Friday Football Frenzy w/ Chad Brendel -- 10/10/25

Friday Football Frenzy w/ Chad Brendel -- 10/10/25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Friday Football Frenzy Show brought to you by Pellow Windows
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dot Tech, Hudson Oil Fueling Champions on and off the field,
Game Day, Men's Health, Start your best life today, and

(00:22):
by the Creation Museum It's more than a museum. Visit
Creation Museum dot Org today on ESPN fifteen thirty, the
official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
All right, here we go Sincy three to sixty? Uh tarn?
Are we allowed to take?

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Like?

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Can I get a thirty? I need a time out
before the show starts.

Speaker 4 (00:48):
I mean me and you both need to thirty?

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Why get a get a thirty in here?

Speaker 5 (00:52):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Not gonna lie. I've got my favorite meal in Cincinnati
in front of me, and uh I was devouring it.
Shout out to former Bearcat Leo Morgan and the fine
folks that Island Fridays. The food truck's back. If you

(01:13):
don't know for those that were favorites of Island Fridays
when they were in Clifton, it's a food truck in
East College Hill now and Tarin and I are having
that for lunch and it's amazing and I would rather
eat that than talk, but they pay me to talk,
so talk we will. Mister Tarren Blant. It is a

(01:33):
Friday football frenzy. We have a ton of football to
get to. Talkbacks coming up in our number two as always,
we'll also talk to Klay Snowden from Just Baseball. We
neglected the Reds yesterday and we're gonna We're gonna get
a little bit of red some red stuff here in

(01:54):
the middle of the show. But for the most part,
it's the Friday football frenzy. So we will be talking Bengals, Packers,
we will be talking the NFL. We will be talking
the Bearcats taking on the Middle Florida Institute of Hospitality
on Saturday at Nippert Stadium. We'll take a look around
college football. It is going to be wall to wall

(02:16):
football today, so I hope everybody is ready for that
and ready to go here on Sincy thirty sixty. You're not.
You have not lost track of time. It is noon normally.
Have you hear Tarren and I together three o'clock today? Noon?
Tarn is he's doing double duty. He'll be here for it.
Is it pep Rally today, Bengos pep Rally. NGOs pep

(02:38):
Rally will be coming up at three o'clock. But you've
got myself and Tarn in the booth from now until three.
The Bengals have named Joe Flacco as the starter, so
we will get to that. We will get to The
bear Cats are in a spot that is going to

(03:02):
kind of give us a glimpse into how the rest
of this thing goes. That they are playing a team
that they should beat, but they're playing a team that
is talented, a team that is not having the type
of success they hope to have. In the return season
of Scott Frost in Orlando, they have been pesky that

(03:26):
they're a team that kind of hangs around because their
defenses is pretty good, because their run game is pretty good,
they've been able to hang around. But they've got quarterback issues,
a lot of injuries in the quarterback room for Middle Florida,
and we're gonna find out about the kind of the
character of this team because they've had two big wins

(03:49):
in a row. They are in a position this weekend.
Next week, You've got this game Saturday at noon. The
next week, you go to Oklahoma State, who is the
worst team in the league, and you have a chance
to get to four and oh in the league. And
if you're a four and oh in the league, you
got five games left and you're in the hunt to

(04:13):
play in Dallas for a conference championship. I think if
I would have told anybody coming into this season that
Cincinnati was going to win at Kansas, they were going
to win at home against number fourteen Iowa State, and
then they were going to play a struggling UCF team
and a bad Oklahoma State team with a chance to

(04:35):
go four and oh, they would take it. But here's
the tough part. Now, you got to go win the games. Now,
you have to take the games that you're supposed to
win and not put us in a position where we're
sitting here on Monday. So I'm back in here Monday,
where we're sitting here Monday going what the heck happened?

(04:57):
How did they let this momentum slip away? I think
there are plenty of reasons why Cincinnati can overcome that,
and we will get to that. Well, we'll we'll take
a look around the sports world. Last night, boy, Aran,
it's been a rough couple of days here in the

(05:19):
sports radio world in Cincinnati, we have powered through you
know where I'm glad I'm not at today, Tarren. I'm
glad I'm not in Philadelphia because it is a bad
day to be a microphone in the city of Philadelphia.
Last night Eagles started four to zho lost last week. Okay,

(05:44):
bumping the road sometimes that happens. And there's been some
things about the Eagles this year, specifically why can't they
get Sakuon Barkley going, But okay, bump in the road.
You got the Giants. You should be able to handle
the one in four Giants, and instead, especially in the

(06:06):
second half, the Giants kind of hammer the Eagles thirty
four to seventeen. A guy that I loved watching last
year when he wasn't playing the Bearcats, Cam Scottibell was
a monster. Nineteen carries, ninety eight yards, three touchdowns. He's
a crazy person. I saw somebody label him today Tarn

(06:27):
as a smaller version of Gronk if he saw last
night in the post game, he hauled Coogan his undershirt
and did a postgame interview sans anything up top. And
he's a meathead and he likes smashing his head into things,

(06:51):
and last night he smashed his head into the Philadelphia Eagles.
And the Eagles are now four and two and they're
in a tough division. Boys are playing well, Commanders are good.
We'll find out if last night was a blip on
the radar for the Giants. But with Cam Scattaboo and
Scatibo and Jackson Dart, there's a little life in New York,

(07:16):
a little bit of life in New York. So that
division is looking increasingly tough and the Eagles are sliding
a little bit. Does this kind of remind you of
them two years ago? Tea, if you don't have a
face full of jerk chicken? Where they would they started
ten and zero and then just completely collapse down the

(07:39):
stretch and go from making the Super Bowl to being
a team that looked in disarray. Then they had a
rough start last year and the next thing you know,
they get hot and they run all the way to
a Super Bowl championship. Come back this year and things
are starting to get again.

Speaker 4 (08:01):
This is the roller coaster known as the Jalen Hurst Experience.

Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yeah, Like, if you listen to this network, there are
people trying to push a narrative that Jalen Hurts is
a top five, maybe top three quarterback in the NFL.
When you've watched the Eagles and paid attention when they
have had to rely on Jalen Hurts at times, it

(08:25):
has been a roller coaster. Last year, Saquon was a
monster monster two thousand yards and then so many splash
plays where you know he's just sprinting down the middle
of the field for forty fifty sixty yard games. You

(08:46):
are not seeing that out of the Eagles this year.
Their offensive lines banged up. Their entire identity is kind
of lost right now. They look like a team that
is trying to figure out who they are. And it
looked like that as they were starting four and zero.
So the Super Bowl champs on the ropes a little bit.

(09:10):
And then to make it worse last night and uh,
the baseball playoffs extra innings, eleventh inning and the Phillies
are this close to getting out of the bottom of
the eleventh, pushing it to twelve and continuing their life

(09:34):
in the playoffs as they tried to tie that best
of five game series up two to two, ground ball
to the pitcher, bobbled, fumbled, whatever you want to call
it jt real Muto is pointing to first. The pitcher
had plenty of time to recover. Lozardo instead tries to

(09:58):
force the ball home in stea that of going to first.
If he goes the first, he gets the out easy
if he makes a good throw. Obviously, he does not
make a good throw to home plate. I don't know
if he would have had the play. If he did
make a good throw to home plate, it was going
to be bang bang on a good throw. Dodgers scored
the game when he run. Philly's season comes to an end. Yikes,

(10:27):
bad day to meet a microphone in Philly.

Speaker 4 (10:30):
And then the Flyers lost too, and the Flyers lost too. Well,
that's preseason, right, No, I think I think NHL started.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
Oh wow, that's how out of the loop I've been.
That's how busy I've been. I didn't even know that
the NHL started yet. So yeah, bad day to be
a sports fan in Philadelphia. Also in MLB yesterday, the
Cubs six nothing over the Brewers. Ian happ with a

(10:57):
home run in the first. The Cubs get out big early.
They cruise home, the Brewers only with three hits. That
series is tied at two, and they resume. Game five
is Saturday, eight o'clock on TBS back in Milwaukee, so
a game five there, and we've got a Game five tonight,

(11:21):
eight o'clock on Fox. Tigers and Mariners. For my money,
this has been the best series so far in the postseason.
Two teams that are a lot of fun to watch,
two teams with some power. You've got Scooball on the
mound for the Tigers. Tonight you've got Kirby on the
mound for the Mariners. This is gonna be a fun

(11:41):
one in Seattle, So keep an eye on that one
tonight and then like I said, tomorrow, Cubs and Brewers
in the winner take all, best of five before we
head into the LCS. Which you want Tigers or Mariners
against the Blue Jays? Tearn, I mean Mariners. I think Mariners.

(12:06):
Blue Jays would be a lot of fun, a lot
of fun. I don't think it matters in the National League.

Speaker 4 (12:12):
I would say that Wisconsin could be feeling like a
Philadelphia come Monday.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Yeah they could probably not though probably huh.

Speaker 4 (12:21):
I think in one sport they might.

Speaker 2 (12:23):
In one sport they might, Yeah, I mean Saturday, maybe
Sunday there's I get that there is some hope with
the Bengals adding Joe Flacco kind of throwing their Hail Mary,
the last ditch attempt to save this season, there is

(12:46):
some there is some hope on the horizon. When you
look at the Bengals schedule. They've got the Packers this week,
which I just don't think suits well for them. I
just don't. I just don't see a path to victory here.

(13:08):
You're in green Bay. Green Bay started off looking like
a Super Bowl shoe in essentially, and since then they
lost to the Browns and tied the Cowboys. Woof right,

(13:30):
They've had an extra week. They they've already seen Joe
Flacco and guess what, the the Bengals don't get that
Brown's defense on Sunday, so you, oh yeah, Flacco knocked
out the Packers a couple of weeks ago. It's a
little bit different, a little bit different when when you've
got that Browns defense to keep you in the game.

(13:53):
This is gonna be an angry Packers team. And they
looked incredible the first two weeks against the Lions and
the Commanders, two good team teams. Green Bay dominated them.
Then they slip up and lose thirteen to ten to
the Browns. You tie the Cowboys at forty to forty.
Now you get the Bengals four to twenty five kick CBS.

(14:16):
A lot of eyes are going to be on this one.
I find a hard time locating the path to victory
for the Bengals here. Eighty point four percent in the
matchup predictor eighty point four percent chance arn that the

(14:36):
Packers win this game. But if you're the Bengals and
you can get out of this healthy and play, this
can't look like the Vikings game. This can't look like
the Broncos game. This can't look like the first three
quarters of the Lions game for three straight weeks, two

(14:57):
weeks and three quarters of the next one has been dominated.
But if you get through the Packers game home Steelers
home Jets home Bears, a three game homestand does not
happen in the NFL, you just don't see it. It's

(15:19):
not something you see. They can beat those teams. If
Joe Flacco adapts and plays well here, I think they
can beat the Steelers at home on Thursday Night football.
But you got to get through this one. And I
think the biggest thing here is you've got to show
some life, and not the life that you know the

(15:44):
end of the Lions game. Not not we're down four
touchdowns and all of a sudden we come storming back.
That's not the kind of life that this Bengals team
needs right here. I think they need to show that
they can be competitive with the Packers for the majority

(16:05):
of this game. If they come out and it looks
terrible again, and all of a sudden they're down twenty
eight to three in the middle of the second quarter,
and you've already thrown your hal Mary, You've already gone
out and got Joe Flacco to try to get you

(16:26):
through and get you back to whatever the possibility might
be that Joe Burrow can return later in the season.
I think it gets difficult to find hope. He gets
difficult to find a path to success through the back

(16:46):
end of the back half. Excuse me of this schedule.

Speaker 4 (16:51):
That'll be the thing. How quickly can Joe Flacco get
comfortable with this offense?

Speaker 2 (16:54):
Yeah, and look, Joe Flacco can sling it, tarn correct,
he can throw it, but can they keep him up right?
Are they able to come up with a schematic advantage
for Joe Flacco under center play action. Can they get
the run game? Like, I don't have a whole lot
of faith in this defense, but can the deep I

(17:17):
also don't have a you know, Jordan Love is kind
of boom or bust, right, he'll turn it over. He'll
have some games where he leaves you scratching your head,
and then he'll have some games where he's just a monster.
If you can get him off schedule and you can
get off the field more often than not, Like, that's

(17:40):
the big thing. You have to give Joe Flacco a chance.
Joe Flacco is not coming out and marching this Bengals
team up and down the field for you know, four
or five touchdowns. I don't think so. If you're gonna
win this game, or if you're gonna you're gonna stay
competitive in this game, it's probably gonna have to be
in the twenties, upper upper twenties at worst, or at best,

(18:05):
however you want to phrase that, and then you can
allow yourself to maybe hang around and scratch and claw.
But as it stands, if Green Bay gets into the thirties,
the Bengals are gonna get blown out. I feel pretty
confident in that I don't think Joe Flacco Week one,

(18:26):
you're gonna see an offense it's gonna be able to
go out there and put thirty one, thirty five points
on the board. So it's gonna come down a lot
to the things that you worry about with this team.
Can they get stops, can they get off the field
on third down? And can they run the football? All
of those things should give them the ability to make

(18:50):
things a little easier for Joe Flacco. But any of
those things go wrong and you're in a situation. This
is what can't happen, Teraran. It can't be twenty one
to three, twenty one to nothing, because then you can't
run the ball. Then you have to drop Joe Flacco
back a bunch and you subject him to a great
defensive line, and you subject him to not making it

(19:17):
to the Pittsburgh game. So this one's a tough one.
This one's a tough one, especially as you're trying to
get Joe Flacco comfortable. Boy, you'd love for it to
have been like the Jets or the Bears for that
game one, right, But instead you get one of the
more talented teams in the NFL that's looking to come

(19:38):
off a bye and prove that the last two weeks
were were not who they are and boy they're looking
at taken out on the Bengals phone lines are open
only one guest today, so let's get to it. Thirty.
This is Sincy three sixty, home of the Bengals, right

(19:59):
here on Cincinnati ESPN fifteen thirty. Now your chance to
win one thousand dollars entered this station wide keyword on
our website.

Speaker 1 (20:07):
Check that's check enter it now.

Speaker 6 (20:10):
This is Dan Horde, joined Dave Lapham and me this
afternoon at three for Bengals pep rally on the official
home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
More than a few of our patients have talked to me, shouldn't.

Speaker 7 (20:22):
This is Football in the Natti, brought to you by
a door and window company on ESPN fifteen thirty, the
official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah, I better get able, Just an instant mean mug
in the studio, Taran, Will.

Speaker 4 (20:58):
You be watching octobert from.

Speaker 2 (21:01):
I plan to Yeah, it's mis Sico gonna be there.

Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah right.

Speaker 8 (21:11):
Probably?

Speaker 9 (21:11):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (21:11):
I mean who you got cash money or no limit?

Speaker 4 (21:14):
One?

Speaker 10 (21:14):
Biased? I'm big no limit fans.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
Me too, Me too. I had a no limit phase, Tarren,
I probably about every no limited album for I don't know,
like eighteen months, like right in the heart of that,
from like ninety nine through two thousand.

Speaker 4 (21:31):
Now, I know what everybody said, or I know football show.
That's my thoughts on this, on this versus if they
stick by the rules twenty v twenty. I hear what
everybody saying about cash money. How they have a catalog
that's stupid long and stupid great. I'm not taking nothing
away from it, but twenty by twenty exactly, they got
all this music. Which twenty are they gonna choose rights?

(21:51):
That's gonna be the key.

Speaker 10 (21:52):
I'm going to limit. I'm with no limits too.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
Football Frenzy Friday, Football Frenzy, Joe Flacco talking. We will
get to that here shortly before the end of the hour.
We'll try to get you the Joe Flacco audio. I
like what he says. He's I don't have all the answers.
Keep it simple and go play football. Don't make it
too complicated. You know what simple means. Tarn, find Jamar

(22:18):
Shas and just get the ball to those two guys
like mix in a little Giseki here and there if
you need to. But take the snap, get it out wide,
let those guys go do something with it. Get it
down the field, let t go up and make a
play like That's that's what this has to be, at

(22:38):
least for right now, at least until you know, if
you can find some success and you get Flacco rolling
and this offense looks like it's going to be competent again,
just get the ball to You've got the best wide
receiver duo in the NFL. Get them the ball and
let them go do what they do with it. Jake

(23:00):
Browning couldn't do that. That's why things fell apart. There's
plenty of times those guys were open, the play design
was there. Plenty of times the play design wasn't there,
and they weren't. But I digress. But there were opportunities
for Browning to make plays that he didn't make. Joe
Flacco has to go out there and make those plays.

(23:23):
He has to go out there and be effective. Let's
get to the phones. Mark and Florence. Mark, how's it going.

Speaker 8 (23:30):
Brother, Chad Brenda and I got I got to talk
to Chad bron I was hoping it wouldn't be this
in this circumstance.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
Me too, Me too, Mark, me too, trust me.

Speaker 8 (23:43):
Yeah, I'm still I'm still trying to get over this,
but I'll be okay. But uh, it is when when
you say keep it simple for the Bengals offense, just
getting on the center and you know, throwing.

Speaker 9 (23:57):
Throwing to the tight end.

Speaker 8 (23:59):
If Jake saying Higgins is not open and is that
part of it too?

Speaker 2 (24:03):
I think it has to be with Flacco, right, you
can you can't sit Joe Flacco back there in the
shotgun and let him be just a standing duck target.

Speaker 9 (24:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (24:12):
Yeah, And I think I think with him, I was
all in on bringing him in because I think he'll
take what the defense is giving him. Yeah, and he'll
keep the change moving in the offense and stay on
the field a little longer than what they've been staying
on the field. I I think it was a mistake
when when Brownie did good a couple of years ago,

(24:34):
he was on the center when he was doing good,
and then they went to that shotgun. I don't for
some reason, I think Zach likes to He likes to
be in shotgun a lot. And you know, I don't
understand that.

Speaker 2 (24:46):
To be fair, Joe likes to be in Shotgun a lot,
so a lot of this was built around what Joe likes,
and now that Joe's gone, they they had to adjustin
I don't think they did enough of that. Mark. I
think they they spend too much time running Joe's offense
for Jake Browning, and if they try to do that
with Flaco, he'll be here a week like, Yeah, he's

(25:10):
not gonna be able to take the punishment or escape
the punishment like Burrow could.

Speaker 11 (25:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (25:16):
Yeah, So so I think bout him being a veteran,
I think he'll have a little say so like, hey,
you know, this is what fits me, and I think
we ought to run this. So I'm interested. I'm looking
forward to this game because I want to I want
to see how to operate offense operates with a different
guy in their more experience. Yeah, and how's and how's

(25:39):
that calls plays? Because to me, that's one of the
biggest problems. I think need to give up play calling duties.
But he doesn't want to do that.

Speaker 2 (25:47):
And you know the biggest problem with this game, right.

Speaker 8 (25:52):
Michael Parsons.

Speaker 2 (25:53):
Michael Parsons is on the other team. Like, that's the
biggest problem with this game, period, point blank. If they
can't block Michael Parsons, none of this matters, Mark, none
of it.

Speaker 8 (26:03):
Yeah, there's a book out on how to deal with him.
You just got to line up and run straight at it,
you know. So I mean to run the ball, run
the ball, because he's not good in the running game.

Speaker 2 (26:14):
I'm not sure the Bengals could line up and run
straight at Moler this year the way they've looked in
the running game.

Speaker 8 (26:20):
Oh okay, well, we'll see how it. Uh, we'll see
how it plays out.

Speaker 2 (26:26):
Yeah, they got to get the running game going. They
have to find a way to get the run game going.
They have to.

Speaker 8 (26:31):
Yeah, if they don't win the game, but they're.

Speaker 4 (26:34):
Competitive, I'll feel better.

Speaker 9 (26:36):
Do you think is that? Is that a good sign?

Speaker 5 (26:39):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (26:39):
Because, like I said, Steelers Jets Bears, Steelers again. Like,
you're in You're about to enter at stretch here with
some winnable games, some games that you can win with
Joe flaccoad quarterback.

Speaker 8 (26:51):
Okay, got it? So when when can I see you
have the Holy grill again?

Speaker 2 (26:54):
I'll be at the Holy Grail against Saturday next Saturday.
The eighteenth eight o'clock kickoff. Bearcats take on the Cowboys
of Oklahoma State.

Speaker 8 (27:03):
Okay, got it, Okay, I'll be there all right.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
Thanks Mark, good to hear from you.

Speaker 8 (27:08):
All right, got it?

Speaker 4 (27:09):
All right?

Speaker 2 (27:11):
One more Mike in La Mike, you're early today. It's
early out there on the West coast. You're feeling good
after the Phillies threw that away.

Speaker 11 (27:19):
I'm not sleeping too good.

Speaker 8 (27:21):
Hey, I love it.

Speaker 11 (27:22):
I love it.

Speaker 9 (27:23):
The city of phil Phiadelphia does a double gag on
the same day.

Speaker 2 (27:29):
Bad day to be a microphone in Philadelphia, Mike.

Speaker 11 (27:32):
Philadelphia, Man, I don't like a damn thing about I
hate their teams. It's a joke of a town, dirty
old city.

Speaker 2 (27:41):
Chief stakes are good. Cheese stakes are good.

Speaker 11 (27:44):
And we can get them anywhere. You can probably make
a good one at home.

Speaker 4 (27:48):
I can't.

Speaker 2 (27:48):
You know, I can't find Cooper Sharp. If I can
find Cooper Sharp around here, I feel a lot better
about my cheese steak. You need the Cooper Sharp.

Speaker 11 (27:57):
So get online and buy you some typew.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
That's the that's true. I could probably do that. I
don't think I like I'd have to buy a whole
block at Cooper Sharp. I want one cheese steak, Mike,
I don't. I don't need.

Speaker 4 (28:09):
I don't need.

Speaker 2 (28:10):
You know, I'm not. I'm not opening up a shop.

Speaker 11 (28:14):
Exactly. Hey, Karen, go downtown and get the man whatever
he needs.

Speaker 2 (28:19):
Hey, Tarn got Tarren picked up lunch today and it
was amazing. So to me and Tarren are good right now?

Speaker 11 (28:24):
Yeah, it sounded like it was real good. Hey, and
you said you were the Mariners and the Tigers were
the best series. I'm here to just give you a
hard time. The Mariners and the Tigers. And you said
yesterday you haven't even watched any of it, So how
on the hell would you know?

Speaker 2 (28:36):
I can keep I can follow it without watching it.
I can still follow along. I just haven't had time
to sit down in front of a TV.

Speaker 11 (28:44):
Yeah, that's missing the drama. But it's going to be
a West coast that's going to be a left coast
world series. My Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners. It should
be a dandy.

Speaker 2 (28:54):
Yeah, I just don't. I don't think the Cubs or
the Brewers are going to put up much resistance for
the Dodgers.

Speaker 11 (29:00):
Well, it's just the the the Brewers there, they're pitching
staff is just completely.

Speaker 2 (29:07):
Oh, if it's the Brewers, it's big trouble for Milwaukee.

Speaker 9 (29:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (29:11):
Yeah, the Cubs have a better chance than Milwaukee does
right now.

Speaker 9 (29:14):
I think.

Speaker 11 (29:15):
Yeah, I think so too against the Dodgers. I do,
because they hit that they're hitting better, and they're they're
pitching isn't great either. I uh, I got I think
green Bay that's a lot of points fourteen, but but
they may cover that with that Bengal defense. Yeah, and
running game.

Speaker 9 (29:34):
We don't have a damn running game?

Speaker 11 (29:35):
What do you call it?

Speaker 2 (29:36):
That's what I'm saying that Mike I just said, I
don't think they could run the ball against Moler.

Speaker 11 (29:43):
I missed that part. I'm sorry, that's very accurate depiction.
I don't see how they can. I mean that green
Bay defense is young and very fast, and they're going to.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
Be mad like they they feel like they let two
get away, one that they lost against the Browns they
never should have los and the tie against the Cowboys,
and they get a bye week like they're gonna be
all kinds of ticked off on Sunday before twenty five.

Speaker 11 (30:09):
Yeah, yeah, that's true. I hated the Dodgers to win
that way yesterday. But you know what, didn't Who cares?
I did a little bit?

Speaker 12 (30:15):
You did not.

Speaker 11 (30:16):
I thought I felt a little sorry for that rookie
pitcher because he he hemorrhaged a little bit there. Yeah,
you know, nobody You remember years ago that Donnie Moore
that pitched for the Angels and he blew up a
World Series, a closing game, lost the game, and he
committed suicide. You remember that Donnie Moore? That was what

(30:36):
thirty years ago?

Speaker 2 (30:37):
Probably nineties? I think, yeah, I think it was nice.

Speaker 11 (30:43):
Yeah, I mean some of these kids take this to
heart a little bit too hard. But you know what
I'm most excited about. After your interview with Wes yesterday,
I am so excited about Bearcat basketball.

Speaker 2 (30:54):
He was really good yesterday, wasn't he Yeah?

Speaker 11 (30:58):
He was, And it just and it all made sense
to me. It wasn't like pie in the sky and well,
if we get this out of that guy, and if
we get to there's a sense of confidence in his
voice that I haven't heard before.

Speaker 2 (31:11):
It feels like that. But yeah, I didn't feel like
there was much coach speak yesterday. It sounds here. Here's
here's the best way I could describe it, Mike. It
sounded like he was excited to talk about his team. Yeah,
that's that's usually a good sign. That's usually a good sign.

Speaker 11 (31:27):
And I know you don't want to talk about X,
but you think Patino will put together a good program
over there.

Speaker 2 (31:34):
If they give him time. Yeah, I think it's gonna
be rough this year. I think it's gonna be rough
this year because I think as late as he got
in and as crazy as the portal was last year,
I don't want to say they punted, but I don't
think they were overly aggressive. I think they looked at
it and said, we'll build a foundation for this year.

(31:55):
They went out and took a lot of guys that
have multiple years, two three years of college remaining. We'll
try to develop some guys, and we'll try to put
the foundation in place. But I don't think they were
overly aggressive in the portal. Some of it for reasons
beyond their control. Probably a smart decision. And I think

(32:16):
Richard can coach. I think he learned a lot from
his time at Minnesota, and you know, he developed at
a incredibly high level when he was at New Mexico.
Like the guys that they were were churning out of
there high level guys. You'll get to see one out
there in LA this year, and Donovan Dead maybe the

(32:38):
best point guard in the country this year, So I
think he'll be fine. I think it's they're going to
need a little patience though. Is I think that Big
East this year is going to be rough on them,
and I think they need to just kind of keep
their oars in the water and let him do his
thing and not turn on him as soon as things

(32:58):
get a little bumpy. I think that's important for this
year for them.

Speaker 11 (33:02):
Plus he had the greatest in house teacher with his ad. Yeah.
As far as learn or not to do the jump, yeah,
And I know you got to go and I got
to go too. But this one last question was is
how I'm excited you were about this? Uh? I forget
his name? About this new power forward? We got what
was what's your name him?

Speaker 2 (33:23):
Uh that's on the team this year, Boba Miller.

Speaker 11 (33:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Bobba Miller.

Speaker 2 (33:29):
That I'm really excited about Boba Miller. I had looked,
and I had I had a scouting friend of mine
who's been around the game forever and ever and ever.
He said, the problem so far with Boba has been
that he'll put up thirteen and five in the first
half and go you know, five of six from the field,

(33:50):
and like he'll have you salivating, and he'll finish with
fifteen and six.

Speaker 3 (33:56):
Wow.

Speaker 11 (33:57):
And he said, you said, yes, sir, you said, just
making a few.

Speaker 2 (34:00):
Make a few free throws, like get to you know,
if you if you have that first half where you
go thirteen and five and you can finish with seventeen
and eight, yeah, then you're in a really good spot.
So that he needs to continue his development. But boy,
and he's he can handle the ball, he can shoot,
he can defend, he's every bit of six eleven if

(34:21):
he's not seven feet and he and he had a
really good summer with the Spanish national team. So I
don't know that. I think Mustapha cham is going to
be their best player, the big guy. But I think
Bobbon Miller is the guy that can potentially raise the
ceiling of this team higher than anybody else on the roster.

Speaker 9 (34:43):
Wow.

Speaker 11 (34:45):
Do you is Miller a sick guy? Is he a
big sick guy?

Speaker 2 (34:48):
He's bigger than you think. He is not super thin,
like I know, when you think a lot of these
like you know, six eleven fours, that they're super thin.

Speaker 4 (34:58):
He is.

Speaker 2 (34:59):
He is bulk year than I thought he was going
to be, in a good way. I think it's functional weight,
functional strength. He's got a nice frank good deal.

Speaker 11 (35:09):
All right, Thanks Mite, Thanks for the time.

Speaker 2 (35:11):
Appreciate you. All right, let's get to a break. Terre's
probably mad at me. I'm way late. Sincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (35:19):
You've been listening to football in the Natti on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 11 (35:32):
Hey, Alexa, what's going on in baseball?

Speaker 7 (35:34):
Getting ESPN fifteen thirty from iHeartRadio.

Speaker 8 (35:39):
Up?

Speaker 4 (35:39):
Yay my fault?

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Oh no, limit Friday? Terrence, we don't know limit Friday.

Speaker 4 (35:56):
Yep, that's the first hour.

Speaker 2 (35:59):
All right, let's get back to the phones and Jeff
and Virginia, who is on his way to find Austin
Elmore in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Jeff, what's up?

Speaker 11 (36:09):
Brother?

Speaker 13 (36:11):
Happy Friday?

Speaker 9 (36:12):
Chad?

Speaker 13 (36:13):
Driving through southern Wisconsin a lot like driving from Cincinnati
to Columbus. There's a lot of cornfields around here.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
So what's your least favorite stretch of road to drive?

Speaker 4 (36:24):
Jeff?

Speaker 2 (36:24):
You drive a lot, right, I have two.

Speaker 13 (36:27):
More than I drive. Last year, the drive to Kansas
City to go to the Chiefs game once you got
past Indianapolis was.

Speaker 2 (36:35):
Bad but super boring.

Speaker 13 (36:37):
Anything around DC is just death if you got the
wrong time. Probably from my house to the outer banks
of North Carolina is my least favorite drive in the world.

Speaker 2 (36:48):
I would say my least favorite is that stretch on
I forty from like the end of Tennessee to like Ashville,
that mountain stretch where you it's just switchbacks like that.
That's awful. And then the drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh
is terrible, terrible.

Speaker 13 (37:11):
There's just not a whole lot on any of those drives.
That's your eag. I'm a training a little bit.

Speaker 14 (37:16):
Uh.

Speaker 13 (37:17):
I got the Lambeau Tour this evening.

Speaker 9 (37:19):
Uh.

Speaker 13 (37:19):
Get to go to the visitors' locker room. Uh, maybe
find a good fish try on a Friday night while
I get a spotted cow or two.

Speaker 2 (37:30):
Tomorrow's cheese curds.

Speaker 15 (37:36):
I'm not sold on that.

Speaker 13 (37:37):
I'm more interested in Broston cheese curds.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
You, so you should probably try it just to make sure.

Speaker 13 (37:44):
Yeah, tomorrow, roll up on someplace that has some good
college football. And I looked this morning, a standing room
only ticket for the Brewers game is a buck.

Speaker 12 (37:53):
Fifty, and I was like, m that's tempting.

Speaker 13 (37:56):
I haven't been to that stadium. I could knock it
off my list. But and then Sunday, you know, I
think you can the parking lots open eleven thirty, roam around,
check out all the tailgates, maybe steal a broad from somebody,
and be in my seat at three o'clock and see
what happens at three twenty five. You know, no expectations whatsoever.

Speaker 2 (38:16):
Yeah, I mean, I have an expectation, but it's not good.

Speaker 13 (38:19):
Jeff, Yeah, I just I you know, I just don't know.
I'd like we talked about the other day. I think
this game is just to get him in the groove
with the Steelers coming up, because he knows more about
the Steelers than eighty percent of the people in the
Bengals premises.

Speaker 4 (38:36):
I would agree.

Speaker 2 (38:37):
I agree.

Speaker 13 (38:39):
I agree with everything you said. Give me a reason
to stick around for the second half. Don't let it
be twenty It's like the Super Bowl kind of Yeah,
give me a reason to watch the second half. If
it's twenty eight to three at halftime, I might get
up and roam around Lambeaux and just check everything out
and see how much food I can eat?

Speaker 2 (38:55):
Who knows, walk around the neighborhood, see see what people
are doing in their in their driveways.

Speaker 13 (39:03):
Yeah, I'm really really looking forward to knocking this off
my list.

Speaker 2 (39:07):
It sounds awesome. I can't wait, you know what.

Speaker 13 (39:11):
And it's gonna be like sixty to sixty five degrees.
It's not gonna be really bad weather whatsoever. So everybody
just sit down, you know, grab a beer on Sunday
at four since time, and let's see what happens.

Speaker 2 (39:25):
Appreciate it, Jeff, have a great trip, man, enjoy, have
a great weekend. Shame all right, thanks man. And finally
we'll get to Dick and Dayton. Dick, how are you,
my brother?

Speaker 15 (39:34):
How are you, Chad?

Speaker 2 (39:36):
It's been a rough week, Dick, But I'm hanging in there.

Speaker 15 (39:39):
Yeah. Were you surprised that Flaco came to the Bengals?

Speaker 2 (39:44):
I mean, no, it fits. There are some things about
it that don't make a whole lot of sense, such
as putting an immobile, forty plus year old quarterback behind
an offensive line that's that's not very good. That doesn't
make a whole lot of sense. But but he he

(40:05):
has seen it all and he is probably if you
were talking about who can we get on Tuesday that
can start on Sunday, Joe Flacco is probably the best
bet there. They had to give up very very little
to get him. It probably made the most sense. There

(40:25):
are some things I think, yes, okay, I can get
on board with. There are some things I think, Boy,
if they can't protect him this this could be very
short lived.

Speaker 8 (40:35):
You know what.

Speaker 15 (40:36):
Worries made that the Bengal defense does not look good
this year. Jed has it.

Speaker 2 (40:41):
No, they stink, dick, They're bad, They're They're not good
at all.

Speaker 15 (40:46):
The Reds.

Speaker 2 (40:48):
We're gonna get to the Reds. I've got Klay Snoden
from Just Baseball coming up at the top of the hour.
They did, they did just enough. I need to say more.
I need to see a commitment from this franchise, and
I have a fear that I'll get to in the
next hour. I'm gonna It's something I'm going to be

(41:09):
monitoring this offseason. They got a lot of guys that
are due for arbitration, and I do not want to
see this franchise use the excuse of we spent our
money this offseason in arbitration, keeping our guys. They've got
to go get a couple of bats. They have to
go get some hitting.

Speaker 4 (41:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (41:29):
Well, listen, good to talk to you.

Speaker 2 (41:31):
Thanks, Dick, appreciate it. Talk to you soon.

Speaker 15 (41:33):
Talk to you soon.

Speaker 11 (41:34):
Bye, buddy.

Speaker 2 (41:35):
All right, just take a break, final one of the hour.
We'll be back after this. Or do you want to
keep going Arren, I'll leave this up to you. What
do you wanna do? No, okay, We'll take a break.
This is Sincy thirty sixty, a service to Skyline Chile
right here on Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (41:52):
A football frenzy show brought to you, boy Fellow, Windows
and door, making life brighter. Hella no hey Laterinhilly feeling good.
It's Skyline time on Core Technologies. Visit OnCore dot Tech,
Hudson Oil Fielding champions on and off the field, Game Day,
Men's Health, Start your best life today, and by the

(42:14):
Creation Museum. It's more than a museum. Visit Creation Museum
dot org today on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home
of US Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (42:30):
We don't get We don't get my song today at all.
It's depressing.

Speaker 4 (42:35):
Yeah, no, not on this show. It's depressing.

Speaker 2 (42:38):
All right. Fine, you want some more bad news, you
don't get international player's anthem, and you might not get
Jamar Chase. Zach Taylor talking to the media, Jamar Chase
is questionable due to illness that came on last night.
Uh oh, not great. Bob and Zach also said, Dalton Reisner,

(43:03):
we'll start at left guard. If Dylan Fairchild can't go,
confidence level is shrinking, tarn shrinking. Let's we'll get back
to that. Talkbacks are open. Remember we're coloring in the
lines with talkbacks. I know people are still upset. I'm

(43:24):
still upset. If we're gonna play talkbacks, we got to
play by the rules. Let let's let's keep it to Bengals.
Let's keep it to Bearcats, Let's keep it to Reds.
Let's keep it to the news that Jamar Chase might
not play because he is sick. Not not ideal. What
is ideal is being joined by my guy, Klay Snoden

(43:46):
from Just Baseball as the Reds enter into a very
very important offseason. Clay, you did not come up with
an illness last night, correct.

Speaker 9 (44:00):
Correct, But when you were talking about the Bengals to
lead in here. I was a little worried I would
have to talk about football, which is which is not
something you want me to do.

Speaker 2 (44:07):
No, I would never make you do that, but it
is a Friday football frenzy and the news just came
out there might not be Jamar, so I had to
preempt you, like for like sixty seconds.

Speaker 9 (44:17):
Who cares, man?

Speaker 2 (44:18):
They got Joe Flacco, Joe Flacco. I felt a lot
better about Joe Flacco if I knew Jamar Chase was
healthy and available. Is that fair?

Speaker 9 (44:31):
That's fair? It might be time to start thinking about
the draft.

Speaker 2 (44:35):
That's talking football with Klays. Note and let's get to
some baseball now, Clay. An interesting offseason for the Reds.
In large part, I think the most interesting thing that
we are going to experience this offseason with the Reds
is they've had a very young core that was very
cheap for a long time that starts to take a

(44:56):
turn this year with guys entering into those arbitration years.
Is this something to worry about when you think about
the Reds adding to this roster and making this team stronger,
or are we going to hear we had to spend
a lot of money in arbitration to keep this cord together.

Speaker 9 (45:19):
Yeah, and those who don't know, in arbitration, every year
your salary has to go up. If you're in arbitration
one this year and you're an arbitration two, even if
you had a bad year, your salary goes up. Luckily,
the Reds have enough players that are still in that
pre ar that I don't think it should be an excuse.
Even if they wanted to use it as an excuse,

(45:41):
there's not quite enough there. Some money coming off the
books like that should not be an excuse. That does.
I mean, I don't think they'll use one, but it
should not be the main excuse. However, you know, there's
some rumblings about a potential Hunter Green trade, which is
I'm literally writing the articles as we speak about it,
and that makes me uneasy.

Speaker 2 (46:03):
That would be the dumbest thing in history, one of
the dumbest things in the history of the franchise.

Speaker 16 (46:09):
I I'm not a spin zone guy, you know that.
I literally think if they did that, they would lose fans,
Like I think people. That would be the final straw
of why do I keep investing time into this when
you know it's it's this obvious that they don't have
that much interest.

Speaker 2 (46:26):
I mean, it would be one thing if if you knew,
like at some point in the next two to three years,
Hunter Green would be completely exorbitant in cost. But you
signed him to that long contract for a reason. I thought, yeah,
that would.

Speaker 9 (46:41):
Just to give you some some numbers that I just pulled.
Green's contract is so favorable. It's eight million next year,
fifteen million the year after that, twenty twenty eight, sixteen million,
with a twenty one million dollar player or excuse me,
club option in twenty twenty nine. Jameson Taion makes it
venteen million. This year, Alex Kobb made fifteen, Matthew Boyd fifteen,

(47:04):
Luis Severino made twenty three million, and Walker Bueller, coming
off injury, signed a one year, twenty one million dollar deal.

Speaker 2 (47:11):
Nick Martinez made twenty million dollars this year. Level Nick
Martinez made twenty million dollars this year.

Speaker 9 (47:17):
Exactly, exactly. You have a great contract here, and if
the idea is well, we'll fill some holes by trading him,
will you. Because Michael Confordo made what I think seventeen
this year, and Max Kepler made ten eleven million, dollars
this year. The money's just not adding up in trying

(47:39):
to trade him for younger, unproven players doesn't add up.
But the bigger issue to me is the type of
player Tito wants is not the type of impact player
that you get for trading Hunter Green. Like, he's not
going to want some home run hitter who we probably
all want. He's going to want someone who just makes contact.

(48:00):
I mean, I picture like Nico Horner for the Cubs
being like Tito's favorite player.

Speaker 2 (48:07):
Yeah, I I guess The question then becomes, what in
the world do you think they could could actually get
for a Hunter Green? Are like, are we talking prospects? Like,
what's the what's the scuttle about?

Speaker 10 (48:19):
Is it?

Speaker 2 (48:19):
Is it we're trading Hunter Green for a proven, high
level bat like I might, I might be able to
get behind that.

Speaker 9 (48:29):
And in theory there's an angle where like it's acceptable
to an extent, but that that's kind of what I'm saying,
is what type of impact back would you say? I
know Francona would want because the impact back you could
give would be a home run hitting we're unproducing. That's
not Tito's forte. He's not gonna want that he's gonna
want some contact hitter that you could get on the

(48:51):
open market for eight to twelve million dollars. And if
you're trading Hunter Green in that favorable contract for something
like that, that's just malpractice.

Speaker 2 (49:00):
Yeah, I mean I and I guess the only reason
I could I could get behind it as if you
said we're not going to be able, we don't think
we can go on to the free agent market and
get the type of bat that we want. But like
you're saying that, that doesn't necessarily mean it's automatic that

(49:20):
you're going to go into the trade market and get
the type of bat that you want. So I've already
had a rough week. You just made it worse. Clay,
He's made it worse.

Speaker 9 (49:31):
I think that angle and that strategy can still work,
but it does not have to be hundred great. Right,
you can trade Nickelodolo abbit and your abb like there's
other players with value louder contract. It would still hurt
Louder like. You can still do that angle without it
being the guy that has been kind of the face
of the franchise, the spoken voice of the clubhouse the

(49:54):
past couple of years, the guy that you drafted number two, developed,
stuck with I, improved every single year and now has a
good contract. Why would you trade that?

Speaker 2 (50:04):
Yeah, that doesn't make any sense at all. I was
gonna before you completely derailed my brain, I was gonna say,
like I've I've heard a lot of like, Okay, the
Nick Martinez money would come off the books twenty million
that but that is like, that's probably about how much

(50:26):
like Brady Singer, Gavin Lux, Tyler Stevenson, Nick Lidolo. I
imagine they're probably gonna want to keep Graham Ashcraft, TJ. Friedl,
Tony Santion, Like that's probably going to total up to
about twenty million in raises, right, Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 9 (50:44):
You're looking at some some guys who are going to
get raises, Yes, But at the same time, to me,
like you can trade those players too.

Speaker 4 (50:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (50:54):
Like TJ. Friedle, As much as I like him, I
think he's good, the team is made up of too
many TJ. Friedles, a limited ceiling, a high floor, a
good player to have. But how many times do you
say that player for the Reds is good. I'd love
them to beat in the bottom third of my lineup
on a good team like the Reds are made up
of that, how many of those guys came?

Speaker 2 (51:15):
You have a lot of six seven eight hitters, A
lot of six seven eight hitters on his team. Yes,
In looking at that list, the one name that sticks
out to me the most on the arbitration eligible list
is Spencer Steer. There is talk of south Stewart spending

(51:38):
a lot of time at first base next year. Are
you going to make Steer your full time left fielder
because they're gonna have to. It's probably gonna get in
like the five million range for Steer, you would think,
right yeah, right now.

Speaker 9 (51:53):
Spatrac, which is my favorite site for this type of stuff,
hasn't that four million projected? And what I think you
could do with Steer, what I would prefer is just
have him literally do nothing to work on defense, Like
if he can be that bench utility piece. We've seen
him play third, second, left, right, first, Like if he

(52:15):
could fill that role and just be better defensively, which
is something players can improve on in an offseason, we've
seen it. Then four million dollars is not bad at all,
Like it costs more than that to get those type
of players or around that money. You have one announced
that's you know, been solid enough and if you can

(52:37):
get steered of do that position now. If you can't,
if you can't improve defensively, he becomes the the trade
candidate to move on from. He's kind of a sneaky
twenty eight years old too.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
Right, like he was not when the youth movement happened.
He was like twenty five, twenty six, right, like ye
six und age, twenty six years old when the when
the youth movement happened. A lot of guys, you know,
he he gets lumped in, I think because everybody thinks, well,
all those guys were like twenty two. He was twenty
six at that point in time. So yeah, that's for me.

(53:10):
That's the interesting one is what is the path going
forward with Spencer stear Is it starting left fielder? I
don't think it's d h No. I don't think that
is where I would use him. So he's interesting. And
then the other I guess, Tony Santion, what do you
think they do with Pegan who's a free agent? Do

(53:31):
you think they just let that go go to Santion?

Speaker 9 (53:34):
Think? Yeah, I think he's gonna get kind of expensive.
I don't see the Red spending a lot of money
on their bullpen going from that. As much as I'd
like to have gone back, and I thought that was
a good signing at the time. I think, like you're
saying it's getting expensive elsewhere, you would hope that the bullpen,

(53:54):
you know, it's an area that you could patch up
with free agency, and you know, pop the players that
we see like Connor Phillips showed some promise kind of
out of nowhere, and Matt McLean's are eligible as well,
and that one is going to cost it says projected
two point six million. So you've got players that you

(54:17):
don't even have faith in that you're going to be
having to give a couple of million two and all
of that adds up quickly, which is I think the
point you were trying to make earlier. And when it
comes down to, it's how much do you want to
pay a little bit older reliever that you just ran
through the ringer this year throwing NonStop.

Speaker 2 (54:35):
Yeah, I mean NonStop, to the point that in the
heart of a playoff race they were having to hit
the pause button. That's how much he had been used.

Speaker 9 (54:47):
Yeah, it was really aggressive by Tito. I don't know
if I don't really know how to feel about it.
But at the end of the day, like you just
put a lot of wear and tear on that arm,
how much are you willing to get them?

Speaker 2 (55:01):
So if you're looking at let's say Stuart at first,
if they bring back Steer, let's say he's in the left,
I guess Marte is in right.

Speaker 4 (55:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (55:14):
If you're adding a bat like you're limiting, you're you're
already kind of running out of spots that you can
go get a big stick, right, yeah.

Speaker 9 (55:25):
And I think the easiest thing is letting Gavin Lux.
If you non tender him, so you don't give him
that last year of arbitration, and you let Gavin Lux walk,
you would free some money. He's projected around sure where
million dollars?

Speaker 2 (55:41):
So you got key Brian Hayes at third, which that
that looks like he's your third baseman, Stewart at first
hypothetically Steer and left Marty and right, where where do
you go find this bat? And like where do you
put him? Are you looking at a d H?

Speaker 9 (55:59):
Yeah? I would say just straight up for replacing Gavin?
What's this role of DH slash? Maybe a second base option?
And again it comes back to TJ. Friedel like, I
feel like we know what he is and that's his position.
You can upgrade. Finding a center fielder is really difficult

(56:20):
to do and they cost a lot of money and
I don't know if the Reds can do that unless
they were to trade, you know, a pretty significant piece
to acquire one. So for me, it is like the
picture you're painting here is well, they really don't have
that much in terms of opening. But when you just

(56:41):
think about it, replace Gavin Lodge to replace of today,
He's like, you'll find that bats. You always will find
that bats. So for me, it's just those moves that
they made last year. You just have to replace those
guys with more impactful and more expensive players.

Speaker 2 (57:00):
I'm not going to entertain the Hunter Green thing yet, Clay.
I'm not going to let myself go there. I'm not
because it would make me angry on a Friday, and
I don't want to be angry.

Speaker 9 (57:10):
On a Friday in that position right now?

Speaker 2 (57:13):
Hunter Green, Niclodolo, Andrew Abbott Singer and Chase Burns. Yeah,
what do you think about Burns as a closer?

Speaker 9 (57:29):
I just don't think you can do that. I mean
I like what they.

Speaker 2 (57:32):
At least at this point too early.

Speaker 9 (57:34):
In the playoffs. Too early. You spent a high draft
pick on him. He's electric, He has the stuff to
be a starter. He has the highest upside of any
of your arms outside of Hunter Green. So I and
maybe that's why they want to have this idea of
moving Green. For me, that's just way too risky, way
too early. If Chase Burns had a year or two

(57:55):
of this under his belt, I'd probably be more open
to it. But he doesn't, and he hasn't shown it
to the level that makes me comfortable with trading proven
pieces that are high in starters.

Speaker 2 (58:08):
How about the bullpen? How does the bullpen shake out
this offseason? Who are you confident with? What do they
need to get better back? There is Littel gone?

Speaker 9 (58:20):
Okay?

Speaker 2 (58:21):
Is Littel gone?

Speaker 9 (58:23):
Yeah? Okay, I think he's gone.

Speaker 16 (58:26):
You know.

Speaker 9 (58:27):
For me, there's not a ton of I have faith
in this person. I'm just not there yet. I mean,
I think Tony Santeon's a guy that I definitely want
in the bullpen. Like I'm comfortable with him, Graham Ashcraft,
I'd welcome him back. Great. They need a lefty so badly,
and in fact, they probably need to and it's the

(58:47):
idea of throwing up Sam Maul and grind Suitor and
kind of cycling in some of these four A guys
behind them. I'm just done with that. I want a
legit lefty out of the I don't have names in
front of me. That's more of a November topic. But
they definitely need some lefty competition there, and they need

(59:10):
especially if they lose Pegane, They're going to need another
higher end or excuse me, higher leverage arm. That does
not mean it has to be the most proven closer
on the market. Pegone was not that when they signed him,
but they need a guy with some experience.

Speaker 2 (59:27):
Yeah, that's like I think the bullpen was fine this year,
but it was also fine this year because you took
two guys and you kind of ran them into the ground.
And generally guys that do that, right, Like, the success
rate drops drastically for guys that had heavy, heavy workloads
the season before, doesn't it.

Speaker 9 (59:48):
Yeah, Yeah, especially when you think Pegan was coming off
of an injury the year prior to this year. And yeah,
I mean we see it across the league. September Lol
City goes down and a lot of times these players
will kind of feel the sores after the season ends
and they've had a you know a little bit of

(01:00:09):
time off, and there's always the sneaky Oh, this player
has got surgery. We never even knew about this, and
so we'll see there's not a ton coming back from injury.
I know we've all forgotten about Brandon Williamson. He's probably
more of a starter, depth starter. There's just not a
ton there. Julian at Agyar is another guy who is

(01:00:34):
more of a depth starter than a bullpen option. So
I think that they're going to have to lean into
the free agency market for bullpen arms. And that's a
risky game to play.

Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
It is because there's it's a crop shoot, like the
variance is so high on bullpen guys, the ones that
are out there that you know are going to come
in and you can have the utmost confidence that this
guy's going to give you eighty innings and you know,
a sub three era, the Reds aren't gonna pay for

(01:01:09):
those guys. So again, it feels like like we're headed
towards our starters are good. We're going to patchwork the
bullpen and hope that we get like one two guys
that really stand out and then we can we can
hold it together best as possible from there.

Speaker 9 (01:01:28):
Yeah, last thing in the bullpen, those free agents bullpen arms.
Like you said, it's a crapshirt. I think can Or Scott,
who was the highest paid who the Dodger signed, was
awful this year. Devin Williams went to the Yankees, was bad,
ended up in the seventh any Like, even guys who
are established don't always put it together year to year.

(01:01:48):
So that's why I don't worry about it too too much,
Like just bringing guys who at least have shown success
at this level and bringing enough of them that the
ones that fail can kind of be, you know, hopefully
outweighed by the success storders.

Speaker 2 (01:02:04):
Ultimately, does it come down to this, Clay, Can this
front office put together an offense that isn't going to
have so many zero won two run games? And if
they can't, things are probably capped at eighty five wins, right,
Like you can't have forty to fifty games, sixty games

(01:02:27):
where he scored two runs or fewer.

Speaker 9 (01:02:29):
Yeah, and I know we don't have time to get
into Terry Franco and his decisions, but we.

Speaker 2 (01:02:34):
Got all off season, Clay, Yeah, I don't think.

Speaker 9 (01:02:38):
He's like raising players floors either. So for me, it's
this team is playing with a couple of hands guided
behind their back in several different ways.

Speaker 2 (01:02:50):
Clay, you didn't make me feel good about this Reds
conversation today. You just started with this Hunter Green thing
and it went all downhill from there.

Speaker 9 (01:02:58):
Yeah, reality could be tough.

Speaker 2 (01:03:02):
I just wish I had more faith in this front
office to be aggressive, because I do think, I do
think there is enough of a corps that if you
put the right pieces around it, that they could be
a team that's in that eighty eight eighty nine win range,
in a good position going into the playoffs and finally

(01:03:22):
being able to take advantage of they've got the starting
pitching to be dangerous. But if you go into the
playoffs and sure, you're starting pitching could be dangerous, but
you're playing the Dodgers scoring three runs, two and a half,
three runs more often than not, like you're not gonna
win those series. And I want to believe that this

(01:03:44):
is heading in the right direction, but I just don't
have that faith at this point in time.

Speaker 9 (01:03:50):
Yeah, the front office has been kind of cowardly and
they need to make an aggressive move. I've been saying
it for two years. They need to roll the dice
even if it goes wrong.

Speaker 2 (01:04:00):
Aggressive move last year, of course, was Tito. Well, you're
not getting a new manager. That's not happening.

Speaker 9 (01:04:09):
Yeah, it's rough, man, It is rough.

Speaker 2 (01:04:12):
Well, Clay, it's gorgeous outside and it's gonna be gorgeous
all weekend. So you enjoy that. Okay, Yeah, have you
been to that cheesecake place in Louisville yet?

Speaker 9 (01:04:24):
I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Speaker 2 (01:04:26):
Oh, there's a new cheesecake place in Louisville. I've seen
it on TikTok. They have incredible, like like like ten
different flavors of cheesecakes every day.

Speaker 9 (01:04:39):
That sounds like something I need to do.

Speaker 2 (01:04:41):
I'm gonna find I'm gonna find it and text it
to you. It looks amazing. So I need somebody on
the ground, boots on the ground in Louisville that tries
this place and can give me a report so I
know whether or not it's worth it to drive down
to Louisville just to get some cheesecake.

Speaker 9 (01:04:58):
I'm your back with a full report, all.

Speaker 2 (01:05:01):
Right, Clay, Thanks man, talk to you soon.

Speaker 9 (01:05:03):
I have a good weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:05:04):
There you go, Klay Snowden, just baseball, Taren, That did
not make me feel good? What does I'm talk about?
Some makes talks about trading? Hunter Green? What are we doing?
Let's take a break, talkbacks, clean, family friendly, color, within

(01:05:27):
the lines, talkbacks coming up next on Since thirty sixty,
a service of SINC shirts right here on Cincinnati's ESPN
fifteen thirty.

Speaker 17 (01:05:37):
Now I'm on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 7 (01:05:42):
This is Football in the NATI, brought you in part
by blood Light and by Oakley Greens on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:06:03):
We're not doing a talkback theme song today.

Speaker 10 (01:06:06):
Oh we can't.

Speaker 2 (01:06:08):
Oh okay, all right, we're still doing talkbacks.

Speaker 10 (01:06:12):
All right, Yeah, we're still going talkback, but we just
couldn't do open.

Speaker 4 (01:06:18):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (01:06:19):
Cool.

Speaker 2 (01:06:20):
Well, then let's get to the talkbacks, talkbacks, talkbacks. Doing
talkbacks today with me and tearing talkbacks. Talkbacks. Okay, here
we go, talkbacks. That's my talkback song.

Speaker 4 (01:06:32):
Very good, pretty nice.

Speaker 18 (01:06:36):
Hello, Sincy three sixty. Jeff from Madge Wood, Hi, Jeff,
hey man, Joe Flacco. Well, let me think about this
Joe Flacco.

Speaker 2 (01:06:51):
Hm hm, hmmm, he's gonna run out of time, Terrance.
Let me think.

Speaker 4 (01:06:56):
About Jake Browning.

Speaker 2 (01:06:59):
Joe Flacco is the man. I think he spent some
time at the dispensary yesterday.

Speaker 9 (01:07:10):
No.

Speaker 2 (01:07:10):
I didn't say there's anything wrong with that. I just
that just kept felt like a he called from the dispensary.
Maybe the parking lotod.

Speaker 11 (01:07:22):
Hey, guys, you know what I think's cool about Flacco
is he has played.

Speaker 2 (01:07:26):
In all of the as what was that see North State?

Speaker 16 (01:07:32):
Now, Lord knows how many times.

Speaker 13 (01:07:34):
He's not going to feel any pressure stepping into those
situations because he's familiar with it and he's got that experience.

Speaker 16 (01:07:40):
He's got the big arm for the cold weather.

Speaker 13 (01:07:43):
He's not mobile, sure, but he's not going to take
unnecessary his He's not dumb.

Speaker 15 (01:07:47):
He's got popular awareness. And I think it's.

Speaker 13 (01:07:49):
Gonna be good for jamorro and t to play with
an experienced quarterback like that.

Speaker 9 (01:07:52):
It'll help them grow.

Speaker 16 (01:07:53):
Tom Burrow comes back in and it might even help
Burrow grow.

Speaker 2 (01:07:57):
Yeah, I agree with with most of that. I think
if I'm concerned about anything right now, it's the interceptions
and how those have kind of piled up of late
and he only threw one hundred and sixty passes with
the Browns, he threw six interceptions. So for me, like
the margin of error for this team to be respectable

(01:08:20):
right now is thin. I'm worried about the turnovers more
than anything you saw. When Browning turned it over, things
got disastrous real quick. That's what I'm concerned about, you know.

Speaker 19 (01:08:34):
In fact, I think bringing Flacco into this locker room
to become the facto leader is going to be a
turning point for this franchise if we keep him long enough.
I would love to have him back as a backup
quarterback for years to come, for Burrow to even grow
from his experience, and he might even help Zach rewrite
the playbook a little bit to be a little bit

(01:08:55):
more conducive for quarterback play.

Speaker 2 (01:08:58):
I don't know, but Flacco's seen it all.

Speaker 4 (01:09:01):
So let's see what happens.

Speaker 10 (01:09:02):
And I'm excited.

Speaker 2 (01:09:04):
Fair fair, they should Marcus from the groove, Marcus, what's up?

Speaker 20 (01:09:12):
Do you think there is a result? Moor a scenario
meaning like just absolute embarrassment, Dad, Zach Taylor would be
fired come Monday morning.

Speaker 2 (01:09:28):
I really don't, I really don't I think maybe that
you could make a great case for it, But what
do we know historically about about Mike Brown in this franchise.
They do not like to pay people to not work.
That's why I worry about even if this thing bottoms out,
Zach still got a year on his contract, Like, would

(01:09:52):
they even fire him then? Because they just don't like
paying people to go away and not you know, get
their money's worth out of what they are paying them.
That's them of the franchise, do I think? Look, if
the Packers win thirty eight to nothing or thirty eight
to seven or whatever, yeah, you could absolutely justify making

(01:10:15):
a move on Monday morning. But that's not the im
of the ownership. And you know, I one of the
things I try to live by is when people show
you and tell you who they are, believe them. And
the Bengals have not shown to be a franchise that

(01:10:36):
likes to pay people to go away.

Speaker 12 (01:10:43):
Wow, Chad written down mo waiter Kevin from Northern Kentucky
all classes ninety five actually graduated with both found that
out a little bit after graduation. Tony going to miss
here in your every day when these airways, Man, you're
a big part of my day. Such a blessing Bearcat
legend icon. Great dude, if you've seen him on the street,
and if you didn't know, he talked to you like

(01:11:03):
he's on you for ten fifteen years.

Speaker 4 (01:11:05):
Very approachable guy.

Speaker 12 (01:11:07):
This one really sucks and it's going to stating for
a long time.

Speaker 2 (01:11:12):
Goodn't a green more Kevin also a Northern Kentucky class
of ninety five Guy Loydan Memorial High School thirty year
reunion was last weekend. Tern Wow, thirty years thirty thirty.
I was three thirty years ago. Thanks thanks to appreciate
that make me feel good.

Speaker 5 (01:11:29):
Okay, let me get this straight.

Speaker 21 (01:11:31):
So a week ago we couldn't name ten players in
this entire Bengals roster that was any good or that
we'd like to see back for next year. Yet after
training for seventy five year old Joe Blackham, who is
the worst QBR in passer rating than Jake Brown, and
all of a sudden there's there's hope for the season again. No,
this roster is still terrible. This changes nothing, and the

(01:11:54):
people in this in this city are insane with this
hopeing this. I mean, this is crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:12:00):
I don't disagree you have not heard that from me.
I have heard it around the city. I think it's
because people want to believe, Like they want to believe
that at two to zero, Joe Burrow was going to
make magical things happen this year, and even with Burrow out,

(01:12:20):
there are things in place that they can win without him.
I don't think that's true. I do think they, you know,
like we're talking about like the Bears and the Jets.
I don't believe in the Steelers at this point, even
though they look like they might run away with the division.
I think people are holding on to the hope that

(01:12:43):
there's something there. But if you guys listen to me
for long enough, you know I have not been a
believer in this roster throughout the entire all season, and
I've always gone back to the Paul Danner Junior article
from twenty twenty, where he asked the question, how many
players on this roster are top ten at their position

(01:13:04):
in the NFL. Oburrow's out, You've got Chase and Higgins. Higgins,
you could argue, probably is not top ten, but somewhere
in that next group after Hendrickson is in the top
ten at his position group in the NFL. That's it.
That's it. There's not anybody else that you could feel

(01:13:25):
comfortable saying, is that the top ten in their position
group in the NFL. It means you've got a bad roster.
Flat out means you got a bad roster. I'm with you.
I'm not overly optimistic with Joe Flacco. I don't know
that I would have been overly optimistic with anybody they
could have added.

Speaker 22 (01:13:46):
Okay, Chaed, welcome to talkbacks.

Speaker 4 (01:13:48):
Ray from Cleeves here, Thanks here.

Speaker 22 (01:13:50):
Just curious in your opinion, assuming that Zach Taylor really
isn't the right guy to coach the Bengals, what coach
do you think would really actually take the job that's
any good meaning they know what they're going to have
to deal with with the Brown family. What coach that's
worth the assault would really be interested in the job

(01:14:11):
that's good?

Speaker 5 (01:14:12):
Do you think?

Speaker 2 (01:14:13):
I look, I get what you're saying, and it's not
that I disagree, But there's not a coach out there that,
if the money was right, would turn down the opportunity
to coach Joe Burrow. Because if you've got the quarterback,
you've got a chance. Even if you've got a questionable
ownership group. Even if you're questionable at a million other things,

(01:14:35):
if you've got the elite quarterback and this franchise has
the elite quarterback, people are going to be interested. Now
the problem would would likely be there, the money wouldn't
be right because the Brown Family's not going to go
out and pay for an elite coach. I just don't
think they will. When you're talking ten twelve plus million

(01:14:56):
dollars a year for an elite coach, think they would
do that. So the job is still attractive as long
as Joe Burrow's name is attached to it. But they
they they hinder that because I don't think they're willing
to go out and say we're going to spend ten
eleven million dollars on a head coach to come in

(01:15:17):
and give us the most chance possible to win a
Super Bowl.

Speaker 3 (01:15:25):
Hello, this is former president President Will. To quote my
friend CHUCKI. Dickens, it was the best of times, it
was the worst of times. First we got to hear
the awesome news that Tony Pike got into the UC
Football Hall of Fame. Then we got to hear Tony
excel as the football color commentator. Unfortunately, Earlier this week,

(01:15:49):
we also heard that he's been let go. I would
be remiss if I didn't say just how sad that
news made me.

Speaker 2 (01:15:58):
Agree, mister President, is there a part two?

Speaker 4 (01:16:02):
No? Okay?

Speaker 23 (01:16:04):
Yeah, And to be fair, I'm not faulting the Bangals
for doing this move. I mean, you had to do something.
But for the fans or anybody to act like this
change is anything is just pure delusion. I mean, have
you guys watched him play in Cleveland this year?

Speaker 2 (01:16:26):
Cleveland also doesn't have Jamar Chase and t Higgins. Like,
I get not buying in on Joe Flacco, but let's
not act like the situations are the same. In this situation,
Joe Flacco is going to be asked to get the
ball in the hands of those two guys and let
them do their thing. He's more than capable of doing that. Now,
if they ask him to sit back in the pocket

(01:16:47):
for three four seconds and be a statue as this
offensive line collapses around him, that's going to be a disaster.
But if used properly, he's certainly a better option than
Big Brownie.

Speaker 24 (01:17:03):
Hey, Ted, good to hear you on the radio.

Speaker 4 (01:17:05):
Thank you.

Speaker 25 (01:17:05):
I hope you're a permanent fixed your on radio.

Speaker 5 (01:17:08):
I like when you're on.

Speaker 10 (01:17:11):
I hope the.

Speaker 25 (01:17:11):
Bear Cast do well tomorrow. I have a feeling that
I have a big run day tomorrow. He run all
over that UCF defense. Definitely sad to hear about Tony,
but I guess the only thing I can think of
is stop using him as a promo.

Speaker 24 (01:17:28):
If you're you're not keeping him hired.

Speaker 2 (01:17:33):
Yeah, yeah, it's the Lord.

Speaker 26 (01:17:40):
I hope talkbacks haven't been eliminated. They have a simple
playbook for Joe Flacco. Pass the ball to T Higgins
if he's open, Pass the ball to Jamar Chase if
he's open, Pass the ball to Mike is Sicki's if
he's open.

Speaker 2 (01:17:58):
Great game plan. I agree. I would do that as well.
I'd pass it to Chase Brown if he's open.

Speaker 10 (01:18:03):
To Hey, Chad.

Speaker 25 (01:18:08):
Eyting good with trading Hunter Green. I think we're trading
high on him.

Speaker 8 (01:18:12):
I don't.

Speaker 25 (01:18:13):
He doesn't pitch a whole season. He crumbles into big games.
So if we can get some high end prospects out
of him, like a bat and another high end pitcher prospect,
I think that's a good deal. I think we got
a lot of other pitchers in the pipeline as well
to fill in his role.

Speaker 2 (01:18:33):
Look, here's the one thing I definitely would agree with
the inning stuff is concerning the last four the four
years of his you know, major league career, one twenty five,
one twelve, one fifty, and twenty twenty four and then
one oh seven this year. Guys aren't going to be

(01:18:56):
two hundred and twenty five innings like they used to be.
But man, you've got to be in that one fifty
to one seventy five range, and he's done it once
in his four year career. So if you're making an
argument to trade Hunter Green, and that argument is we're
selling high, I do think that's the precipice of that argument.

(01:19:18):
But you're also selling on a guy that the last
two years as era has been two seventy five and
two seventy six. It's hard to give up a guy
sub three. It's just hard. Finding those guys is a challenge,
and giving up on them when you have them under

(01:19:39):
reasonable team control, reasonable team contract until twenty twenty nine,
that's a hard sell, man, It's a hard sell.

Speaker 27 (01:19:50):
Hate Chad Hey tarn I, No, Hunter Green's not going anywhere.
I saw that Garbagehn line too. Here's a rule I'd
like to see change next year. If a batter gets
drilled by a pitch, you can put in a free
pinch runner that doesn't account as a roster move. Just
for that conclusion of that at bat. What do you think?

Speaker 2 (01:20:15):
I don't hate it.

Speaker 8 (01:20:16):
I like it.

Speaker 2 (01:20:17):
I don't hate it. It's not a bad idea I get.
If I get hitting the ribs, I might need five
minutes to go over to the bench, get back in
the clubhouse, and get myself back on track. I don't
hate that idea.

Speaker 14 (01:20:32):
Last one, when u QB can't make a ree? Who
you gonna call Joe Flecko? When number six keeps throwing pigs?

Speaker 2 (01:20:49):
I say, who are you.

Speaker 28 (01:20:50):
Gonna call Joe Flecko? I ain't afraid of Joe Flacot, miss.

Speaker 2 (01:21:00):
TONI that's good. That was good. I could sense pretty
quickly where that was going and it was still funny,
right Like, That's that's the key to being funny, right Tarren?
Like I knew where he was headed and he's still delivered.

Speaker 4 (01:21:14):
That was good.

Speaker 10 (01:21:16):
I left you my likee one say that one for
the last one.

Speaker 11 (01:21:18):
Just for you.

Speaker 2 (01:21:18):
I appreciate it. Let's take a break. You want to
hear from Joe Flakka when we get back to you. Sure,
all right, more after this. Since the thirty sixty right
here on Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (01:21:28):
You've been listening to Football in the Natti on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 5 (01:21:40):
This is the story.

Speaker 15 (01:21:53):
Yeah, this is another one of those.

Speaker 2 (01:22:01):
Roller right along our number two. Good show so far today,
We've got a lot to get to an hour number
three as well. Bengals and Packers, Bearcats and Knights NFL
this weekend college football, this weekend we have we still
have a lot to talk about. Phone lines will be
open for the entirety of our number three as well.

(01:22:22):
But Joe Flacco talk to the media today, Let's get
to that.

Speaker 29 (01:22:27):
A little bit chaotic, head spinning a little bit, but
just trying to come in here and have.

Speaker 24 (01:22:34):
An open mind and you know, figure out what we
got going on.

Speaker 5 (01:22:38):
So, how much would you were going to do offensive? Exactly?

Speaker 11 (01:22:41):
Wants to do offensive?

Speaker 21 (01:22:41):
Do you think you got in this week for yourself?

Speaker 24 (01:22:45):
How much of our game plan do I feel like?
Do I feel comfortable with?

Speaker 29 (01:22:49):
I think he's done a good job of kind of
being able to figure out what direction to go, and
I feel like I've done a good job. I mean,
it's it's a little bit different to call because some
of the terminology is a little bit different.

Speaker 24 (01:23:02):
I think that's the biggest issue, is.

Speaker 29 (01:23:04):
Just kind of making sure I get in and out
of the huddle the way I want to. I think
once I break the huddle, I feel pretty comfortable. It's
just a matter of getting in and out of the
huddle and you know, just continuing over the next couple
of days to make sure I can get even better
at that.

Speaker 9 (01:23:18):
On Tuesday.

Speaker 24 (01:23:20):
A crazy business. You know, you have to be ready
for anything. That's That's kind of what it was.

Speaker 29 (01:23:27):
Uh, you know, definitely didn't have this all my list
of things that were, you know, going to happen. So
but hey, that's this league and and and.

Speaker 24 (01:23:40):
I'm a player.

Speaker 4 (01:23:41):
Uh.

Speaker 24 (01:23:42):
I think most players would say the same thing.

Speaker 29 (01:23:44):
I mean, you know, I like to play football, and
if that's in Cincinnati right now, then you know, I'm
all for it.

Speaker 8 (01:23:51):
You need to play.

Speaker 9 (01:23:54):
And the rest of the weapons.

Speaker 29 (01:23:56):
Yeah, well obviously, I mean everybody you know can see
that they've done throughout their careers and the kind of
players they are. I think it's exciting for anybody to
kind of go out and see them play. So when
you're the guy who gets to throw to them, it's
just another level.

Speaker 2 (01:24:10):
Whether it's the game plan, logistics, new faces.

Speaker 9 (01:24:12):
What's the biggest challenge this week?

Speaker 29 (01:24:16):
Well, the biggest challenge is probably still just the Green
Bay Packers, you know, and the team that they have.
They're a confident team that plays good football, and you know,
I think all the other stuff, you know, you can
use as an excuse, but we still have to go
play a football game on Sunday and they're the ones
that stand in front of us that.

Speaker 28 (01:24:37):
You played them only a couple of weeks ago when
they wanted to get one more game on tape.

Speaker 29 (01:24:40):
Since then, yeah, yeah, I mean there's probably a little
bit of a it's probably a little bit helpful the
fact that you've been able to watch them on film
and and kind of see what they do and then
actually go out and play against them and you know,
kind of see how physical they are and and and
all that stuff.

Speaker 24 (01:24:58):
I still think, just like any other any other.

Speaker 29 (01:25:00):
Football game, though, it's it's about kind of focusing on
ourselves and what we can do best.

Speaker 30 (01:25:05):
I've said I've been around a long time like you have,
like to use the expression I know all the answers,
So I know most of the answers. How does that
help you coming into a situation like this when you
see so many things but have to process the comparial.

Speaker 29 (01:25:21):
I think in this kind of environment, and in this
situation particularly, I think, honestly, I can get in trouble
kind of thinking I know everything. I think the best
way for me to do is is just keep simple,
keep it simple, you know. I think a lot of
the times when you're when you've played a lot of ball,
and when you've been around a lot of ball, you know,

(01:25:41):
you can you can get to the point where you
overcomplicate things and you're just you're just making things harder
on yourself. So, honestly, I think my experience in this,
in this regard is is going to help me in
the sense that I don't have all the answers. Just
keep it simple, go play football, and and you know,
and and and I think that's the best way to

(01:26:03):
kind of make sure that we play consistently, stay ahead
of the chain, and do all those things.

Speaker 15 (01:26:08):
What was the car ride down like with Zach kind
of on that phone call.

Speaker 24 (01:26:13):
It was good.

Speaker 29 (01:26:14):
I mean I was tired, you know, I would have
drove down myself, but they were nice enough to kind
of take us down with me, and Zack got on
the phone with me a little bit, just kind of
going over some of the basic things that they had
kind of have kind of had in for for this week,
and then honestly I kind of like crashed a little bit,
like with my wife next to me, and just got

(01:26:35):
a little bit of rest. You know, we just got
back from London, and like waking up is easy, but
like at eight o'clock, I was like hitting the wall.
So it was nice to be able to just kind
of get a little bit of rest on the drive.

Speaker 24 (01:26:47):
After talking to him for.

Speaker 30 (01:26:48):
A little while, did you and your wife have a
moment where you looked at each other like, what does
this actually happen?

Speaker 29 (01:26:53):
I think the last couple of weeks we've we've had
those moments.

Speaker 4 (01:26:56):
You know.

Speaker 29 (01:27:00):
A lot of the times when you're going through things
as a player, you just adapt, you go with it.

Speaker 24 (01:27:06):
I think that's it.

Speaker 29 (01:27:07):
I think with everything in life, when things happen to you,
you just like, all right, how do we get how
do we go forward, what's the next step? And you don't,
it doesn't really hit you too hard. But the people
that care about you, they almost wear it on their sleeve,
all these different emotions more than you do. And I
think that's how it's been over the last couple of weeks.
So honestly, like when this ended up happening, I think

(01:27:29):
there was a little bit of excitement from her And yeah,
we sure we looked at each other and we're like,
you know, what the hell, but you could see I
think it was ultimately excitement on you know what the
future holds.

Speaker 20 (01:27:41):
Joe.

Speaker 24 (01:27:41):
It's very very early in the season still week six.

Speaker 17 (01:27:44):
Do you feel like you're stepping in a situation where
you can be a guy that can help this team
stay in a playoff picture?

Speaker 24 (01:27:50):
In that playoff conversation.

Speaker 4 (01:27:51):
I sure hope.

Speaker 29 (01:27:52):
So that's what I played for, is to win football
games and help everybody be at their best. And you know,
I hope if I can come in here and give
these guys my best and you know, elevate us as
much as I as I possibly can, and you know,
see if we can win a few football games before.

Speaker 5 (01:28:08):
You just trade it.

Speaker 25 (01:28:10):
It's another to find out, right away that you're starting
five days from that.

Speaker 2 (01:28:13):
But what's that like, what it's the first thing that
pops in your head?

Speaker 29 (01:28:16):
Yeah, you honestly just had. Like I said, it goes
back to just I think my personality probably ends up
helping me here, but you just kind of have to
go with it and embrace whatever it is and meet
it head on. And then also, like when you when
you're in these situations, it's a good reminder of the

(01:28:40):
fact that we get to play a game for a living,
and you know, try not It makes it almost a
little bit easier to not make it bigger than it
actually is.

Speaker 6 (01:28:50):
So eighteen years in Super Bowl MVP, plenty of money
in the bank, young family, Why are you still doing
this at forty?

Speaker 29 (01:29:00):
It's always a c I get that question so much,
especially before this season.

Speaker 24 (01:29:05):
But I just feel like I have.

Speaker 29 (01:29:09):
Like a lot to offer to a football team. I
feel like I've put in a lot of work my
whole life to get to this point in just terms
of playing in the NFL in general. And I have
a I hopefully will have a long life when I'm done.
But you only get a chance to play in the
NFL once, and I feel like I've worked really hard,

(01:29:31):
like I said, to be a guy that gets to
play in the NFL, and I don't want to take
that for granted. I still feel like I can play
the game at a high level, and I want to
be able to look at myself in the mirror when
I'm fifty years old and be able to say that,
you know, I gave it everything I had.

Speaker 6 (01:29:48):
So I spoke to somebody that I spoke to, somebody
that's dealt with you offer over the years. He said,
it was his impression you love the game more than ever.

Speaker 9 (01:29:58):
Is that.

Speaker 24 (01:29:58):
I think there's things that I don't know.

Speaker 29 (01:30:01):
I don't know if it's true or not, because it's
you know, I honestly never really think about it as
like a love for the game and this and that,
like it's it's part of who I am. And I
think as you grow up and become more mature and
you have certain things happen in your life, there are

(01:30:22):
certain things about doing this and getting to show up
and into that locker room every day, you know, with
a group of guys, a group of young guys. As
you grow up, you just learn how to not take
it for granted as much and realize that like, how
cool the situation you're in.

Speaker 4 (01:30:37):
So's all right.

Speaker 2 (01:30:41):
There you go, Joe Flacco, first time meeting with the
press as a Cincinnati Bengal. Let's take a break. Our
number three coming up right after this since the thirty
sixty on Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 17 (01:30:56):
So you see, k wise, Cincinnati, make us the number
one prec at a football frenzy show.

Speaker 1 (01:31:01):
Brought to you by Pellow Windows and Door Making life brighter,
Hella now Hey later, Skyline Shilly feeling good. It's Skyline time.
Encore Technologies visit OnCore dot Tech, Hudson Oil fueling champions
on and off the field, Game, Dame Men's Health, Start
your best life today. And by the Creation Museum, it's

(01:31:24):
more than a museum. Visit Creation Museum dot org today
on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:31:44):
There we go, There we go, our number three. See
what that does? Tea that automatically parks me up, automatically
puts me in a better mood. Let's keep this train rolling,

(01:32:10):
no guess for our number three. We are clean. Our
number three brought to you by Penn Station. We'll continue
some of the Bengals talk. We'll get into you you see,
and you see f on Saturday Tomorrow should be a

(01:32:30):
picture perfect day, picture tarn. Are they gonna be cold
the nights of gold. It has been a little chilly
in the mornings, like by noon it should probably be fine, correct,
But when they wake up at like six am, it's

(01:32:52):
gonna be like forty eight degrees. They'll get to nippered.

Speaker 5 (01:32:59):
At no.

Speaker 2 (01:33:00):
Nine thirty, ten o'clock in the morning, it's gonna be chili.
It was chili taking the dogs out today at ten
Those guys, don't they They freak out at the first
thought of cold weather.

Speaker 4 (01:33:16):
Tearance, Oh, trust me, I know.

Speaker 2 (01:33:19):
I think it was South Florida. I don't know, probably
eight ten years ago. They came here for a game
and it was literally like fifty two degrees and they
had the jet heaters on the sidelines and the bubble coats,
like freezing cold. I remember this. When I was in

(01:33:42):
La people would come up. We lived by the beach,
so you got that like beach air, right which at
night pretty chilly. People from Inland would come over and
they'd be over at like, you know, seven o'clock at night,
and it would be again like fifty two to fifty
three degrees. They're in coats like like sock wool hats,

(01:34:03):
like like y'all are acting like like it's December in Cincinnati.
This feels great, Like we live for this type of weather.
I'm interested to see because I've seen a couple of
those Florida teams come in here and as soon as
there's a chill in the air, they want no part
of it. Now Again, by noon, it's gonna be fine.

(01:34:24):
It'll be in the sixties. The high is going to
be like seventy two. If you're a if you're a
UC fan, if you're a football fan, Knippert Stadium is
gonna be incredible on Saturday, incredible. Jamar Chase has an
illness and is questionable for Sunday. It has to be

(01:34:51):
just allergies, right, I can't imagine it's allergies, Teran. They're listening,
They're they're moving him from perfectly fine to questionable for
like a stuff he knows. I'm thinking, like flu, some
kind of bug, something that's you know, hangs around for
a couple of days.

Speaker 4 (01:35:11):
What was he doing?

Speaker 2 (01:35:13):
Maybe you got food poisoning. I don't know. Are we
gonna what can we do? Are we gonna put on
our tenfoil hats do some conspiracy theories? Here's my I guess,
here's my question, tarn. If you don't have Jamar Chase,

(01:35:36):
do you just sit Joe Flacco this week and throw
Jake Browning back out there?

Speaker 11 (01:35:41):
No?

Speaker 4 (01:35:41):
No, no, no, why not?

Speaker 2 (01:35:45):
If you don't have Jamar Chase, you cannot You can't
beat the Green Bay Packers. You can't.

Speaker 4 (01:35:56):
Saying TI Higgins can't T Higgins just as T Higgins.

Speaker 2 (01:36:00):
No, I don't think so. With Joe Flacco that he's
been working with for three days, four days, No, I don't.
I don't think. I think it's too easy for a
defense that if you don't have both of them. We
have seen this before, even with Joe Burrow. When one
of them's out, the defense just rolls coverage to the
other and it makes it incredibly hard to get the

(01:36:22):
ball to the other. Like, we don't know what the
situation with Jamar is. All we know is Zach Taylor
said he's got an illness. He's questionable. You know, we'll
see where it goes from there. I don't know. I
would I would seriously think about it. Joe Flacco has

(01:36:43):
only been here a couple of days. He definitely doesn't
have a great crack grasp of the playbook. If you
don't have Jamar, you can't win that game. I'd sit him.
It's sit him, Brian and for Thomas. Brian did so.
I'm good. You're feeling okay. You didn't come down with
anything last night. We're good.

Speaker 15 (01:37:05):
Oh, I'm good.

Speaker 8 (01:37:06):
I was back.

Speaker 15 (01:37:08):
I didn't really, I'm old. I'd go out and do
kind of like you.

Speaker 2 (01:37:13):
Oh, I don't go anywhere. I couldn't tell you the
last time I've been to a bar at the Holy Grail.
I go to the Holy Grail for watch parties. I
don't drink at the Holy Grail. So, yeah, I'm like you,
I just leave me at home. I'm grumpy.

Speaker 15 (01:37:28):
Yeah, I just drink it. I drink at home like
a like an adult, like.

Speaker 2 (01:37:32):
A normal human. Yeah.

Speaker 15 (01:37:35):
Yeah, So I'm calling about the Bangles. I've heard one
of the talkbacks that said pretty much they have no
hope and like, what are we doing? And I couldn't
agree more. I'm sorry, But Joe Flacco, he can't block
or he can't run the ball. He can't rush the passer.

(01:37:58):
So I mean, I don't care if Jamar Chase is
healthy or not. They have no chance. I would if
I was a gambling man, I would be a lot
of money that they did not cover in Green Bay.
There's no way. They've been horrific. And you know the
reason Jake Browning is much worse is a team is
much worse than it was two years ago. I just

(01:38:21):
I think as a Bengals fan, I'm just looking for them. Honestly,
I want them to do horrible because I want this
magine gone. I think Zach has lost his he's lost it,
and I just don't think the team has I don't
think the team's well coached. I don't think it's well managed.
I don't think it's well designed. I don't have any
hopless fans other than hopefully we can get this regime

(01:38:43):
out and get someone in here that can do a
better job.

Speaker 2 (01:38:47):
I mean, I get where you're coming from. I can't say,
unfortunately that I dis agree with you. Like I know
Zach Taylor, I like Zach Taylor. Zach Taylor was was
very useful and helpful to me when he was the
quarterback coach at Cincinnati. But remember Brian. This is also
a coach. That coach that ran UC's offense was pretty

(01:39:11):
much given cart blanche to UC's offense by Tommy Tumberville.
Tom My Tubberville was more of a defensive coach. He
let Zach Taylor run the offense. They went thirteen quarters
without a touchdown. I was joking on Monday with Moe
and Tony. They were talking about the Bengals had gone
before those late touchdowns last week, they had gone nineteen

(01:39:34):
drives without a touchdown. At nineteen drives, that's it. I
watched thirteen quarters four plus games that the Cincinnati offense
did not score a touchdown when Zach Taylor was calling place.

Speaker 15 (01:39:51):
I like Zach of the person, seems like a great guy.
I'm just no doubt.

Speaker 2 (01:39:55):
About can't confirm.

Speaker 15 (01:39:58):
But this isn't about being a great guy. It's about
the team not being disciplined. I mean, they can't line
up and what was that defensive play? Why would a
defensive end hey, uh, guarded the port of the top
five tight in the league. What are we doing? That
is asking And that's how it comes back to coaching.

(01:40:21):
I don't I don't get it like this. It's hopeless
like any Cincinnati fan that thinks that we have hope
for this season, they're smoking something that I probably need.

Speaker 2 (01:40:35):
Here's the thing. I think Zach's a good head coach,
but I think his humorous I think his ego for
not being willing to give up the reigns of the
offense is going to be ultimately be his downfall. I
think the things that are required to be a good
head coach, I think he's good at a lot of

(01:40:57):
those things. Up until where we're at right now, guys
have always played hard for him, They've always had his back.
Effort has never really been an issue. Talent might have
been an issue, but effort was never really an issue.
There have been times over the past three weeks where
it almost felt like they quit. They just said that

(01:41:17):
will get them next week. And and that's a bad
sign for a guy whose strength has been keeping the
locker room together. Yeah, but he's never been a good
offensive play caller. He's never been a good offensive play caller.
And he thinks he is.

Speaker 15 (01:41:34):
No, he's not. I mean, well, what's the one play
where if the if Titan comes across goings going the right,
they always run the power every single time? And it's
like it's been made fun of on TikTok, Like if
they if this offense does this, this is the play
they always run, and they always run it. I mean,
so it's given me a break, Like we're we're not

(01:41:58):
trying to put our guys in the situation to do better,
like to be highly successful. Like like you can't, like
we don't have an offensive line that you can just
line up and take. We're gonna run the brow like
some teams can do that for sure, and they it
doesn't matter if you know it's coming or not. They're not.
But those are teams that are have their offensive line

(01:42:19):
they can do that.

Speaker 2 (01:42:20):
Well, Brian. They built they built an offensive line of
pass blockers, right, Like that's that's the strength of almost
everybody on that offensive line is pass blocking to try
to keep Joe Burrow upright. That hasn't worked either. But
you're not gonna be a great run the football power
offense if all of the linemen you have are their

(01:42:43):
specialties are pass blocking, you're not going to be a
good run blocking team.

Speaker 15 (01:42:48):
It's it's mad, And why wouldn't we have a more
balanced team that does run the ball, you know, consistently
not put everything on their shoulders. Where we can get
Jogger to have a good game. We can is hey,
we can run the ball, you know, or at least
like the defenses don't even have to play the run.
They can play light boxes all the time and not

(01:43:09):
worry about it. It's just steel too, bracket.

Speaker 2 (01:43:12):
You know, they stop light boxes, yeap.

Speaker 15 (01:43:17):
White boxes. Still, I mean, they can't run the ball.

Speaker 2 (01:43:20):
Again, there can be five guys in the box and
they still can't really run the ball.

Speaker 15 (01:43:26):
And it's just like, I don't understand the construction of
the team. Like that's what I'm like, Why would he
construct the team? Look at how Super Bowl teams are built,
the dynasties, and they're built on a strong defense, a
strong offensive line, a great quarterback.

Speaker 4 (01:43:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:43:41):
I mean, I said for a while, I don't have
a personal vendetta against Duke Tobin, but I don't think
Duke Tobin is good at his job.

Speaker 11 (01:43:50):
No.

Speaker 15 (01:43:51):
I mean, I think I think the cook and the
chef really need to move off.

Speaker 2 (01:43:55):
Yeah, Unfortunately, I don't think the Brown family is gonna
do it.

Speaker 15 (01:44:00):
I got one positive thing for you, though, I got
a baby bearcat up at CCM right now. The freshman. Yeah,
I know what disciplined as well he is. He is
in film production.

Speaker 2 (01:44:13):
Nice.

Speaker 15 (01:44:14):
Yeah, I'm very very proud of him. But yeah, it's
it's really hard to be a Cincinnati a fan right now,
and like it's supposed to be escaped, but it's not.
It's like it's like worse in real life, which that's
not what it is supposed to be.

Speaker 2 (01:44:29):
Brand I got four names. I got four names for you, okay, sure,
Brendan Soresby, Joe Royer, Dante Corleone, Jake Goldey, go go,
go go. Put your effort and energy into the team
that's trying to be good.

Speaker 15 (01:44:50):
Yeah, no, I I agree since that I'm I'm there.
I'm I'm just I'm just sad.

Speaker 2 (01:44:59):
I know, I get it. I could always Have you
ever heard my philosophy on the Bengals since about twenty sixteen, No,
I haven't. I used to watch the Bengals as a drama, okay.
And what that means is like, you know when you
watch a drama on TV, when the episode ends, you're

(01:45:20):
like waiting for the next episode, right, like it doesn't
even have to be a cliffhanger. You're like, man, I
can't this is the old days, like when we had
to watch TV like normal people, like once a week,
I had to wait for Tuesday to watch your favorite
episode or your favorite show or whatever. Dramas like they
build week to week to week all the way to
the season finale, and then you get the off season

(01:45:41):
and then you wait for the next season and like
you're caught up. You're bought in with every episode. I
watch the Bengals now as a comedy. And what I
mean by that is like when you watch a comedy,
when it's over, you don't really think about that comedy
again until you see it next week. You just laugh,

(01:46:01):
something bad happens, you laugh, the show ends, and you go,
all right, I'm gonna go about my day. That's why
I watch the Bengals now, because they're not worth the
stress of watching a drama.

Speaker 8 (01:46:11):
Well.

Speaker 15 (01:46:12):
The thing is that really is like I know, like
this opportunity to have that dude behind under center, Yeah,
chance to wear a Super Bowl This is this is
our window to have a parade. Be drunk for a week.
I mean, just just thorn it like, I.

Speaker 2 (01:46:28):
Mean, just the responsibly drunk for a week. Yes, yes,
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

Speaker 15 (01:46:37):
The city would just party and it would be there's
a Stuart moment for the entire trict the area. And
then now if Joe leaves or we don't wear title,
I don't think I can be a fan like. I
really don't think I could ever like actually have emotional
investment in this. And it stinks because I'm I'm a
lifelong just not Evan, and this is our chance and then.

Speaker 11 (01:47:00):
We just screwed up.

Speaker 4 (01:47:01):
Yup.

Speaker 2 (01:47:02):
All right, man, I gotta get out of here. But uh,
I appreciate the call, and uh I hope you have
a good Saturday. I hope you have a good Saturday,
because I'm afraid Sunday is not gonna be a lot
of fun, a great Saturday, all right, Brian, thanks man,
Just take a break. Phone lines are open. Give me
a call five one, three, seven thirty. More after this
on Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 17 (01:47:24):
Now your chance to win at Balansti is back on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:47:37):
It's just a Bengals theme song for Sunday.

Speaker 11 (01:47:39):
Tarrn.

Speaker 2 (01:47:41):
Yes, it ain't all good. That's the truth. It's all
on Duke Wow. I just went there. It's all on Duke.

(01:48:05):
What the Bengals see. I can make a whole parody
out of this. Darn Oh my goodness, she might. I
can't sing like Shaka though, All on DUDEO oh man,

(01:48:26):
I'm having too much fun. All right, let's take it.
We'll spend most of the last half hour talking about
the Bearcats and a little bit of college football. Let's
run through the NFL slate. Real quick. Eagles dominated by
the Giants last night, especially in the second half, fourteen
unanswered after halftime, thirty four to seventeen. Giants win. Giants

(01:48:48):
two and four, Eagles four and two. We got a
London game Denver and the Jets nine the NFL network. Woof.

Speaker 10 (01:49:04):
I'm done with I'm done with international games.

Speaker 2 (01:49:06):
You don't like nine thirty on Sunday morning having a game.

Speaker 4 (01:49:09):
Well, I didn't. I didn't did my two weeks in
the road.

Speaker 10 (01:49:12):
I said to play overseas is you're out.

Speaker 2 (01:49:14):
You're out.

Speaker 4 (01:49:15):
I'm good for in national games for the year. I'm
all right.

Speaker 2 (01:49:18):
Arizona at Indy one o'clock.

Speaker 5 (01:49:20):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:49:21):
Our guy, Alec Pierce, back for the Colts, has had
a concussion for a couple of weeks. But uh, but
he is back this week. I think Indy. I think
Indie rolls there easily. Uh, the Chargers and the Dolphins
in Miami, it's not it's always tough for those West
Coast teams to come east and play at one o'clock.

(01:49:43):
But Dolphins, but Miami's bad and the Chargers look pretty good.
Like Chargers might be right there near the top of
the AFC.

Speaker 4 (01:49:51):
Well, not like Space all last week, I know.

Speaker 2 (01:49:54):
But just in gen like the Chiefs. The Chiefs are struggling,
the the the Ravens are struggling. Buffalo doesn't look invincible.
Like the Chargers look as good as anybody they kill.

Speaker 4 (01:50:05):
Miami, I think so coming off with a bad loss
last year.

Speaker 2 (01:50:10):
Yeah, it's not a great week man. There's not a
lot of intriguing games. New England and New Orleans. The
Saints are booty. Uh so give me give me the
Pats there, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Cleveland doesn't have Joe Flacco anymore.

Speaker 4 (01:50:27):
Welcome today, Seaton with Dylan Gabriel. This is your introduction. Yeah,
I think he struggles big time.

Speaker 2 (01:50:33):
Dallas and Carolina. The Cowboys look pretty good despite.

Speaker 4 (01:50:36):
Real dad over revenge game.

Speaker 2 (01:50:38):
Maybe maybe who you got?

Speaker 10 (01:50:41):
I got the cowboys want cowboys though.

Speaker 2 (01:50:43):
Seattle and Jacksonville. Jacksonville looked awful and still managed to
be Kansas City not awful, but they didn't look great
and still managed to beat Kansas City. I think they
take care of Seattle at home.

Speaker 4 (01:50:55):
Oh Jacksonville apolicy. I've written them off after that bad
loss when they lost here? What did Jake Brown? It's
Trevor Lawrence, like four and one. I know, I know.

Speaker 2 (01:51:05):
I don't think he's any good though.

Speaker 4 (01:51:08):
Did you say that he's four and one?

Speaker 2 (01:51:10):
I know? Did you watch him play?

Speaker 4 (01:51:11):
I did, but that play was amazing. Get on the ground,
spin twice sounded.

Speaker 2 (01:51:17):
It was like a line dance. Everybody spin.

Speaker 4 (01:51:22):
I get Sam Darnolds, get a win here.

Speaker 2 (01:51:25):
We've got the Rams at Baltimore, Lamore, no, Lamar. Baltimore
can fall to one and five. Be the end of
Baltimore this year. I got the Rams, Yeah, no, Lamar, Yeah, easily.
The Rams Tennessee in Vegas.

Speaker 10 (01:51:40):
Uh, the dumpster fire.

Speaker 2 (01:51:43):
Go Tray Tucker. Let's get some trade Tucker touchdowns.

Speaker 10 (01:51:46):
Not with Gino Smith on him, I know.

Speaker 2 (01:51:48):
But give me some trade Tucker touchdowns. San Francisco at
Tampa Bay. That's at least an interesting one, but I
like Tampa Bay. There there what a three and a
half point favorite, Baker MVP, he might be Josh Allen's
not playing great, Lamar's hurt. My homes is is out?
Burrow or is is? Yeah, Burrow is out. I'll take

(01:52:10):
Baker MVP. The Jeeves here. Sunday Night could could end
up in another situation where uh oh at two and
five or two and four, excuse me, uh they get
the Lions in Kansas City. Give me Detroit. Detroit is
better to favorite. I'm not sure because I guess because

(01:52:33):
it's an arrowhead. That's the only thing I can come
up with.

Speaker 4 (01:52:38):
Vegas knows something, Vegas knows I'm not. I'm going with Lions,
but I'm not touching this game, okay.

Speaker 2 (01:52:44):
And then a pair of Monday night games Buffalo and Atlanta.
Buffalo four and a half point favorite here, I think
they cover easy, easily, even on the road. And then
Chicago at Washington. Washington a four and a half point favorite.
That seems low like. I think both of these Monday
night games got a chance to be snoozers, don't.

Speaker 4 (01:53:05):
You be it? Ugly. Yeah, I'm still not believing in
Kayla Williams.

Speaker 2 (01:53:08):
Sorry, yeah. And Jade Daniels, Yes, believer, believer and he
has Juju Watkins on his arm.

Speaker 4 (01:53:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:53:17):
All right, let's take a break. We'll talk some Bearcats
when we come back. Like I said, phone line still
open five one, three, seven, four nine, fifteen thirty if
you want to talk bearcats, if you got any questions
about tomorrow, We'll be back right after this. This is
since he three to sixty, a service of Penn Station.

Speaker 6 (01:53:32):
This is Dan Horror joined Dave Lapham and me this
afternoon at three for Bengals pep rally on the official
home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:53:48):
I'm trying to trick me. What are we doing?

Speaker 31 (01:53:53):
I got cut off guard on multitasking here wrong, bumper start,
It's over? You want you want to try it again?
You want three? Let's try this same three two one? No,
already yet? Okay?

Speaker 4 (01:54:15):
Perfect?

Speaker 2 (01:54:15):
There we there we, there we go. Not that I
don't like the Eagles, like I like the Eagles, It's
just not the aesthetic of this show. Dance Party Friday
is the aesthetic of this show. Come from angles UH

(01:54:46):
final injury report before Sunday is out.

Speaker 20 (01:54:51):
UH.

Speaker 2 (01:54:52):
As we have talked about Jamar Chase now listed as
questionable with an illness, Dylan Fairchild questionable, he was limited
in practice today. Matt Lee did not practice today. Backup center,
he is questionable.

Speaker 4 (01:55:07):
UH.

Speaker 2 (01:55:08):
Lucas Patrick went full today, still listed as questionable, but
UH generally he's had He's had two full days in
a row, so things look good for Lucas Patrick to
UH to be back and active. And Shamar Stewart has
been limited all week with an ankle. He is listed

(01:55:29):
as doubtful. Boy A notine hundred percent. Jamar Chase in
this situation, oh boy.

Speaker 4 (01:55:43):
Boy, I think he'll be all right.

Speaker 10 (01:55:46):
I'll think he plays, he.

Speaker 2 (01:55:48):
Might play, but but I can't think. I can't think
he's going to be one hundred percent. So a four
hour both hopefully, hopefully it's just a little a little
stomach bug something that they can pump him with fluids
and get them ready to go, because I don't think

(01:56:12):
it's gonna be great with Jamar Chase without Jamar Chase,
but I hope. We got a lot of bearcuts to
talk about on Monday. This Monday Show Monday show might
be a rough one tarn.

Speaker 4 (01:56:29):
Yeah, well, at least you got to bearcase.

Speaker 2 (01:56:31):
That's what I'm saying. I hope we got a lot
of good stuff to talk about about the Bearcats, because
this is a big one for Scott's Ciderfield. It's sneaky,
a really big game for Scott's adderfield. Because if you're
gonna be good in these power conferences, you have got
to win the games you're supposed to win. SINCNTI a
double digit favorite at home over a Central Florida team

(01:56:54):
that has a lot of injury concerns and just overall
talent concerns. At court, They've got an okay defense. They
get after the quarterback pretty well, but they're soft against
the run and teams can put up points on them
if if you don't, if your game plan is you're

(01:57:17):
just gonna sit in the pocket and try to throw
it all day, you're gonna have a tough time with
this UCF defense. But if you're willing to run it
at them, use some play action, use some things to
slow down. They're for really athletic, long talented defensive linemen.
You can give them a lot of trouble defensively, I

(01:57:40):
don't want to see Brendan Sorosby just hanging back in
the pocket patting the football because I don't think you're
gonna have a lot of opportunities to really go over
the top against this pass rush. So I think you
want to get it out quick, you want to run it,

(01:58:00):
you want Tywee Walker and Evan Pryor, you want to
lean on this offensive line, and you want to take
advantage of the weaknesses that UCF allows you to take
advantage of. And then it's funny because they are and
this has been kind of their mo for a little
while now. On offense, they can be super explosive in

(01:58:23):
the run game, super explosive in the run game, but
down by down, they're not like it's two yards, one yard,
three yards, two yards and then they hit a big play.
They're just looking for that crease to get down the field.
And Miles Montgomery, who was here for a couple of years,

(01:58:45):
somebody that I loved. I was really really high on
the potential of Miles Montgomery. But I think you wanted
to get a little closer to home, And honestly, the
situation has worked out for him, and it's worked out
for someati. I think if Miles Montgomery stays last year,
Cincinnati probably doesn't get Evan Pryor. And I think they're

(01:59:07):
really happy with what they're getting from Evan Pryor. So
if you can limit the big play stuff for Miles Montgomery,
if you can, if you can make sure he doesn't
get anything over fifteen yards throughout the day, then you're
gonna put a serious damper on the Central Florida offense.

(01:59:28):
And I think ideally, ideally you come out and you
put them in a position where they got to throw,
you get up twenty one, three, twenty four to seven,
something like that, or you're putting pressure on their offense
where they can't just keep handing it off, handing it off,
handing it off and hoping to hit the home run.

(01:59:50):
Because they're essentially they're like a baseball they're a three
outcome baseball team, strikeout, walk, home run, little little bit.
So control that run game early, get them off the field,
couple three and outs, don't let them win field position,

(02:00:12):
and then you attack that defense that wants to be aggressive.
You get a nice lead early, maybe middle of the
second quarter, you're up by by seventeen, by twenty one
something along those lines, and then Central Florida's gotta throw,
and if they got to throw, they're in trouble. I

(02:00:33):
think the other big thing that is completely different about
this team this year that was a major problem last
year in the year before, is that this unit is
now excellent on special teams. In the k Ford ratings,
Cincinnati is fourteenth in the country on special teams. The

(02:00:54):
punt game is good. They haven't missed a field goal
or an extra point. They've had a couple nice kickoff returns.
Their kickoff return coverage has been good. I think they've
only had two or three punts even attempted to be
returned on them all year. Max Fletcher is having a
great year as a punter, averaging just under forty eight

(02:01:18):
yards a kick with virtually no returns. That dog will hunt.
That Iowa State game, one of the biggest plays in
that game was Fletcher. Max Fletcher pinning Iowa State on
the one foot line gave Cincinnati great momentum there. So

(02:01:39):
the hiring of Luke Pascal after spring football has turned
out to be a big one. But ultimately, as long
as they don't come out sleepwalking, as long as they
don't come out flat and sloppy. I think this should

(02:01:59):
should be a game that Cincinnati takes care of. But
we've seen this is not a new thing when you're
dealing with college kids. We have seen too many teams
get wins like Cincinnati did against Kansas and Iowa State
teams that are trying to be on the come up,

(02:02:20):
that are trying to go from you know, the struggling
portion of the rebuilding for phase into the competitive portion
of the rebuilding phase. And they get to this point
and things kind of go off the tracks a little
bit because they're not mentally in that place where you

(02:02:45):
snap and clear. On those two big wins, You've got
the nation kind of paying attention. People are talking about Cincinnati.
Now you've got to go win these next two games,
starting tomorrow with Central Florida, because if you look at
the back half of the schedule, I mean you're talking

(02:03:07):
Baylor and Utah and BYU and TCU along with Arizona
are their last five games. Those are all gonna be
tough games, Those are all gonna be close games. Those
are all gonna be games that generally are decided in
the final seven to ten minutes of the game. So

(02:03:32):
with that being said, you got to go win these two.
You can't have a slip up, either at home Saturday
or next weekend still water to play Oklahoma State, You've
got to be fundamentally sound. You've got to take care
of the football. You've got to stop UCF from doing
the things that they do well. And if you can

(02:03:53):
do that, you get this win, you get the next win.
Now you're four to zero in the conference, you're six
and one overall, you're one play from being undefeated, your
Bowl eligible, and you can go into this final stretch
of five games just swinging away, trying to make it

(02:04:13):
to Dallas, trying to play for a conference championship. Start
Saturday at noon, Tomorrow at noon. This team has to
come out and look inspired, has to come out and
look aggressive, like they're going to take again, just like

(02:04:34):
you saw against Iowa State. That's not saying I expect
them to score on the first five possessions as easy
as they scored on the first five possessions last week.
But man, you get points on three out of four
and you keep that UCF offense in check. I like
where the chips may fall, Like where the chips may

(02:04:56):
fall just have to avoid the complacency that comes from
a team that has not experienced a lot of winning
together as a group. Getting those two wins, getting some
recognition and some notoriety this week, that all goes away
if you lose it home to Central Florida. We will

(02:05:19):
find out what time, what kind of hutspah this Cincinnati
team has.

Speaker 4 (02:05:28):
Shortly?

Speaker 2 (02:05:30):
All right, final break of the day coming up after
this Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Until you.

Speaker 17 (02:05:36):
See it's time for since E three sixty Quick hits
on ESPN fifteen thirty. Since E three sixty continues on
ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (02:05:50):
All right, closing this bad boy out today. A man
gotta love the fun of radio. You never know what's
gonna happen next. But uh, let's get to some college
football team. It's a pretty big weekend in college football.
A couple interesting games. Number one Ohio State against at

(02:06:11):
number seventeen Illinois. This is at noon. Ohio State hasn't
been tested yet. They are a fourteen and a half
point favorite in this one. They look like one of
the two or three best teams in the country without question.
Can Illinois make this a game Tearn.

Speaker 4 (02:06:29):
No, I'm not. I'm not a big believe for Brett
Bilma and Illinois. I think Ohio State rules Alabama. At
number fourteen Missouri. Alabama has has stormed back into.

Speaker 2 (02:06:45):
Relevance here. Yes, correct, I'm interested, though they have had
problems in this type of situation of late, Like last year,
we kept thinking, right, we kept thinking, man, Bama's, Bama's
getting back on track, and then they'd fall on their face. Yes,
am I crazy to think that Missouri might take this game.

Speaker 10 (02:07:06):
I think it'll be close, but I do think them.

Speaker 4 (02:07:09):
Can pull it out.

Speaker 2 (02:07:10):
I think they can pull it out.

Speaker 4 (02:07:12):
I just I don't know if they're gonna well. I
think they will pull it out, Okay, Okay, but it'll
it'll be close.

Speaker 2 (02:07:18):
Uh, probably the game of the day. Number seven Indiana
at number three Oregon for my money, I'm sorry if well,
we keep saying that about Indiana in these situations and
they they they they don't die. They're like a cockroach.
I think Oregon, Miami, and Ohio State are clearly the
three best teams in the country. I think this is close.

(02:07:40):
Oregon's is seven and a half point favorite. I'm tempted
here to take the points. I think Oregon wins. I
think Indiana finds a way to make it pesky all
the way to the end.

Speaker 4 (02:07:52):
They're pesky. What's what's the line for a seven and
a half? Ye see, I see, I see Organ like
getting kicking a field goal. They're making a team.

Speaker 2 (02:08:03):
Okay, but you think you you think it's gonna be
close through the game. Yes, okay, Red River Rivalry Oklahoma.

Speaker 4 (02:08:13):
Texas is the youth quarterback back.

Speaker 2 (02:08:15):
We'll find out Saturday, three point thirty ABC. They're trying
to get him back in time.

Speaker 10 (02:08:23):
I'm going to owe you either way.

Speaker 2 (02:08:25):
Texas is just Arch doesn't look right. No, Arch doesn't
look right. All right, I'll take the Sooners too. That's
gonna wrap it up. Thanks everybody for tuning in. Bengals
pep Rally next Sincy three sixty, ESPN fifteen thirty. Hey

(02:08:51):
it's my legger. You've hurt me.

Speaker 8 (02:08:52):
Talk