Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Nineteen after three. This is ESPN fifteen thirty one O egging. Yeah.
You know, for what is typically the quote deed time
of year, We've got a little of everything today and
I like it, including Rick Patino begging Kentucky fans to
not boo John Caliperi. I have a piece of advice
for every college spoorts fan. I'll give it to you.
(00:22):
Coming up at four h five Chad Brendall on the
Bearcats in just about twenty five minutes. Kelsey Conway from
the Cincinnati Inquirer and Cincinnati dot Com has been in Mobile, Alabama,
covering senior ball practices and chatting with important people like
Duke Tobin. Her exclusive Q and A with Duke you
can read it at Cincinnati dot Com. She's with us.
(00:44):
How's Mobile?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Mobile's great?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Mo.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
You know, you were just saying, it's that time of
the year and I just really look forward to my
yearly trip to Mobile, Alabama. But at least it was
warm this year. In past it's been like frigid cold.
At least it was warm this year.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Have you seen any Bengals any players? I want the
Bengals to draft.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Lots of them. I will say that the buzz. I
hadn't really gotten into a lot of draft prep or
talk really yet, and I briefly skimmed, and it really
seems like the strength of this year's draft is the
defensive line, especially the interior, And when I was watching
those guys up close, like, there are so many that
(01:27):
are just physically imposing, like and you don't want to overreact,
but I feel like this is a good year for
the Bengals to address that position because it seems like
there's a lot of talent there.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
All right, Well, we have like three months to talk
about Bengals draft possibilities. The draft process is only just beginning.
So there's been a lot of chatter about your Q
and A with Duke Tobin, and I do want to
talk about some of these specific topics and his responses
to some of your questions. But what was your overarching
take away from your conversation with him?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well, first, I'd like to thank him for, you know,
the time he gave me, because he was very gracious
with his time, and I felt like I was able
to get a ton of just important information that I
know that the fans and a lot of people wanted
to hear from him. So I was really glad that
I was able to get and I wish I could
(02:24):
have had two hours with him. But for me, the
biggest takeaways other than the contract stuff that we'll talk about,
was just how transparent he was about what went wrong
with last season. And that's where we started the interview,
and I basically said, what did you feel like was
the biggest issue, and whether you agree with him or not,
(02:47):
my general consensus after our conversation was that he does
not think the team is that far off from a
talent standpoint. He's big point was they couldn't finish games,
and he said there wasn't a team that the Bengals
played that they didn't feel like they could beat. Whether
you agree with that or I agree with that, you know,
(03:08):
it doesn't really matter. He doesn't think that because he
thinks that they have talent and some of those players
just didn't play up to that talent, and so he
basically feels like because they weren't able to finish some
of these games or when they had a lead, keep
a lead. That's where he spent most of his time
talking about that, and then that turned into a bigger
(03:29):
conversation about the defense and the defense was where we
spent majority of our time talking about, rightfully so because
of how bad it was last year. And I thought
what stood out to me most was his quote, and
you can see it in the article, but he said
that he felt like he held on to players from
that Super Bowl corps perhaps a year too long, and
(03:53):
I thought that was the first time I've ever heard
anybody say anything like that. And so again, whether you
agreed with it or not, I didn't think that they
did enough last year to address their biggest needs on
the defensive line, and in order to have done that,
they probably needed to cut bait from some of those
contracts to have more room, and they just at that
(04:13):
time felt like they just wanted to run it back
one more year. And his conversation with me revealed some
of those guys don't expect them to be on the roster,
and I think we're talking about the Germaine Pratts, the
Mike Hilton's, the bj Hills of the world. And so
I thought that was interesting for him to be so
transparent about saying he got that wrong and probably should
(04:36):
have moved on from those guys a little bit sooner.
So that was a very big takeaway to me, and
he said that they are one hundred percent going to
be addressing the guard position. So that's probably music to
fans ears who were upset about the amount of hits
Joe took. Also, I think that they are going to
bring in more competition at safety. He wouldn't say much
(04:59):
about it if Gino Stone's going to be back on
the team or not, but he did say they're going
to address that position with more competition, and he said
he thought the tackling was one of the biggest issues
that he felt like went wrong with the with the team.
And then we wrapped up the conversation with my question
to him, and I appreciate his bluntness. I basically said,
(05:22):
what has Jermaine Burton gun to deserve a roster spot
on this team? And he said nothing. And I looked
at him and I was like, are you sure. He said, yeah,
you asked what has he done? And my answer is nothing,
And then he went on and said he better start soon.
So those were some of the highlights for me in
terms of just things that nobody has really come out
(05:45):
and said. So that's where I think those were the
most important things. But what do you think about all
of that.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Well, there's a lot there. So it's interesting you referenced
his question. You reference his answer about, you know, running
it back with a lot of the guys who are
part the Super Bowl run, and you mentioned some of
those players. The first name that jumped to the top
of the list for me was Sam Hubbard.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
And that I did specifically asked about Sam, and he
did not want to get into anything about Sam Hubbard,
which I respect. And you know, the reporters have asked
about Sam, and anytime we've asked about Sam, Zach hasn't
wanted to, you know, talk about it publicly. Like listen,
they know he was not good enough last year, and
(06:29):
they know he wasn't good enough the year before. It
very much feels like the writing is on the wall.
I'm not saying there's not a chance Sam Hubbard will
be back next year, but it will not be at
the price he is making. So I think it's just
kind of like a sensitive subject for a lot of
people because of how well respected Sam is.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
So I remember, and I don't think I'm revealing anything here.
I remember having a conversation with you last April, in
the aftermath of finding out that Trey Hendrickson had requested
a tray and we talked about this. You and I
talked about this on air, but I think I said
to you off like, well, what if he goes out
there and he wins Defensive Player of the Year and then,
(07:09):
you know, we kind of chuckled and said, you know,
well then things change. Well, he might win the award, right.
I don't think he will, but he might win the award.
And so, you know, you have a guy who last
year sought what he couldn't get from the Bengals and
he asked for a trade. Since then, he's had an
awesome year. He has one year less left on his deal,
and so there's a few different options here. You asked
(07:31):
Duke Tobin about giving him an extension, and what stood
out to me about his answer was, quote, we can't
have guys at the top of the payroll in every position, right,
And there's certainly something to that from Trey's perspective, or
I guess from the perspective of the Bengals as it
relates to Trey. I think you can make a case, well, yeah,
give him an extension. He's a terrific player. I think
(07:52):
you can make a case. Look, man, he's never going
to be as good as he was last year. Let
him play out this season. He'll be motivated to hit
free agency with another big year, and then you move
on and maybe bring them back or you know, and
I know a lot of folks have talked about this
with you. You need draft capital. Trey's really the only
guy you could trade and get draft capital for. Maybe
(08:13):
you move on from him. At the same time, he's
your one really good defensive player. So you know the
dynamic you and I have talked about it. What do
you think the ultimate outcome is going to be.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
You know, I'll first say that I completely agree with
all of the comments that you've made about this being
the most fascinating part of the Bengals offseason. Yes, the
receivers are going to get more airtime because they're high
profile wide receivers, right. But from the jump, I have
thought this is a really interesting, sticky situation here, and
(08:46):
you just kind of outlined all of the reasons why.
But from my takeaway from specifically this conversation with Duke,
and I will say last week I did spend some
time digging around trades contract and you know what, the
other defensive ends in the NFL, the top ones are
making and I really try to spend some time trying
(09:07):
to figure this one out. Basically, the Bengals said, we
value Trey and we know we need to give him
a pay raise. Where I think it's gonna get tense
is Trey and his representation feel as though he is
a top edge rusher in the NFL, and you can't
(09:27):
argue otherwise. His stats and everything else speaks for that.
But there are so many things that go into that contract.
For example, you know TJ. Watt, he's an even bigger
factor in games because he can bat pass his down
Miles Garrett. You can't really compare him to Trey because
Miles can move to every spot on the defensive line,
(09:49):
like each one of them has a different skill set,
So it's not apples to apples. And that's where I
think the Bengals are going to point to the age
him not being you know, a good run defender necessarily
at all times. They're going to find things that they
can say you can't compare Trey because of these things,
(10:10):
but they do want to pay him. It's just going
to have to be one of those things. Where does
Trey want to stay in Cincinnati and keep playing for
an organization that for the last two years he feels
hasn't valued him, or is he going to say, I'm
not budging off my number. I think that I should
be top three payroll and that's important to me. And
(10:34):
that's where I just don't see the Bengals getting up there.
And you can say they should or they shouldn't. In
my opinion, I would pay Trey Hendrickson, and I know
it has to work on both sides. But had they
had a plan behind him, I could see this being
a situation where you can trade him. But the Bengals
haven't proved at that specific spot that they can get
(10:56):
it right with those picks that they would get in return.
So I think that their priority should be getting it
right with Trey. Will they do it, I don't know,
but I don't envision a scenario in which the Bengals
are willing to make him a top three paid edge
rusher at his age. It's all going to be about
is that something Trey is willing to do or not.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
So this is going to represent the biggest mess of
the off season the training camp visit.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I think so because In my opinion, I have never
really thought that there is a possibility that t Higgins
is coming back, and I know that's tough for people
to hear. I just don't see a scenario in which
the Bengals are going to get up to a number
that's going to be respectable enough to Tea in his
(11:45):
agent's eyes that they will be willing to negotiate. And
I think that's what's interesting about this. The Bengals want
the agents to always be willing to negotiate, and that's
totally fair. You can't just keep giving everybody what they
want at all times, or you would have no money.
But where I have heard for talking to multiple agents
(12:10):
is the starting number sometimes is too low, and it
makes the agent and the player feel like they're not valued,
and that's where some of these negotiations go sideways. So
I think it would be in the Bengals' best interest
with Trey and Tea to start at a number that
they will look at and be like, Okay, we can
(12:32):
work within this framework. Anything too far below I just
don't think it's a recipe for success, and I think
that they need to focus on getting the deals done
as opposed to just winning the negotiations and always trying
to be right because, as you just said, look at
what happened. They messed around last year and said, we're
(12:53):
not going to do it on Jamar's terms. If he
doesn't take this deal, we'll bet on himself. Well what
did he go do? He won the Triple Crow. The
same thing with Trey. History is telling you the longer
you wait, it's not going to work out in your favor.
And that's why, in my opinion, the Bengals have to
change the way they do business when it comes to negotiations.
They might not like it, but this is a different
(13:14):
era and these players are there and it's going to
be up to them to decide if they're going to
stay or if they go, and if they go, they
have to be ready for what comes with that.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
All right, one more Kelsey Conway from Cincinnati dot Com
and the Inquiry. If you have not read her, Duke
Tobin Q and A. I've tweeted out a link and
go get it right now at Cincinnati dot Com. So
you mentioned Jamar Chase last year, and what I thought
was interesting is you asked, you asked Duke where things
stand with Jamar and he used the word framework in
the response that you published three times framework. Well, if
(13:47):
I'm Jamar Chase, screw that framework. That was last year's framework.
Since then, I've, as you mentioned, I've won the Triple Crown.
I was, you know, arguably but statistically, the best wide
receiver in football. So that framework, you could put that
in the paper, shredder. We are starting a new and
I think for a lot of us there's been this
assumption that all right, well, they might have difficulty with
(14:09):
tea and they have so many other things, but the
easy one will be we'll just get the Jamar Chase
thing done, pick up where you left off. If I'm
Jamar Chase, I'm not interested in where you left off,
and I'm not interested in any framework.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Well, I can tell you right now, having talked to sources,
that's exactly how Jamar Chase feels, and his representation will
go to the table that it's not a negotiation with
Jamar at this point. It is this is what we're
asking for. And I will bring up this point because
I think it's important for people to hear. I posted
his story when it was week one that was basically like,
(14:43):
what is the fallout in the Bengals not paying Jamar Chase,
and I talked to a bunch of agents around the
league and I was able to find out that the
year before the Vikings pay Justin Jefferson, he was asking
for thirty and then the Vikings didn't pay him and
because of that they ended up having to pay him
(15:06):
four million more on an annual basis. So Jamar Chase's
agent knows that information, that is well known information around
the league. Why should Jamar Chase and his agent not
take that same approach and say you waited and in
return of that, here's a four or five million dollar
difference that you now have to come up to. And
(15:28):
so that's where to me, I don't think and I'm
not reporting this, but if you're Jamar Chase and his
agent and he knows that, why would anything start under forty?
If Justin Jefferson is the top of the market at
thirty four and he was able to get an extra
four million in waiting a year, why should Jamar Chase
and his representation not at least start there. And if
(15:50):
the Bengals don't start there, I agree with what you
said on the radio before, it is laughable. And that's
where I say, like, the Bengals have got to get
it right with their starting offer. In situations like this,
you cannot come in and try and just give him
thirty four. It's got to be high enough where the
agent and the player feel valued, and then you work
from there.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Do you stay for the actual Senior Bowl game? I
do not.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I can I come for two days check out the prospects.
I mean, like, come just to talk to Duke Cobin
and that is worth it in my opinion, every year
for the game.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Plenty of time to get back for Sunday's U see
basketball game where things are going really well.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Thinks there. Yeah, I'll just leave it at that.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
As good analysis as I can offer. I appreciate your
time as always. Thank you so much. We will do
it again soon. Awesome work and can't thank you enough
for doing this.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Thanks so much for having me on anytime.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Kelsey Conway. Go read her coverage of the Bengals, Cincinnati
Inquirer and Cincinnati dot Com. All right, we are late,
Chad Brendle in just about ten minutes on ESPN efteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.
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