December 18, 2025 • 6 mins
Richard Skinner from Local 12 joined us to discuss the Bengals and the unending hamster wheel of misery that's been the 2025 season.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks twenty four after five o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Richard Skinner joins us on Wednesdays, sometimes before he helps
his high school basketball team that he coaches, Bludge and
Milma Mater, and sometimes at Texas Roadhouse. I don't know
what it is this week, but it's awesome to have you.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I appreciate that, mo. I'm sorry that we did that
to your team. I like the head coach, Steve Romeyer
very much, and they've actually they've actually won game since then,
so maybe it's just us. I hope it's just us.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Good win for you, guys, is what you're trying to say.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yes, very good.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
You outlined a pretty dark Sunday you've been You've been
covering this team and covering sports in various capacities for
a very long time. How would you encapsulate the last
week for the Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Bengals deflating and weird both deflating it. It seems like
there's no real change coming, whether it be in the
coaching situation or the front office situation. The quarterbacks in
a goofy, weird place, and you can even say a
dark place. You know something's amiss. You don't see what
(01:05):
you said last Wednesday then followed up with that performance
on Sunday without it being something, right, I don't know
what the something is. None of us know what the
something is. To me. I think it was a message
to the organization. I can't keep having major surgery and
rehabbing and coming back and you guys doing nothing to
help me out. I think that was the message. But
I'm not going to speak for and that's just my
takeaway from it. But yeah, I mean it's been a
(01:27):
it's been a weird and frustrating week.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
The game on Sunday. We've watched Joe Burrow have subpar games.
I've watched him make mistakes, certainly saw it against Buffalo,
like I've seen him play poorly. I think you had
to have watched that, like you you could look at
the box sper and go man, Burrow must not have played.
You had to have seen how that unfolded on Sunday,
I think to completely grasp what was going on with
(01:49):
him in this offense.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
No, I agree with that. Yeah, ye, to your point,
I mean, you can just look into way you didn't
play well. No, it was more than that. It was
it was more than that it was almost like a
guy's who lost his fire and his drive and was
resigned to whatever happened happened. And that's just not him.
That's not the guy I've watched cover and people change.
I get that, you know. I hope it's the organization
(02:11):
hasn't made him change because of and and to that
kind of a guy. The thing that's part of the
superpower is the competitiveness. It is the the gloving the grind,
loving the process, loving the test on a Sunday and
then seeing if you pass that test. And I think
Buffalo broke him, Does it mean it's broken him forever? No,
not forever. I'm super interested to see what this looks
(02:32):
like in nice weather, you know, against the Bleff football team. Uh,
and to see if there's a bounce back performance in
him especially and then you just go, Okay, that was
a weird outliar on a weird week that you're going
to look back on and go, he was broken. And
sometimes to get things fixed and tis patched back together,
you got to get broken. And I think Buffalo broken man.
(02:52):
And now it's a chance this week to start building
himself back up.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
If if people aren't going to lose their jobs and
they're not gonna swap out p people who are here
with folks from outside. How do things change this Offseason's.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Great question because and you could sense the frustration from
my frien Mike, but Patraya today because we've been trying
to get to speak to Duke Tobin for weeks now.
We actually put a formal request in a few weeks
ago try to get in to talk to us, and
it just keeps getting ducked and dodged, and to this
point has gone to know a vail. Mike's the president
at the local Pro Football Writers Association, so he put
a literally a formal written request in to talk to Duke.
(03:29):
I think he's gonna put another one in. So there
was some frustration there and I don't know, I mean,
I guess to go back to this, I know what
exact answer was today that you know we did this
in twenty one and twenty two. That's fine, Yeah you did,
and those same people were in place, But this is
a what have you done for me lately? League? And
sometimes what have you done for me lately? Year to year?
You've now had three straight misses and really kind of
(03:52):
a epic collapse this year with Joe Burrow. Without Joe Burrow,
you were still not going to be a very good
team this year because you've proven that. And I don't
know how you trust this, that that personnel department to
get it right. You know, you've now in the Zach
Taylor tenure, and I'll give you that credit for this
from today. He pointed the face, and the buck stops
(04:13):
with me and nobody else. And I'm guessing he's probably
covering for Duke because guess what again, we can't ask
that at the moment. Zack's the one that has to
answer the questions board, so he can certainly point the
finger inward and said, I got my fingerprint all over this. Okay,
I'll take your word at that. But so then what
makes me trust that you can get this right? Because
you did it twice when the other times you've had
five non playoff seasons out of your seven, and you've
(04:33):
had more losing season in the playoff season than your
ten yere three now, and I know the first two
years were kind of you know, gud Roster from the
end of the Marvel loose here, but you're still that's
on your record, man, So I don't know why all
these guys feel like they think they can get it right.
They've got it right less often than they've gotten it right,
and why would I trust them to get it right again?
(04:54):
That's the answer for Duke, til why should we trust
you to get this right? What makes us think as
and what makes you think the fans can think this
that you can get this right. I think it's a
great answer that that would come.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Is it that hard to simply say, Yeah, I've got
a contract for two more years and I hope I
can stay here even longer.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Uh No, I'm kind of with you. I I I
do think that he will eventually apologize to Mike personally.
I think that's who Zach is. I think it got
the way it was, fraz I did catch him off guard,
to be quite honest with you, because we've been talking
about this for a long time, Like get when we
get told that response, like i's the question for Duke,
(05:34):
the response from us has to be, well, we don't
get kids talking to Duke and God loved Mike because
that's literally snapped right back at him. And I thought
it was you know, I know people hate us as
reporters and all that, but I thought Mike hanle him
so great. I thought it was a great response, and
I think it caught Zach off guard. But I think
your point's right. I mean, the contract really deal isn't
any of our business. I'm a little surprised he didn't
(05:55):
announce it after the DAFT Championship. Gamme guys, right in
high off of the Super Bowl and an AFC champion game.
We just extended his cat for another year. And I
know again he was kind of even a polarizing figure then.
But wouldn't you be proud to announce that. If you
were proud to announce that, I would be. I would be.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
And again, if the answer is going to be, well,
ask ownership. That's cool, but you know, you know ownerships
never made available. That was bizarre. Today things are bad,
and that didn't do anything to make it better.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
No, it didn't, it didn't.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
It did not.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
This is my last Wednesday for the year, So thanks
for all the all the appearances, and we'll bother you
after the last game.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Thanks as always.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
That's our guy, Richard Skinner from Local twelve and Local
twelve dot com. I'll try to answer one of the questions.
I just asked Skinny. In just a few minutes, we'll
talk injuries with one of the many experts from Ortho Sincy.
Next on ESPN fifteen thirty
Thanks twenty four after five o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Richard Skinner joins us on Wednesdays, sometimes before he helps
his high school basketball team that he coaches, Bludge and
Milma Mater, and sometimes at Texas Roadhouse. I don't know
what it is this week, but it's awesome to have you.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I appreciate that, mo. I'm sorry that we did that
to your team. I like the head coach, Steve Romeyer
very much, and they've actually they've actually won game since then,
so maybe it's just us. I hope it's just us.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Good win for you, guys, is what you're trying to say.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yes, very good.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
You outlined a pretty dark Sunday you've been You've been
covering this team and covering sports in various capacities for
a very long time. How would you encapsulate the last
week for the Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Bengals deflating and weird both deflating it. It seems like
there's no real change coming, whether it be in the
coaching situation or the front office situation. The quarterbacks in
a goofy, weird place, and you can even say a
dark place. You know something's amiss. You don't see what
(01:05):
you said last Wednesday then followed up with that performance
on Sunday without it being something, right, I don't know
what the something is. None of us know what the
something is. To me. I think it was a message
to the organization. I can't keep having major surgery and
rehabbing and coming back and you guys doing nothing to
help me out. I think that was the message. But
I'm not going to speak for and that's just my
takeaway from it. But yeah, I mean it's been a
(01:27):
it's been a weird and frustrating week.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
The game on Sunday. We've watched Joe Burrow have subpar games.
I've watched him make mistakes, certainly saw it against Buffalo,
like I've seen him play poorly. I think you had
to have watched that, like you you could look at
the box sper and go man, Burrow must not have played.
You had to have seen how that unfolded on Sunday,
I think to completely grasp what was going on with
(01:49):
him in this offense.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
No, I agree with that. Yeah, ye, to your point,
I mean, you can just look into way you didn't
play well. No, it was more than that. It was
it was more than that it was almost like a
guy's who lost his fire and his drive and was
resigned to whatever happened happened. And that's just not him.
That's not the guy I've watched cover and people change.
I get that, you know. I hope it's the organization
(02:11):
hasn't made him change because of and and to that
kind of a guy. The thing that's part of the
superpower is the competitiveness. It is the the gloving the grind,
loving the process, loving the test on a Sunday and
then seeing if you pass that test. And I think
Buffalo broke him, Does it mean it's broken him forever? No,
not forever. I'm super interested to see what this looks
(02:32):
like in nice weather, you know, against the Bleff football team. Uh,
and to see if there's a bounce back performance in
him especially and then you just go, Okay, that was
a weird outliar on a weird week that you're going
to look back on and go, he was broken. And
sometimes to get things fixed and tis patched back together,
you got to get broken. And I think Buffalo broken man.
(02:52):
And now it's a chance this week to start building
himself back up.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
If if people aren't going to lose their jobs and
they're not gonna swap out p people who are here
with folks from outside. How do things change this Offseason's.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Great question because and you could sense the frustration from
my frien Mike, but Patraya today because we've been trying
to get to speak to Duke Tobin for weeks now.
We actually put a formal request in a few weeks
ago try to get in to talk to us, and
it just keeps getting ducked and dodged, and to this
point has gone to know a vail. Mike's the president
at the local Pro Football Writers Association, so he put
a literally a formal written request in to talk to Duke.
(03:29):
I think he's gonna put another one in. So there
was some frustration there and I don't know, I mean,
I guess to go back to this, I know what
exact answer was today that you know we did this
in twenty one and twenty two. That's fine, Yeah you did,
and those same people were in place, But this is
a what have you done for me lately? League? And
sometimes what have you done for me lately? Year to year?
You've now had three straight misses and really kind of
(03:52):
a epic collapse this year with Joe Burrow. Without Joe Burrow,
you were still not going to be a very good
team this year because you've proven that. And I don't
know how you trust this, that that personnel department to
get it right. You know, you've now in the Zach
Taylor tenure, and I'll give you that credit for this
from today. He pointed the face, and the buck stops
(04:13):
with me and nobody else. And I'm guessing he's probably
covering for Duke because guess what again, we can't ask
that at the moment. Zack's the one that has to
answer the questions board, so he can certainly point the
finger inward and said, I got my fingerprint all over this. Okay,
I'll take your word at that. But so then what
makes me trust that you can get this right? Because
you did it twice when the other times you've had
five non playoff seasons out of your seven, and you've
(04:33):
had more losing season in the playoff season than your
ten yere three now, and I know the first two
years were kind of you know, gud Roster from the
end of the Marvel loose here, but you're still that's
on your record, man, So I don't know why all
these guys feel like they think they can get it right.
They've got it right less often than they've gotten it right,
and why would I trust them to get it right again?
(04:54):
That's the answer for Duke, til why should we trust
you to get this right? What makes us think as
and what makes you think the fans can think this
that you can get this right. I think it's a
great answer that that would come.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Is it that hard to simply say, Yeah, I've got
a contract for two more years and I hope I
can stay here even longer.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Uh No, I'm kind of with you. I I I
do think that he will eventually apologize to Mike personally.
I think that's who Zach is. I think it got
the way it was, fraz I did catch him off guard,
to be quite honest with you, because we've been talking
about this for a long time, Like get when we
get told that response, like i's the question for Duke,
(05:34):
the response from us has to be, well, we don't
get kids talking to Duke and God loved Mike because
that's literally snapped right back at him. And I thought
it was you know, I know people hate us as
reporters and all that, but I thought Mike hanle him
so great. I thought it was a great response, and
I think it caught Zach off guard. But I think
your point's right. I mean, the contract really deal isn't
any of our business. I'm a little surprised he didn't
(05:55):
announce it after the DAFT Championship. Gamme guys, right in
high off of the Super Bowl and an AFC champion game.
We just extended his cat for another year. And I
know again he was kind of even a polarizing figure then.
But wouldn't you be proud to announce that. If you
were proud to announce that, I would be. I would be.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
And again, if the answer is going to be, well,
ask ownership. That's cool, but you know, you know ownerships
never made available. That was bizarre. Today things are bad,
and that didn't do anything to make it better.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
No, it didn't, it didn't.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
It did not.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
This is my last Wednesday for the year, So thanks
for all the all the appearances, and we'll bother you
after the last game.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Thanks as always.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
That's our guy, Richard Skinner from Local twelve and Local
twelve dot com. I'll try to answer one of the questions.
I just asked Skinny. In just a few minutes, we'll
talk injuries with one of the many experts from Ortho Sincy.
Next on ESPN fifteen thirty
Mo Egger News
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