12/1/25 - The Tony & Mo Football Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bring their own brand of football to Buffalo when they
go hunting for a win. Did I tell you about
the last time I was in below I ate fifty
wings leathered in hot sauce. Let's just say I had
to stampede my way to a stall in the men's room.
The Bengals battle the Bills. Coverage begins at nine APP Sunday.

(00:21):
Stream for free on the new and improved iHeartRadio app
or ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
This is the Tony and Moe Football Show, Live from
Twin Peaks, brought to you in part by Encore Technologies.
Visit OnCore dot Tech and Station East Coast subs Penn Station.

(00:44):
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(01:09):
on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
It is a victory Monday edition of The Tony and
Mom Football Show. We are broadcasting from Twin Peaks in Westchester.
We're back in Westchester next week in Florence. In two weeks,
Moegar with Tony Pike. The Monday after the Bengals Thanksgiving
Night victory over the Baltimore Ravens, a win that opens

(01:35):
the door slightly, just a little bit for the Bengals
to win the AFC North Crown. We are here till
six o'clock. If you haven't been to Twin Peaks, what
are you waiting for? This place is awesome, great food,
awesome staff, tons of beer, lots of bourbon, TVs all
over the joint. You could watch college basketball tonight. You

(01:56):
see and Xavier both play. We've got a Monday night
football game tonight. If you're thinking ahead to Sunday, Bengals
and Bills. If you're thinking ahead to Saturday, all the
College Football Conference championship games, Ohio State and Indiana Friday Night,
Friday Night, the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootouts.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
I'm gonna lock myself in my basement and throw the
remote away.

Speaker 4 (02:16):
You will not be a Twin Peaks for that. I'm
not going anywhere if you don't want to go to
Tony's basement swing by Twin Peaks.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
You know I'm not offering. I'm not turning the game on.
I'm not gonna watch TV's off, phones off, I'm lockdown.

Speaker 4 (02:29):
Will you wait for a text?

Speaker 3 (02:30):
No? Not on what I've seen this song and dance.

Speaker 4 (02:33):
Just go to bed on Friday, wake up on Saturday
and see what happened.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
I'm so darn thankful for the Bengals today. I know
Thanksgiving us past, but my mood on Wednesday night last week,
and then my mood coming back from Fort Worth on Saturday.
Thank goodness for the Cincinnati Bengals in a game mohe
it feels like was played two weeks.

Speaker 4 (02:51):
Ago, it does.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
It just feels like it was forever ago.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well, a lot has happened just in football since right
a Black Friday game. You had an awesome Week thirteen
to the NFL. Yesterday, you had all the college football games,
had the Lane kiff and stuff like Mark Stoop's getting fired,
Ohio State, Michigan, you see TCU. There's been so much
that has happened that I'm like, I'm like you, I

(03:16):
kid coming back to oh Yeah, Bengals Ravens won that game.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
It felt weird talking about it earlier today. Yeah, it
felt like normally you get in games on Sunday, you
talk about it Monday. It's fresh, Like I'm going back
through watching parts of the game, looking up different things.
What a what a cool way to end Thanksgiving night though, Yeah, Like,
couldn't have asked for a better start. Time, kind of

(03:39):
settling after the meal, a couple of drinks, watch the
game and watch the Bengals, you know, I think stave
off some early red zone struggles his first half, like
twelve seven, Yeah, we gotta score touchdowns in the red zone.
But man, it was it was a great second half.

Speaker 4 (04:00):
Great.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
I thought it was a great team win offense, defense,
special teams obviously with Evan McPherson, and more than anything,
it just felt felt good to see Joe Burrow playing.
It did like I was one that was like, I'm
kind of on the fence, should he play or not?
You see him out there, and you see him on
the first snap under center, play action, roll out to
the left, and I'm like, all right, let's go forty

(04:22):
six times. I didn't have forty six throws on my
Bengo card.

Speaker 4 (04:24):
Was it nuts about that?

Speaker 3 (04:25):
But I thought I thought it was a team win.
I thought it was one of their most complete games
from start to finish. And I thought you saw as
emotional a Joe Burrow as you'll see in a Bengal
uniform after the game being interviewed on the field.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, Like, I thought about that a lot on Friday morning.
If you don't love the Bengals, how do you not
at least like Joe Burrow. Right, you may not think
he's the best quarterback in the NFL, you may not
root for his team to win, but like, there's a
likability there. The fact that he worked his ass off

(05:02):
to get back, the fact that, look, I'm among those
who wonder should they play him? The fact that he
had the perspective that he's had, the fact that he
talks to Melissa Stark before the game and says effectively like, dude,
I'm a football player. I get paid a lot to
play a kid's game. The fact that he put himself
out there. I'm not convinced he's close to one hundred percent.
Is changing shoes during the game, he's working through stuff,

(05:25):
and then you know the post game, like how do
you not root.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
For that guy so good? And like, I think it
just peeled back a little bit of this. Here's this
super private, superstar quarterback of an NFL team, and here
he is finally like peeling it back and just talking
about how much he appreciates being out there right, how
much he appreciates his teammates, his family, his friends, everyone

(05:49):
that helped make that possible for him to get back.
And what I thought was the most impressive in the game, like, yeah,
there's a lot of throws he wanted back. He's twenty
four to forty six, Yeah that is that's not his
level of play.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
He played like a guy who hadn't played in over
two months.

Speaker 3 (06:02):
But what I liked the most he was only sacked once,
he threw two touchdowns, didn't turn the ball over, And
I thought mentally he was as sharp as we've seen him,
like changing plays at the line of scrimmage, movement within
the pocket, getting the ball out quick. Like the physical
side's hard, the mental side when you haven't played that

(06:24):
long and now things are moving very fast again. I
thought the way he mentally handled it was even more
impressive than the actual physical nature of him being out
there and playing.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah, he was at times uneven, he at times missthrows.
I wondered last week, you know, Joe's track record in
season openers is kind of Spotty's. This is effectively season
opener two point zero, So there's gonna be some rust,
and there was. But like we asked this all the time,
how good is your good? How bad is your bad?
If that's as bad as it is for Joe Burrow
moving forward, look out. You know, I thought of his

(06:55):
second NFL game against the Browns on the road on
a Thursday night.

Speaker 4 (06:59):
He threw at sixty one times. That's not the recipe.

Speaker 3 (07:02):
He was on pace for that at halftime thirty two.

Speaker 4 (07:04):
Was, but that night he didn't turn it over.

Speaker 2 (07:06):
And so I'm watching on on Thursday and Thanksgiving night, going, Okay,
he's not where we or they want him to be,
and who knows if he gets there. But this, if
this is a C plus Joe Burrow performance, I'll take that.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
And I thought, I thought a couple things, and I
know we're gonna get to the defense as well. I
thought the offensive line performed well, Chase Brown again over
one hundred scrimmage yards. If there was one thing I
was curious about after the game on Thursday, Chase Brown
and some AJP Runn are essentially getting the same carries,
and I don't know with how well Chase Brown like,
I would rather see those carries go to Chase Brown

(07:41):
to be yes, RAN's been good. Chase Brown carried it
for over five yards of carry and he also was
targeted seven times and caught all seven. I want as
much as Chase Brown as I can possibly get, But
outside of that, we don't talk, and we haven't talked
enough about how how improved the old line has been getting.
You know, Austin mentioned today we aren't talking about Marius Mims.

(08:03):
That's the best compliment you can give a lineman. I
haven't said much about Fairchild. Reisner held his own ted Carris,
albeit being helped by Joe with how much time was
left on the play clock because he counted that down
for him was in a good way, I thought, And
again we'll talk defense. I thought, on both sides of
the ball was just complete.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
Zach Taylor is going to talk here in just a bit.
We're going to carry that for you in the five
o'clock hours, so we don't screw up our clock here.
If there's anything significant that comes from that, we'll certainly
share it with you. Bengals beating the Baltimore Ravens. Let's
talk about the defense. Yeah, Joseph Osaigh I thought was terrific.

(08:42):
Miles Murphy again was really good.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
Murphy stacked him. Now he stacked them good games.

Speaker 4 (08:48):
Like, Okay, it's taken longer than it should have, but
there's something there.

Speaker 3 (08:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Now nobody is saying, hey, sign the guy long term.
He's the dude.

Speaker 4 (08:58):
Nobody is saying, hey, Tobin got it right.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
But the last few games, starting with Pittsburgh, he has
been really disruptive. He has been exactly what I was
hoping Shamar Stewart would be. But that's that's what you
built around.

Speaker 4 (09:15):
Like we could talk about how good DJ Turner has been,
and we're gonna talk about some of the bad of
the defense as well. Up front. Give me a disruptor, yep.
Miles Murphy the last three games has been a disruptor.

Speaker 3 (09:25):
He's been a disruptor. And I mean the stat line
alone from Osai two sacks, two tackles for lost, four
quarterback hits against a quarterback historically is not easy to hit.
Is as impressive it can get I got. I had
a caller today and I wonder if there's anything to this.
Trey Hendrickson has been out and ruled out pretty quickly,
Shamar Stewart's been ruled out pretty quickly. Is there something

(09:48):
to the fact that they are consistently getting reps? If
Shamar's healthy, if Trey's healthy, you're just subbing all the time.
Right now, Osai and Miles Murphy know that they're getting
all the reps. I think there's something to that in
the way you prepare. I think there's something to that,
in the way you can settle into a game and
not feel like, all right, here right, this is my series,

(10:10):
and then I'm coming back out, so I better do
something and next thing you know, you have a miss
assignment or something like that. They know they're gonna get
the reps, and I think on the back end of that,
there's a level of confidence that's coming with that, knowing
that they're the guys because Chamar is not healthy and
Trey Henderson's not healthy. So here you go make the
most out of your reps that you're going to get.
You're not gonna get pooled if you have a bad

(10:30):
series you're not gonna get quite. You're the guys right now,
and they're both playing well.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
And I wonder if there's also something about the preparation.
If I'm on the field with Trey Hendrickson, yeah, he's
getting doubled.

Speaker 4 (10:42):
Right.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
If I'm on the field with Trey Hendrickson, they're gonna
move the pocket to figure out a way to block him.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
And so.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
Not to say that you take your job lightly, but
I wonder if there's a sure all right, fine, you
know what, Trey's gonna get blocked. They're gonna do it
they can to stop him. I'll be fine. Whereas now
it's okay? Is not that now they could, you know,
direct their attention at me, And so now I've got
to be ready.

Speaker 4 (11:05):
I don't know. But the Miles Murphy we have watched
these last three games, and the Joseph Osai we watched
on Thursday, those were disruptors.

Speaker 3 (11:14):
Yeah, and so if.

Speaker 4 (11:14):
The defense is going to continue to improve, and look,
two weeks ago we were talking about how guys on
that side of the ball quit. But if the defense
is going to improve, it's it's the foundation has to
be laid. And for me, it's gonna be laid by
guys who can disrupt, and Osai and Murphy have been disrupted.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
Pittsburgh scored two defensive touchdowns in that game. A couple
of weeks ago, they gave up twenty defensively against the Steelers.
I thought they played winning football against the Patriots, and
they played winning football on Thursday. Yeah, Like we were
talking about them as the worst defense in the history
of the league, right so it's not like they've jumped
so far ahead. They're not a good defense, but they're
they're not in that worst defense in the history of

(11:51):
the league right now. Yeah, that's a good category to
call yourself out of, now, you know. I think there's
also something to the fact that Baltimore was complicit in
this four fumbles, two from Lamar, an interception from Lamar,
but Jordan Battle had a great hustle play against Isaiah Likely.
I thought they benefited from the offensive pass interference call
against a Flowers. But the point to that is, if

(12:15):
you're going to try and you mentioned the door creaking open,
if you're going to try to continue to push that
door open, it's not going to be top ten defense
in the NFL. You're gonna have to be opportunistic. You're
gonna have to take advantage of different things like they
did against the Baltimore Ravens. It's going to be one
game sample size each week. Every game has to feel

(12:35):
like your playoff life is on the line, and in
those games, you've got to make the small things happen
and you're gonna have to have things go your way
as well.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
We're here till six o'clock Twin Peaks in Westchester, Tony
and Mo Football Show. Let's talk about the door being open,
and let's put ourselves in the shoes of Baltimore and
Pittsburgh fans when.

Speaker 4 (12:56):
We come back. We'll get to the bear Cats a
little bit later on past discuss everything going on in
college football.

Speaker 3 (13:03):
It's not what teams do against us anymore.

Speaker 2 (13:05):
We spend some time on the coaching vacancy at Kentucky.
Ryan Day beats Michigan gets that monkey off his back.
We'll talk about everything going around the NFL. There's a
lot of ground to cover, tons of Bengals, of course.
Two Between now and six o'clock it's the Tony and
Moe Football Show at Twin Peaks in Westchester on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

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Speaker 7 (14:02):
This report wk Y Cincinnati and iHeartRadio Station Guaranteed Human
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Speaker 2 (14:12):
Radio Tony five After three.

Speaker 4 (14:18):
This is ESPN.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
Fifteen thirty The Tonymo Football Show at Twin Peaks in
west Chester. We are here until six o'clock. There's a
lot to dive into. Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens on
Thanksgiving nights. Cincinnati is now four and eight, two games
behind both Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the AFC North. Those

(14:40):
two teams play each other, Cincinnati goes to Buffalo. The
math is not in favor of the Bengals. Even if
the Bengals went on Sunday, they're gonna be two games
behind you the.

Speaker 4 (14:49):
Pittsburgh or Baltimore. Barring either of those or those two teams.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
Those play each other twice, right.

Speaker 4 (14:55):
So the math is not easy.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
But I look at this, I try to look at
this from the perspective of let's start with a Steelers fan,
and you can apply this to how they look at
the Ravens as well. At one point they were four
and one. Baltimore couldn't stop anybody. Early in the season,
Burrow was hurt. Bengals couldn't stop anybody. Pittsburgh Steelers came
here on October sixteenth, and we talked about how this

(15:21):
could be where they pull away, This could be where
they bury the Bengals and really start to separate themselves
from Baltimore. Well, if you're a Steelers fan, your defense
has performed terribly relative to what they've spent on it
and who they have. Aaron Rodgers is old and injured.

Speaker 4 (15:38):
Of course he is. The offense looks punchless, and they're
six and six and by the way they play some
really tough teams in front of them. If you're a
Steelers fan, how are you not going? Good? God?

Speaker 2 (15:52):
We let the Bengals off the hook by losing that
game in Cincinnati, and we've let the Ravens, despite losing
on Thursday night, catch us. But if I'm them, I'm
looking at the Bengals going we could have buried that team.
We could have at least been in a two team race.
And now they got their guy back. Their guy is
probably healthier than our guy. Their guy is better than

(16:12):
our guy.

Speaker 4 (16:13):
Uh oh.

Speaker 2 (16:14):
If you're Baltimore, yep, you're six and six. Your offense
has been uneven for weeks now, Lamar Jackson has played
unevenly for weeks. Doesn't look one hundred percent. They dug
themselves a one in five hole, bounced back and were
six and five. Bengals came to their building with a
bad defense and a quarterback who hadn't played in over

(16:34):
two months, and they let the Bengals off the hook. So,
as Bengals fans, we can go, God, you know what,
we know how bad the defense is.

Speaker 4 (16:42):
Do we trust Zach Taylor still want to fire Duke Tobin?
All that stuff.

Speaker 2 (16:46):
I think if you look at it from the perspective
of a fan of either one of those two teams,
you look at the Bengals and you're scared, right, You're
scared because they got their guy back.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
Also, we had a chance to bury them and didn't.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
And if you have a chance to bury a team
that has Joe Burrow's quarterback, but look out for what
may happen.

Speaker 3 (17:05):
I think there's that element. I also think it's the
remaining schedule element. You mentioned Pittsburgh. They've got Baltimore twice.
They've got the Dolphins, who have all of a sudden
figured it out. Yeah, They've got the Browns who are
not going to roll over with that defense, and they
play the Lions on the road. Baltimore even harder schedule
Pittsburgh twice, They've got the Packers, They've got the Patriots.

(17:26):
Like their schedule in Baltimore like, you could make a
case that Baltimore could lose out the way they've played
as of late and the schedule that they have upcoming.
You could make a case that Baltimore, in the way
they have played, is in trouble. It's just it's the

(17:54):
to me, the parody that's in the NFL as a
whole right now, Sure like you take the those two teams,
how many other teams are having those same conversations like
all over the league. Like the Rams look to be
the contender, they get beat in Carolina yesterday.

Speaker 4 (18:10):
Kansas City's two games out of a playoffs.

Speaker 3 (18:12):
Kansas City's out of the playoffs, Detroit Detroit's out of
the playoffs. The teams that are at the top, I'm
not sold on. I'm not sold on Denver or New
England as a Super Bowl contender. I'm also not sold
on the nine and three Bears as a super Bowl contender.
Yet the jaguarres are eight and four. There's this group
of teams bunched up at eight and four between the

(18:33):
Colts who are trending in the wrong direction, the Chargers
who have so many injuries. The bill like this thing
is wide open, and all of those teams could probably
point to things and say, man, we didn't put the
foot down when we had a chance. So and for
Baltimore and Pittsburgh, now that's a legit reality in those teams.

(18:54):
What's the conversation with Lamar Jackson right now? How healthy
can Lamar actually be how how high is the ceiling
in Baltimore. Pittsburgh's defense has been atrocious all year. Rogers
is not getting any younger. They still don't have the
weapons outside of DK Metcalf. Those conversations are a lot

(19:14):
different now. And yes, you could still say what's it's
not a one, it's a couple games of a buffer,
but they're at least in the rear view mirror if
you're talking about the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 4 (19:23):
And that's the thing, and that's the dangerous part.

Speaker 2 (19:25):
You had a chance to separate yourself and you didn't,
and you could have done it while especially with Pittsburgh,
you've kind of done it while Joe Burrow was sidelined. Yeah,
and with Baltimore kind of the same thing because of
the one in five start and when they got Lamar back.
Lamar as awesome as he has been, has been Pedestrians
since his return. Then you look at the Bengals schedule,

(19:49):
they have a very good chance of being favored in
four of their last five. The one game they're not
going to be favored in is Sunday six and a
half point dogs against Buffalo. Joe Burrow and the Bengals
have played great against the Bills. The track record is limited.

Speaker 3 (20:04):
Also, it's also a limited Buffalo team.

Speaker 4 (20:06):
No doubt.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
In December and January regular season games. The last three years,
they're fourteen and two. That includes a three game winning
streak with Jake Browning. And if you want to go
back to the Super Bowl year seventeen and five, look,
the math is not in their favor.

Speaker 4 (20:20):
I get it.

Speaker 2 (20:21):
You're taking a leap of faith that the Bengals are
gonna win all of their games, or worst case, four
out of five. You're taking a leap of faith in
the defense, taking a leap of faith that Joe Burrow
is going to be able to stay healthy. But if
I'm a Ravens fan, and if I'm a Pittsburgh fan,
I'm thinking about opportunity lost. I'm looking at Burrow and
the Bengals recent track record against the Bills and in

(20:42):
late late season games, and i am maybe not scared.
But that object in the rear view mirror is closer than.

Speaker 3 (20:50):
It should be. Yep. And you hate living like this
as a sports fan, but it just drives home the
Jets and Bears loss even more even one of those,
And now it's an interesting dynamic right, and again, they're
not out of it. They still have life. There's still
chances that they can make the playoffs. It probably would

(21:13):
require them winning out. But what I like about it,
Joe Burro has already talked about that. He said, we're
aware we probably got to win every game. So they're
already approaching it the right way. They know they need wins,
they know they have to to attack every game like
it to must win, and they have that mentality and
more than anything else, they've got number nine healthy. Like that,

(21:36):
to me alone, what else are you asking for?

Speaker 2 (21:39):
And as much as it fell short last year, number
nine is healthy.

Speaker 4 (21:43):
You saw what they did at the end of the
season last year.

Speaker 3 (21:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:46):
Now, okay, maybe Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson weren't on
last year's schedule late. And again, man, going to Buffalo
and winning is gonna be not easy, And beating the
Ravens for a second time in sixteen seventeen days is
not going to be easy.

Speaker 4 (21:58):
I just I look at it from.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
The perspective of Pittsburgh or Baltimore and I go, we
could have buried that team. And when you when you
don't put a team away right when you don't when
you when you don't step on their throat, do some
teams have a tendency to kind of make you pay
for it.

Speaker 4 (22:17):
Yes, and I hope the Bengals can do it. I
would be fearful that they will. If I root for
you all.

Speaker 3 (22:22):
I love the fact that we're released in the conversation
of let's roll it out there this week and see
what happens, because right now, that's that's what's allowed. Yeah,
if they don't win on Thursday night, now we're talking
about today, what are we talking about? Yeah? You do
you even play borrow anymore? What do you do? Now?
It's okay, go win this week, right, and then we
get together next week. Now you got Baltimore coming in

(22:44):
all right? Like that, that's how this has to work.
And until that gets derailed, then you you'd have a shot.
And that's something you can get excited about.

Speaker 2 (22:53):
Twenty six From four o'clock, we're in Twin Peaks in Westchester.
It's the Tony and Mo Football Show, Sports headlines and more.
Next on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

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Two yours for life.

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Kelseyshev dot Com. Trey Hendrickson delf for a Sunday Bengalson's bill.

Speaker 4 (24:02):
Who needs them quick?

Speaker 3 (24:04):
We're already at the point now We've got Miles Murphy
and Joseph Osa. We don't need Hedrickson.

Speaker 4 (24:08):
It's right, We're fine. Who needs you?

Speaker 3 (24:10):
Trey? That?

Speaker 2 (24:11):
According to Zach Taylor, t Higgins and Todje Brooks, both
still working their way through concussion protocol possible returns this
week Bengals and Bills on Sunday at one o'clock. Remember
that game was originally scheduled for four to twenty five.
It's a one o'clock kickoff live on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Monday Night Football Tonight und Giants and Patriots. On Fox

(24:34):
Sports thirteen sixty. College Hoops this evening, Cincinnati is hosting
Tarlton State. That game will tip off at seven pm
on seven hundred WLW Xavier has a game tonight against
Saint Francis that is at seven o'clock on fifty five KRC.
All I can do, Tony is tell you what our
internal schedule says, and our internal schedule says that on

(24:56):
Fox Sports thirteen sixty tonight at sixty is the Mark
Stoop Show.

Speaker 3 (24:59):
Oh, I don't think that's going to happen.

Speaker 4 (25:03):
At seven o'clock is the Mark Pope Show.

Speaker 3 (25:05):
Who will they replace the Mark Stuple Show with? Because
all I've seen from Kentucky fans today are flight logs.

Speaker 4 (25:14):
I do. I am a little bit jealous yep, because
that is a that is a fun thing if you're
a college sports fan.

Speaker 3 (25:21):
So anyway, it almost can be a little much.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
So I don't know if the athletic director Mitch Barnhardt
is going to be on the show. Mark Pope is
supposed to be on at seven. I don't know if
he'll be on at six, or maybe they'll make him
do it too.

Speaker 3 (25:32):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (25:34):
I can tell you this. On ESPN fifteen thirty we
have Bengals line. Also tonight the Blue Jacket Skate against
New Jersey. A couple of things we've got to mention here.
Number one. A week from today, we are announcing the
winner of the Ultimate Fan Cave Giveaway from Sims Furniture.
And there's a two ways to sign up. You can
go to any area Sims Furniture store, sure Greater Cincinnati,

(25:54):
and there's a QR code and you love Sinnis. Or
you can come on out to a Twin Peaks and
I've got the QR code right here.

Speaker 4 (26:00):
We've got some folks who are signing up. This here
is what you win.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
You win a power recliner, a fifty five inch television
that is not Vana White. For what it's worth, that
is most definitely not Vana White. That guy looks like
Dana White. By take that too, fifty five inch television
TV console that's got a built an electric fireplace, an
area rug, and an end table with a built in speaker.

(26:24):
All of this like a three thousand dollars value unbelievable
from Sims Furniture.

Speaker 4 (26:28):
So free to sign up, Free to sign up.

Speaker 3 (26:31):
We'll announce the winner on this show next week.

Speaker 4 (26:33):
Next week. Wow, four thirty five. Got to be here
to win, got to be here to sign up, or
you could swing by any Cincinnati area.

Speaker 2 (26:40):
Sims Furniture store. So we've got folks who are signing up.
We also need to shout out our new friends, Mike
and Herb. Now, Mike, Yes, came to a show that
I did last week, and Herb brought me this cigar.

Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yeah, and I don't I don't hold it against Herb
that he's wearing Ohio state gear today. This team one,
his team one, So it's fine. Would you have warned
that if they lost? That's my only question.

Speaker 4 (27:01):
I'm gonna say Herb would have her It's like the
kind of guy that doesn't care. Okay, doesn't matter, all right,
So Herb brought me another one of these uh find cigars. Yeah, right, Churchill,
and then they brought us bottles of bourbon.

Speaker 3 (27:13):
This is incredible.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
We've got a Basil Hayden, We've got a buffalo trace.
We are very fond of folks who bring bourbon.

Speaker 3 (27:22):
Yeah to the show. The more we make this a thing.

Speaker 4 (27:24):
Yeah, this does need to become a recurring theme. Holiday
season is here. And what I liked about it is
Mike said, we could fight over who gets witch.

Speaker 3 (27:33):
What I love is is these bottles are sealed as well.
You know, no one's no one's taking the first pool
of like this, Let's give it to mon.

Speaker 4 (27:41):
I'm taking that. Whichever one I take is going.

Speaker 3 (27:44):
To the UC game with me tow you might need
it about the under twelve minute mark in the second half.
It's anything like.

Speaker 4 (27:50):
Last Wednesday exactly. Yeah, thank you, thank you. John's very
very very kind of you. A few things they sign
for the furniture game. Okay, good they did it at
the other plays I broadcast, Oh good, good, good good.
By the way, that guy Vanam White's got five full
big beers in from White.

Speaker 3 (28:09):
Those are all his too, Those are all his. He's
a bear Cat fan.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
And well I could I can totally, I can totally relate.
By the way, Mike and Herb when you hear you
talk about Lane Kiffin a little bit later on. So
we are going to spend some time on that all
right quickly here Number one, Bengals do win early in
the game in the red zone. What were they doing?

Speaker 3 (28:30):
Uh? Not converting on on early downs? I mean that
that to me is the biggest thing that they have.
They have to be better, I think on spacing in
the red zone. Now, the the obvious answer is when
you don't have anyone opposite of Jamar Chase, it's a
little bit different, right Like, and even the red zone

(28:50):
score like Tantel Hudson made a great play on a
ball one on one and Joe Burrow through one of
the best passes you'll see to Yosi Vash a little
bit outside the red zone. But I think it is
a little bit harder schematically because inside the in between
the twenties, you can find ways to get Jamar Chase
involved easier. When it gets to the red zone, teams
are automatically gonna bracket Jamar Chase when t Higgins is

(29:12):
out there. What can you scheme up better to find
open opportunities and use like That's my biggest thing if
a team is gonna double Jamar, Chase, use that, use
him as a decoy to run something off it, or
use him. You can still beat double coverage by motion,
by alignment. You can run a bunch set and put

(29:34):
Jamar kind of at the back end of the bunch
where you can't come up and double team them. There
are other ways around it. But I'm also not opposed
to using Jamar and saying, okay, double him. We have
a numbers game, now, can you can you have someone
else win those one on one matchups? The drive that
started on the three, you gotta score on that. Yes,
I know if Andrew, but's no other way around it.

(29:58):
You have to score a touchdown on that drive. Yeah,
because that was the one overriding theme at halftime, You're like, man,
defense played well, offense moved the ball twelve points. You've
got to convert, especially when you start thinking about going
to Buffalo and if you want to continue this season,
those little things have to happen. You've got to convert

(30:18):
in the red zone. It's any level of football you
go to. That's always the talking point, right. Convert red
zone trips to touchdowns and not field goals.

Speaker 4 (30:29):
Is the Bengals offensive line good.

Speaker 3 (30:33):
Oh, I don't know if I can go good yet
because going into that game on Thursday night, I think
the Bengals had produced sixteen team sacks on the year
and Baltimore was at eighteen, both near the bottom of
the NFL. So I do think it was a good
game to get Burrow back in the sense that they're
not a dominant front four that's going to get after
the quarterback, so I need it. Much like the defense,

(30:55):
I also didn't think Baltimore did anything exada to try
to put any press the defense. I just need to
see more of it, like great step now, show me
that you can do it again and again and again,
and then we'll start to have that conversation. But on
the on the very the very core of it, Mims
is getting better and I think Fairchild has been really solid. Yeah,

(31:18):
I think those two have been good. I still have
questions about Orlando Brown Junior. Ted Carris to me, his
play has gone up because the guard play has gone up.
I think last year he was stuck with two caps
Capen Volson. That's that That's a lot for a center
to take. Now he's not having to make up for them.
He can just do his job. I do think it's

(31:39):
a very good spot to be.

Speaker 4 (31:40):
I think Orlando might be the worst guy.

Speaker 3 (31:43):
If if you asked me today who is the weakest
link on the O line, my answer today would be
Orlando Brown junior. And that's not what you want at
left tackle.

Speaker 2 (31:53):
That game on Thursday night, Thanksgiving Night, huge stage for
the Bengals. More people watching the Bengals on Thursday than
probably had watched him all year long. There were some
really encouraging performances by some players on the defense. But
twice on Thanksgiving Night I got texts from people that
I had to ask them who is this? Because it's

(32:16):
been like fifteen years since I've heard from them. Yeah,
who wanted to know about Barreck Carter?

Speaker 3 (32:21):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (32:22):
Like I got a text from like a guy who
is married to a friend of my ex wife.

Speaker 4 (32:28):
Oh, and when you get.

Speaker 2 (32:29):
Divorced, like you know, they take sides and whatever. Fine,
you know, no big deal. But like I get a
text and the dudes like who's number forty nine? And
why is he always on the field? And I had
to ask, like who is this?

Speaker 3 (32:43):
And then he told me, I'm like, well, you drafted
And then I'm like, what am I talking to you for?

Speaker 4 (32:46):
Right?

Speaker 2 (32:46):
And then about ten minutes later I get a text
I this person. I knew this person, but I didn't
I hadn't heard from them in twelve years. So I
get a text same thing, who are you? And they
wanted to know about Barret Carter. A lot of the
people who like over the NFL nationally, Ben Solac from
ESPN called Barrett Carter unplayable.

Speaker 4 (33:06):
Yep, there are a lot.

Speaker 2 (33:08):
Of good things happening with the Bengals defense, or at
least there were a lot of good things happening against Baltimore.
If I'm Josh Allen, if I'm Lamar Jackson, there to be.

Speaker 3 (33:18):
That's the craziest part about them not utilizing Lamar as
a runner without question, which tells me he's got to
be compromised.

Speaker 4 (33:24):
Or just the middle of the field more often, Yes,
the first throw of the game, Yes, you're thinking, here
we go, tight ends, and then whether it was not
using Derrick Henry but Tony I just I have visions playoffs.
I have visions of the Bengals losing a game that
eliminates them from the playoffs, and Barrett Carter doesn't make
a tackle doesn't make a stop, isn't in the right place,

(33:44):
blows coverage Like I hate to pick on the dude.

Speaker 2 (33:47):
I get that he's a rookie. And by the way,
Demetrius Knight all that much better. One of the more
embarrassing things about early in the broadcast was they show
the PFF scores and Demitrius Knights like eighty eight out
of eighty nine at linebacker and Barrett Carter's eighty nine
out of eight.

Speaker 3 (34:00):
It's how the guard it was the guard played from
last year.

Speaker 2 (34:02):
It's going to kill them like it's going to doom
them at some point between now and the end of
the se And.

Speaker 3 (34:07):
The craziest part about it like that is your defensive
coordinator specialty. That's Al Golden was a linebacker coach here.
How do you miss that that much? That to me
is remarkable that they missed on linebacker twice in the
draft and still said, all right, we'll move on from
Logan Wilson. I when when Lamar didn't run in the

(34:35):
first half as much as I thought I knew then
he was. He's more compromised than he leads on. Josh
Allen is not Josh Allen and James Cook will try
to exploit that group of linebackers on every single drop
back and every single play. You have to have a
better answer for it. And to me, the most remarkable
and astonishing part is that's the position Al Golden should

(34:59):
be comfortable with. Yeah, now, I will credit Ol Golden
because it feels like he's finally scrapping this like coverage
base and they are. They're throwing more exotics in different looks,
and I think you have to because if if you
get guys on certain islands, if Barreck Carter's on an island,
if Demetrius Knight's on an island. Right now, I don't

(35:21):
think they're gonna win many of those battles.

Speaker 4 (35:24):
We're given him the D back? Are we giving Al Golden?

Speaker 3 (35:29):
Does Al Golden get the D back?

Speaker 4 (35:31):
Is he Al Golan?

Speaker 3 (35:32):
I think he's still Al Golan? One more week? All right?

Speaker 4 (35:35):
We might make that a poll question. Thanks to United.

Speaker 3 (35:38):
Slow slow down, Josh Allen and the D is back.

Speaker 4 (35:42):
All right, I'm with you.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
One more week, one more week, okay, it is eight
away from four o'clock. A lot more on the Bengals,
talk about the Bills a little bit more. The NFL
Yesterday really exciting day. The league is sort of topsy turvy.

Speaker 3 (35:58):
The AFC North isn't good, the AFC South is really good.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
That's not something I was prepared for. But Tony, the
irregular season has ended for the UC Bearcats. It's over
ended with a fourth consecutive loss, a tenth consecutive November loss.
And we're going to talk about that after the top
of the hour.

Speaker 3 (36:14):
Oh great spectacular Tony Imo football show here at Twin
Peaks in Westchester on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 8 (36:20):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (36:26):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center.

Speaker 6 (36:28):
UCE Health's Weight Laws Center offer surgical and medical obesity
carart expertise. Call five went three nine three nine twenty
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about a ten minute trip with delays to Shephard and

(36:48):
northbound seventy five Bassing Mitchell to Paddock. I'm rick shrimp
with traffic this weeaking.

Speaker 1 (36:54):
The Bengals are bringing their own brand of football to
Buffalo when they go hunting for a win. I tell
you about the last time I was in Delo I
eight fifty wings slathered in hot sauce. Let's just say
I had to stampede my way to a stall in
the men's room. The Bengals Paddle the Bills. Coverage begins

(37:14):
at nine am Sunday. Stream for free on the New
and Truth iHeartRadio app or ESPN fifteen thirty, the official
home of the Cincinnati Bengals. This is the Tony at
Moe Football Show, Live from Twin Peaks, brought to you
in part by Encore Technologies. Visit OnCore dot Tech, Pan Station,

(37:36):
East Coast subs Penn Station. It's all and good taste,
Honda East and Honda East Power Equipment Dealer, First State Bank.
Built on belief. R and L Carriers. Visit RLC dot
com and make R and L Carriers your global transportation
provider and by your tri stage Chevy Dealers, Chevrolet the

(37:57):
number one selling brand in Cincinnati for the past eight years.
Chevrolet Together. Let's drive on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official
home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (38:10):
The middle hour of the Tony and Moll Football Show.
It's win Peaks in Westchester. Thank you so much for
joining us. Hopefully you had a great Thanksgiving Moeggor with
Tony Pike, we are here till six o'clock on a victory.

Speaker 4 (38:21):
Monday for the Bengals.

Speaker 2 (38:23):
Bengals Cincinnati jumping back into the AFC North Race, even
if just on the periphery, with a Thanksgiving Night victory
over the Baltimore Ravens thirty two to fourteen to improve
too four and eight. We have more on the Bengals
coming up here in just a bit. You'll hear Zach
Taylor's press conference in the five o'clock hour. Have you
ever participated Tony in no shave November?

Speaker 3 (38:46):
No?

Speaker 4 (38:48):
No, And looking at you right now, you mean to
tell me you shaved in November?

Speaker 3 (38:51):
Yeah? Okay, you know I was thinking this November going in.
I was like, I'm just gonna wait till you see
wins another game football, and then I'll shave well. And
so I'm still here.

Speaker 4 (39:03):
We've had no shave November for the Bearcats for a
second consecutive year. No win November.

Speaker 3 (39:08):
Pikes.

Speaker 4 (39:08):
Bearcats go zero.

Speaker 2 (39:09):
To four in the regular season's final month, and a
season that at one point had the Bearcats at seven
and one, sees them fall to seven and five with
their bowl game announcement still pending. Cincinnati loses on the
road to TCU in a game that I don't think
I ever felt like UC was going to win.

Speaker 3 (39:30):
No, the only way they were going to win is
starting fast, because losing three in a row, if it
didn't start the way you hoped, you just felt like
it was gonna snowball. And then they do something different.
They win the toss and they take the ball, like
all right, yeah, let's go get the lead. You couldn't
have scripted a worst start. Back to back third downs
to start the game where your receivers catch a pass

(39:52):
pass the first down marker and go backwards and get talked,
get stopped short of the line. One of those results
in a fourth down where they don't con or short
field for TCU. The next time they do punt and
there's an hour and a half rain delay. But like
Dan Horden mentioned it on the broadcast, they were starting
after touchbacks, so they started on the twenty five. They

(40:16):
have to get to the thirty five. There's a solid
white line. It's not like the TV line that's there,
but not in first not at the thirty two yard line.
You're not at the get in the thirty three, just
that white line. And back to back series they caught
a pass on third down and ran backwards.

Speaker 4 (40:33):
That may happen once a season, maybe happened twice back
to back series in the first two drives of the
final game of the season.

Speaker 3 (40:39):
So then you're immediately down. We knew coming in. Josh
Hoover was good. Josh Hoover was nineteen to twenty two.
He did not make many tough throws, and he didn't
make many tough throws because again, you were gashed on
the ground by a team in TCU that cannot run
the ball won twenty three a game. They don't run

(41:00):
it well. They were also down there starting running back.
Didn't matter career high for their or the pain career
high for pain. It was a comedy of airs. And
then when they finally did get a stop, they muffed
the punt just like things you can't even make up.
They're playing from behind, So now all of a sudden,
Evan Pryor and Tollie Walker aren't even factors in the

(41:20):
running game. Your your one dimensional it TCU teams. Okay,
it's not a great TCU team.

Speaker 4 (41:30):
Of the four teams they lost to, I think that
was the most beatable.

Speaker 2 (41:33):
Yep, completely, DYU is good in physical Utah is good.
Arizona is better than I think a lot of people
gave them credit for, though the Bearcats led for much
of that game.

Speaker 4 (41:43):
TCU of those four was the.

Speaker 3 (41:47):
Worst of those teams. Not awful so like, but that
is a very beatable team. So then it creates the
dilemma because I think if you would have asked a
lot of Bearcat fans going into the year, is seven
and five a good year? You would have said, well,
that hits the Vegas over and you're trending in the
right direction. But now you get to seven and five

(42:08):
by losing four in a row. You started November in
the top twenty five. You started November with an opportunity.
If you win three out of four, you're playing in
a Big twelve championship game in Dallas. Now I look
back today, who's their marquee win. Iowa State was not
at full strength. Outside of that, they didn't beat a
team in the Big Twelve that's going to a bowl game.

(42:31):
It's just Baylor right, like UCF, Kansas, Kansas, Oklahoma State,
like I thought, they're five toughest games this year, they're
five best opponents. They lost all five of them.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
So it is true that I think most of us.
Maybe not all, but I do think most of us.
In July and August said seven or eight wins is
a good year.

Speaker 3 (42:58):
And for those that bet the over, cash your ticket. Yep.

Speaker 4 (43:01):
But expectations do change.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
If my daughter is getting c's and she starts bringing
home bs, well, then I expect we're gonna get some
aze like performance changes expectation.

Speaker 4 (43:15):
For the second consecutive.

Speaker 2 (43:16):
Year, U see loses four straight, we'll see what happens
in the bowl game. Last year they lost five straight.
It doesn't feel it doesn't feel like a wildly successful season.
I get mathematically and Scoonce Sadafield said this after the game.
They went from three wins to five wins to seven wins. Yes,
that's progress, but when you look at the team, the

(43:37):
best players are all leaving now.

Speaker 4 (43:40):
It's never been easier to reload.

Speaker 2 (43:43):
Zach Grant is Cincinnati's general manager, and I think they'd
a really good job in the portal last year. But
he's got his word cutout for Dante Corleone gone, Gavin
Gerhart gone, Joe Royer gone, whole bunch.

Speaker 4 (43:55):
Of wide receivers gone, Jake Golde gone.

Speaker 3 (43:58):
I don't know if Brendan Soarsby's back, so.

Speaker 2 (44:02):
On one hand, yes, seven and five, but seven and
five felt like the culmination and not a step right.
Seven and five felt like the culmination of the last
three years. And now it's not a total tear now.
And it's not that there aren't players who can help
the team next season. There are some good young offensive
line and there's some good tight ends, but a lot

(44:26):
of the dudes from a seven and five team you
got to figure out how to replace. And when that's
the case, you're typically taking a step back. It's one
thing if you're taking a step back from a nine
win team or a ten win team or a team
that played in a conference championship game. It's something else
when you're gonna have to take a step back and
replace a lot of guys.

Speaker 4 (44:42):
From a team that won seven games.

Speaker 3 (44:44):
And also, like we're talking about, Cyrus Allen was a
touchdown shy of the school record for touchdowns in a year.
Brendan Soaresby there's talk about the NFL. Dante Corleone and
Joe Royer and Gavin Gerhardt and Jake Goldey are gonna
play on Sundays. You get a lot of talent on
this team. You did a lot of good individual things.

(45:05):
I think Evan Pryor and Tylie Walker are good running backs. Yeah,
what do you have to show for it? Yeah? Like
it just feels empty.

Speaker 4 (45:13):
It does.

Speaker 3 (45:14):
And the worry that I have is you're continuing year
in and year out. You're trying to compete in the
nil world, You're trying to compete in the portal world.
Can you sell your investors to your program on this
team right now in the direction they're going.

Speaker 4 (45:29):
So a couple of things.

Speaker 2 (45:30):
Number One, we might as well talk about Joe Royer
one more time.

Speaker 4 (45:33):
I put this on social media.

Speaker 3 (45:35):
If you would have said to me before the season
the over under for catches for Joe Royer's twenty nine
and a half, I would have laughed at you. I'd
have bet my house. Yes, I would have bet my mortgage.

Speaker 2 (45:43):
I would have bet something substantial. He finishes with twenty
nine catches. That is going to remain a mystery to me.
Number Two, this is inescapable. They're one and eleven in
November the last three years.

Speaker 4 (45:55):
Ye, that is a fact.

Speaker 3 (45:56):
They don't have a win under Scott's adderfield when trailing
at the half.

Speaker 2 (46:00):
That's who they are until they're not right, That's who
they are. And get mad at me for saying it,
but that's who they are. They have to figure out
a way to shed that and shed that quickly. And
then the Sowersby thing. I guess there's two one in
your opinion. Is he an NFL caliber quarterback number two?
As good as he was? I think watching him against

(46:22):
Utah and BYU in Arizona, there was a sense Nebraska, Nebraska,
they still need somebody better.

Speaker 3 (46:29):
Yeah, they can.

Speaker 4 (46:30):
They come up with the resources to find somebody better.

Speaker 3 (46:33):
You're gonna have to. I don't think sworersby's an NFL
guy yet. I think if he is, he's a fifth, sixth,
late round guy.

Speaker 4 (46:43):
It's not a great class.

Speaker 3 (46:44):
It's not a great quarterback class. I just I think
there are so many questions about the best competition they played,
and he played his worst football.

Speaker 4 (46:50):
Yeah, would you'd be happy to have him back?

Speaker 3 (46:53):
I would be happy to have him back. I also
think that there's enough teams that are quarterback needy, that
are gonna probably throw more money than what the Bearcats
can at him, And that like that to me, like
Keegan outlined the Kegan Nikoson outline this in the article
if you go back to last year bearkat joner dot com.
If you go back to last year, similar situation, Similar

(47:16):
time Sowersby was asked about next year and just emphatically
ready to go, let's go. The answer after the game
on Saturday was much different. The answer is a lot
of unknowns. I haven't really thought about it much. Those
are typically what happens when you're you're you're finishing up playing.

Speaker 2 (47:37):
Your last He has more options pro yes college now
than he did a year again, correct, And I wonder too, like.

Speaker 3 (47:44):
What it does for the bowl game, Like there's nothing
for him to gain in a bowl game. There's nothing
for Corleone to gain in a bowl game.

Speaker 4 (47:53):
Is there nothing for Sowresby?

Speaker 3 (47:56):
No, Because the only thing that could happen for Soresby
is he probably hurts his stop because you're not gonna
have a full compliment of weapons. That's what that's probably
his thought problem.

Speaker 4 (48:04):
Like I guess from him, and I know where you're going.
But for him in particular, is your body of work
so good that you can't benefit from a chance to
put some stuff on tape?

Speaker 3 (48:12):
Like I personally think that. But you get agents out
there that try to get in these kids' heads, and well,
you don't need to go do this, or you're gonna
hurt yourself if you go play this. Like the agent
world is a slippery slow because they're looking out for
the bottom line. They're not looking much into you know what,
what the the feel of the team in the locker

(48:33):
room is. So it's it's hard. You've got a lot
of different people in your ear, whether it's going pro
or like it's the wild West. There are probably already
teams out there that have talked to the agent and
said we'll give Soresby this, oh without question, which means
Soresby knows that. So what's the What's what's he gained
by a bowl game? Like old school, It's like, man,

(48:55):
I just played a whole year. I bled, and I sweat,
and I worked with these guys, Like I'm not going
to turn my back on him for a bowl game.
That's not the nature of this anymore. Bowl games outside
of the college football playoff have never meant less, and
so these players are like, well, I could do this,
or I could figure out what I'm gonna do next,
or go work on this part of my game. And

(49:15):
it's it's one of the unfortunate drawbacks of the current
college football world and how it's set up.

Speaker 4 (49:23):
I would have played well, you did play. You played
in the Sugar Bowl.

Speaker 3 (49:26):
I would have made sure like I wouldn't have sat out.
I kind of wish you would have as the Orange Bowl.
Knew you knew that was coming. You tea that that
one up the time I was making sure you were
on your game. You kicked it through the uprights.

Speaker 2 (49:40):
Scott Sadderfield is going to be back, and I don't.
It's interesting because the talent on this year's team I
think was better than seven and five. Yes, and yet
they only finished seven and five. Is that a reflection
of coaching?

Speaker 4 (49:57):
I I don't. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (50:00):
Oh man, there were they were better, and I thought
at times this year Scott Saderfield and the offensive staff
did some really interesting things. Number One, it's fair to
ask can he get them over the hump? Number two,
If the answer is yes, how long is it gonna
take if you believe that they're gonna take a step
back next year. And if they take a step back
next year, then what about a fan base.

Speaker 4 (50:22):
That is at best been lukewarm with Scott Sadderfield.

Speaker 3 (50:26):
I think when things were going well, you could see
everything how it mirrored off each other offensively, and then
there's times like the Arizona game, Bearcats got the lead
and they got four straight possessions that came up empty.
There's too many of those, yeah, where the offense and
the rhythm just disappear for three, four five series and

(50:47):
then it's two later. You just can't pick it back up.
For me and Scott Saderfield, I need to see them
do it against better competition. Yeah. Again, that Kansas win
was awesome. It was fun and at the time I
thought Kansas would be better than what their record finished.
But you look back at that now and you're like,
thats an okay win.

Speaker 2 (51:08):
Well, Baylor was one handed catch on fourth by Noah Jencks,
right like a chance to.

Speaker 3 (51:14):
Win the opener against Nebraska there for the taking bad.
Nebraska was seven and five with the cake schedule.

Speaker 4 (51:20):
Just fired their defensive coordinator.

Speaker 3 (51:21):
Correct, So there were opportunities that I thought were missed
this year. And if he's the guy, and he's going
to be the guy going forward, he's the guy. You
got to start winning some of those games that either
are close or you're not supposed.

Speaker 4 (51:36):
To win well.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
And he's got a shed that we talked about, like
the November woes, the third quarter woes, which trans they
were awful in the third quarter against Oklahoma State. Now
Oklahoma State was terrible and the Bearcats built a big lead.
They did not outscore one team in the Big twelve
in the third quarter.

Speaker 3 (51:52):
Ye not one.

Speaker 4 (51:53):
I think they were.

Speaker 2 (51:54):
Outscored in eight of the nine games and the other
one they played maybe UC have to a draw. So
there's a couple of things they've got to get better immediately. One,
you gotta be better in the third quarter. Two, you
gotta start beating teams that are better than you, which
they haven't done in three years.

Speaker 4 (52:08):
And three go oh for November every year.

Speaker 3 (52:11):
Yep. You know what I dislike the most about this
year is doing the games. It felt like we had
a or I had a feel at least in like
the first two series if they were gonna win or not,
Like it just felt like if they didn't have it
early as I, oh, here we go. Yeah, Like I
don't like that's a bad feeling to have. Like against
Utah early on it was like, oh boy.

Speaker 2 (52:32):
I thought the way I thought they were gonna blow Arizona, the.

Speaker 3 (52:35):
Way Arizona started, I'm like, oh boy, Like it just
that to me. When when they failed to stop early
in the game l J. Martin, I'm like, oh, that's
gonna be a heavy dose. Like they're just too many
times I felt that instead of all right, they'll figure
it out.

Speaker 2 (52:50):
I just feel like over the last couple of years
and this year included, every time I felt like they're
about to get going, whether it's in a game or
in the season, but every time game I felt like,
all right, they're about to take control of this game.
We're about to put themselves in a position to win.
They would get in their own way.

Speaker 3 (53:06):
Yeah, I legit thought going in November there was a
chance they could play in Dallas. Yes, Like I thought
they were playing that well. Like man, this team because
of the schedule and Arizona and BYU were at home
at nip I'm like, they've got a chance. Even when
you lost to Utah, it's like, all right, win out
your favorite against Arizona, You're gonna be a slight dog,

(53:26):
maybe against BYU. But just went out and you're in.
You're in Dallas.

Speaker 2 (53:31):
I thought going into the Utah game, and I know
we got a break here. I thought, going into the
Utah game, they'll finish nine and three. Yeah, maybe nine
and three doesn't get him to Dallas, Okay, but nine
and three you'll go. Tell you what, man, substantial progress
will have picked off a win against a good team
down the stretch. Yep, you will have increased your win
total by four. You're gonna go to a bowl game

(53:52):
with ease you played for. You know, you were in
the title hunt down the stretch.

Speaker 3 (53:56):
Nine.

Speaker 4 (53:57):
I thought nine wins will walk away from that feeling.

Speaker 3 (53:59):
And we even said he lowered the bar Friday night
when we're in Fort Worth and said, man, if they
can just win this and all of a sudden it's
eight and you finish with a win, it just feels
different than losing four in a row to in the year.
That was fun talking about that twenty four minutes. You
want talk Bearcat basketball now, just you know, just just

(54:19):
dive into that too.

Speaker 4 (54:20):
Maybe next Monday.

Speaker 3 (54:22):
Can't wait. I said Billy Donovan early Billy Gillespie coach.
Billy Gillespie is the coach at at Tarleton State.

Speaker 2 (54:30):
I think it's going to be interesting to see how
willing you and I are to work in the basketball
segment next Monday.

Speaker 3 (54:36):
We'll see I might not be here if it goes
the way.

Speaker 2 (54:39):
Well, we'll see that we may have to have folks
show up to force us to do a basketball So.

Speaker 3 (54:43):
I might need a lot more of this bourbon being brought.

Speaker 2 (54:46):
Yeah, uh yeah, if in fact, I was going to
bring that to the game tonight, and I might.

Speaker 4 (54:51):
Bring that on.

Speaker 3 (54:53):
Need it next Monday, Might.

Speaker 4 (54:55):
Bring it on on Friday.

Speaker 2 (54:57):
All right, it is twenty four after before we have
other college stuff to get We gotta talk about the
Buckeyes beating Michigan, Kentucky's got a head coaching vacancy, the
Lane Kiff.

Speaker 4 (55:05):
And stuff in the five o'clock hour. Back to the
Bengals though.

Speaker 2 (55:08):
After this Tony and moll Football show twin peaks in
Westchester on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 8 (55:14):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 6 (55:19):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center, UC Health's Weight
Laws Center off Resurgical and medical obesity Cararen expertise call
five toe three nine three nine twenty two sixty three.
That's nine three nine twenty two sixty three southbound seventy
five after the viaduct accident has our left lane blocked
and we have a crash in the left lane of
seventy five northbound after two seventy five in Kentucky, delays

(55:43):
are back to turf wind and also the delays on
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Mine Rick Shrimp with traffic.

Speaker 3 (55:51):
This report is.

Speaker 1 (55:53):
ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's sports station.

Speaker 5 (55:57):
This is Football in the NATI, brought to you by
bell Terra Casino and Belterra Park on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (56:10):
Or this is ESPN fifteen to thirty p Tony and
Loo Football Show, A twin peaks in Westchester. A couple
of things really quick, since we don't have a lot
of time this segment.

Speaker 4 (56:20):
Are the Chiefs going to miss the postseason?

Speaker 3 (56:22):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (56:23):
Six and six, two games out of.

Speaker 3 (56:26):
A wildcard spot and their schedules not cake the rest
of the way either? Oh? They I don't think Texans.
They've still They've still got the Chargers and the Broncos
on the schedule, forget that. Have they got the Texans
and the Texans who just sacked Josh Allen eight times?
Texans are getting hot at the right time. I'm saying, now,
Chiefs out of the playoffs. They don't make it. I'm

(56:48):
with you, I don't make it. I don't make it.
And pause infinitely the goat conversation regarding Patrick.

Speaker 4 (56:57):
Mahomes if he misses the postseason.

Speaker 2 (57:02):
Again, not that he's not awesome now he's going to
go to the Hall of Fame, but in his prime,
with it never being easier to make the postseason, if
he's on the outside looking in, ye, spare me with
that goat talk.

Speaker 3 (57:14):
Now, opposite, if they sneak into the playoffs, you don't
want to see him. They very well could be the
favorite in the AFC, right, That's how That's how open
the AFC is that if they got in, they would
probably be the betting favorite.

Speaker 4 (57:27):
Are you are you buying into the Bears?

Speaker 3 (57:29):
No? I can't get sold on the Bears yet because
I watch what Joe Flacco did to him. Yeah, gosh,
you know what we're gonna be doing at the end
of the day, it's gonna come down to having the
same conversation of man, if they had just beat the
Jets and the Bears, they had just won those two games,
They're right where they need to be. It's it's crazy.

(57:51):
I'm not sold on either ten win team. I'm not
sold on the Patriots yet or the Broncos.

Speaker 2 (57:57):
I'm more sold on the Patriots because I think May
is just more talented than Knicks, but the.

Speaker 3 (58:04):
Bengals made him look like a young quarterback.

Speaker 4 (58:06):
At the time for don about it. And I sold
on the Jaguars No.

Speaker 3 (58:10):
Although I do think in today's NFL, who should I
be sold on? I think coaching matters today more than
it ever has, right and I think like Liam Cohen
makes a difference for the Jacks.

Speaker 4 (58:20):
Colts have turned into a pumpkin. The Ravens don't look
very good.

Speaker 3 (58:22):
But like Vrabel Sean Payton have made huge differences in
Denver and New England.

Speaker 2 (58:27):
The Texans are awesome on defense, but right now still
on the outside looking in.

Speaker 3 (58:31):
Chargers have too many injuries.

Speaker 4 (58:32):
Buffalo has been great at home, I don't trust him
on the road. I mean, like it is and you
can say this about Kansas City, you can say this
about Cincinnati. It is a just get in.

Speaker 3 (58:44):
And roll the dice sort of season where it doesn't
feel like in recent years in the AFC there's been
a big three and a big three this year. Uh,
but you can argue that in the NFC too. I
still really like the ram I do too. Like inexplicable
loss Carolina. Yeah, tough weather conditions, but like Philly, they're

(59:05):
not dominating right now. Tampa's got a ton of injuries.

Speaker 4 (59:08):
Philly's offense is hard to watch.

Speaker 3 (59:10):
You know, it might be Seattle might be the team
that's just flying under the radar. I mean, they dominated
last night and Darnold.

Speaker 4 (59:16):
Was okay, okay, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (59:20):
Like San Francisco, but they've not played anybody yet.

Speaker 4 (59:23):
Another injury yesterday.

Speaker 3 (59:25):
Dallas can be interesting if they keep winning that defense.
Quentin Williams scraping Detroit off the plate. No, I still
think I think them like the Chiefs. I think if
they get in they're hard to beat. But I think
you're finally starting to see a little bit with Detroit,
the lack of both coordinators getting hired elsewhere. It's just
they've kind of scrambled a little bit.

Speaker 2 (59:45):
It is twenty eight away from five o'clock where it's
win Peaks in Westchester. It is the Toni and Mo
Football Show on ESPN fifteen to thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 5 (59:55):
You've been listening to Football in the NATI on ESPN
fIF eighteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic from.

Speaker 6 (01:00:11):
The UCE Health Traffic Center. You see Health's Weight Laws
Center off resurgical and medical Obesity cararen expertise. Call five
toe three nine three nine twenty two sixty three. That's
nine three nine twenty two sixty three southbound seventy five
after the viaduct accident has our left lane blocked and
we have a crash in the left leane of seventy
five northbound after two seventy five in Kentucky, delays are

(01:00:33):
back to turf Way and also the delays on seventy
four westbound after Montana accident on the left shoulder. I'm
Rick Shremp with traffic.

Speaker 3 (01:00:41):
This report is well.

Speaker 1 (01:00:43):
This week the Bengals are bringing their own brand of
football to Buffalo when they go hunting for a win.
Did I tell you about the last time I was
in below by eight fifty wings slathered in hot sauce.
Let's just say I had to stampede my way to
a stall and men's room. The Bengals title WIOS coverage

(01:01:03):
begins at nine am Sunday. Stream for free are the
new and improved iHeartRadio app or ESPN fifteen thirty, the
official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:01:15):
Its headlines are a service of Kelsey Chevrolet, home of
lifetime Howards, rain protection and guarantee credit approval from their
family to yours for life Kelsey, excuse me, kelseyshev dot Com.
Zach Taylor today says Trey Hendrickson still doubtful. Bengals getting
set to take on the Bills on Sunday. T Higgins

(01:01:36):
and todge Brooks both remain in the NFL's concussion protocol.

Speaker 3 (01:01:40):
Cincinnati in Buffalo on Sunday, kickoff at one pm.

Speaker 4 (01:01:44):
The game live on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:01:46):
You could also listen to Bengals line tonight on ESPN
fifteen thirty starting at six p m. Monday Night football
is on Fox Sports thirteen sixty Giants and Patriots that
will air after the March Stoop now the Mark Pope
Show at seven and on the schedule the Mark Stoops
Show at six.

Speaker 4 (01:02:05):
I've never been more intrigued.

Speaker 3 (01:02:06):
Do you think they do like a best of Mark Stoops?
I think Mark Stoops, who they're paying like thirty four
million dollars to go away, should show up and do
the show. Yeah, that's what I worked like, bore people
to death one last time. Holidays Chris that we do
best of shows at the station. You have a best
of Mark Stoops. Could you get an hour of Mark
Stoops that we would be considered best of good? It's

(01:02:27):
a good question. That's a good question.

Speaker 2 (01:02:30):
Hockey Mark Stoops, if you don't know, has been fired
by Kentucky Hockey. Tonight, Jackets and Devils in New Jersey
Tony and Moll Football Show on ESPN fifteen thirty Moeger
with Tony Pike. I have yet to throw at the pole.
Question which I need to do is Alt Golden deserve
to have the D back in his name? After a
Thursday night's performance a lot on the Bengals between now

(01:02:53):
on six o'clock. You know here Zach Taylor's press conference
coming up. We got a request for you to talk
about Lane Kiffin will do that in the five o'clock hour.
We did some college football earlier. Ryan Day got the
monkey off his back. Here's my take. Okay, you're not
an Ohio State fan. I'm not an Ohio State fan.
I think Ryan Day is an easy guy to root for.
I think that guy took an avalanche of crap last year,

(01:03:16):
and it was admirable the way he handled it. He
obviously kept his team together well enough to win a
national championship, and yet with that very weird dynamic, the
defending national champs, an undefeated team this year, you still
heard gotta.

Speaker 4 (01:03:33):
Get the monkey off his back.

Speaker 2 (01:03:41):
It's the game, and I think the way he handled
things after the game, I like Ryan Day.

Speaker 3 (01:03:46):
Man. Yeah, I think like you said, I think he's
an easy guy to root for. I think so much
has made about that game, and you see why, Yeah,
that you just get tied to that outside of what
I mean. They you mentioned, You've mentioned it a couple weeks.
They've been so dominant that they're almost an afterthought. That's
how good they are. It's like Ohio State and then

(01:04:07):
a significant gap, and then let's talk about all the
other drama in college football. That's how good they've been.
From the game itself, you know, I think if you're Michigan,
you were essentially down to your third running back Jordan
Marshall started great negative eight rushing yards in the second half,
and a quarterback that you paid a ton of money
to almost unwilling to throw the ball was Michigan. It

(01:04:31):
was unbelievable to watch that game was over when it
was six nothing, because Michigan takes the opening drive and
they go down the field and they settle for three,
and then Michigan gets an interception and they settle for
three again, not converting neither of those two touchdowns. It
felt like at that time, like that's probably it game over.
Handicap Indiana and Ohio State for me, I haven't watched

(01:04:53):
enough of Indiana, and I know Kurtzignetti is an awesome,
awesome coach, and he's got a good team, and I've
googled him, and I understand all of that. I just
think Ohio State is in such a class of their own.
It's interesting, though. Talked about this a little bit on
the on three sixty today. If you're Signetti, are you

(01:05:15):
throwing everything in the kitchen sink at this game. You
know it's because if you win. I heard you talk
about this and I went back and forth. Go ahead,
because you want to win a Big ten title. Yeah,
you want, you want to have that honor. It's Indiana,
But you're also how many Big ten titles Indiana gonna get?
You're also in the playoff regardless, and there's a chance

(01:05:37):
if things go that way, you're gonna play Ohio State again?
Are you willing to throw everything at him? I'm not
saying you're not gonna try, but are you gonna You're
gonna make the offense or the game plan a little
more vanilla than maybe you would in the Playoffs're.

Speaker 4 (01:05:50):
Not gonna throw the kitchen sink at him. But I
I would.

Speaker 2 (01:05:54):
Like to think that if I'm Kurtzinetti, I'm creative enough
to come up with ways to beat Ohio State. I mean, look,
in the NFL, you play teams twice. Yeah you know,
do you well? And the stakes will be different.

Speaker 3 (01:06:06):
Sure, it's Indiana competing for a Big ten title, like
you can't who knows.

Speaker 4 (01:06:13):
Who you're gonna play? What's gonna happen in the playoff?

Speaker 2 (01:06:17):
You're gonna have to win multiple games just to get
to the national championship game.

Speaker 3 (01:06:21):
Who knows.

Speaker 2 (01:06:22):
What you do know is you have an opportunity in
front of you, in your home state to do something
that when he got hired, nobody thought was conceivable. I'm
taking advantage of that opportunity. But I get it, like,
are you gonna just put everything you conceivably.

Speaker 4 (01:06:36):
Can on tape?

Speaker 2 (01:06:37):
Maybe not, I do. I heard on TV on Saturday
it's gonna be the game of the century. I would stop.

Speaker 4 (01:06:43):
Short of that. Yeah, that's let's but it is one.

Speaker 2 (01:06:46):
It is one versus two, and it's Ohio State, the
school most associated with the Big Ten, and Indiana, who's
most associated with basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:06:56):
I think it's gonna be a really fun game. I
just think got too much agreed. It's to me, it's
such a sizeable gap, Like I was. I've had a
conversation about Notre Dame off air a little bit today,
like does Notre Dame belong? Do they not belong? Like
I always go back to, like if the team's played
heads up, who's favored outside of probably Ohio State, in

(01:07:20):
Indiana and maybe Georgia. I think Notre Dame would be
favored against every other playoff Tree. Yeah, I don't. I
don't think that's the same for Miami. No, I don't.
I don't think that's the same for Oklahoma. No. So
like I get that, like Notre Dame you lost to
a and m you lost to Miami. I go on,
how Vegas would respond? Can the Big Twelve get too?
If BYU keeps it close? I think BYU has to

(01:07:42):
beat Texas Tech. I think if if BYU loses, I
think BYU's out, which then I think throws that the
Big Twelve Bowl affiliations even crazier for the Bearcats.

Speaker 9 (01:07:54):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (01:07:55):
And we have our thoughts on that as well.

Speaker 4 (01:07:58):
I'm not sure we should share them.

Speaker 3 (01:07:59):
No, I don't want to share them, but because I
know if I share them, and they're going to come
true exactly, and there are things I don't want to
come true. If BYU wins, it's a two bid league.
If not, it's Texas Tech. And I think that lines
like thirteen and a half I think I saw earlier
Texas Tech's already a thirteen and a half point favorite.

Speaker 4 (01:08:19):
Texas Tech is a thirteen and a half point favorite.

Speaker 3 (01:08:21):
Yes, you know. Back to back mister football in Ohio
at Mohler Nott Ponatowski is Kentucky. If Kentucky doesn't have
a head coach in place, should Scott Sadderfield take a run?

Speaker 2 (01:08:38):
Of course he should. Let's let's spend a few minutes
on Kentucky. So Mark Stoobs has been bounced to Mark Stoobs.
The tires on Mark Stoops.

Speaker 3 (01:08:48):
Now we have multiple Jeff Ruby's restaurants in Cincinnati, so
Mark Stubs would probably really like it here. He would.
Then he'd be closer to you, though, Would he like that?

Speaker 2 (01:09:00):
Come on the show if he lived in Cincinnati, if
he became a coach at U see he.

Speaker 3 (01:09:04):
Had quality, quality controls.

Speaker 4 (01:09:06):
Have you on the pregame?

Speaker 3 (01:09:07):
Director of common Sense?

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
Mark Stuobs had seasons where he won ten games twice.
He had years where he won Bowl games four consecutive times.
They went to eight straight Bowl games between twenty sixteen
and twenty twenty three. They put players in the NFL.
The last couple of years that went sideways, just three
and thirteen in the SEC. I'm not so much interested
in Mark Stoobs. My question is how good of a

(01:09:30):
job is that?

Speaker 3 (01:09:33):
If you look at their schedule next year, it's not
a great job. I mean they you're you're never gonna
be the top dog at your own school, at your
own school, Like you're you're not gonna be the top
dog at your own school, and you're not going to
be the top dog in the SEC. There is a

(01:09:55):
there's a limit to that. But I also wonder, like,
are those the expectation coming in, Like maybe that's an
easier expectation if you're only expected to win seven games
eight games?

Speaker 2 (01:10:06):
That's the thing Like for years you said, well, they're
never gonna win the SEC, and if they do, it's
going to be sort of fluky. But like there, if
you hire the right guy and do the right things financially,
why can't you be Indiana?

Speaker 4 (01:10:18):
So now the SEC, I think is a different animal.

Speaker 2 (01:10:21):
Vanderbilts ranked currently number fourteenth with a guy who has
a very good chance to win the Heisman Trophy, Like
it's a little bit more doable, but there does seem
to be a low ceiling there. And at the same time, dude,
if you never really compete for an SEC title, but
you go to bowl like Mark Stubs went thirty games

(01:10:42):
under five hundred in the SEC and was pretty much
say for a large chunk of that time.

Speaker 3 (01:10:48):
Next year. But he did the job, which was to
get people to basketball season next year. This is Kentucky schedule,
Youngstown State, South Alabama, Louisville, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Andy, Missouri, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, A and AM.

Speaker 4 (01:11:03):
But can't we do that now in the SEC?

Speaker 3 (01:11:05):
Every year? With yes? But I just don't know. Again,
if you think of the Big ten perennally three dominant
teams and then the rest SEC, that can be yeah, eight,
I just I don't think you're ever going to be
that in the SEC. I think it's a fair question
to ask, what's the quarterback depth chart at Kentucky look

(01:11:27):
like any of those guys that want to make a
trip quick north if the Bearcats are looking for not
the one that was doing all those stuff with money.
I don't remember that guy's name. I don't want him
up here though, any quarterback that might be thinking like,
all right, where can I go and play? For an
offensive mind to coach, it's also.

Speaker 4 (01:11:47):
A year like Scott Saderfield here there.

Speaker 2 (01:11:50):
That job in particular, it's a loaded cycle, like a
ton of ton of gigs are open. Yeah, and so
it's weird do you want an opening him Canucky has
decided yes, But do you want an opening in a
year where there's a lot of vacancies or do you
want an opening in a year like last year where
there's Like last year folks made the argument that you
see should move on from centerfield, and one of the

(01:12:12):
one of the one of the foundational pieces of the
argument was there's not a lot of openings, so you
can have more year pick of the litter. Yeah, that's
not the case this year.

Speaker 3 (01:12:21):
Yeah, I thought it was interesting with that, Like, and
I saw some Kentucky people talking about this of did
they wait too long to move on from stoops because
of all the hires that have already been made, right
because now like you're kind of at the back end
of the higher cycle.

Speaker 2 (01:12:35):
This to me, and we're going to talk more about
Lane Kiffin in a bit, but like this to me
is kind of a byproduct of that is now schools
and you saw what happened this year, schools moved on quickly, Ucla,
VA Tech, Penn State.

Speaker 3 (01:12:46):
Whole bunch of them, Mischigan State.

Speaker 2 (01:12:48):
Yeah, now is there going to be this like get
rid of the guy as quickly as possible.

Speaker 4 (01:12:52):
And now we can hire his successor.

Speaker 2 (01:12:54):
As quickly as possible, even if his team still has
games remaining.

Speaker 3 (01:12:58):
It's it's just it's an insane world with the buyouts.
I mean, Michigan State paid what thirty three million?

Speaker 4 (01:13:04):
Stoops is getting thirty seven thirty seven million dollars.

Speaker 3 (01:13:07):
Rian Kelly just got fifty four just to be fired.
What's your buyout?

Speaker 4 (01:13:13):
My buyout is not thirty seven million dollars. Bottle this bottle,
that bottle of Buffalo trace right there. That's gonna be
my buyout again.

Speaker 2 (01:13:20):
Call me on Friday night, eleven away from five o'clock, Bengals.
When the door is opened, Joe Burrow is back. Cincinnati
beats Baltimore. They played Baltimore again. Pittsburgh and the Ravens
are tied for first place with five hundred records. Because
those are teams that are look like five hundred teams.
If that makes sense, We'll get to that. I'll make

(01:13:41):
that make sense. Coming up here at the top of
the hour. We're at Twin Peaks in Westchester. It's the
Tony and Mo Football Show on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 5 (01:13:51):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic from the.

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Speaker 8 (01:14:27):
This report is sponsored by Chump.

Speaker 1 (01:14:29):
This week, the Bengals are bringing their own brand of
football to Buffalo when they go hunting for a win.
Did I tell you about the last time I was
in below I eight fifty wings, slavered and hot sauce.
Let's just say I had to stampede my way to
a stall in the men's room. The Bengals peddle the Bills.

(01:14:49):
Coverage begins at nine am Sunday. Stream for free are
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Speaker 2 (01:15:46):
The Power Hour, the bud Light five o'clock Happy Hour
of the Tony and Mo Football Show on ESPN fifteen thirty.
We are broadcasting from Twin Peaks. We're in Westchester today.
We're back here next week the Monday of Victory Monday
after the Angles beat the Baltimore Ravens. If you're looking
for a place to watch college basketball tonight or this
weekend college football on Saturday, the NFL, Thursday or Sunday

(01:16:10):
or tonight, you can't do any better than Twin Peaks.
The Westchester location, like the Florence location. TV's all over
the place, great menu, awesome staff. We love the folks
at Twin Peaks. We'll have for you Zach Taylor's press
conference coming up in about thirty minutes or so, and
we're gonna take a request.

Speaker 3 (01:16:27):
Oh request line.

Speaker 4 (01:16:28):
You come to the show and you're allowed to make requests.

Speaker 3 (01:16:31):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:16:32):
So, gentlemen, wanted to hear your thoughts on Lane Kiffin.
We'll get to that a little bit later on.

Speaker 4 (01:16:36):
I did.

Speaker 3 (01:16:36):
In a week from today, we have a drawing we're making.

Speaker 4 (01:16:39):
Oh that's right. You've got a few minutes to sign
for the Ultimate Fan Cave giveaway thanks to us SIMS Furniture.
You gotta come.

Speaker 2 (01:16:45):
You can come to where I am tomorrow, sure, or
you can get here in the next few minutes, or
you can swing by any Cincinnati area SIMS store. I have.

Speaker 4 (01:16:56):
Finally thrown my poll question out there. Cal al Goldan
is what we have referred to the defensive coordinator.

Speaker 3 (01:17:03):
I have taken the D out of Al Golden's name.

Speaker 2 (01:17:05):
Because his defense has been historically bad, but it's played
better recently, and so is it time to start referring
to him as his given name.

Speaker 4 (01:17:13):
Gold Golden put the D back in it.

Speaker 2 (01:17:16):
Vote now at Moeger thanks to United Heartland Insurance check
out uhi ns dot com.

Speaker 3 (01:17:23):
Now that I see folks signing up right now, someone
that doesn't live here in Ohio or you would you
deliver out of state?

Speaker 4 (01:17:29):
Where do they live?

Speaker 3 (01:17:32):
It's not close? Okay?

Speaker 4 (01:17:33):
Where do they live?

Speaker 3 (01:17:34):
Is it warm? Uh no, it's not. It's not warm either. Okay,
then no, okay. If it's warm, okay, I'll take that furniture.
I'll drive the truck myself. Okay, But if I'm driving
somewhere else cold, what's the point. Yeah, it's gonna be warm, warm,
and neuropa ford it next week for that big announcement.

Speaker 2 (01:17:52):
Big announcement, find out who wins this thing. I'm looking
forward to next week, especially if the Bengals beat the
Buffalo bill Oh.

Speaker 3 (01:17:57):
My gosh, if that happens, let's do like the playoff
predictor let's just go all in.

Speaker 2 (01:18:03):
At that point, it's going to be game on Pittsburgh
or Baltimore is going to lose. The Bengals played Baltimore
one more time head to head after just beating them
by eighteen points in their building. At that point, the Bengals,
I think, are going to be favored at home against Baltimore.

Speaker 4 (01:18:20):
Yeah, probably favored on the road against Miami.

Speaker 2 (01:18:22):
The Dolphins are playing well, certainly favored against Arizona and Cleveland.

Speaker 4 (01:18:27):
This is I think this is an elimination game.

Speaker 2 (01:18:31):
I think if the Bengals lose to Buffalo, then there
are three behind either Baltimore or Pittsburgh. Then the math
gets real tough. I know folks will use the playoffs
simulator to find a pathway to the Bengals being eight
to nine and still winning the division. But if they
win this one yeah game on tone, do.

Speaker 3 (01:18:47):
You think they will still get flexed against the Dolphins
out of the primetime spot.

Speaker 4 (01:18:52):
It's a good question. I was thinking about that today.

Speaker 3 (01:18:54):
I think there are some good I don't have the
schedule in front of me, but I know that week
there are some other marks key games in the NFL.
I think Chargers Cowboys is a one o'clock game that
could have a little bit more significance potentially. Now.

Speaker 4 (01:19:09):
I think if you're in the NFL, let's see that weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:19:15):
The Sunday games Chargers, Chargers, Cowboys.

Speaker 3 (01:19:19):
You could probably make a case for Panthers, Bucks, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:19:24):
Patriots, Ravens, Jags, Broncos, Yeah, Steelers, Lions probably be flexed out.
To me, there's a bunch of games there where both
teams have a chance. Yeah, my guess is that's Week sixteen.
By then either of the Bengals or Miami is going
to be eliminated.

Speaker 4 (01:19:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:19:44):
Like the game last night was awesome Denver and Washington.
Washington has no prayer. That's not what you want if
you're INBC. So Joe Burrow is great TV. The Bengals
have played a ton of interesting and fun primetime games.
But if you're NBC and you a choice, you got
to make the decision by next Monday. If I'm not mistaken.
Yeah right, we can have a couple of teams that

(01:20:06):
we know pretty much are going to be in it,
or these two teams where one may be eliminated or
both may be eliminated. Hard pass on that. So my
guess is it get it, gets flexed out. But we'll
see what the Bengals do on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
The thing that stood out to me first about Thursday night,
we had all talked about Joe Burrow being under center.
He played under center, not exclusively, but you know what,

(01:20:29):
he looked comfortable.

Speaker 3 (01:20:30):
First play the game, he went under center, play action
and rolled off to his left. It's probably the hardest
thing you can ask him to do, and he, yeah,
checked that box right away. I mean, I'm still shocked
that he's playing like it was surreal Thursday night. Yeah,
because we were conditioned based on the severity of the
injury that if this was going to happen, you're thinking Miami,

(01:20:53):
and then by that point you're like, what's the point
You'll see him next year. The fact that he was
back and people pull he could have played against the Patriots,
it's incredible.

Speaker 4 (01:21:04):
Play against me.

Speaker 3 (01:21:04):
Incredible to even see that he was out there, let
alone playing at a high level and dropping back to
throw at forty six times. It's incredible.

Speaker 4 (01:21:14):
I look at the Bengals and I go, Okay, Burrow
is back. We'll see if t Higgins comes back on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (01:21:21):
Still in the protocol, he's playing behind an improved offensive line.
They're running the ball with effectiveness. Like if that's as
bad as Joe Burrow plays, and he played early in
the game, he looked like a guy who hadn't played
in two and a half months.

Speaker 4 (01:21:37):
I assume it's only going to get better.

Speaker 3 (01:21:38):
Now.

Speaker 4 (01:21:39):
We'll see how the toe does well. You know, I
don't know if that's the reason on Wednesday, but to
me there was like, win the game and give me
something to build on, and offensively they did that.

Speaker 3 (01:21:48):
But it also goes back to a point we talked
about in the first hour. If you're the Bengals, are
you able to rely on Chase Brown more than what
you are? You have to You have to. Chase Brown
got fifteen carries in the game. Yeah, p Ryan got fourteen.

Speaker 10 (01:22:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:22:05):
I don't need it to be a fifty to fifty split.
None who gets carries? No, with the Chase Brown I'm watching, Yeah,
give me twenty to twenty five carries.

Speaker 4 (01:22:14):
From him, especially close to the goal line.

Speaker 3 (01:22:15):
Correct. I'm more than okay with getting that from Chase Brown.
And again it's I know it's nitpicking because you won
the game and you score thirty two points, but I
like everything about what Chase Brown has done over the
last month plus. I want more touches for him. I
want you can alleviate some of those forty six dropouts.

Speaker 4 (01:22:34):
Well, Joe Burrow at halftime had thirty two thirty two
pass attempts.

Speaker 2 (01:22:39):
That's not sustainable, Like, that's not going to work. I
don't know what I was more stunned by in terms
of coaching decision making. Baltimore only having Derrick Henry carry
at five times in the first half cool or the
Bengals having Joe Burrow drop back thirty two times in
the first half insane. And look, they won the game,
and Joe better as the game went on, and they've

(01:23:02):
put themselves in a position that they at least are
still playing for something. But oh boy, and it's great
that Joe didn't turn it over and make any major mistakes. Yep,
that many dropbacks coming off of toe surgery a lot.

Speaker 4 (01:23:15):
Again, I do stand with man.

Speaker 3 (01:23:16):
I do think the opponent plays into that because it's
not a Baltimore team that gets after the passer, no,
So I think there is an understanding there. It'll be
interesting to see on the road at Buffalo if that
strategy changes at all.

Speaker 4 (01:23:28):
I would imagine, right, it would have to.

Speaker 3 (01:23:30):
And again, like when the game dictates that, I get it,
you're down multiple scores and then you got to they
were ahead. They were ahead thirty two times in the
first half. I'm like, I looked at that number. I
was like, that's got to be wrong. And I do
think I think there's some level to it as well,
where Joe's probably maybe checking out of there's run pass

(01:23:52):
option and he's taking the easy throws.

Speaker 4 (01:23:54):
I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:23:55):
Forty six is a lot in.

Speaker 2 (01:23:57):
A game that you won by eighteen points, right, you know,
we use the comparison to his second ever NFL game
against the Browns. He threw it sixty one times. They
trailed that entire game. That defense was also not very good,
at least that night, and so they kept having and
they kept needing to score to keep pace with the
Browns in the game that they ultimately lost. But I'll

(01:24:17):
say this, he dropped back forty six times. He missed
some throws by his own admission, never threw a pick,
made a mistake.

Speaker 4 (01:24:25):
No fumble, no fumble, nine different receivers, one sacks, spread
the ball around, and didn't have t Higgins.

Speaker 3 (01:24:30):
Yep. I think that to me, like, and I know
it's too early in the week to start diving into
the Buffalo tape and game. They are a lot easier
to guard, and that's not rocket science. They're easier to guard.
If he's not playing in Buffalo, you're asking a lot.
If it's Jamar versus the world, and again you rely

(01:24:51):
more on Chase Brown. Sure, awesome. Can they Can they
go beat Buffalo without t Higgins? I think that'd be
And again will from and we'll hear it. We've heard
to this point he's still in concussion protocol as opposed
to Trey Hendrickson, who is again doubtful on a Monday.

Speaker 2 (01:25:13):
The defense on Thursday was significantly better. Now, there were
issues Barrett Carter, some of the tackling middle of the field. Look,
if Isaiah likely doesn't fumble the ball going into the
end zone, maybe the entire complexion of the game is different.
But we got disruption up front. Joseph Osaiah was terrific.

(01:25:34):
Miles Murphy has been really good, and so we've talked
about all season long, like the defense has to start somewhere.
You need something there. It is, there's the foundation.

Speaker 3 (01:25:43):
Jordan Battle made a great individual play on the likely fumble.
Had ten tackles in the game. DJ Turner is a
very good player, drew the offensive pass interference on his
a Flowers touchdown. But to me, it's been Al Golden's
our Golans.

Speaker 4 (01:25:58):
Now right now the internet says still out, it's been.

Speaker 3 (01:26:01):
Now Golan's decisions to bring more pressures that I think
are paying off. This defense is not good enough to
sit back and play drop seven. They've got to create opportunities.
And they did five turnovers and you give them credit
for what they were able to do. Now again, can
you replicate that against a equally as mobile, less compromise

(01:26:25):
quarterback Josh Allen not a ton of weapons around him
in the passing game, but James Cook Josh Allen, that
ground game is going to be tough. And again, if
I'm Buffalo and I'm teams going forward now that Joe
Burrow's back, the idea goes back to remaining let's limit
their possessions as well. That means running the ball more

(01:26:45):
really quick.

Speaker 2 (01:26:47):
You got a TV above your head and they're Sports Center.
They just showed playing Kiffin the bottom line crawl. They
were rolling through the college football conference title games. So
ESP has this FPI and it says, for every single
one of them, this is the percentage of a chance
that FPI gives a team to win what would you

(01:27:10):
guess ESPN's FPI says about Ohio State Michigan or Ohio
State Indiana seventy Indiana fifty one percent?

Speaker 4 (01:27:18):
What basically a fifty to fifty game?

Speaker 3 (01:27:22):
All right, make that the line and I'll take it.
Make that the line and fifty percent. I was surprised
Texas Tech was minus thirteen and a half on the
initial line.

Speaker 2 (01:27:31):
Number is big, and look like, I think it's cool
as held that Indiana as good at that game, and
I certainly give him a chance to win the football game.
You I would have lost a lot of money on
guessing what the FPI said about that game.

Speaker 3 (01:27:42):
Also, I know we gotta get a break in. Shout
out to Miami football. Did it again?

Speaker 4 (01:27:46):
Did it again?

Speaker 3 (01:27:47):
Playing in another MAC championship game? And locally Anderson and
Saint X awesome, both gonna be playing for state titles
this weekend.

Speaker 4 (01:27:54):
Yeah, it's uh, it's really cool. Congratulations to both. Congratulations
to Chuck Martin.

Speaker 3 (01:27:58):
Yeah, the whole different team as quarterback goes away, they're
back in the MAC title game.

Speaker 4 (01:28:04):
Good, good for coach Martin.

Speaker 2 (01:28:05):
All right, by request, we'll ask Tony about Lane Kiffin
when we come back Twin Peaks in Westchester, ESPN fifteen thirty.
Cincinnati Sports Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 6 (01:28:18):
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Speaker 3 (01:28:31):
My noun.

Speaker 6 (01:28:32):
Traffic is sewing on seventy one north bound and no
Wood lateral break down on the right hand side and
the south outdons on seventy five southbound O. Reagan Highway
to Norwood Lateral due to the ongoing construction, and we're
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Speaker 5 (01:28:50):
This report is sponsor Football in the Natti, brought to
you in part by Postman Law and Vice Skyline Chile
on ESPN fifteenth, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:29:05):
It's the Tony and Love Football Show, ESPN fifteen thirty.
We're broadcasting from Twin Peaks in Westchester. We are back
here a week from today, day after the Bengals take
on the Buffalo Bills. The biggest story in sports involves
former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. Oh and this is
this is something that to me was uninteresting and then

(01:29:28):
has since become very interesting. Our guy herb who gave
me a cigar and his step son gave us bourbon.
We take requests on this show, and yes, if you're
here in person, I want to hear Tony talk about
Lane Kiffin. There's lots of different dynamics in play here,
from how he handled it to what the school chose
to do Old Miss yea to lsuse involvement to what

(01:29:49):
the playoff selection committee may do with Old Miss. As
a player though, who went through something similar, not the same,
but similar with Brian Kelly sixteen year ago, you have
a different perspective. I guess your thoughts on how this
Lane Kiffen thing unfolded.

Speaker 3 (01:30:04):
One who was surprised. It's not like Lane Kiffen has
been like the most loyal coach. He's got a track
record of this. He wanted the Auburn job just a
couple of years ago. I was at all miss. He
has not been this like I am steadfast, I'm gonna
retire like this is what I want. What I hated

(01:30:26):
that it turned into was like the woe is me
Lane Kiffin side of things. Yes, oh man, they wouldn't
let me do this. They won't let me do this.
I wanted to do this. You're the one that's leaving
the program be gone. Yeah, And so me personally, I
have a completely different feel on it. I get from

(01:30:46):
an administration side that it's a bad dynamic if Lane
Kiffen coaches the rest of the year and is probably
openly recruiting guys like hey, once this is overcome with
me to LSU. I get that. As a player that
went through a regular season and then played in the
Sugar Bowl, I would have wanted Brian Kelly to coach
us in the Sugar Bowl. Yeah, Like selfishly, I was

(01:31:08):
a senior because it was chaos. It was chaos and
we had a better chance to win if he was coaching.
Yeah like that. That's how simple it is for me. Like,
I get the logistics of it that you can't have
Lane Kiffen in the facility recruiting when he's not only
going to a different school, he's going to another SEC school, Right,
I get it, And I don't fault oh miss at all,

(01:31:30):
but that report that like players wanted him to do it.
I get. If I could have went back, I would
have been pounding the table, like, is there any way
that Brian Kelly could coach this game? Cause that's a
good Florida team and it's gonna be tough with Brian Kelly,
it's gonna be impossible without him.

Speaker 4 (01:31:47):
I thought that about ten minutes into that game in normal.

Speaker 3 (01:31:51):
Wow. Okay, at what point the night before on Bourbon Street,
when you were probably out with half the roster, did
you talk yourself into like, man, we're gonna beat Florida tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (01:32:02):
Oh it was before midnight. Wow, it was it was
well before midnight, dude. It was my like seventh straight
day in the worlds. I talked myself into a lot
of things. I get your point.

Speaker 3 (01:32:13):
I do from a.

Speaker 4 (01:32:13):
Player perspective, I would have wanted him to coach what
gives us the best chance to win. But like, I
don't know, it's not apples to apples.

Speaker 2 (01:32:21):
But in the real world, if I told this company
that I work for, I'm going to go work for
one of your direct competitors. Yeah, but would you let
me hang around for the rest of the year. So
I could use your resources to work on my new job, sure,
and maybe recruit people to come with me.

Speaker 4 (01:32:37):
They're gonna go, dude, past sin. It's not how it works.

Speaker 3 (01:32:40):
Administration wise, Yes, team wise, I'd have been like, man,
I want him to coach because how successful we are.
But this goes back to a point you and I
talked about this years ago. When is the last time
that a coach and a team have just like parted
ways and everybody was happy about it.

Speaker 4 (01:32:57):
It never happened.

Speaker 3 (01:32:57):
It doesn't happen, and that's fine. I go back to
Mark Dantonio because at least D'Antonio was honest about it,
and that's how went. There is no coaching like. There's
no point in which a coach is gonna lead to
go to another school and you're gonna feel good about it.
You're always gonna have animosity, You're always gonna have that angst.
And oh, by the way, who's gonna turn down that
much more money a year? There's loyalty? I get it. Yeah,

(01:33:20):
I mean, you got a chance to be the highest
paid coach in college football.

Speaker 2 (01:33:23):
College football is America's second most popular sport. The ratings
for the playoff are gonna be insane, the stadiums are
gonna be full. And so I always stop short of
ever saying the sport is broken. And I laugh when
I hear people say the sport is broken. But I
guess there's two things about it. Number One, miss me
with the criticism of the players being disloyal when we
have this, wh we have something like this. Number Two,

(01:33:47):
every other sport, every and look, college football has never
been more professionalized. Professional sports have a caretaker a commissioner.
Now the commissioner does work on behalf of owner, frankly
more than commissioners did prior to maybe thirty years ago.
But still that person at the end of the day,
their main responsibility is to act in the best interests

(01:34:09):
of the league and the sport.

Speaker 3 (01:34:10):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:34:11):
Until college football has that figure, or until there's at
least an the greed on set of rules collectively bargained,
perhaps with the players coming to the table themselves, a
set of rules that says, look, we can't keep coaches
from leaving, but you're not gonna be able to poach
a guy right until the season is over.

Speaker 4 (01:34:29):
That's the main thing. Until the season is over, which
ends January the nineteen you.

Speaker 3 (01:34:32):
Would have built up the playoff and you want to
build up the brand, yes, then push the portal, push
everything out until the last game is played. You are
penalizing the best teams right year in and year out.
You're penalizing the teams that raise the money and work
their tail off and get coaching advantages as opposed to
the others that can sit there and start to pick

(01:34:54):
and choose who they're gonna build their roster with. It
is the biggest problem with all of this, whether we're
talking about players leaving schools or coaches leaving schools. Because
I got news for you, There's gonna be players locally
that don't play in the ball game that the Bearcats
go to. There's gonna be players all over the country
that make business decisions that aren't going to the college
Football Playoff, that aren't gonna go to a ball game.

(01:35:14):
And I'm sure people will be upset about it, and
they'll be meant, it's just the nature of which this is.
Unless you want to come in and change how the
game is officiated, and not the game itself, but how
the sport is officiated, it just doesn't work.

Speaker 4 (01:35:29):
This delegitimizes the playoff. Yes, right, They're.

Speaker 3 (01:35:32):
Supposed to be the culmination of everything in college football.

Speaker 2 (01:35:35):
Makes the college football playoffs seem like the Rate Bowl
or the Birmingham.

Speaker 3 (01:35:40):
Ball because even if Lane Kiffin's coaching, even if he's
coaching MO, he has to work on LSU because that's
the nature of the job. Instead of just saying I'm
here until the season ends. When that is then I'm gone.
That's not gonna happen the way that the sport is.

Speaker 4 (01:35:56):
Structured, by the way there's precedent for this.

Speaker 2 (01:35:59):
Bill Frieder left Michigan at the end of the nineteen
eighty nine regular season in men's college basketball to go
to Arizona State, and the athletic director was Bo Schambeckler
and Bill Frieder told Bo, Hey, I'll still coach the tournament,
and Bo said, no, you won't. Steve Fisher coached the tournament.
They won the national title. I don't know if Old
Miss is good enough for something like that to happen.

(01:36:20):
What I do think is interesting, though, is you know
many have said two years ago Florida State loses its
quarterback Jordan Travis. Four team playoffs, so a lot different
didn't make the playoff. They played a bowl game and
got embarrassed. I do wonder what the committee is gonna
do with Old Miss. I do not think they're gonna
punt them from the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:36:38):
But we're already talking about how dicey this could get
sure based on what happens this weekend.

Speaker 4 (01:36:43):
Play leave, look, players leave?

Speaker 3 (01:36:45):
What if? What if BYU beats Texas Tech and it
comes down to BYU and Old Miss?

Speaker 4 (01:36:50):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:36:50):
Like that that to me right as fair unfair as
you want to make it. That has to go into
it because you want the product to be the best
you can be, but.

Speaker 2 (01:36:57):
You want you want the product to be the best
you could be. Some want the most interesting storylines. Old
Miss playing in the playoff without Lane Kiffen and god
knows who else is an interesting story.

Speaker 3 (01:37:07):
About eight and five.

Speaker 2 (01:37:07):
Duke, if to me, if you punt Old Miss from
the playoff just because of what happened.

Speaker 4 (01:37:16):
Like if you say, okay, it's Ole Miss in.

Speaker 2 (01:37:18):
If lane Kiffin is there, If the answer is yes,
then I think they should be there without lane Kiffin
because if you're gonna punt them because lane Kiffin's not there,
you have just told me that the last three months
are irrelevant. Yep, you've just told me that the last
three months again are totally meaningless. It is one thing
to do that in a four team playoff. It is

(01:37:40):
something else entirely to do it during twelve team playoff era,
which is gonna change here, I'm sure very soon. If
you if you tell Ole Miss you cannot make the playoff,
first of all, you're missing out in a great story. Secondly,
it's not like they were twelve, right, It's not like
they were twelve going into the Egg Bowl right. If
you tell them you can't make the playoff because your

(01:38:02):
coach isn't there, and then because of the subsequent fallout,
you aren't telling me that the last three and a
half months.

Speaker 4 (01:38:07):
No matter, do not matter.

Speaker 3 (01:38:08):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (01:38:09):
That is an awful statement about.

Speaker 3 (01:38:11):
Your sport, correct, and in a sport that's already losing
a little bit outside of the playoff because of how
the bowl games have kind of been rendered. I don't
wanna say useless, but they're not as meaningful as they
used to be.

Speaker 4 (01:38:24):
No Ole Miss just treated.

Speaker 2 (01:38:28):
Or Lane KIFFLM I should say, just treated the college
football playoff like the International Bowl or I.

Speaker 3 (01:38:35):
Mean it just yeah, that's what it is. And as
a proud International Bowl champion. That's that's a tough way
to go.

Speaker 2 (01:38:41):
Zach Taylor's press conference is coming up here in just
a minute. It's the Tony and Mo Football Show at
Twin Peaks in Westchester on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 5 (01:38:53):
You've been listening to football in the NATI, brought to
you by Cincinnati Tax Resolution Power. I tofe Sheldon on
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic from.

Speaker 6 (01:39:12):
The UC Health Traffic Center and you see Health's Weight
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(01:39:34):
in Ohio crash on the right shoulder the Coole range
of Banning an accident is well by Rick shremp with traffic.

Speaker 3 (01:39:40):
This report is.

Speaker 5 (01:39:41):
Night Joe Burrow is back and he plays here on
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:39:52):
It's the Toniamo Football Show on ESPN fifteen thirty. We
are at Twin Peaks in Westchester. We are back here
next week at the Westchester Local. Make plans to join
us as we talk about the Bengals game against the
Buffalo Bills.

Speaker 4 (01:40:05):
By the way, stick around for Bengals line Tonight.

Speaker 3 (01:40:08):
That show begins at six o'clock with Lance McAllister and
Dave Lapham right here on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:40:14):
Here now, and I'll say this because they're good. It's
it's the contractually upscated airing of Zach Taylor's conference, but
I think everybody wants to hear from the head coach
of the Bengals. So here he is chatting with the
assembled Pro Football meeting.

Speaker 1 (01:40:29):
Zack Taylor Press Conference brought to you in part by
Wins Shooler's Cheese Bread, Brian Senters kangaroof and by Bell
Tara Casino and Bell Tara Park on ESPN fifteen thirty,

Speaker 11 (01:40:45):
As are meby.

Speaker 12 (01:40:46):
It was good good, I see he's great. He's still
in protocol, so him and Tage. We'll keep working through
that earlier in the week, so we'll see.

Speaker 11 (01:40:55):
Where it is up Trey in the next this week.

Speaker 13 (01:40:59):
Baple this week, yeah, Shamar, Yeah, Oh, he's on.

Speaker 3 (01:41:07):
I R.

Speaker 13 (01:41:08):
Yeah. How's going with that?

Speaker 4 (01:41:10):
Through?

Speaker 13 (01:41:10):
I was like, I'm math along here.

Speaker 3 (01:41:14):
Final game.

Speaker 11 (01:41:14):
I think he's part of this. How's he been progressing?

Speaker 13 (01:41:17):
We'll see what into next week?

Speaker 3 (01:41:19):
Is this?

Speaker 10 (01:41:19):
I think this will be traced fourth game.

Speaker 11 (01:41:21):
Is there any consideration to put him on I R.

Speaker 13 (01:41:24):
No, We'll just keep taking a week to week.

Speaker 14 (01:41:27):
He's still doing all the normal meetings everything behind the
scenes that.

Speaker 13 (01:41:31):
Mostly rehab stuff with the trainers.

Speaker 11 (01:41:37):
You have just be getting him back at all of
this season.

Speaker 12 (01:41:39):
Yeah, we'll just keep taking a week to week.

Speaker 11 (01:41:45):
What was the South scout like over the Bible? What
was the what did the weekend?

Speaker 15 (01:41:48):
I guess what did you guys want to accomplish as
y'all get ready for the next game?

Speaker 12 (01:41:52):
S get ahead for Buffalo? Really, I mean got a
chance for review our game. Just make sure we got
them obviously in two weeks, so you want to make
sure you put that to bed the right way because
it's a quick turnaround for them and then just you know,
steal an extra time for Buffaloe, which I thought we did.
It's good you got a chance to watch the football
yesterday while you're working, and it's a good weekend.

Speaker 11 (01:42:10):
How did Joe come through the weekend.

Speaker 12 (01:42:13):
Seemingly fine. I'm sure there's some soreness there that you know.
I'm sure you guys can ask him.

Speaker 11 (01:42:17):
But to my ip on, I think about concerned it
one day.

Speaker 10 (01:42:23):
At the start of the season, Dalton Roisman was playing
to the point where you ended up going with Jalen Rivers.
But it felt like since Sultan's come back, he's you know,
played even better than he has earlier in the year.
What have you seen from him the last couple of weeks.

Speaker 12 (01:42:34):
First, you know, when we got him, he hadn't done anything,
you know, for six months, so I think that was
a little bit to be expected. But I've liked how
he's played, the energy's played with. I think we got
a good mix of guys in there, you know, even
guys that are you know, been injured and have been backups,
and so I feel really good about our starters or
depth and and just where we're out at this point
the season out on line, what.

Speaker 10 (01:42:52):
Have you seen from Fairchild twelve games?

Speaker 12 (01:42:55):
Yeah, just continues to progress and get better and sees
new looks and does a good job taking the coaching
from Scott and Mike and Ted and Orlando and those
around him, and just continues to progress. And so that's
been really pleasant to see.

Speaker 3 (01:43:08):
There's an old adage when you get around this time
of the year where people say rookies aren't rookies anymore.

Speaker 13 (01:43:12):
Win in your mind, is a guy no longer at rookie?

Speaker 12 (01:43:14):
Yeah, I think, you know, at the midpoint of the year,
you really want them to progress through that There's still
going to be things that they're learning. It's a fun
thing to say, but you know, you can't replicate experience,
and so they got to continue to get that experience.
And especially for a lot of guys, maybe that didn't
start right away once the season went, you know, and
their playing time has.

Speaker 13 (01:43:32):
Increasedes has gone.

Speaker 12 (01:43:34):
So I think everybody's a little differently, depends on the
position you're playing, depends on the experience you're gaining. But
I really like how all of our rookies are progressing.
I think that they're all doing a nice job of
learning and not making repeat mistakes and have an ownership
their position and adding value to our team.

Speaker 13 (01:43:49):
Specifically exact with Barrett Carter.

Speaker 16 (01:43:52):
What have you liked about the way he's embrace that
roles everything that comes with.

Speaker 12 (01:43:55):
Yeah, his command with the position, you know, it's a
vocal position to have the green dot and be able
to communicate like he has and just continue to progress,
you know, I mean, I can't think how many games
he started now, you know, six maybe six games, and
so just continue and learn and that's where he's going.

Speaker 9 (01:44:16):
Just going back to Joe's touchdown pass and yeah, just
kind of on that and also just as kind of
aistical three. Those two guys seemed to have you know,
since the minute.

Speaker 3 (01:44:30):
You know the.

Speaker 12 (01:44:32):
Yeah, I think it was, you know, that was That's
a play we we've had him for for a while now,
and Joe really did a good job buying some time
outside the pocket. Because it's a longer developing play. It
can it can unfold two ways. You can either win
right out of the break because they've had poor eyes
in the backfield.

Speaker 13 (01:44:52):
Hamilton did not have poor eyes.

Speaker 12 (01:44:53):
You know, he did a good job stating and phase
and Joe really put it the only spot that Tanner
could have caught that ball, and Tanner could have only
caught that ball one handed based on where Hamilton was at.
And it was really good coverage and just outstanding throw,
outstanding catch, huge for momentum at that point.

Speaker 13 (01:45:09):
So it was a really big point in that game.

Speaker 11 (01:45:10):
I mean, the route was against one of the best,
there's no question.

Speaker 12 (01:45:16):
Yeah, I mean it's it's he's an outstanding player, you know,
he's I wouldn't even call him the safety really, he's
he plays linebacker and the end and covers people and
whatever you want to that's a true Swiss arm in
after me. Uh So, again, it was a great play
versus a great player and something we really needed at
that point.

Speaker 11 (01:45:34):
Some of the strategy guys have me defensively in recent weeks.

Speaker 14 (01:45:37):
How much of it do you think kind of just
stems directly back to just seeing more pressure from some
of your young defensive linemen at this point.

Speaker 3 (01:45:44):
Is that kind of the biggest difference that you think
you've seen.

Speaker 12 (01:45:47):
I think it helps everybody's just starting to really settle
into their position as they get more playing time and
more confidence in the scheme and playing next to guys
and you just see all eleven guys all at once
really just step into it and have great ownership in
what rask them to do, and confidence to go in
there and make plays, confidence to go win some one
on ones up front and apply pressure. And once you

(01:46:08):
start doing that a couple of times, right, I'm going
to continue to do this and and then the takeaways
start coming too. So again it's it's fun to watch
those guys have fun, play with confidence.

Speaker 13 (01:46:19):
That's exciting for me.

Speaker 14 (01:46:20):
To see guy like Miles chasing down Derek Henry forty
yards down the field.

Speaker 12 (01:46:25):
Tell you where he's at his passion for the game.
I mean, he's made of the right stuff, and he's
continued to work every day. He's been in here all season,
and you know, it's it's I'm really excited for Miles
to see all that hard work start to pay off
and the consistency come and it's been really good. He's
an easy got to pull for and so it's it's
exciting to see him make some plays like that effort
plays too are he You know that's even though it's

(01:46:47):
way down the field, it's our team sees that in
the film. They see all that stuff. Guys really putting
all out there, and he did that. Jordan Battle had
the one on the goal line. So those are those
are critical plays for our guys.

Speaker 14 (01:46:58):
Stuff you guys feature, I mean we get it to
a meeting, do you get in the meetings and feature?

Speaker 12 (01:47:02):
It depends on the week. Yeah, it depends on the week,
depends on the tone of the meeting. Plenty of times
we highlight stuff like that.

Speaker 11 (01:47:09):
With how ka out at the AFC North is this year?

Speaker 16 (01:47:12):
How do you make sure the guys are just doing
it on a week two week basis, not looking outside all.

Speaker 13 (01:47:17):
I've never really felt like I've had to worry about that.

Speaker 12 (01:47:19):
You know, we we have our messaging each week that
we follow and I've never felt the need to make
sure that we're just focused on the week. I think
Theo's guys have done a really good job of doing that,
and you know that's that's the most critical point.

Speaker 13 (01:47:30):
It's just we got to.

Speaker 12 (01:47:31):
Play Buffalo, need to win the game, and worry about
the rest after that.

Speaker 15 (01:47:35):
Even as a result on Thursday and then kind of
how things have played out in the North, especially the weekend,
does it still feel like everything's in front of you
as you go into this one.

Speaker 12 (01:47:41):
Yeah, it's exciting to know there's still opportunity there, but
again you just have to take a week to week.
Us being Baltimore has nothing to do with how we're
gonna pay against Buffalo. So our guys understand that still
a day here with the bonus day and got to
have a great week. And it's gonna be a tough
environment to go on the road there. It's always a
tough place to play. It's gonna be a loud, can
be cold, probably going to be windy, and so our

(01:48:02):
guys have gotta be ready to embrace all that.

Speaker 16 (01:48:04):
How much do you subscribe to the theory that, especially
comes December, you need to be able to at some
point be able to run the ball with authority in
climent weather.

Speaker 13 (01:48:15):
We've thrown the ball out in December two. It's been
successful for us.

Speaker 12 (01:48:18):
So we're just going to keep playing our style and
and sometimes we play plenty of games where we've leaned
on the run, plenty of games where we've leaned in
the past game. So again it's it's what's your style play,
what's your identity as a team, how's the game going.
There's a lot of things that factor into how the
game is going to play out. But you're not gonna
pin me down and say we're gonna run the ball
sixty times in a game just because.

Speaker 13 (01:48:39):
It's simmer outside.

Speaker 3 (01:48:41):
You're not.

Speaker 13 (01:48:43):
We're going to run the ball and you have to
do other things.

Speaker 12 (01:48:45):
Well, yeah, that's a unique circumstance. We're going to do
whatever it takes to win the game, you know, And
I feel like we've always done that, And there's been games,
certainly I can think of in December where where we've
gone in there and how to do a great job
establishing the run and deepens is played great, so you
can stick with it throughout the game and you know,
we'll see what type of game this turns out to be.

Speaker 11 (01:49:06):
Twenty seventeen game you guys with authority?

Speaker 13 (01:49:11):
I guess what I'm kind of thinking about.

Speaker 12 (01:49:12):
Yeah, you know that that game, it allowed us, just
the way that the game played out, we were allowed
to stick with that kind of stuff, and our defensive
played really well that day, and you know, so again
we just will do whatever it takes to win.

Speaker 3 (01:49:25):
What did you ask Joe this so I'd be a
better question for him.

Speaker 10 (01:49:29):
But with the weather talking about the.

Speaker 12 (01:49:32):
Weather being kind of up in the air right now and
with that plate in his shoe?

Speaker 3 (01:49:37):
Is there any conversations about maybe doing something different, like
is does that create any issues?

Speaker 13 (01:49:42):
Maybe?

Speaker 10 (01:49:47):
What did you learn that day about snow games? You
don't get them too often, you.

Speaker 13 (01:49:52):
Know, you'd have to ask Joe.

Speaker 12 (01:49:54):
I think, uh, traction on the ball, you know, I
I don't. I haven't thrown much in snow games. You know,
rain is often the biggest issue. I'd say wind is
a big issue. Snow would come in third behind that
kind of stuff. So I think he could probably answer
that question better having done it a lot more recently

(01:50:14):
than anybody else. Put again, I thought that day, you know,
I thought he threw the ball pretty well. And it's
you know, it's every he's saying. Just the wind can
always factor into that a little bit, depending on how
much that is.

Speaker 15 (01:50:27):
When he went back and look at how he played
on Thursday, and I can't review the tape, what was
the biggest thing that jumped out of you?

Speaker 12 (01:50:32):
Well, just just how quickly he got into a rhythm.
I think he'd sit here and say I missed this
or missed that. I could feel the rhythm he got
into and the and the confidence that he had him
and he was out there. So that's what we could
feel as a team, you know, that that he was
he was really back to mid season form for himself,
even though I again I don't know how he's gonna

(01:50:52):
answer that, but for us certainly watching him, he felt that.
And and just I think has had a lot of
confidence watching him out that when.

Speaker 15 (01:51:00):
You have your franchise quarterback that it's really the team
is invested in, committed to any back in the locker
room and the rally guys, does that praise everybody? And
just subconsciously knowing that that's the guy who's kind of
everything's built around and he's in the building and all
of that, what does that do for everybody's in there?

Speaker 12 (01:51:15):
And he's one of the greatest players in the world,
you know. And so I think anytime you get a
player like that back on the field, absolutely, whether it's
subconsciously or consciously, I mean, it's it's you're excited to
watch that, and you're excited to rally behind that and
see where he can take you.

Speaker 14 (01:51:29):
It looks like Flacco was very interactive on the sideline
against Baltimore. Did Craigthorpe or anyone note just how much
input he was doing after series or is that just
what you expect with who Jill Flacco is.

Speaker 12 (01:51:43):
Yeah, they to my I have a really good relationship,
so whatever they're talking about is is all good. There's
guys see it the same way as coaches do. I
I'm not always back there, you know. I've kind of
picked my spots to go back there between series, so
I don't see it all or recap it all. But
it is good to have as many I mean, we
always travel our practice squad quarterback over the years. We

(01:52:05):
want as many quarterbacks over there as possible, and somebody
may see something that somebody else doesn't see. So I
always think that's a good dialogue to have as many
guys over there as possible, especially at the high level
thinkers that we've gotten that room.

Speaker 1 (01:52:16):
This has been the Zach Taylor press conference on the
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of US Cincinnati Bengalis.

Speaker 2 (01:52:26):
There he goes Zach Taylor in the aftermath of his
teams went on Thanksgiving Night getting set to take on
the Buffalo Bills.

Speaker 3 (01:52:33):
Those are more fun after wins.

Speaker 2 (01:52:34):
There are a lot more fun after wins. Buffalo Bills
on Sunday. Don't forget. The game is on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Kick off at one o'clock. Pregame coverage begins at nine
a m. Again, we're back here in Westchester a week
from today. Tony is not on since he three to sixty.

Speaker 4 (01:52:51):
Tomorrow he is.

Speaker 2 (01:52:52):
Pinchinting for Lance down the Hall on seven hundred w
WEL from six to nine.

Speaker 4 (01:52:57):
I will be broadcasting from a differentness down tomorrow. Looking
forward to that thanks.

Speaker 3 (01:53:03):
To the snow. Careful with the snow. Snow, there's incoming snow.
People are doing snow dances and stuff.

Speaker 4 (01:53:09):
My daughter back from school.

Speaker 3 (01:53:11):
People excited about snow. It's a lot of teachers in attendance.

Speaker 4 (01:53:14):
My daughter just was awful week.

Speaker 2 (01:53:16):
This morning we had local news on Yeah, and she
heard Jennifer Ketchmark talk about the snow and she's like,
wait a minute, no school, toname like it hasn't snowed yet.

Speaker 4 (01:53:24):
She's like, tomorrow's.

Speaker 3 (01:53:26):
Cold goo, yeah, cancel it for being cold.

Speaker 4 (01:53:28):
So we'll probably have to deal with that as well.
We're done.

Speaker 3 (01:53:30):
Thanks to Mike Mills for producing on site tearing back
and Kenwood as well.

Speaker 4 (01:53:34):
The staff here.

Speaker 2 (01:53:34):
At Twin Peaks. The folks who came out Bengals line
is next, have an awesome night. This is ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 5 (01:53:46):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the.

Speaker 6 (01:53:51):
U SEE Health Traffic Center and you See Health's Weight
Laws Center offer surgic going medical Obesity Cararen expertise call
five one three nine sixty three. That's nine three nine
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Baum Montgomery Road is seventy one seventy one north bound
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crash tree the vehicle off in the tree line in

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accident in the left lane by bricksh remp with traffic.

Speaker 8 (01:54:19):
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