I do. There's been multiple time winners.
Andrew Whitworth is a multi time winner, but not consecutively.
Not consecutively.

Speaker 5 (29:58):
Yeah, okay, if the Bengals lose that game on Saturday night,
is your story about and I know you wrote about,
but is the is the theme the what Zach was
doing at the end of regulation? Because I was at
the game and I was sitting next to this family
of four, three Broncos fans, one Bengal fan, and the

(30:21):
young lady next to me didn't say a word to
me the entire game, and then at the end of
regulation looks at me and goes, what is your coach doing?
And I said, you're my new litmus test for the
rest of this game, So you look, what is your
coach doing?

Speaker 3 (30:37):
Yeah? Uh, well, I that's why even though they won.
I did write about you did write I was like,
you know, I I don't know how we're not We
have to talk about this a lot. I mean whatever.

Speaker 5 (30:48):
His explanation didn't help. Well, No, I told Chase to
go down, Well take the damn.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
Knee, right. I think that there were Yeah, there's there's
no doubt. If you're gonna say that everybody is here
to try to kick this field, go and go home.

Speaker 6 (31:05):
I don't know why you're not just taking three knees.

Speaker 3 (31:07):
I think that there was still I think they were
still trying to keep more options on the table in
terms of figuring out exactly where the math was gonna
end up depending on how long. If you could get
some plays that lasted a little longer, it could go
from being kicking it at say, twenty seconds, to kicking
it at ten seconds, and there being a significant difference
between those two and their decision making I think was

(31:28):
part of that as well. So rather than doing the
quick play, you want the longer play and just go down.

Speaker 6 (31:33):
There shouldn't be what could possibly go wrong?

Speaker 3 (31:36):
Right? Yeah? No, but I and you get him going
out of bounds earlier also didn't help matters and so
you just get a number of things that go against them.
But yeah, I mean, in ret it's pretty easy to
sit there and say this should have been just a
three knees and a kick situation and then take your chances.
But that wasn't what happened.

Speaker 5 (31:59):
No, No, I mean it all worked out of the end,
so we all laugh and smile and stuff.

Speaker 4 (32:04):
But I think from a.

Speaker 3 (32:05):
Fan perspective, ever should have come anywhere.

Speaker 4 (32:08):
That was gonna be really hard for overcome.

Speaker 3 (32:10):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's it's it's hard to
overcome at this point. You know. What's an interesting thing
that that happened during that that I think is I'm
curious how the league is gonna gonna react to this.
Is so Chase Brown gets hurt, right and Sean Payton
calls time out. Chase Brown is standing when he calls

(32:34):
time out, and then after the timeout goes back down.
Why do the Bengals get charged for an injury? Couldn't
he have been like, oh the whistle blue, they called
time out, Now I'm gonna go down. No, they pulled
the injury timeout thing on the Bengals, And I think
that was why the timing of that was interesting. Because
he was standing for a decent amount of you know,

(32:57):
a few seconds at least three four seconds, and then
goes back down when a timeout was in progress. So
why why is that? I think that that gray area
is something that needs to be addressed within the League
of of how how that injury time thing is is applied.

Speaker 5 (33:12):
Yea, Uh, you talked about you and Jay talked about
lessons from what's happened with Sheldon Rankins. Yeah, and Sheldon
Rankins is sick. I hope he's okay. But there's always
weirdness when I see the and you guys address this,
So I don't want to dive too deep into this,
but there's always weirdness when I see the n FI
time of year.

Speaker 3 (33:33):
Yeah, it's that well, it's I always go back to
it was connected to AJ mccaron and his rookie year.
And when you're on an NFI list, that tends to
be a way that teams can either recoup money or
years un contract. There's more so than than any a
regular IR list is football activities, normal rules apply there

(33:58):
there can be a gray area. Now he does have
an illness. Uh that that's and so there's obviously implications
there but yeah, the NiFi list, you never know, I don't,
I don't know. I'm curious if that will be nothing
or if that will end up being something, and we'll
we'll see. I mean we can't. Sheldon his camp don't

(34:18):
really have any interest in discussing this with us or anybody,
so as not a lot of answer. This is right, yeah,
absolutely in that in that illness and that's what it is.
But so there's no real explanation about any of it
that that we can really.

Speaker 4 (34:33):
But he's done, he's not coming back. He's he's played
his last snap as a Bengal.

Speaker 3 (34:37):
Yes, what was your favorite moment? Uh? The press conference,
unbelievable opening press being reminded.

Speaker 5 (34:46):
Of how he ate Alex Kappa for lunch, uh and
when he was with the Texans last year, and then
that maybe telling us more about Alex Kappa than she.

Speaker 3 (34:54):
Yeah, that maybe both ended up being air press conference
was entertaining, Yeah, entertaining press conference.

Speaker 8 (34:59):
Man.

Speaker 3 (34:59):
Yeah, I mean it's again, you just never know football situa,
especially on defense. You never know what's gonna translate, what's
gonna not. But at the time it was a risk
they were talking about playing him more than he's ever
really played in his career, and in a different position
and role than he kind of had already previously been in.
He was never going to be a direct replacement for

(35:21):
DJ Reader, but they were gonna ask him to do
some of that, along with a couple of drafted guys
he was older. Yeah, but that it was all of that.
The whole plan from the very beginning was rough and
and it somehow went worse than you thought it ever could.

Speaker 5 (35:39):
Luanna Rumo doesn't have to clean out his desk no
matter what happens on Saturday, doesn't doesn't do we feel
like he is like back next year, saved, his gig
defense has played well.

Speaker 6 (35:50):
I don't think that's the case. I I mean, I don't.

Speaker 3 (35:56):
I don't know that that one game is going to
change the dynamics of this entire season. You know, to me,
you'll break this season down and you'll look at those
games against the good teams, and there's the obvious common
thread between all of those. And the interesting thing is
Pittsburgh is the ultimate example of this. They're the one
not great offense that went off against this Bengals defense.

(36:18):
This Bengals defense was susceptible to a great offense to
just absolutely obliterating them.

Speaker 5 (36:25):
But what was weird about like the when I watched Washington,
Jade Daniels wowed me. And when I watched Baltimore do
it it did I was wold. When I watched the Steelers,
I thought like, what they're doing shouldn't be that difficult
to defend. They just couldn't make tackles. Yes, correct, and
you saw that in some way. I mean the Chargers game,
the first half of the Charge.

Speaker 3 (36:45):
I mean those two games back to back that were
at this absolute you know middle you're defining moment of
the season those two games and Ulay the biggest defensive
egg in the first half that you possibly can to
create this big deficit against the Charges, regardless of what
happened in the second half after that, and then you
have that game against Pittsburgh. That to me was why

(37:07):
in the moment, I felt like, you know, you're just
kind of washing your hands in the matter.

Speaker 6 (37:12):
Things have gotten better.

Speaker 3 (37:14):
I don't really feel like they've gotten so good other
than the opposing quarterback has thrown the ball right to
them bunch, and it's a bunch of young guys that
are try hard, guys that are trying hard and that matters,
and trying to see those guys play hard and get
better and gain confidence is important. But I don't know
to me that you've seen enough now. Pittsburgh could be

(37:37):
the one that you could make up for, the one
maybe their biggest air of the season. You could do
that on Saturday and keep hope alive and maybe there's
a playoff run on the back of it and you
can build something. But to me don't I don't know.
I still feel very similarly to the way that I
did after that first Pittsburgh game. It just but I
don't know. I think this is one of the hardest

(37:58):
decisions Zach Taylor's time here of what of what he wants.

Speaker 4 (38:02):
Do you think the decision is solely Zach Taylor's.

Speaker 3 (38:06):
Mostly Yeah, I mean, I think they would give him
the understanding of you know how to run your team
and and you certainly know lou Anarumo and bet as
well as anybody. And I think it's a tough I
think it's I think it can be a tough call.
It's a tough call when you have a guy who's
done what he's done here, has been here as long
as he is and you still think he's a good coordinator.

(38:27):
It's just a matter of is he the best coordinator
to get with everybody on this defense needs out of
the next year or two, and only they know the
answer to that question, right, All right.

Speaker 4 (38:40):
Well, we'll be reading your cover. Whatever's going on next week.

Speaker 5 (38:43):
Could be the Bengals getting set to go to Buffalo,
could be the the Bengals changing.

Speaker 4 (38:48):
Coordinators, could could be any number of things.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
Can't wait, who knows? I mean, this is gonna be
one heck of an off season. Yes, so I can't
tell you. You know, expect unexpected would probably be the
best place to start. But yeah, we'll keep righting.

Speaker 5 (39:04):
I mean, this team is entering an off season, and
I hope the off season is still pushed off at
least a week, if not more. But you know, we
always say boys a really interesting offseason. Sometimes we say
that just to say it.

Speaker 3 (39:16):
Now I think we really mean no, I think I
really mean. I think I think they have a top
five in the league, most interesting offseason in front of them.

Speaker 5 (39:23):
Yeah, all right, man, Well, thank you as always, and
we'll see you next week.

Speaker 3 (39:27):
Look forward to it.

Speaker 5 (39:28):
Yes, Paul Danner Junior read his work Athletic dot Com
Catch at the Growler podcast. We are here at Buffalo
Wild Wings Ken would Chad Brendle's going to join us
in ten minutes on the Bearcats on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (39:39):
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (39:41):
SHO begins Saturday at four on ESPN fifteen thirty, the
official home of the Bengals.

Speaker 4 (39:48):
What's up, Good afternoon on my legger. This is ESDS
fifteen thirty. Thus, so much for joining us early start
to the hour. I like if we are.

Speaker 5 (39:56):
Broadcasting from Buffalo Wild Wings Ken, the Sugar Bowl is
about to get underway between Notre Dame and Georgia.

Speaker 4 (40:06):
And so if you're not working today, if you've extended
your holiday break maybe through the week, or.

Speaker 5 (40:13):
If you're working today but don't feel like it, you're
getting off here soon and you want to watch the
game and you want to be out somewhere, Well, come.

Speaker 4 (40:20):
On out to Buffalo Wild Wings and Ken.

Speaker 5 (40:22):
You can get any b Dubs location and enjoy the
game tonight, but weren't the one in Kenwood. So by golly,
come to the Kenwood location. We are here until six o'clock.
We've got bud Light specials, we've got the awesome bud
Light Bengals cooler that we're gonna be given away. We've
got some awesome looking bud Light Bengals Nike Golf hoodies
which have been very popular as we've done our shows

(40:44):
at various B dubs through at the course of the season.
This is our last show at B Dubs until hopefully
at least next year, and we wanted to thank the
staff at the Kenwood location for having us out.

Speaker 4 (40:54):
They have been awesome.

Speaker 5 (40:57):
Jay Morrison's gonna join us in just about fifty minutes
on a few different Bengals related topics. We'll also chat
with one of the experts from Ortho Cincy about Chase
Brown's high ankle injury, and also maybe get a few
minutes on Orlando Brown, who played with a broken leg
on Saturday night. On Saturday afternoon this week, the UC
basketball team tries to bounce back. They take on an

(41:19):
Arizona team that won its Big twelve opener ninety to
eighty one over TCU. Cincinnati did not win. It's a
Big twelve opener falling on the road to Kansas State.
Chad Brendle typically joins us on Thursdays, usually at three
forty five, but we moved him to four h five,
which is what time it is now. Chadwith Bearcat Journal
dot com.

Speaker 4 (41:40):
He is with us.

Speaker 8 (41:41):
Hi, Chad, if I had a broken leg, you wouldn't
see me for a couple of weeks. I'll tell you
that much. Now.

Speaker 5 (41:48):
I wouldn't do a radio show with a broken leg,
much less play a football.

Speaker 8 (41:51):
No. Oh, I wouldn't answer your phone call from my
living room with a broken leg.

Speaker 5 (41:58):
A lot of people who don't answer my phone call
even with out of broken leg. So I'm to get along.
How how should have I reacted to what I saw
in Manhattan on Monday night?

Speaker 8 (42:10):
Frustrated? I mean, I think that was you know, when
you're looking at this league and the way that it
plays out, that was an opportunity to go get a
road win against the team that you know you should
be able. If this team is what we think it's
going to be like, you should be able to get
that win. So the frustration, I think is fair, especially

(42:36):
when you consider what's coming up the next three games.
It would have made life a heck of a lot
easier to get that one out of the way, and
you know, try to try to snatch one of these
next three as opposed to now, boy, you got to
figure out a way to get one and and really
two of these next three, which is a daunting task.

Speaker 4 (43:00):
Is this team going to be good offensively?

Speaker 8 (43:05):
Yeah, I think there's you know, I think there's some
things they need to to continue to figure out offensively
right now. I think the biggest thing is teams are
loading up to take away Gisel James and Sima's Lucotius
and saying, what can you do if we if we
slow those two down? And the answer has been not
a whole lot hopefully. As you know, we did see

(43:30):
kind of a an emergence of the old Dan skillings,
although I don't know how much him making four to
three three pointers is, you know, repeatable throughout the schedule,
but him putting that on tape, I think when teams
go to scout Cincinnati at least makes them say, Okay,
this guy's back to being you know who he was

(43:51):
before he had knee injury. So I think that's one
part of it. The other thing I think that you
can really apply to the rest of the season is
in both this game and the Villanova game, you had
two teams that were struggling that were searching for something

(44:13):
to work, which means you're gonna be you're gonna be tinkering,
you're gonna be changing what you do, what you you know,
what you think is going to work. And they had,
you know, six seven days to do it in between
their previous game and then their next game with Cincinnati,
which means you come out showing some stuff you don't
have on tape, and that kind of threw Cincinnati off.

(44:34):
I know, you know that through scouting they had seen
like this is kind of the way Case State was
defending both against Drake and then against witchitaf State. Cincinnati
came in kind of preparing for that and expecting that
they showed it on the first offensive series and didn't
go back to with the rest of the game. So

(44:55):
that makes it extremely difficult. You spend a you know,
a chunk of practice time expecting them to do something
they've been doing recently, then they don't do it and
you get something completely different. As a coach, that's you know,
that's difficult to just on the fly, Okay, we're gonna
we've got to change what we worked on leading up

(45:17):
to this game because that's not gonna apply to this game.
You won't see that anymore the rest of the way,
because the Big Twelve and their infinite wisdom has decided
that twenty games in ten weeks is the way to go.
Teams aren't going to be able to throw a whole
bunch of new rinkles at you with two days to
prepare in between games.

Speaker 4 (45:39):
What's wrong with simas.

Speaker 8 (45:40):
Lukash's teams are defending the hell out of them right now.
You know you start the way he started, everybody's going
to have you at the top of their scouting report.
Everybody is going to do something you know different to
try to take you away like he's one of the
he was getting really good. Action would be like the

(46:05):
you hear the term screen the screener, so where Semous
would set screens and then immediately go into a screen
action and be open at the three point line. You'll
see him catch and immediately start to go in his
shot because he's expecting a little bit of space. That
space hasn't been there, and teams have been able to

(46:25):
take away some of that stuff that made him so effective.

Speaker 7 (46:28):
So they're gonna have to go back to.

Speaker 8 (46:30):
The drawing board a little bit and say, you know
how else, what else can we do to get him
the action that he's comfortable with? And they just haven't
really been able to do that for you know, three
four games, and it's a copycat world mode. Teams are
looking at tape and saying, what's being done to make

(46:51):
this guy a little bit off? And then they start,
you know, okay, well, we're gonna work that into our
game plan. Cincinnati's one gonna have to do a little
bit better job drawing up play for him to the
other guys are going to have to start carrying some
of that load so the defense can't so heavily focus
on taking him away. It's why Joe Burrow wants Jamar

(47:13):
Chase and t Higgins on his team forever, right because
everybody's loading up to stop Jamar. Well, okay, then T's
open like that. That's kind of where Cincinnati's out offensively
right now. Who's key Who's making teams change what they're
doing to free up seamos a little bit more so?

Speaker 5 (47:31):
Wes Miller talked today publicly a little bit about Sea Moss.

Speaker 3 (47:34):
You were there.

Speaker 4 (47:35):
Have we heard anything else interesting from the coach?

Speaker 8 (47:41):
You know, he's very coy in these things. The one
thing I think that this team does need to adjust to.
They've got a bigger target on their back. Now they're
not a you know, at least metrically and having a
ranked number by your name. You're coming into these games
against a team like Kansas Date that's saying, look, we

(48:01):
can get right. We haven't had a great season so far.
We've let some opportunities slip through our fingers. But we
got Cincinnati coming in our gym. If we win this game,
this one's going to carry a lot of weight. His
team's got to be ready for that. You're not sneaking
up on anybody anymore. As let's builds this program back up.

(48:21):
You have to learn how to play with the target
on your back. And you know, I think that's something
he's going to have to work with on his team's mentality,
because I could tell from the opening tip of that
Kansas State game that they were the aggressor, that they
were a little quicker to lose balls. They were a
little quicker, you know, defensively in the pat League, you know,
play with a little bit more purpose, and in a

(48:45):
game that's going to end up coming down to the wire,
that little stuff matters. Giving up an offensive rebound on
a free throw. We saw it win them the Xavier game, right,
we saw it probably lose them the Kansas State game.
So stuff like that. This team has to be ready for.

Speaker 4 (49:00):
They have an answer for Caleb Love.

Speaker 8 (49:05):
You've got to frustrate Caleb Glove because he will shoot
them out of games if he's frustrated. If you let
him get into rhythm like we saw him do the
other night against TCU, he takes seventeen shots and scores
thirty three points, and your odds of winning that game
go down consistently. So I think you need to throw

(49:25):
a bunch of different wrinkles at him and get him
frustrated so that he's gonna take those seventeen to twenty
shots no matter what's that's part of their offense. You
need him to be at like seventeen points on seventeen
shots and not thirty three points on seventeen shots. That's
how you get their offense a little bit out of state.

Speaker 9 (49:48):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (49:49):
I'm hopeful, but I'm nervous because you know, you drop
this one on Saturday, you're staring zero to four in
the face.

Speaker 4 (49:57):
Not that that is what's going to happen, but.

Speaker 5 (50:01):
You know, suddenly there's a huge premium on playing a
team that was ranked in the top ten in the
AP top twenty five before the season, and heck and
the net ranking is still twenty third. They've got five losses,
all Q one losses like this, this feels like a
pivot point in the season.

Speaker 8 (50:16):
On Saturday, it is, and it's against the team it's
top twenty and Ken Palm in offense and top forty
in the Ken Poman defense. So you know they haven't
scored it well. Villanova's bad on defense. I think they're
like one to seventy five. Xavier and Dayton their fifty
sixty somewhere and they're not great. Kansas State is in

(50:38):
the seventies. Like this is the best defense that they've
played this season, and their offense has not been exactly
enjoyable to watch. Run the make shots offense, and it's.

Speaker 7 (50:55):
Gonna be difficult Kansas.

Speaker 8 (50:57):
Arizona's big bo pull seven footers and you know their
wings and guards or six three sixty six. They're gonna
have their work cut out for them at home to
not only hold Arizona in check, but to be able
to score enough to get the win. So you know,
It's definitely something that makes you nervous. But if they

(51:19):
are who they thought they were coming into the season,
and as recently as five days ago, they need to
figure out a way to get this Arizona win, to
get on track in the Big twelve and not stare
down Ohn four. Would just be a catastrophe because I
have so much space that you've already lost. If you

(51:42):
start like that, the math, the math already is not mathing,
and that's not where you want to be on you know,
January twelfth or whatever it is.

Speaker 5 (51:52):
Yeah, yeah, with eighty percent of your Big twelve schedule, Yeah,
in front of you. All right, Uh, we'll see what
happens you seeing Arizona on Saturday. Chad and his staff
will have it covered for Bearcat journal dot com.

Speaker 4 (52:06):
Thank you as always.

Speaker 8 (52:08):
I don't feel like I made you feel better.

Speaker 4 (52:11):
No, I hated everything about Monday night's game.

Speaker 3 (52:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (52:21):
I hated everything from the twelve to three start. I
don't think that team they played is very good. They couldn't,
for large stretches get shots off. We haven't you know, looked.
They beat Dayton and deserve a lot of credit for it,
and they beat Xavier, and I think all the emotion
going into and resulting from that game kind of masked

(52:44):
the fact that, boy, offensively, they showed some warts and
I'm just I'm starting to wonder if offensively, at least
the ceiling is a lot lower than I.

Speaker 4 (52:52):
Thought it was gonna be.

Speaker 8 (52:54):
That's fair. They need to be better on offense absolute though.
You have a lightful weekend, sir.

Speaker 4 (53:01):
I will do my best.

Speaker 7 (53:02):
Thank you, I'd say it.

Speaker 5 (53:05):
Chad Brendel, Bearcat Journal dot Com. You see in Arizona
on Saturday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena. It's going to
be a big day. You got the Bearcats on Saturday afternoon.
You got the Bengals on Saturday night in Pittsburgh. Jay
Morrison will be there Bengals Talk dot Com.

Speaker 4 (53:21):
He'll be with us next.

Speaker 5 (53:22):
We're Buffalo Wild Wings in ken on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 10 (53:27):
Station ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati, Available everywhere with the iHeartRadio
app now number one for podcasting ESPN fifteen thirty and
iHeartRadio Station.

Speaker 1 (53:42):
This is Football ILLNATI brought to you in part by
modern office methods. On the official home of the Bengals,
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (53:52):
It is twenty four minutes. Excuse me, after four o'clock
on ESPN fifteen thirty. We are broadcasting, or at least
trying to broadcast, from Buffalo Wild Wings in Kenwood. We
are here till six o'clock. The Sugar Bowl is underway.
Notre Dame in Georgia are scoreless with just over eleven
and a half to go in the first quarter. Obviously,

(54:14):
the game being played today because of the tragic incident
early on New Year's morning in New Orleans I.

Speaker 4 (54:23):
We'll keep you up to date with that throughout the
course of the afternoon.

Speaker 5 (54:26):
If you're looking for a place to watch the game,
obviously you can come on out to Buffalo Wild Wings
here in ken Wood.

Speaker 4 (54:32):
We are here till six.

Speaker 5 (54:33):
Game will not be over at six, but that doesn't
mean we can't stick around and.

Speaker 4 (54:37):
Watch the game.

Speaker 5 (54:37):
Great plays to watch the Bengals on Saturday night as well.
We're hoping to hear from our guy, Jay Morrison from
Bengals Talk dot Com typically joins us on Thursdays. The
week is at a whack for the men and women
who cover the team, and so.

Speaker 4 (54:53):
Maybe Jay's chasing down a big scoop. Maybe he's hunting
down a big store.

Speaker 3 (54:58):
Awesome linacause I called him three times.

Speaker 6 (55:00):
There's nothing getting ready to write an exclusive?

Speaker 4 (55:01):
Who called him?

Speaker 5 (55:02):
We heard from Jay earlier today who asked, am I
going to be on?

Speaker 4 (55:06):
And we said, yeah, you're gonna be on? Jay, let's go. Well, Uh,
here's what we'll do.

Speaker 5 (55:11):
Well, Uh, we got to get to our guy from
uh Orthosinsey, doctor Nick Gates coming up in a few minutes.

Speaker 1 (55:18):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (55:20):
I you know what I could do. I could do
a segment by myself. Talented broadcaster could do that. I
could do a segment on my own and a Jay
checks in with us. Jay checks in with us, and
that would be terrific. Tony and I talked about the
importance of T Higgins. I'm now on team signed Tea.

Speaker 4 (55:40):
And I what I've.

Speaker 5 (55:42):
Tried to do with this entire thing over the course
at the last couple of weeks is I think it's
fared away the the pros and cons and way, what
can happen if you resigned TI Higgins? And way what
happens if you don't sign T Higgins? And we'll do
that maybe a little bit later on. But first, our
guy Jay is with us.

Speaker 7 (55:59):
Hi jy Hi Mo, Sorry I'm late. Everything okay, Yeah,
everything's good, very good. I don't have a good excuse.
I wish I did, but I don't.

Speaker 5 (56:13):
You know what, you don't need a good like we're
swing over, you know, four figure checks for you to
do this, So no, there's no excuse needed. You could say, Mo,
pound sand I'm going to enjoy my Thursday afternoon and
that would be more than fine.

Speaker 4 (56:25):
So we're just happy to have you.

Speaker 7 (56:28):
Well in talking to you does make for an enjoyable
Thursday afternoon.

Speaker 4 (56:31):
Of course it does. Best. Guess Chase Brown gonna give
it a go on Saturday night.

Speaker 7 (56:39):
Yeah, I don't know. I would say probably he'll be
active and they'll see what he can do, and maybe
even if you can't go, you still make him active.
So you've got him for an emergency situation. But not
looking good, I mean, just the nature of the injury anyhow,
And then the fact that he hasn't favor practice this
week not a great sign.

Speaker 4 (57:00):
How much faith do they have in Khalil Herbert.

Speaker 5 (57:02):
I can't imagine he gets the same exact workload, but
he would be then the guy I know you've talked
about this with Paul This week what Dan Pitchers had
to say about Khalil. There's one thing to express verbally
your confidence in a player, at something else to actually
show confidence in him. If he's running back one on
Saturday night.

Speaker 4 (57:20):
How much did they use him?

Speaker 7 (57:23):
That's a great question. I think you have to use him.
You have to run the ball against the Steelers.

Speaker 3 (57:30):
He is.

Speaker 7 (57:30):
He's new to this team, but he's been in the
league for several years and he's been an effective runner.
He's average close to five yards per carry. I think
maybe the bigger concern might be pass protection. He has
only been here for eight weeks and kind of getting
that part of it down could be an issue. Even

(57:51):
last week, you know, they ran a speed option with
him and Joe Burrow basically had to like lean over
and tell him what to do on that play, and
it worked. They gained thirteen yards. But you feel much
more comfortable with the chase down in there, obviously because
of how long he's been here. But I don't think
it's dire if they have to lean on Khalil Herbert.
He's been a really good back in the league.

Speaker 5 (58:13):
Yeah, I like the speed option, by the way, I
don't know how deep. They had to go in the
playbook to pull that out. But when that unfolded, we
in the stands were exchanging a lot of really happy
looks with each other.

Speaker 4 (58:24):
I want more of that.

Speaker 7 (58:27):
Yeah he had. I mean he got thirteen on Maddy.
Another run he gained eight, So he does have a
little bit of popping in his game, and he's knowing
that is going to be as explosive as Chase Brown is.
But Chase Brown, even if he plays, I don't think
he's going to have his normal explosion on Saturday night.

Speaker 5 (58:42):
Will they go forward on fourth down every time in
plus territory rather than ask kid Yorke.

Speaker 4 (58:47):
To kick.

Speaker 7 (58:49):
Oh man, it's a great question. I mean, it's clear
from talking to Darren Simmons that there's a trust issue.
He didn't come out and say it, but you can
read between the lines and act really didn't want to
take part in that question either when he was asked
after the game and then again this week. I think
if it's you know, maybe inside of forty five, they

(59:11):
would trust him. But anything beyond unless it's just a
situation we've got no other shot.

Speaker 4 (59:15):
I do.

Speaker 7 (59:16):
I think you're going to see them go for it.

Speaker 3 (59:17):
Quite a bit, all right.

Speaker 5 (59:19):
If the Bengals pull this off, they're favored, by the way,
if they win on Saturday.

Speaker 4 (59:24):
Which of the two results that we need is most
worrisome to you?

Speaker 7 (59:31):
I guess probably Kansas City Denver, just because Kansas City
is resting their starters, and not only are they resting
their starters, you know, you have to feel that they
don't want to see the Bengals in the playoffs. They
they've lived this before. They even though they've hosted him
in two AFTY Championship games. The Bengals gave them everything
they could handle in both of those and won one
of them. So I don't think there's a lot of

(59:53):
motivation for Kansas City to win that game. It's not
just the ambivalence, and I think they would probably rather
lose it and not see the Bengals and Borough in
the playoffs. But on the other hand, Kansas City's beat
Denver seventeen and last eighteen times they've played. That's that's
significant when you own a team like that, And plus
you've got Denver, it's going to be super tight knowing

(01:00:13):
everything's on the line, and those those chief backups are
going to be playing loose Let's not forget it's a
two time Super Bowl champion roster. Their backups are not bad.
I think it's more concerning than the other game. But
I still think there's a chance that the Denver could
fall in this game in Kansas City could win.

Speaker 5 (01:00:30):
Have you recalibrated since I asked last year, which was
the Thursday Burrow's postgame comments after the Dallas tilt, have
you recalibrated your expectations for what they do with t
Higgins this offseason?

Speaker 7 (01:00:45):
Yeah? I think everybody has to. The way Joe has
been stumping for him and in the way not just
saying he's in need, but the line yesterday where he
said that that's not the plan, and when he goes
asking about Tea getting away said I would hate to
see that happen, obviously, but that's not the plan. I
don't know if if that's the plan in his own

(01:01:07):
mind or if he's actually had discussions with the front
office about that not being the plan. But I don't
know how this front office can look at what he
has done in this last month, really all year, but
especially this last month, and they've been on this run,
and especially with Jermaine Burton not developing the way they
had hoped. I think there's a much better chance than

(01:01:28):
I did a month ago that he will be back
in this year.

Speaker 4 (01:01:32):
Awesome, as always, enjoyed the rest of your Thursday afternoon, Jay,
appreciate it.

Speaker 7 (01:01:36):
Okay, thank you, Mo.

Speaker 5 (01:01:37):
That's our friend Jay Morrison on x AT by j Morrison,
Bengals Talk dot Com. All right, Chase Brown's injury, we'll
talk about it and how Orlando Brown is playing on
a broken leg. Doctor Nick Gates from Ortho Cincy joins us.
Next We're at Buffalo Wild Wings ken Wood till six
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
You've been listening to football in Theinetti on the official
home of the Bengals, Cincinnatis, ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati's.

Speaker 5 (01:02:08):
Esp Sports Headlines through a service of Kelsey Chevrolet, home
of lifetime power train protection and guaranteed credit approval from
their family to yours for life Kelsey chev dot Com.
The Bengals have three players who were voted to the
AFC squad and the Pro Bowl Games, which will take

(01:02:30):
place the Sunday.

Speaker 4 (01:02:31):
Before the Super Bowl in Orlando. I bet you can
guess who they are.

Speaker 5 (01:02:35):
Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase and Trey Hendrickson. Meanwhile, Chase Brown
and Orlando Brown have been named as alternates. Bengals getting
set for Saturday night in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. You'll
hear it live on ESPN fifteen thirty. As for the
injury report today, Trey Hendrickson full go, Joe Burrow full go,

(01:02:59):
Orlando Round full go. After those players were limited yesterday.
Same for Chris Jenkins, same for Tanner Hudson, Noah Marius Mims.
He was limited the last couple of days. Cam Taylor
Britt also limited as well. He showed up on the
report for the first time today, third consecutive day. The
Chase Brown gets a DNP. His official game status is questionable.

(01:03:22):
Kendall Milton, running back has been signed off the practice squad.
College football, the Sugar Bowl Final College Football Playoff quarterfinal
happening right now. Notre Dame and Georgia scoreless with about
four forty five to go in the first quarter. College basketball,
Wes Miller showed HIH at eight o'clock on seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 4 (01:03:39):
Also tonight in Indiana takes.

Speaker 5 (01:03:40):
On Rutgers, and in hockey, the Columbus Bluejackets skate against Detroit.
We typically do this on Wednesdays, but because of New
Year's we didn't have a show yesterday, so instead today
we're talking injuries with one of the experts from Ortho
since Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. The great thing about Orthos
since he is they have specialist locations and service says
all over the Dry State, including walk in orthopedic urgent

(01:04:04):
care at five different locations with the extended evening and
weekend hours in Edgewood and Anderson. Learn more at orthosinc
dot com. That's Ortho ci ncy dot com. Doctor Nick
Gates from Orthosinsia is with us. Let me start with
Orlando Brown, who revealed after the game on Saturday that

(01:04:24):
he has been playing with a broken leg. Says his
tibia and fibula are fused together because of how quickly
he grew as a child. Let's start with This might
seem like a silly question, but clarify the difference between
the tibia and the fibula.

Speaker 11 (01:04:42):
The tibia and astibula are the two bones in your
lower leg that go from your knee down to your ankle.
The tibia is the larger one by far, and that's
what is your shin bone. If you feel your shin
that's your tibia. Off to the outside is the smaller bone,
that's the fibula. But they both run from knee to egg.

Speaker 5 (01:05:01):
So he played with a broken leg, at least according
to him, and I have no reason to doubt him.
Walk me through what determines whether or not a guy
like this, a guy of his size, can play with
an injury like this.

Speaker 11 (01:05:15):
It does seem a little unusual to say he can
play football with a broken leg. Really, what that gets
to you can think back to the old days. If
your result is me and remember a broken leg like
Tim Crumrie, that's a different kind of broken leg. You
can detect a fracture or a broken bone that's sometimes
very subtle and is only detectable by MRI. You hear

(01:05:38):
the word bone bruise sometimes and there's a continuum between
a bone that gets bruised or a bone that gets
fractured or broken. Add to that that, some bones are
very stable and then even with a crack or a fracture,
a crack would be a fracture or a break that
that bone's very stable and theoretically you can be active
on top of that, you put on top of that

(01:05:59):
all time, so that if you look at his timeline,
the day he did that, I think is roughly nine
or ten weeks since injury.

Speaker 7 (01:06:06):
Was first reported.

Speaker 11 (01:06:08):
So I think when he played against Denver and you
go through his timeline, that's a good eight or ten
weeks or so since his injury. That's a lot of
healing time that can happen during that time.

Speaker 4 (01:06:20):
What risk is he running if anybody playing with this
sort of injury.

Speaker 11 (01:06:25):
My impression, and again this is a bit unusual, so
it's a little tough on these ones to look from
the outside, I think his risk is pretty minimal. My
impression would be that they've mitigated risk before they let
him get on the field. It's probably something that it's
partially pain related, but as I think he's mentioned in
the media, it's not all he has to protect it,

(01:06:46):
even not necessarily.

Speaker 3 (01:06:47):
Just because of pain.

Speaker 11 (01:06:49):
But I think I'm sure they've been monitoring it over
these weeks and seeing evidence of healing, so I don't
think they're putting him at any significant risk.

Speaker 5 (01:06:57):
All Right, the season could end as soon as Saturday night.
We certainly hope it doesn't. But once the season comes
to an end. Are there treatments that he is pushing back?
Is surgery still an option? What are the early stages
of the off season going to be like for him?

Speaker 11 (01:07:12):
I think almost certainly time to heal. I would be
very surprised if I hear about him being taken right
off to have surgery. He refers to his two bones
being fused together since he was a child. The technical
term for that is a tivfib synoptosis, where the two
bones are kind of abnormally fused together. And he talks

(01:07:34):
about that his whole career. Congenital or something is born with.
That's pretty rare, but it does add It does add
to the complexity of what he's dealing with. But in
those situations, at first, it's going to be healing time.
Typically surgery is very much reserved for only if it's
absolutely necessary. I think it's a great sign that he

(01:07:55):
played good football against Denver that I think that's a
real good sign that low likeliness.

Speaker 4 (01:08:01):
All right, One more about Orlando Brown.

Speaker 5 (01:08:03):
So his explanation was that his tibia and phibula in
both legs are fused together because he grew up too
quickly as a child.

Speaker 4 (01:08:11):
Explain that for me.

Speaker 11 (01:08:13):
That's one tough one to explain other than he's like
likely referring to something called congenital synostosis, which is fancy
words for his tibia and fibula are actually fused or
grown together.

Speaker 3 (01:08:28):
In some abnormal way.

Speaker 11 (01:08:29):
Typically those bones sit right next to each other but
are not attached by bones in him. And this is
a very real thing. You can sometimes, even when you're born,
have those bones abnormally connected. My impression would be possibly,
that's kind of how he was when he was young,
and he's been playing football like that his entire career.
It does add some complexity the diagnosis. It adds some

(01:08:51):
complexity to the future it is. It's a pretty uncommon
anatomic variant is what it is.

Speaker 4 (01:09:00):
Gates from worthosinsia is with us.

Speaker 5 (01:09:01):
Let's talk about Chase Brown who suffered an injury, a
high ankle sprain they're calling it on Saturday night. Frankly,
when he first went down, I thought it was going
to be worse than we have found out yet. It
is seeming unlikely that he is going to go on
a Saturday night in Pittsburgh. Walk me through what a
high ankle sprain is and how it differs from a
typical ankle sprain.

Speaker 11 (01:09:22):
A high ankle sprain usually occurs with a reverse mechanism
typical hands sprain. You roll your ankle inward, you stretch
the strain and maybe tear ligaments on the outside part.
You look at the video of his the pictures that
are out, it's more of it rotates the foot outward
and that sprains or tears a ligament a little higher

(01:09:43):
up above your ankle on the outside. It sometimes can
cause a media or inside ankle sprain at the same time.
So it is and you have to be more cautious
with them. I'm seeing only good reports. I think it's
good that he was able to walk off under his
own power. But it's a little behind sprain. Is truly
different than a standard ankle sprain sometimes can be more concerning.

Speaker 5 (01:10:06):
All right, maybe another dumb question here, But it's cold
this time of year, obviously, could that impact an injury
like this.

Speaker 11 (01:10:13):
I think that's a real small factor. Tell you truth, no,
I don't think it being that cold or particularly warm
is going to be a big difference for him. It's
going to come down to the things they're doing this week.
It is swelling down to get him comfortable and how
comfortable he is on that day. The cold might make
makes any athlete a little bit longer to warm up,
but I don't think it can have a big It's

(01:10:34):
not a big factor.

Speaker 5 (01:10:36):
Awesome stuff is always terrific. We'll do it again soon,
doctor Nick Gates, Orthos. Since you do appreciate it, man,
thank you.

Speaker 11 (01:10:43):
You're welcome O anytime.

Speaker 5 (01:10:44):
All right, there you go, Doctor Nick Gates from Orthos.
Sincey I say it every week and I have for years,
because I believe it and it's true. The great thing
about Ortho since he is they've got specialists and locations
all over the Tri State, including walking Orthopedic urgent care
weekdays nine a nine am to nine pm and on
Saturdays nine am to one pm in Edgewood and Anderson.

(01:11:07):
It's easy because you don't need an appointment, and it's
definitely cheaper than going to an er.

Speaker 4 (01:11:11):
Whenever you have an urgent orthopedic injury. Good Orthosinc. Dot com.

Speaker 5 (01:11:16):
That's Ortho ci NCY dot com. During the final minute
in New Orleans, Notre Dame in Georgia are scoreless as
they approach the end of the first quarter.

Speaker 4 (01:11:28):
We are here to Buffalo Wild Wings and Kenwig.

Speaker 5 (01:11:30):
Great place to watch that game and so much more
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati.

Speaker 10 (01:11:35):
Sports Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from.

Speaker 12 (01:11:41):
The UC Health Traffic Center. The University of Cincinnati Cancer
Center is the region's first and only provider of specialized
primary care services for cancer patients and survivors, called five
one three five eighty five UCCC. Johnson Road has now
been reopened after an hazmat situation that between Harrison and

(01:12:03):
Reemellon Road. Some found seventy one traffic Stop and go
between Running Road and Fort Washington Way. I'm a easalak
with traffic. This report is sponsored by Stretch.

Speaker 1 (01:12:14):
The postseason is on the line after the last week's overtime.
We're not ya. It's a Joe Burrow and his big
bad fangos face one more jump.

Speaker 2 (01:12:25):
This is a batical season. Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Burrow, Jamar
Change and Ge Pick.

Speaker 1 (01:12:32):
And the Orange and Black. Down the Black and Gold
and keep their playoff dreams alive. Get the goal from
Dangerous Dan Hood and Mighty Dave. Coverage began Saturday at
four ESPN fifteen thirty. The official home of the Lagus.

Speaker 5 (01:12:49):
It is eleven away from five o'clock on ESPN fifteen thirty,
we are broadcasting the Safternoon from Buffalo Wild Wings in Kenwood,
right off Montgomery Road. We are here till six o'clock.
The Sugar Bowl has entered the second quarter. Notre Dame
and Georgia are scoreless. The final college football playoff quarterfinal.

(01:13:10):
You know, we did a show here after Ohio wasn't
at this location, it was the Hamilton location. It was
after Ohio State lost to Michigan. And you know, my
take on the take after that game was I'm rooting
for Ryan Day and I'm rooting for Ohio State to
win the national title because of these irrational people who

(01:13:31):
would claim and these folks do not represent the majority,
but they were loud and they were going out of
their way to tell you in the aftermath of Ohio
State's lost to Michigan, you know, we know, win a
national title, it really doesn't count because we didn't meet Michigan.
Or I would rather they not play for a national
title so they can go ahead and fire the coach.

Speaker 4 (01:13:53):
And I thought that was and I think that is
amazingly stupid.

Speaker 5 (01:13:59):
I hope though, those folks, even if they're frustrated with
Ryan Day's inability to beat Michigan, and I hope those folks,
even if they believe that the Ohio State program is
in better hands with another coach, I hope those folks
can appreciate what Ryan Day and.

Speaker 4 (01:14:18):
His team have done in these two playoff games.

Speaker 5 (01:14:21):
They dominated Oregon yesterday, a team that they lost to
the number one seed in the tournament. And we could
talk about reseting and how unfair it might be for
Oregon to have to play a team as good as
Ohio State.

Speaker 4 (01:14:35):
That's a different conversation. But all I heard in the
run up to.

Speaker 5 (01:14:38):
Ohio State playing Tennessee was, well, there's gonna be twenty
to thirty thousand balls fans there, and the Buckeyes are
gonna get booed, and it's gonna be a toxic atmosphere.

Speaker 4 (01:14:50):
And you know why even bother and Ohio State wiped
the floor with Tennessee.

Speaker 5 (01:14:55):
Now, we could argue how good Tennessee was or wasn't,
and we could debate their college football playoff bonafides, but
they looked better than any team in that first round,
and they were playing at home and yes, there were
a lot of Tennessee fans there, but that didn't look
like a team that was burdened by losing to Michigan.
And it looked like a team that rallied around its coach.

(01:15:18):
What I wondered was was that going to be something
that was bottled for one week or was it going
to be something that could carry through the next game,
not at home against a more difficult opponent.

Speaker 4 (01:15:31):
And it did.

Speaker 5 (01:15:33):
And look man, Ryan Day deserves every bit of criticism
that has come his way for not beating Michigan.

Speaker 4 (01:15:38):
I understand the importance of that game.

Speaker 3 (01:15:40):
I get it.

Speaker 5 (01:15:41):
I get what it's like to watch your favorite team
continually lose to arrival. I do think in this era
where we've minimized individual regular season games, it's ridiculous to
make that game bigger than ever before.

Speaker 4 (01:15:53):
But I understand that.

Speaker 5 (01:15:55):
But if you're gonna be fair, and I am a
fair person, I think you then have to say, boy,
what a job he has done.

Speaker 4 (01:16:03):
When it felt like the walls were.

Speaker 5 (01:16:04):
Closing in, and you know, folks talking about like I'm
not sure how you could even bring him back, it
has felt like and it has looked like that team
has rallied around their coach. They were aggressive on offense yesterday.
They look and have looked in these these two playoff
games like a completely different team, just in terms of,
you know, playing free and easy and playing aggressive and

(01:16:27):
taking shots downfield and taking advantage of their their weaponry,
which is obviously something that they got a lot of
deserving criticism for not doing against Ohio State. Jeremiah Smith
looks like the best wide receiver I've ever seen, and
I'm I'm using some hyperbole there, but he was amazing yesterday.

Speaker 4 (01:16:47):
Trayvon Henderson was really good.

Speaker 5 (01:16:49):
That Ohio State team I think deserves I'm a Bearcat fan,
and so they're gonna be folks who root for the
team that I do that don't like to hear hear
me say this. I think Ryan Day and that team
deserve a lot of credit the way they have bounced
back from what happened against Michigan. Right now they're the
odds on betting favorite to win the national title. Maybe
that changes that Georgia wins this game. I felt like

(01:17:10):
going into last night Ohio State versus Oregon, the winner
of that game was gonna win the whole thing.

Speaker 4 (01:17:16):
Ohio State wiped the floor with him.

Speaker 3 (01:17:18):
Like it's cliche.

Speaker 4 (01:17:19):
They won the game by twenty points, wasn't that close?
Thirty four to nothing?

Speaker 5 (01:17:23):
Into the close to the end of the first half,
you talk about the playoff format and who is deserved
to have gotten in, And as soon as the season ends,
the conversation's gonna shift to Ryan Day versus Michigan.

Speaker 4 (01:17:37):
I'm a big believer in being fair.

Speaker 5 (01:17:39):
If you're gonna criticize when a guy can't do a
then you've got a credit when he does be And
with the walls closing in and with a lot of
folks wondering, how are they gonna respond, are they gonna
pack it in this twenty million dollar roster?

Speaker 4 (01:17:54):
They have played like it.

Speaker 5 (01:17:55):
That coach, that team deserves a lot of credit. And personally,
again I'm as big a Bearcat fan as will find.
I don't know that that means they have to be
at odds with Ohio State. They're really not rivals. I
like Ryan Day seems like a good dude, runs his program. Well,
there's this one thing that he struggles with. The rest

(01:18:15):
is really good. His team was better than really good
yesterday and now again odds on favorite to win the
national title. Good for him and good for them, Arizona
State with a game effort. Everybody is destroying the officiating
crew for missing that targeting call toward the end of
regulation yesterday. There's nothing really to add there. We'll also

(01:18:38):
do this like when Indiana loses in the playoff the
way they did, their performance in the postseason becomes a
referendum on their bona fides for making the college football playoff.
If we're gonna do that with Indiana's performance, which is fine,
we then have to do it with Alabama's performance against
a short handed Michigan team when Alabama had all of

(01:18:59):
its main guys in their bowl game. It just let's
can can we just understand that sometimes in a postseason
there are blowouts. We get him in the NBA, We
get him in the NCAA Tournament in basketball, both men's
and wins. We get it in baseball. Sometimes you're not
gonna have every team in the postseason be genuinely championship caliber.

(01:19:20):
Right There aren't sixteen championship caliber teams in the NBA.
There aren't gonna be fourteen championship caliber teams in the NFL.
We are going to have blowouts we somehow decided that
we can't have blowouts in the college football playoffs. Thankfully,
we didn't have all blowouts in this round. We had
one good game. You're gonna have them. Unfortunately you had

(01:19:40):
it with Indiana. That's not a referendum on the Hoosiers
or the system, and same for SMU. And if we're
gonna do it that way, we have to use Alabama's
loss and their performance as a referendum on them.

Speaker 4 (01:19:52):
It's coming up on.

Speaker 5 (01:19:52):
Five o'clock Sewan Science, Stats and Scheme Podcast. Next, We're
a Buffalo wild Ones on ESPN fifteen to thirty.

Speaker 13 (01:20:01):
Make it up here.

Speaker 1 (01:20:05):
Thousand Steelers coverage begins Saturday at four on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the official home of the Bengals.

Speaker 5 (01:20:13):
Yes, that's right, it's three minutes after five o'clock. This
is ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (01:20:18):
Good afternoon on my later. Thank you so much for
joining us.

Speaker 5 (01:20:21):
Hopefully your twenty twenty five is off to a great start.

Speaker 4 (01:20:26):
Hopefully you're still like you.

Speaker 5 (01:20:28):
A lot of those folks take off all that time
right before Christmas and then between Christmas and New Year,
and then it's like, well, you know, the seconds of Thursday,
Why go in. Why not just extend things a little bit.
Hopefully that's what you have done. A lot of the
folks here at Buffalo Wild Wings have done exactly that.
It's the bud Light five o'clock Happy Hour, thanks to
our friends at bud Light.

Speaker 4 (01:20:48):
At Buffalo Wild Wings. We're typically at b dubs on Tuesdays.

Speaker 5 (01:20:51):
It's not Tuesday, obviously because if New Year's we're here
today on a Thursday.

Speaker 4 (01:20:55):
We're at the Kenwood location. Here till six o'clock. We've
got the Sugar Bowl on. Georgia has kicked a field goal.

Speaker 5 (01:21:01):
In the second quarter to take a three to nothing
second quarter lead just about nine to twenty to go
before halftime in New Orleans. So if you're looking for
a place to watch that game, we've got it here.
If you're looking for a place to watch the Bengals
on Saturday night, you could do that here as well.
We've got bud Light specials five dollars bud Light talls.
You cannot beat it. We thank the folks at bud

(01:21:21):
Light for providing us with prizes all year long, including
the two that we're gonna give away between now and
six o'clock. First things first, We've got to chat with
our guys, Sean sayat Stats and Scheme podcastsumer sports dot com.
Normally we chat with him on Tuesdays, but again it's
not Tuesday. We didn't have a show on Tuesday. We're
talking with him now on x at Sayat Schemes.

Speaker 4 (01:21:45):
Hi, Sean.

Speaker 13 (01:21:47):
Mo, It's so good to be on you know, it's
not our usual day. It might be one of our
last two days. I'm hoping that we get an extra
one of things fall in the Bengals favor. But of
course Earth thinks is gonna be a fun Saturday game
the Steelers.

Speaker 5 (01:22:00):
It is going to be a fun Saturday game and
one that me as a Bengals fan, I'm encouraged because
of if I'm going just by how the teams have
played recently, understanding the Bengals haven't played great opposition. Although
Denver's okay, Bengals go into this game with the head
of steam Pittsburgh not so much. I want to focus
on the Steelers because for a while there, you know,

(01:22:22):
five six weeks ago, a lot of us were talking
about them is maybe being the best team in the AFC.
Nobody is saying that. Now, what's happened to them no.

Speaker 13 (01:22:31):
Over the last three games. They of course play some
rail playoff contenders between the Eagles, the Ravens, and the Chiefs.
I think that when you look at them as a whole,
you may usually say, all the Steelers have such a
strong defense. Of course, they're led by a really good
defensive line. I think they actually had problems in their
secondary just between They are relatively simple and straightforward, I

(01:22:51):
think in terms of what they want to do from
a schematic perspective, and if you just don't have all
the parts holding up at the same time, or if
your pass rush is not always able to just make
things so much life easier on your secondary, then problems
sort of come up. So when we look at some
of the earlier games of the season that they want
to question, you know, they did beat the Ravens in
that game where they were able to create a bunch
of turnovers and Russell Wilson is playing fine. I think

(01:23:13):
George Pickens' injury was a big bummer for their offense overall.
But I've actually been a little bit surprised just their
defense overall, I think hasn't been able to do as
use as maybe they able to vote.

Speaker 5 (01:23:23):
If I'm a Steelers fan, do I want Russell Wilson
to be the quarterback next year?

Speaker 13 (01:23:28):
Well, I think when you look at it, they're not
going to be in a position to draft a high
end quarterback. I can't imagine that they're making a big trade.
So it's an unfortunate reality, you know. Not everyone's blessed
with Joe Burrow on their team. It feels like you
kind of have to continue with that because when you
look at the landscape of free agents, do you want
to like drop forty million dollars on Sam Darnold. I'm

(01:23:49):
not sure if that's what the Steelers want to do.
It feels like maybe Minisota is able to keep them anyway.
So I just don't think there's a ton of options.
And it's tough because you then look at it and say, oh, well,
maybe let's take a flyer on a quarterback and the
third or fourth round. It's pretty rare that you're able
to create another Russell Wilson where you're drafted later in
the draft and you're able to be set a high

(01:24:11):
level starter. So it's just tough when you have quarterback progatory.
In a little bit of way, that the Steelers are in.

Speaker 5 (01:24:16):
I'm gonna ask you this understanding that his availability for
Saturday night is in question. Fill in the blank for me, though,
Chase Brown is a top what running back in the NFL.

Speaker 13 (01:24:29):
At least ten. It has to be at least ten, though,
I feel like every week I just continue to find
reasons to love Case Brown. I feel like that's my
off tough answer there, because the way that he is
able to burst in the run game, I think he's
gonna be able to be consistent in the past game
as well and really a weapon for the Bengals offense.
Now all right, now I'm thinking about a little bit more.

(01:24:49):
It's top ten, a little bit rich, probably, but I
think he has a high end trace to be someone
that is a staple in this offense. When you look
at it, of course you have of course you have Chase.
Of course you're hoping to continue have big and you
know you have Gasicki there who he's had a really
really positive year, and then Chase Brown. It's just like
a complete skill position unit. Obviously want to add in
the offensive line and make some changes on the de

(01:25:10):
offensive side. So I just keep falling in love with
Chase Brown more and more as I feel like that's
one of the best parts about us talking about every week.
It feels like the Chase Brown time has just been awesome.

Speaker 5 (01:25:20):
I know the obvious answer is, well, look, they still
have Burrow, Chase and Higgins. But in the first game
against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati got one hundred yards from scrimmage from
Chase Brown. They scored thirty eight points. We've seen him
become such a factor. So what changes for them on
Saturday if he can't go.

Speaker 13 (01:25:40):
No, I do think that from a schematic perspective, you
don't change too much. You have to kind of continue
to try and threaten with the run. Noow, it might
just be that your backup running back is not featured
in the same way as Chase Brown because out of
his head. I think Brown is so electric in the
open field. He's able to make people miss. He's able
to be kind of extension of the running on the

(01:26:01):
outside when they want to throw the ball to him,
kind of quick. So I'll be interested to see how
much of just like pure Hey, we're gonna line up
in chotcun We're gonna go ahead and ride out with
this that the Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:26:11):
Are gonna do.

Speaker 13 (01:26:12):
I think that Dale, they should be able to do that.
Just thinking about I feel like my feeling overall those
fields defense hasn't been the most positive.

Speaker 5 (01:26:21):
Yeah, you know, I here's what I worry about on Saturday.
You know, if I go back to that first game
and you and I talked about it, Pittsburgh didn't exactly
like you know, roll out a bunch of exotic stuff
against the Bengals. It was basically leak a guy out
in the backfield, hit him and just see.

Speaker 4 (01:26:38):
If he can miss tackles. That was the biggest issue.

Speaker 5 (01:26:41):
For the Bengals in that game, the fourteen to sixteen
miss tackles they had. I feel like that's been cleaned
up a little bit. They ad mentally haven't gone up
against great offenses if they tackle, well, I'm not sure
about what the Pittsburgh offense right now should scare me.

Speaker 13 (01:26:56):
I feel the same.

Speaker 3 (01:26:57):
You know.

Speaker 13 (01:26:57):
It feels like for the Bengals defense. We've talked since
the first time we talked in Week one, where you
had those issues tackling against the Patriots, and I agree,
in that last game it really came down to the
receiver heads the ball in his hands. If someone has
the ball in their hands, they're in open space, are you,
as a defensive backfield able to make a tackle. And
I do think that the Bengals have cleaned up.

Speaker 14 (01:27:18):
You know, I had points.

Speaker 13 (01:27:19):
Maybe I just fee struggles here and there against the Broncos,
but yeah, against the Browns, against the Titans, you see
it at a higher level. So you just hope that
you're able to continue that sort of trend, because that
was how Pittsburgh was able to create explosive plays. As
you mentioned, It wasn't like we're drawing up some perfect
play to have a safety turning in the wrong direction.
It was can you block? Can you tackle? And unfortunately

(01:27:41):
on that day, the Bengals couldn't tackle it well enough.
And I mean, you scored so many points in that game.

Speaker 3 (01:27:46):
It was so rare for.

Speaker 13 (01:27:47):
Pittsburgh to be able to put a that kind of
offensive performance. You hope it's really an outlier and the
Bengals events, can you shut that down?

Speaker 4 (01:27:54):
Sean say?

Speaker 3 (01:27:54):
It is with us.

Speaker 5 (01:27:55):
The Stats and Skiing podcast is a must listen, as
is his column at Monday Moeing Mashup column at sumer
sports dot com. You're a smart guy, So for maybe
twelve to fourteen years now, Sean I have been lobbying
for the Bengals or even another NFL team to hire
me as the director of common sense. Now, some teams

(01:28:18):
have created this role, it's the game management guy. But
I've I've made a director of common sense, the guy
who understands when to use or not use a time out,
when we should spike the ball, when we should throw
the replay challenge flag or not.

Speaker 4 (01:28:33):
And yet the Bengals haven't hired me.

Speaker 5 (01:28:35):
They could have used my services on Saturday night, late
in regulation when they left too much time on the
clock for Denver to score the game time touchdown. Why
do NFL head coaches who work, you know, twenty two
and a half hours a day, they sleep, They can't.
They neglect their families because they've got to be at
work all the time. They have no knowledge of world
events because they're so in just engrossed in football. Why

(01:29:00):
did they routinely screw up the basics of clock and
game management?

Speaker 3 (01:29:06):
You know, mo, it is tough.

Speaker 13 (01:29:07):
It feels like maybe if they played a little bit
more Madden. You know, you get those reds over and over.
I will say, across the league. You've seen more game
management people that are involved in staff that like that
is a position that, oh, look, we'll might not be
able to talk anymore because you're right, you might get
hired by the Bengals, make it hired by some other
teams to be able to do that. So I like
seeing that across the league. I do think there are

(01:29:29):
times where, yeah, like you're under pressure or you know,
it's those high string circumstances where you're not able to
make a perfect decision. I know, I'm glad you mentioned
the one against the Broncos, and I've been going back
and forth on it. I feel pretty comfortable, like I
would have liked to have those You kneel right away
after you get the first down on the throw to
Burrows left and you're making a choice, right, do you

(01:29:49):
want them to have the ball with fourteen seconds left
when you're up by three or a minute and twenty
nine when you're up by seven, when you really haven't
been able to trust your defense throughout this season. So
it feels like there are more to situations like that,
even taking the doll up six where like across the league,
I think there's enough discussion and as just data as numbers.
They continue to push forward it just slowly, but surely,

(01:30:10):
you know, if you like every cycle. It feels like
some of the head coaches continue to like they're talking
about here, we're gonna in a lot of analytics in
certain ways. Then Look, the word analytics is just another
word for information. And in a game that is especially
raises in margin, why wouldn't you want all the information possible.
So I do hope that we see more teams that
are able to do smart things, like sometimes in the
first quarter, if you've gotta have a delay a game,

(01:30:32):
just take the delay and burn those five yards instead
of having a one less time out in a situation
where that could burn you at the end of the half.
So slowly but surely most slullly bit surely.

Speaker 4 (01:30:41):
Yeah, Well, they haven't hired me yet.

Speaker 5 (01:30:43):
I've always offered to work for I just want some
sideline gear, you know, maybe a couple hundred bucks a game,
and I'd be happy to do it. They have yet
to take me up on it. Bengals need to win
on Saturday and then they need some help. Can they
get it from the New York Jets?

Speaker 13 (01:31:01):
I do think they could get it from the Jets.
That one actually wears me a little bit less, just
because it seems like the Dolphins aren't going to have
two a dug of aloe to play there. I think
the Jets are trying their best to cobble together some
gift level of pride for what they've kind of put
out this year. The one that struts me out more,
I think is the Chiefs against the Broncos. I mean, hey,
Carson Wentz, like, I think the whole entire state of
Ohio is ready to do any with the charity of

(01:31:23):
your choosing. I'm sure when want to put out some
good tabe and hopefully have a good career going forward.
That's more than just the backup. So your time Cartons,
you know it do it for us?

Speaker 5 (01:31:34):
Yeah, I you know people have talked about and understandably so.
The Chiefs aren't going to play their starters. I do
think the players who play for them will play hard.
I do think those players will play their best. I
just don't know if it's going to be enough, but
I guess they have to make it matter on Saturday Night,
Bengals and Steelers. I cannot thank you enough for doing

(01:31:55):
this all year long. Shan, Thanks so much, Thanks so much.

Speaker 13 (01:31:59):
I really appreciate you.

Speaker 4 (01:32:00):
You got it. That's our guy Sean Saya at the
Stats and Scheme podcast and sumer sports dot com.

Speaker 5 (01:32:06):
We're broadcasting today from Buffalo Wild Wings in Kenwood. We
are here till six o'clock. Notre Dame in Georgia are
tied three with just under six minutes to go in
the first.

Speaker 4 (01:32:17):
Half in New Orleans.

Speaker 5 (01:32:20):
Our buddy Robert win Troup will join us next on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 10 (01:32:25):
Station Cincinnati Friday Football Frenzy with Tony Pike.

Speaker 7 (01:32:30):
He calls it how he sees it.

Speaker 4 (01:32:31):
You're a football guy.

Speaker 10 (01:32:32):
Tomorrow at noon.

Speaker 1 (01:32:33):
On ESPN fifteen thirty, this is Football in the NATTI,
run to you in pipe by blood Light and by
Skyline Shilly on the official home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's
ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (01:32:51):
Guess this would be our last football of the NATTI
of the year.

Speaker 5 (01:32:55):
Perhaps, I don't know. I don't know if we do
football in the NATI. If the Bengals are playing that
next week, we'll.

Speaker 4 (01:33:00):
Find out find out hopefully they are, and we'll see
where we.

Speaker 9 (01:33:04):
Go from there.

Speaker 5 (01:33:05):
It is twenty minutes after five o'clock on ESPN fifteen
thirty mile. I are broadcasting today from Buffalo Wild Wings
in Kenwood. Robert Weintraub, right say, weekly Bengals column for
Cincinnati Magazine.

Speaker 4 (01:33:17):
You can read it at Cincinnati Magazine dot com if
you go there.

Speaker 5 (01:33:20):
Now to be a collection of columns because his weekly
column this week not yet published, so we could all
find out tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (01:33:28):
Maybe later tonight what he has written about.

Speaker 5 (01:33:30):
But that's not going to preclude us from chatting with him,
because I like talking with Robert and he's with us. Now,
what's going on?

Speaker 4 (01:33:38):
What have I written about?

Speaker 15 (01:33:39):
I wrote about football in the Natti? What else write about?

Speaker 4 (01:33:43):
Come on?

Speaker 15 (01:33:44):
In this case the larger picture of the Bengals, not just.

Speaker 14 (01:33:48):
This particular radio hit.

Speaker 15 (01:33:50):
But yes, I like to think football in the Natty
is a state of.

Speaker 9 (01:33:53):
Mind, not just you know, a weekly show or segment
during the football season.

Speaker 5 (01:33:59):
Sure, yeah, we'll go. I've never actually used the Natty
and conversation.

Speaker 4 (01:34:04):
So maybe that's the next step for the segment. I
We'll find out.

Speaker 5 (01:34:07):
So you know, we've we've spent the last four or
five weeks, you know, going to different websites that project
playoff odds, whether it's FTN, whether it's playoff status, and
whether it's ESPN or NFL dot Com.

Speaker 4 (01:34:23):
And you're partial to FTN. And now it's.

Speaker 5 (01:34:26):
Basically a three team parlay. Three things have to happen.
Rank them in order of least likely.

Speaker 4 (01:34:34):
To most likely.

Speaker 14 (01:34:36):
To actually go our way.

Speaker 9 (01:34:38):
I would say yes, the least likely, at least from
a ViBe's perspective.

Speaker 14 (01:34:44):
From my point of view, is the Bengals winning.

Speaker 16 (01:34:46):
I mean, how many times do we have to get
kicked in the teeth in big games by this particular
opponent before we realize that it's a fool's Errand to
be optimistic about a game against Pittsburgh, Now that's not
a matchup thing, like I say, it's the Vibes thing.

Speaker 9 (01:35:01):
If it was any other opponent, I feel pretty good
about Cincinnat's chances, even with a banged up offensive line,
even with Chase Brown being out, even with the defense
as atrocious as being able to give up forty four
points to Pittsburgh last.

Speaker 14 (01:35:14):
Time they played.

Speaker 9 (01:35:16):
You know, obviously Burrow and Chase and Higgins are playing
so incredibly well you love you love their chances rather
against any team in the league.

Speaker 14 (01:35:25):
But this is Pittsburgh, and they've.

Speaker 15 (01:35:27):
Had the talent and matchup advantage a lot of times before.
The parallels to two thousand and six, they're really.

Speaker 14 (01:35:33):
Kind of uncanny.

Speaker 9 (01:35:34):
Not just that they have to win the game against
Pittsburgh in the last game of the regular season, but
they need things to go their way, including the Chiefs
winning and the Broncos losing and the Jets playing.

Speaker 14 (01:35:46):
They had to lose, I believe in two thousand and six,
and now they have to win. But it's just it
just lines up. Why couldn't it just be the.

Speaker 15 (01:35:55):
Ravens, you know, even though they're a better team.

Speaker 14 (01:35:57):
Why couldn't it be the Browns? For God's sake, Why
has to be Pittsburgh? He's reading DUTs.

Speaker 9 (01:36:03):
I think the Chiefs with their backups have a pretty
good chance, even with the superstars on the bench.

Speaker 14 (01:36:09):
You know, it's a Carson Wentz prove it game.

Speaker 9 (01:36:11):
He's been kind of getting the Andy Reid tutelage and
schooling all season. He's gonna want to play show the
league that he maybe deserves a decent contract next year
as a starter somewhere or potential starter.

Speaker 15 (01:36:25):
And the Chiefs are beating the Broncos like seventeen.

Speaker 9 (01:36:27):
Out of the last eighteen they owned the Broncos, so
it will be just like them to win this game,
even with the backups. And I mean, the Jets in
Miami always plays strange games, and they've had a lot
of finale type games where one team has to beat
the other to make the playoffs and that team loses.

Speaker 14 (01:36:46):
Aaron Rodgers is a complete wild card.

Speaker 9 (01:36:48):
He'll probably go out there and have his best game
of his career just because and then retire just to
show everybody.

Speaker 4 (01:36:54):
You know, I kind of feel like.

Speaker 9 (01:36:57):
Those two games will probably go off the way we
want them to, but only after the Bengals lose.

Speaker 14 (01:37:02):
To Pittsburgh in heartbreaking fashion.

Speaker 9 (01:37:03):
I hate to be such a pessimist, but it's just
I've seen this movie a lot before, but you know,
I've been watching trick Chat videos all week in billiards
and you know, get those parlays, and he said, those
three ball carams can happen, and let's hope they do.

Speaker 4 (01:37:20):
Yeah, they do.

Speaker 5 (01:37:21):
You know, the game itself on Saturday, and I understand
like the most Bengal thing ever would be the stuff
that has to happen on Sunday, happens in their favor
and they lay an egg against Pittsburgh. And Tomlin is
gonna play his guys no matter what happens with Baltimore
and Cleveland, and he should because they're seeding.

Speaker 4 (01:37:38):
To play for.

Speaker 5 (01:37:40):
And on one hand, it might be hard to imagine
the Steelers losing four straight games heading into the postseason.
At the same time, it feels like if we're doing
the arrow pointed up or down with pittsburghe's pointed down.
And with the Bengals the way they're playing right now,
granted maybe not against great teams altogether, but the arrow
is pointed up. And so I'm actually marginally optimistic about Saturday.

Speaker 14 (01:38:04):
Yeah, I can see that.

Speaker 15 (01:38:05):
And you know, everybody points to the Pittsburgh pass rush against.

Speaker 14 (01:38:09):
The Bengals offensive line being a thing.

Speaker 15 (01:38:11):
But the Steelers, for all their big names and they
are good players.

Speaker 14 (01:38:15):
Watt in high Smith and they were, etc.

Speaker 15 (01:38:18):
They have the twenty fifth ranked adjusted sack.

Speaker 14 (01:38:21):
Ring, which we do at FTN in the league.

Speaker 15 (01:38:24):
They have four more sacks than Cincinnati.

Speaker 4 (01:38:26):
It's not like they're out there.

Speaker 14 (01:38:28):
Wreaking havoc on a weekly basic. Actually, Denver, the team
we just.

Speaker 9 (01:38:32):
Played, took seven sacks and somehow beat and only punted
the one time in overtime. They have the best pass
rush in the league, so you have to think, wow, okay,
since now he's gonna have a chance to score points
regardless of whether or not that Pittsburgh can get pressure
on Joe Burrow.

Speaker 14 (01:38:48):
And of course he's done such a great job all
year of.

Speaker 9 (01:38:51):
Evading the pressure, stepping up, making miraculous plays one after another.
You know, again, like I said before, if it wasn't
the Steelers and the history that they have, I kind
of like the matchup right now.

Speaker 15 (01:39:07):
Pittsburgh doesn't seem to know exactly what they want to
do on offense.

Speaker 14 (01:39:10):
They've hit a creator with George.

Speaker 9 (01:39:12):
Pickens being out, He's probably gonna play, but you know,
at what level is he going to be. He might
not have to be great if he's guarded by, say,
Marco Wilson, let's say, in a critical situation. But you know,
the point being like we were talking earlier, the Bengals
have a reason to be caught you the Bengals have.

Speaker 14 (01:39:31):
Reason to be cautiously optimistic about the matchup.

Speaker 15 (01:39:35):
It's just the fact that it's you know, the history
between the two teams that gives me pause.

Speaker 5 (01:39:40):
Yeah, understandably so, Robert Weintraub, Cincinnatimagazine dot com. Now, where
are you, given the fact that Joe Burrow has doubled
down on his desire to see t with the Bengals
in twenty twenty five and beyond, have you at all
recalibrated what you were hoping for or what you expect
to be to do with number five?

Speaker 8 (01:40:03):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (01:40:03):
I mean, we're really gonna find out whether or not
Joe Burrow really is the most powerful man in the
organization and has more.

Speaker 14 (01:40:09):
Power than a player in Cincinnati history. He has made
his preferences clear. That's obvious.

Speaker 9 (01:40:16):
I think we've talked before where you know, I kind
of felt like this has been trending in this direction
for a few weeks now, and to Higgins firing his
agent was a big sort of underreported or under remarked
upon move, and that team might not necessarily want to be,
you know, going.

Speaker 15 (01:40:33):
Someplace to be the number one guy for the absolute
most money.

Speaker 14 (01:40:37):
He's gonna get a lot of money. He's already rich.
You know, he might just value.

Speaker 9 (01:40:41):
Playing with his with his buddies as and being part
of an elite passing attack rather than catching passes from
you know, whoever you know pays him the most with
a whole new system in the quarterback he doesn't.

Speaker 4 (01:40:55):
Know at all.

Speaker 9 (01:40:55):
It might not be anywhere near as good as Joe Burrow.
The Bengals can feel franchise team that's definitely out there,
and at he's running backs for one more year if
they can't come to an agreement on a long term deal.
There's also the way Jamar is talking, and that it
seems like he knows something we don't, and that they
have a plan for the two of them to sign
some sort of combination platter package where they both get

(01:41:19):
re signed not the same amount of money, but you know,
the details don't really matter. The point is they both
be back in Bengals strife's long term. Obviously, we hope
that's the case. I think you just and we've been
talking about it. Yes, it's recalibrated me in the terms
of you don't necessarily.

Speaker 14 (01:41:37):
Think paying big money to a quarterback.

Speaker 15 (01:41:40):
In two wide receivers is a great use of your.

Speaker 9 (01:41:43):
Roster dollars, especially given how many gaping holes the Bengals
have elsewhere throughout the team.

Speaker 15 (01:41:50):
But they do this one thing so incredibly well and
It's such.

Speaker 9 (01:41:53):
An identity and such a big part of who they
are and obviously a big part of Joe Burrow's happiness,
and keeping him happy is obviously a very important doors
part of it all. I do think that it's trending
toward resigning team and I can't disagree with it.

Speaker 4 (01:42:10):
Are are you ready for the Khalil Herbert hero turn
on Saturday?

Speaker 15 (01:42:16):
Absolutely?

Speaker 3 (01:42:16):
Listen.

Speaker 15 (01:42:17):
This is a guy who has not gotten any run.

Speaker 9 (01:42:20):
In Cincinnata because Chase Brown has been still effective in
all areas this game.

Speaker 14 (01:42:24):
But we know Herbert not a guy you're going to
turn to. Is a bell cow back for your.

Speaker 13 (01:42:28):
Entire season, but when called upon to do it for
a game or.

Speaker 15 (01:42:31):
Three here or there, he's been very effective.

Speaker 9 (01:42:34):
He's had nine times in his career when he's had
eighteen or more carries and he's averaged one hundred and
four yards in those games you need him to carry
the mail in a big spot, he gets the job done.
He's got a lot of favor in Chicago for reasons
that were not necessarily about whether or not he could
play the position well.

Speaker 14 (01:42:53):
And you know, I think this is his golden opportunities.

Speaker 9 (01:42:56):
He's going to get here most likely, and boy had
really become, as you say, a folk hero with the a.

Speaker 15 (01:43:03):
Twenty Carrie hundred and twelve yard performance. Pop one in
for a touchdown maybe, and really just get the job
down on the ground.

Speaker 14 (01:43:11):
The key to the last couple of weeks.

Speaker 9 (01:43:12):
The Bengals actually took on the first and third ranking
defensive line in terms of giving up run yardage with
the Browns and the Broncos.

Speaker 15 (01:43:21):
And you know, they didn't dominate the game on the ground. Obviously,
you have Joe Burrow, You're never gonna do that. But
they carved out enough yards they made the other team
respect and run enough.

Speaker 14 (01:43:31):
That opened things up in the passing game. It didn't
make them so unique dimensional.

Speaker 9 (01:43:35):
I think with Herbert, you have a good chance of
doing it against Pittsburgh, who's a top five run defense themselves,
and you know that'll be an important part of the game.
Even though we just talked down about Pittsburgh's pass for
us this year, if they can pin their ears back
and not respect and running any capacity, that's obviously not
a good thing. I think Herbert is going to be
a big part of the offense, and they're going to

(01:43:56):
work him in without fear even though he hasn't had
much maybe snaps really this year for Cincinnati.

Speaker 5 (01:44:03):
What will go down as your favorite moment of the
Sheldon Rankins era in Cincinnati.

Speaker 14 (01:44:11):
Maybe it's touch conference when he first signed here.

Speaker 15 (01:44:13):
I mean, it's really been all down hill.

Speaker 9 (01:44:17):
That's so strange because we really don't even know what's
wrong with the guy.

Speaker 14 (01:44:21):
I mean, you know, we sit here and make jokes
and for all.

Speaker 13 (01:44:25):
We know, the guys on death's door.

Speaker 15 (01:44:27):
You know you've been hide. We haven't seen hide nor
hair of the guy through a mystery.

Speaker 14 (01:44:32):
Illness for weeks and weeks. It's I don't know if.

Speaker 15 (01:44:35):
It's unprecedented in NFL history, but I can't think of.

Speaker 14 (01:44:38):
Another example quite like him. You know.

Speaker 9 (01:44:41):
It's it's kind of thing where you would easily point
out to COVID if it was a few years ago,
but who knows.

Speaker 14 (01:44:46):
Now it's been tough.

Speaker 15 (01:44:49):
You know, it goes back to the Bengals habit over the.

Speaker 9 (01:44:52):
Years, and especially in recent years, of signing three agents
who played well against them in the hope that they
can magic have that happen against the entire schedule.

Speaker 15 (01:45:02):
Sometimes it works out, Mike Hilton, it definitely didn't work out.

Speaker 9 (01:45:06):
In this case, and you know it's too bad because
they desperately needed a defensive tackle to play up to
the level that rank has displayed.

Speaker 7 (01:45:14):
It in the past.

Speaker 9 (01:45:15):
This season, you know, they obviously got rid of a
DJ Reader with the full knowledge that Rankings could at
least give them eighty to eighty five percent of what
they were getting from Reader, and they haven't gotten any
and it's been a real problem for their front line.
And you know, it's just another voay they're going to
have to fill. They're going to use this money, most
likely killing forward that will help resign to Higgins.

Speaker 15 (01:45:38):
Perhaps and it'll help then go get somebody else. But
it's just another position they have to fill going into
the off season.

Speaker 4 (01:45:44):
All right, one more at least from me.

Speaker 5 (01:45:47):
So the story on Saturday Night, even though they won,
for a lot of folks, was Zach Taylor's game management
at the end of regulations, scoring but allowing time for
the Broncos to complete what's still in it up being
a pretty improbable comeback. And you know, I'm watching the
Sunday night Raheem Morris of the Falcons, who, for my money,

(01:46:09):
is an otherwise good coach. Maybe I'm wrong, you you're
closer to that than I am just totally Butcher not
using his timeouts against the Commanders. And it feels like
on a weekly basis, these really smart football men are
screwing up basics, the basics of game management. Is that
the case or is it just more of a microscope

(01:46:29):
on what they're doing in more games available? And if
it is the case, why do these smart football men
screw this up so often?

Speaker 15 (01:46:38):
It's a great question. First of all, I'll preface it
by saying the Raheem Morris situation was way worse than yes, exactly.

Speaker 9 (01:46:44):
You know that that injury time out, that that really
messed up the whole situation, and the Broncos would have
had some time left to pull off some sort of
miracle anyway, So we'll leave it there.

Speaker 13 (01:46:54):
And yes, Rahem is getting.

Speaker 9 (01:46:55):
Barbecued down here, yeah, for ruining their season and deserve
So yeah, I think it's a combination of things, and
it's something that has quote unquote media like you and
I and fans in general don't really.

Speaker 15 (01:47:09):
Appreciate just you know, how chaotic it can be on
an NFL sideline.

Speaker 14 (01:47:13):
How difficult it is to really manage it all.

Speaker 15 (01:47:16):
Sometimes we look at you know, great coaches and see.

Speaker 3 (01:47:18):
How easy they make it.

Speaker 15 (01:47:20):
It isn't that easy.

Speaker 14 (01:47:21):
It's easy for us as fans watching.

Speaker 15 (01:47:23):
On TV to yell time out or to yell, oh
you've got to wait, you know, until the very last second,
and then you score to the touchdown. But you know,
it doesn't always work.

Speaker 3 (01:47:32):
Out that way.

Speaker 15 (01:47:33):
As they say, everybody's got a plan until you get hit,
you know, with so much else.

Speaker 9 (01:47:39):
Going on inside that headset, sometimes we we I think,
underrate how easy it is to or overrate how easy
it is to be great game managers, even like a
guy like Gamdy Reid, who all of a sudden now
is the greatest coach of all time. His entire reputation
was based around his failure to manage the clock well
while he us in Philadelphia.

Speaker 14 (01:47:59):
You know, it helps the house.

Speaker 15 (01:48:00):
I got a like Patrick Mahomes get that done for you,
you know.

Speaker 9 (01:48:03):
And then even there's been a lot of media that
I've known and encountered some big names, really big names
who have had the opportunity to go and coach, even
like their high school kids or you know, rock and
Jock celebrity kind of things, and they say the next day, oh,
you know, I had no idea so much was going
into it.

Speaker 14 (01:48:22):
It's so hard to you know, manage this and that
while you know the game is going on.

Speaker 9 (01:48:27):
And as a coach of my basketball playing son's team,
I can relate to that, you know.

Speaker 15 (01:48:34):
I do think that there's a.

Speaker 9 (01:48:36):
Lot to it goes into football coaching, and really when
you get into it, game management and time situations is
way down on the list after you know, teaching fundamentals.

Speaker 14 (01:48:47):
And drawing up schemes and really just being a leader
of men.

Speaker 9 (01:48:52):
And you know, it's the most visible thing that we
can point to as fans afterward, you know, to point.

Speaker 14 (01:49:00):
Blame, which is what we always want to do. But
I don't think.

Speaker 9 (01:49:02):
Coaches get into the profession just to say, oh, I'm
gonna call a time out here or not there.

Speaker 17 (01:49:08):
You know, it's it helps to have somebody in your
heads devoted to that, obviously, and I think they do,
but I don't know how loud those voices are necessarily at.

Speaker 9 (01:49:18):
All times during the game when it matters the most,
and sometimes, you know, things get away from these guys
and we're a little harshuts because of this.

Speaker 3 (01:49:25):
All right, you got a question for me?

Speaker 9 (01:49:27):
Now, I do have a question for you, and it
involves T Higgins, and it involves the game that we
just saw against Denver. And remember a year ago at
this time, roughly when Jake Browning was playing quarterback, the
Bengals eat the Minnesota Vikings in an instant classic overtime game.

Speaker 13 (01:49:46):
T Higgins was awesome in that game.

Speaker 15 (01:49:48):
Afterward, I believe you Moegger declared that as your favorite game,
either that you ever attended or that took place in
the regular season in Cincinnati.

Speaker 9 (01:49:59):
I was just wondering how this previous game against Denver
stacked up against that one a year ago against Minnesota.

Speaker 5 (01:50:06):
It's a good question, and it's one that I've Excuse me,
I've actually thought about a lot.

Speaker 4 (01:50:11):
To me, this is better because I think it.

Speaker 5 (01:50:19):
It's solidified T higgins status for good, not with the franchise,
but I think with the fans. My immediate reaction, and
I put this on social media after the game, I
don't know that there are many more players I've been
rooting for this team now for a long damn time.
I can't name for you that many players who seem

(01:50:41):
to be as or more beloved than T Higgins. And
that was maybe already the case going in, but I
think coming out like that was the story. You know,
it was possibly his last home game. There's the redemption
arc where he fumbles in the four fourth quarter, and
it even felt like, God, that is that gonna be

(01:51:02):
his last act in this stadium as a member of
this team. He was other than that, terrific on a
night where Jamar Chase was reasonably quiet. The game against
Minnesota last year still felt like, you know, it had
a real kind of reds pirates September field to it,
and they won, but it really wasn't viewed as a

(01:51:25):
big game going in Saturday was hyped as the de
facto playoff game. The game itself had all these twists
and turns where boy, it felt like they're gonna win,
and then boy, if Denver goes for two at the
end of regulation, they lose, and they get two possessions
in overtime and don't score on either. In Kate York
bangs like, there was so much stuff in that game

(01:51:47):
that for it to end the way it did in
the backdrop of team maybe playing his last game at
home in the Bengals uniform Saturday night was awfully, awfully special.
I'll always loved that game against the Vikings last year
and to play the teammate. I think your dogs agree
with me though. That game on Saturday night is one

(01:52:07):
that I'm gonna cherish for a very long time.

Speaker 14 (01:52:09):
Who's a bigger t Higgins fan than my dog?

Speaker 15 (01:52:11):
It looks like, well, I would agree with that, and
I would also.

Speaker 9 (01:52:15):
Just point out that it's that game underscored one reason
why he is so beloved.

Speaker 14 (01:52:20):
He is so clutch in the biggest moment. He makes
the biggest plays. I mean, go back to the Super Bowl.

Speaker 15 (01:52:25):
I mean, you know he was the man in that
game too, and.

Speaker 14 (01:52:28):
They listen to you know.

Speaker 9 (01:52:30):
That's all the more reason why I think Joe said
what he said and why we've all been talking about
this off season and that it really would be fitting
and he had a shame at the same time. If so,
Saturday was his final home game as a Bengal, and
I think we can all agree we'd like to have
more games, maybe not quite so stressful, but more games
that he shows out.

Speaker 15 (01:52:49):
Like he did on Saturday and last year against Minnesota and.

Speaker 9 (01:52:53):
Get a revel in them, because it would be a
shame if you know this time next year he's a
New Patriot or whatever.

Speaker 5 (01:52:59):
Yeah, you know, I've tried to make this point a
bunch of different times. I can look at his numbers
and conclude he's a good player. I think though, just
the way he's handled this whole contract saga, the way
he has willingly taken a back seat at times.

Speaker 4 (01:53:16):
To Jamar.

Speaker 5 (01:53:19):
You know him, it was really impressive to me, and
maybe he shouldn't have been. He gets tagged, he signs
the tag tender in June, comes to training camp practices
every day, is pretty dismissive about boy, you got a
plan to the franchise tag and it instead says like,
did I'm gonna make twenty two million dollars playing football?

Speaker 4 (01:53:38):
Like I'm good?

Speaker 5 (01:53:39):
Like the way he's handled all that. He did request
a trade, but it didn't turn into a spectacle. He's
dragging himself on the field last year Week seventeen against
Kansas City. He's tried to play through injury this year.
Like that's a dude to root for. But it's there's
there's some of that stuff that you just can't necessarily
attach him on. It terry value on or a statistical

(01:54:02):
value on that. I don't know, man, that's the kind
of guy you want on your team moving phones.

Speaker 9 (01:54:07):
Yeah, and that goes back to what I what we
were talking about earlier, which is that you know, he
doesn't seem.

Speaker 15 (01:54:12):
Like the kind of guy.

Speaker 7 (01:54:13):
He just wants to go wherever.

Speaker 15 (01:54:15):
Yeah, for every last dollar and be oh, I got
to be the number one receiver.

Speaker 3 (01:54:20):
You know.

Speaker 9 (01:54:20):
I think he's very appreciative of the situation that he
has in Cincinnati. You know, it's one thing to play
second fiddle to a guy like Jamar Chase. It's another
thing to be great friends with the guy at the
same time, you know, and obviously get to play with
Joe Burrow and the fact that they established what they've
established here.

Speaker 14 (01:54:41):
I think it is a unique situation. It's not the
kind of thing that we've seen a lot.

Speaker 9 (01:54:45):
Throughout the history of the NFL, where it's an automatic
number two, it's just dying to be number one.

Speaker 14 (01:54:51):
I think he is a different case. He's a different guy.

Speaker 15 (01:54:55):
He's a different cat, as you like to say, as
a Bengal.

Speaker 9 (01:54:59):
And you know that's why I think there's whereas before
the season, I gave very little chance that he'd be back,
I think there's a better than fifty to fifty and
maybe even stronger than that chance that he he's back
next year in Cincinnati, one form or another.

Speaker 4 (01:55:13):
Yeah, certainly feels that way. Appreciate him, my man, Thanks
so much.

Speaker 14 (01:55:17):
Thank you MO.

Speaker 15 (01:55:18):
Happy Neweded everybody out there there.

Speaker 4 (01:55:20):
You go, Happy New Year, Robert Winstrup.

Speaker 5 (01:55:22):
Check out his Bengals column at Cincinnati Magazine dot com.
A Notre Dame has scored ten points in the final
minute of the first half, kicked a field goal.

Speaker 4 (01:55:33):
They recover a.

Speaker 5 (01:55:33):
Gunner Stockton fumble, turned that into points and the fighting
Iris should have time Lee Georgia by a score of
thirteen to three in the Sugar Bowl. We are way late,
eighteen from six. We're a Buffalo Wild Wings and Kenwood
on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (01:55:50):
You've been listening to football in THEINNETI brought to you
by Cincinnati Tax Resolution, powered by Top Sheldon on the
official home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. And
it's on the line after the last week's overtime, where
it's Joe Burrow and his big bed Bengals face one

(01:56:12):
more chemist is a match, Cool Sea Things, Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaker 2 (01:56:15):
Joe Burrow Jamar Change and Gig and the Orange and Black,
down the Black and Gold and keep their playoff dreams alive.

Speaker 1 (01:56:24):
Ras get the call from Dangerous Dan Hoard at Mighty Dave.
Coverage began Saturday at four ESPN fifteen thirty, the official
home of.

Speaker 5 (01:56:34):
The US fourteen Away from US six Sports headlines are
a service of Kelsey chevro Line, home of lifetime powertrain
protection and guarantee credit approval from their family to yours
for life Kelsey chef dot Com.

Speaker 4 (01:56:49):
No go again today for t Higgins.

Speaker 5 (01:56:51):
The team is officially listing him as questionable for the
Bengals game on Saturday night against.

Speaker 4 (01:56:57):
The Pittsburgh Steelers. A game can be heard on ESPN
film teen thirty.

Speaker 5 (01:57:00):
Pre game covered Saturday afternoon at four, kickoff a little
bit after eight o'clock. Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, and Trey
Hendrickson voted to the AFC squad in the Pro Bowl Games,
which will take place in Orlando on February the second.
Chase Brown, a third alternate, Orlando Brown, a fourth altenate.
Running back Kendall Milton has been signed to the active

(01:57:21):
roster off.

Speaker 4 (01:57:22):
The practice squad.

Speaker 5 (01:57:24):
Meanwhile, the Sugar Bowl is at the half and Notre Dame,
with ten points in the final minute of the first half,
has a thirteen to three halftime.

Speaker 4 (01:57:34):
Lead over Georgia.

Speaker 5 (01:57:36):
A West Miller radio show is tonight at eight o'clock
on seven hundred WLW. U SE Coming off that loss
to Kansas State, this game on Saturday U se versus
Arizona feels like a major pivot point for the Bearcats.

Speaker 12 (01:57:51):
Now.

Speaker 5 (01:57:51):
Arizona's record is I think a little deceiving. They have
not been as good as I think a lot of
folks thought that they were going to. They were ranked
tenth in the AP Top twenty five preseason poll. Their
five losses are all Quad one losses. They've lost on
the road to Wisconsin, lost at home the Duke. They've

(01:58:12):
been beaten by Oklahoma, who hasn't lost yet. They have
an overtime loss to West Virginia, who just won on
the road against Kansas They have a loss in Phoenix,
technically a neutral site, to UCLA. They did win their
conference opener on Monday at home against TCU or Caleb Love,

(01:58:35):
who is going to play on Saturday his one hundred
and fiftieth college basketball game, scored thirty three points and
was terrific this game for UC if you just look
at what the next week and a.

Speaker 4 (01:58:48):
Half or so is like.

Speaker 5 (01:58:50):
After Saturday home for Arizona, then gonna go on the
road and play Baylor, then come home and play Kansas,
then go back on the road and play Colorado. And
let's be honest, Colorado might not sound like the most
imposing team. But if you walked away from Monday night
going well, gottli g you know road games are hard
to win in the Big twelve, Well, every road game

(01:59:12):
is a landmine for U see, especially when the offense
looks the way it did against Kansas State. I was
I was very disappointed by what I saw on Monday,
and I looked at it as more than just a
tough road loss against the team that outplayed them. I
don't think Kansas State is very good. That doesn't mean
they can't make the NCAA tournament. You don't give them

(01:59:33):
credit for winning the game. I thought the story of
that game for me was you see digging a hole early,
playing tentative, and then offensively just not really having many answers.
And you know, in this little mini stretch where they've
since they've played Villanova. They have beaten Xavier and beaten Dayton.
They still haven't played great offensively, haven't shot at all

(01:59:54):
that well. And the longer this goes, the more you
wonder is this going to have to be the sort
of thing they overcome? And if you lose on Saturday,
let's be honest, you're staring at oh to four or
maybe oh to five in the league in the face.
Now is that insurmountable? Perhaps if the goal is to

(02:00:14):
get to the NCAA Tournament. But when we talk about
the goal being to get to the NCAA Tournament, for
you see, I've often framed it as get to the
NCAA Tournament with ease, like not get in as one
of the last four not playing date, not be one
of the last four with a buye like get in
with a good seed and have a legitimate chance to advance. Now,

(02:00:35):
there's a lot of basketball to be played between now
and then nineteen games.

Speaker 4 (02:00:40):
You don't want to.

Speaker 5 (02:00:41):
Dig yourself such a whole early that it heightens the
importance of winning a lot of games late. And if
the idea here is to go into the NCAA Tournament
with some degree of ease, that's going to require a
good record in the Big Twelve. That's gonna be hard
to have. You know, we do this with the Bengals
all the time, right, It's hard to have a really,
really really good record if your record in September stinks

(02:01:02):
every year, It's gonna be hard to have a really
really good Big Twelve record if we're talking about them
starting oh to two or oh and three, or one
and three or oh to four, one and four, oh
to five, some.

Speaker 4 (02:01:11):
Combination of that.

Speaker 5 (02:01:13):
This game on Saturday feels to me like a really
big pivot point where if you get this, you kind
of talk about them taken off. If you don't get this,
the conversation changes a little bit. And I hate to
say that, but it but it does more than anything.
This team has to figure out ways to get Semas
Lucachi's shots. They've got to figure out a way to
get guys like when he comes off the bench, Connor

(02:01:35):
Hickman shots. They've got to figure out a way to
get things out of their offense that are more than
just lob passes. They've got to figure out ways to
get other guys to contribute. When defenses do what Kansas
State's defense did to Simas Lucasis and Jizsel James. This
game on Saturday, in part because of the opponent, in

(02:01:57):
part because of what happened in Manhattan, in part because
how they've played over the last month, and in part
because of what's next. This game on Saturday feels massive.
This feels like a pivot point, by the way, I'm
sure it does for Arizona as well as for the Bengals.

(02:02:17):
I'm fully on board shows about over That's why you
hear the music. I'm fully on board signing t Higgins.
I think all this conjecture from Joe Burrow reflects the
fact that he understands this can't just be pay Jamar
give him a blank check.

Speaker 4 (02:02:33):
Pay t give him a blank.

Speaker 5 (02:02:34):
Check, and ensure that Joe Burrow is making what he
is making. I'm going to defer to them and assume
that they have all acknowledged maybe that collectively they're going
to have to do some things to make this a
little bit easier for the Bengals to swallow.

Speaker 4 (02:02:49):
And if they do that, you've got to sign them.

Speaker 5 (02:02:53):
We are not on tomorrow. Bengals pep rally in our
place from three to six. We are back on Monday,
Tony and I Tonya Moo Football Show. We'll be back
in Westchester on Monday afternoon. The folks at Buffalo Wild
Wings all year long have been awesome every single location.
They've been hospitable, they've been great to work with, and

(02:03:14):
so we want to thank the folks at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Want to thank the folks at bud Light for hooking
us up with awesome prizes, including the cooler we're about
to give away. All year long, we've done this show
with Mike Mills on site, certainly want to thank him.
Thanks to everybody who has come out at some point
this year, and thanks to Tarren Blant for producing on
site just up the street in our studios. I'll talk

(02:03:38):
to you Monday. Have an awesome night and have a
great weekend, and again, happy New Year. This has been
The Moleggar Show from Buffalo Wild Wings and Kenwood on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station

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