2/5/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:07):
It now, all right, I'll do that. What's up? Good afternoon, Mowager.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty, the official radio partner of
the Cincinnati Bengals. Thank you for joining us. I hope
you had I have had an awesome Wednesday afternoon. God knows,
I know. We have Evan Cohen from an unsportsmanlike on

(00:31):
ESPN Radio is going to be with us in thirty minutes,
otherwise known as the show that spends a lot of
time debating Joe Burrow. They get a lot of mileage
out of Joe Burrow on that show. Now Evan is
in New Orleans. He is going to join us, coming
up in just about twenty five minutes. We are looking
forward to that. Rick Browing will be here on the phone.
He's not going to be I mean, he's welcome to
come here in studio. That would be awesome. NKU plays

(00:53):
at home tonight, so he's in town, but he's going
to join us. Nonetheless, three forty five on an important
Xavier win last night, look forget Ed Cooley going after
the dude in the stands who cares. What matters most
is the Musketeer's got a good game from Marcus Foster,
got a really good game from Dalan Swain, and XU
holds on to beat Georgetown, a feisty Georgetown team last

(01:16):
night with the Musketeers right now, it's about It's about quality, obviously,
but really it's all about quantity. With the schedule they
have in front of them, they take care of business.
Last night. Rick talks about X you and NK you
coming up at three forty five show rundowns on Twitter.
Thanks to my friends and yours at Emory Federal Credit Union,

(01:36):
your credit union with hard since nineteen thirty nine. Go
to EMERYFCU dot org. We also have Vegas sportsbooks liking
Cooper Cup to the Bengals, which we have to get
to a little bit later on. I guess we start
with this. Trey Hendrickson is talking. He's down there in
New Orleans at Radio Row. He's making the rounds. I'm

(01:58):
sure he's getting paid to plug some thing that's of
no concern to me. But he was on the Pat
McAfee show on ESPN just a short while ago. And
obviously Trey Hendrickson. I have thought this since before the
season ended, and I think most would agree this is
the most interesting offseason dynamic there is, I think more
gray area as it relates to Trey Hendrickson than with

(02:18):
t Higgins, Jamar Chase or anybody else. Because Trey is
under contract for this year, he's coming off a remarkable season,
He's not exactly twenty five years old, He's already requested
a trade once didn't get it. And so one of
the key questions this offseason is going to be, well,
what's gonna happen with Trey Hendrickson? And along with that,
one of the key questions this offseason is gonna be

(02:40):
what's gonna happen if Trey Hendrickson doesn't get what he wants,
which is a long term contract. So he was on
the Pat McAfee show with Pat McAfee and the guy
in the cowboy hat and aj Hawk and there's some
other people. But I actually think Pat McAfee's an awesome
communicator and entertainer. Here is a part of this is
the part that's making Trey Hendrickson Pat McAfee just a

(03:02):
short while ago.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
I think the off season is a good spot kind
of address these kind of issues that do come up.
And during the season, you know, when you're talking about
OTAs or camp, you know, you don't want to become
a distraction for the team because inevitably the goal is
to win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati. You know what
that looks like this season. You know, if if it's
something that we can agree on in terms, you know,

(03:26):
that would be great. Ideally, my wife and I would
love to stay in Cincinnati if it's something that helps
the Bengals win a Super Bowl, if they get picks
or anything like that. I want to help win a
Super Bowl for Cincinnati if I'm if I'm there or not.

Speaker 4 (03:39):
Okay, interesting because Duke is speaking about it now. Duke Tobin,
general manager for Cincinnai Bengals. He was out the Senior
Bowl and he chit chatted about it, and I don't
even think we really were like, oh, Trey, there is
a situation because everything's on the offensive side. So going forward,
do you see something you have to experience and live
life with right now? This is a part of your
life right now, having to deal with what the future

(03:59):
looks like.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yeah, I would have preferred to kind of heard it
differently than my dad texting me a tweet. You know,
that would have been great to kind of figure it
out that way. But you know, obviously the table is
being set in that way. But I just I love
to play football. I love the for the for my
play to do the talking. And at the end of
the day, I think the chips will fall where they're

(04:21):
going to be. And like I said, whether whatever happens,
I want to win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
Trey Hendrickson with Pat McAfee earlier today, he referenced, you know,
Duke Tobin last week at the Senior Bowl did a
Q and A with Kelsey Conway and talked about Trey
Hendrickson because he was asked about Trey Hendrickson. You know,
he brought up Trey earning a contract extension, but he
also said, you know, we can't pay top dollar for

(04:48):
every player at every position. There's a recurring theme here.
There's lots of different sort of angles to this Trey
Hendrickson thing, one of which is there's a bit of
a recurring theme, and it's there's one that is is
gonna It's going to create a lot of criticism aimed
at the Bengals, and I think fairly so. Lack of communication.

(05:10):
Lack of communication, unfortunately, that's something that has been talked
about in relation to this franchise for quite a while.
Andrew Whitworth his departure. Even before he departed, he complained
about lack of communication. Right. I mean, I'm reading a
story here from twenty fifteen. This is after the Bengals

(05:33):
drafted two tackles they took cedric A. Bay He and
Jake Fisher. This is before his departure, and well he wrote,
he said, quote, it's not really top of the line
customer service. Eventually, hopefully one day the conversation will be
had and I'll be here like referencing lack of communication.
Joanah Williams, remember him, Joanah Williams. Remember he requested a

(05:54):
trade prior to twenty twenty three because he found out,
I think watching TV that the team was going to
ask him to move from left tackle to right tackle.
Now you might think, well, if Jona Williams wasn't all
that good, but he complained about lack of communication understandably.

(06:16):
So here's a piece about DJ Reader moving on from
the Bengals. Quote Cincinnati's front office never approached defensive tackle
Dj Reider ahead of his final season with the Bengals
about an extension. That was a piece written in the
Cincinnati Enquirer. Lack of communication, a bit of a of
a recurring theme, even if I can't say recurring theme,

(06:37):
A bit of a recurring theme, lack of communication, player
kind of twisting in the wind, not knowing what's up. Well,
what's the common denominator here? We're talking about players who left,
who didn't get another deal, didn't get an extension. We're
told to leave. So here's my guess. The lack of

(07:03):
communication would suggest that contract extension Trey ain't getting in here,
he might get one. I mean, I'm sure the Bengals
would love to give him a contract extension that he
would sign that pays him now what he's making now,
or maybe less than what he's making right now, or
might give him a tiny bump in pay. But I mean,

(07:24):
there's there's a recurring theme here, and this isn't to
excuse them. I think communication is great. I love communication.
You can't communicate enough right, but you know, it kind
of feels like once they ghost you once, once you
know you're finding out stuff about you from Twitter and
from TV. It kind of tells you you know where

(07:47):
you where you are with the franchise. That was my
first thought. Second one is this, forget having the quiet offseason.
It's not happening. There's too much. By the way, that
doesn't mean they can't have a productive offseason. It doesn't
mean they can't have a really good season in twenty

(08:09):
twenty five. But you know, noise kind of defined last year, right.
Te Higgins asked for a trade, thought he handled it well.
Trey Hendrickson asked for a trade. Thought he handled it well.
By the way, both those guys balled out. Once the
season started, there was the Jamar Chase thing and that
was the thing for weeks on end. And by the
way Jamar balled out, Jamar did also cause a little

(08:32):
bit of a spectacle, and maybe you don't blame him
for that, but that was a thing that happened. But
it was a noisy off season. And so I think
as this past year unfolded, there were a lot of
us who thought, God, at the very least, could they
have a quiet offseason. I talked about this last week.
I now am of the belief that a quiet off
season is almost unattainable when you have good players. There's

(08:55):
always someone who wants something, a trade, an extension, a ray,
a position switch. Like, there's always gonna be someone who
wants something and a lot of people asking them about
the thing that they want. So quiet offseason probably doesn't
exist moving forward as long as they have good players.

(09:16):
But this Trey Hendrickson thing, look, just look how look
at how it unfolded last year. He asked for a trade,
Bengals didn't give it to him. He did show up,
he did show up to camp, he showed up when
the game started, he played great. Here's what we know
about the Bengals. Number one, players accused them of poor communication.
Number two, just because you ask for a trade doesn't

(09:38):
mean they give you one. Uh And so chances are
Trey Hendrickson's not gonna get traded. I think there's a
better than average chance he doesn't get a contract extension.
And then who knows. I'm gonna guess Trey is gonna
play for the Bengals week one, because why wouldn't he? Right?
He four goes basically a million bucks per game that

(10:00):
he misses. But between now and then, noisy could it
involve a hold in. I don't know, a hold out,
I don't know. Could it involve more interviews where he
talks about his contract and that creates more conversations that
don't help winning. I don't know. But this is going
to be a thing. And so the offseason is hasn't

(10:22):
really even begun because we're not to the transactional part
of it yet. But if you were hoping that what
would define this offseason would be quiet, serene, no controversy,
no major issues, not giving me a lot to talk about,
this Trey Hendrickson thing will be last year's Jamar Chase thing,
and this year's Trey Hendrickson thing will be the t

(10:44):
Higgins thing from two years ago, and this year's Trey
Hendrickson thing will be a Jesse Bates from a couple
of years ago. This will be the latest one, and
part of it feels unavoidable as long as you have
good players. But that's going to be the thing this year.
This is just getting started. They're not gonna trade him,
I'd I'd be honestly. His trade value is probably higher

(11:05):
a year ago, when you could trade him to a
team that would get him for two years. They didn't
trade him, then, I'm guessing they don't trade him now.
And I'm also guessing they're not just gonna give him
what he wants in a contract extension. So you know,
the message from Trey was basically, extend me or trade me.
The Bengals don't cave to any sort of pressure. They're

(11:26):
probably not gonna re sign t Higgins even though their
best player is pressuring them. They're not gonna caid the
Trey Hendrickson's pressure. And this is gonna be a thing
moving forward. That's my guess. If you have a different
read on it, I'm all ears five point three seven
four nine fifteen thirty and eight six six seven oh
two three seven seven six. Evan Cohen from ESPN Radio

(11:47):
coming up in just about fifteen minutes. By the way,
good conversation at four thirty five with the guy that
I really enjoy talking with. Jordan Bishell is the UC
baseball coach. He is gonna be with us and Sean
Side in the five o'clock hour as well. You can
hit up on Twitter at Moeger thanks to Delta Dental.
Delta Dental is building healthy, smart, vibrant communities for all
good at Delta dentalh dot com. There's another common denominator

(12:11):
we've got to talk about when it comes to Trey
and Tea and so many others. Next Cincinnati twenty two
after three. If you miss anything on this show, go
get it on the iHeartRadio app. Yesterday was terrific with
Paul Danner Junior. He was phenomenal. We had Solomon Wilcott's
on the show. He joined us on an empty stomach

(12:31):
from New Orleans, which I'm told was rectified. He had
an interesting idea as it relates to t Higgins. Find
out what it was.

Speaker 5 (12:39):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
Listen to our segment with him on the iHeartRadio app.
Or you can go to my page at ESPN fifteen
thirty dot com podcast of this show or a service
of Longneck Sports Grill. No a better place. Hey, if
you want to watch the Bearcats tonight against UCFA, let's
do it. A Q one opportunity for uc Wilder, Hebrin
and Richwood Longnecks Sports Grill. Evan Cohen from ESPN Radio

(13:01):
is scheduled to join us in eight minutes and we'll
ask him how many more segments his show is going
to do on Joe Burrow because they have. Boy, they
they they have taken full advantage of the Bengals not
making the postseason and Joe Burrow having a great year.
So we'll spend some time on that here in a
few more on Trey Hendrickson in a bit. There's an

(13:22):
interesting there's an interesting sort of subtext to all of
these conversations we have about Trey and Tea and you know,
even going back to Andrew Whitworth and Jesse Bates that
I don't think we talk about nearly enough. And I'll
tell you what it is coming up at four h five.

(13:45):
This is going to be the Trey Hendrickson offseason, Like
the t Higgins thing, is going to be resolved here
within the next four or five weeks. I mean, I
can't imagine we're going to get too deep into the
league year without finding out where t Higgins is going
to play football in twenty twenty. And the Jamar Chase thing,
which I think is going to be more complex than
a lot of folks are willing to admit, is maybe

(14:07):
going to take on another life of its own. But
I think we do expect an extension to happen that
the Trey Hendrickson thing, this isn't going away, and it's
not going away if they trade him, and I'm not
even sure it really goes away if they give him
an extension. My guess is they do with Trey what
they did with t what they did with Jesse, which is,

(14:27):
we're not giving you anything. Hey, go play out your
last year. You're really going to be motivated and maybe
we'll talk at the end of the year, although maybe not,
and then you know, who knows what happens. But between
now and then, like the Unsportsmanlike Show on ESPN Radio,
you think they talk a lot about Joe Burrow. The
Trey Hendrickson thing is going to be a thing almost

(14:48):
every single day, and today with his comments on Pat
McAfee was just the beginning. Ian You're on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Good afternoon, How are you.

Speaker 6 (14:59):
Hey? Man?

Speaker 7 (15:00):
I thought about this last week and it kind of
brings the point home. I think when Burrow is vouching
out there saying what he's saying and it you know,
these people are asking him the same question, like Austin said,
so he's answering it. I would argue that say people

(15:21):
need to free a free shot. I think it was
the last game, I'm pretty sure.

Speaker 6 (15:29):
And you see.

Speaker 7 (15:30):
Burrow like hugging Higgins, and if you just brows that image,
it says to everything, it looks like a guy that
knows that this guy might very well be out the door,
you know. And I think Joe is just doing his
best put forward to light the fire under ownership, to

(15:52):
at least bry to evolve further. Like he I think
he wants to, you know, push them to have tea
come back and maybe a whole deal with everybody. But
he knows the inevitable is there. So that my endpoint
of this is that I don't think he's gonna He's not.

Speaker 8 (16:14):
He's very smart, man.

Speaker 7 (16:15):
I don't think he's the type it's gonna be like
a Palmer situation where he blows up. But he knows
very well the history, and he's just trying to get
things moving, you know what I mean, Snap, snap, let's
evolve a little bit. He sees what these other teams
are doing, and like Austin said earlier, random numbers real quick,

(16:35):
like they would have like eighty seven million if they
appropriated what the do contract ideas out there.

Speaker 9 (16:46):
I mean, it's all possible.

Speaker 7 (16:48):
Right, So I'll end with that man. It's just that
I think he's trying to, like they said, use his power.
But the endpoint is not necessarily if they sign or
don't sign somebody. It's about evolution, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (17:04):
Sure, I mean I equate it Ian, thank you very much.
You know, if you're if you're an employee in good
standing and you do something wrong, you commit a violation,
you break a workplace rule, you have a bad quarter,
they put a note, I guess in your personnel file.
I've never been anybody's boss, so I don't know for sure,
but they put a note in your personnel file. It

(17:27):
doesn't mean you're gonna get fired. It just it's a
note in the file, and it might be a note
you have to come back to later. I think that's
what Joe's doing here. He's going to put a note
in the Bengals personnel file. I don't think he's gonna
yell and scream and demand a trade. I don't think
anybody really expects that. I think he's going to be
open minded about what's next and try to do as
best as he can with it. But I think he's

(17:48):
just going to put a note in the file and
go okay, you know, let's maybe revisit that down the
road if we have to. And by the way, if
we don't have to, then it's just an innocuous note
in the file. But yeah, I think Joe is hard
enough to understand the most likely outcome is he doesn't
play for the Bengals. I think he is putting public
pressure on the team and understands what he's doing as
it relates to, you know, how fans feel about tea

(18:10):
and what so many of us want to see happen
with t Higgins. I don't think he's going to misbehave,
throw a temper tantrum, lose his mind, demand a trade,
threaten to retire any of that stuff. I think he's
going to put a note in the file, one that
he may come back to if the bad stuff starts
to snowball, and by bad stuff, the non playoff seasons

(18:31):
and the years where he is excellent and has his
excellence wasted. You hear him on Unsportsmanlike every morning on
ESPN fifteen thirty, part of ESPN Radio from six to ten.
They're in New Orleans. Evan Cohen, Michelle Smallman and our residents.
Super Bowl champion Chris Canty Evan is scheduled to join
us from New Orleans, where they have a hell of
a set up. Next on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

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(19:53):
tonight here on ESPN fifteen thirty. Every morning on ESPN
fifteen thirty. You here on sportsman like from six to ten.
Obviously getting said for the super Bowl on Sunday in
New Orleans. Which man's that's an early wake up call
for New Orleans. Evan Cohen, Michelle Smallman, and Chris Canty.
It's good to have Evan with us this afternoon evidence.

(20:16):
It's good to have you, man. What's going on?

Speaker 6 (20:19):
How are you? How's everything?

Speaker 2 (20:20):
Everything's really good. I want to know when you guys
sit down to map out your show, is there just
a Joe Burrow segment every morning you build the show around?
How does that work?

Speaker 6 (20:29):
Well? This has become such a huge thing for us,
and I don't it's obviously not on purpose.

Speaker 12 (20:35):
Moll.

Speaker 6 (20:35):
You've been a part of this for so many years
on national radio. It's like, you know you play the
hit obviously, Yes, I don't know. I know that any
of us knew the level of hit that Joe Burrow
would be. I could sit here a you know, smaller
than I have a lot to do with this. We
have nothing to do with this. This is all CC
and his Chris Canty and his analysis of Joe Burrow.

(20:58):
Here's what I'll say, Okay, And I understand that Cincinnati
may not love him right now, I mean can't he Yeah,
I love you, but but but he's been right about
a lot of it, not all, but a lot. He
wrote the Bengals off early, he was right about that.
He wrote Burrow off in terms of the playoffs early,

(21:21):
he was right about that. He said he was not
an MVP candidate relative to winning. He was right about that.
Where I think the debate certainly comes in as to
whether or not he's elite, which I vehemently disagreed with
CEC on that because I think Burrow is in that conversation.
But long answer to a short question. But this has
become a lightning rod on our show, as you know.

Speaker 2 (21:42):
Yeah, and we cannot thank you enough for doing it
because we get a lot of content out of it.
I've had folks call my show based on the stuff
Chris Canty says on your show, which I'm not sure
it's supposed to work that way, but I'll take it. Nonetheless.

Speaker 6 (21:58):
Oh well, that is definitely our goal, and that's not
why that's not why he's doing it. But like, let's
be honest, Like what's going on with you guys in
Cincinnati is massive, right, we understand, like your station is
one of the biggest stations in the country, and so
if if we have legit takes on your teams, that

(22:21):
then could trigger other conversations for other shows. Well, that
is doing our job. But that is the biggest compliment
you can give me.

Speaker 2 (22:28):
And so thank you, no, and you're making you're making
my job a lot easier. It is interesting, and I've
we've we've we've played the audio. Your staff is nice
enough to send it to me and I hear it
most mornings. I what what I don't understand with with
Joe Burrow as it relates to this conversation specifically, is
it it feels to me like, you know, Joe has

(22:49):
five postseason wins. You you could talk about how this
season he's on the outside looking in. As it relates
to Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, that's fine, Like those
guys made the postseason. Those guys are their MVP odds
are better than Joe's even though he's a finalist. We
know Joe's not going to win it. But I think
the way he frames it, he does so in a

(23:10):
way that would make you think that Lamar Jackson and
Josh Allen have achieved in the postseason what Joe Burrow hasn't,
when in fact the opposite is true. He has broken
through and made a Super Bowl. He's not Patrick Mahomes.
Of course, he still has yet to win one, and
until he does, you know, he's kind of included in
this conversation about who is and who is an elite.
But he's done things in the postseason that those other

(23:31):
two guys he always gets lumped into the conversation with
haven't done.

Speaker 6 (23:35):
Yeah, And I understand that, And I think to me,
you may have an easier argument against Josh Allen than
you do against Lamar because of the fact that Lamar
has the two maybe three MVP. Let's see if Let's
few wins the MVP this week, obviously, because that's going
to be a huge part of this, But if we're
going to go based on postseason wins without an MVP

(23:58):
and a postseason against the greatest of this era, well,
then if Jalen Hurts wins on Sunday, though he's above
Joe Burrow, based on that logic that you just presented.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
Yeah, but I guess there's different ways of measuring it,
like the eye test. I could watch on film and
go you want Jalen Hurts or Joe Burrow. I don't
think there's many personnel people that would take Jalen Hurts
as as terrific as the player as he has been,
as much as he is on the cusp of accomplishing
something that everybody in Cincinnati wants him to accomplish. So yeah,
in terms of what they have done, Look, Brad Johnson

(24:30):
won a Super Bowl, Joe Burrow has ms. Brad Johnson
gonna end up as a better quarterback than Joe Burrow.

Speaker 6 (24:35):
No, but I think, like, so here's here's the way
I've always looked at it. I've always looked at it.
As you graduate into US caring about rings. Yeah, Brad Johnson,
Trent Dilfer, these are not Nick Foles. These are not
players that have graduated into US caring about rings. Joe Burrow,

(24:56):
Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen I believe have graduated
into US caring about rings. And I'll put MVPs because
I think those are the two most important stats. Not stats,
but two most important honors. Let's say top of the
resume for a quarterback. So I just look at Jalen
Hurts's career, and you could say, well, no coach would

(25:17):
take Jalen Hurts over Joe Burrow and isolated as an
individual player, you are probably right. But if I say again,
we're playing this that moment as if there's a win
on Sunday right by the Eagles and this hypothetical, and
I'm picking the seats, so I understand I'm playing both
sides here, but if there is a win on Sunday,
the question I will pose back to you if I

(25:39):
gave you a roster where eleven starters on defense were
B level players, be as in boy which is pretty good,
or be as in Bengals in this case, and ten
starters on offense are B level players, and I gave
you one quarterback and you had to win a super
Bowl that year. Basically, I'm telling you have good players everywhere.

(26:02):
Do you want Jalen Hurts or Joe Burrow.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
I watched Joe Burrow drag a terrible offensive line behind
a terrible offensive line. I watched him get to a
Super Bowl. Now, look, his defense was awesome that year,
specifically in the postseason, they were very opportunistic. I'm taking Joe.
I'm taking the A list quarterback. I'm taking the guy
who won a nine to eighteen put up MVP numbers.
I like Jalen Hurts. Again, he has a chance to

(26:25):
put on a ring a ring on his finger and
then he's in the club. Right, I understand that, But like,
I don't know, he's got Saquon Barkley. Is hee the
best player in his own team, it's the best player
in his own backfield. I mean, I still take Obrow.

Speaker 6 (26:39):
I mean, I love Joe Burrow, but again, I'm just
playing here. Here's the point of why I'm doing this. Yeah,
I think they're more equal than people realize. And so
I'm just going to play the other side of what
you just said. And I happen to remember I'm knowing
who hear the borough right, right right, I am the
also the Jalen Hurts guy. To be fair, so has

(27:00):
based on your logic, which is fair, right of I'm
not sure that Jalen Hurts is the best player in
his offense. Has Joe Burrow ever been the best player
in his offense. Yeah, I mean he's never played without
Jamar Chase or Justin Jefferson.

Speaker 2 (27:17):
His rookie year, they say again, his rookie year, he
didn't have Jamar Chase, and he played fine his rookie season,
which was interrupted by Ray Okay.

Speaker 6 (27:26):
So the point is, I think what you and I
have done is a fair back and forth where it
is more than logical, fair and thoughtful for you to
take Joe Burrow. I also, period next sentence, believe with
a win on Sunday, it could be fair for me
to take Jalen Hurts. What I think at this point

(27:47):
is really not arguable is we have a top five
in the league. It's Mahomes one, and it's Lamar Jackson,
Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and whatever order you
want to put those guys in. If he wins on Sunday,
and there's your top five. Jayden Daneos phenomenal, CJ. Stroud phenomenal.
But that's your top five. How I look at it

(28:07):
in the NFL right now.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
My uh, my take on on the conversation itself is
that the conversation itself has to include Joe Burrow, and
that is a reflection of his organization and his team,
because look, the reality is until he wins one, until
they win one. The the who is an elite quarterback
conversation has existed my entire life in yours as well.

(28:28):
I used to hear people have it on sports talk
radio about John Elway, like I get it, so until
he gets one. When we're wondering, okay, who are the
elite guys? Who are the absolute upper tier dudes? Like once, once,
you're once, you've won one. If you're doing cool stuff,
statistically you're in that mix. You're there. It's not really debatable.
What I hate is the fact that the debate even exists,

(28:51):
which is not a reflection of Joe Burrow.

Speaker 9 (28:54):
Yeah, and I understand that.

Speaker 6 (28:55):
So I think you know where we go back to
this was CG looks at the word Chris Canty Unfortunately,
he looks at the word elite as the metal count
gold silver from Okay, fine. Other people look at it
as like the Mount Rushmore. Other people look at it

(29:16):
as you can't be elite without a super Bowl title,
Like when you're talking about the Lway thing, that's obviously
when he went to the super Bowl and lost Before ironically,
if we're gonna bring up the other players thing before
Terrell Davis is there and then he won a couple
and I'm in no way shape or for my crediting
Terrell Davis more than John Elway. Terrell Davis without John
Alway is whatever. John Alway without Terrell Davis is MVP

(29:38):
super Bowl, right, Like not super Bowl MVT, but MVP
and a Super Bowl.

Speaker 5 (29:42):
Right.

Speaker 6 (29:42):
So, I think we're going to go in circles on this.
I think the reality is I disagree vehemently with Kanty
that Burrow is not elite. I do agree with the
concept that Joe Burrow maybe five and not four and
not three and not two. Now Cincinnati, right now, whether
it's you know your listeners, but there are a lot

(30:04):
of them, the boss man DJ Hat's gonna text me
go look at the playoffs, fats and all that kind
of stuff.

Speaker 2 (30:10):
Actually actually sitting in studio, you wanted to hear this firsthand?

Speaker 6 (30:15):
Well, okay, because he and I have had this conversation
in person, We've had it on the phone and test everything.
And he goes back to and he knows this stuff.
He goes back to the playoff wins again. How then
do you want me to rank Jalen Hursts if we're
going to go back to the playoff wins, because if
he wins on Sunday, that's another one. And listen. The
other thing that I think is it's both factual and frustrating,

(30:40):
is that we always go back to the fact that
Joe Burrow beat Patrick Mahomes. But that was a long
time ago and they didn't win the Super Bowl the
year he beat Patrick Mahomes. So how much am I
supposed to weigh that with.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
Each passing year? Admittedly less and less, but that's still
something those other two dudes in the AFC haven't done.
I can't thank you enough. Enjoy the rest of the week,
and I hope we can do it again before next
year super Bowl.

Speaker 6 (31:04):
I will come on with you every day if you want.
I just don't think you'd want me every day. I'm
bored of myself, so how can you not?

Speaker 2 (31:11):
Not only would would everybody prefer you be on with
me every day, they might just prefer I rerun your
show in the afternoon, So I mean, don't don't open
that Pandora's box. Enjoy the big easy Man, Thanks so much.

Speaker 6 (31:22):
Well, thank you the best I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (31:23):
Right there, you go. Evan Cohen on sportsman Like six
to ten every weekday morning on ESPN fifteen thirty, Rick
browing on the Musketeers and the Norse and this week's assignment.

Speaker 10 (31:35):
Next Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from.

Speaker 11 (31:42):
The UC Health Traffic Center. Heart disease is the leading
cause of death in the US. If you're at risk,
trust the experts at you see help for innovative and
personalized heartcare. Expect more at ucehealth dot com. Accident cleared
away on Winesta Avenue that was over at Bridge Place. However,
southbound seventy one, the exit ramp to Dana Avenue remains

(32:05):
blocked off from an accident. He's found two seventy five
traffic slow from seventy five over toward Reid Hartman Highway.
I'm at Ezelek with traffic.

Speaker 2 (32:14):
This report is spowning away from four o'clock. This is
ESPN fifteen thirty. Rick Burning is here. You'll hear him tonight.
MKU home tonight for Cleveland's date. That game will tip
off at seven pm. Musketeer Report dot com xaver beating
Georgetown last night, and Rick is he's turning into the
owner of Facebook with his awesome Facebook columns, and he

(32:36):
has decided to let us assign him a weekly column
and he's so far two for two. Last week we
asked him to write what he would do if he
was commissioner of college basketball, and he did and he
made great points. And so go go join Facebook and
find Rix's page and read it. Hi, Rick, welcome back
to two thousand and six.

Speaker 6 (32:55):
People hit me up on Facebook.

Speaker 2 (32:57):
You know. I I remember when I got my Facebook account.
It was like the day after Opening Day two thousand
and six, Like I remember it because I was at
a work happy hour, like it was Opening Day week
and I was at a work happy hour and pictures
were taken and I needed a place to put them.

(33:17):
So I got a Facebook So almost so nineteen years ago.
I got my Facebook.

Speaker 13 (33:20):
Page when we were in high school. Is when Facebook
came out. When I was in high school, and so
all the kids in my class, it was like you
had to have a university email at the time to
join Facebook when it first started. So all of us like,
instead of getting fake id's when we were in high school,
we all tried to get our hands on someone's university

(33:41):
email address, so we could start a Facebook account before we.

Speaker 6 (33:44):
Were actually in college.

Speaker 12 (33:45):
Wow. Yeah, yeah, pretty big stuff.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
This goes to show that I'm much older than you.
What was the big takeaway from Xavier's went on home
over Georgetown.

Speaker 13 (33:55):
Well, I think one is that they are clearly a
better team than they were last time they played Georgetown. Yes,
I know it was at the Centa Center and not
in Washington, d C. But I think the big thing
in the first matchup was Zavier got punked. They were
out tough, they weren't physical enough on the glass defensively,

(34:16):
and Georgetown just kind of took it to them. And
in last night's game, we didn't see any of that.
And yes, they had struggles in the first half getting
their offense going against that tough Georgetown defense and the
pressure that they put on the perimeter, but then they
got past that and they did start scoring a little bit.

Speaker 6 (34:31):
So I think that the things.

Speaker 13 (34:33):
That we've seen the last few weeks from Xavier, they've
continued to do that and they've continued to build on that.
And at this point, mo, I mean, I think you know,
we kind of joked about it last week, like is
Xavier good at this point after they had beaten Yukon,
and I think I'm getting to the point where I
feel pretty confident about what we're going to see on
a night to night basis with Xavier. It does feel

(34:54):
like they've turned somewhat of a corner at this point.

Speaker 2 (34:56):
So I think everybody, I mean, even Sean Miller with
his comment after the Creighton game, kind of divided the
Big East schedule in two where it was front loaded
too with Saint John's two with Marquette, the two Yukon games,
Creighton on the road, and then there's the back half,
which is you still have Villanova, which is next a
road game and they almost lost to the Wildcats, and
they still have to play Creighton. But at the back

(35:17):
end of the schedule, some of the teams in the
Big East that aren't quite as good, we know they're
going to have their hands full because of Creton's offense
when they come here. We have seen Xavier play Villanova
and we know how tough that can be. Among all
the other games for a team that has such a
small margin for air, where's the potential landmine for the Musketeers.

Speaker 13 (35:38):
I think it is really the home matchup against probably
Creighton and Butler. I think those are two games. Creighton
is obviously just a tough matchup, and I don't know
how much that one dings you necessarily, But when we're
talking about Veagers margin of air right now to get
into the Encibay Tournament, it feels like they probably have

(35:59):
to win out at home. I think the committee maybe
can overlook a loss at Villanova, maybe a loss at
Butler or something. But I don't think you're going to
be able to get away with losing home games. So
I think you've got to be creating at home. You've
got to be Butler at home. And with Creighton, we've
already seen that can be a difficult matchup for Xavier.
With Butler, we just haven't really seen them yet. And

(36:21):
with that game being kind of a weird rivalry between
the fan bases and sometimes you have a little extra
emotion in that matchup. And they do have a seven
foot center in Andre screen who who could give Xavier
some matchup problems. That would be a game that I
would keep my eye on if owers are fan.

Speaker 2 (36:37):
What was the big takeaway from NKU breaking a six
game winning or a six game losing streak, Well, just
that they got.

Speaker 13 (36:45):
The offense back on track. We had talked so much about,
you know, them struggling to get over sixty points, in
them shooting under forty percent from the field game after
game during that losing stretch, and then all of a
sudden at Oakland, they hit twelve three pointers, they score
eighty four points, and they beat Oakland and on the
road on a day where Oakland scored seventy five points themselves.
So I thought that was a really fun game for

(37:07):
ENKU fans to watch and hopefully the sign of things
to come that maybe this group still does have some
ability that they haven't tapped into yet on that offensive
end of the floor. And if they can get some
confidence going and play a bit more freely, then maybe
they can get this thing rolling in time for the
conference tournament.

Speaker 2 (37:25):
How good's the team they played tonight?

Speaker 13 (37:26):
With one league loss, Cleveland State is really consistent. I
don't think their heads and shoulders above the rest of
the league in terms of their talent level, but they
defend really well and they have a style of play.
I don't know if you remember watching Shaka Smart when
he's at VCU when they ran the havoc defense, So
Cleveland State doesn't necessarily do that in terms of havoc,

(37:47):
but Shaka Smart's thing back then was his team just
bowed you relentlessly, and essentially they put the onus on
the officials that like, well, you can't call every foul
if we just constantly foul, So we're going to get
away with mugging the other team and force turnovers that way.
Cleveland State plays very much the same way. They'll value
three or four times a possession and eventually the rest
kind of have to let something go so the game

(38:09):
can go on, and through that they're able to just
be tougher than you and create turnovers. So I think
NKU is going to have to be really strong with
the ball tonight. That's the thing that stands out most
to me from that first meeting between these teams.

Speaker 2 (38:20):
All right, here's what I want you to write about
this week. Are you ready?

Speaker 13 (38:24):
I'm ready?

Speaker 2 (38:25):
So, every college basketball fan complains about their league's officials, right, Really,
every sports fan complains about their league's officials, but college
basketball fans love to complain about officials as somebody who
is level headed and smart and consumes this sport on
both a fan level and a professional level. I want

(38:47):
you to write about whether college basketball officiating is as
bad as we think, and if so, why it's as
bad as we think, and what some potential fixes are
if it's as bad as we think. All Right, I
love it. I'm in I can't wait to read it.
You get these things turnaround quickly, though, man, I mean
you write a couple hundred words like it's nothing. I

(39:07):
last week's turnaround was very, very impressive.

Speaker 13 (39:10):
Well, last week was a little bit longer because you know,
I had to think about that one for a little
bit and I maybe didn't go as in depth as
I could have. But I tried to get something turned
around for you, because you know, I respect the sanctity
of this, this agreement we have for you to give
me randomly assigned Facebook first.

Speaker 2 (39:24):
Yeah, and you get nothing for it, So I really
respect you for doing that.

Speaker 6 (39:30):
Thanks Ma, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (39:31):
Rick Buring, you'll hear him tonight, MKU versus Cleveland State,
Thank you, sir. Musketeerreport dot com is the website and
tip off tonight at seven o'clock. It's coming up on
four five point three seven, four nine fifteen thirty. We're
guests free intil four thirty five. Jordan bischels Uh, the
UC baseball coach. He is going to join us between
now and then. Hey, Trey Hendrickson is talking talking about

(39:54):
lack of communication. The The off season of Trey Hendrickson
is just beginning. We'll talk about it next on ESPN
fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station. Hey, it's Molegger. There's only one.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
Thousand dollars enter this nationwide, Keward on our website.

Speaker 2 (40:10):
Bonus, that's Bonas. Enter it now. All right, it's five
minutes after four o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm Molegar.
Thank you so much for joining us. Hopefully you're having
a terrific Wednesday. It is Wednesday, right, Yeah, terrific Wednesday afternoon.
Talk some baseball with our buddy, Jordan Bishell, the head
baseball coach at Uston. By the way, it is like

(40:31):
pitch blackout right now. He's Darren Kenwood. Ain't good and
ain't good. So Trey Hendrickson the off season of Trey
Hendrickson has officially started. We had the audio before. We'll
have it for you again, Pat McAfee show. Trey Hendrickson
was on that today, and he said that I think,

(40:55):
you know, I think people are talking about the Duke
Tobin thing, and you know, it'd be nice to hear
from from Duke instead of getting a tweet from my
dad about what Duke had to say to Kelsey Conway
of The Inquirer. The other one to me is him.
It's not really, I guess so much an ultimatum. It's
stating what he wants, which is I want an extension
or I want a trade the quote here quote. If

(41:17):
it's something we can agree on in terms, that would
be great. Ideally my wife and I would love to
stay in Cincinnati. If it's something that helps the Bengals
win the Super Bowl, if they get picks or anything
like that. I want to help win a Super Bowl
for Cincinnati, whether I'm there or not. That to me,
if I'm translating, that is extend me or trade me. Now, look,
he's asked for a trade before. That is a thing
that happened. The Bengals did not honor the request. He

(41:41):
asked for a trade because he didn't get a contract extension.
He wanted a contract extension. The Bengals did not give
him one. So Paul questions on Twitter thanks to our
friends at United Heartland Insurance, which, by the way, if
you own a business, you need to see what United
Heartland Insurance can do for you. And if you want

(42:01):
a bar or a restaurant, they've got a really cool
program to train bartenders, managers and servers on safe and
responsible service for liquor, which can help out when it
comes to your insurance company you United Heartland Insurance can help.
Go to uhi ns dot com. The question today, it's

(42:22):
about Trey Hendrickson. Trey Hendrickson wants an extension or a trade.
Do you think he'll get either. You can vote no.
You could vote yes extension, you could vote yes trade.
This is the Cincinnati Bengals. This is not a franchise
that caves to public pressure. They're not a franchise that

(42:42):
caves to an ultimatum. They're not a franchise that says, Okay,
you want a trade, fine, we'll find the next suitor.
We'll start working the phones. They made. Trade Trey Hendrickson
ain't gonna be because Trey wants a trade. It's gonna
be because they like a trade is in their best interests.
And by the way, you can argue that trading Trey

(43:04):
Hendrickson and getting draft picks and return is in their
best interest because the Bengals have a lot of holes
to fill and could use the extra draft capital. But
if there's one thing that I think we have learned
about this franchise, no matter how many years you been following,
is it's it's that just because player wants a doesn't

(43:26):
mean the Bengals do a contract extension, trade, whatever it is,
position change, greater a role. You could ask for it privately,
you could ask for it publicly, and the Bengals are
gonna go, yeah, okay. Like it's interesting how we do
things right, Like we react to everything that is said,

(43:46):
everything that is out there, like it's earth shattering news.
So today Trey Hendrickson, every Bengals blog, every Bengals Twitter account,
every Cincinnati sports talk radio show, like we're all looking
at the Trey Hendrickson thing. He talked and he has
stated how he feels. And this is a big deal, right,
This is a big, big deal over there what used

(44:07):
to be called Paul Brown Stadium. The reaction is probably okay.
And so that's why I believe, and man, I could
be dead wrong about this. It wouldn't be the first time.
I think we are. I think we are in for
the offseason of Trey Hendrickson. The t Higgins thing that'll
have a resolution. The Jamar Chase thing is I hope

(44:28):
going to have a resolution. The Trey Hendrickson thing is
gonna feel a lot like Jesse Bates. It's gonna feel
a lot like t Higgins. Now, does that mean that
he is not going to be a Bengal in twenty
twenty six. No, But my guess is, look, Trey Hendrickson
wanted a contract extension last year. He did not get one.
What's happened since, Well, yes, he's had an excellent season,

(44:51):
but he hasn't stopped aging. He's a year older now
than he was a year ago. Bengals have always wanted
him for twenty twenty five. That's why they gave him
a contract for twenty twenty five. I don't know that
this season, as good as he was, is gonna compel
them to extend him for what he wants in twenty

(45:12):
twenty six. And again, there's a difference between do they
want the player and do they want the player at
the rate that he's gonna ask to be paid. When
in twenty twenty six, he's probably not gonna be as
good as he was in twenty twenty four. He asked
for a trade. The Bengals did not trade him last year.

(45:35):
He was probably a more valuable trade asset last year
than he is right now. Why because, Well, if you
trade for Trey Hendrickson a year ago, you get him
for two years. If you trade for Trey Hendrickson now,
you obviously have exclusive negotiating rights with him, so you
can get a deal done. But you get him for
one year. So I'm gonna guess. I'm just guessing here,

(46:02):
but I think it's an educated guess based on history.
You are, your track record, what is the Bengals track record.
You could ask for a trade. That doesn't mean we're
gonna trade you. You could try to put public pressure
on us to give you more money. Yeah, we don't
care about public pressure. Like, if there's a team in
the NFL that doesn't care about public pressure, it's probably

(46:24):
the Cincinnati Bengals. There's there's a part to this, though,
that is unavoidable. So we love Trey. Defensive Player of
the Year, perhaps had a great season, maybe the best
free agent acquisition in the history of the franchise, does
everything right on the field and by all accounts, does

(46:45):
everything right off the field, A key part of a
team that went to a Super Bowl. Like, you can't
say anything bad about Trey Hendrickson, right, But you know
two years ago the Bengals took an edge rusher in
the draft in Miles Murphy. He had as many sacks
last year as me. There are other ways to gauge

(47:08):
how effective an edge rusher is beyond their sack total.
But you watched Miles Murphy last year. Does he look
like a cornerstone right now? So you know, it's a
little bit different. It's a little bit easier to have
an uncomfortable conversation about Trey Hendrick Senden talk about life
without him and maybe trading him or certainly not extending him.

(47:31):
If you're like, dude, Miles Murphy is ready to move
into that spot. Well, that hasn't happened. And here's the
recurring theme that to me is most troublesome. Let's go
back to Andrew Whitworth. The Bengals had a plan to
replace Andrew Whitworth ten years ago. They took two tackles

(47:52):
with their first two picks of the draft. The writing
could not be more on the wall. They did everything
shy of flying a playing with a banner over the
stadium that said Andrew Whitworth is not going to be
a Bengal. In twenty seventeen, they telegraphed their plan someone
Andrew Whitworth left. It was painful and given the fact that,

(48:15):
oh boy, they're really going to give some of these
younger dudes a go at it when they've shown nothing,
it was troubling to even think about. And we all
know what happened once Andrew left, But it wasn't that
they let the player leave. It's that their plan to
replace him didn't work because they did such a crappy
job of identifying or developing the guys who were going
to fill Andrew Whitworth's shoes. They still are looking for

(48:38):
a really good offensive line nearly ten years later, and
there have been so many instances like this. Right the
Jesse Bates thing. Is he the best safety in the
NFL right now? He might be. Some were making the
argument that he was a couple of years ago, but
the writing was pretty much on the wall again. Draft
Night twenty twenty two, almost three years ago. The big

(49:00):
takeaway was Dax Hill. That's jesse bates replacement. He gets
a year to learn under Jesse Bates. That's jesse Bates' replacement. Again,
they could have done anything shy, or they did anything
shy of making a public proclamation. Jesse Bates ain't gonna
be with the team in twenty twenty three. Right, they

(49:21):
telegraphed their plan. Again, the plan did not work. The
T Higgins conversation we're having right now, here's something that
we don't know is Joe Burrow going overboard and talking
about how much T Higgins is in need, if Jermaine
Burton's not a dope, or if Andrea Yoshavas inexplicably and

(49:45):
unexpectedly rose to the level of a suitable t Higgins replacement,
or Charlie Jones. No, So this is what has to change. Like,
you're going to lose players, and because of the of
the state of the league, because of how this league works,
competitive dudes, egos, big money, There's always going to be something.

(50:08):
There's always gonna be noise. There's always gonna be a
player who wants to trade or a contract extension or something.
There's always going to be noise. It's unavoidable. There's less
noise if you start to replace the players you move
on from. By the way, they moved on from Jonah Williams,
and Jonah got hurt last year, but they moved on
from Jonah Williams, a fine player, a great player, but

(50:31):
a fine player. Nobody cares why because it looks like
they've got the replacement. It looks like they drafted the
right guy, and Marius Mimms looks like the solution at
right tackle they've been looking for forever. So here's the issue.
I would love to and I think if you're a
Bengals fan, you would love to right now. Go look, man,
I like Trey, appreciate everything he's done, really thrilled with

(50:54):
the fact that he's gonna be with the team in
twenty twenty five and they can try to win with him.
But you know what, we're good at that position, Like
this Miles Murphy kid is about to take the next step.
And you know what, this Joseph O side guy they
drafted a couple of years ago, you know what, he's
still as sending and you can reinvest in him and
bring him back, and you know what they're doing it's
it's not worked that way. Their track record with replacing

(51:16):
really good players stinks, And I think that's kind of
what Joe Burrow has been getting at when he talks about,
you know, you don't want to be the team that's
constantly having to replace guys, Well, you're gonna have to.
It's it's unavoidable. It's a salary cap league, Like the
players are gonna leave, and there're gonna be some players
who just don't want to pay what they're looking for.
It's cool if your plans to replace them work. Yet

(51:36):
there is such now a long, well documented, drawn out
history of them being completely incapable of filling the spots
for players who have left. They've tried in free agency.
We can let DJ Reader go. Why because we're gonna
sign Sheldon Rankins absolute abject disaster. Now look long term,
Maybe Chris Jenkins is gonna be really good. I like him.

(51:59):
Maybe McKinley Jack's going to be really good. I like him.
Choudobao Woozy left at the end of this at the
end of the twenty twenty three season. Did they replace him?
The dude who replaced him got bench this year, So
at some point that's the part that has to change,
because you are gonna get to a spot with a
lot of these guys moving forward. You know what, from
an age perspective, just not sure. Maybe their best years

(52:22):
are behind him, just not sure. It's cool if your
replacement is ready, Is Miles Murphy ready? Hell, we're talking
about bringing back Sam Hubbard who was ineffective last year?
Why because they got nobody on the roster to replace him.
That's the part that has to change. This T Higgins

(52:43):
conversation at the draft last year, it was all right,
this Jermaine Burton guy, I don't know. He might be
a knucklehead, but if their bet on his talent and
athleticism pays off, that's going to soften the blow when
you lose T Higgins. Now can you even imagine that, Hey,
T Higgins is going on. Jermaine Burton's gonna fill his spot,

(53:03):
the antithesis of T Higgins. Uh uh? So you keep
having to come back to boy, you might have to
overpay this guy, or you might have to keep this
guy longer than you want because your plans to replace
them don't work out. That's on Duke Tobin more than
anything else. That's on the front office more than anything else.
And until that changes, then we're going to be doing

(53:25):
this all the time. The common denominator is the inability
to successfully replace players who leave, really good players who leave.
They did such a bad job of replacing Von Bell.
They had to bring back an older Von Bell. Are
you kidding me? There's the issue it's about in this case,

(53:47):
Miles Murphy two years in. You want to look at
that dude who was a first round pick and go,
you know, maybe he's not an All Pro, maybe he's
not gonna lead the league in sacks. Maybe he's not
gonna win Defensive Player of the Year or be nominated
for the award. But you know what, we could put
that guy where Trey was and we are good, and

(54:07):
we're gonna pay him less money, and we could take
the money difference between Trey and Miles and put it
over here. Now they can there's the issue. You want
to get mad at them for anything start there. The
stance with Trey is probably not going to change. Their
communication issues are probably not going to be rectified. All

(54:30):
of this goes away if they start to get consistently
really good at finding replacements. And yes, you can find
him in free agency, but for the most part they're
supposed to come from the draft, and in many cases
that has not happened. Nineteen minutes after four o'clock five
point three seven, four nine, fifteen thirty is open vote

(54:51):
in our poll question at moeegger. We'll talk some baseball
with Jordan Bischell from a UC coming up at four
thirty five, and uh, he's back. I haven't talked to
him in weeks. Our buddy Sean Saide, who has a
cool setup at the Super Bowl. He joins us in
one hour on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 14 (55:07):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 11 (55:12):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center. Heart disease is
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Speaker 2 (55:44):
Twenty five after four. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Don't forget.
We have college basketball tonight on ESPN fifteen thirty. NKU
coming off a road win against Oakland, hosting Cleveland State
and Vikings have just won loss in the league. They're
eleven and one clock tip off six thirty airtime. UC's
at UCF. This is a Q one win opportunity for

(56:07):
the Bearcats. No program, no UC team in early February
has never needed a victory. More airtime on seven hundred
WLW at six thirty. Speaking of the Bearcats, the U
See baseball season is opening up in nine days. Jordan Bischell,
who's fun to talk baseball with. I want to ask

(56:27):
him about his team and his program, But I think
the world of college baseball is interesting on a few
different levels. We'll talk about them with Jordan JB. I'm
not gonna call him JB. I don't think we're that type.
But he's going to join us in just about eight minutes. Mike, Mike,
you're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Good afternoon.

Speaker 9 (56:49):
In afternoon, Well, how's the weather getting better?

Speaker 2 (56:52):
It's awful. What's up with you, Well, sorry.

Speaker 12 (56:55):
I brought it up.

Speaker 9 (56:56):
I easily kind of checked on or nail hometown, but
I didn't get.

Speaker 6 (57:00):
To do it today.

Speaker 9 (57:01):
That's why I that's okay, Hey, I wanted to bring
two things up. One of the fun thing once kind
of not so fun. I'm looking at the Tri state area,
which we already know what that is, and I don't
recall this much mediocrity in all the wonderful college basketball

(57:21):
pro programs between the three states. This is maybe the
most mediocre year I've seen in a long time. I
don't know if anybody's gonna make it any tournament except
maybe the not invited tournament.

Speaker 2 (57:38):
This year. Yeah, it is. I mean I think I
think Xavier is trending upward. Miami has a good team
this year, and you might say the RedHawks, in likely
a one bid league, represent the area's best chance of
having a team. Kentucky is going to make the NCAA tournament,
but it doesn't feel like Mark Pope's team right now
is going in the right direction. Indiana is on inspe

(58:00):
Firing Dayton has been a disappointment. Ohio State is okay ish.
I think Louisville is trending in the right direction and
having a good season under Pat Kelsey and I'm a
huge Pat Kelsey guy, and the Bearcat season on this show,
at least it's been well documented their struggles, I think,
relative to what it has often been in this town,

(58:22):
where in February, you know, you know, you see and
Xavier are going to make the tournament, you know Kentucky's
going to make the tournament. You have a good feeling
about Dayton, you have a good feeling about Ohio State.
I U is good Louisville, I mean, relative to what
we have enjoyed here, or it has at times felt
like this was the the country's college basketball hotbed. It

(58:42):
doesn't feel that way now, and quite frankly, it hasn't
felt that way in a little while.

Speaker 9 (58:47):
Yeah, and even Louisville. Now, I was real high on
Kelsey squad a month ago, but the more I've seen them,
they just don't move the meter for me. They might
be winning some games, but I don't know. I know
the luster has come up to Cardinals, and that's one
of my favorite programs. Ever, so.

Speaker 2 (59:11):
I don't think the ACC is very good. I think
Duke's really good. I don't think the league top to
bottom is very good. Louisville's last game was a lost
to a Georgia Tech team that isn't very good. But
I think if you were to ask any Louisville fan,
you're one of a new head coach, especially coming out
of what that program has come out of. If you
would have said through twenty two games, sixteen and six

(59:33):
and nine to two in the ACC, every single one
would have signed up for it. The Cardinals are going
to make the NCAA tournament and Pat Kelsey is an
excellent coach.

Speaker 6 (59:43):
Yeah he is. The uh?

Speaker 2 (59:49):
Was that was that? The was that the fun one
or the not fun one? That?

Speaker 9 (59:54):
Here's what could be a fun one?

Speaker 2 (59:56):
Okay?

Speaker 9 (59:56):
And the subject is Super Bowl parties that are held
at someone's home. Now, we can go all kinds of
ways on this. The thing that bugs me more than
anybody anything, and it has for fifty years, is when
it's to get together and it's a gossip thing, and
it's a chit chat thing, and the ballgames to the

(01:00:20):
point where the ball game sometimes turn down because the
home owner wants people to be able to converse. Full crap,
If you're gonna do that, have another room and let
those folks go in there and watch General Hospital or
whatever the hell they do, and in talk gossip and
chit chat and let the rest of us, real three

(01:00:41):
Blue fans.

Speaker 14 (01:00:42):
Be in the You see what I'm drive you nuts?

Speaker 2 (01:00:45):
Well, I hang out with the right people, Mike, because
you know, I think there's a happy medium. So I
don't want to go to a place where I can't
talk and I can't make jokes, and we're not going
to have a conversation, like the idea isn't to be shushed.
So I've gone not for the Super Bowl, but I've

(01:01:06):
gone to places where we're gonna watch a game and
it's like, okay, I guess we're not gonna talk at all,
Like we're just gonna sit there where nobody's allowed to
say anything that's not fun. I'm not doing that, but
sure big moments, especially during the game. The good news
is most people have homes that have multiple rooms, and
so the people that aren't that into the game, I think, Mike,
and I don't know if you're a huge social media user,

(01:01:28):
I think over the last fifteen years or so, Twitter
has killed Super Bowl parties because now I think people
would rather sit at home and make wise cracks on
the Internet and at times do so anonymously without telling
anybody who they are, then actually converse and socialize in
person with friends.

Speaker 9 (01:01:49):
Yeah, and you're very very right about that, because that's
one of the big problems we're having socially in general.
It is just people aren't interacting as much because of the.

Speaker 2 (01:01:59):
Can I tell you about my least favorite Super Bowl
party experience?

Speaker 5 (01:02:03):
Oh?

Speaker 6 (01:02:04):
I would love.

Speaker 2 (01:02:04):
This is what I was hoping for the first the
first Giants Patriot super Bowl when New England was going
for an undefeated season. At the time, I was married
to my first wife and one of her friends was
hosting people for the Super Bowl. Very nice woman, and
these were not people that I knew well. These were

(01:02:27):
kind of newer friends to my wife. And so she's like,
we're going to go over this girl's house. And this
is two thousand and seven, so HDTVs are just becoming
a thing and games being shown on is might have
been the first HD Super Bowl. So I'm like, that's cool,
We'll go, Hey, look is the game on HD? Now
you don't have to ask that, right, but back then

(01:02:47):
you had to ask is the game on an HD?
And so she is like, yes, Actually, he's just getting
his TV the day before the Super Bowl. I'm like
that's kind of cool. So we all go and there's
like ten of us there and we don't know anybody
because she has just met this woman. I forget how
she met her. So we go to the Super Bowl party.

(01:03:08):
We show up, we're they're like an hour and a
half before the game, and there's this TV, this awesome television.
But you know, you remember how it was back in
the day. It wasn't enough to have an HDTV, had
to have like the HD cable box. So my guy
turns on the pregame show and I'm like, huh, that
doesn't look like it's an HD to me. And as

(01:03:30):
it turned out, it wasn't an HD. It looked terrible.
And at one point, like in the first quarter, I
had to like say to one of this guy's really
good friends, I'm like, hey, man, I don't know this
guy well enough. I've just met him for the first
time today. You're gonna have to break the news to
him that this isn't high definition television. And so that
game I watched in digital on an HDTV, which, as

(01:03:52):
you know, looks awful and so I felt bad for
this guy, and I remember on the ride home, going, yeah,
great game, great ups that I have to go home
and watch it again since I couldn't make out what
was going on. And it's my least favorite party.

Speaker 9 (01:04:06):
Or or or or you. I've gone to these parties
over the years where people get there a couple hours
before the game, right, and sure enough you've got guys
sitting on the couch that are already half lit right
and passed out and sleep And because they've already been
drinking before the game, he was a start.

Speaker 6 (01:04:25):
And that's anyway.

Speaker 9 (01:04:26):
I just thought i'd bring that up.

Speaker 2 (01:04:27):
The worst, the worst type of the worst type of
social get together where a sports game is involved, though,
is when you're really into the team that is on TV,
regardless of sport, and somebody comes in who typically doesn't
watch your team play, but suddenly they can tell you
everything that's wrong with it. Uh, I actually know a
few people like that, one might argue, I, I I

(01:04:49):
know a couple of people like that. Very well, Mike,
I got a run, man, Thank you.

Speaker 9 (01:04:52):
Thanks, Mom, have a go on.

Speaker 2 (01:04:54):
The weather might not suggest that baseball is here, but
it is. The UC Baseball season starts in h nine days.
The head coach Year two Jordan Bishel.

Speaker 14 (01:05:03):
Next Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 11 (01:05:08):
at risk, trusts the experts at u see Health for
Southbound seventy five at Ezer Charles Drive, the left lane
is blocked. That's from a disabled vehicle on Anderson Road.

(01:05:30):
An accident in your Western Reserve Road. Injury accident on
Main Street that is over at fifth a pedestrian involved there.
I'm at ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:05:41):
This report is sponsored from five o'clock ESPN, fifteen thirty.
The UC Baseball season, Year two of the Jordan Bischal regime.
Jordan Bischal regime is hard to say. Five times fast
starts a week from Friday. UC will be at Duke.
They'll play a home game on the eighteenth, and then
the official what they're calling opening Day, we'll be on

(01:06:02):
March fifth, hopefully with better weather. Better better weather, I
can't talk better weather. When the Bearcats host Toledo. Year
two Jordan Bischel Bearcats had a good first season in
the Big twelve, hopefully even better year two. The opener
of the first game is nine days away. I'm sure
your mind is racing. What's it like for you right now?

(01:06:22):
Is it butterflies? Is it just a lot of stuff
on your to do list? Where are you at right now?

Speaker 6 (01:06:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:06:29):
I think you probably feel a little too busy to
have too many butterflies. Just a lot, a lot to
do to prep, you know, combination of trying to make
sure that last week of practices you're checking all your
boxes and crossing all your teas, but also trying to
start to get ahead on scouting reports things like that,
so busy time. I think as we get to the

(01:06:49):
middle of next week, that's when you start having a
little bit of that that first game anxiety. And I
think this is my thirteenth year of the head coach
and probably almost twenty five in college base well with
some capacity, and that first game is always exciting, so
that doesn't change, But it's busy in the meantime.

Speaker 2 (01:07:06):
Yeah, I would imagine. What do you like about this
year's team?

Speaker 5 (01:07:10):
You know, our pitching depth is where we've grown the most.
A couple of guys that were on last year's team
that gained a ton of valuable experience, handful of freshmen
that we think can help us, and then some really
quality transfers. And then when you combine those three, we
go in feeling like we have a lot more options
that can be pretty successful for us. You don't know

(01:07:32):
how it plays out, but obviously depth really matters, and
we've got a better stable there.

Speaker 2 (01:07:37):
You and I talked right around this time a year
ago before your season opener. We talked about the style
you wanted your team to play. Here's how I want
us to play, but I'm not sure if we can.
And it turned out that your team played, I think,
almost exactly, at least from the offensive perspective, how you
want your guys to play. Do you have a little
bit more of a firm sense going into year two
that you know what, I know how we want to play,

(01:07:59):
and I have a team that can play the way
we want.

Speaker 5 (01:08:02):
Yeah, we feel good about it, you know, just bringing
back a few key pieces on the offensive side, you know,
Christian Mitchell and Carrington Cross and Loudon Brooks, Tommy O'Connor
landon Veterick, those guys obviously year two and for a
guy like Christian Mitchell or Luke SEFs like even more
than that because they came up from Central Michigan. You're

(01:08:23):
not only does your understanding get better, but your execution
gets better. Right, you practicing for multiple years and you're
going to be better at it. So they they're pretty
high level in terms of trying to play the style
we want to. But tied to that, now you have
kind of extensions of your coaching staff in practice, right,
more guys that can teach a teammate and help them along.
So I think we feel a lot more comfortable that

(01:08:44):
we're a lot further along than we were at this
time last year. Lost some some stump with the bat
and a guy like Josh Cross that you know, when
you're at the top of the Big twelve and home
runs and RBI's and hit by pitches, you're not going
to replace that with one guy. So we got we
got to see where some of that power comes from.
But we definitely have personnel and experience that lends itself

(01:09:06):
to being able to do a lot of these things.

Speaker 2 (01:09:07):
We talked about what you wanted to do, and look,
we we're going to value getting on base. We're going
to put pressure on defenses. We're going to steal bases.
We're going to take the extra base when we can.
We're going to be aggressive, but we're not going to
be stupid. You guys did that well last year. You
you led the conference in times being hit by pitch.
And I asked this from the perspective of someone who

(01:09:28):
when I was a kid playing, my value to the
team was if I could get hit by the pitch,
because that was basically my only way of getting on base.
This might be a stupid question, but do you do
you practice getting hit by a pitch?

Speaker 13 (01:09:40):
It?

Speaker 5 (01:09:41):
We one hundred percent do practice that. It really has
a skill it. You know, like right now, I've got
twin seven year olds and a five year old. If
they see me winding up to chuck a ball at
them as hard as I can, their instinct is going
to tell them to get out of the way. I hope,
but I hope. So that's a natural instinct of a
base play. You can't just say, hey, you got to

(01:10:02):
stand in there. You don't have time to think about
process and getting hit. So it's a practice skill. We
will use tennis balls or softer baseball's marve balls or incrediballs,
and we will we'll mix those into our buckets and
when we throw BPI, we'll hit guys with those. So
we're not creating injury, but teaching that, changing that reaction
to instead of jumping out of the way, wearing that pitch.

(01:10:24):
Now we teach a lot of technique to it too,
with turning your body so you're not exposing things like
elbows and needs. So it's actually something that's practiced probably weekly,
year round, and it is as a point of pride
for us, and you see it. It wins your ball games.
But not only does it get you on base, but
it can limit what a pitching staff can do too.

Speaker 6 (01:10:42):
If you know, if you.

Speaker 5 (01:10:44):
Know a hitter's not going anywhere, you might miss over
the plate more and that gives us more opportunities to
hit too.

Speaker 2 (01:10:49):
So getting hit by the pitch is a skill. I'm
going to use that when I talk about my bad
high school baseball career. You mentioned Josh Cross, who goes
in the sixth round of this Lewis Cardinals. What is
your role in a player's draft process?

Speaker 5 (01:11:07):
You know, I think more often than not, scouts are
really looking for our two cents on the person behind
the player, not that they don't value our opinion on
the player, but their eyes can tell them most of
what they want or need to know there. But they
know where the people that spend a lot of time
around them on a day in.

Speaker 6 (01:11:26):
And day out basis.

Speaker 5 (01:11:27):
So I think what they're trying to do is sort
out who are the guys they really like, and then
they're looking to kind of get that confirmation that it's
the person they want to And with Josh, it was
so easy because he came here with just an incredible latitude.
He was just excited to play every day, a great
team guy, and so that's such an easy sales pitch
because you can you can tell scouts exactly what you

(01:11:49):
feel and it's also exactly what they want to hear,
which made it easy. But I think that's the biggest
part is those guys have a pretty good feel of
the tools they're looking for, but they want to know
the personal a little bit more.

Speaker 2 (01:12:01):
Your program has a new pitching coach, Taylor Sheriff promoted
to that role. Give us an idea of what him
his impact understaff is going to be.

Speaker 5 (01:12:09):
Yeah, we were really fortunate last year. He came to
us in a volunteer role to start last fall and
moved to a full time role by the middle.

Speaker 9 (01:12:15):
Of last year.

Speaker 5 (01:12:17):
Had a lot of positive impact on We were an
understaffed pitching staff in terms of both experience, ability, depth,
and Josh Reynolds obviously was a huge part of that success,
which is a big part of why he landed at
Tennessee who won the national title last year, But no
doubt Taylor had a big role in that too. He's
a young guy who works as got off for these guys,

(01:12:37):
who understands what it takes. The biggest thing is is
he relates to our guys and he puts in the
time for our guys, and those guys are easy to
follow us pitchers. So he's just you know, what has
me changed drastically for him. He switched seats a little bit,
but ultimately his goal last year was pitching development. His
goal this year is pitching development. I work a lot

(01:12:57):
with those guys. We heard Chris Krepline is a former
Division three head coach with pitching background. So we missed
Josh a lot, but it was so nice to have
somebody sitting in the office who we knew could just
take a little more on and continue to help with out.

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
So I'm want to ask you a question that is
mainly for my own sort of nerdy curiosity as much
as anything, but I think it's a good question. So
I know a young man who's a catcher at the
D three level and we were talking this past summer
where his program had a coaching change, and he said,
this is the first year that I'm calling pitches and
it never occurred to me. You know what, maybe a

(01:13:32):
guy like that has never called pitches with your program.
Are your staff's pitches called from the bench? Is it
a collaborative effort? Do you give the catcher card blanche?
Do you give the pitcher card blanche?

Speaker 6 (01:13:44):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:13:44):
No, that's an awesome question. I actually call the pitches,
which is that's pretty darn unusual. I think if you surveyed,
like the power of four conferences, I don't know if
you'd have more than three, four or five head coaches
that do. But I was a pitching coach before I
was a head coach, something I've done for about twenty
years now and something I have a lot of pride
and passion for. So I should do it, and again

(01:14:07):
that's pretty unusual now to me. The reason we do it,
I think in a perfect world, your pictures and catchers
are working through it. Your catchers are calling the pictures,
the pitchers are shaking to what they're most comfortable with.
But I think you know that's what you're gonna see.
At the pro level, the best vantage point right is
behind home plate, where you see how the hitter is reacting,
you see how the picture stuff is working. But the

(01:14:28):
difference to me is at the pro level, those guys
are full time baseball players. You know, they don't go
to class this morning. They don't have hours limits. They
can be held to a standard of they need to
know the other team's lineup inside and out. We can't
really hold our guys to that standard. There's limitation on
hours we can spend with guys. They've got to go
to class. And so I think the biggest difference is,

(01:14:49):
you know, A, I'm just more experienced. You get pros
they've done this longer, but B I just had That's
that's my job. I spend time in the office all
day watching video and breaking down splits and looking at
some of the analytics, and I try to share a
lot of that with our pitchers catchers, so that they
have buy into what we're doing. We try to give
them chances to give us feedback. Hey, this guy's all

(01:15:09):
over the plate, his breaking balls flat today. Those things matter.
But ultimately I think it's just kind of the education
side is our coaching staff's just going to have done
a little more research than our players. But it's tricky
because if our catchers like Josh get the pro ball,
they're going to be expected to know how to call
a game, and so we have to make sure we're
educating them a little bit. And this is why I'm

(01:15:30):
calling this, This is what we're doing so that they
can make that transition.

Speaker 2 (01:15:34):
So like a big league catcher is calling a game,
he's got to know the hitters. Obviously, meets with his pitcher,
collaborative effort with the pitching coach, manager, etc. But you're
dealing with big league scouting reports, which I've seen they
can be really voluminous. So how much time are you
spending watching another team's hitters before a three game series

(01:15:54):
just so you could call the pitches against them.

Speaker 5 (01:15:58):
That's probably the biggest vocation of my time. Once the
season starts every week. I think an average everyday player
probably gets a full hour of my attention, if not
a tig. More So, you're looking at, you know, ten
or twelve hours of prep work maybe for one opponent,
and then when you throw in and sprinkle in a
MIDWEK game where you're playing a second opponent. Now obviously

(01:16:20):
beyond actually being on the field for the games, that
starts to chew into a big chunk of time. And
I'll get some help from from other guys on staff
that may pull up some stats in terms of swinging,
mis rates, things like that. So it's a it's a
pretty major job. I try to find ways and not
over complicate it, but you got to go pretty deep.
You gotta watch a lot of swings, you gotta do
a lot of splits, and it's just something we take

(01:16:40):
a lot of pride in.

Speaker 2 (01:16:41):
Jordan Bischel, the baseball coach at the University of Cincinnati.
U SEE opens up the season a week from Friday
with a beginning of a three game series against Duke.
You have a recruiting class. I know coaches, regardless of sport,
they can't stand recruiting rankings, but folks who follow this
sort of stuff really like to collect of kids who
signed during the early signing period in November. When you're

(01:17:03):
recruiting a player, how often do you get to see
him in person?

Speaker 5 (01:17:07):
I see him less than our assistant coaches. Most guys
I will see at some point leading up to their signing.
But there's there's guys that we're we're going to have
to trust our assistants. We put good people in good places,
and they do a great job. But to that extent,
I would rather their evaluation carry more weight than mine,
because ultimately, they're on the road more, they're comparing players more,

(01:17:28):
they're seeing them more. Just just because my name says
head coach doesn't mean I'm better at that part of
the job. They're they're spending more time on it, and
they're going to have more acumen and into what we're
looking for.

Speaker 6 (01:17:38):
So, you know, I think our.

Speaker 5 (01:17:39):
Goal with any of these guys, if it's a pitcher,
I think we want to see him in a game
setting at least twice, if at all possible, maybe a
third time. I think for a position guy, if you
go to see him on a weekend, you want to
see probably the full weekend of baseball, three, four ball, games.
If you're seeing them multiple weeks would be even better,
so you're not catching a whole cup hot or cold one.

(01:18:00):
But I think that's the biggest challenge in our sport
compared to some of the other, you know, more visible sports.
You look at a basketball coach, they can get really
detailed quality film and sitting in office and really watch
how a guy play. Same with a football film. You know,
you think a baseball video from a travel league, if
a third basement is going to tell us how he

(01:18:21):
picks a short hop like, it doesn't happen movement on
pitches that videos. So it's it's a much more inexact
science because we just cannot as efficiently gather that information.
If we wanted to see a baseball kid play ten
or twelve games, like a basketball coach might be able
to between live and video, we would need ten more coaches.

(01:18:44):
So it's an interesting process. I think it's why you
see a lot of guys jump from that Division two
or Division three level to the D one level and
the transfer portal lake because a lot of guys get overlooked.
It's just hard to scale everybody and know all these
guys inside and out, so you.

Speaker 2 (01:18:58):
Know, you mentioned basketball, and you can find recruiting lists
of seventh graders and sixth graders and folks that will say, well,
this kid has a chance to play at a D
one level and at a Power four level at what
age typically with a baseball player, can you go, you
know what, that kid might have a chance to play
in a league like the Big Twelve.

Speaker 5 (01:19:17):
You know, that's a wonderful question because I've really tried
to get away from watching kids that are prior to
their sophomore year of high school. So maybe those guys
do pop out in seventh grade, but I'm not watching them.
They made a really really positive rule change in the
last couple of years here where we can't contact kids

(01:19:38):
until August first, going into their junior year, which allows
us to really keep our focus more on the second
half of high school. You know, we that summer after
sophomore year that's going to be our big focus is
those sophomore is going to be junior, so that when
August first hits, we know that key list. So that's
really the age group we're watching is those those sixteen

(01:19:58):
going into seventeen year old, occasionally watching them a year younger,
so you can get out ahead of it a little bit.

Speaker 6 (01:20:03):
But that helped a.

Speaker 5 (01:20:04):
Lot because we were going down that rabbit hole of
watching eighth graders and fourteen year olds and saying, oh,
it'll be great when he's twenty one. I'm not noredon here.

Speaker 2 (01:20:13):
That's a tough.

Speaker 5 (01:20:14):
Yeah, if you're fourteen and throwing ninety two, it's easy
to know. But so that's helped a lot. I think
in our sport, you.

Speaker 2 (01:20:21):
Had a break in the weather earlier this week. I know,
like the obvious answer is, well, you can catch fly balls,
I guess, but what are some things that you go,
you know what, we've got to get outside because we
can do this, and we can do this indoors.

Speaker 5 (01:20:33):
Yeah, I think every hitter will tell you that seeing
a live pitch indoors in a batting cage versus seeing
a live pitch outdoors on a field is much different, feel,
much different depth, perception, picking up the spin. So just
those live at bats are really really big, you know,
stuff that involves the outfield. There's number one of the
fly balls, but just those reads off the bat, things

(01:20:53):
like that are really really big and quite frankly, just
playing some sort of a game setting, you know, I
think it would be foreign to most sports to have
the idea that a good chunky or preseason you can't
spend on a field that is the same regular you know,
sizes and all. You know, it's it's kind of a
crazy thought. So, you know, we inner squatted this last week,

(01:21:14):
probably about fifteen innings, which you know is probably not
quite enough, but it's it's enough to at least start
to get the speed of the game down and get
back to the field that we're playing baseball, which is helpful.
Being a Northern guy, I've had years where our first
day on a baseball field was the day before the
opening day and and that's a that first flag ball
I hope I got and it's trying to gloss. So

(01:21:36):
it's been nice to get out this last week and
a half and get some live type stuff in well.

Speaker 2 (01:21:41):
And I was going to ask, like, what's what's the cutoff?
I mean, it was great, you know, Monday, we were
blessed with temperatures in the sixties. Sunday was was pretty nice,
sun came out, we were in the fifties. But if
it in the absence of that, is is there a
threshold where you go, you know, what if we crossed this,
it might still be cold, but we're going outside.

Speaker 5 (01:21:58):
Yeah, the Green Bay, Wisconsin Native cut Off, the Cincinnati
Native cut Off, and you know Tallahassee or Dallas cutoff
may all be different. But you know, it's really depends
on the sun more than anything. If we get you know,
the other day it was forty two, forty three degrees,
but the sun was out with no wins. For our guys,
it's relatively pleasant. It's pretty nice if you're in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

(01:22:20):
When it's forty five, it's overcast with a thirty mile
an hour win you gotta park on. But usually if
those real fields are in the thirties, it's you know, productive.
I think once you get once you get below about
twenty five for that for that wind show, guys are
more worried about getting inside than actually getting something done.

Speaker 2 (01:22:37):
A successful first season last year under Jordan Bischel at
the University of Cincinnati, year two gets underway a week
from Friday. The Bearcats on the road against Duke, a
home game on the eighteenth, and the official opening day
at UC will be against Toledo on March fifth. Season
tickets are on sale right now there is no better
sports bargain in Cincinnati. Go check that out out at

(01:23:00):
go Bearcats dot com. I appreciate the time. I appreciate
you entertaining my dumb questions. I hope we can do
it during the season. Coach, thanks so much.

Speaker 5 (01:23:07):
Awesome. Those were great. You can get sick of talking
about who the three starting pitchers are over and over again.

Speaker 6 (01:23:13):
You got in there a little bit deeper.

Speaker 5 (01:23:14):
That was fun. Have me on any time. I loved
chatting with you.

Speaker 2 (01:23:17):
As a baseball nerd. I have no shortage of really
nerdy dorkey questions, so I'll keep a running list and
you could answer them as the season unfolds. Thanks coach Well.

Speaker 5 (01:23:28):
I was an accountant before I got out of power
En I got out of college. I understand the nerdy questions.
I never end keep you coming.

Speaker 2 (01:23:34):
I most definitely will. Jordan Bischel, the baseball coach at
you see the Bengals continued to communicate with their players
as well as I did in previous relationships. That could
be rectified. Next to ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 10 (01:23:48):
Thirty, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 11 (01:23:54):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. Heart disease is the
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That's a five minute delay. Another disabled vehicle southbound seventy
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Speaker 1 (01:24:26):
This report is sponsor now your chance to win one
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Speaker 6 (01:24:33):
Bank. That's bank.

Speaker 2 (01:24:35):
Enter it now. All right, that's us. We're a couple
of minutes late because I'm bad at my job. I
call it what it is. During the break, I just
watched the greatest gambling video of all time. That's all
I could tell you. If you know, you know, uh,

(01:24:56):
what do we have?

Speaker 12 (01:24:57):
What's that I need to note?

Speaker 2 (01:24:58):
You need to know. I will forward it too. I
don't know that I'm going to go into why it's
the greatest gambling video of all time, but I will.
During the next break, I will email it to you
and I will leave everybody else. I'll leave them wanting more.
I'll leave them one. What was that gambling video? And
you know what, you have internet access, go I can't really,

(01:25:19):
I'm not gonna. I could just say there's a gambling
video on the internet right now that is terrific. That
is absolutely terrific, and it's not terrific because of the
gambling advice. What are we doing here? Eight after five,
ESPN fifteen thirty im Oeger, thank you so much for
joining us. We talked with our friend Sean Sayed from

(01:25:41):
the Stats and Scheme podcast often during the season. He
is one of the stars of Radio Row down there
in New Orleans, and so we'll talk some football with him.
Coming up in just about ten minutes. It is another
must win for the Bearcats tonight. The bar is low
right now for UC fans. We'll spend a few minutes
on that as well. And more projections out for the

(01:26:02):
Reds Earlier this week Baseball Perspectives. There are Pakoda projections
had the Reds finishing in last place with what seventy
three and a half wins. We have more projections from
a different website, which we'll spend time on here. In
just a bit. We spent a lot of time today
and this is just beginning. The off season of Trey

(01:26:25):
Hendrickson is just now starting. Trey Hendrickson will be the
guy we spend the most time talking about this offseason,
at least I think we will. And it was kicked
in the hyperdrive today because Trey went on the Pat
McAfee show on ESPN and here's the part of the
conversation that is generating headlines.

Speaker 3 (01:26:44):
You know, I think the off season is a good
spot to kind of address these kind of issues that
do come up. And during the season, you know, when
you're talking about OTA's or camp, you know, you don't
want to become a distraction for the team because inevitably
the goal is to win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati.
You know what that looks like this season. You know,
if they if it's something that we can agree on
in terms, you know, that would be great. Ideally, my

(01:27:07):
wife and I would love to stay in Cincinnati if
it's something that helps the Bengals win a Super Bowl,
if they get picks.

Speaker 12 (01:27:13):
Or anything like that.

Speaker 3 (01:27:14):
I want to help win a super Bowl for Cincinnati
if I'm if I'm there or not.

Speaker 4 (01:27:18):
Okay, interesting because Duke is speaking about it now. Duke Tobin,
general manager for Cincinnai Bengals, he was out the Senior
Bowl and he chit chatted about it, and I don't
even think we really were like, oh, Trey, there is
a situation because everything's on the offensive side. So going forward,
do you see something you have to experience and live
life with right now? This is a part of your
life right now, having to deal with what the future

(01:27:38):
looks like.

Speaker 3 (01:27:40):
Yeah, I would have preferred to kind of hurt it
differently than my dad texting me you tweet, you know.
That would have been great to kind of figure it
out that way. But you know, obviously the table is
being set in that way. But I just I love
to play football. I love the for the for my
play to do the talking. And at the end of
the day, I think the chips will fall where they're

(01:28:00):
going to be and like I said, whether whatever happens,
I want to win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati.

Speaker 2 (01:28:06):
There you go. Trey Hendrickson with Pat McAfee earlier today
on the appropriately named Pat McAfee show, a couple of
different issues. Here. At number one, you know, he talked about,
you know, Duke Tobin's comments last week to Kelsey Conway
The Inquirer and Duke, you know, mentioning that, well, yeah,
Trey has earned an extension, but we're not, you know,

(01:28:29):
can't pay everybody at every position, the top market valiant.
I'm obviously struggling to paraphrase Duke here. We're all familiar
with the comments acknowledging that he deserved to raise and
an extension. And you heard Trey there talk about the
fact that it would be better if he heard it
directly from Duke instead of seeing it on a tweet

(01:28:50):
forwarded to him by his dad. This is a recurring issue.
This is not an exclusive to Trey Hendrickson thing. Andrew
Whitworth complained about lack of communication. Williams talked about lack
of communication in the aftermath of his trade request that
he rescinded a couple of years ago. DJ Reader made
it known that nobody talked with him going into his
free agency year, going into his last year with the

(01:29:12):
team about a contract extension. Radio silence. This has been
a criticism of Carson Palmer. This is a thing. This
is a thing, and it's how the Bengals do things.
And I guess what I would want to notice this,
What is the harm in being a human being about
how you do business? Like, we understand business can be impersonal.

(01:29:33):
I understand that I work for a major corporation. Business
can be impersonal. There's no harm in being a human being, right,
There's no harm. I mean, look, I'm kind of taking
Trey's tray at his word here, but I have no
reason to because this is a recurring thing. Trey is
not the only Bengals player to talk about lack of communication.

(01:29:54):
If they're not going to give him a contract extension,
if they're gonna tell them, look, dude, we get it,
You've earned a hey raise, We're just not gonna give
it to you a long term We have you under
contract for another year. Here's how things are gonna be. Like,
what's what's the harm in doing that? And and you
might say, well, look, this is this isn't that important
to the to the goal of winning, right, I mean
you know, so what, Uh, you don't have to be

(01:30:16):
overly transparent with these guys. But you know, there is
a part of me that goes like this is this
is how you do things, and it's how you do
and it's a cold business, and and players get cut
and they get told no, and they get traded, and
they get told you know, we're not gonna give you
a contract extension, we're not gonna give you a pay raise.

(01:30:36):
At the same time, man like you could do those
things and kind of, you know, show some human qualities
when doing so. And the Bengals just seem to not
care about that. That's not something we're saying about them.
If they are coming off a year where they went
to the Super Bowl, or if they were in the
Super Bowl right now, we wouldn't be worried about Trey
Hendrickson and the Bengals talking to him or not talking

(01:30:57):
to him. But this is a re curring thing. And
so but the common denominator here with pretty much everybody
that we've talked about there being poor communication issues is
they're all gone. They've all left. John Williams talked about
lack of communication. Remember he wasn't happy finding out I
think saw it on TV or something that they were

(01:31:20):
gonna ask him to move from left tackle to right tackle.
Like basic lack of communication. John Williams not here anymore.
DJ Reader, not here anymore. Andrew Whitworth started to complain
about lack of communication while he was still here not
here anymore, Like it does kind of feel like once
they start ghosting you, the writing is on the wall,

(01:31:40):
and it feels like the writing is on the wall
for Trey Hendrickson. There was also what he said he wanted,
and I think the verbiage was kind of odd, right, like,
I we wanna, we we we wanna, we wanna help,
want to help the Bengals win the Super Bowl if
I'm there or not. That's are verbiage. But the way

(01:32:04):
to translate that is to assume that he is saying essentially,
pay me, extend me, or trade me, like let's not
do this again. Let's not do with me what you
did with Tea. Let's not spend the entire offseason with
me kind of twisting in the wind. To me, that's
the only way to take what Trey is saying. And

(01:32:26):
so this is earth shattering for us, and it's it's
ignited the off season of Trey, and that's what this
is going to be. The t Higgins thing. We're gonna
get an answer here reasonably soon, and we'll find out
about some of the other guys the Bengals could bring
back we'll find out about some of the guys the
Bengals could cut, We'll find out what they do in

(01:32:47):
free agency. Obviously, we'll spend a lot of time on
the draft. My guess is this Trey Hendrickson thing is
a thing, maybe all the way up to the start
of training camp and perhaps even during, this is not
gonna go away. The only way to rectify the Bengals
continuing to having to deal with a thing is to
start having better replacements in place for when you invariably

(01:33:11):
let guys go. The smart money is on Trey hendricks
Had not being a Bengal in twenty twenty six. They
didn't extend him last year, they didn't honor his trade
request last year. My guess is the status quo was
gonna remain. Could be dead wrong about it. My guess
is the Bengals don't trade Tray, and if they do,
it ain't gonna Because he requested a trade, my guess

(01:33:33):
is they're not going to extend him. I'm gonna guess
that despite having an awesome season last year, the Bengals
stance involving Trey hasn't changed. We're not that interested in
paying you more money to play for us during a
season in twenty twenty six and beyond, when you're gonna
turn thirty two years old. I'm gonna guess that hasn't changed.

(01:33:57):
But two years ago, if I would have said to
you or anybody else, look, man, the Bengals are gonna
have Trey Hendrickson for four and you know what, they'll
even have it for twenty twenty five, and then they're
gonna move on because they will have in place a
guy they picked in the first round of replace him.
You would have said, fine. Unfortunately, the guy they picked

(01:34:21):
to basically replace Trey Hendrickson hasn't worked out. Good players
are going to leave. Not every really good player is
gonna get a contract extension. Not every good player is
gonna get what they want. The t Higgins conversation is
very similar. They have whiffed in finding his replacement. Jermaine Burton,

(01:34:43):
needless to say, hasn't worked out.

Speaker 9 (01:34:46):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:34:46):
Andre Yoshabas nice story is not a number two wide
receiver for a team that's gonna contend for a Super Bowl.
So you know that's that. If you want to if
you want to stop being criticized for what player say
about your lack of communication during the contract negotiation process. Well,
start doing a better job of insulating yourself against them

(01:35:10):
leaving for when they inevitably do leave, or maybe occasionally
be better at communication. It's eighteen minutes after five o'clock
Shawan Saia Next ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 10 (01:35:22):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from.

Speaker 11 (01:35:28):
trusts the experts at you see Health for innovative and
personalized heartcare. Expect more at ucehealth dot com. Southbound seventy
five at EZRA Charles Drive a disabled vehicle blocking off
the right center laid must bound two seventy five. It's

(01:35:49):
an accident on the entrance ramp from northbound seventy five
on the Ohio side. Expect delays through there on that
ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:35:59):
This report is sponsored twenty three after five. This is
ESPN fifteen thirty. Moeger, thank you for joining us during
the Bengals season. We were lucky enough to be joined
by Sean Sayatt from a Sumer sports host of the
Stats and Scheme podcast. He joined us every Tuesday, which
was awesome, and then the Bengals season ended. They didn't

(01:36:19):
go to the playoffs, and so we told Sean, yeah,
we'll see you and hopefully Chad sometime down the road. Well,
guess what, we're down the road. It's the super Bowl week.
You might have heard Chiefs and Eagles, although folks here
love to pretend they're not going to watch the game
because the Chiefs are in it. Yeah, call me at
six o'clock on Sunday. Anyway, the game is in New
Orleans and that's where Sean is. He is one of

(01:36:40):
the stars of I think he's on Radio Row with
a setup where he's drawn up plays and he's ranking
movies and he's talking with people. He's really become a superstar.
So we're lucky enough to get him. Hi, Sean, how
you doing well?

Speaker 8 (01:36:54):
I'm doing great.

Speaker 15 (01:36:54):
You know, it feels like maybe the superstar push was
because I got to come on the show I Grow.

Speaker 8 (01:36:58):
We can talk Bengals.

Speaker 16 (01:37:00):
It's been a lot of fun into orld and certainly wish.

Speaker 15 (01:37:02):
We're able to do it in person, but you know, hey,
maybe well sometime soon down the line.

Speaker 2 (01:37:06):
Yeah, Well it's fun to watch your Are you doing
your stuff from Radio Row.

Speaker 15 (01:37:11):
Yes, yeah, bring your table, Lady nine, if anyone's listening,
if you want to come down.

Speaker 8 (01:37:15):
We got a nice setup. We got a big board.

Speaker 15 (01:37:17):
Where we can go through some plates, we can talk
about the data behind it.

Speaker 8 (01:37:20):
We're breaking stuff.

Speaker 15 (01:37:20):
Down with former players, former coaches, current players, current coaches
and really getting to you know, you can get to
the bottom of the silly game we call football.

Speaker 2 (01:37:27):
Now. I've I've done the Radio Row thing before and
I always enjoy when you get a chance to talk
to like a former play. They'll bring John Riggins over.
But you have to plug like sketch er shoes. Have
you had to do a bunch of weird, awkward plugs?

Speaker 15 (01:37:40):
I mean, yes, absolutely, Yeah, I don't have to do
the plugs.

Speaker 8 (01:37:45):
But you know, you get to talk through some.

Speaker 16 (01:37:46):
Football, and you know, it's a little it's a little
it's a little tat.

Speaker 15 (01:37:49):
Now you get to do the different tat. You let
them plug with the stuff that they need to do.
They they're putting in the work there as well.

Speaker 2 (01:37:55):
You know down there in New Orleans making big news. Shawn,
as you're well aware, is a Tray Hendrickson. We're in
the middle of the off season of Trey Hendrickson, what
should the Bengals do with him?

Speaker 8 (01:38:06):
Send him a fat check, I think is what they
should do for Tree Henderson.

Speaker 15 (01:38:09):
And when we talked about it all season long about
how he is your defense, like you're really able to
form things around him so well, I do think I
would love to have them extend Hendrickson.

Speaker 8 (01:38:19):
I would love for them to be able to draft.

Speaker 15 (01:38:20):
And maybe a defensive lineman early in that first round
where now we have Hendrickson on one set, you have
an attacking player maybe like a Mike Green from Marshall,
where you're able to.

Speaker 8 (01:38:28):
Get after the quarterback. You're able to just boost.

Speaker 15 (01:38:30):
Those numbers a little bit on the defensive side. And
we talked about the offense all season. The offense is fine,
we'll see what t Higgins happens, of course, but you
really need to be able to improve that defense. So
I would love for them to be able to extend them.
And you know the question comes up, oh, we can't
extend these guys.

Speaker 8 (01:38:43):
No, that's what the money is for. That's for someone
else to figure out.

Speaker 15 (01:38:46):
You have to be able to extend people on time
to be able to start doing those funky things where
you can manipulate the cap a little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:38:53):
What's your take right now on where things stand, which
frankly is not that much different from when you and
I last talked, But where things stand right now now
with T Higgins.

Speaker 15 (01:39:02):
Yeah, I mean it's tough because it just feels like
as you continue on, you continue on, you start to
discover hey, and more teams were interested.

Speaker 16 (01:39:09):
I do kind of like that, you know, Burrow and Higgins,
I feel.

Speaker 15 (01:39:11):
Like they've made it clear, like, hey, like, let's figure
this out, guys, Let's try and do something. I'm never
gonna ask a guy to take a hometown discount. Just
thinking about a person doing what's best for them and
their family, it feels like, you.

Speaker 8 (01:39:21):
Know, they should be able to figure it out.

Speaker 15 (01:39:23):
I think that you can maybe not necessarily compromise, but
you don't put that money out there like this is
like your window is going to certainly be Burrow's career,
as Burrow himself has said before, but surrounding him with
quality players is going to be so important where I mean,
if not, you know, if you're gonna let Higgins walk,
you better find a you know, a quick way to
replace that second receiver spot.

Speaker 2 (01:39:42):
Sean sayde is with us from New Orleans on x
at sayed schemes. Uh, are you starting to formulate draft
opinions or do I have to wait a few weeks
for that?

Speaker 16 (01:39:53):
I you know, it.

Speaker 8 (01:39:54):
Depends, Moll.

Speaker 16 (01:39:55):
You know you can float the question and I guess
I'll tell you.

Speaker 8 (01:39:57):
But yeah, I have. We got to be at the
Shrine Bowl. We got to be at the Senior Bowl. Well,
we got to talk to a bunch of players.

Speaker 15 (01:40:01):
We got to talk to a bunch of players, coaches,
see how these people are thinking, see how they're going
through the process. And so I'm starting. I will certainly say,
you know, it's not maxed up. I'll be excited to
talk more stuff later on.

Speaker 8 (01:40:13):
But yeah, I certainly have some.

Speaker 2 (01:40:14):
Opinions based on where we are right now. Who do
I want to Bengals to draft in the first round.

Speaker 15 (01:40:19):
I think, you know, Mike Green or Schamar Stewart, a
defensive end player that has that high end potential. Where
Mike Green he's a really speed guy off the edge,
having Hendrickson crush the pocket, Mike Green kind of off
the edge quickly. On the other side of that would
be nice if a Shamar Stewart from Texas A and M.

Speaker 8 (01:40:33):
I mean this guy, he is a physical freak.

Speaker 15 (01:40:35):
I think in college he wasn't able to finish sacks
in the same way. I think that you would like
him to in the NFL. But it's hard not to
be able to bet on some of that potential. I
do think, you know, you're I think Bengals are picking
around seventeen. Perhaps you know later on you can fill
in some things in the offensive line. I do think
though the best teams. I feel like when I think
about the Eagles and how their roster is constructed, they're
filling a lot of holes in for agency.

Speaker 8 (01:40:56):
So you can go into the draft and just.

Speaker 16 (01:40:58):
Take a player that is a real different maker.

Speaker 15 (01:41:00):
And of course as you get later in that first round,
it might be a little bit less lucky. But I
think I might just be falling in love with that
defensive line class. Next time we talk, Hey, it might
be a guy like a Gray Zabele from North Dakota State,
you know, and into your offensive lineman.

Speaker 2 (01:41:12):
All right, very good. The game itself on Sunday when
when you watch the Chiefs critically, like you know when
not not, you know, surface level like a lot of us,
but when you watch them critically, you know, the takeaway
we've had all year long is like, well, they're they're
they're winning dot dot dot. But right they're winning, but
they're playing offensively, you know, a pretty uneven brand of football,

(01:41:33):
and at some point their fatal flaws are going to
catch up to them. Like when you watch the Chiefs critically,
obviously they're good. It wouldn't be here if they weren't good.
But what what has been missing all season long that
they seem to have figured out here toward the end
of the regular season and in the playoffs.

Speaker 13 (01:41:49):
I mean, it.

Speaker 15 (01:41:50):
Feels like that their superpower is just this absurd third
down efficiency where you're getting these late down plays.

Speaker 16 (01:41:56):
That Mahomes can just consistently make.

Speaker 8 (01:41:58):
Them over and over.

Speaker 15 (01:41:59):
It does feel like you're getting Xavier Worthy unlocked a
little bit more, where you know they're not exactly chucking
the ball down the field all the time or defense
that are really prioritizing stopping that. But in the RPO game,
they're getting a lot just quicker throws. Get that ball out,
don't test your offensive line in the same way when
you're moving your left guard to left tackle. Now you
have maybe two weeks spots on that offensive line that

(01:42:20):
the Eagles might be able to take advantage of.

Speaker 8 (01:42:21):
So I think getting things, just get that ball out quick.

Speaker 15 (01:42:24):
We're really trying to make our offensive life a little
bit easier. I think that's been you know, a little
bit of the difference on the offensive side of the ball.

Speaker 2 (01:42:31):
I think Philly's roster is better and they're going to
win by ten.

Speaker 15 (01:42:35):
I look, I've talked about it since Saturday, where I
put my official prediction in. I had Eagles twenty seven,
she's twenty four. I agree with the Eagles. Roster is
up and down. They're just better and you can do the.

Speaker 8 (01:42:45):
Whole Oh man, it's Patrick Mahomes.

Speaker 16 (01:42:47):
You don't want the him to have the ball as
the game ends.

Speaker 8 (01:42:49):
That's absolutely true.

Speaker 16 (01:42:50):
I think the Bills were able to make enough stops
in that game.

Speaker 15 (01:42:53):
And mo, I think the Eagles defense is better and
more more talented and better coach than that Bill's defense.
It's going to come down on Jaalen Hurts, you know,
maybe making like three throws.

Speaker 8 (01:43:02):
I think that's all you're gonna need from him in
this game.

Speaker 15 (01:43:04):
I think he's off a game in the NFC Championship,
the conference Championship game, where I think he played his
best game in maybe two years against the Commanders.

Speaker 16 (01:43:12):
So I do feel like things are set up pretty
well for the Eagles.

Speaker 2 (01:43:15):
What should the success of Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry
this season do about the conversation regarding running backs.

Speaker 15 (01:43:21):
I think it should teach you that if you have
a supremely talented player in a positive offensive line environment,
they're going to be able to reach that superstar status.

Speaker 8 (01:43:32):
So I don't necessarily think, look.

Speaker 15 (01:43:34):
You know me, I would like all these guys get
paid all of the money from all of the owners
at the same time. But I think when you are
looking at that high end running back type player, I
think a little bit it is helped by having a
good offensive line, where seeing Sae Kwon Barkley feel like his.

Speaker 8 (01:43:48):
Vision improved so much this year.

Speaker 15 (01:43:50):
Part of that is because he's trusting when he makes
a cut to the left, you know Jordan Mallan is
gonna move a guy out of the way for him.
So I do think there's a little bit of combination
there where maybe it's not just hey, we need to throw.

Speaker 8 (01:44:00):
A ton of money at a running back, but having
a running back that.

Speaker 15 (01:44:02):
Maybe just a little bit towards a different part of
their career. You put them in a situation with a
really good offensive line.

Speaker 8 (01:44:08):
That can be a good thing. Now, as you know,
I love Chase Brown.

Speaker 15 (01:44:11):
Not everyone has a guy like Chase Brown, just just
young and spry running around the field.

Speaker 2 (01:44:14):
Who's the coolest person you've had a chance to talk
to in New Orleans?

Speaker 16 (01:44:19):
I mean it might not be cool for everyone, but
Vick Banjo was a really big one for me.

Speaker 8 (01:44:23):
The article out wrote about his defenses.

Speaker 15 (01:44:25):
Gamonell got me the jobs that I have now, so
i'd be able to ask him a few questions.

Speaker 8 (01:44:29):
Was really good.

Speaker 15 (01:44:29):
Clint Hurt the defensive line coach there, Milton Williams, who
I think is going to be the X factor in
this game, and I.

Speaker 6 (01:44:34):
Don't know, I'm not going to say Jalen Hurts.

Speaker 8 (01:44:36):
And like all the top guys.

Speaker 15 (01:44:37):
I feel like some of those guys that people talk
about a little less, they're really cool too.

Speaker 2 (01:44:41):
That's that's why I like you, Because if I asked
that question to anybody else, they would have they would
have mentioned Starr. You mentioned the defensive coordinator who's bounced
around the league. So that's that's why I like having
you on.

Speaker 6 (01:44:52):
Look, I appreciate that.

Speaker 15 (01:44:53):
And now he's he's at a point in his career
where you know, he wants to be in.

Speaker 8 (01:44:57):
Philly for the rest of his career. I'd be really
happy for him back. Think at the best defense in
the league. I'm just I'm super excited to watch the
game on Sunday.

Speaker 16 (01:45:03):
I don't really understand the whole Oh you know, ticket
prices are down or the viewership.

Speaker 8 (01:45:08):
Is going to be down.

Speaker 15 (01:45:08):
Like you said, let's wait till the numbers come back
at the middle of next week when we break some
records about how many people are watching the Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (01:45:15):
Look, I dealt with this last and look like everybody
here hates the Chiefs, right, so I dealt with this
last year. You're like, oh yeah, I'm not gonna watch it,
And then the next day the same people were like
breaking down the game, the commercials, the halftime, Like, oh yeah,
what were you doing at six point thirty on Super
Bowl Sunday? You turn the game on? Everybody will all right, man.
It was awesome to get caught up and enjoy the
rest of the week in New Orleans. And I'm sure

(01:45:36):
we'll bother you before the draft.

Speaker 8 (01:45:38):
Thanks so much, man, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:45:39):
All right. That's our guy, Sean Sayaed the Stats and
Scheme podcast and sumer sports dot Com. He's you go
find them on social media. His setup at Radio Row.
Why the stupid Bengals couldn't make the super Bowl Because
I'm watching all this content from my favorite city at
Radio Row and we're not there. Instead we're talking to
people from Radio Row.

Speaker 12 (01:46:00):
But would you have won the Radio Row.

Speaker 2 (01:46:04):
I don't know. That's a good question.

Speaker 12 (01:46:07):
Or just find the ice chest in New Orleans.

Speaker 2 (01:46:08):
I don't know what the setup would have been. I
don't know. I've done Radio Row twice. I did it
in New York and I did it in Indy, and
and it's its value to the audience isn't great. Like,
let's be honest. Now, we were lucky in Indy, like
Andy Dalton and AJ Green were coming off rookie seasons.

(01:46:29):
We grabbed them, uh and they were terrific. And in
New York we got Marvin Jones was with the Bengals,
Connor Barwin, you see, Anthony Munhoz came by. But like
you know, they really are like wheeling these you know,
it's one thing if it's like a like a Hall
of Famer, like a legend. But that's like, here's a
Jeff Hosteler on behalf of four trucks. Do you want

(01:46:50):
to talk to him? Like, I don't know, man, I
don't know that I really want to.

Speaker 12 (01:46:55):
Boy, they would have gave you because I'm looking now,
Ted Carris and Alice Kappa have been cool. They're sponsoring
bounty this year.

Speaker 2 (01:47:02):
Yeah, do they have this cool bounty jackets on?

Speaker 12 (01:47:05):
Yep, yeah, yes they do.

Speaker 2 (01:47:08):
Instead here we are, but I just I wanted to
go to New Orleans and uh, I mean, I guess
I could, but we're We're not.

Speaker 12 (01:47:15):
Might be Santa Clara next year?

Speaker 2 (01:47:17):
Is that where this I had? Honestly, you could have.
You could have said to me, mo, guest with the
Super Bowl is next season, and I would have It
would have taken me five or six guesses. Santa Clara
would be would be nice? It is twenty five away
from six o'clock. Another Reds projection, a low bar for
the Bearcats and uh more on Trey Hendrickson. And that's
not the last time I'll say that. On ESPN fifteen

(01:47:39):
thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 10 (01:47:40):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic from.

Speaker 11 (01:47:46):
trust the experts that you see health for innovative and
personalized heart care. Expect more at UCHealth dot com. Westbound
two seventy five, the entrance ramp from Dixie Highway closed
down due to an accident northbound seventy one at Red

(01:48:07):
Bank Road. It's an accident on the right shoulder and
northbound seventy five. After Sharon wrote, accident off on the
left shoulder. I'm at e Zelik with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:48:16):
Lines and service of Kelsey Chevrolet. By the way, Charlie
Clifford of Channel five News five WLWT you the home
of Scharie Palelo and Kelly Rippin and Megan Mitchell and
obviously Charlie Clifford. Charlie reports that Trey Hendrickson's agent, Harold

(01:48:37):
Lewis tells Channel five he expects to meet with the
Bengals as early as next week, and, as Charlie says,
at that point there will be clarity whether this moves
toward an extension or a trade quote. The ultimate goal
is to make him a Bengal for the long term.
There you go. This on the heels of Trey's appearance

(01:48:59):
on the Pat McAfee show. Maybe there is clarity, like
there's I think there's some things in life to me
are very black and white, and some things aren't. This
to me is not black and white. I could see
the merits of extending Trey Hendrickson right. He's your best

(01:49:19):
defensive player. He certainly plays like a guy who has
a lot of gas left in the tank. If you
surround him with better talent, then you can get a
lot out of him, even as he ages. I certainly
believe there's merit to look, we love Trey, excited he's

(01:49:42):
on the team this year. Let's see what he does
this season. Let's revisit this topic at the end of
the season. But we do run the risk of him
hitting the streets as a free agent. He is going
to be thirty one at the end of this season.
You know we're good here and he's motivatd and I
certainly think there's merit. It wouldn't be my favorite option,

(01:50:03):
but you've got a lot of holes to plug on defense.
The only way you're acquiring any draft capital is to
trade Trey Hendrickson. Now at the same time, how do
you look at Al Golden and go, welcome back to Cincinnati. Al,
You've got to fix his defense, but first we're gonna
trade away your best guy. Like that's I said this
two and a half months ago, and I'm not the
the I probably was not the first person. I know.

(01:50:24):
I wasn't the first person to say this, and I'm
not the only one. But this remained the most interesting
Bengals offseason dynamic number one and has the potential to
be the longest lasting. The t Higgins thing is not
gonna last till June. This could number two. He is
a player who does have a contract this year. T
Higgins right now does not. He is an older player.

(01:50:48):
They have not figured out a way to replace him,
like he has already asked for a trade. Like there's
going back to last year. There's the off season of
Trey continues, so he might get the clarity he's looking for,
and maybe that clarity is we are going to extend you.
And again, like you talk about like lack of clarity,
who knows what Tray wants? Is Trey looking to be

(01:51:10):
the highest paid edge rusher in the sport. Is is
he looking for an absurd pay raise moving forward? Is
he willing to accept a hometown discount? Is he willing
to play for what he's making now? Like these are
things we don't know either. Duke Tobin did kind of

(01:51:31):
tip his hand last week when he talked about, like
you you can't pay everybody top of the market value.
You can, and so they're going to have a moving forward.
I know Jamar and Chase's cap number in twenty twenty
five is not going to reflect as much, but you're
you're about to make Jamar Chase the highest paid wide
receiver in the history of the sport. You've got Joe

(01:51:54):
Burrow making what he's making. A lot of the same
folks who want to see you pay Tray and pay
te or pay Jamar will tell you that, well, they
should give t Higgins what he wants. Like I do
believe there's a world where all of those players can
play for the team and you can make the team better.
But interesting, there's a lot to juggle with this, So

(01:52:16):
we'll see. But you know, maybe there's maybe there's clarity
and maybe they trade him. But if the Bengals trade them,
it's not gonna be because Trey Hendrickson wants to be traded.
It's gonna be because they think what's best for them
is to trade Trey Hendrickson. That's a different topic. That
topic is are you better with or without Trey? You're

(01:52:37):
better with Trey or you're better without Trey. And the
players you could take with the picks he can get
you back, and the players you can get with the
money that you would be paying Trey. This this is
the story of the off season. This is the the
story of the off season. Last year's offseason was about

(01:53:01):
last year's training camp was about Jamar Chase. This year,
I'm gonna guess it's gonna be about Trey hendricks And again,
maybe they give him a contract extension, and maybe it
comes down to them to being Tea or Trey, and
t goes and plays for somebody else, and Okay, cool, Trey,
let's go ahead, let's get it done. But this this

(01:53:22):
is the story of the off season. And you know,
like Trey kicked in it, kicked it in the gear
by what he and what he's what he said was
not wrong. But when you're not winning and the Bengals
haven't been to the postseason in the last two years,

(01:53:44):
when you're not winning, and you have players requesting trades,
and when you have players talking about lack of communication,
and when you have deals not getting done, that should
it done?

Speaker 7 (01:54:01):
I e.

Speaker 2 (01:54:01):
Jamar And you have the quarterback going on a campaign
to tell anybody who will listen, here's what I want.
When what he wants is, you might argue, not the
most likely outcome. The appearance is a franchise that is
spiraling out of control. That's the appearance right now. Turbulence, noise, unhappiness.

(01:54:32):
That's the appearance. They might not be spiraling out of control,
and to a large degree, I don't think they are.
They have the most important player fixed soft good like.
They're okay in that regard. They don't have any bad guys.
They don't have anybody who's just gone off the reservation.

(01:54:56):
In terms of making a spectacle, Trey didn't do that today.
But the illusion here is or not the illusion. The
appearance here is that the Cincinnati Bengals are a mess.
When you combine the fact that they're not winning, the
departure of players recently who have gone on to play

(01:55:17):
quite well, coaching staff changes, a defense that was a mess.
The Jamar Chase contract thing is still hanging in the air,
the t Higgins situation, his trade request last year, Trey
Hendrickson's trade request last season, another player talking about lack

(01:55:38):
of communication, a guy who's kind of twisting in the wind.
Players that left last season that have gone on to
help other teams, or that they haven't replaced. This looks
like a franchise that is spiraling out of control. That's
the appearance. And if that's the appear, pearance, you've got

(01:56:01):
to absorb all the blows that come with that. It's
all rectified by winning, and it's all rectified by having
replacements in place for the players that you may let walk.
But if you wanted a quiet and serene offseason, and
you know, as fans we all do right. We want
whatever provides the team with the best conditions to win

(01:56:24):
and prepare to win, and you know, for this franchise
get off to a good start, this is not going
to be. This is I'd be stunned if this is
a really quiet next couple of months. Stunned. A couple
of other things. Very quickly. You see play tonight against UCF.
Here's where things are now. For most Bearcat fans, we
just want them to play hard tonight. I've had six

(01:56:49):
or seven people ask me like, they get a shot tonight,
and I do think they have a shot tonight, But
what do you think? And then it turns into a
conversation like, yeah, tonight, I just want to see him
play hard. That's where we are. Airtime at six thirty
on seven hundred WLW NKU will host Cleveland State tonight.
Norris looking for a second consecutive win. Fangrafs has the

(01:57:10):
Reds winning seventy seven games this season, which is how
many games they won last year. That projection makes a
little bit more sense to me than seventy three. Not
that there's a huge difference, because I feel like this
has been an offseason where they've gotten better. There are
too many hard to quantify things, and I think you're

(01:57:32):
being fair if you wonder if the pitching staff can
take a step forward, And I think you're fair if
you wonder, man does the pitching staff actually take a
step backward? More on that later on in the week.
We're back tomorrow with three zero five. Anything you might
have missed go find on the iHeartRadio app. Thanks to
our friends at Long Neck Sports Grill. Thanks to Tarn
Bland for producing this show, and thanks to you for listening.

(01:57:54):
Have a great night. We'll talk to you tomorrow on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 14 (01:57:58):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 11 (01:58:12):
at risk, trusts the experts at u See Health for
Westbound two seventy five, the entrance ramp from Dixie Highway
now reopened as an earlier accident has been cleared northbound

(01:58:35):
seventy five after Sharon Road accident on the left shoulder
and wenton road. It's an accident south of Galbreath Road.
I'm at Ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:58:44):
This report is sponsored by Oki Rideshare.

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2/5/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show

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