October 8, 2025 • 15 mins
John Sheeran from A to Z Sports joins the show to discuss Joe Flacco being the new starter for the Bengals, Al Golden and the Defense, looks ahead to the Green Bay Packers and more!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cincy Shirts Cincy three to sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in part by Cincy Shirts. Cincy Shirts All Cincy,
all Day. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Day sat.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hi.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Hello, welcome in to our number two of Cincy three
to sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm Austin Elmore. Coming
up in just a little bit, we'll hear from the
head coach of the Bengals, Zach Taylor, who is talking
to the media about Joe Flacco and getting set for
the matchup coming up this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
(00:39):
Our two is brought to you by Cincy Shirts, and
if you're thinking of Joe Flacco, you can go Cincy
Shirts dot com or any of their retail retail locations
and get their oh no or excuse me, uh oh
better get Flaco t shirts now available at Cinci shirts
dot Com. Joe Flacco will start Sunday against the Packers,
(01:02):
according to Zach Taylor. John Sheeran joins us now for
me to Za Sports. John when you hear that Joe
Flacco is starting a game for the Cincinnati Bengals in
the Year of Our Lord twenty twenty five. Your reaction
is what.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, I think, And when you're in any fever dream,
you just kind of have to just keep hugging along, right,
You just keep taking it one day at a time,
because I can't describe what the last month has been.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
It's been crazy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Uh, how does it? Is this a good thing? Does
it mean hope? Does it at least at the bare minimum,
give Bengals fans hope that they can compete this year?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I think the hope is the fact that they were
willing to do anything at all.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
I think because.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
They've developed a reputation obviously for never doing in season trades.
Of course, all three of them in their history have
come in the last five years under Zach Taylor.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
All of them have.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Been prompted by some sort of desperation or something bad happens, right.
Carlos Dunlap sent off to Seattle because he blew up.
Khalil Herbert was brought in because the fans were just
dying for something when Zach Moss went down and the offense.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Needed some help.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
And obviously now you couldn't, like, you couldn't stay with
a straight face that you have any confidence to Jake
Brownie right, So like getting a new face in their
quarterback seemed very necessary and it was a desperate move,
And I think that's just how you have to look
at it.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Joe Flacco, there.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Isn't a high probability that he's for certain going to
be better than Jake Brining, Like that's just the reality
of it.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
There is things to like about Joe Flacco compared to.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Jake Brownie right, a better arm, more experience, and you
think that the ball is going to get out quicker
and at least to the targets on a time in
the manner when brown couldn't do that. But will the
results be any different? It's really tough to say. But
the fact that they're willing to do anything at all,
I think is relative to the Bengals standards commendable. And
I think that's if you want to hang around on anything,
(02:58):
if you're a Bengals fan, it's it's at least that.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Do you think that has an effect on the locker room,
to say, Okay, they are at least trying to do
something to help us out here. Do you think specifically
it has an impact on Jamar Chase and t Higgins
to put a little bit of a pep in their
step and maybe a jolt to everyone else.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah. I think we've seen it so many other times
in which they waited far too long to do anything
of note, and their willingness to stand by, to stick
by their guys even when they're not playing well, it
has derailed some seasons in the past. And I think
when you're specifically talking about the quarterback who is more
(03:41):
important than anyone else in that locker room, if there
is faith lost in that guy, and in this case
it happened to be Browning, it's really hard to galvanize
the fifty two other players there to show up every
Sunday and give it they're all when they when maybe
they don't have trust in the decision makers, you know,
doing what's best for them. So I think there's all
(04:01):
the respect to who Browning is and the effort that
he gave, but also recognition that it just wasn't enough.
And when you're two and three, it's rarely a good
spot to being.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
But this is a weird year for the AFC. Specifically
in two and three.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Keeps you somewhat alive, and if you're still holding out
on the hope that Joe Burrow could potentially potentially return
in December. Getting someone who has at least a chance
of being better and keeping you afloat.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Like that, that has to mean at least a little.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Bit of something to the locker room and the leaders
in there who are looking to the coaching staff.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
For leadership above them.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Let's rewind to Sunday's game against Detroit. It didn't feel
like the defense embarrassed themselves against a really good offense,
but it still didn't feel like a great performance. What
did you take away from the Bengals defense on Sunday
against the Lions.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, it was a little bit similar to the game
against the Vikings. Obviously, the turnovers was standing, but you know,
I think it was worse when the lines were given
great field position on multiple occasions, and that's unfortunately where
a lot of the points kind of ended up at.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
And I think the pass rush was a bit promising.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
The Bengals got a big break without Taylor Decker playing
the left tackle, so Trey Henderson went up against the
backup and he did what Trey Henderson did.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Miles Murphy even got a solo sack for the first
time since he was a rookie.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So yeah, So like any sort of flash and promise
from the pass rush, it always tends to have a
really good positive effect on the defense as a whole.
But yeah, I think we all came into this game
knowing that the lines were going to score points regardless
of the extra opportunities that the Bengals are going.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
To give them.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
They ended up scoring thirty five, and I think thirty
five again like a thirty seventy excheasing me because two
points with the safety, but thirty five for the defense, right,
And I think that with the context of how many
times they were kind of putting really bad situations knowing
that they were probably going to give up around thirty,
I think it was pretty par for the course, which, again,
thirty five points is a lot, but this is still
relative to the standards of the Bengals defense. And I
(05:58):
think they showed a decent a flash throughout the game
where it's like, Okay, they weren't too completely bowled over
by an offense that has the capability of doing that.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Talking to John sheeran a weekly guest for US, and
moved him up a day for the second time already
this season, you aren't kidding. It's it's been a weird year.
What do you make of of Al Golden specifically in
the way he's deployed some of the players, Like last week,
Logan Wilson has now one hundred percent of the snaps,
Demetrius Knight takes a step back. Maybe the young guys
(06:28):
aren't playing as much as we expected. How do you
how do you, I guess what is your takeaway from
the way that Golden has kind of used those young players,
specifically the young linebackers.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, the linebackers are interesting, Like there was a lot
of promise about Breck Carter and he ended up out
snapping Oran Bergs in this past game, right and Orreon
Berg's have been gaining a lot of trust as both
a blitzer and somebody who can drop back into coverage.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
So that was interesting.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
And you know, we talked about how Logan Wilson may
have to take a little bit of a step back,
and then of course he played one hundred percent steps
in this game. So the Lions are an interesting offense
to combat, and they run a lot of twelve personnel,
more than most teams in the league. So the Bengals
ran a lot of five to two fronts, so they
had a lot of uh, you know, four or three
packages as well. They only played like their third cornerback,
(07:15):
Cam Tayler brede On and played like thirty.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Five percent of the snaps in this game.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
So it was a different It was a different offense
for them to combat and required some different personnel. I
don't have an issue with getting Barreck Carter some exposure,
especially when Mutrich Snide is still getting his feet wet,
and you want to be, you know, mindful of what
you want to do against some of these offenses. I
think my focus was more on why was Miles Murphy
only getting thirteen snaps while Joseph Asig and Kim Sample
(07:39):
were playing more and dropping back into coverage probably more
than they probably should have. So, like that is still
a variable that I don't quite understand. It needs to
be some sort of an adjustment that he needs to
take into two account. But I think at the very
least he's been adaptable in some of these ways to
just adapting to which the next team that he's going
up against.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yeah, and looking at to Green Bay, a team that
I think is similar to Detroit but maybe not as loaded.
When you think about this matchup Sunday, Where does your
mind go instantly outside of Joe Flacco being on the field,
how can the how do the Bengals and Packers match up?
In your mind? What's the most important part.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I think their offense is not as consistent as maybe
it needs to be the Packers, But their receivers, I mean,
just going even back to the Rogers days, they create
such initial separation off of the snap and off of
the line. Romeo Dobbs does that better than most people
(08:39):
would have expected him to. I think at this point
in his career, they have weapons for Love, and Love
does a really good job of finding his guys on
some of these off platform throws, like he's got a
very live arm, and they separate really well and work
really well.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Against me uncoverage.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So obviously pressuring Love, I mean, it's the same song
and d answer with every quarterback, right, you get pressure
in his face, you disrupt his rhythm and all that stuff.
But I think the onus right now for the Bengals
defense is to try to limit how much inside separation
that these receivers can get.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Specifically on some of these slants.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
It works wondrous for that Packers offense, and their timing
is impeccable, but it just does such a great job
of separating with their hands and off the line. So
that's something the Bengals quarterbacks DJ Turner, Dax Hill, Camp
Taylor Great or joshsonon All he needed to kind of
be aware of because I mean, their passing game has
the potential of every single week to explode. It's not
always consistent. I think sometimes we need to disrupt the
(09:33):
timing on some of those routes. That's so you can
get the upper hand.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
What do you how do you explain Cam Taylor britt.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I can't honestly like this is that this was the
year where everything needed to kind of click, and he
took it upon himself this offseason to be more accountable.
I think everyone knew that he wasn't his full self
last year when he was kind of, you know, feeling
good about where he was in his career. But he's
in the contract year and he's barely playing for a
defense that I'll be it's just not very good. So
(10:05):
if you can't start here and you're supposed to be
in the prime of your career, what does that say
about where you're going to.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
Go from here.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
So it's really now or never for him to just
make the most of the opportunities that he gets, because
you're talking about someone who was a potential extension candidate
a year and a half ago, and now you're wondering
if he's going to get a second contract as a
starter anywhere in the league. Right So it's not just here,
but like what he's doing right now is impacting what
(10:35):
his future opportunities will be for the other thirty one teams.
So and they notice that, they know that the Bengals
defense is nothing really to show for and he's not
getting opportunities here. So it could just be a situation
where he's not he's just not a fit within this team,
regardless of who the defensive coordinator is.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
And maybe he doesn't need a fresh start, but right now,
it's just it's hard to understand how he.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Can't wrap his mind around what the opportunities in front
of him and how he can just can't keep his
head on straight.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Talking about the Bengals offense, what do you expect it
to look like with Joe Flacco? What do you think
will be different about it against the Packers?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yeah, I think with Jake Brown, and obviously you wanted
to go a little bit more under center than you
do with Joe Burrown, and Flacco has a lot of
experience and comfortability with that. He knows how to just
turn his back to the defense and operate play action.
I think right now this offense is the worst than
the league when they operate out a twelve personnel And
(11:30):
that was an emphasis that they wanted, and I think
they have to recognize that. They have to recognize that
they don't have the personnel to fulfill the passing game
that they want.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
But maybe in addition of a new quarterback.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Who's going to make more rational decisions, would that'd be
the expectation, that'd be the hope. Maybe you can reinstitute
some of those plays that hadn't been very successful for you,
but a lot more under center a lot more time.
I think, just the willingness to take advantage of these
one on one deep shots with a sense of timing
right where the balls is not floating there for the
safety y or the qurnerbacks just pick off with ease.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Right.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
It's been really frustrated, I think for both Jamar Chase
and Ti Higgins where they're getting the separation. They're getting
these opportunities that you know, the play calling hasn't really
been that bad in some of these cases, but the
balls is late or the balls floating, and that's the
expectations that a more lively arm in Flacco, the mistakes
are gonna get there, right. Flago has never been a
perfect quarterback in that sense, but just a better arm
(12:25):
that gets the ball out in a more timely manner,
just to give these guys a chance. I don't think
the offense is gonna change that much, but I think
you're gonna see a little bit more rhythm for the
quarterback who just kind of knows what he's doing more.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
The other thing that stood out to me looking at
the snap counts from last week against Detroit was the
split between Chase Brown and Sama JP Ryan. I thought
there were some positives in the run game. I think
it has slowly but surely ticked up a little bit
over the last couple of weeks. Not great, but slowly
but surely ticking up. Does that you know, split and
(12:58):
the carries mean anything to you or do you think
there is some progress being made in the run game.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
I think, yeah, like you said, progress is very marginal.
It's not where it needs to be. I think with
Samaj and the opportunities that he's had, he's particularly made
the most of him. I think he's been running really
hard and getting yards up to contact, and I think
the blocking for him has been noticeably better compared to
Chase Brown. Obviously, the sample size as much larger with
Chase Brown, and this is still not a very good
(13:26):
offensive line in that regard, but I think the opportunities
that Smaji Pieran has had, they've just been slightly better
and more favorable, and that's kind of where you're seeing
some of that production a little bit. And I think
also with this pass game, with the score being so
out of whack, like I understood why p Riunings saw
the feel a little bit more as they were just
kind of in that mode and you know, they almost
(13:47):
try to keep up and everything like that.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
But Perran is someone that you.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Would still trust in obvious passing situations, so it makes
sense to get him on the field and when the
game script is still out of whack. So that was
kind of my top the more even snap splits and whatnot.
But yeah, there still needs to be a lot more
work in just gaining space for Chase Brown to do
what he does because he's just not been able to
do that yet.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
John Shearon, a is e Sports. Appreciate your time and
your flexibility. Where can people follow along with all you
got going on covering the Bengals?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Yeah, of course it is the Sports dot Com, Backslash
Cincinnati and on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, wherever you get your
short form content.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
It is the Sports Cincinnati Follow us there.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Awesome, Thanks John, take it easy.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
Thanks.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
That is John Shearon, our guy, and uh hopefully gonna
stick with us the rest of the football season. Usually
every Thursday, but with the weird week this week and
me being out and Tony being gone, we're going to
move him up a day. And he was able to
do that even though it was right in the middle
of the Zach Taylor press conference. I am appreciative of
(14:53):
John for that. Speaking of the Zach Taylor press conference,
with the temperature of things today and reading through some
of the talkbacks, I think it's probably best if we
don't do that today. Probably best if we don't do talkbacks.
(15:14):
I appreciate the passion, I appreciate the desire, I appreciate
and respect that it is an outlet for you to
have your voice heard, but I think we need to
be careful. That being said, I'm not gonna do talkbacks today.
I'm gonna come back and we're gonna play Zach Taylor's
(15:36):
press conference, which features an update that's not quite an
update on Joe Burrow, more information about Joe Flacco and
the plan for him and the Packers, and a whole
lot more that's next right here on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Now your chance to win a thousand dollars
Cincy Shirts Cincy three to sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in part by Cincy Shirts. Cincy Shirts All Cincy,
all Day. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Day sat.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hi.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Hello, welcome in to our number two of Cincy three
to sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm Austin Elmore. Coming
up in just a little bit, we'll hear from the
head coach of the Bengals, Zach Taylor, who is talking
to the media about Joe Flacco and getting set for
the matchup coming up this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
(00:39):
Our two is brought to you by Cincy Shirts, and
if you're thinking of Joe Flacco, you can go Cincy
Shirts dot com or any of their retail retail locations
and get their oh no or excuse me, uh oh
better get Flaco t shirts now available at Cinci shirts
dot Com. Joe Flacco will start Sunday against the Packers,
(01:02):
according to Zach Taylor. John Sheeran joins us now for
me to Za Sports. John when you hear that Joe
Flacco is starting a game for the Cincinnati Bengals in
the Year of Our Lord twenty twenty five. Your reaction
is what.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, I think, And when you're in any fever dream,
you just kind of have to just keep hugging along, right,
You just keep taking it one day at a time,
because I can't describe what the last month has been.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
It's been crazy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Uh, how does it? Is this a good thing? Does
it mean hope? Does it at least at the bare minimum,
give Bengals fans hope that they can compete this year?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I think the hope is the fact that they were
willing to do anything at all.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
I think because.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
They've developed a reputation obviously for never doing in season trades.
Of course, all three of them in their history have
come in the last five years under Zach Taylor.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
All of them have.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Been prompted by some sort of desperation or something bad happens, right.
Carlos Dunlap sent off to Seattle because he blew up.
Khalil Herbert was brought in because the fans were just
dying for something when Zach Moss went down and the offense.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Needed some help.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
And obviously now you couldn't, like, you couldn't stay with
a straight face that you have any confidence to Jake
Brownie right, So like getting a new face in their
quarterback seemed very necessary and it was a desperate move,
And I think that's just how you have to look
at it.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Joe Flacco, there.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Isn't a high probability that he's for certain going to
be better than Jake Brining, Like that's just the reality
of it.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
There is things to like about Joe Flacco compared to.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Jake Brownie right, a better arm, more experience, and you
think that the ball is going to get out quicker
and at least to the targets on a time in
the manner when brown couldn't do that. But will the
results be any different? It's really tough to say. But
the fact that they're willing to do anything at all,
I think is relative to the Bengals standards commendable. And
I think that's if you want to hang around on anything,
(02:58):
if you're a Bengals fan, it's it's at least that.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Do you think that has an effect on the locker room,
to say, Okay, they are at least trying to do
something to help us out here. Do you think specifically
it has an impact on Jamar Chase and t Higgins
to put a little bit of a pep in their
step and maybe a jolt to everyone else.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah. I think we've seen it so many other times
in which they waited far too long to do anything
of note, and their willingness to stand by, to stick
by their guys even when they're not playing well, it
has derailed some seasons in the past. And I think
when you're specifically talking about the quarterback who is more
(03:41):
important than anyone else in that locker room, if there
is faith lost in that guy, and in this case
it happened to be Browning, it's really hard to galvanize
the fifty two other players there to show up every
Sunday and give it they're all when they when maybe
they don't have trust in the decision makers, you know,
doing what's best for them. So I think there's all
(04:01):
the respect to who Browning is and the effort that
he gave, but also recognition that it just wasn't enough.
And when you're two and three, it's rarely a good
spot to being.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
But this is a weird year for the AFC. Specifically
in two and three.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Keeps you somewhat alive, and if you're still holding out
on the hope that Joe Burrow could potentially potentially return
in December. Getting someone who has at least a chance
of being better and keeping you afloat.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Like that, that has to mean at least a little.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Bit of something to the locker room and the leaders
in there who are looking to the coaching staff.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
For leadership above them.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Let's rewind to Sunday's game against Detroit. It didn't feel
like the defense embarrassed themselves against a really good offense,
but it still didn't feel like a great performance. What
did you take away from the Bengals defense on Sunday
against the Lions.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, it was a little bit similar to the game
against the Vikings. Obviously, the turnovers was standing, but you know,
I think it was worse when the lines were given
great field position on multiple occasions, and that's unfortunately where
a lot of the points kind of ended up at.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
And I think the pass rush was a bit promising.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
The Bengals got a big break without Taylor Decker playing
the left tackle, so Trey Henderson went up against the
backup and he did what Trey Henderson did.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Miles Murphy even got a solo sack for the first
time since he was a rookie.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So yeah, So like any sort of flash and promise
from the pass rush, it always tends to have a
really good positive effect on the defense as a whole.
But yeah, I think we all came into this game
knowing that the lines were going to score points regardless
of the extra opportunities that the Bengals are going.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
To give them.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
They ended up scoring thirty five, and I think thirty
five again like a thirty seventy excheasing me because two
points with the safety, but thirty five for the defense, right,
And I think that with the context of how many
times they were kind of putting really bad situations knowing
that they were probably going to give up around thirty,
I think it was pretty par for the course, which, again,
thirty five points is a lot, but this is still
relative to the standards of the Bengals defense. And I
(05:58):
think they showed a decent a flash throughout the game
where it's like, Okay, they weren't too completely bowled over
by an offense that has the capability of doing that.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Talking to John sheeran a weekly guest for US, and
moved him up a day for the second time already
this season, you aren't kidding. It's it's been a weird year.
What do you make of of Al Golden specifically in
the way he's deployed some of the players, Like last week,
Logan Wilson has now one hundred percent of the snaps,
Demetrius Knight takes a step back. Maybe the young guys
(06:28):
aren't playing as much as we expected. How do you
how do you, I guess what is your takeaway from
the way that Golden has kind of used those young players,
specifically the young linebackers.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yeah, the linebackers are interesting, Like there was a lot
of promise about Breck Carter and he ended up out
snapping Oran Bergs in this past game, right and Orreon
Berg's have been gaining a lot of trust as both
a blitzer and somebody who can drop back into coverage.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
So that was interesting.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
And you know, we talked about how Logan Wilson may
have to take a little bit of a step back,
and then of course he played one hundred percent steps
in this game. So the Lions are an interesting offense
to combat, and they run a lot of twelve personnel,
more than most teams in the league. So the Bengals
ran a lot of five to two fronts, so they
had a lot of uh, you know, four or three
packages as well. They only played like their third cornerback,
(07:15):
Cam Tayler brede On and played like thirty.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Five percent of the snaps in this game.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
So it was a different It was a different offense
for them to combat and required some different personnel. I
don't have an issue with getting Barreck Carter some exposure,
especially when Mutrich Snide is still getting his feet wet,
and you want to be, you know, mindful of what
you want to do against some of these offenses. I
think my focus was more on why was Miles Murphy
only getting thirteen snaps while Joseph Asig and Kim Sample
(07:39):
were playing more and dropping back into coverage probably more
than they probably should have. So, like that is still
a variable that I don't quite understand. It needs to
be some sort of an adjustment that he needs to
take into two account. But I think at the very
least he's been adaptable in some of these ways to
just adapting to which the next team that he's going
up against.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yeah, and looking at to Green Bay, a team that
I think is similar to Detroit but maybe not as loaded.
When you think about this matchup Sunday, Where does your
mind go instantly outside of Joe Flacco being on the field,
how can the how do the Bengals and Packers match up?
In your mind? What's the most important part.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I think their offense is not as consistent as maybe
it needs to be the Packers, But their receivers, I mean,
just going even back to the Rogers days, they create
such initial separation off of the snap and off of
the line. Romeo Dobbs does that better than most people
(08:39):
would have expected him to. I think at this point
in his career, they have weapons for Love, and Love
does a really good job of finding his guys on
some of these off platform throws, like he's got a
very live arm, and they separate really well and work
really well.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Against me uncoverage.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So obviously pressuring Love, I mean, it's the same song
and d answer with every quarterback, right, you get pressure
in his face, you disrupt his rhythm and all that stuff.
But I think the onus right now for the Bengals
defense is to try to limit how much inside separation
that these receivers can get.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Specifically on some of these slants.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
It works wondrous for that Packers offense, and their timing
is impeccable, but it just does such a great job
of separating with their hands and off the line. So
that's something the Bengals quarterbacks DJ Turner, Dax Hill, Camp
Taylor Great or joshsonon All he needed to kind of
be aware of because I mean, their passing game has
the potential of every single week to explode. It's not
always consistent. I think sometimes we need to disrupt the
(09:33):
timing on some of those routes. That's so you can
get the upper hand.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
What do you how do you explain Cam Taylor britt.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I can't honestly like this is that this was the
year where everything needed to kind of click, and he
took it upon himself this offseason to be more accountable.
I think everyone knew that he wasn't his full self
last year when he was kind of, you know, feeling
good about where he was in his career. But he's
in the contract year and he's barely playing for a
defense that I'll be it's just not very good. So
(10:05):
if you can't start here and you're supposed to be
in the prime of your career, what does that say
about where you're going to.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
Go from here.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
So it's really now or never for him to just
make the most of the opportunities that he gets, because
you're talking about someone who was a potential extension candidate
a year and a half ago, and now you're wondering
if he's going to get a second contract as a
starter anywhere in the league. Right So it's not just here,
but like what he's doing right now is impacting what
(10:35):
his future opportunities will be for the other thirty one teams.
So and they notice that, they know that the Bengals
defense is nothing really to show for and he's not
getting opportunities here. So it could just be a situation
where he's not he's just not a fit within this team,
regardless of who the defensive coordinator is.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
And maybe he doesn't need a fresh start, but right now,
it's just it's hard to understand how he.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Can't wrap his mind around what the opportunities in front
of him and how he can just can't keep his
head on straight.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Talking about the Bengals offense, what do you expect it
to look like with Joe Flacco? What do you think
will be different about it against the Packers?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yeah, I think with Jake Brown, and obviously you wanted
to go a little bit more under center than you
do with Joe Burrown, and Flacco has a lot of
experience and comfortability with that. He knows how to just
turn his back to the defense and operate play action.
I think right now this offense is the worst than
the league when they operate out a twelve personnel And
(11:30):
that was an emphasis that they wanted, and I think
they have to recognize that. They have to recognize that
they don't have the personnel to fulfill the passing game
that they want.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
But maybe in addition of a new quarterback.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Who's going to make more rational decisions, would that'd be
the expectation, that'd be the hope. Maybe you can reinstitute
some of those plays that hadn't been very successful for you,
but a lot more under center a lot more time.
I think, just the willingness to take advantage of these
one on one deep shots with a sense of timing
right where the balls is not floating there for the
safety y or the qurnerbacks just pick off with ease.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Right.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
It's been really frustrated, I think for both Jamar Chase
and Ti Higgins where they're getting the separation. They're getting
these opportunities that you know, the play calling hasn't really
been that bad in some of these cases, but the
balls is late or the balls floating, and that's the
expectations that a more lively arm in Flacco, the mistakes
are gonna get there, right. Flago has never been a
perfect quarterback in that sense, but just a better arm
(12:25):
that gets the ball out in a more timely manner,
just to give these guys a chance. I don't think
the offense is gonna change that much, but I think
you're gonna see a little bit more rhythm for the
quarterback who just kind of knows what he's doing more.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
The other thing that stood out to me looking at
the snap counts from last week against Detroit was the
split between Chase Brown and Sama JP Ryan. I thought
there were some positives in the run game. I think
it has slowly but surely ticked up a little bit
over the last couple of weeks. Not great, but slowly
but surely ticking up. Does that you know, split and
(12:58):
the carries mean anything to you or do you think
there is some progress being made in the run game.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
I think, yeah, like you said, progress is very marginal.
It's not where it needs to be. I think with
Samaj and the opportunities that he's had, he's particularly made
the most of him. I think he's been running really
hard and getting yards up to contact, and I think
the blocking for him has been noticeably better compared to
Chase Brown. Obviously, the sample size as much larger with
Chase Brown, and this is still not a very good
(13:26):
offensive line in that regard, but I think the opportunities
that Smaji Pieran has had, they've just been slightly better
and more favorable, and that's kind of where you're seeing
some of that production a little bit. And I think
also with this pass game, with the score being so
out of whack, like I understood why p Riunings saw
the feel a little bit more as they were just
kind of in that mode and you know, they almost
(13:47):
try to keep up and everything like that.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
But Perran is someone that you.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Would still trust in obvious passing situations, so it makes
sense to get him on the field and when the
game script is still out of whack. So that was
kind of my top the more even snap splits and whatnot.
But yeah, there still needs to be a lot more
work in just gaining space for Chase Brown to do
what he does because he's just not been able to
do that yet.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
John Shearon, a is e Sports. Appreciate your time and
your flexibility. Where can people follow along with all you
got going on covering the Bengals?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Yeah, of course it is the Sports dot Com, Backslash
Cincinnati and on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, wherever you get your
short form content.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
It is the Sports Cincinnati Follow us there.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Awesome, Thanks John, take it easy.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
Thanks.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
That is John Shearon, our guy, and uh hopefully gonna
stick with us the rest of the football season. Usually
every Thursday, but with the weird week this week and
me being out and Tony being gone, we're going to
move him up a day. And he was able to
do that even though it was right in the middle
of the Zach Taylor press conference. I am appreciative of
(14:53):
John for that. Speaking of the Zach Taylor press conference,
with the temperature of things today and reading through some
of the talkbacks, I think it's probably best if we
don't do that today. Probably best if we don't do talkbacks.
(15:14):
I appreciate the passion, I appreciate the desire, I appreciate
and respect that it is an outlet for you to
have your voice heard, but I think we need to
be careful. That being said, I'm not gonna do talkbacks today.
I'm gonna come back and we're gonna play Zach Taylor's
(15:36):
press conference, which features an update that's not quite an
update on Joe Burrow, more information about Joe Flacco and
the plan for him and the Packers, and a whole
lot more that's next right here on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Now your chance to win a thousand dollars
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com