9/16/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Minnesota Vikings, which reminds me Prince wqhish from Minnesota. Now

(00:04):
it's time for the Bengals to bring the purple pain.
Will they slay the Vikings? Get the coal from Dan
Wood and dave A. Coverage begins Sunday morning at nine am,
stream for free on the new and improved Higheart Radio
app or ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of a
Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
All right, what's up. It's three minutes after three o'clock.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Outlaw Leger. Thank you so
much for joining us. Hopefully you're having an unbelievable Tuesday.
It's Tuesday, so that means we are at Oakley Greens
right in the heart of Oakley if if you haven't been.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
I have a buddy of mine.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Who heard us do the show at Oakley Greens two
weeks ago and then said, because of that, he came
here for a college football Saturday. And he's like, dude,
I had no idea, because this place is awesome. Great
for families, great for you and your buddies, great for
a date, great to hang out outside. We are outside,
but under cover. They've got cabana rentals. You could play cornhole,

(01:03):
ping pong, you could play mini golf. Of course, here
at Oakley Greens, the TV setup is terrific. If you're
looking for a place to watch the Bengals game on Sunday,
Oakley Greens has it. Oakley Station very close to IS
seventy one. The staff here is unbelievable. The food is good,
tons of drinks, great beer selection, cool looking Bengals cups,

(01:24):
and so much more.

Speaker 4 (01:25):
So.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Come on out to Oakley Greens and as the afternoon unfolds,
we'll tell you about some of the stuff they have
happening here over the course of the next couple of days.
Paul Danner Juniors here from the Athletic in the Growlar podcast.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Hi, how's it going? You know, realize how loaded of
a question that is.

Speaker 5 (01:45):
I mean, we can't even get started without that already
having me just not feeling right. It's just it's surreal.
I'm driving over here today, my very short drive, thank
you again, Yeah, and thinking to myself, this is so surreal,
thinking back to what we were talking about a week
ago and where you're at now with this, and how

(02:06):
the tone of everything has changed. It's just it's surreal
that we're doing this in week three, But this is
what it is.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with
people where no words have been exchanged since Sunday. You
just look at each other like, you know, like in
an audio medium. It doesn't do any good for me
to sort of do that, but I mean, yes, I've
had a lot of those. I just said this to
Tony and Austin. The further we get removed from Sunday Afternoon,

(02:35):
the saltier, I am. Yeah, like Sunday, I'm doing TOPNS.
I'm trying to have fun with it. You know what
this is gonna be? Okay, No, it's not okay.

Speaker 5 (02:45):
It's not funny anymore because now the reality sinks in
of you try to start turning ahead to the next game,
and you're like, uh, turning ahead to not having Joe
Burrow to talk about, Like this is not as fun.
This is wait, this season feels is irrelevant already and
now and they're two and out.

Speaker 3 (03:03):
What is happening here?

Speaker 5 (03:04):
It's it's yeah, it's the further you get away, when
you start thinking about what's next.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
You realize, well, this what's next part stinks.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
And The thing is, I have felt like, not so
much publicly, but just emotionally and mentally, I'm doing Jake
Browning a disservice.

Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah right, I feel like there's plenty of time to
do him. We do. But but.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
This isn't December, you know, it's not Hey, they were
seven and six, Joe got hurt, seasons cooked, they they
have a season in front of them, fifteen more games,
a good team, an interesting team, a likable team, an
interesting team, and a quarterback whose performances last year deserve,

(03:50):
for lack of a better way of putting it, our respect.
But I don't want to give it to him yet,
Like I'm not, and maybe by Sunday I will be.
And Jake, let's go, let's go three and oh and
see where this thing goes. But I have felt like
at times like all right, mo, like why don't you
give Jake Browning a chance to at least give you
the sort of season that you could enjoy as it unfolds,
Because I think he's capable of doing that.

Speaker 5 (04:12):
Yeah, And I mean, you know something I noticed and
just a you know, really you could feel it yesterday
down at the building talking to Zach Taylor and Dan
Pitcher and talking to Jake Browning after the game and
all of that stuff. This is an incredibly important moment.

(04:33):
This is Jake Browning has worked his whole life to
have this chance to prove that he belongs and that
he can play in this league, something that he believes
strongly within himself, something that he's proven in his seven
game stretch before. You know, Dan Pitcher didn't get an
interview last year in the cycle, and despite an offense

(04:54):
that blossomed his first year and everything that Joe Burrow
did playing on MVP level and all that stuff, and
Brian Callahan got passed over for years until when Jake
Browning came in. They were able to make the offense
look pretty good and be sustainable, and Jake had seventy
percent completion rate and all that stuff, and suddenly he
was the hot candidate and the head coach of the

(05:15):
Tennessee Titans.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
You could there was a bristling a little bit from
Dan Pitcher.

Speaker 5 (05:20):
Yesterday being like, this is like what we do as
coaches every day. Coaches are handed a new fire, right
like that that that is that profession and so they're
able to take it, process it and move forward.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
With focus and.

Speaker 5 (05:37):
While while you know people listening to this show and
and you and everybody else like, that's not how it works.
It's it's emotional and a man and I want to
place blame and everything, but they have they're moving like,
they're like this, we're moving this on. This is an
opportunity for me as Dan Pitcher, as the Bengals, as
Zach Taylor, like everybody in that building has a ton

(05:58):
on the line the rest of the season. And it
may feel empty right now as people assess.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
Joe Burrow's toe and what all this means, but.

Speaker 5 (06:09):
For everybody in that building, they're thinking, we can do
something special here, something that people don't see coming. Jake
Browning feels that way, Zach Taylor feels that way. That
defense feels that way, Like there's a whole season where
they feel like they can do something and they're two
and zero, and so why not start there and get
it rolling now.

Speaker 3 (06:29):
So I the energy that.

Speaker 5 (06:31):
Was notable to me coming out of the building yesterday
of being like we can go do something special. And
it's fun to feel that way when you're two and own.
You haven't played a game yet without Joe Burrow. Let's
see what it sounds like in mid November. But you
know that I think is a notable intensity that existed yet.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
But you know what, if this was the first time
this had happened, everything you just outlined would be exactly
how I felt, because my take be Okay, over the
course of his time in Cincinnati, he was probably gonna
suffer an injury, probably one that was you know, lasted
a while. This isn't I don't think something that's career threatening,
like okay, So.

Speaker 3 (07:11):
Let's see what Jake does.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
I wish I was there, but I'm not because not
because of Sunday, but because of the recurrence of things
like Sunday.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
And that's what it is for me.

Speaker 2 (07:21):
And and you wrote about this perfectly and your headline
captured my question.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
How long until it's too late?

Speaker 6 (07:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (07:28):
Right?

Speaker 2 (07:29):
I mean how long? Because that's where I am going. Okay,
this is year six, Joe is still a young man,
still in his prime.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
But how many how many wax out of deer really
get right? How how how.

Speaker 2 (07:42):
Many more times is this gonna happen before it's like,
you know what, the Borough era didn't materialize the way
it should have. He was wasted. They didn't capitalize on
what they had. Maybe we're not there yet, but we're closer.
We're a lot closer than we were on Sunday morning.
It makes you think again about last year. Yes, it

(08:04):
makes you think.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
My head went on Sunday.

Speaker 5 (08:06):
It's like, because when you have him, when he when
you have the group together doing it and all the
pieces in place, you want them to have a shot
to make their run in January, and the defense.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
Blew that last year, and this year you have this
injury and everything else, and I just it's.

Speaker 5 (08:27):
It's hard not to come back to me to this
team's inability to it's not just have offensive linemen that
can protect. I think that is an over a drastic
oversimplification is being like, ah, trye right, But it goes

(08:49):
back to the inability to draft and develop offensive lineman
over Joe Burrow's entire tenure, because you're not just had
a great conversation with Andrew Whitworth about this and I'll
have that out tomorrow. You are not gonna go to
the magical offensive linement tree in March. That nobody's letting

(09:11):
good offensive linemen out of the building, like not real ones,
And that is a rarity for you to be able
to do that, even to the level of Orlando Brown
that you did, like that is a rarey.

Speaker 3 (09:25):
Teams lose.

Speaker 5 (09:28):
Generations half generations of players and by not drafting properly
in the trenches or.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
They build them.

Speaker 5 (09:37):
Look at eleven through fifteen, right, that was built on
the backs of Kevin Zeitler and Clint Bowling and Andrew
Whitworth and Andre Smith and those guys, like they build
it on that. And then let's look at what happened
after that, Russell Bodine and Cedric Obwayhe and Jake Fisher,
and you lose the next four years, and let's look
at what happened in Burrows early years. You have this

(09:59):
great you have all the advantages of let's call it
one hundred million dollars in cap surplus because you have
Jamar t and Joe on rookie contracts, but missing in
the twenty twenty one draft, not drafting all your line picks,
not hitting cost you a championship or two, and not
having those guys now have forced you to be sitting

(10:21):
there in free agency this year trying to find a
guard that maybe didn't exist, and trying to find ways
to make all that work. The inability to do that
over the course of many, many years is part of
what has left them in this spot. And I think
it's easy to say, I think they it's easy to

(10:41):
say they're not protecting Joe, right, they're they're trying.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah, I think it's easy to say they don't care,
and I that's not right.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
I throw water.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
I'll criticize them for a lot of things you can't
not care and use if you want to go back
a decade, first and second round picks an offensive lineman
in twenty fifteen, a first round pick on an offensive
lineman in twenty eighteen, a first round pick on an
offensive lineman in twenty nineteen, a second rounder in twenty
twenty one, a first rounder in twenty twenty four, signed

(11:10):
the likes of Leyle Collins, Alex Kappa, Ted Kris Riley Reef,
Trent Brown, Orlando b You can't, like, you can't do
those things and be accused convincingly of not caring.

Speaker 3 (11:22):
But I don't care about how much they care.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
I care about what they do, and so, like we
talked about this on the Growlary today, but like that's
I make this about more than what happened on Sunday.
Zach Taylor yesterday said, look, it's football. If this was
a one off, that's what I would say, Like, dude,
pocket collapsed.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
It happens. Guy got hurt. Boy, it sucks like awful.

Speaker 2 (11:44):
It's a recurring theme and has been even when they've
been at their best, the pinnacle this century of Bengals football.
Put Joe Burrow behind the worst offensive line that's ever
taken the field in a Super Bowl. Yeah, that's that
cost him a championship. Yes, So this is less to
me about God, they can't protect Joe Burrow, and it's
more about the continued inability, no matter what they have tried,

(12:08):
despite their best efforts to make that part of the
team not a liability. And this, what happened on Sunday,
is one of the results of that.

Speaker 5 (12:19):
And this is why my you know, as I've gotten
deeper into this, my thought has swayed to talking more
about this style of play, not necessarily of Joe Burrow,
but of the entire offense right, which is in some
ways hands in hand. I mean, this is what Joe
has wanted. Joe wants to throw it more, Joe wants
everybody out in the route. Joe likes to stand back

(12:40):
in the pocket and not be under center as much,
not have to turn his back to the defense as much.
These are his preferences. They try to build him an
offense that keeps him comfortable and is what he wants.
That is very hard to sustain. Witt said to me,
He said, what the Bengals do for an offensive line
is the hardest job in football. They have him sitting

(13:04):
back there in true past sets, at volumes, no one
else's with the defense, not even thinking about anything else,
not about motions, not about play actions, not about any
of the other stuff that so many of these offenses
take advantage of. So that you just give these other
defensive linemen something to think about, and so they tee off.

(13:28):
And if you're Orlando Brown, or you're a Marius Mims
or any of these guards or whoever you are, in
the toughest thing, an offensive lineman can have to do
a wider percentage of the time than anyone else is
asked to be. So your past block win rates that
get thrown in their face and then they look bad,

(13:50):
right and it looks like they're not doing their job.
They're asked to do a really hard job. There are
ways to make their job easier. That goes back to
the philosophic style of what's being called by the staff,
of what's of how they're going about that part. And
I think that is something that needs to be reconsidered,

(14:11):
whether it's even for a smaller portion of time earlier
in the season, until you get a feel for exactly
what you have upfront. But if you've got and I
thought we saw that in Week one against Cleveland a
little bit. Yeah, like that was like maybe they got
frustrated and said, I can't keep doing that, but you know,
we don't know what we have upfront. Let's have a
conservative game plan. Run the ball, don't turn it over

(14:33):
until we learn more about the rookie at left guard,
about what we having Lucas Patrick at right guard. Let's
try to just keep it clean right now. Early in
this maybe there needs to be a lot more of that,
Maybe there needs to be a willingness.

Speaker 3 (14:45):
To stay with that.

Speaker 5 (14:47):
But there's there's the conversation to me in terms of
what changes, how can you change this? And maybe there's
some convincing Joe to change a percentage of what he
does as well is where you can really change things
and say, let's go forward for something a little bit
more sustainable, and knowing that that might be where that lives.

Speaker 2 (15:09):
Let's continue with that when we come back. Paul Danner,
Junior at the Athletic dot Com and the Growler podcast
latest episode is out. During that episode, I took three
mood Lightning.

Speaker 5 (15:21):
Gummies and that appeared to not be enough or they
were not acting.

Speaker 3 (15:26):
They haven't taken yet. Yeah, well they definitely didn't take.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
The Afron Saffron in the mood Lightning Gummies hasn't quite
punched you.

Speaker 5 (15:36):
Let me just tell you, you know how they have
the like sky Rizzy commercials and everyone's happen. That is
not what the commercial for the mood lightener was supposed
to look like, where a dude just like can't hold
it together.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
As I said, like, the further we get removed from Sunday,
the more pissed off I am.

Speaker 3 (15:55):
And I enjoyed it. I thought it was great content.

Speaker 2 (15:58):
Sure it's awesome, but I mean, and it's I feel
awful for Joe Burrow. I mean, the human part of
this matters to me, like as a as a fan
of the team and of him I'm sad for me,
I'm sad for everybody who cares even remotely about this team.

Speaker 3 (16:17):
I'm sad for him.

Speaker 2 (16:18):
And that might sound overly dramatic, and I don't care,
like I know we're late for a break here, but
I keep thinking of him sitting in the locker room
or the trainer's room or wherever they looked at his toe,
being told like, dude, look, this could be surgery.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
And him just going like.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
Really, yeah, like I gotta I gotta have another surgery.
I've got to rehab again, like I gotta do this again.

Speaker 6 (16:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (16:42):
I don't care how well compensated you are.

Speaker 2 (16:44):
I don't care what kind of lifestyle you have that
has to be maddening and fatiguing and demoralizing.

Speaker 5 (16:54):
And you train and you to be ready to handle
all the hits that you're gonna take, you to, all
of that all off season to try to be ready
for it, and then you go down and have a
toe ligament. Yeah, ends up, pop, And it's like, what
are the odds? You know, just what are the odds.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
I'll give you the bottle of the mood gummies. I
want to take them down to the stadium. I don't
know that I'm buying. I'm not gonna lie. Twenty minutes
after three o'clock. We're at Oakley Greens. Paul's here till four.
We're here till six. This is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 7 (17:28):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 8 (17:32):
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(17:55):
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Speaker 2 (18:07):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. We are broadcasting from Oakley
Greens on a legger. Paul Danner Junior from the Athletic
and the Growl of podcast is with us.

Speaker 3 (18:17):
Festive Day Today. Festive Day.

Speaker 5 (18:19):
Absolutely, you know, I said, I said at the beginning
of the episode. I said, Look, we're always talking about
how we try to be here for the journey. Whether
there's some days it's it's a party, some days we
joke around. Some days like today, it's strictly on the
therapy couch, like that's all it is. It's like, everybody
needs to talk this out together, and uh, and just

(18:39):
know that there's somebody that's listening to you.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
Starting ten years ago, the NFL started to move in
the direction of quarterbacks operating out of a gun. Maybe
not exclusively, but mostly And I think on a given
annual basis, sixty five percent of NFL snaps are taken
in the shotgun. Right, Bengals aren't the only team using
this all the time, although they use it more than most.
And yet the solution here is to do what the

(19:04):
rest of the league is not doing, which is put
the quarterback under center.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
Make this make sense, Well, I think in terms of
when you move to Jake Browning, you mean, no.

Speaker 2 (19:15):
Joe's the quarterback next year? Yeah, maybe even later this season. Yeah,
because you you hear that, and I'm not saying it's invalid,
but hey, he's got to operate more under center, is that?

Speaker 3 (19:28):
Yeah? Temporary thing? Is it look moving forward?

Speaker 2 (19:30):
No matter what the composition of the offensive line is,
no matter who our wide receivers are, Joe is going
to have to play under center.

Speaker 3 (19:37):
More like, how does this work? And why are we
doing this?

Speaker 5 (19:39):
I think play the run game and play action just
naturally works better out from under center, sure, and slows
down the pass rush. You know when you're when you're
already back there in the backfield and you're doing this,
Like the play action and the gun is not a
lot of weird. Yeah, there's not a lot of people
being sold on it. You can try, and running out

(20:01):
of the gun is a little bit harder in general.
I mean, they really like to chase Brown, partially because
he's a good shotgun running back, like that's on his
tape and that they would try to develop this kind
of scheme. But I mean it's just harder to do.
It's just harder to develop a consistent running game when
you're always always in the shotgun and a non under center.

(20:24):
And I just think the play action and all that
stuff that you can do from under center, it just
keeps the defense off balance, It keeps the pass rushers
off balance.

Speaker 3 (20:32):
A little bit more allows you to do a little
bit more of marrying the run in the past.

Speaker 5 (20:36):
Stuff that slows down to pass rush and makes it easier.
It can create some easier throws. Now, that's because ninety
five percent of the league doesn't have someone that can process.

Speaker 3 (20:48):
And be accurate like Joe Burrow can.

Speaker 5 (20:50):
It's an incredible superpower and advantage to have that you
can be able to see the open guy, get it
to him that quickly and throw the ball that much
without like you're putting it in harm's way, and all
the things that come with the passing game.

Speaker 3 (21:04):
So you know there's a reason you lean in all
of that.

Speaker 5 (21:07):
But yeah, I think it can just create a little
a few more easy buttons for your quarterback and your
offensive line, which we talked about making it a bess
where every down feels like you're begging them to go
back there.

Speaker 3 (21:18):
In a true pass set, if you can.

Speaker 5 (21:20):
Run play action and they're run blocking and it feels
like a run to the defense and you're going out
the other way, it just it makes things a.

Speaker 3 (21:28):
Lot easier on your offensive litch.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
So let's let's say the best case becomes the actual
case and Jake gets them through the next three months
and they stay afloat and Joe's tow ends up healing
properly and he could play at the end of the
season and the games matter. So he's going to come
back for Arizona and Cleveland, and they say to Joe,
welcome back. It's great to have you. We're tearing up

(21:52):
how we were doing things, and you're going to operate
under center more often.

Speaker 3 (21:57):
What does that look like.

Speaker 5 (21:59):
I think it's very I don't think it's some dramatic change.
It's it's like every season. Every season now. I feel
like in the early part of October we talk about
how the Bengals made a scheme alteration, started using.

Speaker 3 (22:14):
Twelve personnel, last twelve personnel.

Speaker 5 (22:16):
Or when they started doing the gun downhill run gap
scheme stuff in twenty two.

Speaker 3 (22:21):
Or they've pusted on the floor. They've done this a lot.

Speaker 4 (22:23):
Every year.

Speaker 5 (22:23):
There's something and I think where it's like, this team
need to lean into this corner of the playbook. It's
just this is what's where you figure out what's working,
You lean into it, you grow that part of the playbook.
I think they've done a good job as a staff
of that over the years. I think that's what it
looks like I think it is. Look, they're not asking
They wouldn't be asking Joe to do stuff.

Speaker 3 (22:45):
He can't do, doesn't do. You are just leaning in.

Speaker 5 (22:48):
We've leaned into this corner of the playbook this year,
so that's what we're gonna go. Keep doing a version
of that, and you open up the corners that Joe
Burrow opens up for you, which is pretty much everything. Well,
but I think I think that's all it is. I
think it's it's it's not like you're reinventing. I think
you're just Every team figures out what it is they
do and they do best and try to create an

(23:08):
identity around that every year, and that's what that would be.

Speaker 2 (23:12):
But I think there's a belief out there that says, well,
Joe wants to play this way, so that's how they
have to play. And I guess my take on that
is he plays for the team.

Speaker 3 (23:23):
They have coaches in collaboration with each other. It can
be something that is, you know, not not handing.

Speaker 2 (23:30):
The ball off three consecutive times under center, but also
not operating exclusively out of the gun. Like I think
Joe Burrow strikes me as a reasonable enough guy to
go Okay, let's try it a different way, in a
way that meshes how we played with Jake two years ago.
That still allows me to take advantage of my physical
and mental skill set.

Speaker 5 (23:49):
But if those people having this conversation say that's not
what gives us the best chance to win this game,
and you know it's hard, you're you're you're talking about
the risk and you're talking about long term sustainability versus
we need to get off to a fast start, right, Sure,
everybody is on us. Hey, check that box. Everybody, everybody

(24:10):
is on us. We gotta win the first couple of weeks.
We can't start slow. We gotta start fact, we have
to do whatever we can to win this game. In
the NFL, man like, it's hard for these guys to
do more than think about what do we gotta do
to win this week? What is the comp And usually
to win this week it's to let Joe sit back
there and cook, right, and and so they have and

(24:34):
it has proven over the long haul to have sustainability issues,
obviously amongst all the other things we touched on in
the first segment.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
But so for that fact, it's like where do you
where do you figure that out? Of I don't know.
I do I know either. I mean, that's these are
the questions they I think.

Speaker 5 (24:52):
I think this team and next offseason is going to
be in a really fascinating spot in terms of figuring
out how they go forward and figure out sustainability.

Speaker 3 (25:02):
Yeah, and what's best because.

Speaker 5 (25:04):
Of how to adjust the way that they play or
if you can't or if they say what they said
what they have been saying, it was a fluky thing,
like we can keep playing this way and it's fine
and keep incurrying these same risks. Perhaps, But I think
that's a really interesting conversation when you get into long
term sustainability versus the best way to win each individual week.

Speaker 2 (25:27):
It's hard because you're always building your team and your
team's plan of attack around the skill set of.

Speaker 3 (25:35):
Your best players.

Speaker 2 (25:36):
You're not going to sign Steph Curry and tell him
to throw the ball into the post twenty five times
a game.

Speaker 3 (25:41):
You're not gonna do that.

Speaker 2 (25:42):
And so all right, you've got this elite quarterback who
has great a these things. Let's play in a way
that amplifies those things. That is not putting him under center, right,
that is not putting him under center and having them
run at thirty five times a game. Zach Taylor said
that yesterday, Okay. At the same time, none of this works.
That he's not healthy, and so the meshing of doing

(26:06):
what you can to take best advantage of Joe's skill
set with ensuring his health and keeping him upright and
as best as you can protecting his ability to play
seventeen games. I'm fascinated by what that could look like.
I have no idea what it does, no idea if
it'll work, but it really does feel like, perhaps just schematically,

(26:30):
they're at a very important crossroads.

Speaker 5 (26:32):
Yeah, And I also think you have to sit down
and talk honestly with Joe. And he's done a great
job of adjusting his game. I mean, we laugh about
the year of the Checkdown. Yeah, and evolving his game
to understand sustainability and the importance of him being out there.
We've had a lot of those conversations with him and

(26:54):
with this staff over the years, and they have evolved.
He's changed the way he plays, and maybe the next
evolution for him is gonna be. Look, I don't I
don't have to be playing hero Ball every snap.

Speaker 3 (27:07):
I don't have to.

Speaker 5 (27:07):
It's cool that I can right last year, Look at
all the plays I can make. I get I'm getting knocked,
I'm Superman throwing. I'm making these crazy plays where I'm
like doing all this stuff and it makes all the highlights.
And that's an intoxicating feeling from a quarterback. Look at me, go,
I'm playing the quarterback at the height of the profession,
Like I how could you not want to do that
all the time? But you have to figure out there

(27:31):
are certain times and as he gets older, he's just
gonna have to much more often hit the button of
don't do it, don't just throw it away, get rid
of the ball, don't be back there running around trying
to play the hero on second down in September in
week two, right, like, You've got to no.

Speaker 3 (27:52):
No, no, no no.

Speaker 5 (27:53):
And I'm not saying that on this play. I'm saying
in general, we were talking about the style of play here. Sure,
we're talking about the big picture style of play where
Joe is a creator and he does all these magical
things when he gets out there.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
It's hard to coach that. I'm how do you coach that,
Adam got I.

Speaker 5 (28:08):
Don't know, but I do know that Joe has done
a good job of evolving his game over the years.
And I think you can ask him to a smaller percentage,
understand to pick your spots a little more specifically with
that stuff, rather than as much as he currently because
there's no running from this, like this is Joe's thing

(28:29):
the rest of his career. Yes, when you know that, Yes,
when you miss three of the first six years, this
follows you. Yes, the rest of your career, whether he's
playing here or elsewhere, Yes.

Speaker 3 (28:40):
It's gonna be.

Speaker 5 (28:42):
Anybody employing Joe is gonna wonder about getting him through
the season healthy for the rest of his career. It's
not gonna go away when he gets older, okay, And
and fair or unfair however that is.

Speaker 3 (28:54):
It's just the truth.

Speaker 5 (28:55):
So no matter how much he chooses to a smaller
percentage of this or more under center or less of
trying to create or any of this stuff, he is
still going to be somebody that you're gonna worry about
his propensity to get hurt.

Speaker 6 (29:09):
It's just the.

Speaker 5 (29:09):
Nature ever few weeks. So there's no taking that out
of the game. There's no taking that out of the
Joe Burrow conversation.

Speaker 3 (29:16):
There.

Speaker 2 (29:16):
It's just isn't I just as you have. I've watched
every snap of his NFL career. I can't tell you
that I've ever thought he's being reckless. I certainly have
believed at times that maybe the team is reckless. I've
believed at times like he's on the run too much

(29:37):
and he's being hit too much. But I've never watched
him and thought he's being reckless.

Speaker 3 (29:41):
Like yeah, And so that's.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
When I when I see corners of the fan base
aim the criticism at him, I think.

Speaker 3 (29:53):
Like, all right, what have I missed here?

Speaker 2 (29:55):
I see a guy who's you know, he did one
in Cleveland where he avoided the safety, right, I mean,
and that was a huge play in the game, Like
that's the sort of thing he does well. There are yeah,
time and place, time and place, But I just and
maybe I look at it incorrectly. I've never watched him
and thought, Joe is doing unnecessarily reckless stuff.

Speaker 5 (30:17):
Do you no, I'm unnecessarily no. But again, it's it's
when I hear hero ball, that's what I think of.

Speaker 3 (30:25):
He's being reckless.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
When I think of hero ball, I think of basketball
players who are doing reckless taking reckless shots. I've never
watched Joe and thought to myself, this guy, this guy's
playing recklessly.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
You know you didn't think that in preseason in Washington.

Speaker 2 (30:40):
I thought that was on the staff for having him
out there. But I mean, okay, you know, fine, that's
a good example. Or he's running back.

Speaker 3 (30:47):
We're not now, Joe. Right, it's August, Joe, Okay, Like
that is a good example. And there can be there.

Speaker 5 (30:52):
Can be moments. There can be moments. I just feel
like I kind of feel like.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
It's September, Joe. But yeah, but there would be.

Speaker 5 (31:00):
And Pitch literally said this to us yesterday, how do
you know which play is gonna be the play that
would have changed the game that didn't change the game.

Speaker 3 (31:08):
And we because you've seen that over time.

Speaker 5 (31:10):
It's this is why this is so hard, Yes, because
you can't.

Speaker 3 (31:15):
This is who he is. It's what makes him great.
And but you're saying, but what if it's not sustainable.

Speaker 5 (31:22):
His greatest strength could be creating his greatest weakness right.

Speaker 3 (31:26):
Now in that it's it's keeping him off the field.

Speaker 5 (31:31):
I don't know that there's a schematic thing here that's
gonna totally that's gonna change anything other than good luck
with a lot of this stuff, like that there's no
place or no situation that this doesn't exist. If Joe
got traded to the Eagles tomorrow right and played behind

(31:51):
the greatest line and all this stuff, they're worried about
the same things that the Bengals are worried about, and
and that's just part of the equation of who he is. Historically,
everyone hopes that he ends up with this career that
we all say, man, remember those first six years, how
unlucky they were, and then the rest of it's like

(32:13):
Drew Brees right, and he just plays and plays and plays,
and I just think he's gonna have to have some introspection.
And maybe he comes out of that thinking, no, I've
been unlucky. I'm gonna keep playing the way that I'm playing.
I'm not changing a darn thing, Or maybe he goes
in and says, I probably do need to make some

(32:34):
adjustments in only he and he knows the best ways
to do that of X, Y, and Z, to try
to avoid a certain percentage of punishment.

Speaker 3 (32:42):
That I take, whatever that is.

Speaker 5 (32:44):
Everybody, a lot of smart people in that building, including Joe,
need to get together and say is let's have a
let's talk about this, but that's what's gonna have to
happen next off season, and I'll be curious to see
what the results are.

Speaker 2 (32:55):
Right, we are insanely laid. Paul Danner Junior on Twitter
at Paul Danner Junior. We're at Openly Agreens. Paul's here
till four o'clock. I'm here till six. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati spour.

Speaker 7 (33:06):
Station Sincy three sixty with Tony Pike.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
Do we want to move on? They have to keep
goring and Boston Elmore. I think you should continue. Let
me keep going there.

Speaker 7 (33:16):
Sincy three sixty tomorrow which twelve News on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 8 (33:26):
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five at Norwood Lateral. The right shoulder blocked off. That's
from an accident on Martin Luther King Drive. Another accident

(33:48):
near Jefferson Avenue in southbound seventy five roadwork between Ronald
Reagan Highway and Norwood Lateral. I'm at ezelic with traffic.
This report a sponsored.

Speaker 2 (34:00):
It is eleven away from four o'clock. This is ESDN
fifteen thirty. We are broadcasting from Holy Greens, the home
of Bengo. Bengo now every Thursday is starting an eight
right here at Oakley Greens. They have football theme Bingo
which you can win some autograph Bengals gears, some gift
cards and obviously the Thursday night football game is going
to be happening. You could watch the Dolphins and Bills

(34:24):
while you're playing Bengo.

Speaker 3 (34:25):
This Thursday at eight o'clock.

Speaker 2 (34:28):
This is one of those days I wish you were
here for three hours because I've barely scratched the surface.

Speaker 3 (34:32):
We've done two seconds.

Speaker 5 (34:34):
Look, I mean it's it's I mean, I'll stick around
for an extra if you need me to.

Speaker 3 (34:38):
I mean, so you see how I did that there? Yeah,
that's that's a trick. It is. It's not your normal trick.
It's actually a variation of your trick.

Speaker 5 (34:47):
Yeah, of the you know, if I can keep you
after this break, I me yeah on air.

Speaker 3 (34:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:52):
So basically put, it's like saying to somebody, you know
they have tickets, man, I could use some tickets for
the game. Yeah, you don't ask them, but then they're like, oh,
I got tickets. Same thing, like, well, I could really
wish I had you here for a longer time. And
then you know, because you're not going to do the
three hours, but it's like, I could do one more segment.

Speaker 3 (35:10):
We'll have you a four to twenty.

Speaker 5 (35:11):
Yeah, we used to. This used to be a bit
in my family. Every time we would go over to
my grandmother's house, you could we would stay there all day,
ten hours, and at the end she'd wave by and
be like, come when you can come back, when you
can stay a little longer, like really like it just
napped it every single time. It wouldn't matter, it wouldn't matter.
But I'm here for you. What do you got next?
Let's let's well check the mark. Let's let's do this

(35:32):
with check the boxes. Well, we'll do this quickly.

Speaker 2 (35:35):
Just my little list of my little topics here. Since
we got to be quick here, let's talk about what
they have and haven't done at quarterback. So if you
woke up this morning hoping to find out that they
traded for Jamis Winston or convinced Tom Brady to come
out of retirement or traded for Kirk Cousins to be
the quarterback this weekend.

Speaker 3 (35:52):
None of those things are gonna happen.

Speaker 5 (35:53):
Would Tom Brady be able to be in the production
meetings with the opponent every week if he was your quarterback?

Speaker 2 (35:57):
Man, I got all sorts of issues for that, Like
I'm a Tom Brady fan, all sorts of issues of
the idea dudes in a suit wearing the headset like,
and then he's gonna be calling games and in production
meetings with teams the Raiders are gonna be playing.

Speaker 3 (36:10):
This is what Burrow can do while he's out.

Speaker 5 (36:12):
He can he can get a TV gig, yeah, okay,
and then just get in all the production teams whoever
the Bengals w however the Bengals are playing, He's in
their production meetings. Then he just comes back and he
sits there on the headset and just tells them what
plays are gonna do very quickly.

Speaker 2 (36:24):
One of my questions yesterday was does he still have
to buy the offensive line Christmas gifts?

Speaker 3 (36:31):
Yes? No? No?

Speaker 2 (36:32):
Two games didn't protect him. Uh huh wow, naughty list.

Speaker 5 (36:36):
Wow, what an interesting predicament would Jake will be taking
care of that.

Speaker 3 (36:41):
Sure, So today's today's Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
Brett Rippan is gonna be the backup and Sean Clifford
from saying next they've signed him and Mike White played
against him for the Jets a few years ago.

Speaker 3 (36:53):
So no, jamis, no Andy Dalton reunion. No.

Speaker 5 (36:56):
The name that I actually thought might happen would be
Tyler Huntley off of the Ravens practice.

Speaker 3 (37:03):
He's on the practice squad for the Ravens. But I mean, he's.

Speaker 5 (37:06):
Played a decent amount in recent years, and he played
okay when he has serviceable like a little more experience,
like Mike White doesn't have a lot of recent experience.

Speaker 3 (37:16):
Sean Clifford has very very animal.

Speaker 5 (37:17):
It is just to give somebody with a little bit
more experience behind him. But no, I mean, you know,
once again, we get the guy that played really good
against the Bengals at one time.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
I gotta be honest with you, if it's any of
those dudes, or frankly, anybody from the street or even
anybody acquired from another team, things toast anyways, like that doesn't.

Speaker 3 (37:41):
Matter, Like if you reach this level, you can forget it.
My eggs are in the Jake Browning basket.

Speaker 5 (37:46):
Absolutely absolutely they are, and I mean there was nothing
that was going to change him.

Speaker 3 (37:50):
Let me tell you something.

Speaker 5 (37:51):
Yeah, those three names that you just mentioned are gonna
get snaps this year. One of those three is gonna
get snaps this year at some point.

Speaker 3 (37:59):
And fifteen more games games one Hell yeah.

Speaker 5 (38:03):
I mean the idea that Browning's definitely gonna gonna be
the guy and be in for every snap the rest
of the year is far from guaranteed. So you better
get comfortable with that.

Speaker 2 (38:11):
This is why it kills me that Des Rider was
so bad during the preseason.

Speaker 3 (38:15):
Yeah, because he could be one snap away, I'd have
my jersey, baby.

Speaker 2 (38:19):
He all said, all right, Paul has agreed to hang
tight with me TOLA four twenty, and I will not
convince you to stay after that.

Speaker 3 (38:26):
Very generous with your time as always.

Speaker 2 (38:27):
All right, We're at Oakley Greens. It's seven away from
four o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 7 (38:35):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from.

Speaker 8 (38:40):
The UC Health Traffic Center. The University of Cincinnati Cancer
Center has the most comprehensive blood cancer center in the nation.
The future of Cancer Care is here called five one three,
five eighty five UCCC.

Speaker 3 (39:11):
This report all right, what's up?

Speaker 2 (39:14):
It's five minutes after four o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen
thirty on Molegor. We are broadcasting as we do every.

Speaker 3 (39:20):
Tuesday from Oakley Greens.

Speaker 2 (39:22):
All the sports, all the time, all at Oakley Greens.
No matter the season or the sport. You know, the
Reds are still in it. Two out twelve to go
Reds game tonight. Beautiful evening post up and watch Red's
game here thirty more than thirty TVs. Oakley Greens is
located at Oakley Station, right off I seventy five Movie Theater.
By the way, tons of convenient and free parking right

(39:47):
here on site. You can occupy your time with mini golf,
with cornhole, with ping pong arcade. There's an indoor bar,
an outdoor bar, you can rent cabanas, and a great
place obviously to come here for the Bengals game on
Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, who have apparently signed a
familiar face.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
Paul Danner Junior is still here. I'm still here, the.

Speaker 2 (40:08):
First ever four o'clock hold over for Paul. Actually it's
the second I've done this, You've done this before.

Speaker 3 (40:12):
You've guilted me. Des Ritter is signing with the Vikings apparently,
how about that? So does this mean? What does this
mean for you? Are you torn now? No?

Speaker 2 (40:21):
I mean, first of all, if the idea is Dez
is going to teach the Vikings the Bengals plays, he
didn't look like he knew them when he was here. Yeah,
I hope it work does goes without saying. I'm a
huge fan and so I hope it works out. I
cannot imagine deav is going to have a major role
in Sunday's battle.

Speaker 5 (40:39):
I think his major role will will be whatever they
can get out of him in the next twenty four hours.

Speaker 2 (40:44):
Well, good luck to them and good luck to him.
I'm not getting a Minnesota Vikings des Rider Jersey.

Speaker 5 (40:49):
Is des Ridder still on the Vikings in two weeks?

Speaker 3 (40:53):
Is the question.

Speaker 2 (40:53):
I'm not sure des Ridder is going to be on
the Vikings on Monday morning. They might not be on
the team on Sunday.

Speaker 3 (41:00):
Take it. Nothing wrong with the check.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
So a few sort of leftover issues related to Joe
Burrow the construction of the team. Many have defaulted to, well,
this is what you get when you throw all your
money at Higgins and Hendrickson, right, specifically T Higgins. And
that's fine if that's the criticism you want to make.

(41:23):
Number One, the timing of it. You touched on this
with Jay and I on your podcast today, Like, by
their own admission, what they did with Jamar and T,
it kept him from being as active as we thought
they would be elsewhere on the team. They ended up
having to pay more money to Jamar and T than
they would have had they gotten those deals done earlier. Also,
my counter to that is, like, what about all the

(41:44):
years were Joe and Jamar and T were under rookie contracts,
they spend money on the offensive line and it didn't work.
But what do you say to someone who says that
what happened to Joe Burrow is at least partially a
result of how they constructed the roster and the faulty
way that they did it in devoting so much money
to one position, that's part of it.

Speaker 5 (42:03):
I mean, I don't you know there's a pie when
it's a part of it. It's not the biggest part.
But I think it's true that when you decide that
you're going to have a second receiver making thirty million dollars.

Speaker 3 (42:25):
You are sacrificing parts of your team that are on.

Speaker 5 (42:30):
The line of scrimmage because that's where that money would
have gone out.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
Was there some magical.

Speaker 5 (42:38):
Guard they would have gotten or whatever, you know, who
knows what they would have done with their money, but
I would say more than likely at least some big
portion of it would have been directed to the trenches,
and probably a part of it to your offensive line.
Having more money to spend there, I think they felt,
I'm telling you what they felt. I feel like they
felt hamstrung in what they could spend on their offensive

(43:01):
line in that period of time due to everything they
were doing with the receivers and the unknowns of what
they were trying to do with Trede Hendrickson. That goes
back to not having a plan and being proactive and
executing it before any of that stuff happened. So I
think the execution of it is the part of the problem.
And yeah, the philosophy of it is part of the problem.
I mean, that's it is partially what you get what

(43:23):
you pay for.

Speaker 4 (43:24):
There.

Speaker 5 (43:25):
If you want better offensive line play, you could have
gotten thirty million dollars from there, and we could be
talking about Mitch Tinsley's wide receiver too.

Speaker 3 (43:33):
I don't know, like maybe yeah.

Speaker 5 (43:36):
Or yosevosh getting getting Maybe Yosivoshki's more more opportunity or
guess whatever. Like you're you're coming up with your other
wide receiver too, but you feel like you're doing it
with u uh, you know, thirty million dollars put more
into the trenches and that's the trade off, sure, or picks.
Maybe there's more picks that are in there, or maybe
you have Tate Rattledge and Dylan Fairchild and Demetrius like

(44:00):
I don't whatever.

Speaker 3 (44:01):
That looks like, yes, yes, that's a that's a part
of it.

Speaker 2 (44:05):
If your decision, if you're going to take that and say, okay,
there's the criticism I'm lobbing at the Bengals. Does that
get aimed at the organization or does it go to
Joe because people will say, well, Joe's gotten what he's wanted.

Speaker 5 (44:16):
Yeah, I think I would lob that more. I mean
the Bengals are inevitably the ones that do make the decision.
I mean they can tell him no. The problem with
that one is with the Higgins piece of this. The
problem with that one is they don't want to This
wasn't about that. This was about Jamar Chase that this
was Jamar and Joe and t becoming this package deal

(44:39):
because they didn't want to blow up anything with Jamar.
But the te thing was now with Jamar, they wanted
to end that. They wanted to squash that. They wanted
to make Jamar the highest paid non quarterback in football
and get that deal done.

Speaker 3 (44:53):
Now they had to do it with Tea as a
part of it.

Speaker 5 (44:56):
And and I was in. You know, we go back
and fourth on this over the years. On which side
of it you ended up on. I think it changes
time went on, Yes, and I was.

Speaker 3 (45:05):
Fine with it. It's also why I was team Trey Hendrickson.

Speaker 5 (45:10):
And that's fully understanding how he has closed out two
games and what he would do. That's not I'm just saying,
take you needed to take the money and have it
be in the trenches somehow. You needed to figure out
other answers in there somehow. If you felt like you
had to spend all this money on to not be

(45:30):
that top heavy, right, and if you were talking about
that versus paying Trey a long term deal, well, get younger,
get draft picks, spending free agency to add two or
three five to ten million dollar players inside of your trenches,
whether it be at guard or you know, go sign
Kevin Zeitler instead of Lucas Patrick and you feel better.

Speaker 3 (45:54):
You feel better about everything that's happening in there, like
that's what you could have done.

Speaker 2 (45:58):
But you think, looking back, with the benefit of hindsight
and what we know now, that that was their biggest misstep,
not trading Trey understanding his role in winning the game
on on on Sunday and the week before.

Speaker 3 (46:12):
Maybe I mean.

Speaker 5 (46:13):
That in the one that the one that I might
have done and I understand what he is. I just
you know, it became harder when you felt like, okay,
we are Joe Jamar and t well, where does the
where does the rest of it come from? Where do
you get younger and get more swings at the draft

(46:35):
to hit in there and to find those find those picks.
I just think if you could have gotten a second
round pick and cleared his money and use that elsewhere
plus the money you are I mean thirty million dollars
again with Trey right there, plus whatever pick you would
have gotten and using that thirty million dollars during free
agency and having that settled before free agency, so you

(46:58):
didn't have to be.

Speaker 3 (46:59):
Like, can we spend? Can we not? I don't know
what we have.

Speaker 5 (47:03):
If you could have just been clean on that and
had those things taken care of before you ever got
to that, and say this is what we're doing, this
is our path forward, I think you could have felt
like you would have had a more well rounded team
and that that probably looks like another certainly a five

(47:24):
to ten million dollar guard and probably a pick and
a player on your defensive line or some combination of that.

Speaker 3 (47:31):
That's probably what that all looks like together.

Speaker 5 (47:34):
That said, I mean, this is the way they went
forward with it, and they didn't you do the other
things you also could have done even going forward with
that plan to create an extra space to find a
better solution inside as well. I mean, there's a lot
of missteps, but I certainly think that's that's one that
you have to talk about when you're talking about where

(47:55):
did all where did the money go?

Speaker 2 (47:57):
I've I heard it on our morning show that we
carry on ESPN Radio yesterday morning. The suggestion made that
this is an opportunity for the Bengals to organizationally kind
of hit a reset button and go ahead and trade tray,
and go ahead and find a taker for Tea and
decide that we're going to be the team that invests
resources into other areas. I think when you're two and oh,

(48:20):
the idea that they're going to hit the reset button
on the season is ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (48:24):
But that is out there. So what would you say
to someone who's like.

Speaker 2 (48:27):
Look, this, as unfortunate as this is, this is a
chance to kind of redo how you build your roster
and where you spend your money. I would direct them
your face with your face tells me the answer.

Speaker 5 (48:42):
I would direct them to the trade deadline in twenty
nineteen when they were winless.

Speaker 3 (48:48):
Isn't that when everybody went to Switzerland or something?

Speaker 6 (48:51):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (48:51):
Right, yeah, and they could have unloaded aging prospects that
weren't in their future. Do you know, Adkins, I think
you had the age Green situation happening at.

Speaker 3 (49:01):
That point, Andy Dalton, you had all players that could
have been useful. You could have loaded up on picks
you were win lists. Did I mention that.

Speaker 5 (49:13):
And and just said hard reset, Let's grab some picks
for these guys that we know aren't in our future.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
They want to win games.

Speaker 5 (49:19):
They don't want to feel like it looks like they're
not trying to win games every single week of every
single year. And they're not going to give up on
a season, and they're certainly not going to give up
on one when they're starting to and oh right now
and at this deadline, whatever that loo.

Speaker 3 (49:32):
There's there's very few.

Speaker 5 (49:34):
Scenarios that that I see them doing anything like that.
The Hendrickson one, I mean, if it is a parent,
Joe's not coming back.

Speaker 3 (49:45):
The offense is just not good enough. They know it.

Speaker 5 (49:48):
This team isn't going anywhere you're and you have to
entertain Hendrickson falls at that point. There's no doubt about it,
because you know what it's going to be next year.
But I just don't think that they'll pull the trigger.
Knowing who they are and with who they have been.

Speaker 3 (50:04):
Maybe that changes.

Speaker 5 (50:07):
They would certainly be out of character from what we've
kind of seen, but you know, I just I don't
see it.

Speaker 2 (50:14):
My take on the team this year coming into the
season was they would go ten and center. Had they
won that game on Sunday with Joe Burrow, I would
probably still feel that way at two to zero, but
start to entertain eleven or twelve wins. I think they're
gonna win eight or nine games, and I think Jake

(50:36):
Browning is going to be good enough for us to
spend the season thinking about their playoff chances. I am
going to operate under the assumption, and I hope I'm wrong.
Joe doesn't play this year because three months best case,
I never assume best case. Best case is never most likely.
I hope to God he's back for the last three games.

(50:57):
I'm gonna assume he's not. I think Jake Browning is
good enough and the team around him is good enough
to be interesting, to be relevant and to stay in
the hunt. I don't think he and they are going
to be good enough to get there to be one
of those seven teams, but I wouldn't be surprised if

(51:18):
they are, because the threshold to make the.

Speaker 3 (51:19):
Postseason is very low.

Speaker 2 (51:21):
The bottom of the AFC is not great, the middle
of the AFC doesn't look good. That's obviously a week
two assessments, so things can change. So my guess, as
they finish with I'll say nine wins because they are
too and zero. Maybe nine's good enough. Maybe it's not.
That's kind of where I have I think.

Speaker 5 (51:40):
I think it's more likely that they win nine or
more than they lose than they win six. Agreed, Yes,
I think there. I can more see it coming together
under Jake and this team and then winning a decent
amount of games and winning a few more than they
should have.

Speaker 3 (52:00):
Oh yeah, the think they're they're starting. They're not starting
from owing two.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
No, I mean they're starting from a place of strength
from a win loss perspective.

Speaker 5 (52:08):
Yeah, And so I could see them getting to that
level more than I see it totally falling apart and
them just being truly awful. But again, the thing with
Jake Browning going forward is you can win games with
him unless the attrition starts to happen around him.

Speaker 3 (52:29):
He needs the pieces.

Speaker 5 (52:30):
Burrow would make up for it when when t Higgins
goes down for a couple of weeks or Jamar's out,
or Amarus Mims gets hurt or whatever, Like Joe can
make up for that, I don't. You can only sustain
so much more attrition here around Jake Browning offensively, He's
gonna need the pieces.

Speaker 3 (52:49):
To go out there and make it go.

Speaker 5 (52:52):
And that's unrealistic to think that you're gonna have that, Like,
there's gonna be some games that Jake's gonna have to
go out there and win it. This defense is gonna
have to prove to be any good. Rich we know
that it's gonna get to that level. So I just,
you know, there's a lot to happen there. But I
still think that I can see the better case before
I can see the yeah, the disaster case. But of

(53:14):
course you're you know, you're one Jake Browning injury away
for sure, Like, well, okay, here comes the two thousand
and eight Bengals four eleven and one, with the you know,
with with injury riddled season situation.

Speaker 2 (53:27):
That's that's not a year that I wanted to compare
the twenty twenty five season to the Ryan Fitzpatrick year,
the tie where Donovan McNabb didn't know the games could
end in ties. That's not where we wanted to go.

Speaker 3 (53:38):
We don't want to go there.

Speaker 2 (53:39):
No, it's all very surreal, I will guess, and I
I'm not convinced the defense is significantly better. They were
certainly opportunistic against Jacksonville, but I'd feel better about the
team's fortunes moving forward if I felt better about that unit,
but if I assume there will be some improvement there,

(54:01):
I think Jake Browning will go seven and eight. If
he starts fifteen games, that's a big give, and maybe
he starts the next twelve, keeps him a float. Joe
does come back, and it's great. But I can't. I
can't put myself there where I'm counting on that one yet.

Speaker 5 (54:15):
Yeah, that's I think that's who he is. I think
that's I think that's fair. I think we'll learn a
ton over this stretch. I mean this, we were gonna
learn a ton over this next stretch. Wait if Joe
Burrow was playing or not, but over this stretch where.

Speaker 3 (54:28):
It's tough games, tough.

Speaker 5 (54:31):
Situations, five straight playoff teams from last year, A Thursday
nighter against the Steelers, you know, Packers who've been great,
Bryans who put up fifty two against chakag Like, there's
just Brian Flores'. You're gonna learn a lot over the
next five games. That will really determine whether you should
just totally punt on this season or say they're actually

(54:52):
pretty interesting.

Speaker 2 (54:54):
One more, because you've been generous with your time. This
has been viewed as the hot seed season for Zach.
So Joe Borrow plays seventeen games and they're on the
outside looking in. You're not gonna find anybody who wants
him back as the head coach does not having Joe
for a large chunk of the season at minimum give
him a pass no matter how this season unfolds.

Speaker 5 (55:17):
I think it gives him slack. I think it you
cut slack to Zach Taylor. I don't think it gives
him a pass.

Speaker 3 (55:24):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (55:25):
I think you still have to have a team that's
buying in you. You still have to have the locker room.
I think you have to go out there and have
some level of success with Jacobs.

Speaker 2 (55:33):
It falls apart, they go four and thirteen. That's an
indictment on Zach.

Speaker 5 (55:37):
It doesn't help, right, Yeah, No, I think I think
there's still pressure. There is still gonna be pressure there
for him to keep this team going even without Burrow.
I think the level of what he needs to get
to changes. The level of rationalization that I think he'll
get from the front office whenever that conversation happened changes.

(55:59):
I mean, that's just the truth. And I and I
felt like he was gonna get. You know, it's still
Mike Brown, It's still extreme patience. He's still the guy
that has in you know, it wasn't that long ago
that they were right there at the precipice. Like, I
just think they still feel like they are buying into

(56:19):
what he's doing there, and so you gotta I'm not
gonna say anything in guarantees there, but I think it
changes the conversation a lot.

Speaker 3 (56:31):
I think it changes the number you need to reach.
I don't this isn't a playoff or bus which it
felt like you.

Speaker 5 (56:36):
Were in that kind of area a little bit if
you had Joe.

Speaker 3 (56:41):
But I do think it's it still has to look good.
It still has to look good. It still has to
keep relevant. It can't totally fall apart.

Speaker 5 (56:48):
If it does, then then yeah, then I think the
conversation starts up again. But I still don't see it.
But there's a long way to go and a lot
of things will happen between now and then. Thank you
for staying late. Enjoy Meneapolis by the way.

Speaker 2 (57:01):
Five oh five Today Molar High Schools Duce McBride will
be on the show Let's Go.

Speaker 3 (57:06):
Yes, there you go. Now, you know, it's gonna be
a good segment. I needed to do something just for me,
just for you, one for you, Yeah, New York. Are
you guys gonna talk about just the Knicks mostly? Yeah?
Yeah maybe.

Speaker 2 (57:18):
I'm sure Deuce is a Bengals fan. Ever had turf toe?
Like you know, we can, but we're gonna We're gonna
talk about his off seasons. She's written a children's book. Really, yeah,
he's the Knicks are getting ready to go overseas to
play some games in the preseason and uh championship parade

(57:39):
I think in New York right around mid June.

Speaker 3 (57:41):
See if he's made plans for that. Molar X on Friday,
molar X on Friday. But get his thoughts on that. Yeah,
there you go. I love it. Do one for you.
I do that.

Speaker 5 (57:50):
Sometimes we just have somebody who I like on the
show and just be like, look, I know you guys
expect certain things here.

Speaker 3 (57:56):
I just this one's for me.

Speaker 2 (57:57):
We had Charles Oakley on the show last year and
I just said, like, this one is for me. I
get it this so uh, thank you as always Reed
Paul Danner, Junior at.

Speaker 3 (58:07):
The Athletic dot Com.

Speaker 2 (58:08):
Catch the podcast latest episode out today The Growler with
Jay Morrison and this week's episode, or in today's episode,
I should say, with myself and a jar of moodlifting gouvernments.
We're at Oakley Greens. Your game day home turf kickoff
starts at Oakley Greens. It's twenty four after four. This
is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 7 (58:28):
Station Cincinnati's eight bel Terra Casino and Belterra Park on
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (58:39):
Brendaman and Jones on baseball at about twenty minutes plus
next hour, our guy Sean Saiah the stats and Scheme newsletter,
and Juce McBride as well. We're broadcasting from whole from
Oakley Greens. Oakley Greens, home of the Ultimate Bengals watch
party this Sunday on the road, they take on Minnesota
at one o'clock. It's awesome here on game day. By

(59:03):
the way, it's great for college football Saturdays as well.
Now UC's on a bye, one would argue they were
on a bye last week as well. Ohio State's on
a bye, but you can watch Auburn, Oklahoma, Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue,
Notre Dame, South Carolina, Missouri, Florida, Miami, all those games
more than thirty TVs. Also, as you look ahead to
next weekend, what better place than Oakley Greens, a place

(59:26):
that is, you know, at least in parts centered around golf,
to watch the Ryder Cup and so like. On a
weekend like that, there's whatever college football game you want,
whatever NFL game you want. Remember the Bengals don't play
next Sunday, they play on Monday night. You could watch
the Ryder Cup. I bet you the Rids are still
in it next weekend, so you can watch Red's Brewers.
I probably just jinxed them, even though I don't believe

(59:48):
in jinx's. Whatever you want to watch, whoever you're with,
watching at Oakley Greens. And by the way, twenty one
and over on Friday and Saturday after nine o'clock.

Speaker 3 (59:57):
So great place.

Speaker 2 (59:58):
In fact, there's a the whole family of kids over there.
It looks like a fifth birthday party happening there. Great
for daytime, but at night it's twenty one and over
and dog friendly to Oakley Greens. Sports headlines next ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station.

Speaker 7 (01:00:13):
You've been listening to football in the NATI on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati's
ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center.

Speaker 8 (01:00:32):
The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center has the most comprehensive
blood cancer center in the nation. The future of cancer
care is here. Call five one three five eighty five
UCCC northbound seventy one after Dana, it's an accident. This
is off on the right shoulder southbound seventy one after
Martin Luther King. The right center lane blocked from an accident.

(01:00:54):
On southbound seventy five at Tylersville Road. The right lane
blocked off from another accident. He's like with the traffic.

Speaker 5 (01:01:01):
This report is sponsored by bet Jake Browning plays here
on the official home of the Bengals, ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
Hey Sports headlines are a service of kel Trevor lay
home of Lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from
their family to yours for life kelsey chef dot com.
So the Bengals have made some roster moves to the
surprise of No.

Speaker 3 (01:01:24):
One. Joe Burrow placed on IR. You may have heard he.

Speaker 2 (01:01:27):
As a toe injury Brent Rippon has been signed off
the practice squad to the active roster. Obviously signed on
August twenty seventh to Cincinnati's practice squad, so unfortunately he
has been here for less than a month. Sean Clifford
from Saint X has been signed to the practice squad.
Second year player obviously played at Penn State. Fifth round

(01:01:48):
pick of Green Bay in twenty twenty three, spent his
rookie season on the Packers active roster. Appeared in two
games that year. Spent all of last year on Green
Bay's practice squad. Was cut by the Packers on cut
Day in August. Also Mike White. Mike White has some
NFL experience fifteen regular season games, seven starts remember, played

(01:02:09):
against the Bengals I believe on Halloween for the Jets.

Speaker 3 (01:02:12):
In twenty twenty one.

Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
Spent two years with New York, twenty twenty three with Miami,
twenty twenty four with Buffalo. He was waived by the
Bills on August twenty six. They also signed wide receiver
Kendrick Pryor to the practice squad. Bengals and Vikings. Sunday
at one o'clock, you'll hear it live on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Pregame coverage on Sunday morning starts at nine. The Reds

(01:02:34):
or in Saint Louis, second of a three game series.
They win last night, eleven to six. Let's be honest,
they blew two different leads. When Saint Louis tied the
score at six, you did not think they were gonna win.
Not only do they win, but because the Mets were idle,
they gained a half game.

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
Tonight.

Speaker 2 (01:02:51):
It's Andrew Abbot getting the ball for Cincinnati. Michael McGreevy
a writy for Saint Louis seven to forty five. Tonight's
first pitch. You'll hear it on seven hundred w WELW.
Mets and Padres play tonight in New York. The Mets
finally broke their losing streak on a Pee Alonzo walk
off homer. On Sunday, the Diamondbacks win last night. Arizona

(01:03:13):
and San Francisco hook up again tonight in Phoenix. San
Francisco has now lost three consecutive games. Arizona is now
the team between the Mets and Cincinnati. Reds are a
half game behind Arizona, dead even with the Giants. The
Cardinals are four and a half games back Ellie Dela Cruz.
You know, as we've been knee deep in Joe Burrow

(01:03:35):
and the Bengals and all that, Ellie Dela Cruz batted
seventh last night, and regardless of how the next twelve
games unfold, I think it is completely fair to say
that one of the defining storylines of this season, certainly
in the second half, has been Ellie Dela Cruz's power drought,
one home run since June twenty third, his lack of production,

(01:03:57):
and I think over the course of the entire season,
and just the fact that statistically and otherwise he didn't
he didn't take a step forward this year.

Speaker 3 (01:04:06):
I think it's been a disappointing season.

Speaker 2 (01:04:08):
Look, he may have twelve great games, carry the Reds
to the postseason and play awesome in October. This is
something we have talked about a little bit here. I
think Ellie's season and how underwhelming it has been, has
been one of the one of the bigger story lines
to the entire year. We talked about like the Bengals
telling Joe Burrow no, telling them no, and hey, we're

(01:04:30):
not going to give you t Higgins and instead we're
going to invest that money in the offensive line. I
don't think that's the approach I would have taken, but
that thought is out there. Or tell him no, Joe,
You've got to operate under shotgun. They're allowed to tell
them no, which is why I hold the Bengals responsible
for decisions they made, even if they made them in
part because Joe Burrow wanted them to make those decisions.

Speaker 3 (01:04:52):
What's interesting about Ellie is he's dealing with.

Speaker 2 (01:04:55):
A quad issue. Now, the quad issue has not put
him on the injured list. The quad issue hasn't kept
him out of the lineup. He has played in every
game this season. So you ask, like, what about the
power drought, one home run in like twelve weeks, what
about the lack of overall productivity in the second half

(01:05:18):
of the season. And the reason thrown out there is well,
he's dealing with.

Speaker 3 (01:05:22):
A quad issue.

Speaker 2 (01:05:24):
Okay, Well why not give him the occasional day off?
Well you can't, Okay, Well, then you're gonna get a
limited Elie Dela Cruz. You like number one, you're allowed
to tell the guy no number two. Wouldn't it be
better off to have a slightly healthier Elie Dela Cruz

(01:05:47):
not as often in the lineup as a slightly more
physically compromised Elie Dela Cruz. Like this thing with when
you just chalk it up to the quad injury, okay,
looking back, which unfortunately that's what we're doing.

Speaker 3 (01:06:04):
Would it have made sense to put him on the
injured list for a couple of weeks?

Speaker 2 (01:06:07):
Like, knowing what you know now, if would you rather
have the eliedla Cruz the Reds have gotten for the
second half of the season, for all of it, where
he never misses a game, or put Ellie on the
injured list for a couple of weeks. He comes back
in better shape than he was and he's more capable
of producing at a high level. Like this hole, Well,

(01:06:29):
it's it's just the quad issue, okay.

Speaker 3 (01:06:32):
Cool.

Speaker 2 (01:06:32):
You admire the fact that he wants to play every day,
there's no getting around that, Like that's a good thing.

Speaker 3 (01:06:37):
But you're allowed to tell him though, Why are they
afraid of telling him?

Speaker 4 (01:06:41):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:06:42):
What you could dhum, you can give him the occasional
day off or if the quad issue is such a
problem that it has made him a below average player,
than what's the use in having him go out there
every single day? When he's not as effective and when
you're maybe running the risk of making the injury even worse.

(01:07:04):
I don't know, man Like it feels like they're totally
afraid of telling them no, and that has come at
the expense of his production, and his lack of production
has certainly not helped the team. I don't know. Brandhaman
and Jones on baseball coming up in just a few minutes.
Steuce McBride is going to join us, coming up in

(01:07:25):
fiveh five and we'll talk about shotgun versus center with
Sean sayat Statson scheme. Look, man, I think Sunday what
happened to Joe Burrow, you could very easily attribute it
to one of those things that happens.

Speaker 3 (01:07:41):
It's just football.

Speaker 2 (01:07:42):
Could happen to any quarterback playing behind any offensive line,
in any environment, against any opponent.

Speaker 3 (01:07:49):
I would be willing to do that.

Speaker 2 (01:07:51):
I would be very willing to do that if this
wasn't the first time we've had to deal.

Speaker 3 (01:07:56):
With this particular issue.

Speaker 2 (01:07:59):
I refuse to subscribe to the belief that number one, uh,
we just shrug our shoulders and go, hey, that's football.

Speaker 3 (01:08:08):
Uh uh. This team hasn't earned that.

Speaker 2 (01:08:10):
I also don't make the criticism of the offensive line
solely about Sunday Sunday is one unfortunate result of what
has been a decade long problem. I also refuse to
make the conversation solely about where they've chosen to spend
their money on the twenty twenty five team.

Speaker 3 (01:08:32):
What about when Joe Burrow is playing.

Speaker 2 (01:08:34):
Under a rookie contract, t Higgins was playing under a
rookie contract, and Trey Hendrickson didn't cost as much as
he does now. Jamar Chase was playing under a rookie contract.

Speaker 3 (01:08:44):
It hasn't been because of lack of effort.

Speaker 2 (01:08:45):
Obviously, they've tried to pay offensive line, and they've tried
to draft offensive lineman. But at the end of the day,
you're judged by the results. The results on the offensive
line have been putrid, putrid, and so it's also not
just that he gets hurt. It's that when he plays,
the results end up being sometimes limited because of the
offensive line. Look no further than the Super Bowl at

(01:09:07):
the end of the twenty twenty one season. More on
that coming up in the five o'clock hour as well.
We'll even squeeze in a phone caller two five point three, seven,
four nine fifteen thirty and eight sixty six, seven oh.

Speaker 3 (01:09:17):
Two three seven seven six.

Speaker 2 (01:09:20):
We are at Oakley Greens. We broadcast from here every Tuesday.
We cannot thank the staff at Oakley Greens enough. They've
got terrific food. They've got an outdoor bar by the way.
The outdoor bars undercover, so if you want to be
outside but you don't want to be in the sun,
this place is perfect. They've got an indoor bar as well,
great TV set up and Bengo Every Thursday. Brendanman and

(01:09:41):
Jones on Baseball is next on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (01:09:45):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center.

Speaker 8 (01:09:52):
The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center has the most comprehensive
blood cancer center in the nation. The future of cancer
care there is here. Call five one three five eighty
five UCCC northbound seventy one after Dana, it's an accident.
This is off on the right shoulder southbound seventy one
after Martin Luther king Wright Center lane blocked from an accident.

(01:10:14):
On southbound seventy five at Tylersville Road. The right lane
blocked off from another accident. I'm at Ezela with traffic.

Speaker 3 (01:10:21):
This report is sponsored by the Dwire Campig.

Speaker 1 (01:10:24):
This week, the Bengals play the Minnesota Vikings, which reminds
me the Prince wis from Minnesota. No, It's time for
the Bengals to bring the purple pain. Will they slay
the Vikings? Get the coal live from Dan Horden. Dave
coverage begins Sunday morning at nine am. Stream for free
on the new and improved High Heart Radio app or

(01:10:46):
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official rome of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:10:51):
It's a five o five ESPN fifteen thirty. Good afternoon.

Speaker 2 (01:10:54):
Alma Lager broadcasting today from Oakley Greens. In the fifteen minutes,
our guys, Shania the Stats and Scheme podcast is going
to join us. I am stoked for this because this
is the second time this offseason we've had a chance
to talk.

Speaker 3 (01:11:09):
To with him. Duce McBride.

Speaker 2 (01:11:12):
You know, I'm a huge New York Knicks fan, and
I'm a big fan of Deuces because he plays with
the Knicks. He's a Cincinnati guy Moeler High School. The
Knicks are set to begin training camp here in a
few weeks. Are actually headed to Abu Dhabi to start
the preseason in a few weeks against the Philadelphia seventy
six ers. Deduce a huge part of an Eastern Conference

(01:11:32):
finalist New York Knicks team this past season, had.

Speaker 3 (01:11:35):
A great year.

Speaker 2 (01:11:36):
He's a new father. He's also authored a children's book,
Deuce the Champion of Friendship, and he is going to
be at Joseph Beth just a few minutes from where
we are right now, this coming Friday at five o'clock
discussing his new book. A chance to meet a guy
who I'm gonna go ahead and say it next year
at this time will be fitted for an NBA Championship

(01:11:58):
ring friend of the Show, Miles Deuce McBride.

Speaker 3 (01:12:01):
It's awesome to have you. How are you?

Speaker 9 (01:12:03):
Man, appreciate you having me back on as always great to.

Speaker 6 (01:12:07):
Talk with you.

Speaker 9 (01:12:09):
Nothing like those intros. I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:12:12):
I' meant every word of it. What is we talked?

Speaker 4 (01:12:16):
It got?

Speaker 2 (01:12:16):
It might have been three weeks after the season ended.
Now here we are, just a few weeks before a
training camp. You've got the children's book, You've got a baby.

Speaker 3 (01:12:24):
What's the off season been like?

Speaker 4 (01:12:27):
Man?

Speaker 9 (01:12:28):
Just that I've been, you know, pushing my children's book,
getting out there to the public and been received really well.
But most importantly, been spending a lot of time with
my daughter just watching her grow these last three months now,
it's been truly amazing. I mean, just to see the
difference in how fast she's changed. It's it's awesome and

(01:12:50):
I'm only excited.

Speaker 6 (01:12:51):
For the rest of the growth.

Speaker 3 (01:12:54):
How much sleep are you again?

Speaker 6 (01:12:59):
Not alive? She's uh, she's lucky. She goes to sleep early,
but she's rising.

Speaker 9 (01:13:03):
Early too, which is making it tough.

Speaker 6 (01:13:05):
But I'm loving every second.

Speaker 3 (01:13:07):
That's uh, that's pretty awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:13:09):
In terms of basketball, look, man, you guys had a
great year last year. There's tons of excitement for the
team that you're gonna be on this coming season.

Speaker 3 (01:13:18):
Training camp is going to begin. You've you've been through.

Speaker 2 (01:13:22):
This now for a while, right, You're like a fully
vested NBA veteran, So so what's what's kind of the
metal process going into training camp this year as opposed
to other years of your NBA career?

Speaker 9 (01:13:33):
Man, I think this year, I'm just so much more
hungry and motivated from last year the year before just
being so close and losing to the same team twice. Like,
I really want us to just hit the ground and
run honestly, you know, not walk. You know, I know
everybody says regular seasons marathon, but I really want us

(01:13:55):
to skip from the from the jump, just really get going.

Speaker 3 (01:14:00):
What's NBA training camp like?

Speaker 9 (01:14:03):
It's uh, I mean, it's pretty intense, just because it's
not a lot of time. I mean, I think it's
you know, depends where you are, but for for us,
it's been really intense, just you know, having such high
expectations to come into the.

Speaker 6 (01:14:20):
Season, and obviously.

Speaker 9 (01:14:22):
You know New York teams are put under a lot
they're they're put under a different you know, scope. So
I feel like the intensity levels just through the roof
right now, which is which is good.

Speaker 6 (01:14:32):
You know, I love it.

Speaker 9 (01:14:33):
I wouldn't want it any other way.

Speaker 3 (01:14:35):
You have a new coach, and Mike Brown.

Speaker 2 (01:14:38):
I would imagine that every coach in the league is
different from Tom Thibodeau. Not that's not to say that
Timms wasn't a marvelous coach for the Knicks and for
yourself personally, But what have your conversations with your new coachmen, Like.

Speaker 9 (01:14:51):
I mean, they've been all really positive so far, not
even just about the game of basketball, but you know life,
you know my family, you know, having that I have now, and.

Speaker 6 (01:15:01):
You know, just the life part of New York.

Speaker 9 (01:15:06):
You know how you maneuver living in different areas because
we practiced pretty far from the gardens, so you.

Speaker 6 (01:15:12):
Know, things like that.

Speaker 9 (01:15:13):
But even on the basketball side, just really excited to
get to know me as a player and you know,
even more as a person.

Speaker 6 (01:15:20):
So it's all been really good.

Speaker 2 (01:15:22):
Are you excited to start the preseason half a world away?

Speaker 9 (01:15:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:15:29):
I am.

Speaker 6 (01:15:29):
I've never been, you know, to the Middle East.

Speaker 9 (01:15:33):
I've made my ways around this world, but the Middle
East is not a place I've been yet. So I'm
excited to get out there, and you know, get to
start a week early before everybody else, so you know,
everybody's going to really be excited to see a whole different.

Speaker 6 (01:15:48):
Part of this world and get to do what we love.

Speaker 2 (01:15:53):
Yeah, the season ends early June, late May. How much
time do you take off before you start doing basketball
stuff again?

Speaker 6 (01:16:03):
I mean I think for everybody it's different.

Speaker 1 (01:16:06):
I hear.

Speaker 9 (01:16:07):
You know, some guys, they they don't like to get
out of shape, so they almost start doing some type
of exercises like within that.

Speaker 6 (01:16:15):
Same week, and other guys that are like, no, I
do a whole reset. I think it all.

Speaker 9 (01:16:21):
Depends how you're feeling from that last season. Like the
season before I ended, I had to I had to
have a surgery, so I was out the whole summer
the previous summer going into this last season. So this
year I took about, you know, two weeks off and
try to let my body recover as much as I could,
and then you know, started up with pilate, started up

(01:16:42):
with other ways to get my body back active before
I got it back on the court.

Speaker 2 (01:16:47):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (01:16:47):
Deuce McBride is with us.

Speaker 2 (01:16:49):
He is going to be at Joseph Beth this Friday
five o'clock discussing his children's book, Deuce The Champion of Friendship.

Speaker 3 (01:16:57):
You're involved in a lot of different things.

Speaker 2 (01:16:59):
Many NBA are not many are children's book authors. What
made you decide to write a children's book?

Speaker 9 (01:17:07):
I mean I always knew, you know, the people I
looked up to the most obviously my mom, my dad,
my older brother, and my my extended family. And you know,
the example they left on me was to impact this
world with positivity in any way you can. And you know,
like as I grew older, I just wanted to be
a role model the kids that were already starting to

(01:17:29):
look up to me when I was back at Moler
High School and you know, kids were already asking me
for autographs. So I felt like, you know, this would
be a really cool way to start to leave a
bigger legacy than whatever I do on the court.

Speaker 2 (01:17:43):
The book itself is about friendship and courage and standing
up for people that could use an ally. I think
that's a good way of putting it.

Speaker 3 (01:17:52):
Give me an idea of what the inspiration behind the
book was.

Speaker 9 (01:17:56):
Yeah, I mean, I feel like when it comes to
this game of basketball and in sports in general, it
teaches you so much about life, whether it's the discipline
you have from working hard and seeing a payoff and
or from not working hard and cutting corners. You know,
things in life can be tough when you cut corners
in life. So I feel like from that standpoint, the

(01:18:18):
game of basketball can just teach you so much and
take you so many places. And on another note, it
can just you can have so much fun with it.
I mean, you can meet people, it can take you
around the world like it's doing for me, and I
think everybody should have a chance to just have fun
with playing the game, have fun, playing with friends and
meeting new people, getting out of their comfort zone again.

Speaker 2 (01:18:42):
Five o'clock at Joseph Beth on Friday. Now, is this
is the plan for this to be the first of
many like in a couple of years. Are we going
to talk and be talking about like Douce McBride's entire
series of children's books.

Speaker 9 (01:18:55):
That is definitely the plan. Already already getting to my
no path, coming up with some ideas. I'm pretty sure
we're gonna make this a little serious, So I'm excited
for the future.

Speaker 3 (01:19:08):
Very cool.

Speaker 2 (01:19:08):
Uh, you ought to be again Friday at Joseph Pett
This is pretty much like you You have the event
on Friday and then you have to report I believe,
correct me.

Speaker 3 (01:19:18):
If I'm wrong. Is that Monday you guys start camp.

Speaker 9 (01:19:21):
We we have a media day, then we're practicing the
next day. So I'm excited to come back home for
a little bit, but definitely excited to get this get
this season going.

Speaker 2 (01:19:34):
All right, You're you're kind enough to join us during
the offseason, and look, U, I talked to you and
we'd have you no matter which team you played for.
But the fact that you played for the Knicks means
a lot to me, and so we've joked on the show,
uh that we we're gonna talk to you from the
parade next summer.

Speaker 6 (01:19:51):
Okay, absolutely, no, I'm looking forward to it. I have
to see you up in New York.

Speaker 2 (01:19:58):
You know what if you if you you guys win it,
I will do the show from the parade.

Speaker 3 (01:20:02):
It might just be for me, it might just be
for you and I, but I will do it.

Speaker 9 (01:20:06):
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. I'm going to mark
day on the calendar.

Speaker 3 (01:20:10):
Would you do it?

Speaker 2 (01:20:12):
We'll trust me, you won't have any problem getting me
to be there Friday, five o'clock. Joseph Beth, the Great
Duce McBride, Deuce, the Champion of Friendship. He is going
to be discussing the book. You could purchase it there
Joseph Beth obviously right there the heart of Hyde Park.
Congratulations on the book. Best of luck on Friday, Best

(01:20:32):
of luck this season. Can't thank you enough. Good luck
and we'll talk to you from the Canyon of Heroes
next summer.

Speaker 6 (01:20:37):
Man, thanks so much, Yes, sir, appreciate you having me.
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:20:41):
That's our guy, Duce McBride, go see him on Friday,
five o'clock at Joseph Beth Deuce, the Champion of Friendship.
How do you not root for that dude. You might
not like the NIXT that's okay. You might not be
a molar person, that's fine too. How do you not
root for that guy? And I root for that guy
if he played for anybody, but he plays for the
next the twenty twenty six NBA champions. We're at Joseph, No,

(01:21:06):
we're not. We're at to Oakley Greens. Kind of a
Ron Burgundy there moment there for me, Drew. We're at
Oakley Greens, very close to you know what you can
do on Friday? Go see Duce, Go, get his book,
get your picture, get your autographed, and then come have
dinner here at Oakley Greens and then post up the
entire weekend here.

Speaker 3 (01:21:24):
At Oakley Greens.

Speaker 2 (01:21:26):
And you give your kid to children's book and then
bring him here to play mini golf or cornhole or
ping pong, or just have dinner, get some ice cream,
and spend the entire weekend here. Full college football Slate
Bengals watch party on Sunday, and don't forget Bengo on
Thursday night. We love the folks here at Oakley Greens.

(01:21:47):
By the way, this is the bud Light five o'clock
Happy Hour. Thanks to bud Light, easy to drink, easy
to enjoy. You know what, that conversation there, we've all
of us. We've been in salty moods since Sunday.

Speaker 10 (01:22:00):
Right.

Speaker 2 (01:22:00):
Let me be honest, Leyoa, we've all been a little
bit on edge and talking to Duce McBride brought a
smile to my face that I badly needed. Sean Sayat
always brings a smile to my face. Stats and Scheme newsletter.
He's going to join us to talk Burrow, the shotgun,
going under center, Browning, the offensive line, the Vikings, and
so much more.

Speaker 3 (01:22:19):
Next on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (01:22:22):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from.

Speaker 8 (01:22:27):
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The future of cancer care is here. Call five one
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Speaker 6 (01:23:00):
Report is sponsor.

Speaker 7 (01:23:01):
This is Football, Me and the Natty, brought to you
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Speaker 2 (01:23:13):
Podcasting from Oakley Greens because It's Tuesday. Also on Tuesday,
and we talked with our guys. Sean sayed. He is
one of the authors of these Stats and Scheme newsletter,
which if you want to be a smart, well informed,
articulate football fan, you should subscribe to.

Speaker 3 (01:23:28):
Sean.

Speaker 2 (01:23:29):
It's awesome to have you correct me if I'm wrong.
You have a law background, right, Oh, yes, you know.

Speaker 10 (01:23:36):
It may be better today if I had a medical background,
but for Joe Burrow.

Speaker 3 (01:23:39):
But yeah, you're right.

Speaker 11 (01:23:40):
The background is in the law.

Speaker 2 (01:23:44):
Do you know if it's possible for me to sue
the Bengals for the amount of emotional distress they caused me?

Speaker 10 (01:23:51):
Look, ma, I always tell me that you can sue
anyone for whatever you want. Now, the results much like
what it feels like when I got myself into this
for a second. Three may not be exactly what you want,
but now do I think your time might be better
considering Jake Browning and some quarterback trades?

Speaker 4 (01:24:07):
Maybe?

Speaker 11 (01:24:07):
But you help you follow that lawsuit. Please don't tell
them that I send.

Speaker 3 (01:24:11):
You so.

Speaker 2 (01:24:14):
You're an x's and OS guy. Right, there's the sort
of basic take, right. The Bengals don't do enough to
protect Joe Burrow. The offensive lines are never grade pass
block win rate. They're always awful schematically. Whenever Joe Burrow
comes back, which is could be at the end of
the season, could be next year, whenever it is, what
can they do schematically with an offensive line that isn't great,

(01:24:38):
that that better protects him.

Speaker 11 (01:24:41):
It's a great question.

Speaker 10 (01:24:42):
There are absolutely things you can do to mitigate the
amount of like hard direct pass stats for your offensive line.

Speaker 11 (01:24:50):
So it is hard to play offensive line.

Speaker 10 (01:24:52):
It is hard to, for fifty or whatever thirty five
STAPs a game, get into your pass a directly one
on one.

Speaker 11 (01:24:59):
When the defensive end is exactly what's come.

Speaker 10 (01:25:01):
What a lot of teams are doing now more often
is you're getting these play action type plays that allow
the offensive line to make it feel like a run
play and the defensive line is taking a bit.

Speaker 11 (01:25:12):
Of a stutter step. Now you're getting your quarterback moving
out a little bit.

Speaker 10 (01:25:15):
A lot of times you're seeing a guard pull from
the left side all the way to the right side.
So you don't have situations where we remember a few
years ago where Rock Purty gets hurt in the NFC
Championship game against the Eagles, when you have kind of
a tied end on a defense to end. So you
can try those things. It's hard because eventually you're probably

(01:25:35):
gonna find yourself in a situation where you have to
be like in a everyone knows a pass game or
a pass is going to happen. So when you have
studs on the outside like Haagans and Chase, you can
keep your tight ends in closer and get in to
have your pass protection.

Speaker 11 (01:25:50):
That has a bunch of downstream issues. So it's it's mostly.

Speaker 10 (01:25:54):
To me about you can limit the amount of just
pure drop back pass situations for your offensive line, but well,
you know you can't hide from that forever.

Speaker 11 (01:26:04):
With the thought with the Saints a little.

Speaker 10 (01:26:06):
Bit last year where the first two games is you
have toun of play act and these guys are just
killing defenses. Eventually you're gonna have to play on one
on one tech snap and you're.

Speaker 11 (01:26:14):
Gonna see if you're gonna be able to win or lose.

Speaker 2 (01:26:17):
So everything you said makes sense except the Bengals offensive line.
It's it's hard to say that they have a strength,
but if they have when it's pass blocking and so,
can you do this behind a group of offensive linemen
that aren't known as great run blockers?

Speaker 10 (01:26:34):
I do think you can because it's not like you're
because you're not run blocking, right, You're making it.

Speaker 11 (01:26:39):
Seem like you're run blocking, So you don't. I mean,
now another side of that is like, well, how convinced
him are you?

Speaker 8 (01:26:47):
Like?

Speaker 10 (01:26:47):
If I'm going up against the Bengals, I know what
you're trying to do here. You're trying to get the
bulta Jermar Chase and T Higgins. As much as I
talk about Chase Brown on these shows every single week,
but it's more about well, are you getting like allowing
reason to the defense to.

Speaker 11 (01:27:01):
Believe what you're feeding that?

Speaker 10 (01:27:02):
So, are you getting under center and running the ball
at times? Are you in the shotgun like pulling the
lignement out and like really attacking downhill in the run game.
So that's the question where to me, it's a little
bit less about are you a good run blocker and
more is your team like actually the convincing the defense
that this stake is what could potentially be something.

Speaker 2 (01:27:24):
Real Sean said is with his stats and scheme newsletters.
So you know, okay, put them under center more fine,
But this is a shotgun lead, right, Basically two thirds
of snaps are taken with the quarterback and the shotgun,
And so like, why do other teams have this figured
out and figure out a way to keep their quarterback

(01:27:45):
up right if they're operating in the gun? Maybe not
quite as often as Joe Burrow, but still the majority
of the time that the Bengals can't to the degree
that it might make sense to have Joe play under center.

Speaker 10 (01:27:56):
You know, the Eagles are a team that they're gonna
play like a crazy amount of shotgun snap every season,
Like they're not. They Yes, they've gotten under center a
little bit more in this season, but they're not going
to be a heavy under center team. And they have
what I would probably call the best offensive line in
the league. So that is is certainly one way if
you have a way for the Bengals to have the
best offensive line.

Speaker 3 (01:28:17):
In the league.

Speaker 11 (01:28:17):
I think a lot of people would pay you a
lot of money for exactly that job.

Speaker 10 (01:28:21):
I guess I'm not saying necessarily, hey, we need to
see Joe Burrow under center for one hundred percent of
a snap so or even fifty percent of a stamp.

Speaker 11 (01:28:28):
I don't want to make it seem like that.

Speaker 10 (01:28:30):
I understand that, like an offense should one like really
show your quarterback strength, I highlight your best players, like
this offense is best when you're heavy. You got to
see with Jake Bradley a little bit where you're in
the shotgun. Get the ball out quick to your stars.
Jamar Taks is unable to be tackled, like it's against
his contract for anyone to be able to tackle.

Speaker 4 (01:28:47):
He is that good.

Speaker 10 (01:28:48):
So I'm okay with the building of the offensive overall. Also, like,
I mean, football is an injured guaranteed sport. The only
way to not get injured playing football is by not
playing football.

Speaker 11 (01:28:57):
So I like, at the same time, do you want
to have just teak that any hits obviously not.

Speaker 10 (01:29:02):
I just know I hate the conversation because I want
to say, oh, build a better offensive line.

Speaker 11 (01:29:07):
Change your offense, build a better offensive line.

Speaker 10 (01:29:09):
Yeah, guy, like real, real easy for you to say
that your whole offense.

Speaker 11 (01:29:13):
Like do I really even want them to do that?
I'm not even sure. I think it's just about finding
your kind of spots here and there. And look, we
saw the offense with the backup quarterback previously. It looked
a little bit different.

Speaker 10 (01:29:23):
Maybe it's another situation where you get to learn a
little bit more about the team.

Speaker 11 (01:29:28):
But like, look, I'm not taking.

Speaker 10 (01:29:29):
Away bro superpower, Like I just don't want him. I
hate that those play extensions often. We talked about it
last week, right, Oh, he got hit a bunch by
the Browns, and like, getting hit is not.

Speaker 11 (01:29:38):
Good for random and health. So it's a it's a
it's a it's a tough one.

Speaker 2 (01:29:42):
Mah, Jake Browning. Look, there's familiarity. He's been with the
team for a while now, there's continuity with him, and
he obviously doesn't get the majority of snaps, but he
has thrown a decent amount of practice passes to you know,
Jamar Chase and T Higgins.

Speaker 3 (01:29:59):
He's played in big moments.

Speaker 2 (01:30:00):
You know, there were two overtime games when he had
to start two years ago. The game this past Sunday
came down to the last play, Like, if you have
to play your backup quarterback, ideally it's not for perhaps
as many as fifteen games, but you could certainly do
worse than Jake brown All of that said, he is
going to be thrown to a Brian Flores defense. So schematically,

(01:30:23):
where can they present Jake Browning's biggest issue on Sunday?

Speaker 11 (01:30:27):
I mean, what a guest, right, Like, hey, you get
the jobs that even wanted to do your whole entire life.

Speaker 10 (01:30:32):
Across the side, you get Ryan Flren in his flat
grim pat. So I will say that the Bengals have
a little bit more of a positive situation where like
this is the battle of the backup quarterbacks.

Speaker 11 (01:30:43):
Where I thought, coming.

Speaker 10 (01:30:44):
Into the desion, this is a game I had circled,
but now it's I mean Carson Wentz against Jake Browning,
and then the Vikings also have Aaron Jones.

Speaker 11 (01:30:52):
I think just is going to be out for this game.
So for Browning overall, like, you're gonna get fooled.

Speaker 10 (01:30:58):
It doesn't matter if you're like the if you my
quarterback for seventy five years, you're.

Speaker 11 (01:31:02):
Going to get fooled by the defense.

Speaker 10 (01:31:04):
I think it's more about building in like when in doubt,
like take take your isolation shot.

Speaker 11 (01:31:09):
Even when you're not in doubt, take your.

Speaker 10 (01:31:10):
Isolation shot, right Because the Vikings defense is built on
so many different things up front.

Speaker 11 (01:31:15):
In the secondary, guys are going to be moving in
different directions. At the end of the day, mough, it
still is going to come down to the ball is
going to be in the air.

Speaker 10 (01:31:22):
It's going to be Jamar Chase, and there's going to
be one guy close to him and one guy far
away from him, and like, I would rather be in
the situation.

Speaker 11 (01:31:28):
Rooms for the guy are room for Jamar Tape. So
can you create.

Speaker 10 (01:31:31):
Isolations just on the outside that you like it forces
you to bypass some of the funky stuff that's going
on underneath, or like, hey, I'm gonna if I passed
the ball once you have to know that there is
going to be something like someone's screaming down in your neck.

Speaker 11 (01:31:46):
That's a big one overall. So I feel like, oh.

Speaker 10 (01:31:50):
Like the Bengals should feel like they're in a decent
position even with the backup quarterback, considering what's.

Speaker 11 (01:31:55):
Going on or what's going on in Minnesota previously, and.

Speaker 10 (01:31:58):
It's not the worst day to get heavy, get your
second tight end on the field. You're able to see
the Vikings get run on a little bit when the
Falcons got a little bit heavier on, Yeah, on Sunday
night of this week, so you can see maybe the
Bengals do that as well to take a little bit
of stress off the runner.

Speaker 2 (01:32:14):
Is is Minnesota better with Carson Wentz than what I've
watched from seven out of eight quarters with JJ McCarthy.

Speaker 11 (01:32:22):
I mean, like, can you get worse? I'm not sure.
It's tough, right, It's essentially a rookie quarterback obviously in.

Speaker 10 (01:32:27):
Your in your second year. I mean, we've seen a
lot of Carson Wentz. I'm like fascinating because I like,
I love Kevin O'Connell.

Speaker 11 (01:32:34):
In terms of the offense that he runs, in terms of.

Speaker 10 (01:32:36):
The program that he's really built in Minnesota. So I'm
fascinated to see, like, do we see an offensive that
fue looks a little bit different, Like give he a.

Speaker 11 (01:32:43):
Little bit more comfortable calling some plays where.

Speaker 10 (01:32:46):
McCarthy really like he's like a low freaconcot throw to
his left side.

Speaker 11 (01:32:50):
I mean, Carson Wentz like this is your shot, like
you are in.

Speaker 10 (01:32:52):
A fantastic environment, Like I mean, Daniel Jones is thriving
in Indianapolis. And now I don't think it's all because
he spent time with Kevin o' all. But like I'm
sure like getting your confidence built back up.

Speaker 11 (01:33:02):
In that way kind of nice.

Speaker 3 (01:33:04):
So I think about that question.

Speaker 11 (01:33:07):
But now now I'm st stretching my head a little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:33:10):
Maybe it could be true. It's rare that I give
you something to think about. So mission accomplished.

Speaker 6 (01:33:16):
No, appreciate that.

Speaker 3 (01:33:19):
Uh, we'll talk next week.

Speaker 2 (01:33:21):
Man, Thank you as always appreciate enough talking. That's our guy,
Sean Saya. The Stats and Skiing Newsletter of sumer sports
dot com is where you can go ahead and subscribe
to that. I should have let Sean plug that, but
it is terrific. It comes out multiple times per week
and they run through every game. They preview every game.
If if you're into like strategies, if you're into like

(01:33:41):
advanced football, this is your guy. Sean Sayaed the Stats
and Scheme Newsletter. It is twenty seven away from six o'clock.
We have not had the opportunity to open up the
phone lines.

Speaker 3 (01:33:55):
This week because we've been busy. We're at Oakley Greens.

Speaker 2 (01:33:58):
We're here till six, which means we have twenty seven
minutes to do exactly what I just said. We haven't
had time to do. After sports headlines on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 7 (01:34:09):
You've been listening to Football in the NATI, brought to
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Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from the UC.

Speaker 8 (01:34:28):
Health Traffic Center. The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center has
the most comprehensive blood cancer center in the nation. The
future of cancer care is here called five one three,
five eighty five UCCC southbound seventy one after Martin Luther King,
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(01:34:51):
up to about a five to ten minute delay from
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at Donaldson. I'm at ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:35:00):
This reblinds our service of Kelsey Chevrolet, home of lifetime
powertrain protection and guarantee credit approval from their family to
yours for life Kelsey Chef dot com. All right, Bengals
made some roster moves today. Brent Rippen is up from
the practice squad. He's now in the active roster. He
is the Bengals number two quarterback. Sean Clifford from Saint
X formerly of the Packers, he has been signed to

(01:35:22):
the Bengals practice squad. So has former Jet Dolphin and
Bill Mike White, he of fifteen career games and seven
starts in the NFL. Kendrick Pryor signed back to the
practice squad. Bengals and Vikings on Sunday at one o'clock.
You'll hear the game live on ESPN fifteen thirty. Meanwhile,
the Reds continued their series in Saint Louis. It feels

(01:35:42):
like David on the road for about a month. Andrew
Abbott and Michael McGreevy are your pitchers this evening, seven
forty five. Your first pitch on seven hundred WLW. You
want the starting lineup, I give it to you. Friedel
locks Marte Stewart playing first base, Benson Steele evenson Elie
de la Cruz is playing shortstop and batting seventh keep

(01:36:04):
Bryan Hayes and Matt McClean again seven forty five tonight
on seven hundred WLW. Reds are two behind the Mets
now after winning last night in New York. After being
idol last night, we'll take on the San Diego Padres.
That game is in Queen's Diamondbacks and Giants again tonight.
Arizona beat San Francisco last night. So where things stand

(01:36:24):
at the moment? Tiebreakers being what they are, d Backs
a game and a half back, Reds and Giants both
tied at two back. The fast fading Cardinals are four
and a half back.

Speaker 3 (01:36:37):
There you go. We got time for calls. Mike. You're
on ESPN fifteen thirty high.

Speaker 4 (01:36:43):
Mike, Hi, Mo, how are you?

Speaker 3 (01:36:46):
I'm well? How about yourself?

Speaker 6 (01:36:48):
Help?

Speaker 4 (01:36:48):
You and your daughter and your wife doing well?

Speaker 3 (01:36:51):
Everybody is doing love them.

Speaker 4 (01:36:53):
I'm hanging here. You hit my problems, but I'm hey,
what do you want me to go first? Read your bangles?

Speaker 3 (01:37:00):
What's on your mind? Why don't you go with the Reds? Mike?

Speaker 6 (01:37:02):
Let's do that, okay?

Speaker 4 (01:37:06):
Uh? Are we ever gonna feel real confident in the
Hunter's health?

Speaker 3 (01:37:10):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (01:37:10):
I'm just getting tiresome. That poor guy I feel so
sorry for him because like the other night, he leaves
and he said something didn't feel right. It's just I
don't understand what's going on with him, Mom.

Speaker 3 (01:37:24):
Do you well? I mean, he got hit by a
ball that came back to him.

Speaker 2 (01:37:28):
But as a general rule, no, I mean, I think
I think we all understand how talented Hunter Green is, right,
But yeah, I think for all of us, until you
see him get through an entire season without having to
spend any time on the injured list, you're always gonna
you're always gonna be waiting for the other shoot to drop.
Like that's just it's it's not it's not entirely like

(01:37:52):
Joe Burrow. But like with Joe, it's what's next, Right,
He's always hurt. Yeah, maybe it's not his fault, but
he's always hurt. And with Hunter Green, unfortunately, in his
fourth big league season, which this is, it was yet
again interrupted by injury, and that is unfortunately just a
part of his story. And until he changes it, and

(01:38:13):
until luck changes it, you're always going to be wondering
what's next.

Speaker 3 (01:38:17):
And I think it is. I think it is unfortunately
completely fair.

Speaker 2 (01:38:21):
To not not have total faith in him being able
to stay healthy because of his track record.

Speaker 4 (01:38:27):
He's just so damn dominating when he's good. I mean,
he is the best in the league. You're right when
he's good, I don't care who you're talking about. With
some of these other teams, Hunter is as good as
it gets when he's right.

Speaker 2 (01:38:41):
Yeah, and and and unfortunately, you know, against Oakland or
the A's, the Athletics the other night in in a
in a game in the thick of a wildcard hunt,
where they gave him a couple of runs early, he
was the exact opposite of dominant.

Speaker 3 (01:38:57):
Now, that might be a one off.

Speaker 2 (01:38:59):
He was terrific in his previous start against the Mets,
but I will admit as as being one of Hunter
Green's biggest fans sorely disappointed in his performance.

Speaker 3 (01:39:10):
Because of the attitude of the game.

Speaker 2 (01:39:12):
You know, he's these are big games and they don't
have much margin for Aaron. Unfortunately, when he was on
the mound, he was he was ineffective.

Speaker 4 (01:39:20):
And here's what's interesting, back to the home dog strategy,
which by the way, is doing quite well this year.
Of course, yes, we look at the team and here's
the evidence in in the in the validity of the
home dog strategy. You got, I'm team five hundred, basically
five hundred teams playing for for playoff spots, and that

(01:39:40):
that basically tells you the story of the of the
whole idea of the home dog.

Speaker 2 (01:39:46):
Well, I hope the home dog doesn't howl tonight in
Saint Louis because the Cardinals slight slight home dogs.

Speaker 4 (01:39:56):
Yeah, me too. I'm not really worried about the I
think they're just stating. And then that's what a what
a noose? Guys, those guys are taken. I don't even
want them to get to the play I don't like
them anyway, but I don't want to get to the
playoffs just because they're underperforming in gross fashion, gross fashion.

Speaker 3 (01:40:16):
H okay, bank, no question?

Speaker 4 (01:40:18):
Well yeah thanks mom. So we were all talking about
the AFC West AFC West, and now I'll get to
the Bank AFC West. Oh, that's going to be the
dominant division. And I was, you know, hoping for my
Chargers and bout Denver's good and Kansas City and never
know anymore, the Chargers might or the Raiders might be

(01:40:40):
coming on whatever, But look, who look at the division
that's really the most dominant, The NFC West San Francisco
two and o, Arizona two and oh and the Rams
two and oh? Is that I find it?

Speaker 2 (01:40:52):
For what it's weird now I am. I'm not how sure.
I'm not sure how sustainable the Cardinals thing is. You know,
the Niners have injuries, but you know, maybe them in
the Baltimore Baltimore Ravens are the two teams that should
have the most practice, for lack of a better way

(01:41:14):
of putting it, dealing with injuries.

Speaker 3 (01:41:16):
Kyle Shanahan is still a marvelous coach.

Speaker 2 (01:41:20):
Mac Jones played well against New Orleans and they've won
both of their first two games on the road. It
sets up kind of nicely for them over the next
couple of weeks where they get home games against Arizona,
then Jacksonville, and then they go to LA to play
the Rams, who I think will beat Philadelphia this week.

Speaker 3 (01:41:37):
But yes, early in.

Speaker 2 (01:41:38):
The season, and you know things do shift as the
season unfolds.

Speaker 3 (01:41:42):
The NFC West has been really, really good. In the
AFC West.

Speaker 2 (01:41:46):
You know, the Chargers are two to zero after winning
last night, I suddenly have I have more doubts about
the Chiefs than most and I feel like a lot
of people have doubts about the Chiefs.

Speaker 3 (01:41:55):
Right now, we'll.

Speaker 6 (01:41:56):
See I do too.

Speaker 4 (01:41:58):
Okay, just a couple more minutes, please. Schematically, we're talking
about the Bengals, and some coaches are really good schematically,
some aren't. We talked about this before, but I think
we're seeing the absolute demise of pocket passers because of

(01:42:18):
the extreme quickness of these defensive rushers, whether their ends
or defensive ends or linebackers blitzing or whoever. I think
the guys that are just dropping back are You've got
to be able to run the football. I mean, Baker
Mayfield showed it last night. He doesn't even care. He
lowered his shoulder did a double quadruple splip to get

(01:42:43):
the first down. So you've got to have a quarterback
that's got to be mobile anymore more. That's the way
things are going, am I right?

Speaker 2 (01:42:53):
You know It's it's funny. I was thinking about this
this morning. I feel like, and I say this without
having any numbers to back me up, I feel like
I see more teams getting home when they don't blitz
than I ever have. Now you're still seeing teams blitz

(01:43:14):
on average, you know, teams across the entire league blitz
on about twenty five to thirty percent of defensive snaps.
But I feel like there's something there's something to what
you just said, because I feel like when I watch
a league on a weekend and week out basis, every
team has a guy on the inside who can get
after the quarterback. You know, when you think of traditional

(01:43:36):
pass rushers, you think of edge guys, you think of
Reggie White, you think of Bruce Smith, you think of
dudes like Trey Hendrickson who just come off the edge,
fire off the edge, And obviously there's still a lot
of guys who do that. I feel like when I
watch this league week in and week out, you are
seeing more more players, more three techniques who are really
good at just bull rushing the passer, and you see

(01:43:58):
more quarterbacks being pressured up the middle, Like we had
a Super Bowl last year, Mike that I think was
defined by Philadelphia's ability to get to Patrick Mahomes through
the middle. And I don't know if the pocket quarterback
is dead or dying or going to become extinct, there's
always going to be room for guys who can stand
in there and throw darts. But yeah, I think there's

(01:44:20):
I think there's something to three techniques and defensive tackles
being better at rushing the passer than at any time
that I can remember, and that pressure is coming from
up the middle. And when the pressure is coming up
from up the middle, you've got to be able to
move left or right. And there are quarterbacks we have
watched in the past who haven't been really good at
doing that. Those sort of qbs are going to be

(01:44:42):
in short supply moving forward.

Speaker 4 (01:44:44):
What's the free technique? Moo, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (01:44:47):
Free technique is starting in a three point stance defensive tackle.
Those tackles okay, so they're down, okay, and then real quick,
is anybody ever questioning?

Speaker 10 (01:44:59):
Now?

Speaker 4 (01:44:59):
May be on the hindsight's a million to one and
Jamar is fantastic, But Sammy fool is gonna ended up
in the Hall of Fame and went, here's a catastrophic injury.
I wish we had him now on left pack.

Speaker 2 (01:45:12):
Well, you know, I love Jamar Chase from what he's
meant for the organization. You talk about their being room
for multiple truths, then a Fool's awesome. Jamar Chase is awesome.
Detroit's happy with their guy. I'd be happy with our guy.
If the Bengals could find somebody who could play even
at half the level of the nasol, Mike, I got
a run man.

Speaker 3 (01:45:32):
Thanks very much.

Speaker 6 (01:45:33):
Well, I know you do.

Speaker 4 (01:45:34):
You said this two or three years ago. The biggest
thing you were fearful of with Joe was the cart
and were right.

Speaker 2 (01:45:42):
Yeah, he didn't exactly take a ride in one, but yeah, Mike,
good to hear from you.

Speaker 3 (01:45:47):
As always Oakley Greens.

Speaker 2 (01:45:49):
We thanked the staff here for having us out by
the way tomorrow night Fairway Feud from seven to nineteen
Trivia Family Feud style and don't don't forget Bengo New
Bengo Bengals influenced Bingo football theme, Bingo Bengals Bingo with
all sorts of prizes, Bengals autograph stuff. Thursday Night Football
and if you're making plans for Sunday, Oakley Greens will

(01:46:11):
have the game on their more than thirty TVs indoor
and out.

Speaker 3 (01:46:15):
We're done.

Speaker 2 (01:46:16):
Thanks to Drew Wester Heidi for producing on site and
our guy Taran for producing back and Ken would have
an awesome night and we will talk to you tomorrow.
This has been about light five o'clock Happy Hour from
Oakley Greens on ESPN fifteen thirty. Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 7 (01:46:37):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 8 (01:46:41):
Call five one three five eighty five UCCC southbound seventy
one after Martin Luther King the right lane blocked off
from a disabled semi Police also off in that right lane.

(01:47:05):
East found two seventy five after Montgomery Road accident on
the right shoulder southbound Beachmont Avenue accident at Corby Road
on that ezelic with traffic

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9/16/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show

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