2/18/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now your chance to win one thousand dollars. Enter this
nationwide keyword on our website. Check that's check Jack, Jack,
Enter it now.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Jack, You've got on Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen for sure.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
Have what's up?

Speaker 4 (00:12):
It's uh while for a minute early you get a
free minute four minutes after three o'clock. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty. I'm Oegary, thank you for joining us. Hopefully
you're having the greatest Tuesday of all time very quickly.
Typically on Tuesdays, Paul Danner Junior is with us in studio.
Today is Tuesday. Paul is not here. Why is he

(00:36):
mad at me? Have we had a falling out of sorts?
Have we disinvited him? No, Paul is on vacation. He's
with his family and so he is having a blast,
and so he is spared having to answer my bad
questions about t Higgins. Paul's back with us next week,
although he's going to be at the Combine, so we're
gonna have to work around his schedule. So know Paul
Danner Junior today, so just keep that in mind. Hopefully

(01:00):
he and his family are enjoying an awesome vacation. We
are going to be joined in ten minutes from Honduras,
Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati's head coach the Orange and Blue.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
It's been a.

Speaker 4 (01:11):
Very busy, very chaotic, very hectic, and hopefully very productive
preseason for Pat Noonan and his staff as FC Cincinnati
gets set for the season, which starts tomorrow night in
Honduras in the CONCACAFF Champions Cup. So Pat's gonna join us,
coming up in just about ten minutes, and we are
looking forward to that show. Preview, as always, is available

(01:34):
on Twitter thanks to Emery Federal Credit Union, your credit
Union with heart since nineteen thirty nine. Go to EMORYFCU
dot org. While you are there watching the goofy little video,
we do what I typically do on that platform on
Twitter that I still call it Twitter for the most part,
is I will I will tweet out what's coming up

(01:55):
this hour and this hour no exception. You'll notice if
you go there, I've tweeted at the video and then
I've replied to that with a little rundown of what's
happening this hour. And it's a bit of a brief
rundown because I included some links I mentioned. Pat Noonan
is gonna be on in fifteen minutes. But I also
I put up a couple of links for you to
look at. So go there now and I'll make it

(02:17):
very easy for you, or you could you could do
it the long way. One link that I posted was
to Pro Football Reference dot com the Bengals twenty twenty
one draft class. The other was to Pro Football Reference
dot Com the Bengals twenty twenty two draft class. Now,
you could pull this up if you'd like on your own,

(02:38):
or I've made it easy for you. Just click, and
I want you to do that. I've got both of
these up right now. So, and the reason I bring
this up is the Bengals. We talked yesterday with James
Rapeene because he had it a little bit after two
o'clock yesterday that the Bengals are planning on tagging T Higgins,
giving him the franchise tag non exclusive for the set

(03:00):
and straight year. Now, what they want to do in
the interim is try to get a long term deal done.
Whether they do or not, your guess is as good
as mine. Uh, whether this makes sense to do or not. Okay,
there's lots of different arguments I guess in favor of
and opposed to, But what we know is that it
looks at least very likely the Bengals are willing to

(03:22):
tag t Higgins and then he would play under the
franchise tag in twenty twenty five in the absence of
getting something long term done. I have gotten this question
maybe a half dozen times today.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
The question is why are they doing this? Why?

Speaker 4 (03:43):
Why in a salary cap league are they gonna do
this with T Higgins and Jamar Chase and Trey Hendrickson.
Because the report came out last night Jeremy Fowler of
ESPN dot com that the Bengals want to keep basically
the Big four together, and they want to extend Jamar Chase.
That's their intention. Whether or not they do remains to

(04:04):
be seen. And they want to extend t Higgins, that's
their intention, whether or not they do remains to be seen.
And they want to extend Trey Hendrickson, who obviously is
still under contract for this year.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
Whether or not they do remains to be seen.

Speaker 4 (04:19):
And many, I think less so here more around the
country have been asking why I went on a radio
station in Washington, d C. Because apparently they have nothing
to talk about there, and I got that, why are
they doing this, and I went on an ESPN radio
show that we don't carry because we carry Sincy three
to sixty, which is better.

Speaker 3 (04:37):
Why are they doing this? Well, if you click on
the links that I sent out, you'll see the answer.
Why are they doing this?

Speaker 4 (04:45):
Look first at the Bengals twenty twenty one draft class,
which included Jamar Chase and included Evan McPherson. Those are
very good players, obviously, but also includes Jackson Carmen, Joe
cam Sample, Tyler, Shelvin, Deontay Smith, Trey Hill, and Chris Evans.

(05:08):
You feel like keeping any of those guys, You feel
like paying any of those guys? Or we could we
could go back a year later if you want the
twenty twenty two draft not as many players, only six,
then you'll see Dax Hill, cam Taylor, britt Zach Carter, Cordel, Volson, Tyson, Anderson,
and someone named Jeff Gunter.

Speaker 3 (05:31):
Want to pay any of those guys?

Speaker 4 (05:33):
Like the idea? I think the idea is when when
you when you run a draft, then you pick your
six players or seven players or eight, how many players
you get, how many players you can acquire when you
when you finished with the draft. The idea is, well,
the idea ideally is for all those guys to be
a part of your organization. Maybe some are gonna be

(05:54):
practice squad guys, certainly the top half of the draft,
or maybe let's say the first five rounds. The idea
when you draft those players is for them to make
the team, and the idea for the majority of those
guys is for you to at least want to reinvest
in them. The problem is that you look at the

(06:15):
twenty twenty one and twenty twenty two draft classes, there's
nobody really here right now, at least worth paying now.
Maybe Cam Taylor Britt will change that with a great
season this coming year, and maybe Dax Hill will as well.
But we talk all the time about the Bengals issue drafting.
It's not just a short term thing where they can't

(06:36):
get a lot from these guys. I was reading a
story out of Kansas City this morning and it was
about how, you know what for the Chiefs, those twenty
twenty one in twenty twenty two draft classes are about
to be really expensive. A lot of guys who have
been very successful in their rookie contracts, but you know

(06:56):
they want to keep a lot of those guys, and
so they have some tough decisions. To me, they've got
a lot of players they want to pay that Jamar
Chase was in that twenty twenty one class. He and
Evan McPherson are the only guys and he but he
wants to keep and he's to start to think about
the twenty two class, which has now gone through three

(07:17):
NFL seasons. There's a lot of unknowns. There's some guys
that aren't even a part of the team anymore. And
there's a guy in Cordell Vohlson. I think we all
can't wait to get rid of This is why they're
doing it. It's maybe not the only reason why they're
doing this. Is why they're doing what they're doing. With
the wide receivers and with Joe Burrow and with Trey Hendrickson.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
There's nobody else to pay. There's nobody else that you're
bending over backwards to try to keep. In fact, if
you look at their team last year, there are more players.
At least me, I can't wait to get rid of.

Speaker 5 (07:54):
That.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
I'm interested in reinvesting with. There's the answer.

Speaker 4 (07:58):
Looks, if you have internet, you could do this on
your own if you want somebody from somewhere else asks you,
why are they doing this? Or if you're even struggling
with answering the question, why are they doing this? Look
at the twenty one and twenty two draft classes. Want
to pay any of those guys. If the answer were yes,
what the Bengals are doing, I think would be a
little bit more difficult to reconcile ourselves with, maybe a

(08:21):
little bit more difficult to understand. But when you look
at those draft classes and you look at those players,
and you look at what they haven't done, I don't
think this is that hard to figure out. Yeah, lock
into the players who have who are good and Jamar
and t and despite the fact that he's older Trey,
those are your good players. Twelve minutes after three o'clock

(08:42):
s C Cincinnati has acquired a good player, Evander pat
Newton's going to join us to talk about him in
the upcoming season, which starts tomorrow. Lots on the Bengals
and t Higgins and Jamar Chase. Today, we'll get to
the Reds in Goodyear College basketball tonight and Xavier plays
the latest must win. We are here till six. Hope
you're with us on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 6 (09:02):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from.

Speaker 7 (09:07):
The U See Health Traffic Center. At you See Health,
you'll find comprehensive care that's so personal it makes your
best tomorrow possible. That's boundless care for better outcomes. Expect more.
You Seehealth dot com. Traffic's going on that seventy one
north bound nor Wood lateral to Ridge as an accident
being cleaned up from the right hand side, So down's
the data. Nor Woodlater westbound off ramp to seventy five

(09:29):
the crash here getting reports two seventy five Eastpound off
ramp to Turkey Foot that is shut down due to
a vehicle fire. I'm Rick Shramp with traffic.

Speaker 3 (09:38):
This report is sponsored by Rapid Radio.

Speaker 4 (09:40):
You missed our buddy James Rapine yesterday who had the
story of Bengals planning on tagging T.

Speaker 8 (09:46):
Higgins.

Speaker 4 (09:46):
You can go listen to that conversation on the iHeartRadio app.
You could also go to my page at ESPN fifteen
thirty dot com. Podcasts of the show are a service
of Long Neck Sports Grill with three low locations in
northern Kentucky. No better place to post up and watch, Well,
you could watch NFL off season shows, or you could

(10:08):
watch college hoops. We're getting ready for a red season two,
or you know what, you could just sit there and
have a cold one and enjoy the company of somebody
else and not really worry about what's on TV. It
doesn't matter. Just go to long next. You got Wilder,
you got hebren, you got rich Wood, and you are
good to go. Years ago, the Bengals Pat Noon is
going to join us in just a couple of minutes.
We are told he's running a few minutes behind. A

(10:29):
few years ago, the Bengals gave Joe Mixon a contract extension,
and did so during a period of time where teams
were not giving running backs contract extensions. We'll see if
the success of players like Derek Henry and Saquon Barkley
changes that at all.

Speaker 3 (10:46):
But you remember that, right.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
It was in the off season of twenty to twenty one,
And actually, no, I'm sorry, it was in the off
season of nineteen to twenty. Joe had one more year
left on his deal and wanted a contract extension, and
the Bengals gave it to him.

Speaker 5 (11:00):
Minute.

Speaker 4 (11:00):
It wasn't it wasn't that earth shattering when they did it.
But you did have people who asked, their Bengals are
gonna pay Joe Mixon twelve million bucks a year, good
running back, but not like an elite, best of the
best type guy at his position? Why are they doing this?
And the answer was, and I think it was a
valid answer, the answer was gotta pay somebody, like they

(11:25):
don't have enough good players. This is before Joe Burrow
played a snap for the Bengals. It was the off
season that he got drafted. And remember there was this like,
well do you pay Joe or aj Green? What do
you do? Is there going to be a hold in?
And my take was number one, you have to give
a coach a chance to coach the types of players
that he seeks to coach, and if Joe Mixon is
one of them, then go ahead and pay him. But

(11:46):
also like you don't have any good players, You don't
have any good players that you're looking to reinvest in,
and so go ahead and do it now. Things did
change over time. Joe got older, Joe's exploded kind of waned.
There were a few off field things. I think the
Bengals viewed that money is better going somewhere else because

(12:07):
they had some more good players, and the way it
worked out as history, Joe went on to have a
nice season in Houston. The Bengals, I think, are happy
with Chase Brown, but the Zach Moss thing didn't work out.
But go back to that year five years ago. Why
are they doing this because you got to pay somebody.
It's not entirely similar.

Speaker 3 (12:24):
It's by no.

Speaker 4 (12:25):
Means apples to apples, but I think some of that
applies here too. There aren't enough cornerstones worth investing in.
You know, if things had gone according to plan, first
of all, the Bengals would have made the postseason each
of the last two years, and maybe the Bengals would
have won a championship over that time. But had things

(12:46):
gone according to plan, a lot of the guys on
this team who are drafted you would be looking at
as possible reinvestments, not all of them, but many of them. Instead,
you're not looking at any of them as possible reinvestments.

Speaker 3 (13:03):
Or and some of the.

Speaker 4 (13:05):
Guys they acquired in free agency last year, we wouldn't
be talking about moving away from They should cut Geno Stone.
I don't know if they will or not. My guess
is they do. But ideally, when you signed Geno Stone,
it's for him to play for the entirety of his contract,
for him to earn every penny, and for him to

(13:25):
give you what you were looking for when you signed him.
That didn't happen. They're gonna hopefully be moving on from
Zack Moss, right. The idea was Zack Moss was this
guy might be your best running back. Obviously Chase Brown
kind of made that moot, but they should be moving
on from him this offseason. Wasn't the plan when they

(13:47):
signed him. The plan was for him to play for
the entirety of his contract and earn every penny. So
because of a lot of these things, that's why they
are doing what they're doing. It's not just about Jamar,
it's not just about Tea, it's not just about Tree,
and it's not solely about Joe Burrow either. It's about
a lack of players that you actually want to reinvest
in elsewhere on the roster. Twenty two minutes after three

(14:09):
o'clock ESPN fifteen thirty. A lot more on that across
the course of the afternoon. But first, a man who
is at a very busy day a very busy last
couple of weeks. His team is getting set to play
tomorrow against Matagua and Honduras and the Conka CAF Champions
Cup before coming home to play the New York Red
Bulls on Saturday night at TQL Stadium. A man who's

(14:31):
always kind enough to give us a few minutes, even
on a daylight today when he is being pulled in
a thousand different directions, the head coach of FC Cincinnati,
Pat Noon and Pat Mowagger and Cincinnati.

Speaker 3 (14:41):
Good afternoon. I appreciate the time. How are you.

Speaker 8 (14:45):
I'm good, mo. It's been a while here for it.

Speaker 4 (14:47):
Has been a while, so let me get this straight.
Two press conferences today and they make you talk to me.

Speaker 5 (14:54):
I know this is the icing on the cake. I appreciate.
I appreciate your.

Speaker 3 (14:58):
Time as always, appreciate you doing this.

Speaker 4 (15:01):
And you know we've we've been watching the preseason unfold
and we've even talked here about you know, you have
a little bit of a unique challenge where there's a
lot of stuff swirling around the team and yet you've
got to get your guys ready to play. How would
you describe the last four or five weeks in preseason training.

Speaker 5 (15:19):
Yeah, it's part of the job. Unfortunately, I would say this,
you know, preseason was more challenging than most just with
the moving parts, you know, and obviously some of those
that have been you know, well documented and you know,
unfortunate in terms of what we're you know, trying to
accomplish and starting off the season you know, in a

(15:42):
strong way. So for me as a coach, it's how
do we get our staff and the players here in
the right frame of mind, day by data.

Speaker 8 (15:49):
To get better.

Speaker 5 (15:50):
And you know, while there might have been some absences,
that helps you get answers with maybe some players that
otherwise you and you know see them in training or
in in some of these preseason games. So I've really
enjoyed the on field work. I've enjoyed the progress.

Speaker 8 (16:11):
You know.

Speaker 5 (16:11):
It started off slow, just with I would say our
first two games and the performances, but the last two games,
especially on the attacking side, has been really promising for me.
And every year it starts like this, you don't you
don't look your best. But with a group that has
a lot of returning pieces and guys that have been

(16:33):
here you know that I've worked with, and our staff
has worked with for years. Now, you know you can
you can get past some of those early struggles with
high expectations and with you know, the leadership. We have
to help these new faces come in and understand what
we're trying to accomplish. So we put our head down

(16:53):
and try to move forward. And you know, I think
we have a group that's ready to step on the
field tomorrow and compete in a good way. But we're
also realistic.

Speaker 8 (17:00):
We know we have.

Speaker 5 (17:02):
Ways to go to hit our you know, our top form.

Speaker 4 (17:06):
Let's talk about what's next in a second. As you
look back at just maybe the second half of preseason training,
what do you feel like your group did accomplish well?

Speaker 5 (17:16):
Fitness excuse me, fitness was much improved. You know, the
as the temperatures in Priest, you know, for some new faces,
I think that was challenging. You know, you got guys
like Lucas Engel who comes in and hasn't experienced you know,
heat or humidity like this, and so you know guys,

(17:38):
guys will struggle in those ways. But our fitness improved.
I think if I look back at previous preseasons, we
didn't get as many guys to ninety minutes prior to
our first competitive game, because we did this preseason and then,
like I just said, I think the progress of some
of the attacking ideas that we've been working on saw

(18:00):
that come out in a lot of good ways against
the Union and against Atlanta. And you know, I think
defensively the guys we're pretty strong all preseason, but now
that we got a little bit of both that that
certainly was something I was looking for to close out
the preseason and hopefully we see more of that tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (18:23):
Your club acquires Vander This is a massive transaction. This
is a terrific player. You have coached and been around
a lot of players of his ilk. What makes him special.

Speaker 5 (18:37):
His ability to find the game and create space for
himself and his teammates, his vision. You know, he can
score and assist at a very high level, and so
you know he's in the MVP discussions for a reason.
He can control the tempo of the game and make
plays that many can. And so he's only been with us,

(19:00):
you know, less than a week, and you can already
see it with him not really knowing his teammates outside
of maybe you know, starting to watch us as these
conversations began with the recruitment process. When you don't know
your teammates tendencies, sometimes you see a lack of rhythm
or you see you know, more mistakes. It was almost

(19:23):
the opposite, where when he's on the ball, the runs
that he's able to see of his teammates and the
way he can create separation and open up the game
and now we get attacking movements off of that creativity.
It's he's a special player and you know, it's not
about goals and assists with every touch. He also knows

(19:47):
how to move the ball in ways where you know
his teammates can help us advance up the field. And
so in a short amount of time, you see a
very talented player. And I know we talk a lot
about the attacking side of the ball, as we should,
that's why he's here. But there's ways we want to,
you know, continue to push him to be engaged on
the defensive side of the ball because it's brought up
a lot of success. And when we have eleven guys

(20:09):
that know how to, you know, press the ball, it's
only going to put him in better positions with more
space to make more plays.

Speaker 4 (20:16):
What's specific to the entire process of getting him to
come to Cincinnati, and then obviously there's integrating him into
what you're trying to accomplish here in the short term.
Walk me through your role in the entire process of
acquiring a player of this magnitude.

Speaker 5 (20:32):
Yeah, Chris, go get this guy. That's how that worked. No,
it's if the name comes available, and just like any
you know, potential addition, now you start weighing the pros
and the cons and and certainly the pros far away
the cons of does this make sense? You know, you

(20:54):
got the financials, you got you know, style of play,
all these things. The character, the character is a big
part of this and from our you know, meetings with
him to how he rated in our data, to the
ways that we think he can improve in in our

(21:15):
you know, in our club, on our team, with this
the way we play. It was exciting to think that
very quickly, knowing that you know, we might be losing
an important piece, we could be gaining a huge piece
immediately after. And and that's what we are able to do.

(21:36):
So I know Chris and his team worked diligently on
on getting this done, and you know, we're we're excited.
It's big again. It speaks to the ambition of Carl
and our ownership group to compete for trophies, you know,
the investment of the vander the investment of Kevin Bankey.
We want to continue to be a top team in

(21:57):
this league, winning trophies, and not just in the league,
but in all of our uh you know, cup competitions.

Speaker 4 (22:03):
Yeah, cup competition tomorrow night, conk CAF Champions Cup, FC
Cincinnati taking on taking on Matagua in Honduras. That's where
Pat Nowton is joining us right now. I think back
to this time last year. You played in Jamaica and
then you came home, and I think I think there
was one fewer day in between. But I remember that
Sunday afternoon for that opener against Toronto, and just and

(22:25):
being there and watching it. It felt like you guys,
like maybe maybe all of that soccer in such a
short amount of time kind of caught up to you, guys,
and you weren't at your best in Game one. Are
there lessons you're trying to apply from last year to
this year when you guys get back at home on Saturday.

Speaker 5 (22:42):
Of course, you know, similar similar conditions, similar schedule where
you know, I think this go around too, with you know, injuries,
with you know, pieces coming in, pieces going out. You know,
maybe we're a little behind where we were last year
going into this, into this tournament. But yeah, I know

(23:04):
we came out flat last year against Toronto and that
opener and even against d C the following home game.
We didn't score a goal, we didn't concede a goal,
but we had to try to, you know, juggle things
with minutes and knowing you know, with short recovery at
this stage of the season, guys aren't at their peak

(23:26):
in terms of fitness, so you have to be very
mindful of that and try to make changes game by
game where it's not drastic. You know, it's not two
eleven stepping out on the field one in cup competition
and one in league competition. It's finding ways to change
two or three pieces where you still find consistency within
the group and can go out and win games. And

(23:48):
knowing how to make those rotations to keep guys fresh
is important and so hopefully last year's experience can help
guide us a little bit this year. But we challenges
that will you know, that will make that I think
a little bit more difficult going into this Red Bull game,
and then you know, after the second leg against the

(24:11):
tag let home going, you know, on the road to Philly.
So you've kind of mapped out a plan for the
first four games, but the reality of things change, and
hopefully they don't change too much. But you've got to
win games, and you've got to be able to make
adjustments after each game. And you know, I think we're
prepared for.

Speaker 4 (24:29):
That one or two more. I know you're busy. Hopefully
no more press obligations today. Obviously the season is starting
this week, so is the premiere of On Side on
Apple TV. Walk us through your your part in that,
how intrusive it was, whether you got used to all
the cameras being around, what was that like?

Speaker 5 (24:49):
There was certainly unfamiliar territory, I think for myself, for
a lot of staff members, even the players, Yeah, on
charged territory and uh at times uncomfortable. And I give
credit to you know, the box to Box crew. You know,
johnny's Wick was was kind of the league guy, and

(25:11):
I want to give him a shout out because he
was excellent. He was really fun to work with and
tried to be as you know, in the shadows as
possible you know, with the cameras, with the microphones. But
I think we got more and more comfortable as the
days went on. But that's that's hasn't been a part

(25:33):
of you know, our working environment. And look, we're trying
to grow the brand in the game and specifically I've
c Cincinnati, So hopefully it shines a good light on
our club. I think it will. It certainly helps that
we won that game in the you know, in that
rivalry week heading into that Columbus game. But despite the

(25:56):
the maybe being uncomfortable at times, I think that all
the staff and the players did a good job of
remaining focused at the right time and and trying to
be natural and in their environment to to prepare for
for Columbus. So if it happens again, we're we're going
to be you know, better equipped to handle it. But

(26:19):
it was it was certainly new, and uh, depending on
who you ask, I think there's some guys would probably
say I'd like to not have to do that again,
and some that might say, I don't mind the camera
that much, I don't mind the microphone.

Speaker 3 (26:30):
What's Honduras like?

Speaker 5 (26:34):
It is temperature wise pretty good, similar to Leave in
clear Water. I think we'll have even better conditions tomorrow.
The field was in good shape. I love these, uh
these games. I love the unique environment that a lot
of players aren't accustomed to and the experience you get

(26:55):
from you know, stepping on the field and playing a
you know, relative unfamiliar opponents. Now, our job in the
lead up is to make sure they understand all aspects
of what the game can look like, from the on
field tactical approach, to you know, officiating, to the you know,
the away crowd, all of it. You have to be

(27:17):
able to manage these things and be prepared for them.
So Honduras is welcomed us in a in a very
good way, and we're excited to you know, finally compete
in a meaningful game tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (27:29):
See you go to Honduras and you work, and you
give me a real serious response, And I think of
Honduras all I think of our cigars.

Speaker 3 (27:35):
So that's why we're wired differently, Coach.

Speaker 5 (27:39):
There are there are cigars. I did notice that in
the uh, you know, in and around the lobby, uh
and outside there is no shortage of cigars. I'm not
a cigar guy, but I don't mind the smell.

Speaker 8 (27:52):
So there you go. Is that your thing?

Speaker 5 (27:55):
You like cigars?

Speaker 4 (27:56):
I do, yeah, So if you want to bring me
back a box of har Duran cgar, I won't say no.

Speaker 5 (28:02):
We'll look to bring you back a gift. Hopefully. I
don't forget with in our duties to go play a
soccer game, but if anybody's listening, they're going to be
going to be bringing you back some gifts.

Speaker 3 (28:14):
There you go.

Speaker 4 (28:15):
I'll take it most importantly, get a win and come
back home and get three points on Saturday night again.
I know today's a busy day. I can't thank you
enough for the time. We love having you on and
hopefully we could do it again soon.

Speaker 8 (28:26):
Thanks so much, of course, Thanks Mo.

Speaker 4 (28:28):
Pat Newton, head coach, FC Cincinnati. They will play tomorrow
night KUNKACAFF Champions Cup against Matagua that is going to
air on Fox Sports thirteen sixty, and then the Orange
and Blue coming home to play the New York Red
Bulls on Saturday night at home. I believe both those
matches are on Fox Sports. In fact, I know tomorrow
night's on Fox Sports thirteen sixty and I'm almost certain

(28:49):
that Saturdays is as well. We are way late twenty
four from four o'clock sports headlines coming up ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 2 (28:57):
Station Cincy Day with Tony Pike. If we want to
move on the Doctor Keith Gordon and Boston Elmore.

Speaker 8 (29:05):
I think you should continue.

Speaker 6 (29:06):
Let me keep going there, Sincy three sixty Tomorrow Which
twelve News on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (29:13):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (29:17):
Traffic from the U SEE Health Traffic Center. At you
See Health, you'll find comprehensive care that's so personal it
makes your best tomorrow possible. That's boundless care for better outcomes.
Expect more. You Seehealth dot com watching delays on two
seventy five E spawned off ramp to Turkey Food Exit
ramp partially blocked due to an earlier vehicle fire. Police

(29:38):
and tell you and it's on the scene. Norwood Lateral
westbound to seventy five. That crash on the ramp is cleared,
seventy one moving better now Norwood Lateral to bridge with
that accident out of the way. Why Rick shrimp with traffic.

Speaker 4 (29:50):
Sports headlines are a service of a Kelsey Chevrolet Home
of lifetime powertrain protection in a guaranteed credit approval from
their family to yours for life kelsey chev dot com.
Biggest move of the Bengals offseason took place today. Bengals
have signed punter Ryan Rico to a two year contract extension.
He'll be a second year player this year. Had a

(30:10):
nice year in his rookie season. He is gross punting
average and net average each set Bengals season single records
and led all rookies in twenty twenty four. Ryan Rico
had a good year and back signing with the team
two year contract extension. I was about to say David Bell.

(30:32):
David Bell did not announce this today. He's not the
manager of the Reds anymore. It's Terry Francona, Tito, Tito.
Terry Francona, the Hall of Famer. Tito announced today that
Hunter Green and Graham Ashcraft will get the ball on Saturday,
when the Reds play a pair of Cactus League games,
one against the Guardians, the other against the Milwaukee Brewers.
College Trips. Tonight, Xavier battles Butler. This is Xavier's got

(30:56):
to win out. I think that's the I think that's
the logic we're all going by. They've got to win out,
which includes a win over Creighton. First things first, a
winover Butler. That modest team has won three straight games.
Eight o'clock is tonight's tip off. The game is live
on seven hundred WLW. Also this evening, Miami is at
Eastern Michigan. He goes sports headlines, Awesome stuff from Pat.

(31:19):
Pat Noonan has become one of my favorite people to
talk with. By the way, just a couple of things
really quick. So we talked yesterday on the show. The
UC baseball team wins two out of three at Duke.
They're now nationally ranked. Mo, you got to do something.
You got to have someone on tomorrow. We are going
to have Jordan Bischel at some point tomorrow, and we

(31:43):
may have one of the players, if not tomorrow, perhaps
on Thursday. I am off on Friday, so we've got
to condense everything. But yes, we love Jordan Bischel. Love
Jordan Bischel. You know's there's a part of this whole
thing with what the Bengals are doing financially where they're
damned if they do and damned if they don't. If
they were to just let t Higgins walk without tagging

(32:08):
him and without trying to re sign him, they would
be called cheap, and if they just moved on from
Trey Hendrickson at the end of this coming season, or
even if they traded him, they would be called cheap instead.
It certainly looks like the intention is to at least

(32:29):
negotiate with T Higgins. Now that obviously doesn't guarantee that
a deal gets done. It doesn't mean give tea whatever
he wants. It means negotiate. And the Bengals have negotiated
before with players and not gotten anything done, maybe most
notably last summer with Jamar Chase. Like this doesn't mean
give these guys a blank check. I mean, to a degree,

(32:52):
not to get too off topic here, to a degree,
you kind of have to take some of these guys
at their word, right, Like Joe Burrow has spent now
lobbying for the Bengals to bring back these guys, and
he has talked about contract flexibility and some of the
salary cap gymnastics you can go through and all that stuff,
and T Higgins has stated, I want to stay in Cincinnati.

(33:13):
So if you're putting stock into those things, then you
believe that keeping T Higgins is not just about giving
him a blank check, but it's about a negotiation that
will accomplish what Tea looks to accomplish, which is long
term security, and also give the Bengals a little bit
more financial flexibility than they would have if they just
handed the guy a blank check.

Speaker 3 (33:34):
But you know how this works.

Speaker 4 (33:37):
If they were to just let these guys go, they're
going to be called cheap. They're not letting them go,
And so the questions now become about, well, does this
make sense? Is this really a responsible way to build
a roster? Like let's be very clear about this. Ideally,
the Bengals would have more difficult decisions than they do

(34:00):
about t Higgins because ideally they have a lot of
players returning from this past season's team that you either
want to keep and continue.

Speaker 3 (34:12):
To pay or pay more to. Like what the Bengals
are doing.

Speaker 4 (34:16):
Is it might be ideal for what they are, but
what they are is not ideal. It would be great
if they didn't have to completely rebuild their defense.

Speaker 3 (34:26):
It would be.

Speaker 4 (34:27):
Great if you were looking at a player like let's
say Cam Taylor Britt a nice player at times, but
a dude who got bench last year, a guy that
I'm not sure what he is. He's played three NFL seasons.
I don't know if he can be a CB one.
I don't know if he's a CB two. I don't
know if he's a guy that you want to give
a long term contract.

Speaker 3 (34:47):
I have no idea. There's way too many guys like that.

Speaker 4 (34:51):
Where they are is to a large degree a product
of their own failures, their own failures to draft, their
own failures to sign good fore agents, their own failures
to win. Like they are right now is not really
where you want to be. You want the decisions to
be more difficult instead. To me, it's pretty easy. I

(35:14):
only have so many good players, Let's keep them, even
if there's a high concentration of those players in one
particular area of the team. This comes back to what
we were talking about at the top of the show.
The twenty one to twenty two draft classes not good.
Jamar Chase obviously good. Evan McPherson pretty good, although last

(35:35):
year had a pretty uneven season. Beyond that, nobody. Unfortunately,
the twenty twenty four Bengals did not have enough good players. Unfortunately,
the free agents added to that team are guys that
you're I think pretty ready to move on from. No

(35:55):
real long term foundational pieces they have drafted recently don't
look like they're primed to hit it big financially. They
don't have a lot of difficult financial decisions to make.
You might argue their most difficult decision to make is
what to do with Sam Hubbard, who's stunk last year.

(36:17):
This is why they're doing this. There aren't enough good players.

Speaker 5 (36:25):
Like that.

Speaker 4 (36:26):
That's why they are where. That's why they are doing
what they are doing. By now, wouldn't you love to go,
you know what, man, long term Joseph Aside, that's a
guy you want to give a second contract too.

Speaker 8 (36:35):
Can't.

Speaker 4 (36:37):
Wouldn't you love to be saying, man, you know what,
fifth year option coming up for Dax Hill. We gotta
start thinking about him long term, can't. Wouldn't you love
to look at Cam Taylor brid It sounds like I'm
picking on him because I've mentioned him multiple times and go,
you know what, that's a dude, that's second contract for Cam?

Speaker 5 (36:52):
Can't.

Speaker 4 (36:55):
Wouldn't you love to be thinking about Miles Murphy for
the rest of the decade. I'm not sure I'm ready
to think about Miles Murphy next year. Can't do that?
Wouldn't you love to be looking at Cordell Volson going,
you know what, that guy's been with the team for
a couple of years. That's a guy second contract for him,
can't there's nobody That's why they're doing what they're doing.

(37:18):
The idea moving forward is to maybe make some of
these decisions a little bit more difficult. And so I
think what happens is when when folks around the country
see this, they they know Tea, they know Jamar, they
know Joe, they may assume that there's a lot of
other guys that the Bengals either need to keep or
want to keep. No, they're about to cut loose I

(37:39):
think maybe fifty million dollars worth of players and then
have to figure out how to replace them. It sounds rough.
If plan B is you have Jamar, Chason t Higgins,
and Trey Hendrickson on your team moving forward, that's not
a bad place to be, but ideally the decisions are

(37:59):
a lot more difficult. It's again I brought this up before.
It's not that dissimilar from Joe Mixon a few years ago,
where I thought it was pretty obvious sign the guy
four years forty.

Speaker 3 (38:09):
Eight mil running back or no, sign.

Speaker 4 (38:12):
The guy because you don't have any good players, don't
have anybody else to pay, don't have anybody else that
you're dying to keep, don't have anybody else that you're
worried about getting away and making more money elsewhere, didn't
have anybody else that you were dying to get to
a second contract with. Now you could argue, well, this
would be a little bit different had they kept Jesse
Bates fair, you know, then you'd have another a lister

(38:34):
on your team with a large dollar attached to his name.
But they don't or they are right now, what they're
doing with T. Higgins is has as much to do
with what they don't have, is what T. Higgins does
do and what Joe Burrow has said. By the way,
I think what Joe Burrow has often said is based
on his assessment of the roster, going, all right, we
gotta pay any of those guys on defense, anybody in

(38:56):
the second area, were dying to keep anybody over there,
we're giving a second contract to how about on the
defensive line, how about on the offensive line.

Speaker 3 (39:04):
There's nowhere else.

Speaker 4 (39:08):
So your answer really lies with the makeup of the
roster over the last couple of years. The bad drafting
and the poor free agency results. Now those things have
to change. There's never been more of a premium on

(39:30):
drafting for the Bengals. We keep talking about like the
next three years are enormous for this franchise than they
are and for them to do what we all want
them to do during the next three years. The days
of drafting players that don't help immediately have to be over,
and the days of red shirting first round picks are over.

(39:51):
But why they are where they are and why they're
doing what they're doing. Look no further than last year's team.
Look no further than last years roster. Look no further
than the dollar amounts that some of those players would
be earning had the Bengals brought them back, or if
the Bengals do bring them back. Unfortunately, for me, this

(40:13):
decision is really easy. What to do with t Higgins.
It's not as easy as give him a blank check, necessarily,
but it's pretty simple. I want him on the team
next year, and I don't want to trade Trey Hendrickson
right now because I want to try to win next season.
But I don't have enough good players to pay, so
I'm just gonna pay these dudes and then try to
replace those other players with cheap talent, cheaper free agents

(40:33):
and guys on their rookie contracts. We draft.

Speaker 3 (40:37):
This is why they're doing what they're doing. When you
get that question, it's not that hard.

Speaker 4 (40:41):
Just look at last year's team, look at the twenty
one draft, look at the twenty two draft, and because
of their failures in each one of those, they are
pretty much pushed up against a wall with Joe Burrow
telling them pay T Higgins, pay Trey Hendrickson, and go
ahead and get the Jamar Chase thing done. Whether or
not they do remains to be seen. But moving forward,

(41:05):
hopefully these decisions become a lot more difficult. They're easy now,
and it's the Bengals own fault. Eight away from four o'clock.
Five point three seven four nine, fifteen thirty is our
phone number in eight sixty six seven oh two three
seven seven six. By the way, Bengals maybe are going
to be called selfish for doing with T Higgins what
they're doing. We'll spend a few minutes on that. And

(41:29):
the franchise tag it's going to come up here. Bengals
are going to use it if they can't get a
deal done with tea, and someone will criticize them for
using something that's available to them. We'll spend some time
on that coming up in the five o'clock hour on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 6 (41:44):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from.

Speaker 7 (41:49):
The You See Health Traffic Center. At you See Health,
You See Health dot com. Seventy five southbound before gold
Breath is more refined than the accident with the right
shoulder affected two seventy five westbounded Blue Rocket crash seventy

(42:10):
five north bomb Buttermilk Pike to twelfth filling in and
we're seeing delays on seventy five at the Kentucky Indiana
state line with a right lane shutdown about a seven
minute delay by Rick Shrimp with tracks.

Speaker 3 (42:23):
Entered this nationwide keyword on our website.

Speaker 8 (42:25):
Cash, that's cash, Enter it now.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
Cash fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (42:30):
Sorry, got a little ahead of myself. Hi, four oh four,
ESPN thirteen thirty one o eggerm thank you for listening.
Hopefully you're having an awesome Tuesday, the greatest Tuesday of
all time. We are guests free this hour. All sorts
are room for you, and I.

Speaker 3 (42:48):
Huh yeah, uh.

Speaker 4 (42:51):
Years ago I planted a flag, not literally, I refuse
to pull it out of the ground. I will make
that makes sense coming up here in just a bit.
It's also getting ready for a new Red season. A
lot of excitement, right, it should be a lot of excitement.
I'm pumped up for this year. Terry Francona, Hunter Green,

(43:11):
Ellie Tayler Cruz, Matt McClain, like, there's there's lots of
reasons for optimism, and yet I find myself asking the
same question I've been asking for a while about this team.
We'll tell you what that question is coming up in
in just about thirty minutes.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
We are thrilled that you're with us today.

Speaker 4 (43:29):
Five point three seven, four nine, fifteen thirty is the
phone number we've We've obviously spent a lot of time
today and most of the show yesterday talking about t
Higgins and the Bengals, and they are right now. And
part of it is there's just not a lot of
other stuff going on. The franchise tag window, by the way,
is officially opened. It opened five minutes ago at four o'clock,

(43:53):
And so the Bengals could theoretically announce today that they
are applying the franchise tag to T. Higgins. Nobody expects
them to do it that way. I think the expectation
is the Bengals try to get a long term deal
done and then if they can't apply the tag.

Speaker 3 (44:08):
But they are allowed to do it now.

Speaker 4 (44:11):
And because of the story that came out yesterday from
our guy James or Pen they are I think fair
to say at this moment the most talked about NFL
team because what they are doing is interesting. What they
are doing may work, what they are doing may blow
up in their faces. What they are doing is seismic

(44:34):
if you understand this franchise's history of rigidity and stubbornness,
and if you believe that for months on end, they're
intent with T. Higgins was to let him walk at
the end of the season, and now they're open to
signing him long term. That's a departure from what we're
used to with the Cincinnati Bengals. Some may call what

(44:57):
the Bengals are doing self mush. That's an interesting word, selfish.
I don't know Taran, What is this from? What are we?
What are we about to listen to? I know we're
gonna hear Chad O Joe Cinco, Chad Johnson is this?
What is this from?

Speaker 5 (45:13):
Him?

Speaker 3 (45:13):
And Shannon Sharp?

Speaker 8 (45:14):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (45:15):
Night cap all right?

Speaker 4 (45:16):
So this is uh Ja Chad Johnson weighing in on
what the Bengals are maybe gonna do or are hoping
to do with t Higgins.

Speaker 9 (45:27):
You see you see what I mean now now Mama
if Mama Tweed, I know Mama Higgin has been listening
to what I've been saying my Bengals fans.

Speaker 4 (45:35):
I know you in here.

Speaker 3 (45:36):
I love you. I love y'all.

Speaker 4 (45:38):
I love you.

Speaker 9 (45:39):
But we can't be selfish in this instant when it
comes to business.

Speaker 4 (45:43):
We can't be selfish.

Speaker 3 (45:44):
Yes, we would love to.

Speaker 9 (45:45):
Keep the band together. We would love to keep the
band together, like new addition, we want to keep him together.
But it is unfair for Joe to get his money.
It's unfair because Chase or we can't play with him.
We need every brink truck, every Brink truck coming down

(46:06):
to pay Course Stadium to pay Jamar Chase not for
what he's done, but what you can continue to do
for the foresee of the future.

Speaker 4 (46:15):
T Higgins deserves his money as well.

Speaker 9 (46:18):
I don't know, he's not going to be able to
get what he's worth if he stays in Cincinnati.

Speaker 4 (46:24):
He has to be want.

Speaker 9 (46:25):
To take a pay cut. Why does he have to
be wanting to take less? Not only your correct you
don't do that. You get people, you get teams, the
home team discount on the second, maybe the third. You
have to get as much as you can on your
first one. And for te to get what he deserves,
it can't be in Cincinnati. And this is coming from
someone that loves my bangos down to the core.

Speaker 4 (46:49):
All right, So there you go. He was referencing t
Higgins mom, I will be I will be honest with you.
I follow a lot of folks on social media. I
don't follow that many athletes. I don't follow. I only
follow one athlete's mom and it's Tarry Easan's mom because
when he was here playing for the Bearcats, she would

(47:09):
tweet out interesting things and she follows me. I don't
follow a lot of athletes mothers. So I guess she
tweeted last night quote selfish bastards and then when she
was approached by a fan on social media saying, hey,
are you pissed? She made it known that no, I'm not,
so do what you want with that. Look, man, the

(47:33):
Bengals have an obligation to themselves. They have an obligation
to themselves to do what they think is right by themselves.

Speaker 3 (47:41):
They may screw it up. They often have. T.

Speaker 4 (47:44):
Higgins is caught in a really peculiar situation. He was
the only player last year who was franchise tagged who
did not get a contract extension. Would he have gotten
one of Jamar Chase? Was it his teammate? Probably? He
is in an extraord ordinarily peculiar, weird situation, And one
might argue unenviable situation. Now, if the worst thing that

(48:09):
happens to you, if your T. Higgins is you get
a twenty percent raise in twenty twenty five and you
play for just north of twenty six million dollars and
you get to catch passes from Joe Burrow and you
get to play with Jamar Chase, well then that's pretty good.

Speaker 3 (48:23):
But sure I.

Speaker 4 (48:24):
Could understand the disappointment if you're a tea and you've
been thinking all along, man, I just want to get
to free agency. I just want to hit the open market.
I just want to see what else is out there.
By the way, if it is if it is the
non exclusive tag, he can still talk with other teams.
I think you're being reasonable if you wonder which teams
will sign t Higgins at the expense of two first

(48:45):
round picks, which is what they would have to give
the Bengals. But nonetheless he still has a chance. But
I do I understand, man, You've worked your entire life
to get to free agency. You've worked your entire life
to get to a point where you are at the
top of the market, and you can go and see
what else is out there and pick where you want
to play and maybe make more money than you ever
thought possible, perhaps be the highest paid wide receiver in

(49:09):
the sport. I don't think that would be the case,
but maybe. And now the Bengals are effectively telling you
we're not gonna let you do that, or we're gonna
let you do that, but not until we're taking care
of first. You know what tough like the Bengals obligation
is to themselves, and I think you know you have
a good faith obligation to Tee Higgins to actually sit

(49:30):
down and negotiate with him and not just franchise tagg him,
but this idea that we've got to let t go
and do what he wants because he has deserved it.
That's that's a rule issue. That's a union issue. That's
a collective bargaining agreement issue. That's not a Bengals issue.
It's not Mike Brown's fault. That's not Duke Tobin's fault.
It's nobody's fault. It's it's a weird set of circumstances.

(49:52):
It's a bizarre set of circumstances. It's a set of
circumstances that you really can't find that many examples of
of in the history of this league. You got two
guys play the same position, right, one dude is considered,
if not the best, among the handful of best, and
the other guy just are rung below. Salaries for wide

(50:14):
receivers have skyrocketed. On any other team, they have already
probably signed him. He's not on any other team. He
happens to be on Wilma Jamar Chase. It's weird from
that standpoint, from the standpoint of team not being able
to hit free agency, maybe it's unfortunate Bengals have an
obligation to themselves to do what they think is right

(50:34):
by their team and play by the rules. The rules
say you could tag a guy. The rules say you
could tag a guy twice. The tag rules have certain stipulations.
The Bengals are using a mechanism that is there, that
is provided to them, that the Players Association has signed
off on. It's not the Bengals being selfish. It's not
the Bengals doing wrong by t Higgins. It's the Bengals

(50:55):
doing right by themselves. They are protecting themselves. So we're
either a sign tea long term or where not we
keep them for a year, or we can trade him
and get him a lot of return or get a
lot of return for him, or he can sign elsewhere
and we get made whole by getting the two first
round picks. Bengals are taking care of themselves. You could
take issue with whether or not they should have negotiated

(51:18):
with them last year once they tagged them. You could
take issue with whether or not this is really the
best way to build a roster. You could find fault
with them for not getting a deal done with Jamar
Chase last summer, and I will you could debate the
validity of paying Trey Hendrickson beyond his age thirty one season.
What I don't think you can do is blame the
Bengals for using mechanisms that are available to them to

(51:41):
do what they think is right by them. They don't
owe T Higgins anything. They don't. That sounds harsh, sounds mean.
He's a marvelous player and by every account a terrific guy.
But the Bengals are using what's available to them to
protect themselves and take here themselves. I don't know that

(52:02):
it's gonna work. None of us do. That's the beauty
of it. But they're not being selfish here. NFL teams
that they're being selfish should be selfish. Take care of yourself,
not the player. That sounds harsh, And I'm the pro player,
pro labor guy saying that the obligation is to yourself
and what is best for your team to accomplish winning

(52:25):
a championship. And if that stifles T Higgins a little bit, sorry,
T should take it up with his union. T should
take it up with the people who have allowed NFL
teams for decades now to use the franchise tag. Look
man philosophically, I'm all about player movement. I don't want

(52:47):
mechanisms in place, the restrict movement. I don't want a
salary cap. But we do have those things. It's a
mechanism the team could use to do what they think
is best to themselves, best for themselves. There's nothing wrong
with that. It's not being selfish, it's being smart. I mean,
think of the five different options available here. If you're

(53:09):
the Bengals right now with t we can sign him
long term. That's good. We can franchise tag him and
have him play for us for a year. If we
can't get a deal done, Okay, maybe that's not the
most ideal, but okay, we can franchise tag him and
trade him and maybe get a lot in return. Or
we can franchise tag them, let them negotiate, and if

(53:31):
we don't match the offer from another team, we get
two first rounders. Those are four choices. The fifth choice
is we let him hit free agency and he gets
away for nothing. That would be irresponsible, that would be
organizational malpractice compared to the other four options. That would

(53:52):
be the one you criticize them for. All Right, so
you can franchise tag this guy, which gives you a
chance to negotiate with him almost exclusively and would effectively
guarantee that he plays for you unless you trade him.
You could do that where you could let him walk
in free agency. Are you kidding me? That would be

(54:13):
the one to get mad at. Wait a minute, you're
just gonna let this dude go. You're just gonna let
him walk. The Bengals are taking care of themselves. And yes, man,
not that I can relate to t Higgins, none of
us can, but you can.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
I have some.

Speaker 4 (54:27):
Degree of empathy with a guy who has been trying
to get to this point in his career. It's almost
there and it's taken away and unsure them some level.
That sucks. But them's the rules. Those are also the circumstances.
By the way, Ta has benefited from the circumstances that
have had him catching passes from Joe Burrow and playing
alongside Jamar Chase. It says not the Bengals being selfish,

(54:50):
it's the Bengals being prudent. It's the Bengals being somewhat resourceful.
Is it great for the player? Maybe not? Is it unfair?
It would be unfair if we're against the rules. It's
not against the rules. I love Chad Johnson, who doesn't
love t Higgins who doesn't What the Bengals are doing

(55:10):
here is not wrong. It's not wrong by the player,
it's not wrong by them, and that's what matters most.
Seventeen minutes after four o'clock, you are welcome to disagree.
At five, one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty.

Speaker 3 (55:24):
We've done the.

Speaker 4 (55:25):
Topic in the past of like flags you've planted in sports,
one that I have planted for years. I'll plant it again.

Speaker 2 (55:34):
Next Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (55:40):
Traffic from the You See Health traffic center. At You
Expect more. You See Health dot com break down on
seventy four west bound cleaves Hamilton to choose seventy five.
We have chose seventy five. A blue rock with an accident?
How many one to know about it? Stewart accident on

(56:02):
the right shoulder, manned to seventy five southbound before gaul
Breath delays back to Shepherd and in the tri stateing
number of roadways shutdown because of the flooding. I'm Rick
Repp with traffic.

Speaker 4 (56:11):
For this is ESPN fifteen thirty. I said, as if
I was unsure of myself, we got to get to
a poll question here on X or Twitter, I mostly
still call it Twitter. Ad moleggar thanks to United Heartland
Insurance go to uhi ands dot com. I had one

(56:34):
or two other things Bengals related to get to Seth Davis,
who is on CBS used to be with the Athletic
Rights for on three in addition to a handful of
other outlets, has lobbied on a couple of different columns
for the NCAA tournament to expand this. On the heels
of finding out the NCAA was meeting with broadcast partners

(56:54):
to flesh out the idea. I am an open minded,
flexible person, like not physically flexible, but like emotionally and
mentally flexible. I change my mind. Sometimes I will feel
one way, and then I can be persuaded to think
a different way. Like I think that's how normal human
beings operate. Not that I'm really a normal human being,

(57:16):
but I think you catch my point. There are many
things that I have thought I believed in that. It
turns out, with the benefit of information or time or perspective,
I change my mind on that list is never going
to be expanding the NCAA tournament.

Speaker 3 (57:34):
Ever.

Speaker 4 (57:36):
I know this is a big thing right now, which
tells me it's probably going to happen and we're going
to expand to seventy two or seventy six. There's a
couple of things about this. Number One, what we have
now is pretty damn close to perfect. It's not perfect.
Nothing in life is. It's maybe the closest thing we

(57:57):
have to perfection in sports, the run up to it,
championship week, tournament itself, play in. Maybe I'm the only
person that feels that way. It's pretty damn close to perfect.
Number Two, we don't need more basketball teams that aren't
very good playing in the championship event. College football playoff

(58:17):
has expanded in football, which is great, right, and some
of those teams aren't necessarily going to be championship caliber.
Nobody thought Indiana was going to win the whole thing,
but they weren't. An underwhelming, underachieving team. Neither was SMU
might not have been as good as Ohio State or
Oregon or Notre Dame. But we didn't allow underachieving, underwhelming

(58:40):
teams in even in the expanded era or the era
of the expanded playoff, there are teams that make the
tournament now is at larges that are pretty underwhelming. Look, man,
I'm as big a Bearcat fan as you will find.
This isn't a great team. If they make the tournament, awesome,
I'll be excited. Do we need more teams with that profile?

(59:03):
And by the way, right now they're on the outside
looking in, and frankly, I don't think would be close
if it was election Sunday. Forget your rooting interest here
for a second. Do we need more teams like that?
And by the way, the added teams are likely going
to come from the Big ten, the SEC, Big twelve,
et cetera. They're not going to be small guys from
no name conferences. It's also something like we've we keep

(59:30):
expanding postseasons. We've expanded the NFL postseason, We've expanded the
Major League Baseball postseason, we've expanded the NBA postseason. I
at least like what they've done there with creating the
play in tournament, but still number one, we continue to
water down regular seasons number two, I'm not sure we're

(59:51):
creating that many more really good games. How many first
round playoff series do you remember in baseball from last October?
How many added wild card games have we gotten in
the NFL that have turned out to be really good?
How much more water down of the regular seasons. I'm

(01:00:16):
it wasn't in favor of it in baseball, but Baseball
sort of rope the rope a dope dust a little
bit because they threatened to expand to seven and then
very briefly to eight, which is what they did during
the COVID year, and they softened the blow by well,
we're just going to do six. Football has given us

(01:00:36):
a seventh playoff team per conference. Those teams are typically
very underwhelming. We're not creating very good games, watering down
the regular season more or allowing more underwhelming or mediocre
teams into the championship event. And I don't know. You're
always going to find those people who just will say, well,

(01:00:57):
it's it's more football, or it's more baseball, or in
the case it's more basketball. I think more of something
good is good, more of something that's not good is counterproductive,
more of teams that aren't very good playing in teams,
playing in games that are a part of your championship event.
Make your championship event a little less special. They're probably

(01:01:22):
gonna do it, and you know we'll all survive, make
our brackets. I mean, it's very few of us are
gonna walk away, but there are very few like stances
I take where I'm like, damn it, this is my flag.

Speaker 3 (01:01:34):
I'm planning it and I'm not moving it.

Speaker 4 (01:01:35):
This tournament expansion would be And by the way, I
didn't feel this way when they expanded it to sixty
eight because I like how they did it. It was
four games those first two nights in Dayton. That's sort
of what the appetite for the main course that comes
on Thursday. I think this would go overboard, and it
feels like it's gonna happen, and Seth Davis and others

(01:01:58):
have made the arguments for it. Coaches are always gonna
like it. I think if you were to think, if
you were to poll, most fans like, there's just certain
things there's not a huge appetite for.

Speaker 3 (01:02:11):
I believe this is one.

Speaker 4 (01:02:13):
I don't think there was a huge appetite for an
added postseason team in baseball. By the way, the added
potseason team in baseball's a bailout for big market clubs.
I don't think there's a huge appetite for this, but
I feel like we're gonna get it. And again, like
college football playoff, the expansion to twelve and maybe to
fourteen or sixteen, you have made more fans feel like

(01:02:34):
their team has access to.

Speaker 3 (01:02:36):
The championship, which is the beauty of it.

Speaker 4 (01:02:40):
I think regardless of which college football team you root for,
you feel like your team has access to the championship event.
I don't think that was the case the old way,
with four teams or with two teams in the BCS.
It feels like now, regardless of who you root for,
you feel like your team can make the playoff, which
means you have access to the event. I think college

(01:03:02):
basketball fans have already felt that way. I think we
feel that way right now. So we'll see. But this
is the flag eye plant. I'm not pulling it out.
Five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty. We'll take
some phone calls after sports headlines on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 2 (01:03:20):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (01:03:25):
Traffic from the U see Health Traffic Center. At you
Expect more. You see Health dot com. Seventy one north bound.
It's Stewart accident town. The right shoulder delays the Norwood lateral.
We have a seventy four westbound from Cleaves, Hamilton to

(01:03:46):
two seventy five. Breakdown in the clearing stages, so traffic
is recovering two seventy five. This is at Taylor Mill
Road with breakdown on the left shoulder and so downs
on seventy five southbound before gold Broke Forth an accident town.
The right can suckin right for traffic. This report is
sponsored by.

Speaker 4 (01:04:03):
Robert Blines Are a service of Kelsey Chevrolet, home of
lifetime power train protection and guaranteed credit approval from their
family to yours Life Kelsey chef dot Com. Bengals signed
Ryan Rico to a two year contract extension. They've effectively
bought out the rest of the years that he was
under team control for lack of a better way of
putting it. A two year deal through the twenty twenty

(01:04:25):
six season. Meanwhile, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Andy Dalton
said to sign a two year contract to stay with
the Carolina Panthers and back up Bryce Young, a deal
that'll pay him at least six million bucks over the
next two years and at most ten million bucks over
the next two years for the former Bengal QB. Meanwhile,

(01:04:46):
Terry Francona today announced that Hunter Green and Graham Ashcraft
will pitch on Saturday in the Ruds Cactus League. I
did not see. I'm sure this is out there, but
by note taking sucks. They're going to play the Guardian
game the Brewers in one game. I didn't see where
Terry said Who's going to pitch against whom? But does
it matter? Probably not college rooms. Tonight, Xavier is hosting

(01:05:09):
Butler at eight o'clock on seven hundred WLW Musketeers taking
on a Bulldogs team that has won three straight games.
Tonight's games on a streaming service just Fyi streaming service.
It's on Peacock Tonight. Ye Peacock. I relented and got
a Peacock subscription.

Speaker 3 (01:05:31):
Welcome, Thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:05:33):
Also, tonight, Miami is at Eastern I'm not getting any more, Okay,
I got Peacock, I got Netflix, got ESPN Plus, got
Amazon Prime, got Disney Plus. I'm good. I'm done plus
NBA League Pass like I'm I'm out. No more, No,
I'm done. I'm not doing Hulu. I'm done. Peacock's the

(01:05:55):
last one. I bought Max for a couple of months
because I wanted to watch Hard Knocks. I'm done. By
the way, Pat Noonan was on with us before. Do
we think he's going to bring me back cigars from Honduras?
Do we think that's actually gonna happen?

Speaker 8 (01:06:09):
If not him, somebody who works for long.

Speaker 3 (01:06:11):
FC Cincinnati is playing in Honduras.

Speaker 4 (01:06:15):
I'm the perfect guy.

Speaker 8 (01:06:16):
We'll have him one and tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (01:06:17):
Tommy g he'll smoke them all. Is he joining us
from Honduras before he calls that game tomorrow?

Speaker 8 (01:06:23):
He will? Yes, just wait before time.

Speaker 4 (01:06:25):
Well, let's make sure Tommy knows, because they're gonna fly
back right after the game that the you know, but
bring back a win advance in the Conka CAF Champions Cup.
But I want some cigars. Let's talk to other people
for once. Good God, I've babbled long enough. Sam and Independence,
You're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Good afternoon, Sam.

Speaker 8 (01:06:44):
How are you, Hey, Mo, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3 (01:06:46):
I'm wonderful. What's going on?

Speaker 10 (01:06:49):
Well, I am calling about the Bengals, but I do
want to make one quick comment. I agree with your
flag on the NCAA tournament because when you look at
the teams that would get in under a seventy tournament,
the team's on the bubble right now according to someone
I forget who did it, but would be Indiana and

(01:07:10):
North Carolina, who are both fourteen and ten.

Speaker 4 (01:07:12):
Right now, right, Yeah, we're talking. I you underwhelming Carolina, underwhelming.
Villanova would be in that mix, you see, and Xavier
would both be in that mix. And again, like, if
you're a fan of one of those teams, you want
to see your team play. But as a general rule,
there's no major appetite to watch those teams play anymore.

Speaker 8 (01:07:30):
No, it's just it's.

Speaker 10 (01:07:32):
There were once big brands, and sure that's good for
the NCAA. But my real comment is about a year ago,
I called in and I told you the Bengals were
going to franchise tag T Higgins for the second straight year.

Speaker 8 (01:07:45):
You did, and.

Speaker 10 (01:07:51):
I guess my question slash comment is, first of all,
I don't think you can be I mean, you can
be mad the Bengals for doing this a second straight
years of actually getting an extension done. But if you're
the Bengals, why would you let t Higgins just walk

(01:08:12):
and get a competitory.

Speaker 8 (01:08:13):
Third next year?

Speaker 3 (01:08:15):
Why would you not?

Speaker 8 (01:08:17):
No? Why would you? Why? Why would they?

Speaker 10 (01:08:19):
We complain about the Bengals letting talent out the door
all the time, so we can't be mad when they
tagged the Higgins again.

Speaker 4 (01:08:24):
Correct, No, you're you're You're absolutely right, And I think
that's part of what drives this conversation. Joe Burrow has
talked about it himself. We can't be the team that
continues to let really good players leave because a lot
of good players have left and they haven't been able
to replace them.

Speaker 3 (01:08:38):
You're you're absolutely right. I you know.

Speaker 4 (01:08:40):
I think the major difference between this year and last
year is last year they tagged them and then it
felt like they didn't really negotiate with them. Now it
feels like they're going to tag them, but really in
good faith try to get something done long term.

Speaker 8 (01:08:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (01:08:55):
I think the change agent might have reflected that at
that Now Cheagemar have the same agent negotiating both both
their contracts with Duke and Troy at the same time.

Speaker 8 (01:09:05):
Yep, But I it's it's.

Speaker 10 (01:09:10):
You will not find Eddie will Well. I'm sure you will,
but you'll will find few people have been more critical
of the Brown Blackburn running of this team for thirty
years than me.

Speaker 5 (01:09:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (01:09:22):
But and so I understand just the cynicism behind it.
But I don't think this is unfair to Higgins too.
He's even if let's say the Bengals don't extend him,
which I think they will now he still gets twenty
six point seven million out of the Bengals for one year.

Speaker 3 (01:09:42):
It's a raise.

Speaker 8 (01:09:43):
Yep. So I it's it just seems.

Speaker 10 (01:09:50):
Weird to me that a lot of this is I mean, like,
this is the NFL rules.

Speaker 8 (01:09:56):
Say the Bengals can do this.

Speaker 10 (01:09:58):
They're not breaking the rules, They're not be being bad
or malicious.

Speaker 8 (01:10:03):
But again, I'm.

Speaker 10 (01:10:08):
Just be fuddled that people are at the Bengals for
doing not what they did for twenty five years. We
were mad when they let Bates walk. We were mad
when they let Justin Smith walk. We were mad when
they let Andrew Whitworth Andrew Whitworth. Yeah, Whitworth, Kevin Zeitwer,
so many guys, talented guys walked, So why wouldn't you

(01:10:32):
want the Bengals to do whatever they can within the
rules to keep talent here and maybe do the one
thing they haven't done, and that's win something.

Speaker 4 (01:10:40):
And also you will find people who have said from
the get go, you know the Bengals are eventually going
to alienate Joe Burrow and put him in a position
where he forces their hand and.

Speaker 3 (01:10:51):
Asks to leave.

Speaker 4 (01:10:52):
And maybe that still happens, but what they're doing would
fly in the face of that, because to me, what
would make Joe Burrow and closer toward wanting to leave
one day would be them doing the opposite of what
he asks. And instead they're doing almost precisely what he
has demanded they do. They're playing into the hands of
a guy that a lot of people still believe is

(01:11:13):
going to get so upset with this team that he
eventually forces his way out. You can't criticize them for that, No.

Speaker 8 (01:11:19):
I don't think you can.

Speaker 10 (01:11:20):
It's and this all started back in December November, whenever
they beat the Cowboys on Monday Night Football and Joe
Burrows to strap tells Paul Dayer Junior, completely unprompted. E.
I think T Higgins will be back with this team
in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 8 (01:11:38):
Yeah, and we can we can make it work.

Speaker 4 (01:11:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (01:11:41):
And then suddenly there's an agent change and there's conversations.
So can the Bengals still screw up? Yes, They've screwed
up many, many times, and they will in the future,
because again it's what they do. But no, I don't.
The Bengals are keeping arguably the biggest star they've ever

(01:12:03):
had on this team happy, and I don't think that's
a bad thing.

Speaker 3 (01:12:07):
No, not in the least.

Speaker 4 (01:12:09):
And Joe will have to answer for the results if
he doesn't achieve the results we all want him and
the team to achieve. But in the short term, you know,
you mentioned what he said after the Cowboys game. We're
not even into the offseason yet, you know, so much
of what Joe has said has been you know, him
intimating that there's a way to get all of this done.

(01:12:30):
He has given us some surface level answers as to
what that may or may not look like. Well, let's
see how the off season unfolds in relation to what
he is specifically willing to do. Contractually what T Higgins
is specifically willing to do contractually, and even Jamar Chase
and T Higgins what they're willing to be able to
do contractually. And maybe we'll find out at the end

(01:12:52):
of all this that when Joe started talking in early December,
he really was speaking from a place of information in
knowing that between what I do, what my teammates do,
and what the front office does, we're going to be
able to do this and do it in a way
that sets up the front office to be able to
do what it needs to do with the rest of
the roster.

Speaker 8 (01:13:12):
Yes, and.

Speaker 10 (01:13:15):
Again it's the thing the Bengals can do that. For example,
Joe Burrow said this past week that the Philadelphia Eagles
model works. And what do the Eagles do. They have
a quarterback that's paid over fifty million dollars a year,
like Joe Burrow is. They have a wide receiver who
makes thirty million about what Jamar Chase will get in

(01:13:35):
aj Brown, And they have a wide receiver makes about
twenty twenty six to twenty eight million year Devonte Smith
was what T Higgins could reasonably get. Like other teams
make this work, the Bengals can make this work and
still pay stars on defense because we've seen Philadelphia do it.

Speaker 4 (01:13:54):
Yeah, and what a Super Bowl doing it and paid
a running back at the same time, and paid a
running back a lot of money, which you know, that's
my personal thing is you shouldn't pay running backs, but
I guess yeah. Look, the Eagles model worked for all
the reasons you just outlined because they had Devontae Smith
and AJ Brown. They acquired AJ Brown from the Titans

(01:14:15):
and paid them. They've paid Davontae Smith, They've paid Jalen Hurts.
They've also been awesome at drafting and really good when
it comes to acquiring free agents on the cheap. And
if this team gets good at that, then maybe we
could expect similar results. If this team doesn't get good
at that, then what they do is not going to work.
I think it simply comes down to that if they
get good at acquiring, developing, utilizing, identifying and keeping inexpensive talent,

(01:14:43):
this will work. If not, it's going to blow up
in their face.

Speaker 10 (01:14:47):
I agree, look what the Eagles did with Just look
at the Eagles defense. Neither Quinian, Mitchell, Cooper, Dejen the
Kobe Dean were all those guys were second round pick.

Speaker 8 (01:15:00):
Mm hmmm, yeah, and that.

Speaker 10 (01:15:03):
Exactly was a cheap free agent, one year deal.

Speaker 3 (01:15:06):
He was a cheap free agent.

Speaker 4 (01:15:07):
McKay. Beckton was a cheap free agent and again, like you,
not all those guys are. They also signed Devin Smith
and that didn't work out. You're not going to bat
a thousand, but you you have to nail it on.
You're not gonna be able to do what you did
in twenty twenty one, which was throw a bunch of
money at the defense. Now you're gonna have to make
smart free agency signings. You're you're not gonna be able
to have the free agent class the Bengals had this year,
which gave them nothing. And you're gonna have to start

(01:15:29):
getting players in the draft that can provide instant dividends.
And that hasn't happened. If that doesn't change, this isn't
gonna work. If it does change, I think it's gonna work,
and I think it's gonna work with great results.

Speaker 3 (01:15:40):
Sam, good to talk to you, man, Thanks so much.

Speaker 8 (01:15:42):
Thanks Bill.

Speaker 4 (01:15:43):
It's uh, you know, at times you're sort of like
you know, you're you're you could be a victim of
like your brand, you know, I'm trying to think of it,
like the best way to put this, the Bengals brand
isn't great. Organizationally, the brand isn't great, and so they

(01:16:05):
try something and it's destined to fail. A team with
a better brand and one that has cultivated a brand,
with a guy like Howie Roseman, will they try it
and boy, it's genius. It's creative. Like that's it's a
part of it is the Bengals are taking some and look,
there are legitimate questions on the surface level here why

(01:16:26):
are they doing this here in Cincinnati. I think we
know why they're doing this because the roster is just
not very good because they haven't done a very good
job drafting. But I think some of what is being
aimed at the Bengals from around the country is just
a result of the brand that they have built. And
until that changes, there's always going to be, at its

(01:16:49):
most mild skepticism about the Bengals and at its most harsh,
legitimate criticism about how they do business. The Philadelphia Eagles did,
it's not that different from what the Bengals are trying
to do. Aj Brown and Devonte Smith were two of

(01:17:09):
the top eleven highest paid wide receivers in the sport.
They did the appropriate salary cap gymnastics that hopefully the
Bengals do this offseason. They have paid Jalen Hurts, they
paid Saquon Barkley. They also had two guys who were
finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Made smart acquisitions

(01:17:29):
on defense, smart acquisitions on the offensive line. They were
really good at drafting, so hired a really good head
coach who then at the end of last season brought
in two new coordinators. It was a little bit of everything,
but the roster building was not that dissimilar. It's not
apples to apples, but not that dissimilar. They didn't go

(01:17:49):
bargain basement at wide receiver. They certainly haven't gone bargain
basement at quarterback. It's thirteen away from five o'clock. I
guess I'll ask a different question coming up at five
oh five on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 6 (01:18:02):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from the You.

Speaker 7 (01:18:08):
See Health Traffic Center. At You See Health, you'll find
comprehensive care that's so personal it makes your best tomorrow possible.
That's boundless care for better outcomes, expect more. You seehealth
dot Com, Gosh and Advice. Seventy five north bounded Davis
Object Here it's some furniture roadway and we have the
accenter time. Seventy one south north bound at Stewart the

(01:18:29):
last to Northwood lateral, seventy five south of gall Breadth
crash on the right shoulder being cleaned up, and seventy
five heavy between Mitchell and Paddock on the north bound side.
My Rick remp with traffic.

Speaker 3 (01:18:39):
This report is sponsors is ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (01:18:42):
My name is Mowgor. Thank you so much for listening today.
Much appreciate it. Let's see, there's not a lot of
hard news from a goodyear today. The Red's going through
another day of workouts, getting said for the two games
on Saturday against the Guardians and the Brewers. Hunter Green
is going to pitch one game, Graham Ashcraft the other.

(01:19:06):
It's been it's been fun listening to all the talk
of new vibe and every year I roll my eyes
at that sort of stuff. I'm not doing that this year.
I I think there's a lot of validity too that.
I think there's a lot of validity to that, And
I say that based on having a handful of conversations
with people whose opinions I really value. I just I'm

(01:19:31):
asking for this man. You know, as soon as the
season begins, if the Reds are decent, which means hopefully
not hopefully, it means avoiding you know, the one in
nine or the three and fifteen, or you know last
year I think they were sixteen and fourteen through thirty games.

(01:19:54):
But this team's track record over the last decade has
been to be pretty much terrible late March early April,
and then they have to spend like the entire season
getting caught up or trying to catch up from the
hole day dug themselves. It'd be cool to watch the
Reds get off to a cool start, a good start.
It'd be cool to watch the Reds play from ahead.
But as long as they're decent, it won't be long
before we shift the conversation to what are they going

(01:20:16):
to do with the deadline? We've done this now for
a couple of years. What are they going to do
with the deadline? I just have one wish, they're going
to need help at the deadline, even if they're really good, right,
even really good teams go get help.

Speaker 3 (01:20:32):
They're gonna need a corner bat.

Speaker 4 (01:20:33):
You're gonna need a relief arm, could need a starting pitcher,
like they're going to need maybe just somebody coming off
the bench.

Speaker 3 (01:20:38):
They're going to need help.

Speaker 4 (01:20:42):
I am begging, begging, and I'm not really sure who
I am begging, but I am begging for the topics
this off season or not this offseason, this summer to
not be well. Do you really want to give up
a big part of the future. I don't think there
is a topic in baseball more overrated. Then if you

(01:21:07):
go for it and try to get something to help
you with the deadline, you might screw up your future.
That would not have been the case two years ago.
Last year they really weren't in it, but they were
two years ago. Like at some point in this franchise,
in the Whatever's next, this next version of the Reds,
there's gonna have to be a time where the organization decides, blanket,

(01:21:33):
we're going for it. Whether it's during the offseason, whether
it's during the trade deadline, there's gonna have to be
a point in time if what they're doing is ever
really going to work, just gonna have to be a
moment where they go screw it.

Speaker 3 (01:21:46):
We're going for it. I want that time to be
this summer.

Speaker 4 (01:21:51):
Hopefully it is back in the tea Higgins after this
five o'clock on moegor ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (01:22:00):
Rent and Refresh now your.

Speaker 1 (01:22:02):
Chance to win one thousand dollars. Enter this nationwide keyword
on our website green Green. That's green Green. Enter it
now Green.

Speaker 2 (01:22:10):
He's found Cincinnati's ESPN.

Speaker 8 (01:22:13):
Ye.

Speaker 4 (01:22:14):
Hey, what's up.

Speaker 3 (01:22:15):
How you doing? Good afternoon? My name's Maul Egar. This
is my radio show. Thank you for listening to it.

Speaker 4 (01:22:22):
I hope you're having an absolutely, astoundingly good Tuesday afternoon.

Speaker 3 (01:22:28):
I almost said Thursday. I hope you're having a good day.

Speaker 4 (01:22:33):
Paul question. I got one a little late in posting it,
and I would have preferred on Twitter. Thanks to our
friends at United Heartland Insurance.

Speaker 3 (01:22:43):
Let me tell you something.

Speaker 4 (01:22:43):
If you own a bar, if you own a restaurant,
you need United Heartland Insurance. They actually have a program
that can help you train your servers or bartenders, your
managers on the responsible service of alcohol. And this could
go a long way toward helping with general liability, help
out with insurance companies learn more at uhins dot com.

(01:23:07):
Vote now the Bengals plan on trying to retain its
trio of stars long term? Is that plan a prudent
or be irresponsible? I think this. I know most of
my followers and listeners are from here in Cincinnati, and
most are Bengals fans. I would imagine if this was

(01:23:29):
like a nationwide thing and I could break it down
across you know, state lines, everybody here in the Tri
State area would go, yeah, prudent, and then everybody outside
of Cincinnati would go irresponsible, like I hear, and I
understand the skepticism that comes from elsewhere, because I think
you could do this very simply and look at it
and go, God, that's a lot of money to pay

(01:23:50):
a handful of guys. That's a lot of money to
pay a handful of guys when two of them play
the same position, and when your quarterback is getting the
money that Joe Burrow is getting. That's a lot of
money concentrated into a handful of players, especially when a
handful of that handful basically is in the same part
of your team throwing the football. I understand it, I

(01:24:12):
really do understand it. But this is easy to digest,
And I think it's easy to understand if you just
take a step back and look at the team. Look
at the roster of the twenty twenty four Bengals. You
saw them, You watched them, a team that finished nine
to eight, that at one point was four and eight,
that had one of the worst defenses in the National

(01:24:34):
Football League, that had an offensive line with holes. Look
at that roster last year's team. How many of those
players do you want to be on this coming year's team.
How many of the free agents they signed for last
year's team do you want to continue to pay this
coming season. How many of the players from last year's

(01:24:57):
team who were drafted by the Bengals were in years
two or three of their professional careers? Are you thinking
as bona fide, surefire long term pieces.

Speaker 3 (01:25:11):
Not that many, right, not that many at all. Let's
do this.

Speaker 4 (01:25:16):
Let's go back and look look at the Bengals twenty
twenty one draft class, which let's see for those guys,
it's pretty simple. This would be year five for a
lot of those players, players who either would have already
signed a contract extension or would be due to be
free agents. The twenty twenty one draft class when they

(01:25:36):
drafted Jamar Chase, Jackson, Carman, Joseph Osai, Cam Sample, Tyler Shelvin,
Deontay Smith, Evan McPherson, Trey Hill, Chris Evans, and someone
named Wyatt Hubert. When they drafted those players, maybe the
idea wasn't that all of them were gonna get to
a second contract with the Bengals, but surely the idea
was some of them. Would are you interested in any

(01:25:59):
of those players beyond Evan McPherson and Jamar Chase who
are already under contract. Look at the twenty twenty two
draft class. A group of guys that has been in
the NFL now for three years, Dax Hill, Cam Taylor, Brett,
Zach Carter, Cordell, Vohlsen, Tyson Anderson, and there's someone named
Jeff Gunter. Six players. How many of those are cornerstones? Cam, Taylor,

(01:26:24):
Brett might be? Would you call them one? Now? The
reason why the Bengals are doing what they're doing isn't
because they have this skewed, weird view of how to
build an NFL team. It's not because they place too
much emphasis on wide receivers. It's not because they place
too much emphasis on a handful of guys. It's because

(01:26:47):
there's nobody else they are doing what they're doing. Because
what they're doing is pretty easy. Why is it easy
because there are no difficult decisions to make. Difficult decisions
would be god, you know what, We got to figure
out what to do with T Higgins. But I'll tell
you what, man, look at some of those dudes in

(01:27:08):
the secondary. We gotta pay them too instead. Uh uh,
it's not that dissimilar from where they were when they
paid Joe Mixon. They paid Joe Mixon at the end
of the twenty nineteen season, and it took a while,
it lasted into training camp, and you know, some wondered,
as there's gonna be a hold in. Some made it
about Joe Mixon versus AJ Green, And my perspective then

(01:27:33):
was go ahead and pay Joe Mixon.

Speaker 3 (01:27:35):
I know he's a running back.

Speaker 8 (01:27:36):
Pay him.

Speaker 4 (01:27:37):
You got a quarterback under a rookie contract. Your team
last season won two games, They don't have any good players.
Might as well keep this one. Might as well pay this.
This is a good player, he might play running back.
This is a good pay him. Who else you got?
It's not apples to apples I'll acknowledge that, but it's
not that dissimilar. There's nobody else. The other decisions the

(01:28:01):
Bengals have to make about this year's team are really
about just cutting dudes like Cordel Vulson, like Geno Stone,
like Alex Kappa, maybe like Sam Hubbard. It would be

(01:28:23):
ideal if instead of cutting Genostone, you were thrilled with
his first season and you had to account for the
money he was gonna be making in twenty twenty five
because you wanted him on the team in twenty twenty five.
And it would be awesome if you said, God, you
know what, not only do you want to keep Alex Kappa,

(01:28:44):
you gotta start to think about what you're gonna pay
Cordel Vulson long term. Now, anybody want either of those
dudes on the team. It would be Nita's hell. If
you could look at Dax Hill and go tell you
what man, Yeah, or option is coming up, but boy,
that's a guy long term you're gonna have to figure
out how to pay.

Speaker 3 (01:29:04):
Or Cam Taylor Britt that's a gay.

Speaker 5 (01:29:06):
Uh uh.

Speaker 8 (01:29:06):
You're not doing either, at.

Speaker 4 (01:29:09):
Least you're not prioritizing them. It would be awesome if
in the case of Trey Hendrickson, you said, dude, we
are good. We don't have to pay this guy long term.
We don't have to pay him when he's thirty two
or thirty three years old.

Speaker 3 (01:29:25):
We've got Miles Murphy. Yeah, good luck with that one.
So to a degree, they're kind of backed into a
corner here.

Speaker 4 (01:29:34):
Maybe what they're doing you think is prudent, and maybe
what they're doing you think is irresponsible.

Speaker 3 (01:29:39):
I kind of feel like they don't have a choice
on their football team.

Speaker 4 (01:29:44):
They have this one area that's really really good and
one defensive player who's really really good, and no one else,
at least no one else who you have to pay
anytime soon. Maybe down the road Chase Brown changes that,
and maybe down the road to Marius Mims pays that
is due to the kind of money they're gonna have
to think about paying him right now. And I have

(01:30:07):
any good players, Hey, we're on the outside looking in.
Despite the quarterback being great for a reason, the rest
of the team stinks. So what do they have to do?
Keep that expensive core intact and then replace all those
other dudes with cheap talent they can have if they
do what we hope they do, and cut players who

(01:30:30):
underperform last year or whose usefulness has expired. They can
create a lot of cap space in addition to what
they already have, which is not insignificant, and then you
have to spend it wisely. Spending wisely doesn't mean being cheap,
that means not being irresponsible. I know this is not

(01:30:52):
the first time I've talked about this. In twenty twenty one,
the Bengals built a really good defense because they could spend,
like my wife on Amazon Prime Day, just spend, spend, spend, spend, spend.
Trey hendrickson Chadobe Woozia, they get those corners. But Dj
Raider spend, Mike Hilton spend, spend, Von Bell spend, spend, spend,

(01:31:12):
spend spend. Gonna have to be a little bit smarter
with the money now, gonna have to make wiser decisions.
I'm gonna have to figure out a way to make
some splashes, but also get players on smart contracts who
perhaps play beyond the value of those contracts and then
maybe go get paid somewhere else. And instead of entire

(01:31:37):
draft classes where the dudes that aren't worth keeping after
a year or two, you get draft classes where players
play and help immediately, and if those things happen, this
will work. I don't know if it's gonna result in
a Lombardi Trophy coming to Cincinnati, but this will work.
I feel very comfortable in saying this mark the tape

(01:31:59):
tarn If the Bengals draft really well this year and
nail it in free agency, and nail it in free
agency doesn't mean you sign the most expensive players, although
they will still have some financial flexibility.

Speaker 3 (01:32:12):
This will work. Joe Burrow basically guarantees it. Hell, it
almost worked this year. They won nine.

Speaker 4 (01:32:19):
Games despite a terrible roster filled with bad free agent
signees and bad draft picks.

Speaker 3 (01:32:27):
So I'm on board with this.

Speaker 4 (01:32:29):
I'm on board with this, but I do wish, frankly,
for my purposes and talking about this for a living,
that there was a little bit more nuance to it,
because if there was more nuance to it, there'd be
more players to discuss and instead of yeah, you know what,
just get it done with T Higgins, it would be
T Higgins or a dB or T Higgins or an

(01:32:51):
edge rusher or T Higgins in an offensive lineman. It's
not because the Bengals have bad players or underperforming players,
are no real need to keep anybody else at those positions.
When you are asked over the course of the next
couple of months by people who don't follow the Cincinnati Bengals,
why are they doing this? Go to your phone, look

(01:33:14):
up Football Reference and show them the twenty twenty one
and twenty twenty two draft classes. There's a piece today,
I think it was in the Kansas City Star, and
it's about the Chiefs and it's about how their classes
those years are about to get expensive, and they've got
some tough decisions to make, and they've got tough decisions
to make around Patrick Mahomes and around some of the

(01:33:35):
offensive line things they want to do, and around maybe
Travis Kelcey. But those draft classes, the bill's gonna come.
Do that cheap talent's not gonna be cheap anymore. Which
ones do you keep? Which ones do you invest in?
Which ones do you move on from? Who's replaceable? Do
we have a plan? Tough decisions? The bengals own bad
drafting has put them in a position where they don't

(01:33:57):
have any tough decisions involving some of those guys. And again,
maybe that changes based on this coming season, and maybe
Cam Taylor Brick gets some sort of contract extension. But
is there anybody else on the roster you're dying to
keep right now? Five point three seven four nine, fifteen thirty.
If the answer is no, then you might as well

(01:34:19):
keep t Higgins, and you might as well figure out
long term how to keep Trey Hendrickson, and of course
you want to keep Jamar Chase. This is not about
being irresponsible. It's about being bad at the other stuff
that led to back to back teams that missed the postseason,
that gave you rosters full of players that you can't
wait to get rid of and don't want to pay.

(01:34:42):
And when you shave off all those players, or you
cross off the possibility of paying some of them, you're
essentially left with t Higgins, Jamar Chase, and Trey Hendrickson.
Then it becomes a no brainer. I know this sounds harsh.
I know it does, because there are some players on
the team that you go, you know what, maybe with

(01:35:02):
a new defensive coordinator or a different set of circumstances,
they could blossom into something like I understand it. I
also understand team building is not easy. The overarching point
to all this, though, is what the Bengals have sucked
at now for a while. And I hate to be
so semantically irresponsible, but what the Bengals have been bad
at now for a while, they got to get really

(01:35:24):
good at. This is not the first time I've made
this point, but the Bengals have a really bad track
record when it comes to replacing really good players who
have gotten away. Jesse Bates we talked about as being
as good as gone because they had a plan to
replace him. The plan didn't work, and maybe Trey Hendrickson.
The plan all along was Miles Murphy was going to

(01:35:45):
be the guy, and that plan didn't work. Right, And
go back a long time ago, the plan with Andrew Whitworth,
that plan didn't work, and should o be a woose?
That plan didn't work? And replacing von Bell that plan
was so bad they had to bring back von Bell
after a forgettable year in Carolina. That can't be the
case anymore, not just not being able to replace players,

(01:36:09):
but being able to draft. You can't have these large
draft classes where you're not getting anything. So I believe
deep down inside, and I'm willing to put my name
on it. Man, Like I think what the Bengals are
doing will work and can work if you are good
at the acquisition and development of inexpensive talent, and if

(01:36:35):
you get immediate return on your draft picks, and you
use free agency as a tool to supplement what you have,
not spending blindly necessarily. Though again, they are gonna have
a lot of money to spend this offseason. Don't let
anybody convince you otherwise. But they are doing what they're

(01:36:58):
doing because the team stunk last couple of years so
much so there's nobody you want to keep and a
bunch of guys you want to cut. Moving forward, hopefully,
these discussions are a little bit more difficult because they
have a lot of players we all want them to keep.
You know, there was a stretch of time not that
long ago, when it felt like every off season we

(01:37:19):
were talking about like, man, what do you do with
this guy Geno Atkins? What do you do with this guy?
Aj Green? What do you do with this guy Carlos Dunlap?
What do you do with these complimentary receivers? What do
you do with Andy? And they have more flexibility because
the quarterback wasn't making that much money, but like there
was a steady stream of dudes who like every year
you're like, yeah, keep that guy, keep that guy, Keep
that guy, Keep that guy, And you were looking ahead

(01:37:40):
and you're like, man, that guy's going to be up
in a year.

Speaker 3 (01:37:42):
Keep him. That's not the case right now.

Speaker 4 (01:37:47):
So what they're doing I think would be worth really
being skeptical about and really worth questioning if they were
in either or Land where it's like, God, either T
Higgins or this player on defense who you're looking to
keep on defense right now, or either T Higgins or
this guy on the offensive line. They're looking to get
rid of two offensive linemen, which will save them money.

(01:38:10):
So what they're doing makes sense. They have put themselves
in a position where, quite frankly, this is probably the
only option, because what's worse is you let T Higgins go,
you get very little in return, and you're still stuck
having to rebuild a roster that didn't have any good
players last year, and you might have a little bit

(01:38:33):
more money to spend on it, but still, so you know,
I know, we have discussed this for weeks on end,
and we're probably not done. And I'm gonna go on
ESPN Radio as soon as this show's over at ten
after six, and I think I'm gonna get laughed at
by the two hosts for what they're doing, for what
the Bengals are doing, because I think around the country,

(01:38:54):
a lot of people look at this and go, this
is irresponsible.

Speaker 3 (01:38:57):
It's a football team.

Speaker 4 (01:38:58):
It's not a seven on seven, it's not a quarterback
in a couple of wide receivers, Like, you gotta pay
more than just four guys, And my response is gonna
be who, Like, who are you supposed to be paying
on this team? Who are you supposed to be investing
in the reality is I think at least that if

(01:39:19):
the Bengals are gonna be better, significantly better, like championship
better in twenty twenty five, the roster is gonna look
a hell of a lot more different than I think
a lot of people expect. Sure, you're gonna talk about
the Big four and a Marius Mems and Orlando Brown
and Chase Brown and maybe some of those other wide receivers,
and I'm willing to kind of roll the dice with

(01:39:40):
some of the dudes in the secondary. They need help, man,
they need help from outside. They need help in the draft,
they need helping free agency, and you can still go
get that help and do what you're doing with the
wide receivers. And Trey Hendrickson's a little bit of a
different topic for me because he's an older player. But

(01:40:01):
I keep coming back to this, it sounds really harsh.
I don't have anybody else like legitimately in the next
half of the decade, which is what we are starting
to talk about here.

Speaker 3 (01:40:12):
Who you want?

Speaker 4 (01:40:16):
I want t Higgins and yeah, I've talked myself into it.
I want Trey Hendrickson and maybe, just maybe some of
these players who have been on the team for a
couple of years played to a level that you're like,
all right, now what like now, what with the guys
who have gotten extensions? Now? What do we do with
these guys? But until that happens, four good players, four

(01:40:39):
good players who have you know, what the bill is
do on them? Obviously not counting Chase Brown, yet, not
counting the Marius Mims yet, Like this is they are
where they are because of how they have failed over
the last couple of years, and the best way to
rectify it is to lock into what you're good at

(01:41:00):
and get better elsewhere using the draft and using free
agency and you know, again, using free agency isn't just
spend whatever it's it's be smart with it. Makes solid acquisitions,
make ones that make financial sense and get a lot
out of those players.

Speaker 3 (01:41:13):
We are way late.

Speaker 4 (01:41:14):
Twenty three minutes after five o'clock five win, three seven nine,
fifteen thirty is our phone number. Vote the pop questions
now on Twitter thanks to unight at Heartland Insurance. Twenty
three after five ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 2 (01:41:26):
Station Cincinnati's ESPs.

Speaker 3 (01:41:29):
Yes might do a podcast tomorrow on the show what
do we Have?

Speaker 8 (01:41:36):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (01:41:36):
Our buddy. Jake Golday, the UC linebacker, is going to
be on, and Bearcats baseball coach Jordan Bischell, whose team
is nationally ranked. Tommy g Tom Gletter is going to
join us from Honduras where he is set to call
f C Cincinnati's Tilton y Conka CAF champions Cup tomorrow.
Rick Boring on the Musketeers and the Norse Xavier getting
set to play tonight against Butler, and so much more.

(01:41:59):
That's tomorrow, bro, and it's a short show three to
five thirty because UK's at Vanderbilt and what many are
calling the must win for the Wildcats, and I.

Speaker 3 (01:42:07):
Would agree, I would agree. Let's see five three thirty.

Speaker 4 (01:42:13):
We have folks waiting on hold who are unsure about
to uh ramp up the level of discourse from what
I have presented so far, I don't know what the
hell that means. Uh, Todd, You're on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Good afternoon, Todd.

Speaker 8 (01:42:30):
How are you?

Speaker 11 (01:42:32):
I'm doing great mode about yourself.

Speaker 3 (01:42:33):
I'm awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:42:34):
What's going on?

Speaker 8 (01:42:36):
Oh? You sad?

Speaker 11 (01:42:36):
A little frustrated. I'm gonna try to bring a little
resolution here for you. For the Bengals, sure, so, I
don't know. Why do you think that they have the
ability to all of a sudden draft and develop with
the same core group of scouts and at they clearly

(01:43:00):
they're understaffed. To me, the solution goes to the foundation.
They're worth at least four billion. They need to sell
a ten percent stake for four hundred million dollars and
allocate a few million a year to the scouting department
so that they can do an adequate job to recruit
and scout and develop players.

Speaker 4 (01:43:22):
Well, First of all, I'm not confident that they can
do this. If I were, that would be based on
recent results that were better than they have been. Second,
they don't need to do that financially in order to
be able to afford more scouts.

Speaker 8 (01:43:36):
Well, I don't know.

Speaker 11 (01:43:37):
For some of these family owned teams, cash flow is
sometimes an issue, and especially you know, signing people.

Speaker 8 (01:43:44):
But I don't know.

Speaker 11 (01:43:47):
Obviously, I was glad to hear that Jermaine Pratt wanted
to be out because I haven't been impressed with him
at anybody that watches any film on him. He's he's
in reverse half the time. He's not coming down hill,
he's going he's going the opposite direction.

Speaker 4 (01:44:05):
Yes, yeah, that is I mean if when we were
doing this at the beginning of the offseason, I thought,
Jermaine Pratt's a guy that you cut. If I could
get something of value in exchange for a guy that
I was going to cut, that is a win.

Speaker 11 (01:44:17):
That is a bonus, Oh for sure, a fifth, sixth
round pick, anything you can get.

Speaker 5 (01:44:22):
The other thing is.

Speaker 11 (01:44:25):
The Eagles clearly laid the blueprint on how to win
a championship. And it's not much different than what the
New York Giants did to the Patriots in two Super Bowls.
If you've got a really really strong front four, your
linebacking corps and defensive backs are gonna look better no

(01:44:45):
matter who's back there. I mean, look at some of
the guys on the Eagles, that Bond guy and then
Cooper de jen I mean, he was a second round pick, right,
he won a four or five star player coming out
of Iowa. But and you've got that front four, everybody
on the back end looks a whole lot better. So
to me, it's really simple, focus on that front four

(01:45:10):
and make that a whole lot better and your defense
will be ten times better than it was last year.

Speaker 4 (01:45:17):
Yeah, and I sincerely hope that the early returns, and
they're very early that we've seen from Chris Jenkins and
McKinley Jackson give them the ability to do that. They're
going to have to find somebody to plug DJ readers
old spot. The Sheldon Rankins thing did not work, But
you're right about that. I mean, but it comes back

(01:45:37):
to the ability to do that while you are still
paying the guys you're paying, And you know you mentioned
Philadelphia's blueprint. Philadelphia's blueprint was we're paying receivers, we're paying
a quarterback, and we're paying a running back, and then
we're going to figure all the other stuff out using
free agency, sometimes costly guys, sometimes not so much, but
also the draft, and they nailed it in the draft.
Now you are being completely reasonable if you are skeptical

(01:46:00):
that the Bengals are going to be able to execute that.

Speaker 3 (01:46:02):
But there's the blueprint.

Speaker 4 (01:46:03):
Whether or not the Bengals can successfully follow it is
an entirely different story.

Speaker 11 (01:46:09):
Yeah, I agree with you on Jackson and Chris Jenkins Junior.
I know it's a small sample size, but you know, uh,
you know, obviously Chris Jankins Junior a rookie. You know,
I I like what I saw. I think he probably
should take that next step forward, and uh, you know,
you know, and again I think Anna Rumo.

Speaker 8 (01:46:29):
Was the fall guy. I don't think he was a
horrible defensive coordinator.

Speaker 11 (01:46:33):
Uh, but obviously he had some something to do with
who they were drafting and who they were signing. So
you know, he's culpable, and uh, somebody had to take
the hit because, uh, you know, they're not going to
allow to just go with the status quo when you
miss the playoffs two years in a row. So yeah,
you know, if they can if they can add a

(01:46:54):
couple of guys to you know, uh, that improve upon
what those two guys did last year. I think they're
on the right track. And then of course Hubbard either
has to come at a very reduced rate or because
he's a part time player. Let's face it, he's not
gonna be a full time player, and you know, or
he's got to go. And you know, obviously I agree

(01:47:17):
with you. They're gonna have plenty of money to spend,
and most people are saying at least fifty million dollars
to spend in free agency. Uh, you know, depending on
what happens here.

Speaker 8 (01:47:27):
But I don't know.

Speaker 11 (01:47:29):
And the other thing is, you know, the whole Tea thing. Yeah,
you can't just let him go, but you know, at
the same time, you know, you got to be at
least somewhat sensible on your payroll. And you know T's
gonna miss three, four or five games a season. That's
the other factor. You know, what's the most important ability availability,

(01:47:51):
and and he's not always there. I mean, at least
Jamar appears to be pretty rugged and durable and holds
up throughout an NFL.

Speaker 3 (01:48:01):
Season, no question.

Speaker 4 (01:48:03):
It's the reason why Todd, thank you. It's one of
the reasons why we are here. To begin with, why
they didn't get a deal done with t Higgins because
of the concerns about his durability. What you were hopeful
is that that changes. And that is a hope, right,
That is a hope. That's not something that you can
necessarily plan on. But I it feels to me like

(01:48:25):
they're comfortable with the availability for twelve to fourteen games
per year and him having to miss a couple. But
you know, look, whether or not the Bengals could do
this is one question. But they are given six picks
in the draft this year.

Speaker 3 (01:48:45):
Use them.

Speaker 4 (01:48:47):
Everybody talks about the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia blueprint.
God knows, we've talked about it for a week and
a half now. Philadelphia drafting Quinnyon Mitchell and Cooper and
the same draft this year, both defensive Rookie of the
Year finalists Nolan Smith Jalen Carter being drafted as a

(01:49:07):
part of that front four Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens. Like
we're talking about players, I mean, there aren't Devonte Smith,
who's a guy they've extended, Landon Dickerson, a mainstay on
that offensive line, Milton Williams, who's gonna hit free agency
and is the apple of my eye and free agency
as it relates to the Bengals, Kenneth gain Well, a
running back, like a long Some of those players are

(01:49:28):
better than others.

Speaker 3 (01:49:29):
Some of those players still have a lot to prove.

Speaker 4 (01:49:31):
Some of those players might not sign second contracts with
the Philadelphia Eagles. But they've nailed it in the draft.
They've paid wide receivers, they've paid a running back, they've
paid a quarterback. They have Again, you might go, well,
I don't trust Duke Tobin in the scouting department to
nail it in the draft.

Speaker 3 (01:49:45):
That's fair.

Speaker 8 (01:49:47):
Neither do I.

Speaker 4 (01:49:48):
And so there's kind of the conundrum, right, Like you
understand what they're doing with the Big four, and you
get why, and you understand the position they're in as
it relates to the Big Four and kind of being
up against the wall and having to keep those guys
all right, you can win with those guys if you
get the other stuff right. Well, recently, the Bengals haven't
gotten the other stuff right. So do you trust them

(01:50:09):
all of a suddenly, all of a sudden two get
that stuff right that they haven't gotten right recently? And
if the answer is no, it uh it makes sense
twenty four away from six o'clock. Wives, try to squeeze
in Randy and Pat and hopefully you on ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 6 (01:50:25):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from the you.

Speaker 7 (01:50:31):
See Health Traffic Center. At you See Health, you'll find
comprehensive care that's so personal it makes your best tomorrow possible.
That's boundless care for better outcomes. Expect more. You Seehealth
dot com. Seventy five south bound of twelfth the street
left lane blocked with the crash. Delays back for Washington Way,
Hamilton Avenue at Miles Road. It's an accident break down
to seventy five westbound off ramp to Turkey Foot. We

(01:50:55):
have the crash of Montgomery at Lawndale and heavy traffic
on seventy one south on MLK to the Brent Spence.
In seventy five south from the Viaduct to the Brent Spence,
I'm rick shrimp with traffic.

Speaker 12 (01:51:06):
This report is sponsored by All States Linzar, a service
of Kelsey Chevrolet, Home of lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed
credit approval from their family to yours for life.

Speaker 4 (01:51:18):
Excuse me, Kelsey chev dot Com. Bengals have extended. Ryan Rico,
the punter, gets a two year contract extension. Congratulations to him. Also,
congratulations to Andy Dalton he signs a two year deal
with the Carolina Panthers. The former Bengal will now exceed
one hundred and twenty million dollars in career earnings. Again,

(01:51:41):
congratulations to him. Red's continuing workouts and goodyear. Hunter Green
and Graham Ashcraft will pitch in Cincinnati's Cactus League openers
on Saturday. College Troops Tonight, Xavier's hosting Butler Musketeers have
won a couple of games in a row. Butler has
won three straight. Eight o'clock is Tonight's tip pregame at

(01:52:01):
seven thirty with Joe and Byron on seven hundred Wlow.
We have made this very basic for the Musketeers went
out and I think they're good. They had a lot
of stuff around them go right. This weekend, the DePaul
game obviously had to go right. They're in that weird
spot man where you're not getting credit for beating Butler,

(01:52:24):
but losing to them could sink your resume. Hopefully they don't.
Miami's at Eastern Michigan tonight. On top of all that,
what do we have. Let's talk to Pat in Covington.
Pat in Covington, you're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Hello Pat Mo.

Speaker 8 (01:52:41):
Thank you so much. Man, I love your afternoon show.
It's a beast. Thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:52:44):
That's very nice to you.

Speaker 8 (01:52:46):
Let's switch with respect.

Speaker 13 (01:52:48):
Let's switch from the Bengal Sure, yeah, seven months away
from losing the first two games. Let's switch to Let's
switch to some college basketball. Okay, I work for local
sportsbook here in town. I'm gonna give you, hypothetically one
thousand dollars to bet on the NCAA winner. I'm gonna

(01:53:08):
give you five teams. I'll give you the odds, and
then I'm gonna I'm gon lay it on you, and
then you would just give me your answer. So we'll
go favorite Auburn three and a half gets you thirty five,
an Bucks Duke four to one. I'll get you four,
Grand Alabama ten to one, and Tennessee twenty one. Now,

(01:53:35):
if I haven't mentioned the team that you would just
for a chance lay one thousand dollars on to make
a bunch of money on give it out of a team.
But by the way, one last one and John twenty
five to one. All right, Well, I'm gonna hang up
late on me.

Speaker 3 (01:53:51):
What was your last one? You said, I'm sorry, I
could make that out.

Speaker 8 (01:53:55):
Saint John twenty five Saint John.

Speaker 3 (01:53:56):
So you gave me I didn't. I jotted down the teams.
I did not down the Uncle. So Auburn.

Speaker 8 (01:54:02):
I gave you Auburn at three and a half one.
I gave you a Duke at four to one.

Speaker 13 (01:54:08):
I gave you the Gators at ten to one or
Alabama ten one, and then I gave you as a
bonus twenty to one on the on the Volunteers and
twenty five to one on Rick Patino's Come Around, Saint
John's Richland.

Speaker 4 (01:54:26):
Yeah, all right, So you've given me Auburn, Duke, Florida, Obama,
Saint John's, and Tennessee.

Speaker 13 (01:54:32):
Now, unless you've got something else out there, late on me,
but I'm going to hang up.

Speaker 8 (01:54:36):
Do you take all right?

Speaker 3 (01:54:38):
So, because we're talking, thank you for the for the
phone call.

Speaker 4 (01:54:41):
Obviously, there's what Auburn did on the road against Alabama,
which is going to stand out and drive the conversation.
And they have been. They are the best team in
the country right now, deserving of their number one ranking.
An incredibly impressive win against NATO's and his team. But
I'm looking for value here. I can get Alabama at
ten to one or Auburn at three and a half

(01:55:02):
to one. Why would I not take Alabama. I'm a
huge NATO's guy, not that Bruce Pearl is a bad coach.
Alabama at ten to one is just a better play
than Auburn. Look, they have lost two other games. I'm
sorry they've They've lost a lost of Purdue. I'm doing
the top of my head, lost of Purdue, lost to

(01:55:23):
Ole Miss Auburn, I know they have one more loss
Oregon lost to Oregon. They lead college basketball in points
per game. They are number two or number three in
college basketball in rebounds per game. Now those are those

(01:55:44):
are rate stats or those aren't raid stats. Those are
per game. I am getting at ten to one, the
third best team and Ken Palman offensive efficiency rating that
is still in the top forty in defense. Vent You're
being fair if you wonder if they can consistently get
stops against really good teams. But I'm getting Bama at

(01:56:07):
ten to one, with a great coach coming off of
Final Four appearance. I'm taking Bama of those six number
two I would take Saint John's and again we're folding
in here the odds. I get the second best team
in the country in defensive efficiency in Saint John's with
a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Patino. The Red

(01:56:30):
Storm are gonna need They're not that unlike we've said
about Houston in recent years, and this has actually kind
of bared itself out where they need. They need the
game to be officiated a certain way. We've said that
about Houston for years. In fact, I think we've said
it maybe a little bit too much about Houston in
recent years. I think that applies to Saint John's. I
love the story of Rick Patino getting another school to

(01:56:52):
the Final four. I know they just lost on the
road to Villanova, really good bounce back when at home
against Creighton. They have beaten Quette, they have handled Yukon.
They do foul on almost every single play. They're middle
of the pack offensively, but I love how they defend.

(01:57:13):
I love how they play. I'm getting twenty five to
one odds for a team that has been the best
in the Big East all season long, which is saying
something because the top of that league is really good.
With a Creighton erf when now yukon your fourth best team,
that's really good. I'll go Bama at ten to one
and Saint John's at twenty.

Speaker 8 (01:57:33):
Five to one.

Speaker 4 (01:57:35):
Uh, Florida, I like, don't love Duke. You know, I
watched Duke against West against Virginia last night. Virginia has
got all sorts of issues. Yeah, I'm comfortable taking Bama
ten to one. Saint John's twenty five to one. Tennessee
doesn't do nearly as much for me. But I'm getting

(01:57:59):
Alabama's elite offensive talent at basically at ten to one,
which is insane. I mean, honestly for a team that
right now is I might do that right now.

Speaker 8 (01:58:11):
So there you go.

Speaker 4 (01:58:11):
I did that off the top of my head. Alabama
ten to one is Uh, That's where I put my money.
Taren playing the music, playing me off. That's a good question.
That's a good question.

Speaker 8 (01:58:28):
Uh, we're not. I don't have locks no more.

Speaker 3 (01:58:30):
Yeah, well we should. We should still do locks.

Speaker 4 (01:58:36):
I'm trying to think of who else I would fold
into the com I'd actually they just played UC I'd
fold iwa stayed into the conversation because I think they
can play multiple ways. They had the three game losing streak,
which they have bounced back from. I'm trying to think
of like schools in that like ten to twenty range
in the eight. If my computer was cooperating, i'd roll some.

(01:58:57):
I'll tell you whose team. I really like Penny Hardaway's
team at Memphis too. They've grounded out some close games.
I think Penny Hardaway has kind of figured things out.
I don't know what the odds are. Yeah, my answer
is Bam had ten to one, and I'll take a
flyer on Saint John's right now at twenty five. There
you go. We're done. I like that one.

Speaker 8 (01:59:16):
That was a good one. We're done.

Speaker 4 (01:59:18):
Anything you might have missed, go get on the app.
Thanks to Long Neck Sports Girl. Busy Day tomorrow. We're
back tomorrow three oh five. Have a great night. Thank
you for listening. This is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 6 (01:59:29):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from.

Speaker 7 (01:59:55):
The U See Health Traffic Center. At you See Health,
You Seehealth dot Com seventy one south MLK to the
Brent Spence. About a twenty minute delay southbound seventy five
from the viaduct down to the Brent Spence to ten
minute drive. Accident on seventy five southbound to Twelfth Street

(02:00:17):
has cleared. Traffic is still a little sluggish, though six
Street Viaduct westbound the ramp to Lynn Street an accident
and Hamilton at Miles a crash by ricks run with
traffic

All Episodes

2/18/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show

Episode Transcript

Mo Egger News

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}2/18/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show

Episode Transcript

Mo Egger News .css-1q01m3q{margin:0 0 -2px 0;}

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

All Episodes