9/2/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's the first game of the season and the Bengals
are looking to start with a winning record. To do it,
they have to beat the Browns. Will Zach Taylor's team
pull off the interstate win? Get the call live from
Dan Horden Dave Lamp Coverage begins Sunday morning at nine am.
Stream for free on the new and improved iHeartRadio app
or ESPN fifteen thirty, The official home of a Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
All the sports, all the time, all at Oakley Green.
That's where we are today. Good after five, after three,
ESPN fifteen thirty. Doo Edgar, thank you for listening. Hope
you had an awesome Labor Day weekend. It feels like
just a continuation of the weekend because we are here
at Oakley Greens where at the outdoor bar.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
It is a gorgeous day outside.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Temperatures could not be more comfortable if if you have
not been. I have a buddy of mine who came
here for the new kickoffs on Saturday, and he's like, dude,
Oakley Greens. Yes, it's an awesome place to watch games.
It's an awesome place to bring your kids. It's a
great place if you want to just post up and
have a beer. It's a great place to play mini golf.
It's a great place to play fair away feud. It's

(01:09):
absolutely awesome. Dogs are welcome now. I will point this
out adults only after nine o'clock on Fridays and Saturdays.

Speaker 4 (01:16):
If you haven't been to Oakley Greens.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
It's located in Oakley Station, right off I seventy one
by the movie theater. Tons free on site parking, easy in,
easy out.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
We've got cornhole, we've.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Got two bars, we've got an arcade, we've got mini golf,
We've got an awesome, enormous patio. And for the next hour,
we have our friend Paul Danner Junior from The Athletic
and the Growler podcast.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
I told you when I showed up here. Every single
time I show up here, I don't know when I'm
gonna stop saying it. I'm just gonna be thanking you
guys for coming oak We did this for you. It
feels like you did. Yeah. One of my favorite places
in my neighborhoods. If you ever the playground over there,
my kids are the ones that are going down the
big tube slide and every way you're not supposed to
and that's good not listening to me telling them that

(02:03):
you don't climb on that part pretty much par for
the course.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
It's okay, that's all right, no doubt about it. It's
awesome to have you. We have a lot to talk about.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
Yeah, there is.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
We have a game on Sunday, thank goodness.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
So I use one of my it is truthfully And
I say this whenever I'm on Bengals pregame, usually fifteen
minutes before kickoff, and that one before the opener. Every year,
I feel this sense of pure joy of like, I
love that moment right before the opener because we can
stop having to worry about the lies we've been told

(02:36):
for nine months and all the truth has to come out.
And that's why I love week one. I love that
moment before week one, and I very much look forward
to being up there in Cleveland on Sunday.

Speaker 4 (02:48):
Yeah, one o'clock on Sunday, Bengals and Browns.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
We got the first like regular season depth chart today, Yeah,
which is exciting.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, as depth charts go, sure, exciting. It's I suppose
I would say it's the most exciting depth chart of
the year for you.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, as depth charts go, I don't care about the
depth chart in.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
In early August or late July.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
I care about either, nor should they A few things
on the depth chart though. Lucas Patrick is the starting
right guard right which I'm not sure is a huge surprise.
How strong or not strong is his grip on the
starting right guard spot, you know, not super.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
Strong, you know, I wouldn't say he's got like, you know,
very He's not like ripped in his forearms or anything
like that. I think you could get away. I could
get away, and I'm not strong right so, but I
think the other guys, Dalton Riisner, who just got here,
Jalen Rivers, the rookie are essentially waiting in the wings.

(03:51):
I just think there's they have things working against them.
The Bengals don't wat two rookie guards out there in
week one, and I don't know that Dalton Reisner has
been here long enough where you can feel totally comfortable
with him knowing everything that they need to know immediately.
Lucas Patrick has been here. He has been in that

(04:13):
spot essentially since you know, the beginning of OTAs, and
I just think he's the most stable answer right now
to me, the question with him was well, how beat
up is he? He's been dealing with injuries all camp,
his whole career mostly, but I mean this camp, he's

(04:33):
been dealing with stuff. He was just out not too
long ago. So how can he get through a full game?
How how much is he compromised in what he's doing?
And if he's not at all, he's gonna be the
guy I you know, I have sort of said this.
I think that the idea that Dalton Reisner is the

(04:54):
love child of Max Montoya and Anthony Munoz. According to
his fan base, it's insane. Yeah, I've never scene and
that's just nothing against Dalton. This is not this is
strictly I've just never seen the reaction of a fan base.
It was credible of somebody like this that it's it's fine,
like he's to me, he's Lucas Patrick. Yeah, they're the

(05:14):
same kind of guy. Yeah, Okay, now, Peter p f
f grade. So don't look. I I when I talk
to people that have watched him and followed him, it's
there's a reason he's available. Yeah, there's a reason that
it's not expensive. There's a reason that we're sitting. I mean,
this is somebody who wasn't around again, Like I think

(05:35):
he's just he is another Lucas Pattrick. They needed another
Lucas Patrick, they needed another option, and maybe this is
the right fit and all of this does work out
for him and he may be the guy sooner rather
than later. But I think there's some sort of idea
that they solved right, and it's just it's just that's

(05:56):
not true.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
I was sitting I was sitting on an airplane on
Wednesday afternoon of last week, waiting to fly to Kansas City.
So I was not on the air and I was
sitting a row in front of Tony Pike, and I
looked at Twitter and I saw the dult Reisner thing,
and then I was watching people react and I turned

(06:18):
to him and I go, hey, the Riisner thing got done,
and He's like cool, and I go, am I.

Speaker 3 (06:23):
Missing something here?

Speaker 2 (06:25):
Because there was a surge of optimism going through this,
and I'd be honest with you, part of me really
enjoyed it.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
Part of me really enjoyed it because have a moment. Yeah,
whether it's.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
The performance of the defense in the preseason, there's some
of the questions about the offensive line, Like there's a
part of me that was enjoying people, making it seem
like the Bengals had suddenly locked down a fifteen to
two at.

Speaker 3 (06:45):
Worst record in the regular season.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
But I'm I'm like adult Reisner, like I get his
last two contracts he signed late. This is kind of
his mo. But there is a reason why he was
out there this late in the game. He may be
better than Lucas Patrick. He maybe just as good as
Lucas Patrick. He may give them a depth piece which
they badly needed.

Speaker 3 (07:05):
But I he.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
And I even did a segment and I go like, hey,
while we weren't on, they got the Dalton Reisner thing done.
And suddenly these guys should be odds on favorites to
win the AFC according to what I'm looking at.

Speaker 3 (07:15):
What am I missing here? So there's my question for you,
What am I missing? I think I think there is
an infatuation with things like PFF grades right, and they
serve their purpose, Yes, not at all. I think it's
hard to do with the offensive line. I think it's
hard to find the nuance. And I think that you

(07:35):
can have players that are helped through systems that are
built to protect them and it's just you you turn
on the tape, you talk to the people that have
been there, that have watched it, that have scouted, and
and you end up you have a different view than

(07:56):
maybe what some grades might show it. And so I
just I also look at just common sense of this
league is dying for offensive line. Every team, Every team
wants offensive line help, Every team hates their depth today.
And you mean to tell me that's the case, and
you have somebody who could apparently solve it that was

(08:17):
just been sitting out there for months. I don't I
listen to the league when it speaks that way. And
so it's again, it's not to say that this wasn't
a good acquisition for this team. He might not be
fine here or any of that, but just in comparison
to what we've seen, it's just a little over the top.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
My expectations for this team this season and what I
think is the most likely outcome is the same as
it was before Dolbin Reisman. That's no knock on him. Again,
it's no knock on the acquisition. But oh boy, and
again like it was a big, big part of me.
That's like cool, we're back. People are walking around on
social media, at least with some swagger. That's that's kind
of good.

Speaker 3 (08:55):
There's a.

Speaker 2 (08:58):
So we're really doing this feel to what they're doing
in safety. So that's kind of where we are. I mean,
you know, we talked about a little bit this morning
on the Growler, but you know, last last week you
were here, it was cut down day, right, four o'clock
cut down day. They're down to fifty three. And then
it's but they're gonna go shopping. They're gonna go shopping,
they're gonna be perusing the waiver wire. All the solutions

(09:21):
are gonna are gonna be they're gonna present themselves in
the form of players cut by other teams.

Speaker 3 (09:26):
And then at noon the next day, none, none, And
there were some available. Yeah, there were some that weren't
even picked up. You know that would that would have
made plenty of sense. And I guess I guess it's
something to say, we like PJ. Jewles your guy. Yeah,
and yeah, again, it's like this comes across as I'm

(09:49):
not this is not a knock on PJ. Jewles is
a fine story. Yeah, it's just there. I don't know
how you look at this and say, eh, we shouldn't
add here, we shouldn't supplement to this that won't come
back to bite you at all, really really doing this there,
and there's just at every step of the way this

(10:10):
offseason to literally the final till right now. Yes, there's
still a step available. You could make a move to
solidify that room. They have money, they have the spot,
they have the option, like you could bring somebody in
there who could make you feel more comfortable if something
happens to Geno Stone or to Jordan Battle.

Speaker 2 (10:34):
I would have wagered a large amount of money the
day after last season ended that at some point, first wave,
a free agency, second wave, a free agency draft, those
post draft free agents, cut down day, a trade somewhere,

(10:54):
a safety was gonna materialize.

Speaker 4 (10:56):
If you would have said, let's wager an amount of money.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
Mo, let's do it.

Speaker 2 (10:59):
I would have said, Oh okay, cool, I get free
agency ABC, all those different waves of free agency, I
get the draft, I get cut down to I get trades.
There'll be a safety somewhere. We lost a lot of money,
a lot.

Speaker 3 (11:12):
We're really doing this. We're really doing this. And you
know who thought we'd say this? Man, if they lose
Geno Stone.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
Right, the guy that I couldn't wait to cut when
last season ended now might be the most indispensable guy
who they gave.

Speaker 3 (11:26):
A pay cut too. So I just you know, I yeah,
I think there's a huge question. And to me, the
the variable's kind of become the variable in the question
of the entire season right now is they made this bet,
this huge bet on this secondary, and they said we're

(11:50):
not adding we Al Golden says, I showed up on
day one and I loved what I saw from these corners.
I love this secondary. I I'm in on these guys
right this is I'm not gonna go try to We're
not gonna try to find anybody else. We're not gonna
add draft picks. Uh. We're going with these guys and

(12:10):
we are gonna build. They're gonna be the reason this
defense digs itself out. Is gonna be Dax Hill and
Can Taylor Britt and DJ Turner and Josh Newton and
Jordan Battle and Gino Stone and others like them that
are hanging out in the background. Perhaps, and that's gonna
be the reason. What a huge bet on zero real

(12:34):
proof of concept in terms of consistency over an entire
season for any of them, And maybe maybe it does
come together, But I think it's the biggest variable that
can define whether this team is real. Like let's talk
about this team in terms of the super Bowl or oh,
that's a cute story. Burrows got that great offense again.

(12:55):
That's because I can see the rest of it. I
can I can see the defense, sensive line, I can
see Trey and I can spy Schamar and the mixing,
the Chris Jenkins leap and yeah, and I can buy
Logan Wilson as a stabilizing force and Demetrius Knight's mature.
Everything happening up front, like you're you're not gonna say

(13:15):
that's a great like the greatest group, but you can
see enough of it. What's happening back there is very
much buying a vision that's just not really been totally
proven before. And that's fine and andy, But I mean,
what a wide range of outcomes that will really go
to decide this team season. Because if they're good, if

(13:37):
they if they were right, if that BET's proven right,
this team is in a super Bowl conversation without question,
without question, without questions. But if they're wrong, everybody getting
fired again, Like that's on the table.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
The fallout from wrong is massive issue. If they get
it right. Duke Tobin should get Executive of the Year
for literally doing nothing. Legitimately, he he built a super
Bowl team.

Speaker 3 (14:01):
No he didn't.

Speaker 4 (14:02):
He stood there and just watched Al Golden coach it up.

Speaker 3 (14:04):
He said, I've already got a super Bowl team. It
was just it was just the coaching. Wow, all right,
we're really doing this. Man.

Speaker 4 (14:12):
I just there's I just I fear.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
I fear Sunday or some point really early in the season,
somewhere in the third quarter, I'm gonna go to Twitter
and I'm gonna be in a dark place when i
have to tweet about the GENO when saw this coming
at safety?

Speaker 3 (14:30):
Yeah, I don't know, man, it's uh, it's on the table.
There's I mean, there's no doubt, but maybe it works out.
I think there's a lot to like in the secondary.
I really do like these There's a lot to bet
on there. I can understand it. It's just when you
have all the variables, Well, that's the thing.

Speaker 2 (14:50):
Like, I think a lot of those individual players are
worth keeping and betting on, and there's a lot of upside.
I still think you could believe that believe that it
made sense to bring someone in. Yeah, I mean, you know,
there's room for multiple trups like Cam Taylor Brick could
still be a really good corner in this league. And
if daxx Hill can stay healthy, perhaps we see him

(15:13):
repurposed as a corner and how that's gonna work. And
maybe Genos don't just had a bad year last year.
Like all these things could be end up being true
and you could allow for them, but also acknowledge that
maybe one other person who plays one of those two
positions might have made sense to bring in.

Speaker 3 (15:29):
A single insurance from outside. Yeah. Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
Twenty minutes after three o'clock, Paul Dainner Junior covering the Bengals.
The Growler podcast, latest episode dropped earlier this afternoon.

Speaker 4 (15:39):
You can get that, as we say, where you.

Speaker 2 (15:40):
Get your podcasts, including watching it on YouTube where you
can see my captain.

Speaker 3 (15:44):
C you did. You're not still wearing it? Did it?
Get strip?

Speaker 2 (15:48):
I had a hoodie on, yeah, and I took it off,
and the sea is I think still on the hoodie.
We'll get to that coming up in a bit. You
wrote extensively about Chase Brown, and I want to spend
a few minutes on that, and then I think you
and I had the you wont have the same takeaway
as it relates to the season record, not just predicting
the same record, but overall rationale. We'll get to that

(16:08):
when we come back. Twenty one after three o'clock. Broadcasting
from Oakley Greens this afternoon, right off I seventy one
at Oakley Station on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 5 (16:18):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 6 (16:23):
Traffic from the uc Health Traffic Center at u See Health.
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(16:46):
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the Kentucky Indiana line. I'm at Eazelic with traffic.

Speaker 2 (16:57):
Twenty six minutes after three o'clock.

Speaker 3 (16:59):
This is YES fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (17:01):
We're broadcasting today from Oakley Greens. We love Oakley Greens.
Here in do you guessed at Oakley awesome outdoor patio area.
Great plays for watching the Reds game tonight. Great plays
for watching the NFL season opener. Now, the folks who
run Oakley Greens also run Covington Yard and they have

(17:23):
a new jungle pop up bar that's called the Jungle
pop up Bar. Pop up bar is like who popped up?
Here's a bar that kind of thing. And I'll be
there tonight hosting sports betting one oh one. So that's
gonna be an absolute blast tonight.

Speaker 3 (17:36):
So here's what you do.

Speaker 4 (17:37):
Come to Oakley Greens and then we'll all drive together.

Speaker 2 (17:41):
We'll all pile in the car and go to Covington
Yard and we'll talk sports betting tonight. Check that out
Covington Yard, Oakley Greens all over social and on the
web as well. Paul Danner Junior's.

Speaker 3 (17:51):
Here, what is your number one lead item in betting
one oh one? Like, where do you start? What's your
your thesis? Don't bet parlays, don't bet part? Where have
you been? I've been doing this for two Have I
been doing it wrong? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (18:05):
It's a sucker bet bet parlays. Oh man, the fact
that that might be have good boosts. I'd feel like
boosts can even know. Okay, here, here's the thing. Okay,
in all honesty, if if you want to just have
a good time and and buy a lottery ticket and
play like an eight game parlay and you just do

(18:27):
not care about.

Speaker 3 (18:28):
The money, play parlays.

Speaker 2 (18:30):
But if you're gonna be pissed off when you lose,
don't play parlays. Like if you're just you know what,
it'd be fun to see if I can somehow pick
all six of these games on an NFL Sunday, knock
yourself out, play parlays. But if you're the kind of
person that's gonna ruin everybody's day if you lose your bet,
parlays are not for you.

Speaker 4 (18:46):
And you and I both know those people.

Speaker 3 (18:48):
I like a two to three, okay, two to three
with a boost is and that I feel like it's
a nice It's sure a compromise, no doubt. You're talking
about the guy who's like following the fourteen team parlay,
grinding out Sacramento State Hawaii at two in the morning,
like we that's the this is it, and like not
hedging so it's all in the line. And you notice

(19:10):
that guy always hits the first third team legs, no question.
I've never heard anybody who.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
Lost to Parlay who's like, yeah, I lost the first leg. No,
It's always like, no, I had a twenty one team
money line Parlay that would have paid me seven million dollars.
The first twenty of them hit let me tell you
about all twenty okay, and then the twenty first kicker
mister field goal, I missed it.

Speaker 4 (19:29):
So again, like.

Speaker 2 (19:30):
If if it's if it's going to bother you. It's
like I used to go to Vegas with a guy
and I told him, like, I can't go with you
anymore because you lose and the.

Speaker 3 (19:40):
Rest of the day is ruined.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
I lose, and it's like, all right, kind of planned
on losing it, Like no, big di, can we still
have fun? So if if your thing is I'm cool
burning this money on fire and I might win, man,
go go for it and play Parlaslo if you're gonna
you know what I need to win something that I
think betting five games and maybe winning three is a
better better Just chip.

Speaker 3 (20:01):
Away a little bit at the time, is what you're saying.
Have patience, you.

Speaker 2 (20:03):
Guys have like a computer that says the Bengals are
going to win exactly ten games.

Speaker 3 (20:08):
It's a person who uh put a formula into computer.
I believe. Yes, I'm not a huge believer in said formula.
I'm not gonna lie. I love everything that our outlet does,
but I don't not like it. It ended up spinning
out almost exactly.

Speaker 2 (20:21):
The vegasize exactly ten wins. I believe the Bengals are
going to go ten and seven. You every writer for
the Athletic who covers a team had to respond to
what the formulas spit out per NFL team, and your
take was, you know before the preseason might have gone higher.
Mine is the exact same. I feel better about my

(20:44):
take because you're smarter than me. But I have wrestled
with am I because we were doing a show at
training camp and Austin Elmore said, are you gonna go
over ten and a half wins?

Speaker 3 (20:53):
And I said yes.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
Then I watched the Bengals defense play two games, specifically
that second one, and when I can't do it?

Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yeah, Uh should I be?

Speaker 2 (21:04):
Should I be putting that much stock into what I
saw and didn't see in the preseason?

Speaker 3 (21:08):
Uh? Yes, and no, I I think I I do
think that there's a lot to the fact of I
think there's something to that that said, you know what else,
there's something to is there's gonna be plenty of plays
where a lot of these young players don't know what
they're doing. When you have Shamar Stewart and Demitri, you're
playing this many rookies and young players, and there's just

(21:32):
there's going to be a learning curve, a new system,
young players at the center of it. You've got a
lot of inexperience out there. You're counting on a lot
of things to happen. That to think that it's not
gonna take time, I felt like, let's talk about what
this defense is ranked at the bye as a good

(21:55):
a good pinpoint to say, then I can tell you
whether this team has a shot at the super Bowl
or not in this defense is gonna do it or not?
Because I think theoretically this should be a much better
defense in the second half than the first half, because
I think there's just gonna be a lot of growing
that they're gonna have to do much better. I think
their curve is is more than most teams now that
said they're gonna lose you games early in the season.

(22:19):
This defense is gonna lose you a game or two
in the first half of the Season's that's the nature
of a learning curve in the way it's currently set up.
There's too many things that they need to figure out
and too many of these variables that we've been sitting
here talking about to think that that's it's just gonna
hit the ground running and they're gonna be great. I
don't see that. Even the Eagles last year didn't do that.

(22:40):
It took them almost half a season to get that
thing figured out with Vic Fangio and all those stars
that they had that said, yeah, I think you get
to that point, and you can, you can feel good,
But so much of the things you saw in the preseason,
you're you're not also not gonna see things like that.
You know, it's not also never gonna have an unscared
out of look or something that a rookie hasn't seen before,

(23:04):
or a guy can't make the play on and you
learn that guy maybe he isn't making the leap you
thought he was going to and he has to be
replaced or whatever, or the safety issue that's just gonna
be I think that is the stuff that you saw
the pieces of in the preseason. I don't think it's
gonna look that bad. Maybe it does. I don't think
it's gonna look that bad, but I think you saw

(23:26):
how bad it can look at times in the preseason.
So some stock, not all of it.

Speaker 4 (23:34):
I want to come out of September feeling like.

Speaker 2 (23:41):
Feeling like the defense can make plays when it needs
to in big situations.

Speaker 3 (23:46):
Yeah, I mean to me, I.

Speaker 2 (23:48):
You know we all do the gotta be league average,
like I and I know we talked about this on
the groulard this morning, But like, what I want to
know more than anything else is it's twenty seven to
twenty and needs the ball back so they could tie
the game.

Speaker 3 (24:02):
Can the defense get it to him?

Speaker 2 (24:04):
Or it's thirty one to twenty seven and Burrow has
done everything you could ask him to do, and the
other team has the ball with a timeout and they
got to go seventy yards in a buck and change,
Like I wonder about him Situationally, I believe that it
will be across the board statistical improvement from last year.
It's almost impossible for it not to. I want to know,

(24:26):
when the game is on the line, can they get stops?
But I think of all those games in the fourth
quarter last year where the Bengals scored a bunch of
points and didn't win. I don't think that much about
quarters one through three. I think about fourth quarter and
then you know, in the case of the Baltimore game overtime.

Speaker 3 (24:41):
It's what you hope you're paying Trey Hendrickson for and
what he's done, Yeah, incredibly well over the course of
his career. And I go back to like, if you
watch quarterback of Joe Burrow watching the end of the
Pittsburgh game in week eighteen, come on, Trey, come on, Tray,
you know, like this is your time. You need him,
and then you need everybody, need others to help. But yeah,
I think the defense inevitably because especially early in the season,

(25:09):
knowing that they're gonna take time, they just need to
be opportunistic. Yeah, and the opportunity can be closing the game.
Get maybe they don't get a lot of stats, but
they got the one at the end, yeah. Or maybe
they don't get a lot of sauces, but they got
two turnovers. And if you do that, you can make
up for so much else because Burrow is gonna cut

(25:29):
this offense is gonna cover so much of where you're
lacking at this point early in the in January, they're
gonna need the defense to be really good to win.
That's that's the difference. But to buy time to get
to January, opportunistic, get a stop at the end, get
a couple of turnovers. What do we hear about from
Al Golden yesterday? Ball disruption, effort, tackling, do the basic

(25:53):
type of stuff and that can that can always kind
of get you by to a baseline level that burrow
in the offense needs to go win you games.

Speaker 2 (26:03):
And now they get the added boost of Trey Hendrickson
playing with that Captain C on his chest, which.

Speaker 4 (26:08):
Is very important.

Speaker 3 (26:09):
It is very important Captain C. Yeah, it's gonna be great.
He did it. I think I think it's kind of.

Speaker 4 (26:19):
I don't know why this part of this whole thing
amuses me so much.

Speaker 3 (26:22):
I believe him when he says I do want to
be a mentor and help my teammates.

Speaker 2 (26:28):
Based on what the folks who are a training camp
practice has watched from him, I.

Speaker 3 (26:33):
Think there's reason to believe that. Yes, I mean he
he I might sound I'm a little cynical with a
lot of this, and in general, So I think there's
a little showiness to some of it. But when no
one was watching, when the cameras weren't on him, unlike
the preseason games, you did see him doing. Yeah, you know,

(26:55):
I do think he cares. I don't think that it's
something a guy who doesn't care about his tea he
nets and just cares about his money in his sacks
and that I do think that does matter to him
or or he wants it to matter to him more
this year, and I think he has tried to figure
out a way to take that approach. I have a

(27:16):
hard time with someone who held out and did the
whole thing during OTA's on the side with us was
ripping everyone and all that stuff. Having a captain, See,
but I get it, like whatever, Hey, they're voting on me,
so if they're okay with it. It's also partially they've
drafted a bunch of dudes to become captains and leaders

(27:38):
and none of them have. So who amongst all these
guys who U said off captain in college? Future captain? Yeah,
I love the personality. He's going to be a score
of your team. How many of those guys have come along?

Speaker 7 (27:51):
Zero?

Speaker 2 (27:51):
Do you need seven. Do you need seven captains? And
they eliminated this special teams captain so they had eight
last year.

Speaker 3 (27:58):
I can't get a Tyson Anderson. So like Danny and
I talked about this, we had to revoke his Maiven
status because he couldn't get the captain ship. Tough one.
Like twelve percent of the team are captains. That's the
number it has been for whatever that did? I know?
I just I won. And I was sort of asking
yesterday like what do captains really do? And the answer

(28:20):
was like some scheduling, you know, a bounce, some stuff
starts going, and hey, why are there? They can have
a meeting. I have meetings every week or two.

Speaker 2 (28:27):
I was gonna ask if one of your little articles
this year, there we go, you could write a piece.

Speaker 3 (28:32):
We're thirty eight minutes into our first game week show
and I got one of your little articles. You could
do a spot.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
You could do a piece where you ask the question,
what beyond coming out for the coin flip?

Speaker 3 (28:45):
What do captains do? I did I I'll have to
write about I asked multiple people that perfect can't wait.
I mean the Zach Taylor press conference here on your network.
I believe maybe you weren't listening yesterday. Yeah, I listened
this morning. Oh okay, okay, you heard.

Speaker 4 (29:00):
That there was some insight into Yeah, okay, there you go.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
Put that in your little article, Put that in your
little show. Put that you little four o'clock hour twenty
away from four o'clock. He's Paul Tenner Junior cover.

Speaker 2 (29:13):
The Bengals for The Athletic and the Growler podcast as well.
Let's talk about Chase Brown when we come back on
ESPN fifteen thirty at Oakley Greens On ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 5 (29:23):
Station SINCY three sixty with Tony Pike. Do we want
to move on the doctor keep going and Boston Elmore?

Speaker 7 (29:30):
I think you should continue.

Speaker 5 (29:31):
Let me keep going there Sincy three sixty Tomorrow, which
twelve noons on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.
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(30:03):
route if possible, both bound seventy five. Another accident after
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Speaker 7 (30:14):
This report is.

Speaker 1 (30:16):
Coverage begins Sunday morning at nine am on your official
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Speaker 3 (30:33):
Chev dot com.

Speaker 2 (30:34):
No real Bengals news today. The death chart is out.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
That's exciting. Drew sample tight end one Lucas Patrick Wright
guard Joseph Osai starting a defensive end opposite Trey Henders. Yeah,
not a huge surprise, is it. I thought maybe Miles
or Schmar would be in there.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
Yeah, but I mean yeah, matter of time.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
Perhaps we'll see Wow.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
Bengals and Browns on Sunday at one. The game is
live on ESPN fifteen thirty. Meanwhile, Reds and Blue Jays
again tonight. Nicolodolo has been scratched from that start this
evening six forty first pitch, middle game of the three
game series. You'll hear it tonight on seven hundred WLWD
Reds still four games behind the Mets and the chase
for the last wild card spot in New York's at

(31:16):
Detroit tonight. After beating the Tigers ten to eight yesterday,
Scott Barlow the first pitcher out of the pen on
what will be a bullpen day for Cincinnati Paul Danner Juniors.
Here I salivated reading your piece on Chase Brown, and
here's what I thought, And this is this is going
to sound like a gratuitou shot at the coaching staff,
and it's not meant to be. In the season opener

(31:38):
last year, Chase Brown played I believe, seventeen snaps. I
think had six touches in the game. And now we're
talking about him being maybe somebody who leads the league
in yards from scrimmage.

Speaker 3 (31:51):
Right, Yeah, plausible? Yes.

Speaker 2 (31:54):
A year ago because of Zach Moss, understandably or perhaps inexplicably,
so Chase Brown started the season and it felt like
he was an afterthought. And now he's the most interesting
guy in this offense to me.

Speaker 3 (32:08):
Yeah, And I think that's partially a credit to how
he grew and improved in areas they wanted to see
improvement over the course of last year and earned the
trust to earn those, but they were they were nervous
to just turn it over to him in favor of

(32:30):
Zach Moss and felt like, look, let's just go with experience,
let's go with what we know, And and they didn't.
I don't think anybody could have totally known what they
were going to unleash. I think that that was incredible.

Speaker 4 (32:45):
I think there's a lot of stabs who would have
done exactly the same thing.

Speaker 3 (32:48):
Yeah, it's you Knowase. For every Chase Brown, there's how
many we just got done talking about a whole team
of them on defense, right, there's a bunch of them
that don't do that. And I think that's kind of
the point of the story, is that he has proven
every step of the way, no matter what situation they've
put him in, from late round pick back up on

(33:10):
the depth chart to hurt to timeshare to the man
that he is worth investing in. He will do the
right thing. He will be there early, he will get
better at whatever you ask him to do, to degrees
that you weren't even anticipating and be what he calls undeniable.

(33:30):
And he's done that, and I think to the point
that it's stunning. Like if you would have gone back
to the same time, say next year, you're gonna have
Chase Higgins, you're gonna have Yoshi's gonna be getting better,
you're gonna bring back Gasiki, you're gonna have Burrow, and
you're gonna say, nope, let's build the offense more around
Chase Brown. Right. He earned that, yes, by what he

(33:53):
did in developing chemistry with Burrow, learning pass protection, getting
it exponentially better as a receiver. I will tell you this.
I remember his rookie year in the off season before
before the season started, sitting down with a coach and
the theme kind of being we didn't realize Chase was
gonna struggle as much as a receiver Like that was

(34:16):
kind of like frustrating for him. They thought he would
be better that way. He's a project there to now
be Hey, he should just be outside running routes, running
the route tree. H I mean, credit this dude. He
has done this and that's why scouts loved him. Coming
out of Illinois. There was a lot of stuff he

(34:36):
had he had fumbles, he'd been really had a ton
of work there, and it's like they did they use
him too much? He's kind of small, all this stuff.
It's like, yeah, but you can believe in this dude
getting every ounce out of what he's got. He is
insanely driven even by NFL standards, and the Bengals are
seeing it. And now they're chapters of the playbook that

(34:59):
they have built and restructured around his skill set that
I think is going to be really fun to watch
and it would be no surprise to me he would
be my number one pick in a runaway to be
the Bengal that makes his first Pro Bowl appearance this year.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
There were times early in the season last year where
if you brought up Bengals running back there were still
folks lamenting letting Joe Mixon get away, right, yeah, and
now nothing against Joe who had I'll tell you this,
the the undercurrent of the Joe Mixon year the last

(35:37):
season in the decision was we can't.

Speaker 3 (35:40):
Keep Chase Brown in the background. I mean there was
for all the like, you know, whatever, he needs to
grow into this that or the other. There was still
there was There's always been belief in him, right, and
that they really have felt like they could see something
like this coming and keeping Joe Mixon was always going
to block this, always because you couldn't have Joe and

(36:06):
not give him the ball a time like That's part
of his game, is wearing people down and being the
big back and all that stuff. And so it's like,
what do you want, you know, have have won or
do you want to have you want to have that?
And I think they chose that, And I don't care
where anybody says. That decision has been proven clearly true
that the Bengals made the right one.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
There's awesome you wrote about last summer, the work that
Chase Brown and andre Yoshabas Yeah, we're putting in and
what you wrote, what you wrote about Chase that was
published this week made me think of that, right, made
me think of the portrait you painted of him and
his work ethic and kind of being told, here are
the things you need to improve upon, and he did

(36:45):
and then kind of double down on that this offseason.

Speaker 3 (36:48):
And that's extraordinarily admirable. Yeah, I mean it did. I
literally went back to that story and pulled old quotes
back out because it was It was amazing how that
decision he's still winning off of that. I go work
with the wide receiver coach Drew Lieberman in Atlanta and
be just truly dedicated to it and understand that I
don't need to just be able to run choice routes

(37:10):
out of the I need to learn a route tree.
I need to learn how to attack the ball better.
I'm not good enough at this. I need to really
put time in and did that and you've seen that
with him annuals and they went back this year and
worked further. He said, I want to get more into
like real receiver routes and not just running back routes.
And the Bengals saw what he did and said, okay,
well we'll keep using you that way because we see

(37:32):
you do it. Then there he is in camp, beating
Logan Wilson and Demetrius Knightie safeties to different corners of
the field from different positions and becoming another versatile weapon.
Where what did we spend last year talking about so much?
They're moving Jamar Chase around because all the pieces are
more movable. We'll just add Chase Brown to the pieces
that are now more movable, and you can do so

(37:53):
many things. You could be so malleable week in and
week out, and it helps you beat whatever the opposing
defense has as their weaknesses each.

Speaker 2 (37:59):
I think that's the second consecutive week you've used the
word malleable.

Speaker 3 (38:03):
Yeah, you like that. I do. I read the dictionary
just a couple of weeks ago, and I said this one.
I got to start using more. Yeah, I gotta make
sure that I use it on motion. You're working it
into conversation. I liked that it felt natural, didn't it?
It really did.

Speaker 2 (38:15):
Do you understand if? Yeah, because I had to look
it up last week when he used it. If I
say malleable, folks are like, oh yeah, Captain Rider here,
you know, does use this malleable And it's it's just.

Speaker 4 (38:26):
Digging into his digging in. I need to get the
right the scene.

Speaker 2 (38:30):
That's right, digging into that mental fee saurus that he
has and brought malleable out.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
Sorry, twice in a row. I won't next week. I
don't know that's next week. You know.

Speaker 2 (38:39):
The great Tom go Letter, the voice of F. C.
Sinatti when he was on UC sideline. I would give
him like a secret word that he had to work
in every broadcast we could, you know, we could do
that here, happy to do it.

Speaker 3 (38:49):
And then see if the listeners can figure out which
word was the secret one.

Speaker 2 (38:52):
Or see if I can remember that that's the word
that I gave you both fun games. Yeah, one one
of the thing, and then we'll let you run with
the Chase Brown saying, have you started to work ahead
to do rough drafts of at least outlines for when
we're writing about to extend Tray or to extend Chase
or not to extend Chase next offseason?

Speaker 3 (39:10):
Are you ready for that? I'm always ready for the
next contract negotiation. That he's a running back, you have
that dynamic, next example of the start going in early.
Uh huh, go in early. Right, he's the next he'll
be the next example of that. He'll be extension eligible
after this season. Get in early on Chase.

Speaker 2 (39:29):
Brown, pay another offensive guy you have that you'll have
running back value.

Speaker 3 (39:33):
I mean they're going to get in early on a
guy who you know you don't want. You don't know
how long the running backs are gonna last. The earlier
you get in, the better. I started on my calendar
on my phone.

Speaker 2 (39:42):
I've blocked in, like, here's what we're gonna start talking
about to extend Chase or not extend Chase in early
March next Yeah.

Speaker 3 (39:48):
I asked him about it, and he, you know, he said,
I just want I'm just thinking about making the plays
and that'll be used that word un denial about that.
But anybody else he said, he said, he said, but
you never know, things could be different. There's a lot
of guys in the secondary that could make the money
look a lot different next year. And he's right, Yeah,
there's a lot of money to be made out there
from now that those draft classes. If anybody in that

(40:10):
secondary can prove that they do take the leap, they're
gonna pay somebody, whether it's Cam or Dax or whoever
is eligible.

Speaker 2 (40:17):
Paul Danner Junior The Growler Podcast, check his socials for
info on a live event on Thursday and read him
in the Athletic dot com and we'll we'll talk next week.

Speaker 3 (40:29):
I can't wait to have a game to discuss. Very
excited to find out what next week's word is gonna be.

Speaker 2 (40:33):
I and I, yeah, and I you mentioned something that
I've never brought up to you.

Speaker 3 (40:37):
I enjoy you.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
Ten to fifteen minutes before kickoff on that pregame show. Thanks,
that's like the best part.

Speaker 3 (40:42):
Yeah, no, I like it. Yeah, of the entire pregame show.
That's not true.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
Okay, there's no way that's true. The part with me
and Tony is the best, yes, okay. And then Lack
Dave Laphama, Zach Taylor. It's pretty good, Dan Horde, fun
facts with the player.

Speaker 3 (40:57):
Look fourth, fourth, all right, but it's the one right
before you. Yeah, you're right. I'll say join us because
you're thinking about it. No, it's a good that's a
really good segment. I do like it too, all right.

Speaker 2 (41:06):
Paul Danner, Junior at the Athletic dot Com on the
Growlar Podcast and right around twelve forty five on the
Bengals pregame show Countdown to Kickoff on the Bengals Radio Network.

Speaker 4 (41:14):
It's five away from four o'clock.

Speaker 2 (41:16):
We are broadcasting from Oakley Greens, which will be an
awesome place to watch said game on Sunday. They've got
Cabana rentals. You could do that for games, but also
for happy hours, birthdays, fundraisers, whatever you're celebrating. You can
ask the staff here at here at Oakley Greens about that.
Bengals and Browns on Sunday one tons of TVs to

(41:37):
watch that game right here at Oakley Greens. We are
ridiculously late. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 5 (41:44):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 6 (41:48):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. At you see Health,
you'll find comprehensive care that's so personal it makes your
more at eHealth dot com. Still got an accident on
State Route forty eight at Dwyer Road. Cruise are directing
traffic around that Spot's still going to be best to
find an alternate route if possible northbound seventy five. Another

(42:12):
accident after State Route sixty three, and one more crash
on Compton Road east of Hamilton on that ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 5 (42:20):
This report is PN fifteen thirty I've.

Speaker 3 (42:23):
Had before ESPN fifty thirty Leger Thank you for listening today.
It is stunning outside.

Speaker 2 (42:30):
We've had some awesome weather days past few, Labor Day
with georgeous.

Speaker 3 (42:34):
Today is gorgeous.

Speaker 2 (42:35):
We're broadcasting this ATRASMUD from Oakley Greens, which is where
we are every single Tuesday during the football seasons.

Speaker 3 (42:42):
We love the staff.

Speaker 2 (42:42):
You're at Oakley Greens, two outdoor bars, tons of TVs,
Cabana rental. On on Wednesdays, they've got Fairway Feud from
seven to nine. If you love playing team trivia, play
it out here at Oakley Greens. Very easy to get to,
just a couple of minutes off I seventy one Low
Cae right here in Oakley. The sister bar of this

(43:03):
place is in Covington, Covington Yard, and Covington Yard is
an awesome establishment. There's a lot of Covington Yard in
Oakley Greens, if you know what I'm saying. Covington Yard
has opened up a new pop up bar. It's called
the Jungle pop Up Bars. It's open now at opened
last week on Thursday, and it's opened through September the eleventh.
So it's gonna be open for the first game with

(43:25):
the Bengals and Browns on Sunday, and they've got a
number of different events going on. You've heard us talk
about sports betting one oh one, which is gonna be tonight,
and uh, we're just gonna talk a little football gambling
for a while. And you know, if you're one of
those who might not know the difference between a parlay
and a point spread.

Speaker 3 (43:42):
Will help you out with that.

Speaker 2 (43:43):
There's gonna be an NFL comedy Rose tomorrow at the
Jungle pop up. Tickets are ten dollars. You can get
those at Covington Yard dot com. And Jordan Battle is
gonna join us on Thursday night. He's gonna join Tony
and me for Tony and Moe Unplugged, So Jordan's gonna
hang out, He'll do a meet and greet, and then
Tony and I are gonna do like our version of

(44:05):
the Manning Cast for the first NFL game of the season,
which is obviously gonna be Eagles and Cowboys.

Speaker 4 (44:11):
So that's at Covington Yard.

Speaker 2 (44:12):
You can learn more about all of that and check
out photos of the Jungle pop up bar at Covington
Yard dot com. And we thank the folks at Covington
Yard for having us. We thank the folks at Oakley
Greens for having us right now, and we're gonna we're
gonna thank our friend Tommy and Montgomery for calling the
show because he's gonna lead off the hour for us.
You'll hear Scott Sadafield a little bit later on and

(44:34):
our guy, Sean sayed from these Stats and Schemes newsletter,
is gonna join us at five twenty. He was a
regular on our show last year. Uh, he is gonna
join us coming up at five twenty. All right, that's
all a mouthful. Tommy Montgomery, You're on ESPN fifteen thirty.
What's going on?

Speaker 3 (44:50):
Hey?

Speaker 8 (44:51):
No, so much pleasure to be on your show today.
I really appreciate it, long time listeners, you know.

Speaker 3 (44:56):
Nice time.

Speaker 8 (44:57):
I having to go back to a couple of weeks
ago one of your weekday shows that you talked about conspiracy,
and I wanted to expand your conspiracy thought if I can,
to Cincinnati Sports, because I think it goes I think
it goes back to the Bristol game when the Bristol
game should never, ever, ever have been played. We lost

(45:19):
Burns for one day, and something happened in that one
day span where he was out for the last fifteen
days sixteen days there. That game should never been played.
He should never have started, and that was.

Speaker 9 (45:31):
A waste of a picture.

Speaker 8 (45:32):
So much momentum was riding with the Reds at that time,
and I think we're getting it back yesterday when the
ball gets lodged in the fence. Did I not hear
that it's actually judgment calls a home played umpire or
am I wrong?

Speaker 2 (45:47):
I think it's just in the ground rule that if
a ball is lodged in the fence, that that's a.

Speaker 3 (45:52):
Ground rule double.

Speaker 8 (45:56):
That is definitely that's a ground will double.

Speaker 3 (45:58):
Yeah, I mean I've seen that happen, because they have.

Speaker 2 (46:02):
It's hard to see if like you're just let's say
you're at the ballpark and you're sitting behind the plate
or something like that, it's hard to tell that there's
a chain link fence out there in front of the wall,
but it's a chain link fence. It hasn't happened often,
but I've seen balls get stuck there. And my understanding
is that's always been a ground rule double.

Speaker 8 (46:21):
All right, So that's the case and point. Now the
other thing, though, I am really disgusted a little bit
because when I look at these players, how many of
them are homegrown? How many of the rest players starting
players home grown? It's really kicking me off. We have
to find other players from other teams except from our
starting pitching staff. Yes, Steer Marte Key Briant. Something is

(46:44):
going on in the minor league system, and that has
to be six first. Why should we have to keep
going out and getting other players year after year?

Speaker 4 (46:54):
Well, I guess what I would ask is why can't
you do both?

Speaker 2 (46:57):
I mean why, you know, even team that are the
the LA Dodgers are awesome at developing homegrown players, but
that doesn't preclude them from finding guys from other teams.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
Mookie Betts, show Heeyo Tani, Freddie Freeman.

Speaker 2 (47:10):
They've been good at so I mean, but I do
think it's I think when you look at the the
overall state of the team right.

Speaker 3 (47:17):
Now going into next year.

Speaker 2 (47:20):
Matt McLain, right, Matt McLain's a former first round pick, former,
you know, cornerstone to this team.

Speaker 3 (47:25):
What is he moving forward?

Speaker 2 (47:27):
Christian and Carnassi on strand was acquired from elsewhere, but you.

Speaker 3 (47:31):
Know, what is he moving forward? La Dela Cruz?

Speaker 2 (47:34):
Is he going to reach super duper stardom that we've
all expected. Is he ever gonna have a season where
we stopped talking about his his defense? I you know,
I think there is what they have, what they have
to get good at. What they have to get good
at is doing what the Milwaukee Brewers have done now
for a number of years, and what the Saint Louis

(47:55):
Cardinals did for decades, and that's develop a constant churn
where there's con constantly just players coming up the pipeline,
whether they're pitchers or position players, that when they get here,
they can stick and they can fit in. The Brewers
have gotten really good at that, The Cardinals have gotten
really good at that. Those teams will not be shy
about acquiring players from other teams, although the Brewers have

(48:16):
been willing to let guys like Corbyn Burns and Willie
Damas get away.

Speaker 4 (48:20):
But to me, you're still gonna want help from outside.

Speaker 2 (48:24):
In the late two thousands, the Reds got really good
at putting players through their pipeline, Vado, Bruce Stubbs, Mesaraco,
Johnny Cuato.

Speaker 3 (48:34):
But well, there were two things.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
Number One, in the short term, they still acquired players
from outside. They still went and got Matt Latos and
Ryan Ludwick and players like that. The problem is the
pipeline stopped, and then where were we by the time
it was time to move on from Johnny Cuato and
Todd Frazier and all those players stuck. So if you're
going to do business the way the Reds have stated

(48:56):
they want to do business, which is they'll acquire players
from outside. But they're never going to be one of
the biggest spenders in free agency. They're not going to
make the biggest splashes. That's fine. You've got to develop
a steady pipeline of players that enables you to just
keep filling the roster with guys who are big league
ready and equip you to deal with players when you
ultimately lose them. And they haven't done that consistently enough

(49:19):
for the better part of the last forty years.

Speaker 8 (49:23):
So this is why every eight to ten years we
have a three year window of opportunity and this is it.

Speaker 3 (49:28):
Yeah, I don't think yes that Yeah, I mean I need.

Speaker 8 (49:35):
A sowary cap or they need to lower down the
taxes the back sky ceiling.

Speaker 3 (49:41):
What was the last part of that.

Speaker 8 (49:43):
They need a salary cap in twenty twenty seven where
the season gets shut down, or they need to lower
down the tax feelings on the MLB teams not raise it,
lower it?

Speaker 2 (49:54):
Yeah, maybe you know, but you could say, well, they
need a salary cap. Fine, the Reds can't compete with
the Dodgers, but they should be able to compete with
the Brewers.

Speaker 3 (50:03):
Right yes, I mean so like.

Speaker 8 (50:08):
And they don't move on. There's something about major league.
There's there's something about small small minor league or small
small city teams. The Brewers get in every year. They
don't move on. We have an issue the minor market
teams do not move on. That's the problem right now.

Speaker 4 (50:28):
Well, I mean, we had a World Series two years ago.

Speaker 2 (50:31):
I don't know how much you consider the Arizona Diamondbacks
a minor market team, but the Arizona Diamondbacks when the
World Series two years ago. The Brewers have made the
postseason six in the last seven years. There's randomness to
baseball that you might, you know, attribute to them not
being able to, you know, advance to the World Series.
The Cardinals were a steady power in the National League
Central for the better part of thirty years. The Tampa

(50:53):
Bay Rays are postseason regulars. The Toronto Blue Jays lead
a division right now that is uh that includes the
New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. There are
ways to be consistently competitive and consistently give yourself a
chance to win. That to me have very little to
do with baseball's economic disparity, and you might want a

(51:18):
salary cap and all that's You might want a salary
cap and all that's well and good. But as having
a salary cap gonna make the Reds better at developing
players in their minor league system.

Speaker 8 (51:29):
That's when we needed it.

Speaker 10 (51:29):
First.

Speaker 8 (51:30):
We got the pitching. Pitching is great, and this is
gonna pitching staff in how many years?

Speaker 3 (51:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (51:37):
I mean this is this is this is their best staff.
You know the staff they had in twenty with Trevor Bauer,
Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, that was a good staff. This
is a good staff and should be a good staff
for a while. The question is are they gonna waste it?
You know, I'm gonna I'm gonna be willing to bet
that Hunter Green, Andrew Abbott, Nicolodola will be in the
starting staff next year, Chase Burns, maybe n Louder, perhaps

(51:58):
Chase Petty. Like they've they've they've got a really good
collection of starting pitchers. That is a box they can
check that often in my life they haven't been able
to check. Are you going to take advantage of having it?
And are you going to have this sort of team
that in a few years when they move on from
Hunter Green or Nicko Lodolo. Uh, you have somebody who
can fill his spot. And for most of my life,

(52:21):
the answer to that question has been has been no.

Speaker 8 (52:24):
No, yeah, thank you so much for your time.

Speaker 3 (52:26):
Though, I really appreciate you.

Speaker 10 (52:28):
You're an awesome speaker, so thank you.

Speaker 2 (52:30):
I don't know about that, but I do appreciate the
nice words. I don't think there's conspiracy involved in here.
Look where they are right now. They just called up
sal Stuart. Sal Stuart certainly looked like a guy who
could fit in. I love the passion and energy he
was playing with yesterday. I think it's going to be
interesting to see how he does over the next few
weeks and see whether or not we're wondering why they

(52:52):
didn't call him up weeks earlier. They are yesterday's game,
you know, if they lose the one blowing the lead
in the ninth inning Yesterday, watching in real time, I
thought to myself watching the scoreboard with the Mets and Tigers,
it felt like a massive difference between being four out
with twenty four to go and five out with twenty

(53:13):
four to go. They have the Mets come into town
this weekend, so what you're kind of hoping for. I
guess is you can gain a game before New York
comes here, and then while it would be nice to
sweep them, if you could just win two out of three,
you accomplish two things. One, you gain a game over
the three games. Number two, you clinch the head to
head tiebreaker, So you're kind of effectively, in a roundabout way,

(53:35):
gaining two games. So they're in it, and we'll focus
a lot on what they need to do to get
over the hump. Four games with twenty four to go
is not insurmountable, but it also is pretty significant. But
big picture, as you start to talk about next year's team,
who can you count on for what? Who can you
count on for what? And if you have watched this

(53:56):
year's team wondering why don't have enough pop? Why don't
they have enough guys who can hit home runs? What
can they do to have more power in their lineup?
Sal Stewart may help solve that problem, but I don't
know that next year you can go into the season
with the team that has, especially in this ballpark, the

(54:17):
definitive lack of just pop that the Reds have had
all season long. Ellie Dela Cruz has homered once since
June twenty third, once since June twenty third, and yet
he still leads the club in dingers with nineteen.

Speaker 3 (54:35):
I think about it.

Speaker 2 (54:35):
You got a guy who's gone two months, he's had
one homer, he just did not homer in the month
of August, still leads your club in homers. Let's not
say about everybody else to say about the composition of
your club. Maybe Sal Stewart being on the team all
season next year will fix that, but boy, going into
next year, there just feels like a lot of guys
that you still aren't sure what they are and there

(54:56):
is a staggering lack of pop in this lineup. To
have your team's leading home run hitter have nineteen homers
and he's homered once since the All Star Break is
staggering as far as I'm concerned.

Speaker 3 (55:09):
Good stuff.

Speaker 2 (55:10):
Eighteen after four o'clock Brnniman and Jones on baseball coming
up later this hour, more on the Bengals as well.
I've got a poll question at Moeger and it's thanks to,
as always, our friends at United Heartland Insurance. As we
get closer to the end of the year, make sure
you see what you're paying for insurance could be car insurance,

(55:31):
could be your house, could be something like your boat,
your business insurance, your commercial fleet. See what you're paying
and then reach out to the folks at United Heartland
Insurance and see what they can do for you to
help you save money. Check out his dot com. I've
got the Bengals finishing ten and seven, So vote now
that is either just about right, too optimistic or too

(55:54):
pessimistic at moeger on Twitter Vote now after four o'clock. Meanwhile,
the UC football season it continues, you see as hosting
Bowling Green, Eddie George and Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon.
Scott Saderfield talked about that game, and he also addressed
to play at the end of the Nebraska game, which

(56:14):
so many of us have asked about. He gave, I
think a pretty detailed answer. I'm still not sure I
love it, but we'll do that next. You'll hear that
next as we come back from Oakley Greens on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (56:29):
We're at Oakley Greens.

Speaker 2 (56:30):
Your game day home turf kickoff starts at Oakley Greens
Bengals and Browns on Sunday at one o'clock. You can
also hear the game live on ESPN fifteen thirty. Tomorrow,
we'll have the bengals first injury designations of the twenty
twenty five season. Today we had the first depth chart
of the twenty twenty five season. My not so bold

(56:52):
prediction as the Bengals go ten and seven. We'll get
to that coming up in just about ten minutes. Plus
Sean Saya at the Stats and Schemes News Life, which
I'm a huge fan of, it's going to join us
at five twenty.

Speaker 4 (57:04):
You've got the Bengals on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
You've got the Bearcats on Saturday, Cincinnati's home opener against
Tarren Bland's Bowling Green Falcons.

Speaker 4 (57:10):
Three point thirty. But your kickoff from Knippert Stadium.

Speaker 2 (57:14):
Cincinnati trying to bounce back after losing that tough one
to Nebraska on Thursday night. So obviously the game ended
when Brendan Sorosby throw a pick on a ball that
I think a lot of us wish he either would
have thrown better, or on a play that we wish
the Bengals or the Bearcats maybe wouldn't have run with

(57:36):
time in.

Speaker 3 (57:36):
Their back pocket.

Speaker 2 (57:37):
Probably a good field goal attempt in their back pocket,
Joe Royer in their back pocket defense and Nebraska defense
that was on its heels. I think it's completely fair
and reasonable to look at that game situation and go
right there is not when you want to be uber aggressive,
And that comes from me, the guy who loves play calling.
That's uber aggressive. But what about on that last play?

(57:59):
What happened? What happened with Nebraska's coverage on that final
drive in that final play. Here's Scott Saderfield answering that
earlier this afternoon.

Speaker 11 (58:07):
First of all, going into the game, you don't really
know what they were gonna do back on the back end.
Thought the strength of their defense was the back end,
all the starters that came back. Yeah, they in that drive,
we don't have any timeouts. They were playing a lot
of man and two men trail technique, meaning they're underneath
receivers with the two high safeties there, it makes it
very difficult to complete footballs. And I think, you know,

(58:29):
we had a couple of scrambles that had got the
drive going. Great play on fourth down Cyrus, you know
it was too man and the guy's undercutting them, and
he did a great job. Of pushing it out and
swords to hitting him to get the first down. Then
we get a PI. You know, we get down and
it's first down on the plus thirty three forty one.

Speaker 7 (58:47):
Seconds, no timeouts. We said, let's take a shot, all.

Speaker 11 (58:50):
Right, So we run slant and go and pre snap
at least the one high look looks like man free.
Right on the snap, the safety is covering our number
two receivers. Just run straight back to that, you know,
to the deep, say, half of the field. The corner
is a hard corner because it's covered too, so goodies
running the slant and go. As soon as he comes
off the corner, he's wide open and Soreersby sees it.

Speaker 7 (59:12):
He's wide open. Let me get it out there to him.

Speaker 11 (59:14):
As he's letting the ball go, he realizes the safety's
running back and he's like, you know, uh oh, and
the guy made a great play.

Speaker 7 (59:20):
Number seven is a good player for them.

Speaker 11 (59:22):
That disguise is a great disguise and a great play
by that safety. We had not seen that, but I thought,
obviously a great call for them. What our thought process was, Hey,
let's throw the let's throw the slant and go. It's
either we catch or nobody catches, it'll be second and
ten and let's go the next down. You know, obviously
made a great play at the end the game right there.

Speaker 2 (59:41):
That's Scott's Hadafield on that last play. Since Andy had
a hard time throwing down field, wide receivers had a
hard time getting open, it was not a very productive
night for a UC offense.

Speaker 3 (59:52):
That must be more explosive.

Speaker 2 (59:54):
Here's Scott's Hadafield talking about Brendan Soresby and last Thursday
night his in the ability to make plays with his
wide outs downfield.

Speaker 7 (01:00:03):
Yeah, I mean, well, I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:00:04):
We threw five.

Speaker 7 (01:00:06):
I think there was five.

Speaker 11 (01:00:07):
We were zero for five on balls that were thrown
down the field last week, you know, and I think
you know early we had one of Jeff Calwell, we
pushed down the field. We had two fade balls to Cyrus.
You know, love for Cyrus to come up with those catches.
They were both probably under thrown a little bit, but
he can make those catches.

Speaker 7 (01:00:23):
One of them would have been.

Speaker 11 (01:00:24):
A touchdown, the other one was a was a false start.
Stead have called it back to first play at the game,
the goodie down the sideline. So I think I think,
certainly have to pick and choose when we're going to
push the ball down the field. I think for me,
I think more completion percentages. I think we want to
get that up. I mean, I think it was this
past weekend fifty two percent. So we want to get

(01:00:45):
that up. To me, get the ball in the hands
of these guys. Our guys can run, So get the
ball in their hands and let them run. Now, I
think obviously a lot of defense dictates this are you
getting you know, what kind of coverage are you getting?

Speaker 7 (01:00:57):
Are you getting some free access throws?

Speaker 11 (01:00:59):
Obviously that's easy to take those, But when you're getting
tight man, that's where our guys have to win.

Speaker 7 (01:01:04):
You know, BG.

Speaker 11 (01:01:04):
They certainly have shown man covers at Tennessee State and
and last week at BG, so you know our guys
will be challenged. They gotta get loose, they gotta they
gotta win some one on one matchups, and they got
to go make the place.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
You may not like Scott Saderfield, you might not think
he's the guy. All that's well and good. Those are
two pretty good detailed answers. Uh. One other thing from
the game against Nebraska offensively, ty Wee Walk Tywee Walker
easy for me to say his Bearcat debut was productive.
Ran for over seven and a half a carry, but

(01:01:40):
only on seven lugs, and Evan Pryor had a decent night.
Cincinnati's home run hitter from last year averaged nearly six
yards of carrie but only five carries. Now, part of
that was the Bearcats just comparatively speaking, didn't have a
lot of plays, had a hard time extending drives, certainly.

Speaker 3 (01:01:58):
Earlier in the game.

Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
But they did use other running backs in that game.
Chance Williams and Manny Covey both got a chance to
run the football. Scott Saderfield was asked earlier today about
his two running backs and rotating Evan and Ty Week.

Speaker 11 (01:02:14):
Yeah, I thought I thought both made some really good
plays in the run game. You know, Evan made some
guys miss and and got some positive yards. How we
ran hard as well, got positive yards. I thought I
certainly was a positive in the game for us offensively.
Rush ro over two hundred yards is I think Nebraska
last year finished up maybe eighth in the country and
running defense, so I mean they're certainly capable of stopping

(01:02:36):
to run. And then you add that to Q runs
as well. That Brendan and I think it's a great mix,
you know, I think it'll be we'll see how practice
goes this week to see, you know, who's gonna get
those touches. Certainly, you know, looking back on it, could
have gotten more touches because we weren't getting some positive
think they were averaging over seven yards of carry, you know,
So let them guys continue to get work. And and

(01:02:57):
obviously it's gonna move the chains, you know. And and
I think again, I think all all those guys are capable.
I think Manny's cable as well. Manny I thought played
out standing in the special teams. I think he had
two and a half tackles and special teams. He's also
was our punt returner. I think he's really elevated himself
in a special teams player. But also believe in him
as a running back too. So you know, we'll see,

(01:03:19):
We'll see how this week goes with those guys. But
I think they're all cable.

Speaker 2 (01:03:23):
Scott's Haddlefield earlier today on his team is that gets
to get set to take on Eddie George's Bowling Green Falcons.

Speaker 4 (01:03:32):
At Knippert Stadium. All right, I don't think ten and seven.

Speaker 3 (01:03:35):
Is that off. We'll see.

Speaker 2 (01:03:36):
I hope I'm wrong. Actually, we'll get to that after
sports headlines. Broadcasting from Oakley Greens by the way on
a gorgeous daylight today, you could have a beer, you
could play some mini golf, and you could get something
to eat your dinner. It's great for the kids. Gotta
love Oakley Greens. Tons of on site free parking. It's

(01:03:57):
twenty nine from five o'clock on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati
Sports Station.

Speaker 5 (01:04:02):
You've been listening to football in the NATI on ESPN
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Speaker 6 (01:04:21):
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There's an accident after State Route sixty three. Another crash
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(01:04:41):
Another accident at Losantaville Road. Keep an eye up for
an injury accident on Compton Road. This one east of Hamilton.
I'm at ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 7 (01:04:50):
This report is sponsored by Rapid Time Offer.

Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
f the Browns well, Zach Taylor's team pull off the
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(01:05:14):
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of US Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:05:19):
Lines our service of Kelsey SHEVLA, home of lifetime power
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Speaker 3 (01:05:27):
Chev dot Com.

Speaker 2 (01:05:29):
Bengals released their first depth chart of two thousand excuse me,
of twenty twenty five. A few things stood out. I'm
not sure any are a real surprise. Lucas Patrick is
listed as the team starting right guard. Drew Sample is
listed as TE one. That's because Mi Kasicki plays wide receiver.
Joseph Osai listed as a starting edge rusher. Bengals Brown

(01:05:50):
Sunday at one Live on ESPN fifteen thirty Mean while
the Reds and Blue Jays again tonight at GABP.

Speaker 4 (01:05:56):
Nico Lodolo has been scratched.

Speaker 2 (01:05:58):
Red say it's due to illness, so it's going to
be a bullpen game for the Reds, perhaps less than ideal.
Scott Barlow throws first for Cincinnati. Jose Barrios for Toronto
six forty tonight on seven hundred wlwyre starting lineup this evening,
friedol Marte Ellie de la Cruz playing shortstop and batting third.

(01:06:18):
Austin Hayes is in left field. Gavin lux dhs Sal
Stewart makes his second big league start. He'll be at
first base tonight, batting sixth. Key Brian Hayes at third,
Jose Travino is catching, Matt McClain is playing second and
hitting nine threads today. Called up from Louisville lefty Rayverse,
San Martin and option to Louisville Sam Mall Joel Soorsa

(01:06:40):
has been designated for assignment. I also read that Connor
Joe has accepted his assignment to Louisville College Football AP
Top twenty five, which, let's be honest, caring that much
about who's rank number one in the AP Top twenty five.

Speaker 3 (01:06:56):
Poll after one game is I don't.

Speaker 2 (01:06:59):
Know that something I would do, but for what it's worth,
Ohio State is the top ranked team in the country
in both major polls coaches and AP. Penn State, LSU, Georgia,
Miami round out the top five. The Indiana Hoosiers ranked
twenty third in the AP twenty first in the coaches pool.
I think the coaches poll came out yesterday.

Speaker 3 (01:07:18):
There you go.

Speaker 2 (01:07:18):
We're at Oakley Greens. We got a few minutes talk
to some other folks. Rob, Rob, you're on ESPN fifteen
thirty Rob, Good afternoon.

Speaker 3 (01:07:27):
How are you good?

Speaker 9 (01:07:29):
How are you doing?

Speaker 3 (01:07:29):
Move awesome? Man? What's up?

Speaker 12 (01:07:33):
I ever heard you talk from the safety talk if
you remember correctly, in practices they were rotating guys from
corner to safety, safety to corner Nickel, So maybe he's thinking,
you know, worst case scenario, they got to pull a
cornerback like back still and put him in safety.

Speaker 2 (01:07:51):
Just be thought, yeah, maybe, and maybe if that's what
they do, it works. I don't have, at least going
into training camp, no major issue with keeping any player
on the team that they chose to go to training
camp with. I think though specifically at safety, given the

(01:08:12):
fact that when camp started, not to mention how it unfolded,
but when camp started, they were already thin there. Even
if you believe they can use another corner and plug
him in at safety if need be, I think it's
very surprising relative to what most of us expected when
the offseason started, that they didn't add at least one guy.

(01:08:36):
That guy might not have made the team. That happens.
You could sign a free agent and still cut him
on cutdown day, but whether it was the draft, free agency,
cut down day, or a trade, it is pretty striking
that they have chosen to go with the guys who
were here last year, or perhaps using a corner at

(01:08:57):
safety if they end up in a pinch.

Speaker 3 (01:09:00):
Not at anybody's.

Speaker 12 (01:09:01):
Agree, I agree, it's surprising to me too, because if
you look at what they did near the end up
until now, they backfilled their gaps, So why not backfield
that safety gap just like they did.

Speaker 9 (01:09:14):
With the guard and such. So and so I know
Kyle Dugar's.

Speaker 12 (01:09:19):
Going I believe, And then you had Peppers as he
still out there.

Speaker 3 (01:09:25):
I believe Gabriel Peppers is still to be had.

Speaker 12 (01:09:28):
Yes, maybe maybe they'll pull a string, but it's it
seems like it's too late now.

Speaker 2 (01:09:35):
Well, I mean, I appreciate the phone call, Rob, it
feels too late for for Sunday. You should always be
looking to make upgrades to your roster. The Jabrill Peppers
thing in New England has been described by many as
weird and sudden, and folks are parsing Mike Vrabel's words.

Speaker 3 (01:09:53):
You know, we we can.

Speaker 2 (01:09:55):
We can put a lot of different veteran safeties out
there on film. It's just it's a hell of a
gamble on guys who were a part of the problem
last year. And maybe in a different scheme, maybe with
a new defensive coordinator. What the Bengals are doing is
gonna work. But like I think the Bengals is gonna
finish ten and seven this year. Folks are gonna say, well, god,

(01:10:16):
that's only one game better than last season. They were
not an eight last year, but they had to win
their last five games, you know, so you you know,
they were a nine win team last year, but they
had to storm from where they were, which was four
and eight, and beat a whole bunch of bad quarterbacks.
I think this team is going to be really, really
good offensively. I'm not exactly, you know, breaking new ground there.

(01:10:39):
I worry about offensive line depth. I do think the
first unit has collectively a decent amount of upside. I
will buy every piece of Shamar Stewart hype. I will
certainly acknowledge that the Trey Hendrickson thing being settled when
and how it was at least gives them their best
player from last year on defense and maybe the closer

(01:11:00):
that they're gonna have to have in the fourth quarter
of games. If the secondary play ends up being markedly better,
this is a bonafide Super Bowl contender. I need to
see that before I believe that's gonna happen. Like if
we get to a place where late October nobody is
gashing this defense for explosive plays repeatedly. They're playing sound fundamentally,

(01:11:22):
they're making tackles, they're there in coverage. They are looking
like in many respects the Bengals defense from twenty twenty one.
In twenty twenty two when they had an in his
prime Von Bell and a very good Jesse Bates back there,
then with everything else, they're a Super Bowl contender. What
I want to know is between now and let's just

(01:11:42):
say the middle of the season. Can they go from
looking like a team that should make the playoffs but
isn't quite in that upper rung of bonafide super Bowl contenders.
Can they enter that pantheon? Can they enter that tier?
Because I don't think they're there now, And I think
the only way that that happens is if the play
in the secondary is markedly better. And for the play

(01:12:05):
in the secondary to be markedly better, a whole lot
of guys who helped lou Ana Roumo get fired last
year are gonna have to play exponentially better this coming
season individually for Al Golden. If that happens, then it's
a Super Bowl contender. I need to see it happen
before I believe that it will. I certainly can, and

(01:12:29):
I can't emphasize this enough, Like there's a lot of
guys in the secondary. I would have run it back
with Cam Taylor, Britt Dax Hill. You know DJ Turner
will see Jordan battle like a whole lot of guys.
It is just if I know this is not the
first time I have said this, but if on the
day after the season ended last year, any one of

(01:12:52):
us would have said that the Bengals will not add
a defensive back in free agency.

Speaker 3 (01:13:00):
They will not draft one.

Speaker 2 (01:13:02):
They won't even get one on cutdown day when everybody
else releases the players they don't want. You would have
said there's no way that happens, and yet it has.
The payoff for this working is the Bengals win a
Lombardi Trophy. That's the upside. The fallout from it not
working could include a coach being fired, could include something

(01:13:25):
involving Duke Tobin and his future. It looks a lot
like Joe Burrow looking poudy on the sideline and in
postgame press conferences because his best efforts have been wasted.
And it most definitely involves the Bengals not sniffing a championship.
So I think they'll score a billion points. I do

(01:13:46):
think it's gonna be the best offensive line that Joe
has had here. There's a difference between best offensive line
that he's ever played behind and having a legitimately good
offensive line, But I think it has a chance to
be a pretty decent line. I worry about death just
like everybody else. I think Shamar Stewart has given us
reason to believe that he could be effective as a rookie.

(01:14:06):
I think we need to have Shamar Stewart and Joseph o'siback,
and you return Tray Hendrickson, and I'll buy the the
second year leap hype for Chris Jenkins, like there's maybe
the makings of at least a slightly improved pass rush.
Is the secondary gonna kill them? Is the secondary gonna
kill them? And is the secondary gonna kill them in

(01:14:28):
the short term while they build to being a unit
that is dramatically better by the middle of the season,
or is the secondary gonna be a problem all season long?
Is the secondary gonna be league average? Or is the
secondary gonna be league average but really good in the
fourth quarter of games that are decided by a score,
when they've either got to get a stop or a
turnover or seal the game or at least give Joe

(01:14:50):
Burrow one more.

Speaker 3 (01:14:51):
Chance to win it.

Speaker 2 (01:14:54):
I need to see that the answers are yes until
I believe that they are so, I've got ten and seven.
Ten and seven, I think will have him as a
playoff team. Ten and seven will have him as a
team in the playoffs that you do not want to play.
I believe in December and early January we'll talk a
whole bunch about how but you don't want to see
Joe Burrow coming into your building in the postseason. But

(01:15:15):
I'm not sure we're gonna spend much of the season
talking about them in genuine championship terms until it's evident
how much better they are on defense. And while you
should absolutely not dwell too much on preseason results, good
or bad, the preseason didn't exactly do anything to make

(01:15:35):
us feel better about a defense that looks very much
like last year's in terms of personnel. So what I
want to see on Sunday is we all want to
see a victory. But can you do something on defense
against an offense in Cleveland's that is, you know, probably
not equipped to light up the scoreboard on you. Can
you do something defensively to change my mind? Can you
do something over the first four games to not cost

(01:15:58):
this team games on defense? Can you do something in
the first four weeks where you play so well that
those of us who are slightly skeptical recalibrate our expectations,
recalibrate what.

Speaker 3 (01:16:11):
We think for the season.

Speaker 2 (01:16:12):
Because right now it's ten and seven, it's a second
place finish, it's playing on the road in the postseason.
It's maybe winning a game, but not really taking their
Super Bowl bona fides as seriously as we probably should.
In year six of the Joe Burrow era, a lot
of the same players from last year's team, which ruined

(01:16:36):
a great Joe Burrow season, are gonna have to be
dramatically better this year than they were last year.

Speaker 3 (01:16:42):
If you are buying that they will.

Speaker 2 (01:16:44):
Be, and you don't need to see any hard evidence
that that'll be the case, the chances are you think
the Bengals are gonna win thirteen fourteen games, challenge maybe
for a top two seed, maybe challenge for the number
one seed, and have as good a chance of anybody
as playing.

Speaker 7 (01:17:00):
The Super Bowl.

Speaker 4 (01:17:01):
I'm not there yet. I need convincing.

Speaker 2 (01:17:04):
I'm hopeful that in these first four games they do
enough to convince me. Ten away from five o'clock, we're
broadcasting from Oakley Greens. If you're in the area and
just getting off work, come on by uh and if
you're thinking ahead to this weekend, whether it be all
the college football games on Saturday or the Bengals Browns
game on Sunday, TV, situation here at Oakley Greens is awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:17:27):
So is the food situation, so is the bar situation.

Speaker 2 (01:17:31):
Uh. More of your phone calls are coming up at
five point three, seven four nine, fifteen thirty. Our guy,
Sean Say at Statson Scheme newsletter is going to join
us at five twenty. Right now, it's time for Brenneman
and Jones on.

Speaker 5 (01:17:41):
Baseball Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the UC Health
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found two seventy five between Lebanon Road and Loveland Madeira
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Speaker 3 (01:18:19):
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Speaker 1 (01:18:36):
they have to beat the Browns. Well Zach Taylor's team
pull off the interstate win. Get the Call live from
Dan Hord and Dave Lampe. Coverage begins Sunday morning at
nine am. Stream for free on the new and improved
iHeartRadio app or ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of

(01:18:59):
US Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:19:01):
All right, you know what it is.

Speaker 4 (01:19:02):
It's six half and five ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 3 (01:19:04):
I'm o.

Speaker 2 (01:19:05):
I did broadcasting from Oakley Greens and you guested Oakley
the bud Light VI, the vod G Appiao and thanks
to our friends at bud Light, Easy to drink, easy
to enjoy, easy to Sunday, you can enjoin an ice
cold bud Light here at Oakley Greens.

Speaker 4 (01:19:22):
You could do that tonight.

Speaker 2 (01:19:23):
You could do that for all the college football games
on Saturday. You can do that inside your own cabana
which you can rent here you and you could do
it for the Bengals game on Sunday. Bengals and Browns
here at Oakley Greens. You could sit outside, you could
sit indoors. I don't know why you want to be
indoors anywhere right now because the weather is spectacular. The

(01:19:47):
outdoor set up here at Oakley Greens with the TVs,
the outdoor bar, the golf, the cornhole is tremendous and
we thank them for having us every single Tuesday throughout
the football season. Oakley Green right here at Oakley Station,
close to the movie theater, very easy to get to.
Off seventy one. Our guys Sean Science Statson Scheme podcast

(01:20:10):
is going to be with us in just about fifteen minutes.

Speaker 4 (01:20:13):
We look forward to that.

Speaker 2 (01:20:14):
Bengals and Brown's on Sunday, A one live on ESPN
fifteen thirty pole question on Twitter at Moegar thanks to
you and that at Heartland Insurance. I've got him at
ten and seven. Tell me if you think that's just
about right, too optimistic or too pessimistic? Vote now at
moeger I have I've dwelled on this for months because

(01:20:38):
I think it deserves to be dwelled on. Like to me,
it's the Bengals are showing a ton of faith in
Al Golden and Al may deserve it and he was
the Broils Award winner at Notre Dame last year. There's
obviously familiarity and comfort with him because of his work
on the staff with Zach Taylor before he went to
Notre Dame, and all that's well good, And I certainly

(01:21:01):
believe there's a world where Al Golden's schemes work better
than Lou and Arumos did.

Speaker 4 (01:21:05):
And I certainly believe there's a world with some.

Speaker 2 (01:21:08):
Players who played under Lou n Arumo last year end
up performing individually better this season. I just I go
back to everything we have talked about for the last
eight months. Bengals need a better pass rush.

Speaker 3 (01:21:26):
Cool, So what do they do.

Speaker 4 (01:21:28):
They don't trade Trey Hendrickson. They draft Shamar Stewart.

Speaker 2 (01:21:34):
That their mind, along with bringing Joseph Osi back and
giving him a contract, and maybe to a degree not driving.

Speaker 3 (01:21:40):
Up on Miles Murphy.

Speaker 2 (01:21:42):
But they they acknowledged pass rush was an issue enough
that with the seventeenth overall pick in the draft they
took an edge rusher, and Shamar Stewart looks like a
guy who could have a very good first NFL season
at linebacker running it back with Logan Wilson. But they
drafted too. Demetrius Knight's going to be a big part

(01:22:03):
of this team. Who knows if he's any good. I
love the idea of taking a guy who's twenty five
years old, who's a total pro, who they need to
step in and play and play well week one. As
college football linebackers go. He certainly feels like he's got experience.
When we did our shows from training camp during practice,

(01:22:25):
he was terrific. Watching him in the preseason left a
little bit to be desired, but the Bengals front office,
we watched the pass rush last year not be great
outside of Trey and we then saw the Bengals acknowledge
that by addressing it. We've watched linebacker play, which Al
Golden wants to emphasize. Last season, it didn't feel like

(01:22:46):
Logan Wilson made a ton of plays, didn't feel like
Jermaine Pratt made a lot of plays. Kind of felt
like he was known last year for very little except
for missing tackles.

Speaker 4 (01:22:56):
They addressed it.

Speaker 3 (01:22:57):
Took two linebackers in the draft.

Speaker 2 (01:23:00):
Secondary play last year was substandard. If if the idea
is to take advantage, take advantage of Joe Burrow's MVP
caliber season, and contend for a Super Bowl. Well, the
Bengals secondary play last year threw cold water over all
of that. When the season ended last year, we all

(01:23:21):
agree the Bengals need secondary help. When free agency got here,
we looked at the list of players that could potentially
be had and discussed various fits, how it might work
in Cincinnati, how this player was a better option than
a guy like Geno Stone, or a better player than
what they had last year, and Von bell Or could

(01:23:43):
could maybe compliment what Jordan Battle and Geno Stone could
bring to the table. Like that was the thing back
in March. Bengals didn't address it the draft. I mean,
we get on this show every year in March and April,
probably a dozen, if not more draft experts, and we
talk about different possibilities and different players. And to be honest,

(01:24:05):
one of the players we talked about a lot was
Shamar Stewart. But we get on every single one of
these draft experts, and almost every single time we talked
about possible safeties, safeties that can be had in round one,
or safeties that would make sense on Day two if
you don't take one in round one. Evaluations of each
one of those players differed. The Bengals didn't even take one,

(01:24:29):
maybe for good reason.

Speaker 3 (01:24:30):
No knock on the players they chose.

Speaker 2 (01:24:33):
You're being completely reasonable if you go, well, look, had
you traded Trey Hendrickson, you would have had more draft
picks and surely one of them could have been used
on a safety. That's fine, But coming into the draft,
I don't recall anybody who said to me or others,
stop wasting your breath on safety because they're not going

(01:24:54):
to take one, or they shouldn't take one.

Speaker 3 (01:24:56):
Well, they didn't take one. A week and a half ago.

Speaker 2 (01:25:01):
Understanding that the Bengals issues at safety were exacerbated, at
least in the short term because of the preseason injury
suffered by Tyson Anderson, we talked about options at safety
that could pop up based on whether some of those
options got cut by other teams. The waiver wire was

(01:25:23):
supposed to reveal this plethora of players in the secondary
that the Bengals could add. They added none of them.
This plan may work al Golden may be a genius
when it comes to squeezing more out of guys like
Geno Stone and getting more out of guys like Cam Taylor,
Britt Dax Hill, DJ Turner, Josh Newton, Jordan Battle. I

(01:25:48):
know I'm folding cornerbacks into the conversation. I'm not sure
cornerback was ever viewed as as a pressing need as
safety was, but certainly we talked about cornerback options. If
you're like me, if you're like many, you believe you
can never have enough. But between the two position groups,
it felt like if there was an area they needed
a target in the second area, it was going to

(01:26:09):
be safety. There were so many mile posts during the
off season where you start to talk about free agency,
then the draft, and then maybe even some post draft
free agents. This training camp got closed, or we talked
about some of the options out there in free agency,
players who were still out there, talked about waiver wire
possibilities after cutdown day and.

Speaker 3 (01:26:31):
Every single time.

Speaker 2 (01:26:33):
Maybe safety wasn't the first position we talked about, but
it was one of the positions we talked about every
single time the Bengals either passed or missed out on
the guy they would have taken. However it went down,
they didn't add to that position. If what they're doing
pays off, which is we're gonna run it back with

(01:26:54):
a lot of guys who helped get Al Golden fired,
and they end up having a really good safety and
cornerback play that's better this season. With a lot of
guys that on the outside we think have some upside,
this team can win the whole thing. Al Golden will
be held as a genius, and the Bengals overall plan

(01:27:14):
is going to be lauded as one that kind of
zigged when everybody else thought they should zag. Obviously, that's
the outcome we all hope for. It just feels like
a really dangerous approach and one that has a lot
of downside to it. I think you could have run
it back with all these players. I don't think you
had to cut Ginostone yet find a potential replacement. I

(01:27:36):
don't think you had to cut Jordan Battle yet find
a potential replacement.

Speaker 4 (01:27:40):
I don't think you had to just overhaul the entire room.

Speaker 2 (01:27:44):
It did feel like though they could use some more options,
or some more bodies, or in some cases outright replacements.
So we'll see if this works, then the Bengals can
win the whole thing. If this doesn't work that I
I fear that as the season unfolds, we're gonna watch
the Bengals lose more games that they should win, and

(01:28:06):
that there's gonna be more efforts by Joe Burrow that
go for naught, and that there's gonna be more instances
where you watch Bengals games and they show Joe Burrow
on the sideline and he looks angry because the Bengals
defense again let him and the rest of the team down.
And I worry that when there are games that could
be there for the taking in the fourth quarter if

(01:28:28):
one play is made, those plays aren't made because of
what they haven't done in the secondary. And I fear
that what we talked about in January and February and
March and April and May and June, July and August
of this year ends up continuing to be something we
talk about as the season gets to its dog days
of November and down the stretch in December and January,

(01:28:51):
and I fear.

Speaker 3 (01:28:52):
That this season's gonna end.

Speaker 2 (01:28:54):
My guess is with the Bengals having played in the postseason,
and yet we wonder what if, what if, what if
they would have addressed a position that at the end
of twenty four we didn't just say they had to addressed,
but we assumed they would. We'll see until I see

(01:29:16):
something at that position that looks dramatically better than what
we saw last year.

Speaker 3 (01:29:22):
I think there's a ceiling on wins.

Speaker 2 (01:29:24):
It's a pretty high ceiling, but I think there's a
ceiling on wins and capability, and I think it's a
ten win team that's beneath Baltimore and not yet in
that wrong of bona fide championship contenders.

Speaker 4 (01:29:38):
Over these next four games, we'll be here.

Speaker 2 (01:29:41):
At Oakley Greens on Wednesday, October the first. Let's table
this conversation until then, or October the first, after they
played four games, Let's see if we see the makings
of a secondary and a safety group that is starting
to show signs of being a really good unit capable
of winning game when games are there to be won.

(01:30:02):
And if that's the case, I think a lot of
us are gonna recalibrate what we think the Bengals can
do this season. I'm hopeful we do that after four games.
Seventeen minutes after five o'clock, we'll ask our guy Sean
Sayat about this coming up in just about five minutes.
If you don't subscribe to Sean Saya's newsletter You're doing
it Wrong. Stats and Scheme Podcast, Stats and Scheme Newsletter.

(01:30:24):
Shawn is gonna join us to talk about the twenty
thirty five Bengals. Would do some AFC Norse stuff with
him as well. Take some phone calls too. Between now
at six o'clock, we are broadcasting from Oakley Greens Here
in Oakley, Oakley Station right off I seventy one Great
plays to watch the whole Saturday slate of college football games.
You've got Ohio State and u SE playing at three thirty.

(01:30:46):
Miami plays at three thirty as well. The one matchup
between two ranked teams on Saturday is gonna pit Michigan
versus Oklahoma. You can watch that game. Tons of watch
parties this weekend, obviously Bengals and Browns on Sunday at
one o'clock as well. It's eighteen after five. We're broadcasting
from Oakley Greens on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 5 (01:31:06):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 6 (01:31:11):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center at u See Health.
more at seehealth dot com. Southbound seventy one seventy five,
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northbound seventy five between Mitchell and Paddock. A five to
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with traffic.

Speaker 1 (01:31:43):
This report is spawn Tingles are looking to beat the Brons.
Coverage begins Sunday morning at nine am on your official
home for the Cincinnati Bengals, ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (01:31:55):
This is Football Queen Inminnati, brought to you in part
by Post Mineraw and by Skyline Chilly on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:32:08):
Here for the Bengals did not go as we would
have liked, right. It's by the way, twenty four after
five o'clock.

Speaker 4 (01:32:14):
I'm at Oakley Greens.

Speaker 3 (01:32:15):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:32:16):
But the one bright spot, or one of the bright
spots of the season last year is we we had
does Sean Sayad come into our life and he was
kind enough to join us like every single week, this
dude was terrific on our show. He breaks down stats
and schemes. He's got a newsletter and it's appropriately called
the Stats and Scheme Newsletter. He does it with a

(01:32:39):
guy by the name of Ted Seth, and Sean I said, look, man,
I subscribe to the newsletter.

Speaker 3 (01:32:44):
We have to have you back.

Speaker 2 (01:32:45):
He's with us now to talk about the twenty twenty
five Bengals. It's awesome to have you, Sean.

Speaker 13 (01:32:49):
How are you no, I'm so excited to talk again.
You know, we can forget the twenty twenty four Bengals
down officially.

Speaker 14 (01:32:56):
We do not need to talk about them anymore.

Speaker 13 (01:32:58):
We can just look straight atat to the twenty twenty
five Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:33:02):
So you're right about that.

Speaker 2 (01:33:04):
We can accept that the Bengals have to be better
on defense this year, and in order to do so,
a whole lot of guys from last year's team have
to play better.

Speaker 14 (01:33:17):
We it's a tough situation there.

Speaker 13 (01:33:19):
You know, I'm really interested you bring in You bring
in Algo Golden, who at Notre Dame last year had
a huge, huge blitzer rate. He played a ton of
man coverage, really in your face defense, challenging offenses, and
you know the Bengals defense was kind of middle of
the road when they were blitzing last year, So when
they were not sending any blitz they were towards the bottom.

Speaker 14 (01:33:40):
So maybe you get to.

Speaker 13 (01:33:41):
A situation where you say, hey, we're struggling in multiple positions,
let's get our guys to just play as fast as
they can and kind of roll the dice a little
bit where you had Aaron Glenn maybe a little bit
in Detroit, where he's gonna play man coverage, He's gonna
send pressure, he's going to test your quarterback over and over,
and look, if you get one interception a lot of time,
that's gonna be kind of enough.

Speaker 7 (01:34:01):
Just to win you the game.

Speaker 13 (01:34:02):
So I'm interested to see how some of those young
guys step up. I saw the Schmart Stewart up close
at the Senior Ball and guys to talk to him
a little bit, so that'll be fun to see kind
of how he does in his defense. Is Miles Murphy
able to take a step? BJ Hill and TJ Slaton
inside We talked a lot last season about some struggles
on the inside of the run game, So I hope
those guys are able to play well. I want to

(01:34:24):
say Hey, it can't be worse than last year, but
oh I know better than that.

Speaker 14 (01:34:27):
It can always go for the downhill.

Speaker 2 (01:34:29):
It can and look, I still believe there's a lot
of upside back there in the secondary, specifically at corner.
What did you make of their approach this offseason, which
was to essentially just put a whole lot of faith
in the same players but with a new DC.

Speaker 13 (01:34:47):
I mean, it's it's bold, I would say if there
is some certainly some issues back there, I think the
story that they're likely selling is, hey, we have lou
En remote with a like very very complex defense or
a defense that was going to be built on a
lot of trust. And then as some of those older players,
of course, you know, you move the safety out for

(01:35:08):
contract purposes, and then you bring in those new young players.
Now you're gonna have to have a different voice in
there or someone who can simplify things for them. So
if if you can have a top end offense and
you just you don't even need to be an average defense,
you need to be like right around that that sort
of area kind of as as opposed to last year.

Speaker 14 (01:35:27):
So is the approach my favorite maybe maybe not my
like number one approach.

Speaker 13 (01:35:31):
But obviously I know Bengals Stan's are very familiar with
it being a salary path league, and you're not just
being able to get your kind of choice of picks
and even a cornerback. It's not like there were tons
of cornerbacks just kind of flying around that you would
feel super good about kind of tying up for the
next few years.

Speaker 14 (01:35:47):
Thinking about some of the guys that went into some places.
So it's it's maybe a lot of faith in Al Golden.

Speaker 13 (01:35:53):
I can see the story that it is kind of
being told, and I could buy it a little bit,
but it's of course gonna come down to those guys
on the field.

Speaker 3 (01:36:01):
On Sundays, Sean Said is with us.

Speaker 2 (01:36:04):
Subscribe The Stats and Scheme newsletter is available at sumer
sports dot com s U.

Speaker 3 (01:36:09):
M e R.

Speaker 2 (01:36:11):
Let's talk about something that has me excited. The defense
has me scared and curious. The offense has me excited
and curious. Schematically speaking, there's so many different chess pieces
that does Zach Taylor and Dan Pitcher have at their disposal.
From your perspective, look, I think Chase Brown, we all

(01:36:32):
saw what he could do toward the end of the
season last year. For me at least, what I'm most
excited about is to see how they expand upon his
role this coming season.

Speaker 13 (01:36:40):
No, I mean, I feel like the number one Chase
Brown defender in all tirples. I think this year is
really the year that he gets to make his stamp
kind of on that national stage. I want to see
him used in situations where it surprised me a little
bit that the Bengals used two tight ends on the
field at the same time. You know, I a little
bit of a more increasing rate, you get a time

(01:37:02):
end kind of in that fullback site. It can give
you a little bit more of a physical mentality and
really challenge defenses too.

Speaker 14 (01:37:08):
Look, if I play the Bengals, I'm gonna get beat
by by Chase and Higgins.

Speaker 13 (01:37:11):
I'm gonna do what I can to try and not
get beat by Chasing Higgins. But now if you're able
to add on a really physical running and I think
that just creates so.

Speaker 14 (01:37:19):
Many conflicts for a defense.

Speaker 13 (01:37:20):
Like you think about the Eagles where they have a
high end running game, they have great receivers on the outside,
and you just whatever way you depend then you're.

Speaker 10 (01:37:27):
Gonna you're gonna lose.

Speaker 13 (01:37:28):
But you, you don't have an advantageous kind of direction
against them.

Speaker 14 (01:37:32):
So I like Chase Brown. I like them a lot
as a player.

Speaker 13 (01:37:35):
I think this is the year that we get a
kind of just in the national picture, like that's what
that's everyone knows the Megans already.

Speaker 2 (01:37:42):
Back to Chase Brown, you talk about a physical running game.
Do they have an offensive line? Who can help them
have one?

Speaker 13 (01:37:47):
Oh, you know, I would have loved you not to
ask that, because that that is such a good question.

Speaker 2 (01:37:53):
Uh.

Speaker 13 (01:37:53):
And I think if you don't feel super super comfortable
in your offensive line, the way that you can get
way with having a good run game is that defense
has to devote so many resources to defend the pass.

Speaker 14 (01:38:06):
I'm gonna put an extra time end on the field,
So now.

Speaker 13 (01:38:08):
I have more players than you kind of in that
short area right across the offensive line. So I'm gonna
try and beat you in that way where maybe my
my whole dire offensive line is not the.

Speaker 14 (01:38:18):
Best run blockers ever.

Speaker 13 (01:38:19):
But if I get an extra big body on the
field and you're playing really light in the box and
you're really scared that I'm gonna kind of throw just
like a quick walling out to to mark case, maybe
you can win that way.

Speaker 14 (01:38:28):
So I think the question is valid. I think probably
because I ever had that same question on their mind.

Speaker 13 (01:38:33):
But I think you're hoping that you get that downstream
effect of a really good.

Speaker 14 (01:38:37):
Passing game that can maybe open up some lanes in
the run game.

Speaker 3 (01:38:41):
The newsletter is terrific.

Speaker 2 (01:38:43):
There's the entire league covered individual matchupsomer sports dot Com,
the stats and scheme newsletter for for those who.

Speaker 4 (01:38:51):
Need to describe. Tell folks what they'll get once they.

Speaker 3 (01:38:54):
Do, I means a lot.

Speaker 13 (01:38:56):
You know, if you want to have just the most
advanced day for every single game the entire season, every
single matchup, We're we're putting together our Week one preview.
It is going to break down every single offense versus
every single defense from every angle you can take of
man coverage, zone coverage, blitz under cent or twelve for
us now, whatever you want, trust me, it's in there

(01:39:16):
because I've bugged a lot of people.

Speaker 14 (01:39:18):
To make sure that we could get it that way.

Speaker 13 (01:39:20):
So if you're gonna use it for fantasy, look, and
I'm not going to tell you to use it for gambling,
but if you use it that way, you know you.

Speaker 9 (01:39:25):
Don't have to tell me.

Speaker 14 (01:39:26):
I don't have to tell anyone either, So I really
enjoy putting it together. I think it gives you every
single thing you need to know.

Speaker 13 (01:39:32):
If you're a Bengals fan and don't want to watch
any other team, fine by me.

Speaker 14 (01:39:36):
You and He'll get it all there too.

Speaker 13 (01:39:37):
If you just want to see the bangle stuff, it's
going to be easy to scroll through it.

Speaker 14 (01:39:40):
So I really really enjoyed putting it together.

Speaker 13 (01:39:43):
I would definitely recommend going to sewer sports dot com
slash subscribe.

Speaker 14 (01:39:46):
Consumers is summer without one m.

Speaker 13 (01:39:49):
And I think it's gonna be such a fun season
to be able to do it this season.

Speaker 4 (01:39:53):
You're the best. Hopefully we can chat.

Speaker 2 (01:39:55):
I'll bother you next week and love the work, Love
having you on, Love the new letter.

Speaker 7 (01:40:00):
Thanks so much, Thanks Zoys, I really appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:40:03):
You got it. That's our guy.

Speaker 2 (01:40:05):
Sean Saya had subscribe now the Stats and Scheme newsletter at.

Speaker 4 (01:40:08):
Sumer sports dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:40:10):
Twenty eight away from six o'clock, we are guest free
the rest of the way. We're broadcasting from Oakley Greens.
The sister bar of Oakley Greens is hosting US tonight
in Covington, for sports Betting one oh one the Jungle
pop up bar, which opened up last week and runs
through September the eleventh, an event every single night. Tony

(01:40:31):
and I are going to do like our version of
the Manning Cast for the first game of the season
between the Eagles and Cowboys on Thursday. There's an NFL
Roast tomorrow, stand up comedy Rose Tomorrow at ten o'clock,
and I'll be hosting sports Betting one oh one this
evening at the Jungle pop up at the Firehouse at
Covington Yard. And if you heard what just happened to

(01:40:52):
my voice there, I'll be going through puberty there as well.
It is twenty seven away from six o'clock Sports headlines.
Next from Oakley Greens on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 5 (01:41:03):
You've been listening to football in the NATI, brought to
you by Cincinnati Tax Resolution powered by Tofe Sheldon on
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic.

Speaker 6 (01:41:21):
From the UC Health Traffic Center at UCE Health. You'll
find comprehensive care that's so personal it makes your best
tomorrow possible. That's foundless care for better outcomes. Expect more
at sehealth dot com. Southbound seventy one seventy five. It's
still got that accident on the ramp from two to
seventy five in Erlanger. Now the left lane and both

(01:41:42):
shoulders blocked off. Traffic can pass through, but d use caution.
On Anderson Ferry Road, it's an accident at Glenn Crossing Way.
I'm at Ezelak with traffic.

Speaker 1 (01:41:52):
The season and the Bengals are looking to start with
a winning record. To do it, they have to beat
the Browns. Will Zach Taylor's team pull off the interstate win?
Get the Call live from Dan Hood and Dave LAMPEV
coverage begins Sunday morning at nine am. Stream for free
on the new and improved iHeartRadio app or ESPN fifteen thirty,

(01:42:13):
the official home of US Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:42:16):
Sports headlines are service of Kelsey sherfer La home of
Lifetime powertrain protection and guarantee credit approval from their family
to yours for life Kelsey Chef dot com. Bengals released
their first injury. No, they didn't, They released their first
death chart of the year. First injury reports tomorrow. Among
developments that I think would be deemed at least somewhat noteworthy,

(01:42:39):
dun't Riisner is not listed as the starting right card.
I don't know that that's a surprise to anybody, but
Lucas Patrick is listed as the starter at that position.
Joseph Osai starting edge rusher opposite Troy Hendrickson. Obviously, for
what it's worth, Drew Sample listed as TE one Bengals
and Browns on Sunday at one on ESPN fifty thirty.

(01:43:00):
You could watch it here at Oakley Greens or watch
it at the Jungle pop up bar with our guy,
that Mailman. Reds and Blue Jays Tonight, second of three
at GABP. Nick Lodolo has been scratched from the start
tonight due to illness, and so it's gonna be a
bullpen game for Cincinnati. Jose Barrios is gonna throw for Toronto.

(01:43:22):
Scott Barlow gets the ball first for the Red six
forty tonight's first pitch on seven hundred wl W Yours
starting lineup tonight Friedol Marte and Ellie tay La Cruz,
Austin Hayes and Left Gavin lux dhs Sal Stewart after
a successful big league debut. Tonight is playing first base
and batting sixth kee. Brian Hayes the third. Jose Travino

(01:43:43):
is catching. Matt McClain plays second base and bat's ninth.
Reds did make a couple of roster moves. Sam Mall
has been optioned to Louisville. Joe Lsorsa has been dfaed.
Rayver San Martin has been called up from Louisville. When
he first pitches for the Reds, it'll be his first
Big Lee action since twenty twenty three. It's time for
today's Postman Law injury report. It is delivered by Postman Law.

(01:44:07):
If you're injured, Postman delivers Chase Burns had a bullpen
side session on the thirtieth, which was Saturday. He is
going to face some hitters during a live batting practice
session today. I've not heard how that went. Tyler Stevenson
took some batting practice on Friday, did some catching, blocked

(01:44:29):
some balls in the dirt. The next step is for
him to catch a pitcher on flat ground. Obviously also
paying attention to the Graham Ashcraft thing, he went for
an MRI last week, placed on the injured list retroactive
to the twenty fifth inflammation in a muscle near his wrist.
He last pitched on August the twenty fourth at Arizona.
That is today's Postman Law injury report. It is delivered

(01:44:51):
by Postman Law. If you're injured, called eight four to
four Postman. That's eight four to four post na N.

Speaker 3 (01:45:01):
Let's talk to some other folks.

Speaker 12 (01:45:03):
Ian.

Speaker 4 (01:45:03):
You're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Good afternoon.

Speaker 3 (01:45:06):
How are you, hey, man, I'm great.

Speaker 10 (01:45:09):
I hope you're doing well. I think that now I
know it's not going to be right away, Like you
just mentioned that Jamar Stewart's not even like delisted starter
in front of what's the name, But uh, I think that,
Oh sorry, I'm sorry. I think that as the you know, one, two, three,

(01:45:34):
games go and he kind of gets plugged in. And
this is maybe dating the obvious, but I just can't
help the feelings that I feel like the dude is
a dog. I've felt that way from the moment he
stepped on the podium and that little bit of disruption,
not even Sacks, just the opposite of Trey. That's like

(01:45:58):
the little thing that they were missing, and you could
just have a duck Park Park defense, but that would
be like the anchor, the balance that that defense could
just go after that, I feel like they can rock
and freaking roll.

Speaker 9 (01:46:15):
I think he's gonna be that.

Speaker 10 (01:46:17):
Eventually, it's gonna pop up and we're all gonna get excited.
That's the positive me. You know what I'm saying. It's
just how I feel, and that's what I hope and.

Speaker 2 (01:46:26):
I think, I think, And there's lots of reasons to
be positive when it comes to Shamar Stewart. You know,
everybody's gonna wait and see if he can finish plays
and get sacks. And with an edge rusher one and
a half sacks per season, you gotta do better than that.
But he was disruptive at Texas A and M, and
I think those disruptions look sacks are great, but I

(01:46:47):
love edge rushers who cause havoc and make quarterbacks make mistakes.
If an edge rusher gets to the QB and forces
an incompletion on third and eight, well his team is
getting the ball back. That's when or if an edge
rusher can make a quarterback and make a mistake and
it ends up in the hands of one of his teammates.
In the back end of the defense. That's a win.

(01:47:07):
I mean that there are ways to affect the game
as an edge rusher that don't simply involve sacking the quarterback.
And it was a limited glimpse, right, it was a
very limited glimpse. But what we saw from Schamar Stewart
during training camp and during the preseason would suggest that
he's capable of disrupting the other team's offense. And if
he does that, the sacks are going to come. The

(01:47:29):
sacks are going to come for him, or the sacks
are going to come for a guy like Trey Hendrickson
or maybe one of the inside guys. I just want disruption,
because yes, Trey Hendrickson had all the sacks last year,
but nobody else provided disruptions.

Speaker 4 (01:47:43):
I think Shamar Stewart can.

Speaker 10 (01:47:46):
Yeah, I got one last just kind of question, that
man's comment question, And I just think that with that
the extension of that nod of like just being that
disruptor period. Do you think that that kind of domino
effect for other guys that maybe I'm not gonna say

(01:48:08):
stuff part performance, but it might slow down things for
other guys and other opportunities just come. And I'm not
saying it's gonna be like the twenty one or twenty
two team with all the magic where balls just fall
in their laugh like that. But I just, man, I
think it can happen.

Speaker 2 (01:48:27):
I really do. I think there's obviously validity to the
idea that if the Bengals are better up front and
apply more pressure, then the secondary itself.

Speaker 3 (01:48:38):
Is gonna benefit.

Speaker 2 (01:48:39):
I think that's that's pretty much basic football, one on one. Like,
I certainly believe the impact of a better pass rush
is perhaps most profoundly felt by the play of the
secondary having a chance to take advantage of more mistakes. Now,
last year, what we saw was a lot of times
where a guy caught a pass, dude didn't make a tackle,

(01:49:01):
a lot of times where a guy in the secondary
had a chance to be the last line of defense
like a safety is supposed to be.

Speaker 3 (01:49:07):
Guy could make a tackle.

Speaker 2 (01:49:09):
I don't need this secondary to lead the league in picks, interceptions,
forced fumbles. What you do need is for them to
not lead the league in explosive plays. You need them
to know. We always talk about like well, finish league
average on defense, finish league average in explosive plays, giving
up and if this team does that. I'm gonna believe

(01:49:31):
that the secondary has benefited tremendously from the pass rush.

Speaker 3 (01:49:35):
And I'm also gonna believe that.

Speaker 2 (01:49:36):
This team can go far, but I need to see
it in the back end before I believe that we will.

Speaker 4 (01:49:41):
And I got a run man.

Speaker 3 (01:49:41):
Thank you?

Speaker 2 (01:49:43):
Yeah yeah, Mike, go ahead. You're on ESPN fifteen thirty
high Mike.

Speaker 9 (01:49:48):
Iie mo. Thanks hopef. You had a good weekend with
your daughter and your wife.

Speaker 3 (01:49:53):
It was delightful.

Speaker 7 (01:49:53):
Thank you.

Speaker 9 (01:49:55):
Yeah, well he does okay, just a quickie on the Bengals.
Joseph suck. He's gonna play another guy that's hurt all
the time, unreliable. So hopefully Chamorrow's being there and playing
in Week two because they'll realize that Osaid didn't do
what He's hanging the game more negative, I think, more reality.

Speaker 2 (01:50:18):
Joseph Joseph Joseph Osai, in two of his three NFL seasons,
has played in every game.

Speaker 9 (01:50:27):
Yeah, well, but he hasn't done much. No, let's just
be honest about it.

Speaker 14 (01:50:31):
Has he?

Speaker 5 (01:50:32):
Now?

Speaker 2 (01:50:32):
I mean I let's let's let's be fair. Let's be
fair to say that he had done nothing for two
and a half years. Would have been accurate. Toward the
end of the season. Last year, he played well. I mean,
he had at least a half a sack and six
of the team's final seven games. They're not paying him
a ton this year. Nobody believes that he is going

(01:50:52):
to be as good as Trey Hendrickson. Most believe that
that Shamar Stewart will ultimately prove to be better than
Joseph Osaigh. And you could argue that it took a
little bit too long for the light bulb to come on.

Speaker 4 (01:51:05):
But at the end of the season last.

Speaker 2 (01:51:06):
Year, JOSEPHO said was one of their best players on defense,
that is inescapable, and so the Bengals are betting on
him continuing to trend upward. But it's just it's actually
not true that he's always hurt and misses games. He
missed his first season with an unfortunate injury, and since
then he has missed three games. All came during the

(01:51:27):
twenty twenty three season.

Speaker 9 (01:51:29):
I just, I guess, I just I mean, But Mike
at the.

Speaker 2 (01:51:34):
End of the season last year said he sucks. At
the end of the season last year, he did not suck.
He was the exact opposite. And they're hoping that trend continues.

Speaker 9 (01:51:42):
I was probably watching another game. My bad, Okay, getting
to the Reds. Well, I wish there were better college
football games on this week compared to last week. This
week's not that great. But I'm wondering now with the Reds,
I'm looking at the John now sneaking up on now
Tony and Tony and Austin disagree with me, and it's

(01:52:06):
it's there's no real disagreement to it. You're trying to
catch the Mets. We all know that. But slowly here
the Giants are catching up their game behind the Reds.
The d Backs are another two and a half games behind,
so I don't really put a lot of credit them.
But the Giants are right on their heels, and you've
got to catch the Mets. But if you let the

(01:52:28):
Giants slip in front of you, then you've got to
jump two teams and to catch the one team to
catch the Mets. So I just hope that they can
go on a like a six game winning streak or
five games, or even continue as two games into four,
just to give them a little breathing room, don't.

Speaker 3 (01:52:48):
You, Without question?

Speaker 2 (01:52:51):
I mean there look their longest winning streak all season
long is five right now, a five game winning streak
I think would would go a long way. They you know,
let's do this. Let's get to two. Let's get to
within two of New York by Monday by not losing
any ground between now and Friday. Take two out of

(01:53:14):
three from the Mets. You will have the tiebreaker in
your back pocket. You're two out. I think the magic
number is going to be eighty seven wins. So the
Reds have twenty four games to go. If they go
seventeen and seven, I think they're in the playoffs, especially
if they if they beat the Mets two out of
three this weekend, and if that, if that's the case,

(01:53:34):
if they tie with New York they're at eighty seven each,
they would win the tiebreaker. I don't think San Francisco,
who has come on here recently, I don't think San
Francisco can get to eighty seven wins. I think the
number is eight now for the Mets to get to
eighty seven wins, they only need thirteen more victories. To me,
it's go seventeen and seven the rest of the way. Now,

(01:53:55):
you're being completely fair if you think, if you think
this team can't do that because pen issues, offense issues,
lack of consistency, all sorts of defensive issues they have
right now. But I don't make it so much about
the game's back column, or I don't make it so
much about where the Giants are in relation to them.
I'm targeting eighty seven wins. If this team has eighty

(01:54:17):
seven wins at the end of the year and they
beat the Mets this weekend two out of three, I
think the Reds will be a playoff team.

Speaker 3 (01:54:24):
We'll see if that happens. Mike, I gotta run well quick.

Speaker 9 (01:54:28):
The only thing that bothers me now here we are again,
Ladolo can't pitch tonight. There's just too much inconsistency. Thanks Mo,
appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:54:34):
Yeah, no, Look, having a bullpen game when the starting
staff is your your biggest strength and the bullpen has
been taxed and overused and you got a lot of
other issues, that's that's needless to say, less than ideal.
We have to run tonight. We're gonna be at Coving
ten Yard, at the Firehouse at Coming ten yard, the
Jungle pop up bar for sports betting.

Speaker 3 (01:54:53):
One on one.

Speaker 2 (01:54:54):
It is going to be an absolute blast. We are
back here on Tuesday of next week, recapping Bang Browns
looking ahead to the home opener. If you haven't been
to Oakley Greens, join us next Tuesday. I want to
thank Drew wester Hiding for producing on site, Aaron Bland
for producing back in Kenwood, and the staff at Oakley
Greens for hosting us. We're back in studio tomorrow at

(01:55:14):
three oh five. Have an awesome night, and thank you
for listening. This is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 5 (01:55:21):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic.

Speaker 6 (01:55:29):
From the uc Health Traffic Center at u See Health.
best tomorrow possible. That's found this care for better outcomes.
Expect more at u seehealth dot com. Southbound seventy one,
it's an accident off on the right shoulder between Feifer
Road and Ronald Reagan Highway. Got some slow traffic back

(01:55:50):
from two seventy five with a five minute delay on
Montgomery Road. There's another crash at Cornell Road, and still
got that accident Anderson Ferry Road at Glenn Crossing Way.
I met he Zelic with traffic this week

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