October 1, 2024 • 37 mins
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic and The Growler Podcast joined us to about the Bengals' defensive issues, their offensive potential, and a slew of other topics. We also discussed Erick All Jr. becoming the next great NFL tight end*.
*Mo's words, not ours.
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
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
*Mo's words, not ours.
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
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So with the Ravens. Coverage starts Sunday morning at nine
on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Bengals's.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yes, we guest fifteen thirty four minutes at Block. Thank
you so much for joining us up. We are having
a good Tuesday afternoon. We are here at Buffalo Wild Wings,
cold rain, and this is a week five of what
we're calling the butt Light Football Fest. Thanks to our
friends at bud Light. We're here at a different Buffalo
Wild Wings every single week and we are loaded. And
(00:33):
when I say we're loaded, ye, the show is loaded.
Which we'll get to here in a second. First of all,
here at beat Ups, we've got buy one, get one
half of Traditional Wings. You can't beat that. Every single Tuesday,
We've got bud Light specials. And our friends at bud
Light have also given us tickets to the game on Sunday,
Bengals Ravens massive AFC North matchup at the venue formerly
(00:57):
known as Paul Brown Stadium. If you want to win.
We had a guy that showed up. We were in
Hamilton last week and he got here at got there
at six oh two and said, I want to sign
up for the tickets and I said, you'll have to
come to cole Rain next week because we've already given
them away. So don't don't make the mistake that that
guy did, and don't show up at six oh I mean,
you're more than welcome to come to be Dubs at
(01:18):
six oh two. That's fine, but you're not going to
be eligible to win tickets, So get here between now
and six o'clock. But we've also got one of those
cool bud Light coolers Bengals bud Light Coolers, the single
greatest cooler in the history of coolers. Other swag as well.
You got to be here to win. If you're in
the house, go ahead and sign up and we'll draw
names throughout the course of the afternoon. Paul Dayner Junior
(01:42):
is en route. My understanding is traffic on the Ronald
Reagan Cross County Highway has slowed things up just a
little bit, and so Paul is gonna be here. We
obviously have a lot to talk about with him. Bengals
coming off their win over the Carolina Panthers getting set
for Sunday's matchup, lots of changes to discuss, per apps
on the defense, and a robust offensive performance to sift
(02:04):
through as well. We'll do that with Paul as soon
as he gets here. Our buddy Sean Sayed from a
summer sports as well, coming up at five twenty, a
guy who has made us smarter every single week that
he has joined our show. We are looking forward to that.
It is obviously a sad day, and I don't have
any issue categorizing it as such. I'm gonna spend a
(02:30):
little bit more time in the four o'clock hour talking
about the passing of Pete Rose. I had two instant
thoughts last night, one of which I'll get to in
the four o'clock hour. One of which, though was just
that just because you know that the ending is going
(02:51):
to be sad, doesn't make it any sadder or any
less sad, I should say when the ending actually come.
And I think we've known for quite a while that
whenever Pete passed, which hopefully was going to come later
rather than sooner, but whenever he passed, he was going
(03:12):
to die exiled from baseball and not in the Hall
of Fame. And I don't know for me so much
a tragic figure, but I've I've put it this way
over the years doing this show that Pete Rose. Not
being in the Hall of Fame, and what we have
(03:32):
come to know about Pete in essentially the second half
of his life has robbed this city to the degree
that we've never really been able to completely and fully
celebrate someone who's I think more closely identified to this
(03:54):
day with this city and with its baseball team than anyone.
And I've put it in terms like, you know, you
you watch what happens at spring training across the sport,
and you'll see Willie McGee in Cardinals camp, and you'll see,
you know, different New York Yankees at Yankee Camp, some
(04:16):
of them Hall of famers, some of them not so much.
Pete Rose never got to do that. Fans never got
a chance to see that. Every time he was celebrated,
every time he was brought back, whether it be for
his statue or for the Reds to put him in
their own Hall of Fame, or for the All Star
Game in twenty fifteen when they celebrated the twenty fifth
(04:37):
anniversary of forty one, ninety two and twenty ten. It's
those those commemorations have always occurred against the backdrop I
think of sadness that they had to get they had
to get permission to be able to do those things,
and they have Pete Rose back, and that's that's not
how it's supposed to be. And so we knew that
wasn't gonna change. I think we all knew that. You know,
(04:58):
Baseball was not gonna let him back in. He wasn't
suddenly going to pop up on the ballot to get
to Cooperstown. That's frankly not how it works. And yet
there was a finality to yesterday that I just think,
from the perspective of someone who lives here, made me
awfully sad. So I've got more thoughts that I'll get
to coming up in the four o'clock hour, and Rick
(05:19):
Walls from the Reds Hall of Fame a museum, we
will spend a few minutes with us, coming up at
four to twenty. But Paul's here, what's up? How's it going?
Speaker 1 (05:26):
It's going right?
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You know.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Anytime I think of Pete Rose now, I think about
my old beat partner Jim Ozarski, who when we hired
Jim back in twenty fifteen, in that season was the
All Star Game summer, right, And we hired him that
summer to be ready to go before the football season started.
So he moves here from Chicago Milwaukee. He was kind
(05:51):
of doing stuff up in that area, and you know
with hey, you're gonna go cover the NFL. He's covering
the Packers at one point. And then the first thing
he had to do is like, before you do that,
you have to just stalk Pete Rose for three days
because the All Star Game was coming. Pete was gonna
be able to be out there. Here's gonna be a
big deal, and we were gonna write this big story
(06:12):
on sort of Pete's weekend in Cincinnati and whatever. And
so he's like, wait, you want me to do what? Like, yeah,
so understand everything your is to know about Pete Rose
in the city of Cincinnati, and then go follow him
and all of his people around as long as you can,
and then you can go cover the NFL. And that
was basically how he was introduced to covering sports in Cincinnati.
(06:33):
Otherwise known in many group cats as hashtag Pete Beet
That I went was what he ended up on. So
but he ended up doing a great job covering NFL
for four years. Never had to go back on Pete
Pete again.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Every right, now, Yeah, Well, and I'm sure Pete did
not say no to the coverage. I mean, I am
sure he did not.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Steff armed Pete was happy to have anybody around him
that wanted to come around. I was happy to have
an audience, Yes, no doubt about that. We're happy to
have you here.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
There's a lot to discuss as it relates to the
Bengals win over Carolina, what's coming up on Sunday. The
vibe in the aftermath of that game from a fan perspective,
was weird because I don't think anybody was exuberant. I
wanted to be maybe, and you could point some positives
that unfolded on on Sunday and Charlotte, but but there
(07:17):
wasn't exuberance. I think there was apprehension. I think there's
some fear. I think there's some dread. I think there's
some concern. It's a weird place to be after their
first victory of the season.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, it was more, you know, a question that I
spent a lot of time trying to It wasn't the
traditional like how do you feel? But it was like
is this relief because you know it's just until it happens,
and it had been building and so much tension had
been building around the facility that you were wondering, like,
is this is Does that feel like relief? And I
(07:47):
think yes, to some it did, but I think it's
it's underscored by the fact that, look, they just still
they bought themselves time. Yes, they bought themselves another week
to continue to try to figure it out out, to
maybe get a few more bodies in the building to
help them figure it out health wise, and that was
where they're at right now, is that this was something
(08:09):
they had to have. And so there's a relief in that,
but a pretty clear understanding that there's just so far
to go for them, specifically defensively obviously, to get this
thing to where it needs to be for them to
do something like compete with what you saw on Sunday
Night football later that night when the Ravens took the field.
And so I think that there is a sense of
(08:31):
relief getting that first one, but also understanding that when
the hole's this deep, there's probably not going to be
a ton of relief until you, you know, clinch a
playoff birth because it's just going to be a struggle
to go up at here.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I do think from a fan perspective though, that a
lot more of that vibe had to do with Sunday
night than Sunday afternoon. Yes, because I think on Sunday afternoon,
I mean I'd been talking to people. I was out
for a station appearance, and it was all right, well,
you know, Baltimore could lose tonight, that Buffalo team's really good.
Then you get a chance to sort of deliver a
knockout blow and then Derek Henry runs for a billion yards.
(09:05):
They look great, they don't blow a lead, and they've
won consecutive games. And now there's a sense of dread.
And so I think that's more based on how Baltimore
played than anything the Bengals did, although the way the
Bengals played certainly did show some cause for concern.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, I mean, you know, watching them see their strength
come together on national television as in direct relation to
this team's weakness, it was a lot to take in,
I think, But look, at some point, I mean, you
get you need this defense to get itself to a
level that you can count on your offense to go
(09:42):
up there and be able to go toe to toe
with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens and beat them in shootouts.
I mean, you're gonna be playing shootouts a lot of issue.
I mean, there's just it's hard to see a version
of this team that their wins look anything other than that.
But you just got to get something and it can't
be I mean, honestly, if I could give you right
now that the Ravens would rush for less than two
(10:04):
hundred for for let's just say, not more than two
hundred yards, yeah, okay, would you take it? Of course?
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yes, how about not two seventy? Right, It's like this,
you just Henry rush for less than two hundred much
less the team I think right now it feels like
that's something that you would that you would take. That said,
I mean, you know, I don't think that they're that
far off the Ravens necessarily, because again, I think their offense,
(10:34):
even against a good, you know, a solid Ravens defense,
can can go step for step. I mean the level
that they're playing at offensively right now, with obviously an
asterisk on Washington and Carolina's defenses not exactly being world beaters,
but I do think that they're capable of going step
for step with them if they can just get a
(10:55):
couple of stops. You know, you just get the one play,
the one turnover, that type of stuff that can get
the ball going the other way. Their offense is good
enough to go with anybody, and I think you can
you can start there. That is the thing that came
out of Sunday for me is that, Okay, this wasn't
flashing the pan. The steps that you saw them take
(11:16):
in Kansas City, then a little bit bigger step you
saw them take against Washington was another step offensively against Carolina.
And now you feel like you're really seeing the vision
blossom offensively. And that's enough to beat anybody at any
time in Teams that have offenses that perform at that
level of efficiency make the playoffs even with terrible defenses.
(11:39):
And so that is something that you can certainly build
around and gain some confidence from.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
All right, hold that thought, we'll build upon that. It's
sixteen after three o'clock. Paul Danner Junior covers the Bengals
for The Athletic Does the growl At podcast latest edition,
Balls Don't Lie, came out today with myself and Jay Morrison.
Go find that, as we say, where you get your podcast.
Follow Paul on x at Paul Dayner Junior. It is
sixteen minutes after three o'clock. I'm at Buffalo Wild Wings
(12:07):
in Colrain. I'm here till six. Paul's here till four.
Come on out and see us. This is ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN twenty.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Three after three, ESPN fifteen to thirty broadcasting today from
Buffalo Wild Wings. Paul Rain here till six. The prize
box is here. We've got Bengals raven sickets to give
away and the greatest Bengals cooler of all time. Thanks
for our friends at clud Light. We have bud Light
specials and buy one, get one half off Traditional Wings.
Our friend Paul Dayner Junior.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Is here from the Athletic follow on x at Paul
Dayner Junior. You know I, you and I go to
a lot of sports bars. Yeah, we've been to a few.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
I gotta say this setup with the arena style four
sided hanging giant screens in the middle is my favorite
sports bar setup because everybody in the place can have
the massive screen to see what they want. This is
what This is what I envisioned your basement looking like.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
It's not quite that nice, but I mean it has
a television.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
That's the only thing that connects you. It has a bar,
It does have a bar. Yeah, it's got frame jerseys.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yeah that's it.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
No, I just I envisioned you living a living a
lavish life.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Just a lap of luxury. Yeah, my servants, my butler's.
It's just it's incredible. All right. You wrote about the
defense low and Rumo's reaction to what was going on
with some of the defensive players on Sunday and what
he's talked about as it relates to to what's next.
Cam Taylor bred had an awful game. How much should
(13:46):
I chalk that up to good player had an awful game?
Or uh oh uh, this is gonna be a problem
moving forward.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
I think you should chalk most of it up to
good play had an awful game, just because for me,
the sample size of what percentage of games in his
career since since the start of twenty twenty two? Have
you seen Cam Taylor be a liability be a problem?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
One? Yeah? Right now?
Speaker 1 (14:18):
How many games do you gotta watch of a guy
and say, Okay, I'll lean more into what I've seen
than what that was. Now, what I think I think
it gets, you know, we don't talk about We talk
about it more because of Luanna Romo's reaction. Luanna Romo's
reaction was right because it was in response to the
situation they are in as a team. This is the urgency,
(14:41):
this is the oh and threeness of this is there
is no room for air. I mean, Loose had a
couple of times around here, Loose had a couple of
times just this is with where we're at, there is
no time to let anything slip, and especially on his
side of the ball, as he is somebody and they
all somebody feeling a lot of pressure right now. And
(15:03):
I think that was a direct reaction to that situation,
maybe more so than it was to Cam Taylor Britt specifically,
who did have a terrible day. But over the if
this was a norm, if they were two and two
and the defense had been fine, Let's let Cam's confidence stay.
Let's talk to him after the next drive, tell him
(15:25):
to get things straightened up and settle down. Well, it
wasn't like he was benched. I mean, he played, he played,
he rotated, and he kind he needed to, like LW said,
settle him down, pull him off to the side and
be like you need to take a like he got demoted,
but he wasn't, you know, and tell him, you know,
take it also partially as freak clothes. You know, we
had already seen DJ Turner before that come in for
(15:48):
Dax Hill, and so there was a rotation. Clearly they
were looking for ways to get DJ involved because they
had liked what they'd seen from him in practice in
the week's leading up, in the very small sample size
of actual plays that he'd had. So when that's the case,
and then you know, you could sense Lou talking about
the flashbacks he was feeling to when Cam got beat
(16:09):
deep in Kansas City and and you know some of
the things that were going on there where he's just like,
you know what, not taking any chances. Let's get DJ
Turner in there until we can get Cam settled down,
because he is a radical the word that we heard used.
That's concerning stuff. But I also think when you look
at them, how much he's played who he's typically been,
(16:31):
maybe the motivation let's see what he's made of, right,
Let's see how he reacts to this and hope that
it doesn't ding his confidence and he still goes out
there and can understand that if you don't go out
there and do things the way that we're teaching it
and the way that you know it needs to be done,
you're not going to be playing anymore. And and maybe
that was something that needed to be reiterated to him
(16:51):
this week. How much closer is Jordan Battle to seeing
significant playing time? I don't think that close. I mean,
judging by I, you know, what we'd heard in the
weeks leading up to this, and then lose response to that,
to the question about it yesterday, I just.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Not the most ringing endorsement yesterday.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
No, and and pointing out that he was slow to
start for whatever reason. Yeah, okay, so not getting into it,
but he can't slow to start the Bengels Geno Stone, Geno.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
That's fair the guy that I was most excited about them.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
So yeah, yeah, you know it's it's not just slow
to start, is slow to finish and slow to tackle.
Yeah so you yeah, the Geno. So the Geno Stone thing.
The one worry of coming from coming over was gonna
be Okay, well, you're giving up a little bit as
a tackler, but you're not going Nick Scott right, You're
where you feel like you're getting the payoff and coverage
(17:48):
and anticipation in creating turnovers that you thought you were in.
Now we haven't seen that as much. We have seen
the mist tackles in the bad angle. I mean that
Cuba covered angle is one of the worst you'll see
a safety take. That's the stuff that just kills you,
and that was supposed to be with you know, that's
(18:09):
not speed. I mean it's partially speed, but that's understanding
where you're going, and you know that's the one thing
you're supposed to have, is knowing where to go and
knowing the angles by going with the veteran no ball safeties,
that's supposed to be what the one thing you're supposed
to be able to count on. So that that's obviously troubling.
(18:30):
I can I still believe that one. There's reverberations from
last year that I think there was more error being
committed by Jordan Battle that we don't really know about
because of all the communication and actual like logistics of
(18:50):
how the defense operates that you wouldn't see if you're
grading or if you're just watching it. You see the
splash plays, right, and those the ones where you know
he's coming up, he's making the tackle he's attacking, like
all of that stuff is worthwhile. But I just think
there's still a lot of memories of last year in
the back of Lou's head, not wanting to go to
(19:12):
that where guys don't know where they're going and the
communications not good enough, and so for that reason, until
something changes dramatically behind the scenes with Jordan Battle taking
more steps or progress or whatever it was just called yesterday,
I mean I think that they're content for right now
to stick with these guys. Well, I'm having flashbacks watching
(19:34):
Joe Stone to IRV Smith, he's the IRV Smith of safeties.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, you don't want to be the RB right, correct. No,
if somebody says that your work you're the IRV Smith
of bank teller, probably time to get out of the
bank telling business.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Unless it's hey, you were terrible at your job but
still got over a million dollars like that would be.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Over well and again, like the guy of all the
dudes they signed this offseason, the guy I was most
excited about was Geno Stone. Yeah. If I'm if you're
evoking IRV Smith memories, not good at a position that's
entirely different than the one that IRV Smith played.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
They were saving it up for this week when he
goes against his former team, and he's gonna make the
big play.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
They you know it's time. Yeah, No, you're right, it's
time for Genostone to be to be a guy and
make a big play, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I want to ask you if you have ever woken
up before in the same predicament that Brad Robbins woke
up in yesterday morning. When we come back, it's twenty
nine away from four o'clock. He's Paul Danner Junior, The
Growler Podcast, The walk Out on Sunday, The Balls Don't
Lie Today.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Yes, the Jay has hair. Yeah, Jay has hair. So
we're kind of working through that now. We're not really
sure what we're gonna do with his hair, other than
maybe we have to shave.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
It is twenty eight away from four o'clock. We're a
Buffalo Wild Wings in Cole Rain on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Station SINCY three sixty with Tony Pike. Do we want
to move on the dot to keep Gordon and Boston elmore?
Speaker 1 (21:09):
I think you should continue.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Let me keep going there, Sincy three sixty Tomorrow which
twelve noons on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Since the passports headlines our service of Kelsey Chevrolet, home
of lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their
family to yours for life kelseyschev dot com. The city
of Cincinnati continues to mourn the passing Pete Rose. We'll
chat with Rick Walls from the Red's Hall of Fama
Museum coming up at four to twenty today. The Bengals
(21:38):
are off today, getting said for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
That game live on ESPN fifteen thirty. Pregame coverage on
Sunday morning starts at nine o'clock. The Wild Card Round
is underway Game one in Houston between the Tigers and Astros.
Detroit has a three nothing lead, with the Astros at
the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting
(21:58):
at the top of the hour, it's Kansas City at
Baltimore Game one. In the National League, It's Mets Brewers
in Milwaukee Game one at five thirty, and Game one
of the best of three series between the Braves and
Padres in San Diego is tonight at eight thirty.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
The start of the Major League Playoffs also when Reds
fans get mad again about their team not being in
the playoffs, Yes, because it just brings back, It just
brings back all of the reasons of why you just
want to be a part of this one so great?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Not mad, jealousy.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Jealousy, Yeah, exactly, it's jealousy, like it's so great. MLB
playoffs are just are just as good as it gets. Man,
the atmospheres are unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
The yeah, like, well, especially it's so watered down. Now,
you know, Kansas small market, Kansas City, small market, Milwaukee,
quote small market, San Diego, small market, Baltimore.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
There they are in the playoffs. There they are in
some cases hosting series. There's a managerial search if you
want to, Yeah, get exciting. Great skiped Schumacher, Yeah, suddenly
skips Schumarcher lost a hundred games last year. Not his fault, but.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Every small thing that went wrong with the Reds this year,
David Bell's fault.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Yes, don't go there yet. Don't go there yet. Let's
focus on another team that's playing problems. Okay, they have
a lot of those.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Two. What's your best guess on Trey Hendrickson?
Speaker 1 (23:23):
So Trey like, I feel like Trey nearly dies on
the field and then plays the next week like three
times a year. He looked on television like, I mean, yeah,
it was scary. It was a super scary moment. And
then yesterday the locker room, I mean, he's just good spirits,
looking good, dapping people up, seem fine. I know the
(23:45):
reports from no nerve damage out. I mean, I just
feel like this happens a lot where he just has
stuff right, Like he's just constantly battling through stuff. He
plays a style that things happen. Yeah, hopefully it's not
too many things where he's laying there on the grass
like that. But yeah, I think there's a there's a chance.
I mean I believe that it's a let's see what
(24:07):
does happen as the week goes on. I don't think
they know for sure until you start really getting him
out there.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
But Miles murphyable practice, do we think he plays.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Again? He has not been out there doing a full practice,
so it's sort of like it's sort of like when
they were trying to work T Higgins back. It's like, Okay,
well he's got to get out there and practice and
see what it feels and looks like he just he
hasn't been on the practice field, So what what does
it look like? I I my gut would right now
would be probably not. But you know, you get him
(24:42):
out there and see what it looks like and see
if there's a role that he can play.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Yeah. Uh. In the day and age we live in,
there's a lot of folks who deal with the uncertainty
of you know, possible job loss, and they go to
bed sometimes wondering like man's tomorrow. The day Brad Robbins
went to bed on Sunday evening, I would imagine knowing
full well, I uh, I'm gonna be fired.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Yeah, that's that. Well, do the procedural thing on Bunday, yes,
put him on the active roster, and then bang on
the next day. I tried to envision Brad's reaction as
he watched every Rico punt hit the air just go away,
just his head, his neck snaps up like whoa, and
he's like oh. Immediately like pulls out his phone and
he's like, so, do you know of any openings or
(25:27):
kind of update my LinkedIn? I don't know like what
yeh exactly he's going for, But I mean, look, this
is what we said when when the injury happened. Yeah,
you're you're opening up an opportunity for somebody else to
come in and take it from you and.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Uh and maybe be the greatest punter ever ever. Ever.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Have we ever seen suddenly like they have a real
weapon at punter? Yeah, I mean yeah, I it's the
third guy in the door. At when it was like,
what there's a third punter? Hunt, turns out he might
be the greatest punter in the history of the NFL. Yeah,
at least the greatest, the greatest uh nine punt stretch.
I had a hard time putting the sentence together when
(26:05):
I tweeted this the greatest nine punts stretch and NFL
history it might have been, but might have been.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
I mean I remember, like one of those first training
camp practices someone tweeted about the three punters and I'm like, well.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Who's that? Who's like it did? Did I in a raffle?
And it's like fantasy camp?
Speaker 2 (26:27):
And now now, yeah, like you said, bona fide weapon
in camp in preseason, he wasn't consistent, so you kind
of worry about that. But yeah, wow, yeah, he would
have sporadic shanks where it felt like it with sideways
into the bushes. You know, like everybody you ever when
you're messing around in the backyard, there was always the one,
the one kid who like couldn't kick straight or whatever,
(26:49):
and yeah, they were like you ever gone to a tailgate? Yea,
some of the passes that get thrown. Oh yes, what
some of those punts look like? Right?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Yeah, well, because you know, you're so used to seeing
most of them looking exactly the same from a professional punner,
like I watched Kevin Huber my entire career. They all there,
they go right in that same way, same spot, same arc,
like solid and been. But then every like fourth one
you would just see it, like go into the street
and some guy out there who was in the RAF
four that almost ran over to Higgins has to stop
and bring the ball back in, you know, like uh
(27:19):
but no. But since but since it's been game time,
I mean, that's been the thing is when he did
hit it, even in practice, and you see it now,
it just looks different. I mean, I don't know what's
going on. I was talking to Tyson Anderson a little
bit yesterday and he's like, it's you know, it's not
obviously not just how far it's going the hangtime is
to cover high that He's like, I just I have more.
(27:40):
I have so much time to get down there and
be right there. And the returner is surprised that I'm
right there because they're running backwards, thinking well, when I
do this, I have plenty of space behind me. Turn around.
How could someone be right there? Because the ball was
hit so high and far that it's just tons of
time for him. You get done, and you saw that
on That's where you end up with the net sixty
(28:01):
one because you've got somebody on in coverage right there.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Yeah, here's what I liked about Sunday's game. Uh Amarnius
Mims plays and plays well. Chris Jenkins makes an important
play early in.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
The game on the goal line stand and then Eric
all Eric Hall, yeah, who how do you not love?
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Eric?
Speaker 1 (28:20):
John Anthony made a really nice play which is throat
for him. Yes, he said he was gonna get a.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Chance done, and I was. I was really happy for him.
But there's the twenty twenty four class and the search
is over for this tight end they've been looking for
since I was like eleven years old. This guy who
can block, who can catch passes. Yeah, who can do
a little bit of everything. Eric Hall. I am in
charge of the Eric Hall Fan Club.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Not since Rodney Holman, right right, like yes, do you
feel like you have somebody?
Speaker 2 (28:47):
It's like the red search for a leadoff hitter for
my entire adult life. They've been looking for a leadoff
hitter well before my adult life started. They've been looking
for a tight end. I could do everything, play him
every down, tight end. Not like they've had good tight
drew sample is a good tight end at this one
particular skill. They've had other guys who were good tight
ends at one particular thing. Eric All is everything.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Two plays stood out to me, both of them that
happened on the perimeter with Eric All. So not even
get into how many times and how many is there
a place that they can still motion him from that
they haven't yet? I mean there, bring him in from
all over the place. He's playing h back, he's motioning
in from the outside. But two plays on the outside
that stood up to me stood to me. The one
(29:32):
where he makes the guy miss to get the first
down in the I guess the four minute drill there
they were kind of running there at the end of
the to and and you know, shows elusiveness in a
one on one matchup in space. Hadn't really seen that yet,
and it's like, wow, you add that to the mix.
And then the kind of check down in the flat
to Chase Brown, and he had the safety locked up
(29:55):
for what felt like the entirety of the play and
pushed him all the way back. So Chase Brown sneaks
by him and goes and gets eleven yards on a
give up checkdown, all because Eric All is just destroying
the safety out there on the edge. And it's like, man,
that is such a game changer when you can have
somebody that can just sustain and finish and move guys
on the outside where you're you know, again, not even
(30:18):
the objective of that play necessarily just ends up there.
But because he's winning so much, it frees up Chase
Brown to get that yardage when you can do that
on top of everything else that he's doing just in
the regular part of the job, a tight down on
the inside. Yeah, and he's making such a difference, and
they're you know, they're running twelve personnel now more than
anybody in the league, which again this is eleven personnel
(30:40):
more than anybody in the league since Zach Taylor walked
on the door and loves it being that way, you know,
I think you have to appreciate their willingness to go
with something different. But it's all because of Eric Hall. Yeah,
like and you notice gets sicky now. A lot of
this was because of the way the game went where
they're I mean, Cody Ford had four team snaps because
(31:01):
they're just trying. They were going big so often. But
you see Eric All now tight end one and Gsicki
down there in a smaller amount as they were going
bigger towards the end of the game. But I think
that's I don't think that necessarily a flash into pain.
I think that Eric All tight end one is kind
of he's such a chess piast for them right now
and the way that that he's playing and the way
(31:21):
they can use it.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
And he had a block and you and Ja talked
about it the postgame pod on.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
I think it was Chase's first touchdown run before he
came over from the right side, and he probably still
scores if he doesn't make the block.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
But if you watch the play in real time, the
first thing you notice is.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Eric Hall's block flies in that yes, many times in
my life where I've said the Bengals scored a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
And the thing that I noticed first was a tight
end block.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
He's so good at that. I remember the first time
I saw it in camp where they had him do
that in a gold line drill or whatever. And I
tracked down Dan Pitcher in the in the locker room
and I was like, how about that. Yeah, that's a thing,
and he and you know, his face was like, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
We're we're going to go.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
It's like we're gonna go build a whole chapter of
our playbook or on that stuff. And they have, like
they just they've kept finding different ways for him to
come in as a surprise guy. And he said, no,
that's what I did. Like I that's what I did.
And when you're at Michigan and you're at Iowa, man,
like they do, they trade, they train your right and
and that's the type of stuff that he did and
he will. It's one of his favorite things to do.
(32:23):
And it's like he loves the collision and he loves,
you know, doing coming in from those angles. And they've
really been beneficial with that. It's a great addition to
the downhill gap run game, because the downhill game and
these big powerful guys just going forward. When you can
bring somebody out and trap them across, it can it
can open up holes. And it's done that a ton
is They've become one of the more efficient running teams.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
One of the things I like to do is when
the Bengals finish the draft, we try to get their
position coaches on because those are the guys in college
you know the most, and in many cases we're really
responsible for recruiting them. So the Iowa position coaches former
Bengal a duel Hodge, who coached Sam Laporta, and I said, like,
had he had compare him to Sam Laporta, because you know,
(33:07):
of course he's gonna say these nice things about the guy.
But it's like, you coach Sam Laporta and he's like, oh,
he might be better, and like he's like, Sam's really good.
You guys know he's really good. He might be better.
He's like, there's really nothing he can't do. He's like,
unfortunately he had the injury here, so you didn't get
a chance to see it as much. He's like, but
I coached both, he's as good. Instead it not placating
(33:29):
me or the audience. I could tell he had no
problem saying, you know, Sam Laporta's gonna have a really
good pro careers off to a great start. I think
this guy's equally talented.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Yeah, And it's so unfair. I remember, you know, kind
of ranting about this in the beginning. People said, oh,
he's gonna be the next George Kittle, and that was
I hate putting those expectations the guys when they're first drafted,
when those.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
George Kittle might be the next Eric all.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Right, right, but it's like I hate that, But it
came from where you could see it. You could see
a guy where if they can take all these pieces
that he's shown and he stays healthy, you could see
how it could come together. And that's what happens with
all of these developmental tight ends that get drafted. And
that's why you see so many third, fourth, fifth round
(34:14):
tight ends end up being great because so much of
the stuff that has to get put together and make
it work on the next level. And there's reasons why
they aren't, you know, in the top first or second round.
What's this because they probably didn't get the opportunity to
do the same stuff those Furs second rounders did, and
Eric all seems like kind of the premium case of that,
And it makes a ton of sense why they, you know,
(34:36):
kind of aggressively went after him the way they did.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Could the Bengals offensive line actually be good?
Speaker 1 (34:43):
It is. It's a good line. It's it's very good.
It's good at what they built it to be good
at protecting Joe Burrow. They got a bunch of giant
pass protect first guys. Okay, so everybody they have. Their
specialty is protection essentially, and they valued that. And it
(35:04):
shows when he drops back and has time. I mean
that we're gonna spend all day playing replays of Jamar
Chase and just the one of the more ridiculous plays
of an already ridiculousory. Right, how about the fact that
if you have time to wait for the backside did
to come through, is the only way you can even
make that throw? I mean, and how many times have
(35:25):
we said, oh, if he just would have had another tick,
he could have got to this. He's able to get
to those, yeah, And they're able, more importantly, Zach Taylor
Dan Pitcher are able to confidently call those longer developing
plays on third down or whatever if they want to
take a shot and they feel like they can because
they're not worried about it getting blown up and looking
(35:49):
like every play from twenty twenty one looked like, yeah,
that never quite developed and then get well, you're they
run such long developing routes. Well, yeah, because there's a
lot that can be had in that area, and that's
why you're seeing them really carve people up in that
intermediate level because they're able to access it a lot
better and more consistently with this line.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Awesome as always.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Yeah, uh here.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
That podcast growling Yes the ground.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Yeah, I'm sorry, used to be used to be sorr. Right,
we've evolved, you know whatever, it's all the same balls,
don't lie.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
The Athletic dot Com Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
I only have a couple of outlets. Jay Jay has more,
has more than me. He does, He's got a lot. Yes,
it's gonna make history. He's gonna make history, which I
which I love it. But yeah, I know it's it's great.
I hope hope everybody listens. We're we're having we're having
a blast on those shows. So it's been fun.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
It's good stuff. Thank you as always, thank you, all right,
Paul Danner Junior read him the Athletic Athletic dot Com.
We're here at Buffalo Wild Wings in Cole Rain, thanks
to our friends at bud Light. We've got Bengals Ravens
tickets for you. We've got a bud Light Bengals cooler.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
We've got buy one, get one half all traditional wings,
and so much more. Uh.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Some thoughts on the passing of the hit Kin coming
up on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station
So with the Ravens. Coverage starts Sunday morning at nine
on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Bengals's.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yes, we guest fifteen thirty four minutes at Block. Thank
you so much for joining us up. We are having
a good Tuesday afternoon. We are here at Buffalo Wild Wings,
cold rain, and this is a week five of what
we're calling the butt Light Football Fest. Thanks to our
friends at bud Light. We're here at a different Buffalo
Wild Wings every single week and we are loaded. And
(00:33):
when I say we're loaded, ye, the show is loaded.
Which we'll get to here in a second. First of all,
here at beat Ups, we've got buy one, get one
half of Traditional Wings. You can't beat that. Every single Tuesday,
We've got bud Light specials. And our friends at bud
Light have also given us tickets to the game on Sunday,
Bengals Ravens massive AFC North matchup at the venue formerly
(00:57):
known as Paul Brown Stadium. If you want to win.
We had a guy that showed up. We were in
Hamilton last week and he got here at got there
at six oh two and said, I want to sign
up for the tickets and I said, you'll have to
come to cole Rain next week because we've already given
them away. So don't don't make the mistake that that
guy did, and don't show up at six oh I mean,
you're more than welcome to come to be Dubs at
(01:18):
six oh two. That's fine, but you're not going to
be eligible to win tickets, So get here between now
and six o'clock. But we've also got one of those
cool bud Light coolers Bengals bud Light Coolers, the single
greatest cooler in the history of coolers. Other swag as well.
You got to be here to win. If you're in
the house, go ahead and sign up and we'll draw
names throughout the course of the afternoon. Paul Dayner Junior
(01:42):
is en route. My understanding is traffic on the Ronald
Reagan Cross County Highway has slowed things up just a
little bit, and so Paul is gonna be here. We
obviously have a lot to talk about with him. Bengals
coming off their win over the Carolina Panthers getting set
for Sunday's matchup, lots of changes to discuss, per apps
on the defense, and a robust offensive performance to sift
(02:04):
through as well. We'll do that with Paul as soon
as he gets here. Our buddy Sean Sayed from a
summer sports as well, coming up at five twenty, a
guy who has made us smarter every single week that
he has joined our show. We are looking forward to that.
It is obviously a sad day, and I don't have
any issue categorizing it as such. I'm gonna spend a
(02:30):
little bit more time in the four o'clock hour talking
about the passing of Pete Rose. I had two instant
thoughts last night, one of which I'll get to in
the four o'clock hour. One of which, though was just
that just because you know that the ending is going
(02:51):
to be sad, doesn't make it any sadder or any
less sad, I should say when the ending actually come.
And I think we've known for quite a while that
whenever Pete passed, which hopefully was going to come later
rather than sooner, but whenever he passed, he was going
(03:12):
to die exiled from baseball and not in the Hall
of Fame. And I don't know for me so much
a tragic figure, but I've I've put it this way
over the years doing this show that Pete Rose. Not
being in the Hall of Fame, and what we have
(03:32):
come to know about Pete in essentially the second half
of his life has robbed this city to the degree
that we've never really been able to completely and fully
celebrate someone who's I think more closely identified to this
(03:54):
day with this city and with its baseball team than anyone.
And I've put it in terms like, you know, you
you watch what happens at spring training across the sport,
and you'll see Willie McGee in Cardinals camp, and you'll see,
you know, different New York Yankees at Yankee Camp, some
(04:16):
of them Hall of famers, some of them not so much.
Pete Rose never got to do that. Fans never got
a chance to see that. Every time he was celebrated,
every time he was brought back, whether it be for
his statue or for the Reds to put him in
their own Hall of Fame, or for the All Star
Game in twenty fifteen when they celebrated the twenty fifth
(04:37):
anniversary of forty one, ninety two and twenty ten. It's
those those commemorations have always occurred against the backdrop I
think of sadness that they had to get they had
to get permission to be able to do those things,
and they have Pete Rose back, and that's that's not
how it's supposed to be. And so we knew that
wasn't gonna change. I think we all knew that. You know,
(04:58):
Baseball was not gonna let him back in. He wasn't
suddenly going to pop up on the ballot to get
to Cooperstown. That's frankly not how it works. And yet
there was a finality to yesterday that I just think,
from the perspective of someone who lives here, made me
awfully sad. So I've got more thoughts that I'll get
to coming up in the four o'clock hour, and Rick
(05:19):
Walls from the Reds Hall of Fame a museum, we
will spend a few minutes with us, coming up at
four to twenty. But Paul's here, what's up? How's it going?
Speaker 1 (05:26):
It's going right?
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You know.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Anytime I think of Pete Rose now, I think about
my old beat partner Jim Ozarski, who when we hired
Jim back in twenty fifteen, in that season was the
All Star Game summer, right, And we hired him that
summer to be ready to go before the football season started.
So he moves here from Chicago Milwaukee. He was kind
(05:51):
of doing stuff up in that area, and you know
with hey, you're gonna go cover the NFL. He's covering
the Packers at one point. And then the first thing
he had to do is like, before you do that,
you have to just stalk Pete Rose for three days
because the All Star Game was coming. Pete was gonna
be able to be out there. Here's gonna be a
big deal, and we were gonna write this big story
(06:12):
on sort of Pete's weekend in Cincinnati and whatever. And
so he's like, wait, you want me to do what? Like, yeah,
so understand everything your is to know about Pete Rose
in the city of Cincinnati, and then go follow him
and all of his people around as long as you can,
and then you can go cover the NFL. And that
was basically how he was introduced to covering sports in Cincinnati.
(06:33):
Otherwise known in many group cats as hashtag Pete Beet
That I went was what he ended up on. So
but he ended up doing a great job covering NFL
for four years. Never had to go back on Pete
Pete again.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Every right, now, Yeah, Well, and I'm sure Pete did
not say no to the coverage. I mean, I am
sure he did not.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Steff armed Pete was happy to have anybody around him
that wanted to come around. I was happy to have
an audience, Yes, no doubt about that. We're happy to
have you here.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
There's a lot to discuss as it relates to the
Bengals win over Carolina, what's coming up on Sunday. The
vibe in the aftermath of that game from a fan perspective,
was weird because I don't think anybody was exuberant. I
wanted to be maybe, and you could point some positives
that unfolded on on Sunday and Charlotte, but but there
(07:17):
wasn't exuberance. I think there was apprehension. I think there's
some fear. I think there's some dread. I think there's
some concern. It's a weird place to be after their
first victory of the season.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, it was more, you know, a question that I
spent a lot of time trying to It wasn't the
traditional like how do you feel? But it was like
is this relief because you know it's just until it happens,
and it had been building and so much tension had
been building around the facility that you were wondering, like,
is this is Does that feel like relief? And I
(07:47):
think yes, to some it did, but I think it's
it's underscored by the fact that, look, they just still
they bought themselves time. Yes, they bought themselves another week
to continue to try to figure it out out, to
maybe get a few more bodies in the building to
help them figure it out health wise, and that was
where they're at right now, is that this was something
(08:09):
they had to have. And so there's a relief in that,
but a pretty clear understanding that there's just so far
to go for them, specifically defensively obviously, to get this
thing to where it needs to be for them to
do something like compete with what you saw on Sunday
Night football later that night when the Ravens took the field.
And so I think that there is a sense of
(08:31):
relief getting that first one, but also understanding that when
the hole's this deep, there's probably not going to be
a ton of relief until you, you know, clinch a
playoff birth because it's just going to be a struggle
to go up at here.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I do think from a fan perspective though, that a
lot more of that vibe had to do with Sunday
night than Sunday afternoon. Yes, because I think on Sunday afternoon,
I mean I'd been talking to people. I was out
for a station appearance, and it was all right, well,
you know, Baltimore could lose tonight, that Buffalo team's really good.
Then you get a chance to sort of deliver a
knockout blow and then Derek Henry runs for a billion yards.
(09:05):
They look great, they don't blow a lead, and they've
won consecutive games. And now there's a sense of dread.
And so I think that's more based on how Baltimore
played than anything the Bengals did, although the way the
Bengals played certainly did show some cause for concern.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, I mean, you know, watching them see their strength
come together on national television as in direct relation to
this team's weakness, it was a lot to take in,
I think, But look, at some point, I mean, you
get you need this defense to get itself to a
level that you can count on your offense to go
(09:42):
up there and be able to go toe to toe
with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens and beat them in shootouts.
I mean, you're gonna be playing shootouts a lot of issue.
I mean, there's just it's hard to see a version
of this team that their wins look anything other than that.
But you just got to get something and it can't
be I mean, honestly, if I could give you right
now that the Ravens would rush for less than two
(10:04):
hundred for for let's just say, not more than two
hundred yards, yeah, okay, would you take it? Of course?
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yes, how about not two seventy? Right, It's like this,
you just Henry rush for less than two hundred much
less the team I think right now it feels like
that's something that you would that you would take. That said,
I mean, you know, I don't think that they're that
far off the Ravens necessarily, because again, I think their offense,
(10:34):
even against a good, you know, a solid Ravens defense,
can can go step for step. I mean the level
that they're playing at offensively right now, with obviously an
asterisk on Washington and Carolina's defenses not exactly being world beaters,
but I do think that they're capable of going step
for step with them if they can just get a
(10:55):
couple of stops. You know, you just get the one play,
the one turnover, that type of stuff that can get
the ball going the other way. Their offense is good
enough to go with anybody, and I think you can
you can start there. That is the thing that came
out of Sunday for me is that, Okay, this wasn't
flashing the pan. The steps that you saw them take
(11:16):
in Kansas City, then a little bit bigger step you
saw them take against Washington was another step offensively against Carolina.
And now you feel like you're really seeing the vision
blossom offensively. And that's enough to beat anybody at any
time in Teams that have offenses that perform at that
level of efficiency make the playoffs even with terrible defenses.
(11:39):
And so that is something that you can certainly build
around and gain some confidence from.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
All right, hold that thought, we'll build upon that. It's
sixteen after three o'clock. Paul Danner Junior covers the Bengals
for The Athletic Does the growl At podcast latest edition,
Balls Don't Lie, came out today with myself and Jay Morrison.
Go find that, as we say, where you get your podcast.
Follow Paul on x at Paul Dayner Junior. It is
sixteen minutes after three o'clock. I'm at Buffalo Wild Wings
(12:07):
in Colrain. I'm here till six. Paul's here till four.
Come on out and see us. This is ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN twenty.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Three after three, ESPN fifteen to thirty broadcasting today from
Buffalo Wild Wings. Paul Rain here till six. The prize
box is here. We've got Bengals raven sickets to give
away and the greatest Bengals cooler of all time. Thanks
for our friends at clud Light. We have bud Light
specials and buy one, get one half off Traditional Wings.
Our friend Paul Dayner Junior.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Is here from the Athletic follow on x at Paul
Dayner Junior. You know I, you and I go to
a lot of sports bars. Yeah, we've been to a few.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
I gotta say this setup with the arena style four
sided hanging giant screens in the middle is my favorite
sports bar setup because everybody in the place can have
the massive screen to see what they want. This is
what This is what I envisioned your basement looking like.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
It's not quite that nice, but I mean it has
a television.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
That's the only thing that connects you. It has a bar,
It does have a bar. Yeah, it's got frame jerseys.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yeah that's it.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
No, I just I envisioned you living a living a
lavish life.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Just a lap of luxury. Yeah, my servants, my butler's.
It's just it's incredible. All right. You wrote about the
defense low and Rumo's reaction to what was going on
with some of the defensive players on Sunday and what
he's talked about as it relates to to what's next.
Cam Taylor bred had an awful game. How much should
(13:46):
I chalk that up to good player had an awful game?
Or uh oh uh, this is gonna be a problem
moving forward.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
I think you should chalk most of it up to
good play had an awful game, just because for me,
the sample size of what percentage of games in his
career since since the start of twenty twenty two? Have
you seen Cam Taylor be a liability be a problem?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
One? Yeah? Right now?
Speaker 1 (14:18):
How many games do you gotta watch of a guy
and say, Okay, I'll lean more into what I've seen
than what that was. Now, what I think I think
it gets, you know, we don't talk about We talk
about it more because of Luanna Romo's reaction. Luanna Romo's
reaction was right because it was in response to the
situation they are in as a team. This is the urgency,
(14:41):
this is the oh and threeness of this is there
is no room for air. I mean, Loose had a
couple of times around here, Loose had a couple of
times just this is with where we're at, there is
no time to let anything slip, and especially on his
side of the ball, as he is somebody and they
all somebody feeling a lot of pressure right now. And
(15:03):
I think that was a direct reaction to that situation,
maybe more so than it was to Cam Taylor Britt specifically,
who did have a terrible day. But over the if
this was a norm, if they were two and two
and the defense had been fine, Let's let Cam's confidence stay.
Let's talk to him after the next drive, tell him
(15:25):
to get things straightened up and settle down. Well, it
wasn't like he was benched. I mean, he played, he played,
he rotated, and he kind he needed to, like LW said,
settle him down, pull him off to the side and
be like you need to take a like he got demoted,
but he wasn't, you know, and tell him, you know,
take it also partially as freak clothes. You know, we
had already seen DJ Turner before that come in for
(15:48):
Dax Hill, and so there was a rotation. Clearly they
were looking for ways to get DJ involved because they
had liked what they'd seen from him in practice in
the week's leading up, in the very small sample size
of actual plays that he'd had. So when that's the case,
and then you know, you could sense Lou talking about
the flashbacks he was feeling to when Cam got beat
(16:09):
deep in Kansas City and and you know some of
the things that were going on there where he's just like,
you know what, not taking any chances. Let's get DJ
Turner in there until we can get Cam settled down,
because he is a radical the word that we heard used.
That's concerning stuff. But I also think when you look
at them, how much he's played who he's typically been,
(16:31):
maybe the motivation let's see what he's made of, right,
Let's see how he reacts to this and hope that
it doesn't ding his confidence and he still goes out
there and can understand that if you don't go out
there and do things the way that we're teaching it
and the way that you know it needs to be done,
you're not going to be playing anymore. And and maybe
that was something that needed to be reiterated to him
(16:51):
this week. How much closer is Jordan Battle to seeing
significant playing time? I don't think that close. I mean,
judging by I, you know, what we'd heard in the
weeks leading up to this, and then lose response to that,
to the question about it yesterday, I just.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Not the most ringing endorsement yesterday.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
No, and and pointing out that he was slow to
start for whatever reason. Yeah, okay, so not getting into it,
but he can't slow to start the Bengels Geno Stone, Geno.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
That's fair the guy that I was most excited about them.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
So yeah, yeah, you know it's it's not just slow
to start, is slow to finish and slow to tackle.
Yeah so you yeah, the Geno. So the Geno Stone thing.
The one worry of coming from coming over was gonna
be Okay, well, you're giving up a little bit as
a tackler, but you're not going Nick Scott right, You're
where you feel like you're getting the payoff and coverage
(17:48):
and anticipation in creating turnovers that you thought you were in.
Now we haven't seen that as much. We have seen
the mist tackles in the bad angle. I mean that
Cuba covered angle is one of the worst you'll see
a safety take. That's the stuff that just kills you,
and that was supposed to be with you know, that's
(18:09):
not speed. I mean it's partially speed, but that's understanding
where you're going, and you know that's the one thing
you're supposed to have, is knowing where to go and
knowing the angles by going with the veteran no ball safeties,
that's supposed to be what the one thing you're supposed
to be able to count on. So that that's obviously troubling.
(18:30):
I can I still believe that one. There's reverberations from
last year that I think there was more error being
committed by Jordan Battle that we don't really know about
because of all the communication and actual like logistics of
(18:50):
how the defense operates that you wouldn't see if you're
grading or if you're just watching it. You see the
splash plays, right, and those the ones where you know
he's coming up, he's making the tackle he's attacking, like
all of that stuff is worthwhile. But I just think
there's still a lot of memories of last year in
the back of Lou's head, not wanting to go to
(19:12):
that where guys don't know where they're going and the
communications not good enough, and so for that reason, until
something changes dramatically behind the scenes with Jordan Battle taking
more steps or progress or whatever it was just called yesterday,
I mean I think that they're content for right now
to stick with these guys. Well, I'm having flashbacks watching
(19:34):
Joe Stone to IRV Smith, he's the IRV Smith of safeties.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, you don't want to be the RB right, correct. No,
if somebody says that your work you're the IRV Smith
of bank teller, probably time to get out of the
bank telling business.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Unless it's hey, you were terrible at your job but
still got over a million dollars like that would be.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Over well and again, like the guy of all the
dudes they signed this offseason, the guy I was most
excited about was Geno Stone. Yeah. If I'm if you're
evoking IRV Smith memories, not good at a position that's
entirely different than the one that IRV Smith played.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
They were saving it up for this week when he
goes against his former team, and he's gonna make the
big play.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
They you know it's time. Yeah, No, you're right, it's
time for Genostone to be to be a guy and
make a big play, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I want to ask you if you have ever woken
up before in the same predicament that Brad Robbins woke
up in yesterday morning. When we come back, it's twenty
nine away from four o'clock. He's Paul Danner Junior, The
Growler Podcast, The walk Out on Sunday, The Balls Don't
Lie Today.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Yes, the Jay has hair. Yeah, Jay has hair. So
we're kind of working through that now. We're not really
sure what we're gonna do with his hair, other than
maybe we have to shave.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
It is twenty eight away from four o'clock. We're a
Buffalo Wild Wings in Cole Rain on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Station SINCY three sixty with Tony Pike. Do we want
to move on the dot to keep Gordon and Boston elmore?
Speaker 1 (21:09):
I think you should continue.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Let me keep going there, Sincy three sixty Tomorrow which
twelve noons on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Since the passports headlines our service of Kelsey Chevrolet, home
of lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their
family to yours for life kelseyschev dot com. The city
of Cincinnati continues to mourn the passing Pete Rose. We'll
chat with Rick Walls from the Red's Hall of Fama
Museum coming up at four to twenty today. The Bengals
(21:38):
are off today, getting said for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
That game live on ESPN fifteen thirty. Pregame coverage on
Sunday morning starts at nine o'clock. The Wild Card Round
is underway Game one in Houston between the Tigers and Astros.
Detroit has a three nothing lead, with the Astros at
the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting
(21:58):
at the top of the hour, it's Kansas City at
Baltimore Game one. In the National League, It's Mets Brewers
in Milwaukee Game one at five thirty, and Game one
of the best of three series between the Braves and
Padres in San Diego is tonight at eight thirty.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
The start of the Major League Playoffs also when Reds
fans get mad again about their team not being in
the playoffs, Yes, because it just brings back, It just
brings back all of the reasons of why you just
want to be a part of this one so great?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Not mad, jealousy.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Jealousy, Yeah, exactly, it's jealousy, like it's so great. MLB
playoffs are just are just as good as it gets. Man,
the atmospheres are unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
The yeah, like, well, especially it's so watered down. Now,
you know, Kansas small market, Kansas City, small market, Milwaukee,
quote small market, San Diego, small market, Baltimore.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
There they are in the playoffs. There they are in
some cases hosting series. There's a managerial search if you
want to, Yeah, get exciting. Great skiped Schumacher, Yeah, suddenly
skips Schumarcher lost a hundred games last year. Not his fault, but.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Every small thing that went wrong with the Reds this year,
David Bell's fault.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Yes, don't go there yet. Don't go there yet. Let's
focus on another team that's playing problems. Okay, they have
a lot of those.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Two. What's your best guess on Trey Hendrickson?
Speaker 1 (23:23):
So Trey like, I feel like Trey nearly dies on
the field and then plays the next week like three
times a year. He looked on television like, I mean, yeah,
it was scary. It was a super scary moment. And
then yesterday the locker room, I mean, he's just good spirits,
looking good, dapping people up, seem fine. I know the
(23:45):
reports from no nerve damage out. I mean, I just
feel like this happens a lot where he just has
stuff right, Like he's just constantly battling through stuff. He
plays a style that things happen. Yeah, hopefully it's not
too many things where he's laying there on the grass
like that. But yeah, I think there's a there's a chance.
I mean I believe that it's a let's see what
(24:07):
does happen as the week goes on. I don't think
they know for sure until you start really getting him
out there.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
But Miles murphyable practice, do we think he plays.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Again? He has not been out there doing a full practice,
so it's sort of like it's sort of like when
they were trying to work T Higgins back. It's like, Okay,
well he's got to get out there and practice and
see what it feels and looks like he just he
hasn't been on the practice field, So what what does
it look like? I I my gut would right now
would be probably not. But you know, you get him
(24:42):
out there and see what it looks like and see
if there's a role that he can play.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Yeah. Uh. In the day and age we live in,
there's a lot of folks who deal with the uncertainty
of you know, possible job loss, and they go to
bed sometimes wondering like man's tomorrow. The day Brad Robbins
went to bed on Sunday evening, I would imagine knowing
full well, I uh, I'm gonna be fired.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Yeah, that's that. Well, do the procedural thing on Bunday, yes,
put him on the active roster, and then bang on
the next day. I tried to envision Brad's reaction as
he watched every Rico punt hit the air just go away,
just his head, his neck snaps up like whoa, and
he's like oh. Immediately like pulls out his phone and
he's like, so, do you know of any openings or
(25:27):
kind of update my LinkedIn? I don't know like what
yeh exactly he's going for, But I mean, look, this
is what we said when when the injury happened. Yeah,
you're you're opening up an opportunity for somebody else to
come in and take it from you and.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Uh and maybe be the greatest punter ever ever. Ever.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Have we ever seen suddenly like they have a real
weapon at punter? Yeah, I mean yeah, I it's the
third guy in the door. At when it was like,
what there's a third punter? Hunt, turns out he might
be the greatest punter in the history of the NFL. Yeah,
at least the greatest, the greatest uh nine punt stretch.
I had a hard time putting the sentence together when
(26:05):
I tweeted this the greatest nine punts stretch and NFL
history it might have been, but might have been.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
I mean I remember, like one of those first training
camp practices someone tweeted about the three punters and I'm like, well.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Who's that? Who's like it did? Did I in a raffle?
And it's like fantasy camp?
Speaker 2 (26:27):
And now now, yeah, like you said, bona fide weapon
in camp in preseason, he wasn't consistent, so you kind
of worry about that. But yeah, wow, yeah, he would
have sporadic shanks where it felt like it with sideways
into the bushes. You know, like everybody you ever when
you're messing around in the backyard, there was always the one,
the one kid who like couldn't kick straight or whatever,
(26:49):
and yeah, they were like you ever gone to a tailgate? Yea,
some of the passes that get thrown. Oh yes, what
some of those punts look like? Right?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Yeah, well, because you know, you're so used to seeing
most of them looking exactly the same from a professional punner,
like I watched Kevin Huber my entire career. They all there,
they go right in that same way, same spot, same arc,
like solid and been. But then every like fourth one
you would just see it, like go into the street
and some guy out there who was in the RAF
four that almost ran over to Higgins has to stop
and bring the ball back in, you know, like uh
(27:19):
but no. But since but since it's been game time,
I mean, that's been the thing is when he did
hit it, even in practice, and you see it now,
it just looks different. I mean, I don't know what's
going on. I was talking to Tyson Anderson a little
bit yesterday and he's like, it's you know, it's not
obviously not just how far it's going the hangtime is
to cover high that He's like, I just I have more.
(27:40):
I have so much time to get down there and
be right there. And the returner is surprised that I'm
right there because they're running backwards, thinking well, when I
do this, I have plenty of space behind me. Turn around.
How could someone be right there? Because the ball was
hit so high and far that it's just tons of
time for him. You get done, and you saw that
on That's where you end up with the net sixty
(28:01):
one because you've got somebody on in coverage right there.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Yeah, here's what I liked about Sunday's game. Uh Amarnius
Mims plays and plays well. Chris Jenkins makes an important
play early in.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
The game on the goal line stand and then Eric
all Eric Hall, yeah, who how do you not love?
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Eric?
Speaker 1 (28:20):
John Anthony made a really nice play which is throat
for him. Yes, he said he was gonna get a.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Chance done, and I was. I was really happy for him.
But there's the twenty twenty four class and the search
is over for this tight end they've been looking for
since I was like eleven years old. This guy who
can block, who can catch passes. Yeah, who can do
a little bit of everything. Eric Hall. I am in
charge of the Eric Hall Fan Club.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Not since Rodney Holman, right right, like yes, do you
feel like you have somebody?
Speaker 2 (28:47):
It's like the red search for a leadoff hitter for
my entire adult life. They've been looking for a leadoff
hitter well before my adult life started. They've been looking
for a tight end. I could do everything, play him
every down, tight end. Not like they've had good tight
drew sample is a good tight end at this one
particular skill. They've had other guys who were good tight
ends at one particular thing. Eric All is everything.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Two plays stood out to me, both of them that
happened on the perimeter with Eric All. So not even
get into how many times and how many is there
a place that they can still motion him from that
they haven't yet? I mean there, bring him in from
all over the place. He's playing h back, he's motioning
in from the outside. But two plays on the outside
that stood up to me stood to me. The one
(29:32):
where he makes the guy miss to get the first
down in the I guess the four minute drill there
they were kind of running there at the end of
the to and and you know, shows elusiveness in a
one on one matchup in space. Hadn't really seen that yet,
and it's like, wow, you add that to the mix.
And then the kind of check down in the flat
to Chase Brown, and he had the safety locked up
(29:55):
for what felt like the entirety of the play and
pushed him all the way back. So Chase Brown sneaks
by him and goes and gets eleven yards on a
give up checkdown, all because Eric All is just destroying
the safety out there on the edge. And it's like, man,
that is such a game changer when you can have
somebody that can just sustain and finish and move guys
on the outside where you're you know, again, not even
(30:18):
the objective of that play necessarily just ends up there.
But because he's winning so much, it frees up Chase
Brown to get that yardage when you can do that
on top of everything else that he's doing just in
the regular part of the job, a tight down on
the inside. Yeah, and he's making such a difference, and
they're you know, they're running twelve personnel now more than
anybody in the league, which again this is eleven personnel
(30:40):
more than anybody in the league since Zach Taylor walked
on the door and loves it being that way, you know,
I think you have to appreciate their willingness to go
with something different. But it's all because of Eric Hall. Yeah,
like and you notice gets sicky now. A lot of
this was because of the way the game went where
they're I mean, Cody Ford had four team snaps because
(31:01):
they're just trying. They were going big so often. But
you see Eric All now tight end one and Gsicki
down there in a smaller amount as they were going
bigger towards the end of the game. But I think
that's I don't think that necessarily a flash into pain.
I think that Eric All tight end one is kind
of he's such a chess piast for them right now
and the way that that he's playing and the way
(31:21):
they can use it.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
And he had a block and you and Ja talked
about it the postgame pod on.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
I think it was Chase's first touchdown run before he
came over from the right side, and he probably still
scores if he doesn't make the block.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
But if you watch the play in real time, the
first thing you notice is.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Eric Hall's block flies in that yes, many times in
my life where I've said the Bengals scored a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
And the thing that I noticed first was a tight
end block.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
He's so good at that. I remember the first time
I saw it in camp where they had him do
that in a gold line drill or whatever. And I
tracked down Dan Pitcher in the in the locker room
and I was like, how about that. Yeah, that's a thing,
and he and you know, his face was like, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
We're we're going to go.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
It's like we're gonna go build a whole chapter of
our playbook or on that stuff. And they have, like
they just they've kept finding different ways for him to
come in as a surprise guy. And he said, no,
that's what I did. Like I that's what I did.
And when you're at Michigan and you're at Iowa, man,
like they do, they trade, they train your right and
and that's the type of stuff that he did and
he will. It's one of his favorite things to do.
(32:23):
And it's like he loves the collision and he loves,
you know, doing coming in from those angles. And they've
really been beneficial with that. It's a great addition to
the downhill gap run game, because the downhill game and
these big powerful guys just going forward. When you can
bring somebody out and trap them across, it can it
can open up holes. And it's done that a ton
is They've become one of the more efficient running teams.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
One of the things I like to do is when
the Bengals finish the draft, we try to get their
position coaches on because those are the guys in college
you know the most, and in many cases we're really
responsible for recruiting them. So the Iowa position coaches former
Bengal a duel Hodge, who coached Sam Laporta, and I said, like,
had he had compare him to Sam Laporta, because you know,
(33:07):
of course he's gonna say these nice things about the guy.
But it's like, you coach Sam Laporta and he's like, oh,
he might be better, and like he's like, Sam's really good.
You guys know he's really good. He might be better.
He's like, there's really nothing he can't do. He's like,
unfortunately he had the injury here, so you didn't get
a chance to see it as much. He's like, but
I coached both, he's as good. Instead it not placating
(33:29):
me or the audience. I could tell he had no
problem saying, you know, Sam Laporta's gonna have a really
good pro careers off to a great start. I think
this guy's equally talented.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Yeah, And it's so unfair. I remember, you know, kind
of ranting about this in the beginning. People said, oh,
he's gonna be the next George Kittle, and that was
I hate putting those expectations the guys when they're first drafted,
when those.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
George Kittle might be the next Eric all.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Right, right, but it's like I hate that, But it
came from where you could see it. You could see
a guy where if they can take all these pieces
that he's shown and he stays healthy, you could see
how it could come together. And that's what happens with
all of these developmental tight ends that get drafted. And
that's why you see so many third, fourth, fifth round
(34:14):
tight ends end up being great because so much of
the stuff that has to get put together and make
it work on the next level. And there's reasons why
they aren't, you know, in the top first or second round.
What's this because they probably didn't get the opportunity to
do the same stuff those Furs second rounders did, and
Eric all seems like kind of the premium case of that,
And it makes a ton of sense why they, you know,
(34:36):
kind of aggressively went after him the way they did.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Could the Bengals offensive line actually be good?
Speaker 1 (34:43):
It is. It's a good line. It's it's very good.
It's good at what they built it to be good
at protecting Joe Burrow. They got a bunch of giant
pass protect first guys. Okay, so everybody they have. Their
specialty is protection essentially, and they valued that. And it
(35:04):
shows when he drops back and has time. I mean
that we're gonna spend all day playing replays of Jamar
Chase and just the one of the more ridiculous plays
of an already ridiculousory. Right, how about the fact that
if you have time to wait for the backside did
to come through, is the only way you can even
make that throw? I mean, and how many times have
(35:25):
we said, oh, if he just would have had another tick,
he could have got to this. He's able to get
to those, yeah, And they're able, more importantly, Zach Taylor
Dan Pitcher are able to confidently call those longer developing
plays on third down or whatever if they want to
take a shot and they feel like they can because
they're not worried about it getting blown up and looking
(35:49):
like every play from twenty twenty one looked like, yeah,
that never quite developed and then get well, you're they
run such long developing routes. Well, yeah, because there's a
lot that can be had in that area, and that's
why you're seeing them really carve people up in that
intermediate level because they're able to access it a lot
better and more consistently with this line.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Awesome as always.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Yeah, uh here.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
That podcast growling Yes the ground.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Yeah, I'm sorry, used to be used to be sorr. Right,
we've evolved, you know whatever, it's all the same balls,
don't lie.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
The Athletic dot Com Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
I only have a couple of outlets. Jay Jay has more,
has more than me. He does, He's got a lot. Yes,
it's gonna make history. He's gonna make history, which I
which I love it. But yeah, I know it's it's great.
I hope hope everybody listens. We're we're having we're having
a blast on those shows. So it's been fun.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
It's good stuff. Thank you as always, thank you, all right,
Paul Danner Junior read him the Athletic Athletic dot Com.
We're here at Buffalo Wild Wings in Cole Rain, thanks
to our friends at bud Light. We've got Bengals Ravens
tickets for you. We've got a bud Light Bengals cooler.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
We've got buy one, get one half all traditional wings,
and so much more. Uh.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Some thoughts on the passing of the hit Kin coming
up on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station
Mo Egger News
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.