January 2, 2025 • 39 mins
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic and The Growler Podcast joined us to discuss the Cincinnati Bengals, their playoff chances, Joe Burrow's latest comments on Tee Higgins' future, Zac Taylor game management, Cade York, and a bunch more.
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Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Season is on the line. Cool after last week's overtime,
We're not over. It's all Joe Burrow and his big
bed Bengos face one more jumpy.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
This is a match, Cool season. Pittsburgh Steeler Joe Barrow,
Jamar Change and che Peg and the Orange and Black
down the Black and Gold and keep their playoff dreams alive.
Crazy to get the call from Dangerous Dan Hoard and
Mighty Dave. Coverage began Saturday.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
At four on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of
the Lagos.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
That's us.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Good afternoon on all Eger. It's six minutes having three.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Thank you so much for listening.
Hope your twenty twenty five is off to an awesome start.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Happy New Year.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
It's our first show of twenty twenty five. It is
our last show at the football season here at Buffalo
Wild Wings.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
We are at the Kenwood location today.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
So if you're thinking to yourself, I want to watch
the Sugar Bowl Notre Dame versus Georgia, which kicks off
in just over an hour, actually just under an hour.
But I don't want to miss anything that Moe says,
and I want to hear it all live. Well, you
could do both here. You could watch the game. You
can get an ice cold bud Light. We've got five
dollars bud Light talls. You can get some wings and
(01:16):
take advantage of the six for nineteen ninety nine menu,
which is two entrees, two sides, two fountain drinks for
less than twenty bucks. And you can listen to the
show and you might win some awesome bud Light swag,
including the Holy Grail of Coolers, the Holy Grail of
Bengal giveaways, the Bengals bud Light cooler. We have one
more to give away. We're gonna give it away today.
(01:39):
We are here Toll six so you can watch the game,
you could have dinner, you could enjoy happy hour, you
could win something, and you could be here for our show.
What else could you ask for? And between now and
four o'clock, Paul Danner Junior's here.
Speaker 6 (01:52):
You know what else you can add to that list?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Now? You can also rewatch the first Bengals Steelers game,
which is awesome. So apparently being aired looks like NFL
Network maybe reshowing that game, no man, So if you
want to take that in again and relimits and set
yourself up for this weekend.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
Why are they showing that. I mean, I know why
they're showing it. Showing it because the two teams play
on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Night they do. Why Why because it was a great
day for Russell Wilson in company.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
It was the last good day for Russell Wilson in company.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Right, They've got to be happy to be seeing this
Bengals defense show up even though they're playing better. They are, Yes,
they're playing better. Yeah, a lot of inuts. I am
optimistic about Saturday. Sunday different deal.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
But I am optimistic about Saturday, which we're gonna get
to in uh in just a little bit.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Paul Danner Junior covers.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
The Bengals for at the Athletic dot Com has a podcast,
the Growler Podcast. The schedule's kind of been all over
the place. Yeah, it'll be nice to get back to normal.
Speaker 6 (02:49):
I don't even know what normal is anymore.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
I mean, we're on the fifth primetime road game of
the season, which is universe like not even close the
most despised time slot from a personal chur Sure, it's
just awful and we're gonna have to like drive back
through a snowstorm on Sunday morning, apparently on top of
the fifth primetime road game of the season. I haven't
(03:13):
known what day or year now it is for a
long time, so I yeah, I don't even know what
normal is, but I'm I'm happy if anybody wants to
point me in that they're actually well, the normal.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
For I think for you guys and for fans has
been over the last couple of weeks. Calculating these Bengals odds,
which now is quite simple. I'm not even sure why
we're bothering with DVOA, why we're bothering with percentages.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
It's a three team parlay.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Yeah, it's Bengals winning as moneyline favorites on the road.
It's Kansas City winning as substantial underdogs outright, and it's
the Jets winning as dogs outright, which I checked last
night with thefanduel dot com. The odds are plus eighteen hundred.
Those are the odds. Hey, that's that's the number. So
that's the number if.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
You believe this is gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
And we have a young lady here who before the
show to me it's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
You wage for one hundred dollars. You're gonna win eighteen hundreds? Yeah,
pretty good.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Look as someone who's maybe made some bad decisions that
lend me to having a plus eighteen hundred in front
of him and felt confident before, let me tell you
it's it's not great. It's not great. However, uh, you know,
it's not impossible, and they'll take that right now.
Speaker 6 (04:22):
I'm really curious. At some point, at some.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Point in Kansas City, Andy Reid had to have sat
down and looked around the table coaches and was like,
we really don't want to burrow the playoffs do like
we all we do is beat Denver right right, over
and over and over again. So why don't we just
like play the practice squad QB guy right and run
our preseason play calls, yeah and call it a day.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
So I listened to you and Jay talk about this
yes on the podcast, and the Chiefs have a track
record in the Andy Reid era of playing a meaningless
last game of the season, sometime with the number one
seed locked up, sometimes with a lower seed locked up,
and in those scenarios they don't play their starters. They
have won some of those games. Yeah, they typically do
(05:10):
play hard. Now the flip side of that is if
the Bengals do go to the postseason, they go to Buffalo.
The Bills have been the Kansas City kryptonite this season,
They've played them very competitively in the playoffs in the past.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
And so is.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Isn't there a part of your if you're Andy Reid, where.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
You go, you know what, The Bengals could go to
Buffalo and then they scrape them off the.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Plate for us, yeah, or really wear them out and
take them, take them to the wire or whatever, as
opposed to maybe you think it'd be easier against them.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
It's probably some combination that to me.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
To me, it's this. To me, this is the decision
that you worry about. Carson Wentz is playing well, Let's
say okay, and he's put three nice quarters together and
the game is close. Do they pull him for the
practice squad quarterback guy and say that's we've seen enough.
Speaker 6 (05:57):
We're just here getting work right, didn't playseason.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Game, We'll playing like and we're gonna we're gonna let
this guy, he's been here, We're gonna let him get
some reps in. And And is that the decision? That's
what I'm curious about, Like that's to me the difference
between otherwise, you play, Carson Wentz, you play to win
the game, and everybody's out there trying to win the game.
But if they make a decision like that, and they
have earned the right to make that decision, and the
Bengals have earned their right to have to live as
(06:22):
victims have said.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Yeah, look, I am not gonna blame Andy Reid for
whatever he does. He has earned that right. The Bengals
have put themselves at the mercy of a team that
has the playoffs locked up.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
That's the Bengals fault.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
Andy Reid's job is to coach his team with what
is in the best interests of the team and the organization,
serve with the pleasure of the people that he works for,
and coach the players who play for him.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
So I have no problem with whatever he does. That said,
if that scenario, if that.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Specific scenario unfolds, it's seventeen all end of three, Wentz
is playing well and Andy Reid goes, yeah, you know
what I saw what.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
I needed to see.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
Yeah, all right, next, I am I'm not gonna like
it because it's gonna negatively impact the Bengals.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
But as a lover of chaos. Yeah, here for it,
Here for it.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
And then that guy comes in and tears it up too?
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah? Why not? Yeah? No, I mean and that said,
then you look at the Jets and you're like, I mean,
they've been competitive, but god, they were so bad last week.
They look like they're already on one. They're on two
in the one two three can coon situation? Ye, And
it's just like, is this really? But you never know.
Crazy things happen in week eighteen. You never know what's
(07:32):
gonna happen, and you can always hang on to that.
Speaker 5 (07:34):
Have we done the work into whether Carson Wentz or
not has a favorite charitable cause? Aaron Rodgers, I don't
really want to know what his favorite charitable cause is.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
I think the Darkness Retreats for kids.
Speaker 6 (07:49):
I do not know.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
But have we have we done the work?
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Because you know, you remember Andy Dalton against the Ravens
a couple of years ago, s toorches them with Tyler Boyd.
It sends the bill to the playoffs, and uh so,
Buffalo fans donated a bunch of money to Andy Dalton's foundation,
seizing that momentum. A few weeks later, Blake Bortle's and
the Jags beat the Steelers in a playoff game, and
(08:13):
I got people to raise I think we donated like
six hundred and twenty bucks to the Blake Bortles Foundation.
I still get their mailers because of this. So this
has kind of become a thing. So if Carson Wentz
delivers a victory for the Chiefs and helps the Bengals,
and then Aaron Rodgers does what he does and delivers
a Jets victory over the Dolphins, are we prepared to
(08:35):
donate money to the charitable causes most near and dear
to the hearts of those two qbs?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Yeah? Can you can you just send some of it
to Sauce Gardner's favorite?
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
I mean that probably?
Speaker 5 (08:46):
OK?
Speaker 6 (08:46):
Fine, Yeah, or just or just donate it to since
he rains.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I guess that'd be fine too, Sauce, and say that
and staid, of course, I think you got to figure
out what Carson Wentz's charity is right now that we're
gonna do this, Karen, I think this is a good,
good movie. Go find that. Uh, and and so we'll
have that right so you can just have it ready
for people if they need it.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
All right, Very good which of the you asked this
the Jay, Yeah, which of the three prongs concerns you
the most?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I you know, the obviously the FanDuel number would would
tell you, or what that The Kansas City game should
be the most concerning. I think they'll play hard. I
I do think that Kansas City will play hard there
and that.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
The players who play, I think we'll show a representative effort.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yeah, and so I think I don't think that's totally
I still I think you're probably most concerned about that.
And then I think you're I'm still concerned about the
Bengals in Pittsburgh. I mean, I just when you consider
what we we know, how tough that can be. They
still have things to play for. What the what Russell
(09:55):
Wilson and company did to this defense last time they played.
I don't think there's there's no certainly know slam dunk
involved in that one either. They're all pretty close. But
you're right, Kansas City is probably the one that you're most.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
Well because I think the Broncos are okay, I think
the Broncos are better than Miami. Yeah, I don't think
the Dolphins are very good. I mean, obviously issues at quarterback. Themselves.
And so even if the Jets lay down the way
they did against Buffalo, Buffalo is really good. I don't
think Miami can seize and take advantage. Look, the Browns
didn't want to win that game last week, and it
was competitive going in to the middle parts of the
(10:27):
fourth quarter.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Yeah, I mean, you're still You're still got you know,
a Jets team that has been right there. Outside of
the last week, they've really been right there with most
of the teams they've been playing. They just found ways
to lose. Whatever. It's still I keep us saying this
all year, but it's still Aaron Rodgers, isn't it. I
don't know if it is anymore. Yeah, whatever's going on there,
but I mean, it still is Aaron Rodgers versus a
(10:50):
backup quarterback. And so is it possible. It's absolutely possible
that you could that you could see that happen. It's
just gonna be a matter of candid you know, can
the Chiefs backups muster enough to make it happen.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Carson Wentz heads the AO one Foundation. Okay, Now, the
AO one Foundation's website doesn't seem to be operating at
the moment, so maybe that's what we have to raise
money to do.
Speaker 6 (11:19):
Is that's where you start. You're going to hire a website,
got that money?
Speaker 4 (11:23):
But that's that's that's what it is.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
According to Wikipedia, it started in two thousand and seventeen
and it was active as of twenty twenty one. Activities
for underprivileged youth, service dog support, hunting an outdoor opportunities
for the physically disabled, and veterans.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Sounds a great cost to me.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
It sounds like an awesome cause.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
I will start if anybody can donate their time to
getting their up their website.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Offre Yeah, I just I need to see I need
to see the website work before I can tell you
whether or not the foundation is still active.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
But if it is, that's certainly.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
That's a good place. Again.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
Yeah, and then we'll google Aaron Rodgers and find out
what he's up to off the field.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
I don't know, you want to do that?
Speaker 5 (12:05):
Have you tried to watch his documentary? Now it is
seventeen minutes. Oh the website is working? Oh yeah, there
it is?
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Oh kid, use a little update.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
Yeah, let's see when. Their most recent tweet was February
of twenty four, so the last year. Okay, sure, sure,
maybe why not.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
It's got a chance, all right.
Speaker 5 (12:29):
So the Carson Wentz does have something that he cares
about off the field that we could help.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
We could boost if he and the chiefs.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I'll get in contact with Kansas City pr and make
sure that that that's okay, okay place to send the money,
or we could again, we could just you could just
send it to their facilities.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Just send it to me.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
Eighteen minutes after three o'clock where at Buffalo Wild Wings
in Kenwood. Paul Danner Junior is here from the athletic
till four.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
We are here until.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
Six on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
With us.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Where you're a Buffalo.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Wild Wings and Kenwood. I'm here till six o'clock, so
come on out and join us. We're giving away the
Bengals cooler thanks to bud Light, which I used over
New Year's It is awesome. Also some other Bengals goodies
as well, including the Nike Golf Bengals hoodie thanks to
our friends at bud Like so you got a game
on Sunday or Saturday night Bengals and Steelers a lot
(13:23):
riding on it. Meanwhile, the noise continues to build as
it relates to Joe Burrow wanting t Higgins back. Yeah,
in twenty twenty five and beyond, and so you wrote
about this. I mean to me, this was the shot
across the bow. This was it right. You don't quote.
You don't want to make a living out of letting
great players leave the building. I think that's why you've
(13:44):
got to do everything you can to get those deals
done early.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
It is like, that's not a guy just expressing his need.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
That's a guy saying, well, you've done this and you
screwed this up, so don't do it again.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
Yeah, I'm here for it.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
The reason that these guys are so hard to sign
right now because these deals were not already done, you know,
and the fact that you're talking a couple of years now,
you've been dealing with this T Higgins situation. You got
to the goal line last year and couldn't get it
over the top with Jamar before the season started, you know,
which is just still it was in the moment, it
(14:19):
was immediately afterwards. It's still and now even more so,
just unbelievable that that didn't get done when you consider
how do you get that close at that moment and
still kick the can down the road. And so yeah,
I think that was a there's no other way to
look at it other than that was a direct shot saying, Hey,
this is how, this is why we're in this spot
(14:42):
and taking it public. I think that's to me. I
don't think any surprise is here that Joe would feel
this way or be willing to voice those opinions so
the front office can hear them. The fact that it's
gone public like that, that he's saying it in this
way and wielding his power in that way is the
(15:07):
surprising element of this. And he has had every opportunity
to either walk it back or lessen the impact of
it or give a yeah, but I know I said this,
but no and no. It has been a double down
every time, and now it's turned it into this thing
where the you know, a very complicated situation with t Higgins,
(15:29):
who is gonna be free to make it to free
agency unless they tag him again and do some sort
of tag trade or whatever happens there. I mean, but
more than like there he is, with free agency right
in front him, He's gonna be very rich and a
complicated situation is kind of coming down to Burrow versus
front office. Yes, and it's like with a clear winner
(15:51):
right in front of us, and you can see who
won and who lost and where that iron will be directed.
And Joe has calculated that out nicely. Yeah, to try
to apply the pressure. And I don't blame him. And
I've flipped on this multiple times. I'm willing to admit this.
We've probably you could probably go back and find me
(16:11):
on both sides of this multiple times. Over the well,
you give something a chance to play out over the
course of two three years, things change often, and they've
changed dramatically right now, you know what I mean. I
feel like because Burrow has been so loud about this,
because you have had a bunch of other players who
you thought you might be able to pay or what
(16:33):
or have extensions for down the line, who you don't
have anybody really to pay that's coming up in the
near future. You have a guy that handled this situation
at the absolute A one A level you could ask
a person to handle a situation like t Higgins did.
Proved himself to be the type of person that they
quite frankly need more of in that building, not just
(16:55):
from a quality player, but from a handling your business
the right way. You have had a pick.
Speaker 6 (17:02):
That didn't work out in Jermaine Burton.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
You have had free agents that you went in there
and said, all right, let's keep let's get that free
agent hand moving, and you've had multiple failures there. The
Sheldon Rankins lesson of didn't quite know what it was
gonna be until he got in the building, and it
just didn't quite make all very clear reminders that you
should hold on to a good thing when you have
(17:28):
it and you know what it is. This organization used
to be about that. I thought one hundred percent and
that was what they dedicated themselves to, and this is
a situation with chance where they can prove that again.
But I think I've come back on that side of
where are you going to get better value that you
can more know, know that you can depend on out
(17:50):
of your twenty five million dollars or whatever. If everybody
can find a way to make this work through restructures
or whatever, where can you better find value you can
depend on what that money that won't be a missing
free agency. This year's Sheldon Rankings, this year's Geno Stone,
this year's Jermaine Burton. Trying to fill it through the
draft than you can with just paying te Higgins and
(18:11):
rolling those three dudes out there and saying this is
our team, Come and get us.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
That's where I am.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
And you wrote about this in the aftermath of Saturday Night,
which was storybook in so many ways, but also is
this it? This is the last time I get to
watch T Higgins in person in a Bengals uniform, And
you wrote about things that I think are hard to
quantify with metrics and with dollars. Yeah, And that's and
(18:37):
we've both made this point separately. T Higgins is a
rookie in twenty twenty and I'm sure thinking, like, dude,
I'm about to be the man. And then they acquire
Jamar Chase and he instantly becomes the man, and t
Higgins doesn't gripe, at least publicly. He goes through this
two year saga are they going to sign him? Will
they tag him? And the things we thought were gonna
happen didn't. Oh, he's he's not gonna sign the ten
(19:00):
until August when he has to signs it. In June
shows up the day one of camp practices. You guys
talk with him and he's like, I'm good I'm making
twenty two mil. I'm fine, like, I'm gonna do my thing.
My day will come. Like could not have handled this better.
And I think because of that. I tweeted this after
the game on Saturday night. I can't think of many
(19:20):
players Bengals players who are more beloved.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
And I think it's the player. It's a very good player,
and it's.
Speaker 5 (19:28):
Big moments that he's had, but I think it's how
he's handled the business part of this in a way
that appeals to people, appeals to me. And you mentioned
the kind of person they reed like, I could look
at the numbers and go, T Higgins is a good player.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Boy.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
It's nice to have good players, But that's the kind
of person you want. That's the kind of person you
want to build around. I think there's value there that
can't necessarily be measured by metrics, by analytics, or even
by assigning a specific dollar amount.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
To it, and by the need for What do we
do and the season starts going wrong, and it's week
three or four and things seem off, what do we say?
Speaker 6 (20:05):
What's your identity?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Who are you is? What do you what's your vision?
Speaker 6 (20:09):
What's your identity? There's your identity.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Your identity is being the best passing offense in football
because you have Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase and t Higgins
and that's who you are. And if you have those
three guys this year maybe a proof more than anything.
If you only have those three guys, Yeah, you're a
five hundred ball club, right and you can be that
now you need you can go into the rest of
it after that.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
To me, there's nothing wrong with saying it, And the.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Problem was that there were other ways you felt like
you could more appropriately use that money before. And the
defense is its own issue. But like, there's nothing wrong
with saying in this league where passing the ball wins
and you've proven what do you know what this is
and can be to just say, you know what, We're
just gonna invest in these guys and say that this
is our team and find a way to make the
(20:57):
rest of it work out. It's not that you can't this.
This has always been to me, the misunderstood element is
people have thought that they don't want to or they're
too cheap to. It has been a philosophical thing not
to they have the money, obviously you can do it.
It's just a matter of how do you best build
a team that can win, building more of a balanced
defense around him and putting more money on that side,
(21:19):
or do you just dedicate picks over there and different
ways to do it. You always could do it this way.
The Eagles are doing it that way, the Dolphins are
doing it that way. Teams can do it that way.
It's more understood to do it that way now than ever,
where the receivers are all making so much money because
their value has never been higher. You can do it.
And I think this the lesson of this season might
(21:41):
be that before it didn't seem right to do it,
and now it kind of does.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
I asked you the Wednesday after the Dallas game, which
is when Joe really changed the conversation permanently with his
comments about tea after that dramatic victory, I asked you
to put a percentage on it, and you said fifty
five percent.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Then he comes back, yeah, now sure it's higher, because
you know you haven't Because that after that, there was
then there was the opportunity to be like, well, you know,
if you're clearly something, it's that I still you know,
I think higher. Uh, seventy two and a half how's
that say? How does that sound?
Speaker 6 (22:18):
I'm not going to go fully to the three quarters
Camilla there.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
But it's higher. I think it's on the rise. The
thing is, though, you know, you you you, there's still
it's not like you're hearing anything definitive anywhere outside of
Burrows Plan, Yeah, you know or whatever. You know. He
seems to think he's pretty confident. When he sounds that confident,
I tend to believe him right, And I do think
it matters. I do think his voice has resonated. I
(22:42):
think something underdiscussed part of this is perhaps how much
Saturday Night resonated in the owner's box. I mean, moments
turn things for this ownership group often, and and that
was a moment for the fan base, the type of
moment that they want to create to keep the fan
base the way they are in a year that has
(23:04):
had them turn against them in so many ways and
a lot of people questioning their fandom to this team
and this ownership group. And I think this has become
the issue that's clearly at play between them and their
fans right now of are you dedicated to keeping this
thing that makes everyone feel so good, that makes this
stadium feel and look like that. Are you dedicated to
keeping that together? And can you find a way to
(23:25):
make that work? And I think there's there's a bit
of that that that can land, whether it's on the
lap of Mike Brown or that filters down to Troy
and Katie or whoever, or Duke or whatever it is.
I feel like that can have an impact too, of
turning the tide of saying, you know what, let's really
figure out a way to do this.
Speaker 5 (23:44):
When the season was hanging in the balance, Joe Burrow
threw the ball to t Higgins.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Yeah, so there you go.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Mechanically, it's the way.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
It's the CounterPunch that no one ever has an answer for,
is you can you can give all all the clouds
and doubles to Jamar and say, anybody but Jamar, you
can do that. You can try to blitz, and you
can do all kinds of things. You can try to
force and force your hand in certain things. You can
never account for the fact that they can. Then just
(24:14):
do that to t Higgins for an entire game, and
he'll catch everything, and he'll make every play, and he'll
be dynamic, short, long, run, all the right routes, do
everything correctly and be big in big spots. Man. It's
just when you have that, when you have something that
the hole league can't counter, it's hard to just let
(24:35):
that walk away and say it's for the better men
of the team.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
All Right, we talked about t Higgins. Now we have
to talk about Kid York when we come back. Or
a Buffalo Wild Wings Gedwood on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Bridge begins Saturday at four on ESPN fifteen thirty, The
official home of the BENGALSPS.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
Headlines, or a service Excuse me, The Kelsey Chevrolet Home
of lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their
family to yours for life, Kelsey chev dot Com. Joe Burrow,
Jamar Chase, and Trey Hendrickson have been voted to the
AFC team in the Pro Bowl Games. Yeah, Chase Brown
third alternate, Orlando Brown fourth alter.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
How many alternates do they have for the Pro Bowl Games?
Speaker 3 (25:18):
I choose not to care about the Pro Bowl.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
Kendall Milton comes off the practice squad. He's a running back.
Chase Brown's not gonna.
Speaker 6 (25:23):
Play right, I think, no, I think there's a chance.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
I think it's gonna be one of those go out
there before the game and see how what you can do,
See how it feels, see what he's capable of doing.
I mean it's how explosive do you feel like you
can be on on a high ankle spring and whatever
he says, they'll go from there.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
How many care is Khalil Herbert going to get if
Chase can't go. You're gonna say they like Khalil Herbert.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
No, I'm not not, because I don't think they like
Khalil Herbert.
Speaker 6 (25:52):
I think they're gonna throw the ball.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
I think.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
I mean that's where their matchup.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
So Rand that speed option for him, that was kind
of cool.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
I was pretty that. I love it. I mean that
was one of Joe Burrow's special plays that he just
pulled out of thin air, almost like he does when
he gets hit by eighteen guys behind the line and
still makes a touchdown happen. He just like was like, hey,
we could run the speed option. We worked on that once, Yeah,
and did No. I think I think eight to ten carries.
(26:19):
I think they're gonna throw the ball. I mean that
the Pittsburgh defensive line is their strength. They're having all
kinds of problems in their secondary right now, and you
have mismatches everywhere, you should be able to drop back.
Speaker 6 (26:31):
And throw it a bunch and take advantage.
Speaker 5 (26:33):
Of the final quarterfinal game of the college football Playoff
is the Sugar Bowl, which kicks off in just about
thirty minutes, Notre Dame taking on Georgia College basketball, The
West Miller Show tonight at eight that is on seven
hundred WLW from the original. Montgomery in Indiana takes on
Rutgers tonight, and hockey the Blue Jackets skate against Detroit.
(26:54):
How gonna feel if Kaid york is trotting out there
on Saturday night with the season hanging in the balance,
and he's gonna make a kick to tie the game.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
You think you're going to be feeling not great? I mean,
you know, in case you felt good before the one
he went out for it last weekend, no one's gonna
feel great. That's why I mean, outside of truly, there's
no other option other than to kick the field goal here.
I don't think that we'll see him in that situation.
I think you're going to see a lot of go
for it's on fourth downs. I think you're going to
(27:23):
see a lot of trying to score touchdowns instead of
field goals, to winning two point conversions to win games.
I would expect all of that to be in play.
I don't think that there's how could there be any
faith in k York to go out there and make
a kick at this point. I mean you, the dice
has been cast. They just it's better, I guess, than
(27:44):
bringing somebody else in off the street at this point.
I don't know. Perhaps, uh you know, they seem they're
going to stick with him. And then he did make
a fifty nine yarder.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
The kid did two games ago at halftime. Made a
big kick for that dude.
Speaker 6 (27:58):
And I'm saying, why not? Uh yeah, I know, I
I don't.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
As beloved as T Higgins is, Kid York is the
exact opposite end of the spectrum.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Uh yeah, I mean, you get a kick. It's been
a tough year for kickers across this sleegue. Man, There's
been more notable misses by kickers this year than I
can remember in forever. And that includes Evan McPherson, who's
still well, he was eligible. He's not going to play
this weekend, but you know, still around you.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
Guys gave the media Cooperation Award to Mike Hill. Is
he gonna be in the running to win it next year?
Speaker 3 (28:32):
It's a great question, I say, is there not a
place on the roster for guys that can make plays?
Because there he's one of like three guys on that
defense that makes place. Yeah, and so they found this
sort of role for him. I think it's obvious. I mean,
he's he's not able to cover at the same levels
he did previously. There's a reason for that. He's been
(28:52):
taking off blitzing corner roll. Dude, if you, I mean, why,
what's the problem with having that right? And I don't know,
I don't what does that do for your plans you
have for I feel like they need bodies in the
secondary regardless, and if there's a I just it just
seems like it's hard to imagine that there's not still
a place where you could come up with a way
(29:14):
to keep him around. It depends on what his market is,
I mean, how sold after he is. I don't know.
I think there's a number of decisions like that are
gonna be tough to tell. History would suggest that they
would let him go. But if there's a one year
deal for a two or three million dollars that that
(29:36):
is ends up being where his market is. I don't
know that would be the case, but if that ends
up being the case, I could see both sides agreeing
on that.
Speaker 5 (29:42):
Has anybody ever won the Cooperation Award two years in
a row?
Speaker 6 (29:47):
I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
I don't. I don't. I don't think that's I have
to go back through the ark, because I do. There's
been multiple time winners. Andrew Whitworth is a multi time winner,
but not consecutively. Not consecutively.
Speaker 5 (29:58):
Yeah, okay, if the Bengals lose that game on Saturday night,
is your story about and I know you wrote about,
but is the is the theme the what Zach was
doing at the end of regulation? Because I was at
the game and I was sitting next to this family
of four, three Broncos fans, one Bengal fan, and the
(30:21):
young lady next to me didn't say a word to
me the entire game, and then at the end of
regulation looks at me and goes, what is your coach doing?
And I said, you're my new litmus test for the
rest of this game, So you look, what is your
coach doing?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Yeah? Uh, well, I that's why even though they won.
I did write about you did write I was like,
you know, I I don't know how we're not We
have to talk about this a lot. I mean whatever.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
His explanation didn't help. Well, No, I told Chase to
go down, Well take the damn.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Knee, right. I think that there were Yeah, there's there's
no doubt. If you're gonna say that everybody is here
to try to kick this field, go and go home.
Speaker 6 (31:05):
I don't know why you're not just taking three knees.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
I think that there was still I think they were
still trying to keep more options on the table in
terms of figuring out exactly where the math was gonna
end up depending on how long. If you could get
some plays that lasted a little longer, it could go
from being kicking it at say, twenty seconds, to kicking
it at ten seconds, and there being a significant difference
between those two and their decision making I think was
(31:28):
part of that as well. So rather than doing the
quick play, you want the longer play and just go down.
Speaker 6 (31:33):
There shouldn't be what could possibly go wrong?
Speaker 3 (31:36):
Right? Yeah? No, but I and you get him going
out of bounds earlier also didn't help matters and so
you just get a number of things that go against them.
But yeah, I mean, in ret it's pretty easy to
sit there and say this should have been just a
three knees and a kick situation and then take your chances.
But that wasn't what happened.
Speaker 5 (31:59):
No, No, I mean it all worked out of the end,
so we all laugh and smile and stuff.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
But I think from a.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Fan perspective, ever should have come anywhere.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
That was gonna be really hard for overcome.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's it's it's hard to
overcome at this point. You know. What's an interesting thing
that that happened during that that I think is I'm
curious how the league is gonna gonna react to this.
Is so Chase Brown gets hurt, right and Sean Payton
calls time out. Chase Brown is standing when he calls
(32:34):
time out, and then after the timeout goes back down.
Why do the Bengals get charged for an injury? Couldn't
he have been like, oh the whistle blue, they called
time out, Now I'm gonna go down. No, they pulled
the injury timeout thing on the Bengals, And I think
that was why the timing of that was interesting. Because
he was standing for a decent amount of you know,
(32:57):
a few seconds at least three four seconds, and then
goes back down when a timeout was in progress. So
why why is that? I think that that gray area
is something that needs to be addressed within the League
of of how how that injury time thing is is applied.
Speaker 5 (33:12):
Yea, Uh, you talked about you and Jay talked about
lessons from what's happened with Sheldon Rankins. Yeah, and Sheldon
Rankins is sick. I hope he's okay. But there's always
weirdness when I see the and you guys address this,
So I don't want to dive too deep into this,
but there's always weirdness when I see the n FI
time of year.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Yeah, it's that well, it's I always go back to
it was connected to AJ mccaron and his rookie year.
And when you're on an NFI list, that tends to
be a way that teams can either recoup money or
years un contract. There's more so than than any a
regular IR list is football activities, normal rules apply there
(33:58):
there can be a gray area. Now he does have
an illness. Uh that that's and so there's obviously implications
there but yeah, the NiFi list, you never know, I don't,
I don't know. I'm curious if that will be nothing
or if that will end up being something, and we'll
we'll see. I mean we can't. Sheldon his camp don't
(34:18):
really have any interest in discussing this with us or anybody,
so as not a lot of answer. This is right, yeah,
absolutely in that in that illness and that's what it is.
But so there's no real explanation about any of it
that that we can really.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
But he's done, he's not coming back. He's he's played
his last snap as a Bengal.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
Yes, what was your favorite moment? Uh? The press conference,
unbelievable opening press being reminded.
Speaker 5 (34:46):
Of how he ate Alex Kappa for lunch, uh and
when he was with the Texans last year, and then
that maybe telling us more about Alex Kappa than she.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
Yeah, that maybe both ended up being air press conference
was entertaining, Yeah, entertaining press conference. Man. Yeah, I mean
it's again, you just never know football situa, especially on defense.
You never know what's gonna translate, what's gonna not. But
at the time it was a risk they were talking
about playing him more than he's ever really played in
his career, and in a different position and role than
(35:16):
he kind of had already previously been in. He was
never going to be a direct replacement for DJ Reader,
but they were gonna ask him to do some of that,
along with a couple of drafted guys he was older. Yeah,
but that it was all of that. The whole plan
from the very beginning was rough and and it somehow
(35:37):
went worse than you thought it ever could.
Speaker 5 (35:39):
Luanna Rumo doesn't have to clean out his desk no
matter what happens on Saturday, doesn't doesn't do we feel
like he is like back next year, saved, his gig
defense has played well.
Speaker 6 (35:50):
I don't think that's the case. I I mean, I don't.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
I don't know that that one game is going to
change the dynamics of this entire season. You know, to me,
you'll break this season down and you'll look at those
games against the good teams, and there's the obvious common
thread between all of those. And the interesting thing is
Pittsburgh is the ultimate example of this. They're the one
not great offense that went off against this Bengals defense.
(36:18):
This Bengals defense was susceptible to a great offense to
just absolutely obliterating them.
Speaker 5 (36:25):
But what was weird about like the when I watched Washington,
Jade Daniels wowed me. And when I watched Baltimore do
it it did I was wold. When I watched the Steelers,
I thought like, what they're doing shouldn't be that difficult
to defend. They just couldn't make tackles. Yes, correct, and
you saw that in some way. I mean the Chargers game,
the first half of the Charge.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
I mean those two games back to back that were
at this absolute you know middle you're defining moment of
the season those two games and Ulay the biggest defensive
egg in the first half that you possibly can to
create this big deficit against the Charges, regardless of what
happened in the second half after that, and then you
have that game against Pittsburgh. That to me was why
(37:07):
in the moment, I felt like, you know, you're just
kind of washing your hands in the matter.
Speaker 6 (37:12):
Things have gotten better.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
I don't really feel like they've gotten so good other
than the opposing quarterback has thrown the ball right to
them bunch, and it's a bunch of young guys that
are try hard, guys that are trying hard and that matters,
and trying to see those guys play hard and get
better and gain confidence is important. But I don't know
to me that you've seen enough now. Pittsburgh could be
(37:37):
the one that you could make up for, the one
maybe their biggest air of the season. You could do
that on Saturday and keep hope alive and maybe there's
a playoff run on the back of it and you
can build something. But to me don't I don't know.
I still feel very similarly to the way that I
did after that first Pittsburgh game. It just but I
don't know. I think this is one of the hardest
(37:58):
decisions Zach Taylor's time here of what of what he wants.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
Do you think the decision is solely Zach Taylor's.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Mostly Yeah, I mean, I think they would give him
the understanding of you know how to run your team
and and you certainly know lou Anarumo and bet as
well as anybody. And I think it's a tough I
think it's I think it can be a tough call.
It's a tough call when you have a guy who's
done what he's done here, has been here as long
as he is and you still think he's a good coordinator.
(38:27):
It's just a matter of is he the best coordinator
to get with everybody on this defense needs out of
the next year or two, and only they know the
answer to that question, right, All right.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Well, we'll be reading your cover. Whatever's going on next week.
Speaker 5 (38:43):
Could be the Bengals getting set to go to Buffalo,
could be the the Bengals changing.
Speaker 4 (38:48):
Coordinators, could could be any number of things.
Speaker 3 (38:51):
Can't wait, who knows. I mean, this is gonna be
one heck of an off season. Yes, so I can't
tell you. You know, expect unexpected would probably be the
best place to start. But yeah, we'll keep right.
Speaker 5 (39:04):
I mean, this team is entering an off season, and
I hope the off season is still pushed off at
least a week, if not more. But you know, we
always say, Boyd's a really interesting offseason. Sometimes we say
that just to say it.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
Now I think we really mean no, I think I
really mean. I think I think they have a top
five in the league, most interesting offseason in front of them.
Speaker 4 (39:23):
Yeah, all right, man, Well, thank you as always, and
we'll see you next week.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
Look forward to it.
Speaker 5 (39:28):
Yes, Paul Danner Junior read his work athletic dot Com
catch at the Growler podcast.
Speaker 4 (39:32):
We are here at Buffalo wild Wings.
Speaker 5 (39:33):
Ken would Chad Brendle's going to join us in ten
minutes on the Bearcats on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati sports
station
Season is on the line. Cool after last week's overtime,
We're not over. It's all Joe Burrow and his big
bed Bengos face one more jumpy.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
This is a match, Cool season. Pittsburgh Steeler Joe Barrow,
Jamar Change and che Peg and the Orange and Black
down the Black and Gold and keep their playoff dreams alive.
Crazy to get the call from Dangerous Dan Hoard and
Mighty Dave. Coverage began Saturday.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
At four on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of
the Lagos.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
That's us.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Good afternoon on all Eger. It's six minutes having three.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. Thank you so much for listening.
Hope your twenty twenty five is off to an awesome start.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Happy New Year.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
It's our first show of twenty twenty five. It is
our last show at the football season here at Buffalo
Wild Wings.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
We are at the Kenwood location today.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
So if you're thinking to yourself, I want to watch
the Sugar Bowl Notre Dame versus Georgia, which kicks off
in just over an hour, actually just under an hour.
But I don't want to miss anything that Moe says,
and I want to hear it all live. Well, you
could do both here. You could watch the game. You
can get an ice cold bud Light. We've got five
dollars bud Light talls. You can get some wings and
(01:16):
take advantage of the six for nineteen ninety nine menu,
which is two entrees, two sides, two fountain drinks for
less than twenty bucks. And you can listen to the
show and you might win some awesome bud Light swag,
including the Holy Grail of Coolers, the Holy Grail of
Bengal giveaways, the Bengals bud Light cooler. We have one
more to give away. We're gonna give it away today.
(01:39):
We are here Toll six so you can watch the game,
you could have dinner, you could enjoy happy hour, you
could win something, and you could be here for our show.
What else could you ask for? And between now and
four o'clock, Paul Danner Junior's here.
Speaker 6 (01:52):
You know what else you can add to that list?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Now? You can also rewatch the first Bengals Steelers game,
which is awesome. So apparently being aired looks like NFL
Network maybe reshowing that game, no man, So if you
want to take that in again and relimits and set
yourself up for this weekend.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
Why are they showing that. I mean, I know why
they're showing it. Showing it because the two teams play
on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Night they do. Why Why because it was a great
day for Russell Wilson in company.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
It was the last good day for Russell Wilson in company.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Right, They've got to be happy to be seeing this
Bengals defense show up even though they're playing better. They are, Yes,
they're playing better. Yeah, a lot of inuts. I am
optimistic about Saturday. Sunday different deal.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
But I am optimistic about Saturday, which we're gonna get
to in uh in just a little bit.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Paul Danner Junior covers.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
The Bengals for at the Athletic dot Com has a podcast,
the Growler Podcast. The schedule's kind of been all over
the place. Yeah, it'll be nice to get back to normal.
Speaker 6 (02:49):
I don't even know what normal is anymore.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
I mean, we're on the fifth primetime road game of
the season, which is universe like not even close the
most despised time slot from a personal chur Sure, it's
just awful and we're gonna have to like drive back
through a snowstorm on Sunday morning, apparently on top of
the fifth primetime road game of the season. I haven't
(03:13):
known what day or year now it is for a
long time, so I yeah, I don't even know what
normal is, but I'm I'm happy if anybody wants to
point me in that they're actually well, the normal.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
For I think for you guys and for fans has
been over the last couple of weeks. Calculating these Bengals odds,
which now is quite simple. I'm not even sure why
we're bothering with DVOA, why we're bothering with percentages.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
It's a three team parlay.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Yeah, it's Bengals winning as moneyline favorites on the road.
It's Kansas City winning as substantial underdogs outright, and it's
the Jets winning as dogs outright, which I checked last
night with thefanduel dot com. The odds are plus eighteen hundred.
Those are the odds. Hey, that's that's the number. So
that's the number if.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
You believe this is gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
And we have a young lady here who before the
show to me it's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
You wage for one hundred dollars. You're gonna win eighteen hundreds? Yeah,
pretty good.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Look as someone who's maybe made some bad decisions that
lend me to having a plus eighteen hundred in front
of him and felt confident before, let me tell you
it's it's not great. It's not great. However, uh, you know,
it's not impossible, and they'll take that right now.
Speaker 6 (04:22):
I'm really curious. At some point, at some.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Point in Kansas City, Andy Reid had to have sat
down and looked around the table coaches and was like,
we really don't want to burrow the playoffs do like
we all we do is beat Denver right right, over
and over and over again. So why don't we just
like play the practice squad QB guy right and run
our preseason play calls, yeah and call it a day.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
So I listened to you and Jay talk about this
yes on the podcast, and the Chiefs have a track
record in the Andy Reid era of playing a meaningless
last game of the season, sometime with the number one
seed locked up, sometimes with a lower seed locked up,
and in those scenarios they don't play their starters. They
have won some of those games. Yeah, they typically do
(05:10):
play hard. Now the flip side of that is if
the Bengals do go to the postseason, they go to Buffalo.
The Bills have been the Kansas City kryptonite this season,
They've played them very competitively in the playoffs in the past.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
And so is.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Isn't there a part of your if you're Andy Reid, where.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
You go, you know what, The Bengals could go to
Buffalo and then they scrape them off the.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Plate for us, yeah, or really wear them out and
take them, take them to the wire or whatever, as
opposed to maybe you think it'd be easier against them.
Speaker 6 (05:37):
It's probably some combination that to me.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
To me, it's this. To me, this is the decision
that you worry about. Carson Wentz is playing well, Let's
say okay, and he's put three nice quarters together and
the game is close. Do they pull him for the
practice squad quarterback guy and say that's we've seen enough.
Speaker 6 (05:57):
We're just here getting work right, didn't playseason.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Game, We'll playing like and we're gonna we're gonna let
this guy, he's been here, We're gonna let him get
some reps in. And And is that the decision? That's
what I'm curious about, Like that's to me the difference
between otherwise, you play, Carson Wentz, you play to win
the game, and everybody's out there trying to win the game.
But if they make a decision like that, and they
have earned the right to make that decision, and the
Bengals have earned their right to have to live as
(06:22):
victims have said.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Yeah, look, I am not gonna blame Andy Reid for
whatever he does. He has earned that right. The Bengals
have put themselves at the mercy of a team that
has the playoffs locked up.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
That's the Bengals fault.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
Andy Reid's job is to coach his team with what
is in the best interests of the team and the organization,
serve with the pleasure of the people that he works for,
and coach the players who play for him.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
So I have no problem with whatever he does. That said,
if that scenario, if that.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Specific scenario unfolds, it's seventeen all end of three, Wentz
is playing well and Andy Reid goes, yeah, you know
what I saw what.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
I needed to see.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
Yeah, all right, next, I am I'm not gonna like
it because it's gonna negatively impact the Bengals.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
But as a lover of chaos. Yeah, here for it,
Here for it.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
And then that guy comes in and tears it up too?
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah? Why not? Yeah? No, I mean and that said,
then you look at the Jets and you're like, I mean,
they've been competitive, but god, they were so bad last week.
They look like they're already on one. They're on two
in the one two three can coon situation? Ye, And
it's just like, is this really? But you never know.
Crazy things happen in week eighteen. You never know what's
(07:32):
gonna happen, and you can always hang on to that.
Speaker 5 (07:34):
Have we done the work into whether Carson Wentz or
not has a favorite charitable cause? Aaron Rodgers, I don't
really want to know what his favorite charitable cause is.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
I think the Darkness Retreats for kids.
Speaker 6 (07:49):
I do not know.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
But have we have we done the work?
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Because you know, you remember Andy Dalton against the Ravens
a couple of years ago, s toorches them with Tyler Boyd.
It sends the bill to the playoffs, and uh so,
Buffalo fans donated a bunch of money to Andy Dalton's foundation,
seizing that momentum. A few weeks later, Blake Bortle's and
the Jags beat the Steelers in a playoff game, and
(08:13):
I got people to raise I think we donated like
six hundred and twenty bucks to the Blake Bortles Foundation.
I still get their mailers because of this. So this
has kind of become a thing. So if Carson Wentz
delivers a victory for the Chiefs and helps the Bengals,
and then Aaron Rodgers does what he does and delivers
a Jets victory over the Dolphins, are we prepared to
(08:35):
donate money to the charitable causes most near and dear
to the hearts of those two qbs?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Yeah? Can you can you just send some of it
to Sauce Gardner's favorite?
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
I mean that probably?
Speaker 5 (08:46):
OK?
Speaker 6 (08:46):
Fine, Yeah, or just or just donate it to since
he rains.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I guess that'd be fine too, Sauce, and say that
and staid, of course, I think you got to figure
out what Carson Wentz's charity is right now that we're
gonna do this, Karen, I think this is a good,
good movie. Go find that. Uh, and and so we'll
have that right so you can just have it ready
for people if they need it.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
All right, Very good which of the you asked this
the Jay, Yeah, which of the three prongs concerns you
the most?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I you know, the obviously the FanDuel number would would
tell you, or what that The Kansas City game should
be the most concerning. I think they'll play hard. I
I do think that Kansas City will play hard there
and that.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
The players who play, I think we'll show a representative effort.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yeah, and so I think I don't think that's totally
I still I think you're probably most concerned about that.
And then I think you're I'm still concerned about the
Bengals in Pittsburgh. I mean, I just when you consider
what we we know, how tough that can be. They
still have things to play for. What the what Russell
(09:55):
Wilson and company did to this defense last time they played.
I don't think there's there's no certainly know slam dunk
involved in that one either. They're all pretty close. But
you're right, Kansas City is probably the one that you're most.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
Well because I think the Broncos are okay, I think
the Broncos are better than Miami. Yeah, I don't think
the Dolphins are very good. I mean, obviously issues at quarterback. Themselves.
And so even if the Jets lay down the way
they did against Buffalo, Buffalo is really good. I don't
think Miami can seize and take advantage. Look, the Browns
didn't want to win that game last week, and it
was competitive going in to the middle parts of the
(10:27):
fourth quarter.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Yeah, I mean, you're still You're still got you know,
a Jets team that has been right there. Outside of
the last week, they've really been right there with most
of the teams they've been playing. They just found ways
to lose. Whatever. It's still I keep us saying this
all year, but it's still Aaron Rodgers, isn't it. I
don't know if it is anymore. Yeah, whatever's going on there,
but I mean, it still is Aaron Rodgers versus a
(10:50):
backup quarterback. And so is it possible. It's absolutely possible
that you could that you could see that happen. It's
just gonna be a matter of candid you know, can
the Chiefs backups muster enough to make it happen.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Carson Wentz heads the AO one Foundation. Okay, Now, the
AO one Foundation's website doesn't seem to be operating at
the moment, so maybe that's what we have to raise
money to do.
Speaker 6 (11:19):
Is that's where you start. You're going to hire a website,
got that money?
Speaker 4 (11:23):
But that's that's that's what it is.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
According to Wikipedia, it started in two thousand and seventeen
and it was active as of twenty twenty one. Activities
for underprivileged youth, service dog support, hunting an outdoor opportunities
for the physically disabled, and veterans.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Sounds a great cost to me.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
It sounds like an awesome cause.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
I will start if anybody can donate their time to
getting their up their website.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Offre Yeah, I just I need to see I need
to see the website work before I can tell you
whether or not the foundation is still active.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
But if it is, that's certainly.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
That's a good place. Again.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
Yeah, and then we'll google Aaron Rodgers and find out
what he's up to off the field.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
I don't know, you want to do that?
Speaker 5 (12:05):
Have you tried to watch his documentary? Now it is
seventeen minutes. Oh the website is working? Oh yeah, there
it is?
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Oh kid, use a little update.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
Yeah, let's see when. Their most recent tweet was February
of twenty four, so the last year. Okay, sure, sure,
maybe why not.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
It's got a chance, all right.
Speaker 5 (12:29):
So the Carson Wentz does have something that he cares
about off the field that we could help.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
We could boost if he and the chiefs.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I'll get in contact with Kansas City pr and make
sure that that that's okay, okay place to send the money,
or we could again, we could just you could just
send it to their facilities.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Just send it to me.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
Eighteen minutes after three o'clock where at Buffalo Wild Wings
in Kenwood. Paul Danner Junior is here from the athletic
till four.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
We are here until.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
Six on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
With us.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Where you're a Buffalo.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Wild Wings and Kenwood. I'm here till six o'clock, so
come on out and join us. We're giving away the
Bengals cooler thanks to bud Light, which I used over
New Year's It is awesome. Also some other Bengals goodies
as well, including the Nike Golf Bengals hoodie thanks to
our friends at bud Like so you got a game
on Sunday or Saturday night Bengals and Steelers a lot
(13:23):
riding on it. Meanwhile, the noise continues to build as
it relates to Joe Burrow wanting t Higgins back. Yeah,
in twenty twenty five and beyond, and so you wrote
about this. I mean to me, this was the shot
across the bow. This was it right. You don't quote.
You don't want to make a living out of letting
great players leave the building. I think that's why you've
(13:44):
got to do everything you can to get those deals
done early.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
It is like, that's not a guy just expressing his need.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
That's a guy saying, well, you've done this and you
screwed this up, so don't do it again.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
Yeah, I'm here for it.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
The reason that these guys are so hard to sign
right now because these deals were not already done, you know,
and the fact that you're talking a couple of years now,
you've been dealing with this T Higgins situation. You got
to the goal line last year and couldn't get it
over the top with Jamar before the season started, you know,
which is just still it was in the moment, it
(14:19):
was immediately afterwards. It's still and now even more so,
just unbelievable that that didn't get done when you consider
how do you get that close at that moment and
still kick the can down the road. And so yeah,
I think that was a there's no other way to
look at it other than that was a direct shot saying, Hey,
this is how, this is why we're in this spot
(14:42):
and taking it public. I think that's to me. I
don't think any surprise is here that Joe would feel
this way or be willing to voice those opinions so
the front office can hear them. The fact that it's
gone public like that, that he's saying it in this
way and wielding his power in that way is the
(15:07):
surprising element of this. And he has had every opportunity
to either walk it back or lessen the impact of
it or give a yeah, but I know I said this,
but no and no. It has been a double down
every time, and now it's turned it into this thing
where the you know, a very complicated situation with t Higgins,
(15:29):
who is gonna be free to make it to free
agency unless they tag him again and do some sort
of tag trade or whatever happens there. I mean, but
more than like there he is, with free agency right
in front him, He's gonna be very rich and a
complicated situation is kind of coming down to Burrow versus
front office. Yes, and it's like with a clear winner
(15:51):
right in front of us, and you can see who
won and who lost and where that iron will be directed.
And Joe has calculated that out nicely. Yeah, to try
to apply the pressure. And I don't blame him. And
I've flipped on this multiple times. I'm willing to admit this.
We've probably you could probably go back and find me
(16:11):
on both sides of this multiple times. Over the well,
you give something a chance to play out over the
course of two three years, things change often, and they've
changed dramatically right now, you know what I mean. I
feel like because Burrow has been so loud about this,
because you have had a bunch of other players who
you thought you might be able to pay or what
(16:33):
or have extensions for down the line, who you don't
have anybody really to pay that's coming up in the
near future. You have a guy that handled this situation
at the absolute A one A level you could ask
a person to handle a situation like t Higgins did.
Proved himself to be the type of person that they
quite frankly need more of in that building, not just
(16:55):
from a quality player, but from a handling your business
the right way. You have had a pick.
Speaker 6 (17:02):
That didn't work out in Jermaine Burton.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
You have had free agents that you went in there
and said, all right, let's keep let's get that free
agent hand moving, and you've had multiple failures there. The
Sheldon Rankins lesson of didn't quite know what it was
gonna be until he got in the building, and it
just didn't quite make all very clear reminders that you
should hold on to a good thing when you have
(17:28):
it and you know what it is. This organization used
to be about that. I thought one hundred percent and
that was what they dedicated themselves to, and this is
a situation with chance where they can prove that again.
But I think I've come back on that side of
where are you going to get better value that you
can more know, know that you can depend on out
(17:50):
of your twenty five million dollars or whatever. If everybody
can find a way to make this work through restructures
or whatever, where can you better find value you can
depend on what that money that won't be a missing
free agency. This year's Sheldon Rankings, this year's Geno Stone,
this year's Jermaine Burton. Trying to fill it through the
draft than you can with just paying te Higgins and
(18:11):
rolling those three dudes out there and saying this is
our team, Come and get us.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
That's where I am.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
And you wrote about this in the aftermath of Saturday Night,
which was storybook in so many ways, but also is
this it? This is the last time I get to
watch T Higgins in person in a Bengals uniform, And
you wrote about things that I think are hard to
quantify with metrics and with dollars. Yeah, And that's and
(18:37):
we've both made this point separately. T Higgins is a
rookie in twenty twenty and I'm sure thinking, like, dude,
I'm about to be the man. And then they acquire
Jamar Chase and he instantly becomes the man, and t
Higgins doesn't gripe, at least publicly. He goes through this
two year saga are they going to sign him? Will
they tag him? And the things we thought were gonna
happen didn't. Oh, he's he's not gonna sign the ten
(19:00):
until August when he has to signs it. In June
shows up the day one of camp practices. You guys
talk with him and he's like, I'm good I'm making
twenty two mil. I'm fine, like, I'm gonna do my thing.
My day will come. Like could not have handled this better.
And I think because of that. I tweeted this after
the game on Saturday night. I can't think of many
(19:20):
players Bengals players who are more beloved.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
And I think it's the player. It's a very good player,
and it's.
Speaker 5 (19:28):
Big moments that he's had, but I think it's how
he's handled the business part of this in a way
that appeals to people, appeals to me. And you mentioned
the kind of person they reed like, I could look
at the numbers and go, T Higgins is a good player.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Boy.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
It's nice to have good players, But that's the kind
of person you want. That's the kind of person you
want to build around. I think there's value there that
can't necessarily be measured by metrics, by analytics, or even
by assigning a specific dollar amount.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
To it, and by the need for What do we
do and the season starts going wrong, and it's week
three or four and things seem off, what do we say?
Speaker 6 (20:05):
What's your identity?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Who are you is? What do you what's your vision?
Speaker 6 (20:09):
What's your identity? There's your identity.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Your identity is being the best passing offense in football
because you have Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase and t Higgins
and that's who you are. And if you have those
three guys this year maybe a proof more than anything.
If you only have those three guys, Yeah, you're a
five hundred ball club, right and you can be that
now you need you can go into the rest of
it after that.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
To me, there's nothing wrong with saying it, And the.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Problem was that there were other ways you felt like
you could more appropriately use that money before. And the
defense is its own issue. But like, there's nothing wrong
with saying in this league where passing the ball wins
and you've proven what do you know what this is
and can be to just say, you know what, We're
just gonna invest in these guys and say that this
is our team and find a way to make the
(20:57):
rest of it work out. It's not that you can't this.
This has always been to me, the misunderstood element is
people have thought that they don't want to or they're
too cheap to. It has been a philosophical thing not
to they have the money, obviously you can do it.
It's just a matter of how do you best build
a team that can win, building more of a balanced
defense around him and putting more money on that side,
(21:19):
or do you just dedicate picks over there and different
ways to do it. You always could do it this way.
The Eagles are doing it that way, the Dolphins are
doing it that way. Teams can do it that way.
It's more understood to do it that way now than ever,
where the receivers are all making so much money because
their value has never been higher. You can do it.
And I think this the lesson of this season might
(21:41):
be that before it didn't seem right to do it,
and now it kind of does.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
I asked you the Wednesday after the Dallas game, which
is when Joe really changed the conversation permanently with his
comments about tea after that dramatic victory, I asked you
to put a percentage on it, and you said fifty
five percent.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Then he comes back, yeah, now sure it's higher, because
you know you haven't Because that after that, there was
then there was the opportunity to be like, well, you know,
if you're clearly something, it's that I still you know,
I think higher. Uh, seventy two and a half how's
that say? How does that sound?
Speaker 6 (22:18):
I'm not going to go fully to the three quarters
Camilla there.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
But it's higher. I think it's on the rise. The
thing is, though, you know, you you you, there's still
it's not like you're hearing anything definitive anywhere outside of
Burrows Plan, Yeah, you know or whatever. You know. He
seems to think he's pretty confident. When he sounds that confident,
I tend to believe him right, And I do think
it matters. I do think his voice has resonated. I
(22:42):
think something underdiscussed part of this is perhaps how much
Saturday Night resonated in the owner's box. I mean, moments
turn things for this ownership group often, and and that
was a moment for the fan base, the type of
moment that they want to create to keep the fan
base the way they are in a year that has
(23:04):
had them turn against them in so many ways and
a lot of people questioning their fandom to this team
and this ownership group. And I think this has become
the issue that's clearly at play between them and their
fans right now of are you dedicated to keeping this
thing that makes everyone feel so good, that makes this
stadium feel and look like that. Are you dedicated to
keeping that together? And can you find a way to
(23:25):
make that work? And I think there's there's a bit
of that that that can land, whether it's on the
lap of Mike Brown or that filters down to Troy
and Katie or whoever, or Duke or whatever it is.
I feel like that can have an impact too, of
turning the tide of saying, you know what, let's really
figure out a way to do this.
Speaker 5 (23:44):
When the season was hanging in the balance, Joe Burrow
threw the ball to t Higgins.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Yeah, so there you go.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Mechanically, it's the way.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
It's the CounterPunch that no one ever has an answer for,
is you can you can give all all the clouds
and doubles to Jamar and say, anybody but Jamar, you
can do that. You can try to blitz, and you
can do all kinds of things. You can try to
force and force your hand in certain things. You can
never account for the fact that they can. Then just
(24:14):
do that to t Higgins for an entire game, and
he'll catch everything, and he'll make every play, and he'll
be dynamic, short, long, run, all the right routes, do
everything correctly and be big in big spots. Man. It's
just when you have that, when you have something that
the hole league can't counter, it's hard to just let
(24:35):
that walk away and say it's for the better men
of the team.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
All Right, we talked about t Higgins. Now we have
to talk about Kid York when we come back. Or
a Buffalo Wild Wings Gedwood on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Bridge begins Saturday at four on ESPN fifteen thirty, The
official home of the BENGALSPS.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
Headlines, or a service Excuse me, The Kelsey Chevrolet Home
of lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their
family to yours for life, Kelsey chev dot Com. Joe Burrow,
Jamar Chase, and Trey Hendrickson have been voted to the
AFC team in the Pro Bowl Games. Yeah, Chase Brown
third alternate, Orlando Brown fourth alter.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
How many alternates do they have for the Pro Bowl Games?
Speaker 3 (25:18):
I choose not to care about the Pro Bowl.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
Kendall Milton comes off the practice squad. He's a running back.
Chase Brown's not gonna.
Speaker 6 (25:23):
Play right, I think, no, I think there's a chance.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
I think it's gonna be one of those go out
there before the game and see how what you can do,
See how it feels, see what he's capable of doing.
I mean it's how explosive do you feel like you
can be on on a high ankle spring and whatever
he says, they'll go from there.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
How many care is Khalil Herbert going to get if
Chase can't go. You're gonna say they like Khalil Herbert.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
No, I'm not not, because I don't think they like
Khalil Herbert.
Speaker 6 (25:52):
I think they're gonna throw the ball.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
I think.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
I mean that's where their matchup.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
So Rand that speed option for him, that was kind
of cool.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
I was pretty that. I love it. I mean that
was one of Joe Burrow's special plays that he just
pulled out of thin air, almost like he does when
he gets hit by eighteen guys behind the line and
still makes a touchdown happen. He just like was like, hey,
we could run the speed option. We worked on that once, Yeah,
and did No. I think I think eight to ten carries.
(26:19):
I think they're gonna throw the ball. I mean that
the Pittsburgh defensive line is their strength. They're having all
kinds of problems in their secondary right now, and you
have mismatches everywhere, you should be able to drop back.
Speaker 6 (26:31):
And throw it a bunch and take advantage.
Speaker 5 (26:33):
Of the final quarterfinal game of the college football Playoff
is the Sugar Bowl, which kicks off in just about
thirty minutes, Notre Dame taking on Georgia College basketball, The
West Miller Show tonight at eight that is on seven
hundred WLW from the original. Montgomery in Indiana takes on
Rutgers tonight, and hockey the Blue Jackets skate against Detroit.
(26:54):
How gonna feel if Kaid york is trotting out there
on Saturday night with the season hanging in the balance,
and he's gonna make a kick to tie the game.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
You think you're going to be feeling not great? I mean,
you know, in case you felt good before the one
he went out for it last weekend, no one's gonna
feel great. That's why I mean, outside of truly, there's
no other option other than to kick the field goal here.
I don't think that we'll see him in that situation.
I think you're going to see a lot of go
for it's on fourth downs. I think you're going to
(27:23):
see a lot of trying to score touchdowns instead of
field goals, to winning two point conversions to win games.
I would expect all of that to be in play.
I don't think that there's how could there be any
faith in k York to go out there and make
a kick at this point. I mean you, the dice
has been cast. They just it's better, I guess, than
(27:44):
bringing somebody else in off the street at this point.
I don't know. Perhaps, uh you know, they seem they're
going to stick with him. And then he did make
a fifty nine yarder.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
The kid did two games ago at halftime. Made a
big kick for that dude.
Speaker 6 (27:58):
And I'm saying, why not? Uh yeah, I know, I
I don't.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
As beloved as T Higgins is, Kid York is the
exact opposite end of the spectrum.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Uh yeah, I mean, you get a kick. It's been
a tough year for kickers across this sleegue. Man, There's
been more notable misses by kickers this year than I
can remember in forever. And that includes Evan McPherson, who's
still well, he was eligible. He's not going to play
this weekend, but you know, still around you.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
Guys gave the media Cooperation Award to Mike Hill. Is
he gonna be in the running to win it next year?
Speaker 3 (28:32):
It's a great question, I say, is there not a
place on the roster for guys that can make plays?
Because there he's one of like three guys on that
defense that makes place. Yeah, and so they found this
sort of role for him. I think it's obvious. I mean,
he's he's not able to cover at the same levels
he did previously. There's a reason for that. He's been
(28:52):
taking off blitzing corner roll. Dude, if you, I mean, why,
what's the problem with having that right? And I don't know,
I don't what does that do for your plans you
have for I feel like they need bodies in the
secondary regardless, and if there's a I just it just
seems like it's hard to imagine that there's not still
a place where you could come up with a way
(29:14):
to keep him around. It depends on what his market is,
I mean, how sold after he is. I don't know.
I think there's a number of decisions like that are
gonna be tough to tell. History would suggest that they
would let him go. But if there's a one year
deal for a two or three million dollars that that
(29:36):
is ends up being where his market is. I don't
know that would be the case, but if that ends
up being the case, I could see both sides agreeing
on that.
Speaker 5 (29:42):
Has anybody ever won the Cooperation Award two years in
a row?
Speaker 6 (29:47):
I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
I don't. I don't. I don't think that's I have
to go back through the ark, because I do. There's
been multiple time winners. Andrew Whitworth is a multi time winner,
but not consecutively. Not consecutively.
Speaker 5 (29:58):
Yeah, okay, if the Bengals lose that game on Saturday night,
is your story about and I know you wrote about,
but is the is the theme the what Zach was
doing at the end of regulation? Because I was at
the game and I was sitting next to this family
of four, three Broncos fans, one Bengal fan, and the
(30:21):
young lady next to me didn't say a word to
me the entire game, and then at the end of
regulation looks at me and goes, what is your coach doing?
And I said, you're my new litmus test for the
rest of this game, So you look, what is your
coach doing?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Yeah? Uh, well, I that's why even though they won.
I did write about you did write I was like,
you know, I I don't know how we're not We
have to talk about this a lot. I mean whatever.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
His explanation didn't help. Well, No, I told Chase to
go down, Well take the damn.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Knee, right. I think that there were Yeah, there's there's
no doubt. If you're gonna say that everybody is here
to try to kick this field, go and go home.
Speaker 6 (31:05):
I don't know why you're not just taking three knees.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
I think that there was still I think they were
still trying to keep more options on the table in
terms of figuring out exactly where the math was gonna
end up depending on how long. If you could get
some plays that lasted a little longer, it could go
from being kicking it at say, twenty seconds, to kicking
it at ten seconds, and there being a significant difference
between those two and their decision making I think was
(31:28):
part of that as well. So rather than doing the
quick play, you want the longer play and just go down.
Speaker 6 (31:33):
There shouldn't be what could possibly go wrong?
Speaker 3 (31:36):
Right? Yeah? No, but I and you get him going
out of bounds earlier also didn't help matters and so
you just get a number of things that go against them.
But yeah, I mean, in ret it's pretty easy to
sit there and say this should have been just a
three knees and a kick situation and then take your chances.
But that wasn't what happened.
Speaker 5 (31:59):
No, No, I mean it all worked out of the end,
so we all laugh and smile and stuff.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
But I think from a.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Fan perspective, ever should have come anywhere.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
That was gonna be really hard for overcome.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's it's it's hard to
overcome at this point. You know. What's an interesting thing
that that happened during that that I think is I'm
curious how the league is gonna gonna react to this.
Is so Chase Brown gets hurt, right and Sean Payton
calls time out. Chase Brown is standing when he calls
(32:34):
time out, and then after the timeout goes back down.
Why do the Bengals get charged for an injury? Couldn't
he have been like, oh the whistle blue, they called
time out, Now I'm gonna go down. No, they pulled
the injury timeout thing on the Bengals, And I think
that was why the timing of that was interesting. Because
he was standing for a decent amount of you know,
(32:57):
a few seconds at least three four seconds, and then
goes back down when a timeout was in progress. So
why why is that? I think that that gray area
is something that needs to be addressed within the League
of of how how that injury time thing is is applied.
Speaker 5 (33:12):
Yea, Uh, you talked about you and Jay talked about
lessons from what's happened with Sheldon Rankins. Yeah, and Sheldon
Rankins is sick. I hope he's okay. But there's always
weirdness when I see the and you guys address this,
So I don't want to dive too deep into this,
but there's always weirdness when I see the n FI
time of year.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Yeah, it's that well, it's I always go back to
it was connected to AJ mccaron and his rookie year.
And when you're on an NFI list, that tends to
be a way that teams can either recoup money or
years un contract. There's more so than than any a
regular IR list is football activities, normal rules apply there
(33:58):
there can be a gray area. Now he does have
an illness. Uh that that's and so there's obviously implications
there but yeah, the NiFi list, you never know, I don't,
I don't know. I'm curious if that will be nothing
or if that will end up being something, and we'll
we'll see. I mean we can't. Sheldon his camp don't
(34:18):
really have any interest in discussing this with us or anybody,
so as not a lot of answer. This is right, yeah,
absolutely in that in that illness and that's what it is.
But so there's no real explanation about any of it
that that we can really.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
But he's done, he's not coming back. He's he's played
his last snap as a Bengal.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
Yes, what was your favorite moment? Uh? The press conference,
unbelievable opening press being reminded.
Speaker 5 (34:46):
Of how he ate Alex Kappa for lunch, uh and
when he was with the Texans last year, and then
that maybe telling us more about Alex Kappa than she.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
Yeah, that maybe both ended up being air press conference
was entertaining, Yeah, entertaining press conference. Man. Yeah, I mean
it's again, you just never know football situa, especially on defense.
You never know what's gonna translate, what's gonna not. But
at the time it was a risk they were talking
about playing him more than he's ever really played in
his career, and in a different position and role than
(35:16):
he kind of had already previously been in. He was
never going to be a direct replacement for DJ Reader,
but they were gonna ask him to do some of that,
along with a couple of drafted guys he was older. Yeah,
but that it was all of that. The whole plan
from the very beginning was rough and and it somehow
(35:37):
went worse than you thought it ever could.
Speaker 5 (35:39):
Luanna Rumo doesn't have to clean out his desk no
matter what happens on Saturday, doesn't doesn't do we feel
like he is like back next year, saved, his gig
defense has played well.
Speaker 6 (35:50):
I don't think that's the case. I I mean, I don't.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
I don't know that that one game is going to
change the dynamics of this entire season. You know, to me,
you'll break this season down and you'll look at those
games against the good teams, and there's the obvious common
thread between all of those. And the interesting thing is
Pittsburgh is the ultimate example of this. They're the one
not great offense that went off against this Bengals defense.
(36:18):
This Bengals defense was susceptible to a great offense to
just absolutely obliterating them.
Speaker 5 (36:25):
But what was weird about like the when I watched Washington,
Jade Daniels wowed me. And when I watched Baltimore do
it it did I was wold. When I watched the Steelers,
I thought like, what they're doing shouldn't be that difficult
to defend. They just couldn't make tackles. Yes, correct, and
you saw that in some way. I mean the Chargers game,
the first half of the Charge.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
I mean those two games back to back that were
at this absolute you know middle you're defining moment of
the season those two games and Ulay the biggest defensive
egg in the first half that you possibly can to
create this big deficit against the Charges, regardless of what
happened in the second half after that, and then you
have that game against Pittsburgh. That to me was why
(37:07):
in the moment, I felt like, you know, you're just
kind of washing your hands in the matter.
Speaker 6 (37:12):
Things have gotten better.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
I don't really feel like they've gotten so good other
than the opposing quarterback has thrown the ball right to
them bunch, and it's a bunch of young guys that
are try hard, guys that are trying hard and that matters,
and trying to see those guys play hard and get
better and gain confidence is important. But I don't know
to me that you've seen enough now. Pittsburgh could be
(37:37):
the one that you could make up for, the one
maybe their biggest air of the season. You could do
that on Saturday and keep hope alive and maybe there's
a playoff run on the back of it and you
can build something. But to me don't I don't know.
I still feel very similarly to the way that I
did after that first Pittsburgh game. It just but I
don't know. I think this is one of the hardest
(37:58):
decisions Zach Taylor's time here of what of what he wants.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
Do you think the decision is solely Zach Taylor's.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Mostly Yeah, I mean, I think they would give him
the understanding of you know how to run your team
and and you certainly know lou Anarumo and bet as
well as anybody. And I think it's a tough I
think it's I think it can be a tough call.
It's a tough call when you have a guy who's
done what he's done here, has been here as long
as he is and you still think he's a good coordinator.
(38:27):
It's just a matter of is he the best coordinator
to get with everybody on this defense needs out of
the next year or two, and only they know the
answer to that question, right, All right.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Well, we'll be reading your cover. Whatever's going on next week.
Speaker 5 (38:43):
Could be the Bengals getting set to go to Buffalo,
could be the the Bengals changing.
Speaker 4 (38:48):
Coordinators, could could be any number of things.
Speaker 3 (38:51):
Can't wait, who knows. I mean, this is gonna be
one heck of an off season. Yes, so I can't
tell you. You know, expect unexpected would probably be the
best place to start. But yeah, we'll keep right.
Speaker 5 (39:04):
I mean, this team is entering an off season, and
I hope the off season is still pushed off at
least a week, if not more. But you know, we
always say, Boyd's a really interesting offseason. Sometimes we say
that just to say it.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
Now I think we really mean no, I think I
really mean. I think I think they have a top
five in the league, most interesting offseason in front of them.
Speaker 4 (39:23):
Yeah, all right, man, Well, thank you as always, and
we'll see you next week.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
Look forward to it.
Speaker 5 (39:28):
Yes, Paul Danner Junior read his work athletic dot Com
catch at the Growler podcast.
Speaker 4 (39:32):
We are here at Buffalo wild Wings.
Speaker 5 (39:33):
Ken would Chad Brendle's going to join us in ten
minutes on the Bearcats on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati sports
station
Mo Egger News
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