9/8/25 - The Tony & Mo Football Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Tony and Mo Football Show, Live from
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(00:22):
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Let's drive on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of

(00:44):
the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yallame, I need to.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
You just look at one thing we've talked about is
they get back on tracks. There were sometimes really the game,
we got them into a second, ten, second eleven.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Where we want them, and they were able to convert them.
At the end of the game.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
When you look at every situation where we were in
that way second eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, we won
the next down, you know, And so I think our
guys just did a great job finishing the game, closing
it out, getting the two turnovers, getting the turnover run
downs on the fourth and five, just just a lot
of really good stuff to close.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
Up the game from our defense.

Speaker 5 (01:28):
Look at a game like that, Borrow, when you and
Joe Burrow look at a game like that, where do
you start to have conversations about what to improve or
look at.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
What's the third down? I mean, it's it's extremely simple,
you know. I think the first half we had twenty
three first and second down plays out side a third
down on three possessions. In the second half, we had
twelve first and second downs because of our lack of
third down conversion. So it's as simple as we got
to convert a third and two. We got to convert
a third and four. We got to convert a third
and one to be able to get into a rhythm
where we've got that first first down and now we

(01:58):
got more normal down plays to keep them off guard.
When you're just three and out because you're not converting
third downs, they're just tan off, you know, and they've
got all the momentum, and we just needed to convert
on one to give ourselves some rhythm momentum.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
Weren't able to do that.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
That happens sometimes we don't want it to happen, but
those are easy, easy things for us to be better.

Speaker 4 (02:18):
At moving forward offensively.

Speaker 6 (02:20):
Just feel like there were some deep shots to to
to Markey that just weren't close to the stick.

Speaker 4 (02:26):
That's the deep game in general.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
You know, when you're gonna face man coverage against a
good team that's gonna be able to Russia, then that's
gonna happen. You know, one I would take that call back.
You know, we called it go route versus soft corner.
You know, that's that's there's a couple of plays you
always want back as a play caller. That's probably one
of them right there.

Speaker 7 (02:46):
You guys signed t J Slaton this offseason with the
idea of let's be better stopping to run a start
start first game. Obviously, you guys did that really well.
What impact did you see him specifically have for you.

Speaker 4 (02:58):
Guys out there? A big one.

Speaker 8 (02:59):
You know.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
I think TJ really played well when every snap he
was in there. He was physical in the run game,
physical at the point of attack, made some hay in
the past game as well, you know, and got some
pressures back there. So overall I thought he had great
energy throughout the game. In addition to him, I thought
BJ responded really well. I thought, really, you know, everybody
guy that went in there in the interior for us

(03:20):
gave us what we needed to be able to win
that game.

Speaker 7 (03:23):
Seemed to freed up the linebackers a lot. That's the idea, right,
I mean, with the behind us. What do you think
about his debut playing off off of that was happening
in front of him.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
There was a lot of really good plays from d Night,
you know, and I thought he played poised. It doesn't
mean there's things that we can't correct in there. But again,
I thought we got enough over there from all those guys.
They played together, they communicated well, they kept the mill
aires at a minimum, got the turnovers, the penalties were all.

Speaker 4 (03:50):
You know.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
There was some some DPIs and the legal contacts. That's
that's part of playing a tight game like that. But
in terms of things we can control, I thought we
did a great job of that.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
The decision in preseason that you went out so it's
not show your full hands, so to speak, in terms
of defensive looks. Did you see a tangible benefit from
that yesterday?

Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yeah, I think just just those guys getting out and
playing whether it was good or bad pointing out there
all eleven guys, and I thought they came out and
played well.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
That first drive was in a lot of ways. There's
some good things.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
The penalties extended to drive, but they were able to
find ways to get the stops and and just the
penalties pushed it along. But again I was proud of
the way overall that they found a way to buckle
down and get the win, especially in the second half.

Speaker 5 (04:33):
What do you think the lifespan is for holding back
in preseason and.

Speaker 4 (04:36):
Not the first the first training candidate.

Speaker 9 (04:41):
You rotated some corner and at least looked like it
was the same at linebacker.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Was that the playing Yeah, yeah, well DJ Turner, you know,
has earned opportunity, and so he went in there and
played well and continued to earn opportunity. And so I
think when you've got a lot of starting corners, those
guys are going to continue to earn playing time and
you've got to be flexible with how it's going to go.
I think the linebacker position as well, Orren has earned opportunity.
Barrett went in there when when Logan had the being up.

(05:06):
You know, at the I can't remember what part of
the game that was and walked out there and first
Rep showed great command, poise in the huddle, poise making
checks the time scrimmage that wasn't too big for him either.
So we've got a lot of confidence in that linebacker room,
and that's a good thing to have with with the
versatility of a lot of the offenses we're going to play,
whether we're utilizing two of those guys at the time,

(05:27):
three those guys at a time, four of them at
a time, rotating them how it is, those guys are
all solid players for us.

Speaker 10 (05:33):
You know, I think I think he was a big
six snaps touched on.

Speaker 11 (05:39):
Uh, I guess that's how much those guys use.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
W Yeah, a lot of flexibility in our time in room,
and I think you're gonna be able to look at
every game and it might that the playtime percentages can
be different in every single game or so every defense
we face. We're fortunate to really to us have five
time ends that we trust for active on game day,
you know, we had a fifth and active, but we've

(06:05):
got five that we believe in can go in and
operate our offense and give us what we need to win.
So I think that's a really good room. And again,
the playtime percentages could change game by game.

Speaker 5 (06:16):
I guess it was a mat with the way they
would just kind of the way they're playing.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
Well, there the different groupings are going to invite different
personnel groupings from the defense. Okay, so whatever we want
to do going into that game, you know, there's your
mom's calling if your mom's names Kathy, but uh, these
every game we can we can invite different groupings. So
what do we want to attack? How do we want
to utilize the guys? So there's there's different ways we
can we can utilize all those guys. You want me

(06:42):
to answer it, you want me to Okay, I.

Speaker 10 (06:52):
Think at code in so we can. I guess I
don't know is that he's a high is a fan.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
Right, here's a full back as true old school Spider two.
That's Spider two.

Speaker 4 (07:02):
I've an air right there.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
That's not exactly how we called it, but that's that's
the play I threw probably fourteen of my sixteen touchdowns
in college on there, as simple as that. But yeah,
for for yeah, if you like the junger and turn,
that's basically what that play was.

Speaker 4 (07:16):
I did work with Cody on his form on his.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
You don't get that full speed you know, that's that's
not a full speed rep that we get. Now we've
we've walked through that a million times and talked through
how we want to cut at the edge.

Speaker 4 (07:27):
It's a big job. But in terms of actually wrapping
that live and him going we have we have not
done that with him last last year. That was Hubbard,
Well Hubbard not not true.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Hubbard was the extra tight end on the edge, you know,
and so usually he was on the backside cut off
or the That was also Spider three, probably Banana basically
on the touchdown he caught against Tennessee. But there's different.
It depends on your active lists in the game. Sometimes
you don't have enough active tight ends that fit those roles.
Sometimes you don't have an active lineman you necessarily wanted

(08:02):
to use. Sam was the body type we happened to
use at the end of last season. So that that
kind of depends. There is an extra spot in your
goal one package. Oftentimes that is going to be based
on the roster and who's available to you.

Speaker 10 (08:14):
Ted described what Dalton Reisner did yesterday as a stunning
display of football professionalism. Yeah, have no camp, no OTAs,
and then play most of the game in week one.
Is that hyperbole or is that fair?

Speaker 4 (08:26):
No?

Speaker 3 (08:26):
I mean that was the second time in full pats,
you know, Thursday's practice, Sunday's game. That's that that's difficult,
you know, And it's the above the next stuff. He's got,
the experience he's got. He obviously did a great job
staying in shape where he was ready to go, and
I thought did a great job getting through the game
and it was durable and conditioning was fine. But you

(08:48):
can't you can't simulate the body blows and the hits
on your body. And I'm sure the soreness that he
experiences right now, which is probably something our guys field
day to a training camp, you know, with the pads on,
so he's just experiencing that a different time. But I
mean I just saw him and he's, you know, doing
everything he can to take his body, get his body back,
and we'll give him a couple of days here to
be able to do that.

Speaker 10 (09:09):
You were evaluating Jordan Battle the off season.

Speaker 9 (09:11):
Once you see from his first few years, that makes
you feel good about having.

Speaker 10 (09:14):
To start with the one.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
But he's got leadership capabilities that sims from his high
school days at Saint Thomas all the way to Bama
to now you're really seeing that. You know, he's he's
got the ability to lead and his voice be heard.
He's a smart player. You're going to get everything from
him on every play. I thought one of the two
of the plays that stuck out for me, there was
a goal line play where his man motion across and

(09:37):
he hit the motion and fit up and allow Logan
to come through and make the play on the third
third goal play. And then there was another one where
they got a decent game but he came out of
the post to make an open field tackle.

Speaker 4 (09:47):
You know, it took kind of two attempts there to
get the back.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
On the ground, But great job not not freezing in
the moment and not letting up and running through the
tackle and getting the ball carer on the ground. And
so I think Joe George with a lot of confidence
right now. And that's the type of player we want
him to be, and we saw that yesterday from him.

Speaker 11 (10:05):
Given how COLLECTI we got that secondary still kind of
is how work was it for him to have a
couple of big plays at the start of the season.

Speaker 4 (10:12):
It's great for them. I don't look at him as young.

Speaker 3 (10:15):
I feel like these guys, you know, when guys have
three four years of experience, that that's not young anymore.
For me, young is first and second year. Not a
lot of games are the belt. This is this is
becoming a veteran group for us, where these guys, you know,
Dax and Cam and DJ Jordan Gino, those guys have
played a lot of games and so we have really
high expectations for them. Fig hasn't played us much, but

(10:37):
we still have high expectations from him. He's coming and
acted like a veteran. So I don't look at as
a young group, and so my expectations that they're going
to make plays for us, and they did that yesterday.

Speaker 5 (10:45):
I think when you're creating a game like yesterday or
going over with Joe, how much do you look at
the fact that he didn't force the ball into areas
and didn't commit a turnover yesterday?

Speaker 4 (10:56):
Big reason you guys were able to woman.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
That's the critical part of week one is no turnovers,
getting too on defense.

Speaker 4 (11:02):
Look at the scoreboard. That's going to be the winning team.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
And so for Joe to make great decisions in terms
of where the ball is going, protect the ball in
the pocket when things get rough, for all of our
guys to protect the ball when they're in the open field.
That's the difference in the in the game yesterday. Talent
good things, you know, there's good things to continue to
build on. There are things that we will correct as

(11:25):
the season goes on. I told the team after the game,
the Week one team is not going to be our
Week two team or a Week six team. We're going
to have to continue to improve as we go. But
we have the right people that correct their mistakes and
so I know we get a better version of everybody
as we move forward.

Speaker 4 (11:41):
Is it kind of a weight off your shoulders to
kind of dispel that Week one slow start narrative.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
No, it has nothing to do with that. It's just
all the anxieties that come with Week one in general.
You know, I think it's just it's its own unique week.
There's so much build up from the offseason to that moment,
the unexpected of what are they going to do? Challenges
they can to present that they've been hiding from us
all off season, and so just to just collectively as
a team to find a way to win at times

(12:10):
a gross game. Defensively, it was a beautiful game there
at the end, those last five possessions, that's what you want.
But just that's that's all we needed, was want to
know and put ourselves in best before we said the
league did us a huge favor putting us in a
divisional road game week one, because come out of that
want to know, that's the best case scenario of any
game you could have played. And so our guys accepted

(12:31):
that challenge and figured out what to get it done.

Speaker 10 (12:34):
How closely does yards allowed per carry correlate to winning?

Speaker 3 (12:38):
I think for the our style of football we want
to play as a team, when you can eliminate the
run game, knock down the explosives, and allow our offense
to put pressure on teams, then that's gonna be a
good recipe for winning.

Speaker 9 (12:50):
I know we.

Speaker 3 (12:53):
We as an offense didn't didn't support that in the
second half, and we as defense did that part. And
so there's gonna be times where different parts the team's
gonna lean on the other unit.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
That's gonna happen.

Speaker 3 (13:03):
That's over seventeen game season's that's what's gonna happen when
we put it all together. We feel like we're gonna
be pretty deadly and I'm excited to look forward to
putting playing together this week and doing a best get
that down.

Speaker 4 (13:17):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (13:18):
This has been the Zach Taylor press Conference on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of US Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
All right, there you go, Zach Taylor talking with the
media who you could hear this and you originally known
as Paul Brown Stadium, a day after his team hung
on to beat the Cleveland Browns seventeen to sixteen in
the season opener, Good Afternoon on Moegar with James Rapaine,
the annual Let's Go the Annual season Edition season opening
edition of The Tony and Mo Football Show without Tony Pike.

Speaker 9 (13:50):
Hey, they won. They'm not used to doing this after
a win, nor am I. It may sound like a loss.
I'm just kidding times it will at times.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
Times it will not always because you know, I don't
know about you, although I do know about you. You
can do multiple things. You can celebrate the victory, yep,
and you could also talk about what they need to
do to ensure their chances of achieving more victories. That
is totally fair and we're going to do that today.
We're a Twin Peaks in Westchester. We're here this week

(14:20):
and next we move to the Florence location on the
twenty second of September. We have a lot to discuss
James with and I do this every time Bengals Talk
dot com. Yes, Enter the Jungle yep, right, locked on Bengals.

Speaker 9 (14:32):
Yep, anything else. Cincinnati Bengals Talk.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
Is part of See there's a lot going on there. Yeah, right,
there's a lot there's Cincinnati Bengals Talk is a part
of Enter the Jungle, which is also the title of
your book. Yeah, I think you should write a book
on yesterday's game. It would be it would be interesting.
You could write a book of my emotions during yesterday.
Some people would only read half of it. I I

(15:00):
would read all about Andre Schmidt.

Speaker 9 (15:04):
It's it's rough for him in Cleveland today, I'll tell
you that much.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
Yeah, it's rough for him for two reasons. Number one,
that ain't how you spell Schmidt. Number two, my guy
had a bad game yesterday.

Speaker 9 (15:12):
I didn't even know how to say his name. So
I'm glad you Like I.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
Had to look it up this morning because I knew
we were going to talk about it.

Speaker 9 (15:19):
When he missed those kicks, I said, I don't need
to learn your name. It's the opposite. I know that
you're just the guy who's going to miss these kids.

Speaker 2 (15:26):
What I said is that guy needs some consonants and
maybe some vowels, and he might need a new job
if his performance yesterday becomes the norm. We're here till
six o'clock. We have a lot to talk about. Bengals
do win yesterday. Seventeen to sixteen. It's the Tony and
Moo Football Show. James for Payne with Me today in
for Tony Pike on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 12 (15:47):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 13 (15:52):
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Speaker 2 (16:06):
Still.

Speaker 8 (16:06):
Two accidents on the roadways right now. The first one
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Speaker 2 (16:27):
Twenty three minutes after three o'clock. It's the season opening
edition of The Tony and Mo Football Show, the season premiere.
If you will, We're at Twin Peaks in Westchester till
six o'clock. Twin Peaks has been with us since the
twenty twenty season. We love coming here. We're at the
Westchester spot, which is just like one minute off I
seventy five. Get off at the Union Center Boulevard exit

(16:48):
and you'll be here. The food is awesome. It's a
great place to watch the Monday night football game tonight
WHI should be a pretty decent one. Chicago. In Minnesota,
the Reds play tonight. The Reds still have a pulse
after they want two out of three. If excuse me,
you're thinking ahead of this weekend college football the Bengals
game on Sunday, Tons of TVs. The Coldest Bear. You'll
find a great menu and an awesome staff as well.

(17:12):
Twin Peaks in Westchester and Florence the dual homes of
The Tony and Moe Football Show every Monday on ESPN
fifteen thirty James Rapeene is in for Tony today. Tony
is back for his show tomorrow at noon. What should
I be feeling today? Elation that they won, concern with
how the offense played? Should I feel mad? Should I

(17:34):
just be so excited that I ignore all the words
we saw yesterday? How should I feel?

Speaker 9 (17:38):
James? Well, we shouldn't be maduse when we sat when
we sat here a year ago, that's when you're mad.
Because right after that game last year, it was like, oh,
this is going to cost him. I don't know what
it's gonna cost him, but it's going to cost him,
and it obviously cost them the playoff spot.

Speaker 2 (17:54):
If you get the win.

Speaker 9 (17:57):
And you're relatively healthy, and outside of Lucas Patrick there healthy,
that's all that matters in September.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
Sometimes that's it.

Speaker 9 (18:04):
Now. Are there things to be concerned about? Absolutely? Are
there things that you wanted to see? And the better
it looks, the better you feel. I get that, But
sometimes the bottom line is the bottom line. Did it
get done or not? And they got it done? And
would it feel better if it was thirty seven to
sixteen and not seventeen sixteen, Sure, but it really wouldn't

(18:25):
have changed much you'd been like, yeah, well we thought
the offense could score, and yeah, this defense did it.
But there's against the Browns and Joe Flacco, who's most age.
You know, so that's slightly younger than you, but a
little bit, just a tad. Yeah, but you get my point.
If you're older than Tony Pike, you know you probably
shouldn't be.

Speaker 2 (18:42):
Joe Flacco was drafted when Tony Pike was still playing football.
It's insane. That's insane. You're still playing. If they win
that type of game in December, it's survive in advance.
Just figure it out. I think because of when the
game was played, there's I think the are things that
many will look at as being a little bit more troubling.

(19:03):
For me, it's it's like it would be in December. Look,
I will acknowledge offensively, that ain't it. One hundred and
thirteen from Joe Burrow two net yards in the second half,
That ain't it. But I've sat here either here in
Florence each of the last three years talking with you
about how they lost, why they lost, and what it
was gonna mean. Look, at the very least, the Baltimore
Ravens for a week or chasing them. Yep, that's good

(19:25):
enough for me. Sometimes you gotta get lucky in sports man,
sometimes you got to get lucky in life. Bengals got
lucky yesterday to a degree. I'm fine with that. And
they haven't had that luck in weekly.

Speaker 9 (19:34):
No, it's been the opposite where the Mike is SICKI
touchdown that wasn't the Tyre Hudson touchdown. That wasn't right,
and so yeah, maybe this is coming back around for them.
By the way, you mentioned Joe Brow in the second
half three of nine for twenty five yards. He was
eleven and fourteen for eighty eight. Yes, like things were
looking pretty darn good in that first half. And so

(19:57):
even with the offense, there are good things about even
if it was the worst performance, I would say at
least worst half that I can really remember, because they
weren't moving the ball at all. Now, you could say
first half of the Chargers game last year. There are
other games, yeah, sure, but that's about as bad as
it gets. I think what was interesting to me is
the first drive of the game. It's the Chase Brown drive.

(20:19):
It's seven carries.

Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yep. I put this on social media. I'm probably not
the only one in the opener. Last year he had
six touches the entire game. They gave him seven carries
the first drive. It's effective, and I'm thinking, cool, what
they're telling Cleveland is, look, man, we've got weaponry on
the outside that you've got to figure out how to stop.
Why don't you try to slow down this guy. So
my thinking is now Cleveland's gonna try to stop Chase Brown,
and for the rest of the game, they kind of did.

(20:43):
And the explosiveness from the wideouts never came with that.
That was I didn't think they were gonna score forty
five points against the Cleveland Browns. No. I did think
that once they ran, it was such ease that at
some point like the next step was this is going
to open things up on the outs, and that never happened.
It didn't.

Speaker 9 (21:01):
And what's wild is Chase Brown had twelve carries in
the first half for forty three yards. Yeah, because how
many yards he finished.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
With forty three yards?

Speaker 9 (21:11):
He had nine carries zero remarkable and that last drive
they're trying to waste time and and so he's eaten
some yards.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
I get that, but man, it.

Speaker 9 (21:22):
It was one of those games are going into it
I thought that it would be the Chase Brown, Mike
is SICKI, Andre Josebash, Noah Fan, all these other weapons, Yeah,
would matter more than Jamar and T because the Cleveland
Browns are going to focus on those guys.

Speaker 4 (21:34):
And it was.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
And then the Browns figured out how to stop those
guys and Jamar and T.

Speaker 9 (21:40):
And this includes just didn't do what you would expect
them to do that which is takeover make a couple
of plays. I if you would have told me after
Jordan Battle's interception that the Bengals not only have to
settle for a field goal there, but don't score again,
I would have said, well, they're losing, losing this game. Yeah,

(22:02):
and so they somehow won, so you could feel good
about that, but also be like, how in the world
did they not score again?

Speaker 2 (22:07):
So there's my question, how in the world was that
offense that many believe can be the best in the NFL,
many believe is the best in the NFL certainly have
elite weaponry.

Speaker 9 (22:17):
Why did the offense yesterday not work? I think that
the Browns certainly have the magic elixir to defend this team.
And what I maybe I put too much value in it.
I thought all of those other weapons would have counteracted
that enough for a full game. Fan did for a
while and it only worked for thirty minutes and then

(22:40):
whatever went away. And I don't think Joe was that
good in the second half. He missed Jamari forced it
to get sick. He miss Jamaal one coming across the middle,
that would have been an easy conversion in a big
play him in jamar off on the one where Miles
Garrett's coming at him and and it's a tough play,
but usually those are plays they make. Yeah, on the sideline,

(23:00):
he's wide open and he has to come back and
then he doesn't get both feet down and I'm not
putting it on Tee like the ball probably should have
been out. So I don't think Joe was great in
the second half. But whatever it was, or whatever it
is with Cleveland, I do think it's a Cleveland thing
because they have Miles Garrett. They can pressure you with him,
They have all these other pieces that you have to
worry about, and they have sticky corners that are comfortable

(23:24):
in man and man coverage with Tea and they were
playing with a lot of confidence. Yes, comfortable and man
of man covered with Jamar. There aren't many people on
the planet that are comfortable in that situation, and the
Browns have at least two guys that are.

Speaker 2 (23:34):
I felt like, with one exception, and maybe I'm wrong
about this, that every pass that Joe completed was inside
the hash marks, like the offense was constricted. There was
nothing towards the sideline, nothing on the outside. Was that
Cleveland taking that away? It felt like it, for sure.

Speaker 9 (23:51):
But the t ball should have easily been a twenty
five plus yard gain. You know which one I'm talking about.
You had to like turn around and out, Yeah, it's
not a ball you should be meeting to adjust. I
guess he was trying to protect him from the defender.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
Maybe, but you're right, it was a lot of that.
It was a lot of quick.

Speaker 9 (24:10):
He completed passes to four different receivers on the opening
drive and then he completed total passes to seven different guys.
Andre Josavash doesn't even get a target. Sama JP Ryan
is one of those guys. He had two catches for
six yards. It Drew Sample is one of those guys,
and it was just a target. Like it's just something
was off and it it's fine because they got the win.

(24:32):
That can't continue, and I don't think it will, right,
But it is a little alarming because I look at
this offense and you added Dalton Reisener who comes in,
and it's probably an upgrade and pass protection. Yes, they
should be able to throw on anyone on the any
team in this league, and they couldn't for a half yesterday.
They do need to figure out why, because other teams

(24:54):
are either going to have a Miles Garrett type player
and be able to do that, or if they don't,
they're gonna try to emulate it as best they can.

Speaker 2 (25:01):
They had a normal offseason, right, Joe wasn't coming off
the surgeon's table. There were no hold ends, you know,
at least on the offensive side of the ball. They
played in the preseason more than they ever have and
so I mean to a degree, they won the game,
and so all right, we're not going to talk about
slow starts now. If they lose their next three, then
one in three is a slow start, but we're at
least not going to talk about not winning the opener.

(25:22):
I do feel like, though, flash ahead the next offseason.
No matter what happens between now and mid February. The
question is going to be what can they do to
ensure a better offensive performance in Week one? I mean,
because that's been a thing now for years and we've
always said, well, it's Burrow coming off the appendectomy, or
he had a bum calf, or he's not totally comfortable
because of the wrist. None of those excuses applied yesterday. No,

(25:45):
and neither did the preseason.

Speaker 8 (25:46):
Right.

Speaker 9 (25:46):
Guess what I don't want to see next year.

Speaker 2 (25:48):
None.

Speaker 9 (25:48):
I don't want to see it. I don't want to
see Joe in the preseason. No, it's not worth it.
And he was asked this after the game and he's like, oh,
we were good in the first half, and it's like, yeah,
but then the second half happened and it was like
one of the worst half of your career. Right, I'm
good on the preseason. Think about how many hits he
took against Washington, oh Man.

Speaker 2 (26:05):
Watching that game is as nervous as I have been, Yeah,
watching a preseason football game in my entire life.

Speaker 9 (26:12):
And then he's like, hey, let me get a couple
drives with the backup skill players.

Speaker 2 (26:19):
Did that help? Yesterday?

Speaker 9 (26:20):
Andre didn't get targeted, right, like Charlie Jones wasn't out
there getting catches like I don't think I don't think
we need to see that, so we could put that
to bed.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
All right. They do win the game yesterday. The defense
holds Cleveland to US sixteen points. They get a couple
of turnovers. We'll talk about how Al Golden's unit did
yesterday when we come back. It's twenty seven away from
four o'clock or a twin peaks in Westchester. The Moe
and James Football Show, The James and Mow Football Show
on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 12 (26:46):

Speaker 13 (26:51):

Speaker 8 (26:54):
and behavior. You see health a Daytion services can help.
Call five one, three, five eight, five nine seven two
two northbound seventy one. It is an accident after Ridge
that is off on the left shoulder. Still got that
accident as well, westbound State Route twenty eight. That's at

(27:15):
the State Route twenty eight business route and southbound seventy
five construction between the Lachland Split and Paddock Road. I'm
at ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
This report and the Bengals on a pro for a win.
To get one, they'll have to chold the Jaguars and
trust me, fur will fly. Get the coal live from
Dan Hood and Dave Lap. Coverage begins Sunday morning at
nine am. Stream for free on the new and improved
iHeartRadio app for ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of

(27:47):
US Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (27:50):
Sports headlines are a service of Kelsey Chevro Line Home
Up lifetime powertrain protection and guarantee credit approval from their
family to yours for life Kelsey chev dot Com. Bengals
winners yesterday with the Browns seventeen to sixteen. Good news
is they win plus reasonably good health. Lucas Patrick the
only player dinged up yesterday. Dalton Reisner is going to

(28:12):
be the starting right guard for the next sixteen games.
You hope, you hope? You know that's Lucas Patrick could
be totally fine. Yep. And I think that's that's my
takeaway and it's now my wish.

Speaker 9 (28:24):
I think that's gonna happen. I think Dalton Reisner is
the better pass protector. And guess what, Lucas Patrick can
back up all three interior spots.

Speaker 2 (28:32):
Yeah. Value in that good get healthy soon the Monday
night or tonight, Minnesota is at Chicago. You can listen
to that game on Fox Sports thirteen sixty at six o'clock. Tonight.
ESPN fifteen thirty has Bengals line with Lance and La. Meanwhile,
Red's start a nine game road trip tonight in San Diego,
first of three against the Padres. Nicolodolo and you, Darbysh
are your pitchers nine to forty tonight on seven hundred WLW.

(28:54):
Reds did win the last two games of that series
against the Mets, so Cincinnati is four behind New York.
They're even with the San Francisco Giants, half game ahead
of both Arizona and Saint Louis. New York's at Philly tonight,
Giants and d Backs play each other. Cardinals are in Seattle.
The Mark Stubes Radio Show is tonight at six on
Fox Sports thirteen sixty. Ohio State, Penn State, LSU, Oregon,

(29:16):
Miami one through five. AP Top twenty five College Football
Poll Coaches Pole has Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, LSU,
and Oregon one through five. Indiana twenty second in the
AP Top twenty five and number nineteen in the coaches
poll seventeen away from four o'clock. It's a Twin Peaks
in Westchester, home of the Tony and Mo Football Show.

(29:37):
James Orpena is in for Tony today. We'll step away.
We have a lot more to discuss. We have the
entire Week one slate. We had arguably already the game
of the year last night in Buffalo.

Speaker 8 (29:46):
Oh.

Speaker 9 (29:47):
I thought you were talking about what happened in Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (29:48):
No, the Aaron Rodgers resurgence in Pittsburgh, which is worth discussing,
and what went down in Cleveland. We'll talk about a
defensive performance that I think, for the most part, we
could feel prett good about. We'll do that when we
come back on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 12 (30:02):

Speaker 13 (30:07):

Speaker 8 (30:10):
five one, three, five, eight, five, nine, seven to two
to two northbound seventy one at Ridge Avenue, left two
lanes blocked from an accident. Fifteen minute delay back from
Smith Edwards southbound seventy one seventy five at Burlington Pike

(30:32):
two right lanes blocked off from an accident. They are
five minute delay from Turfway. I'm at Ezelik with traffic.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
Eleven away from A four. It's the season premiere of
the Toni and Mo football show. Tony is out today.
Our guy, James rapein Bengals Talk dot Com, Cincinnati Bengals Talk,
entered the jungle locked on Bengals. Be sure I didn't
miss out it. They mailed them all and ESPN fifteen thirty.
ESPN fifteen thirty. A staple of like the morning after

(31:02):
a Reds game on the FanDuel Sports Network, or if
you watch the Reds game the night before, you can
turn it off and then turn your TV on the
next day and it's still on the same channel. There's James.
Good morning. There have been times where you've been on
after the game, and then the next day when I
turn it back on, it's the same episode. I'm just
trying to haunt you.

Speaker 9 (31:23):
It's it.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
You know how many times I've been out somewhere and
the Reds game has been on, and then like forty
five minutes after the Reds game, I look up and
there's James. I like that it is, I like that
looking down on us from the bar, I dare you
not order me a shot? Was yesterday's defensive performance? He

(31:44):
signed that Al Golden's defense is gonna work? Or was
it they're just merely playing a bad Browns team.

Speaker 9 (31:50):
I actually thought the Browns offense had a great game plan,
has underrated weapons. I think Cedric Towman well, I think
he's pretty solid. Jerry Judy is obviously their top guy.
Would start for the Bengals. Sorry, he would as their
wide receiver. Three like solid players, not great, but really

(32:10):
good game plan, solid offensive line, And so for them
to do what they did in the second half, I
think you.

Speaker 2 (32:15):
Should be encouraged by that.

Speaker 9 (32:16):
Okay, that doesn't mean that they're going to be world beaters,
but if they're on their way to being a competent
defense and better than they were last year, like by
a significant margin, they do what they did yesterday, that's
what it looks like.

Speaker 5 (32:31):
It.

Speaker 9 (32:31):
It looks like you're going at and you have to
stop a forty year old quarterback, and you have to
force a couple of turnovers, and you have to find
a way to get off the field. After the Bengals
take three sacks and you're facing them on the forty
two yard line. I mean, just forcing a field goal
there by the way, was a huge win for the defense. Yes,
so like they deserve a ton of credit for what
they did. I'm not fully buying it yet. It's one game, sure,

(32:55):
and it is in Cleveland, and it is against an
offense that isn't going to be as good as some
of these offenses that you're going to see, including the
Jaguars in six days. But it does look like improvement.
And I don't think they win that game last year.

Speaker 2 (33:08):
I agree with you, defensive improvement has to start somewhere.
I would rather start week one than week five. I
think there's a lot of us who thought like and
this may still play out. We'll see over the next
three games. But my biggest fear was they lose some
games early because of their defense. They do get it fixed,
but at what cost early in the season, you know,

(33:29):
keeping all these guys from last year. So my thought
was early in the season, they lose a game because
Al Golden's defense either couldn't stop anybody, it makes a
bunch of mistakes. The tackling was much better yesterday. Maybe
tackling continues to be an issue that didn't happen yesterday,
So it's the overall improvement that we must see. Everybody says, well,

(33:49):
they've just got to be league average compared to last year,
and I agree with that, but it's got to start somewhere.
My fear after watching them in the preseason was it
was going to start some time in October. Yeah, and
one it didn't too.

Speaker 9 (34:01):
I didn't really see the scenario where this would be
the case where the defense wins them in the game.
So as weird as it sounds, you would take that
all day long because that's the the offense has the
equity built up.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
Sure, they built up a ton of equals.

Speaker 9 (34:15):
Sure, I'm not really worried about Joe Burrow being good
at football, you know what I'm worried about Jordan Battle
and Dax' Hill, Shamar Stewart and anyone really not named
Trey Hendrickson, even Logan Wilson. Guess what all of those
guys played well yesterday that I.

Speaker 2 (34:28):
Just named Shamar Stewart. You you're not going to see
a number in the sack column, Nope. But he grated
out well yep, And I felt like I saw him
applying pressure a reasonable amount of time for me to
feel pretty good about his NFL debut.

Speaker 9 (34:42):
He passed the eye test line. I don't look at
like the in game PFF scores. A lot of people do.
And I thought he had played well real time. I
just thought I noticed ninety seven. I thought he was disruptive,
batted up a couple, batted down a couple of passes.
One there was a penalty, so that didn't matter. But
the disruption that I saw in training camp, and I
thought he he had about as good of a training
camp as we could have expected, given all the situation,

(35:05):
a contract and all of those things.

Speaker 2 (35:08):
It checks it.

Speaker 9 (35:10):
It lined up with what I saw in training camp,
what he did yesterday. And so what does that mean?
That means the Bengals might have a real dude, and
I think they think they do. And he's just big, strong,
powerful athletic, and I'm not sure he knows exactly what
he's doing yet fundamentally right technique wise, and when you're
that big, strong, powerful and athletic, it doesn't always matter.

(35:31):
It's very much like a Marius Mims last year.

Speaker 2 (35:34):
He's not an.

Speaker 9 (35:34):
Elite technicians as an offensive lineman, but he's so physically gifted,
and he's got a motor.

Speaker 2 (35:42):
This guy, this shamarst he's got a motor. He's gonna go,
go go.

Speaker 9 (35:46):
That can matter in a big way, especially when everyone's
worried about ninety one on the other.

Speaker 2 (35:50):
For what it's worth, his NFL debut, he grated according
to Pro Football Focus, eighty eight point nine yep, which
I think is exactly what Miles Garrett greeted out. I
didn't know what not. Miles Garrett on that drive close
to the goal line was otherworldly because he's Miles Garrett.
But to me, like so, they draft him and everybody says, well,
one and a half sacks last year, four and a

(36:11):
half over his college career, and I go cool, he's
got to finish plays. But he was disruptive. He was,
And so all I'm looking for is if he's disruptive,
there will be benefits somewhere. Maybe somebody else runs into
a sack. Maybe that helps Trey Hendrickson bolster his numbers.
Maybe somebody on the inside. Maybe he forces the quarterback
to throw out of bounds on third down and now

(36:31):
they're punting. Maybe he forces a bad throw and it's
picked off. I saw a guy yesterday capable of doing
those things, even if you know it's the continuation of
him not getting sacks.

Speaker 9 (36:42):
Yeah, that's that's exactly right. Who people are gonna hate this,
But who cares if he's not getting sacks. If he's
obviously sacks, great, yes, But if you say, oh, well,
he batted down three passes and had six quarterback hurries.
By the way, if he's doing those things, sacks are
going to come.

Speaker 2 (37:00):
Sacks will come.

Speaker 9 (37:00):
That is going to happen. He doesn't need to be
out there thinking about sacks. It would be like a
hitter at the plate, home run, home run home. I'm
fine with singles. I'm fine with singles and doubles. And
on this defensive line, you talk about disruption. Who was
disruptive outside of Trey Hendrickson last year consistently?

Speaker 2 (37:18):
Nobody, zero, nobody, none. That is a huge need.

Speaker 9 (37:23):
It was my biggest concern about this defense all off season.
Will they be able to get enough pressure? And if
you add a disruptor that should help.

Speaker 2 (37:33):
I also thought yesterday went will help the first time
since the twenty twenty three season that while I was
watching the game, I said, hey, man, there's Logan Wilson
making a play. Yes, it's good, And that was one
of the themes of the entire offseason with Al Golden
Logan Wilson, their built in relationship, his emphasis on linebacker
Demitrius Knight made a couple of plays, or Berks made

(37:53):
a nice play in the game yesterday. But yesterday was
the first time that while watching the game, I said
to myself, Man, Logan Wilson is having an impact.

Speaker 9 (37:59):
The reason it was almost like a fact check mid
game because when he left, when he's being evaluated for
a concussion, you felt it right away.

Speaker 2 (38:07):
I did.

Speaker 9 (38:07):
I was like, oh, I was like this does that
feel great? Rret Carter takes a bad angle and it
turns into the Dylan Sampson takes it for like thirteen
yards and it should have been like a game of three,
Like all right, Logan, get back out there. And he's
the only Bengal that, according to PFF, was graded higher
than Shamar Stewart.

Speaker 2 (38:25):
So there you go, eighty nine point four. There you go.

Speaker 9 (38:29):
And so I think I noticed him. I thought he
would look good. And then when when you feel that
in real time and you're like, all right, well that
guy probably played pretty well, and then you see the grades,
it's like, Okay, yeah he played well.

Speaker 2 (38:39):
Yeah, the Shamar Stewart thing. I was interested into what
the grading was because again, like you noticed him, but
he wasn't finishing plays. I was wondering how PFF would
treat him. Logan Wilson. I'm not gonna say I didn't
need the grade, but it was validation of what I
thought I had seen.

Speaker 9 (38:54):
Sure, he was terrific, and especially with all of the
training camp questions, Hey, is Logan good?

Speaker 8 (39:02):
Is he done?

Speaker 13 (39:04):
Is it what it like?

Speaker 9 (39:05):
That was a real thing that people were asking and
I didn't even really know how to answer. We'll see
because we haven't seen him in a bit and maybe
he Maybe he was, but he clearly isn't because he
played really well yesterday, came back and played well and
it was a big part of why they got out
of there with the win.

Speaker 2 (39:20):
I was happy for DJ Turner making the play that
he made because training camp felt like it was so
up and down.

Speaker 9 (39:26):
Yeah yeah, man, people in training camp, but get this
little guy get right. I'm like, he was really good
at the end of last year, and it's practice, Like
that's what that's the thing, Like when someone's getting toasted
in camp or vice versa.

Speaker 2 (39:42):
Just making all these catches.

Speaker 9 (39:44):
It's still practice, right, Like do you talk about how
many points Lebron James going in practice?

Speaker 2 (39:48):
No, but you you can pay attention to like which
unit they're running with. And a couple of days we
were there and DJ Turner's running with the threes, No doubt.
That's not a good indictment against him. No, no, no doubt.

Speaker 9 (39:59):
In so, you had plenty of questions about him, and
I think you still do. But the thing that he
has that Josh Newton doesn't have, and that's who he's
competing with for that other spot elite speed, not just
good speed, elite speed. Josh Newton is much much slower.
And I like Josh and I think those four are
gonna be the primary corners with Cam and Dax Hill,
that that quartet. But I think Turner, outside of Dax Hill,

(40:24):
this is a take, has the highest ceiling in that
that cornerback room outside of Dax.

Speaker 2 (40:30):
Yeah, I don't have a problem with that. But by
the way, there's the second round pick, right, she probably
should Yeah, but just like him, Taylor Ritch.

Speaker 9 (40:37):
Just a reminder, yeah, just a reminder, and I think
his ceiling might be a little higher than Camp. I'm
not sure everyone would agree with Cam did not have
a good day. Yes, he had a bad day, And
I love Cam.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
I have no idea.

Speaker 9 (40:47):
It felt like so a lot of those Camp practices
felt like that for DJ of what we saw with Cam,
and so when that happens in practice, it's practice. When
it happens in the game, everyone notices because it matters.
I did think my guy Dax played pretty well. Yeah, Dax,
because I didn't notice him. Pff Gate, You're right, seventy
eight point six. Cam taylor Bridge is a thirty five
point six. What thirty five point six?

Speaker 2 (41:10):
We're at Twin Peaks and West Last bath Tony and
Most Football Show four o'clock on ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 1 (41:15):
Thirty and MO Football Show Live from Twin Peaks brought
to you in part by Encore Technologies. Visit OnCore dot Tech,
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(41:37):
Just off I seventy one, Exit fifty inside the Holiday
Inn at the Roberts Center, and by your Tri State
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the past eight years. Chevrolet Together. Let's drive on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official Home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (42:00):
Second hour of the season premiere of the Tony and
Mo Football Show, broadcasting today from Twin Peaks in Westchester.
An absolutely gorgeous afternoon to talk about a Bengals victory.
They did win. That is a fact. We could disagree
on how to interpret, how to react to it, what
to make of it, how to dissect it. What is
inarguable is that for the first time since twenty twenty one,

(42:21):
the Bengals won their season opener yesterday seventeen sixteen, beat
the Browns. We are talking about until six o'clock. Twin
Peaks in Westchester is very easy to get to. Just
get off at the Union Center Boulevard exit off I
seventy five and come in. They've got great wings, good burgers,
drift beer selection, good bourbon selection, the great staff. TV's

(42:42):
all over the place. You can watch the Monday night
football game tonight. You watch from red tonight. You could
make plans to be here for football this weekend. Twin Peaks.
We are back here next Monday, and we'll visit the
Florence location on September the twenty second, and we look
forward to that. Tony is not here today, I'll be
back with me next week and on his show since

(43:02):
he three sixty tomorrow at noon, pinch hitting as he
always does. In week one, our guy James Orpeene. Then
goos talk dot com, enter the junk. Oh you're gonna
do it talk you can eat your stuff mentioned and
locked on banks. There we go, There we go.

Speaker 9 (43:18):
What do you say when you introduced Tony pikey like
eighteen interceptions in the Sugar Bowl, Tim Tebow dance stuff?
Yeah it was it was actually not it wasn't the
Sugar Bowl.

Speaker 2 (43:27):
No what now, Like I gotta call him a Hall
of famer.

Speaker 9 (43:31):
I know it's it's tough to make fun of him. Now, Yeah,
he can go jacket you.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
I don't know what I don't. Yeah, I guess they
get a red jacket that you see. But yeah, now
I have to call him a hall of famer. Yeah
it's a hall of Famer. Well, no it's not. I
still have made fun of him, but I it's it's
his career. It's cut into making fun of his career
to a degree which I don't like.

Speaker 9 (43:50):
When do you think he's gonna get into the Panthers
Ring of honor? See the bar has moved.

Speaker 2 (43:54):
Do they have a ring? After watching Bryce Young yesterday?
They may call Tony backs? They might you know, is
my size?

Speaker 9 (44:01):
Let's be honest.

Speaker 2 (44:02):
There was a lot of like preseason, like, you know
what Bryce Young last year played Okay, toward the end.

Speaker 9 (44:08):
You know what I didn't like, And I get it
was a good trade, like asset wise, don't trade a
veteran receiver when your third year quarterback needs weapons? Correct,
pretty dumb. Yes, it's not about just oh.

Speaker 2 (44:19):
We get a fourth rone pick for this three. It's
a weapon. Yeah, for a quarterback who desperately needs them.
He needs them desperately and he's five nine right needs weapons.

Speaker 8 (44:29):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
What would your assessment over the course of the entire
game be the offensive line for the Bengals yesterday.

Speaker 9 (44:36):
I actually was having this conversation right before I jumped
in the card to come here. Okay, solid, Yeah, I
think they were solid, And and there was three straight
sacks and everyone's gonna remember that. Part of that was
that that third sack is I don't really think on
them because the Browns are like, hey, you are not
gonna have time to throw this ball, bro, so run
some kind of quick game action there. But overall, did

(45:01):
I think they held up? Do I think they held
up enough for Joe and this offense to function against
a defensive front that's really darn Gooden has the best player,
I think, best pass pressure in football. They did, and
so I thought they were solid, especially when you consider
the fact that they lost an offensive lineman and we're
starting a rookie at left guard.

Speaker 2 (45:22):
Yeah, the three straight sacks. First of all, Burrow makes
perhaps the play of the game by diving ahead to
avoid a safety, which that won't show up in the
box score until then, though I didn't. I always like
judge these things by like, what's my inner dialogue? Yeah right, yes,
my inner dialogue last year was holy crap, Joe's gonna
get killed.

Speaker 4 (45:40):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (45:41):
There were times he was pressured and had to run.
But I didn't watch Yesterday until the very end, going,
oh my god, Joe's gonna get killed. Now they're playing
with fire. I didn't spend a lot of time having
an inner dialogue with myself about the offensive line until
that stretch at the end close to the goal line.

Speaker 9 (45:58):
He took some hits, but you're right, it felt like
a normal football game. It wasn't like, oh my god,
Myles Garretts on the other side and with overall pick
Mason Graham and Malie Collins and all these guys.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
It wasn't that. And then it was right.

Speaker 9 (46:12):
But outside of that series, which I don't think is
just on the offensive line, I thought they were pretty
pretty solid.

Speaker 2 (46:19):
I thought they were mostly okay in past protection. I
do think you could pick them apart a little bit
for how they struggled to run the ball after that
first drive.

Speaker 9 (46:26):
Well, yes, but I don't expect this offensive line to
be great run blockers. That's not why they're here, right,
And that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to
run the ball.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
Of course they should.

Speaker 9 (46:39):
But like forty three yards at halftime for Chase Brown,
m okay, fine, you know he's averaging I forget what
he was averaging per carry. I have the stat somewhere,
but like at halftime, it felt pretty solid. Yeah, I
mean he was averaging three six of carry at half right,
so a little under his long was eight, but like,
you're okay with that. It's just I really do wonder,

(47:03):
just offensively as a whole, if they were like, man,
we are not gonna be able to run what we
normally run because it's Miles Garrett and those corners, and
it just kind of felt like that.

Speaker 2 (47:12):
I don't know.

Speaker 9 (47:13):
I don't know if it was almost their choice because
they didn't want that feeling of Joe's just getting hit
after hit after hit. But at some point you gotta
be true to who you are as well, and so
I do wonder how much of that came into play.

Speaker 2 (47:26):
You know how many folks on social media reacting when
the Bengals acquired Noah fan right, which was, well, he's
not a guard, And my take was, no, he's not.
And if the Noah fan of guards becomes available, then
go get him right, and you might argue Dalton Reisner
was basically the Noah fan of guards. Yep, that move
paid dividends yesterday, and I think we'll pay dividends across

(47:47):
the course of the season. Yeah, he's their best tight end.
Feels like it he is.

Speaker 9 (47:51):
He's their most complete now, Mike get sick. He's more dynamic,
but he's a wide receiver as a route runner. Yeah,
but he's a wide receiver. But yeah, but Fan is
a better blocker, is someone that is certainly is better
after the catch and after contact.

Speaker 2 (48:04):
And he did have a drop yesterday, but you know
that's a tough one.

Speaker 9 (48:08):
It is going nowhere. Yes, agree, it's going nowhere. I'm
fine with the drop. But you're right, that was the
only in completion on that opening drive. I believe, so no,
Fan good, Yes, you know what maybe when and I
know it's it's it's such a punch, Oh, James, you
want them to go after this.

Speaker 2 (48:24):
Guy or go after that guy.

Speaker 9 (48:27):
I love these veteran editions because they've all mattered and
usually usually if you do that, they're gonna matter for you.
We've seen depth get tested everywhere. Right, Fan mattered, Riisner mattered,
and Mike Pennell panel mattered.

Speaker 2 (48:44):
Yeah, and played a fair amount yesterday he played a
fair amount. Yeah, twenty the fan thing for me, I mean,
there have been tight ends in this offense have been
very productive in that role behind Chase and Higgins that
have become fan favorites. Yes, right, yep. Hayden Hurst. Yeah,
you know is better than Hayden. He is Usama better

(49:06):
than c Uzama. Yes, you know, IRV Smith really didn't
work out. He ran ran like me. But like I'm going, okay,
this guy can't serve in that role, especially if you
look at how they use mi Keasiki. And so I
felt a degree of validation because Noah Fan played well
you should have.

Speaker 9 (49:24):
You should And I remember hearing you say, well, if
if there's a guard that is of that egal talent.

Speaker 2 (49:30):
You can't hold against players what they're not. Unfortunately, no
a Fan doesn't play guard, that doesn't mean you can't
use another tight end.

Speaker 9 (49:35):
And the Bengals should always be in the talent business.

Speaker 2 (49:38):
Also, last year in the draft, they took two One
guy's no good, the other guy unfortunately he can't play.

Speaker 9 (49:43):
Eric Hall and they never should have taken the second guy.

Speaker 2 (49:45):
Right, So if if tight end was in need, then
and the two guys they haven't, the two guys they
took can't help you this year, Why is tight end
not still in need? They might have had.

Speaker 9 (49:55):
One of the worst tight end rooms in the league
before adding no Offan like that was a yeah, huge need. Sure,
Like outside of guard that's the biggest need on offense
by far.

Speaker 2 (50:04):
I asked you on draft day, yep, right, and I like,
there's only there's only six picks, so they're not going
to take a tight end. I assume they were taking
a safety. But I said to you, like, I feel
like that's a position that we're not talking about at all.
Understanding Mike Yasicki is good at his job. His job
is not in line tight end, no doubt. So they
have Drew Sample, who's fine for a blocker, but they
need someone who sort of is is not Drew Sample,

(50:27):
but not Mikeasiki. It took him four months to get one.
But it was I thought, not a glaring need, but
an under discussed need back in April. Why wouldn't it
be one in July or August? Do you think they
win that game without no offense?

Speaker 8 (50:40):
No?

Speaker 2 (50:40):
I don't.

Speaker 9 (50:40):
I don't think so either.

Speaker 2 (50:41):
I don't. I really don't.

Speaker 9 (50:42):
As weird as that in those are those moves on
the margin that kind of go into the radar, Everyone's like, oh, well,
they signed Joe and Jamar and they got trade on
like the no offense matters, and he's going to matter,
And I think he is certainly their most complete tight
end and in a allows you to operate the way
you did with eric All to a degree. I think

(51:03):
he's better. He's better with the ball in his hands
and as a pass catcher than eric All and probably
not as good as a black.

Speaker 2 (51:08):
I hope eric All gets a chance to play in
the NFL because I I do too love and he's
working toward it. Everything about him last year I mean,
like I would joke about this on the show that
that's the kind of tight end they've been looking for
literally my entire adult life. Yeah, in terms of just
skill set and what he you know, he kind of
remade how they deployed personnel less.

Speaker 9 (51:28):
No doubt, right, no doubt. And that's that's what I think.
That's what they saw is I can do some of
this with Fan. But what sold me on eric All
is you know everyone's talking about the route running and
he's the IOWA tight end and like he's just dynamic.

Speaker 2 (51:43):
As a pass catcher.

Speaker 9 (51:44):
He was like, man, I love blocking, Yeah, I love
running into these dudes, and like that is that's his mentality.
I'm like, man, if you're that good at pass catching,
and he wasn't fully developed isn't fully developed yet but
still really good at it and you want to block.

Speaker 2 (51:59):
Like, I'll tell you what sold me on him. We
had his tight ends coach at Iowan, who's a former
Bengal at dul Hodge, and I said, I asked him,
I go, you coached Sam Laporta. Sam Laporta came from
Iowa and Eric All replaced him. And I goes like,
all right, tough comparison, but like, how would you compare
him to Sam Laporta? And without hesitation, He's like, oh,

(52:19):
he's better. I mean, like you know, and okay, he's
maybe playing to the local audience. And I'm like, oh, really, okay, cool,
And then like watching him last year, I felt awful
for him that he went through another series of knee
issues and I hope, I hope he gets a shot
at it. But like, if I can't have Eric Hall,
Noah Fense seemed to me and seems to me like a.

Speaker 9 (52:40):
Reasonable replacement, Yeah, for sure, with much more experience for
a team that needs to win now. And for Eric All,
he wants to get paid, so you know, so like
get a chance to win a ring and put up
numbers and show what you can do in an offense
that you haven't been in. He hasn't been able to
play in an offense like this. I also think Eric
All will ge shot Hope.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
So I just physically physically and like if you're no
a fan, like coming here was a no brainer because
the list of tight ends who have gotten paid because
of Joe Burrow, like when they're like, well he left
without a deal, He's gonna go somewhere else, It's like, buddy,
and I think he went to New Orleans, right, New.

Speaker 9 (53:18):
Orleans and then Miami. Oh, and I think he's won.
I think he took a little less, but I think
he's like happy about his decisions.

Speaker 2 (53:26):
My bold prediction you mentioned Miami. Here's my bold prediction
for the season right now. On Sunday, December twenty first,
Bengals v. Dolphins is slated for Sunday Night Football. That
game will occur with the sun out.

Speaker 9 (53:37):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (53:38):
The Miami Dolphins yesterday with lou An Arumo nearly pitching
a shutout against him awful. I don't know how Mike
McDaniels does a job. Really, Yes, you think one game,
one game, one game, we already look, is it over?
It's over? They were that that game week What is
that sixteen? That's not fifteen? That game will not be
in prime time. You sure that's a three win team.

(54:01):
They're not putting a three a three win team. Yeah,
it's a three win.

Speaker 9 (54:05):
Team with Tyreek and Waddle and Tua.

Speaker 2 (54:07):
And I watched Luanna Roue run circles around those dudes yesterday.
The Colts. He's a mad scientist. Yeah, they might. They'll
probably win more than three games. That game is not
going to be in prime time.

Speaker 9 (54:21):
Okay, I'll adjust my schedule. NBC doesn't want to put
I would much rather have Sunday Night available in Miami.

Speaker 2 (54:28):
This is the Dolphins from early two years ago. Yes,
I haven't looked at the that slate that weekend. There's
gonna have to be a more appealing game. Not that
Burrow hasn't been great television. The Bengals will be in
the hunt. They're not gonna put the Miami Dolphins on
prime there's my my bold prediction for the No, he's
not he's not as goofy coach. Isn't that good? That

(54:50):
roster is not very good.

Speaker 9 (54:52):
He is kind of goofy. He is kind of goofy,
and I like goofy. I'm goofy, goofy. Things work when
you're winning. Yes, that's why coaches are boring. Yes, because
when because when you're not winning, man, it just feels, Yeah,
I might get all the carries, you might not get
any of the carries. Well, no one's gonna get carries.
If you put up three points, whatever you did, correct,
would they finish with they scored a touchdown?

Speaker 2 (55:13):
Did? Did they get it? A touch they got on
the ends? Only I know it was like eighty to nothing.
A yeah, it was because I almost tweeted lou Anrumo's
pitching the shutout and then it didn't and didn't. I
feel like that's that's gonna make it seem like I
really want him back. But lou had a good day yesterday.

Speaker 9 (55:28):
No, I don't after yesterday, that's what you're you're thinking
about Lou.

Speaker 2 (55:32):
I'm fine with Al Golden. I just thinking about lou
Lo's defense against Miami performed well yesterday. I think that's
mainly a function of how awful the Dolphins were.

Speaker 9 (55:41):
Do you think that Al Golden's defense will perform just
as well on Week fifteen?

Speaker 2 (55:46):
It's a high bar. I feel better about that proposition
after watching him in a regular season game yesterday. Yeah,
now they have a lot a long way to go.
We'll see what happens when they, you know, go up
against a team that can throw the ball downfield. I mean,
we'll see what happens in tougher it or tough environments,
or in big games against high end quarterbacks. Can they
get off the field. You know, a situation like Baltimore

(56:08):
faced yesterday where they go three and out, Derrick Henry fumbles,
they go three and out again, and John Harball says,
my defense needs to win the game for me, and
they didn't. Can al Golden's defense win in that situation
against a high end quarterback?

Speaker 9 (56:24):
Go for it?

Speaker 2 (56:25):
Well, yes, go for it. But like, sure, there you
could say the defense rose to the occasion yesterday, Yes,
against Joe Flacco. Sure, No, I get that. I get that.

Speaker 9 (56:34):
I'm just saying I would go for it.

Speaker 2 (56:36):
Well, we're gonna talk about that when we come back.
It's twenty one after four. There was a situation yesterday.
I thought Zach shually went for it.

Speaker 9 (56:42):
We'll talk about that as well. I don't think it's
the same one you're thinking of.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Okay, I'm interested Now I'm interested. Gotcha, there's the hook.
Now I'm interested. That's a great tease. It's twenty one
after four o'clock Twin Peaks in Westchester. Tony and Mo
Football Show, ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 14 (56:59):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the UC Health
Traffic Center.

Speaker 8 (57:07):
five one, three, five, eight, five nine, seven to two
to two northbound seventy one approaching Ridge left. Two lanes
blocked from an accident right now, About a twenty minute
delay from Dana Avenue westbound Norwood Lateral. Another accident between

(57:29):
Reading and Paddock Road and on gel Breath One more
accident west of bind Street. I'm at ezelic with traffic.
This report is sponsored by Rocket More.

Speaker 14 (57:40):
This is Football in the NATI, brought to you by
Beltera Casino and Balterra Park on ESPN fifteen thirty, the
official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (57:52):
Twenty eight after four Tony and No Football Show. James
re Peat is playing the part of Tony Pike today.
Let's go Bengals beat the Brown seventeen sixteen. The moment
where you wanted Zach Taylor to go for it yesterday
was what see if we agree? Do you like punting? No,
you don't.

Speaker 9 (58:11):
Do you like punting when you're on the other side
of the fifteen when you're on the plus side?

Speaker 8 (58:17):
No?

Speaker 9 (58:18):
Okay, no, well he did, yes, and it was fourth
and seven I believe it was, And uh, yeah, that
was one. In real time, I was like, oh, I would,
I would definitely go for it here, and I'll look
up the exact scenario here so I make sure that
I'm so.

Speaker 2 (58:34):
That was on the drive after Cleveland scored their first touchdown. Yeah,
because it's it's it's that was it? Nine thirty six left?
The one that I second right there, get out of here,
the same one in plus territory. I rarely want to punt.

Speaker 9 (58:48):
I would have treated that third down. And I said
it at third down like like you were going for
it on fourth down. Doesn't mean you don't go for it, right,
Just know you're going forward on fourth down because unless
you take a sack there, right, there's no reason a punt.
And they punt and you have a nut of twenty
two yards, none of twenty two yards. Yes, so yeah,

(59:10):
that's the one I would have went for it. Man, No,
we're on the same pigd me like a book.

Speaker 2 (59:13):
It's it's not like set in stone that you never
put on the other side of the fifty. Yeah, but
pretty frequently what I see teams do that, I cringe
when I see the Bengals do that forty two yards line. Yeah,
with Joe Burrow with this weaponry. Yeah, at the forty.

Speaker 9 (59:29):
Two the Browns are like, thank you. Yes, that's that's
how you can kind of judge you.

Speaker 2 (59:34):
Exactly you're doing. You're doing what the other coach wants
you to do. If you ask Kevin Stefanski, what do
you want the Bengals to do here? All right, he
would have said, well, you know, put it away.

Speaker 9 (59:42):
Yeah, fourth and seventeen he'd take go for it, Yes,
fourth and seven, he'd take punt right.

Speaker 2 (59:47):
Wow, my gentleman named Dave. Because a lot of folks
wonder this, Joe Burrow doesn't quarterback sneak a lot. Now,
it's not that he's never done it. He did it
against Denver last year, scored a touchdown. He did it
in the the Baltimore playoff win rubble in the Jungle game,
but by and large, Joe Burrow doesn't quarterback sneak a lot.
Bengals have had long standing third and one issues, and

(01:00:08):
I got an email here from a guy named Dave
who says, why does this continue to plague the offense
short yarded situations? I don't know. I wish I know.

Speaker 9 (01:00:16):
That's why you're the experts. No, I don't know why
it plagues then because.

Speaker 2 (01:00:21):
You're one.

Speaker 9 (01:00:22):
I think he's willing to quarterback sneak. I don't think
that's an issue.

Speaker 2 (01:00:25):
The Eagles game last year, in moments where it felt
like this is a quarterback sneak, they didn't.

Speaker 9 (01:00:29):
Yeah, and they've tried it at times too, And I
just I wonder if that the injuries are in the
back of their mind in general. Mahomes got hurt a
few years ago. Sure, quarterbacks, it's more than a few
years ago now, probably five years ago. On quarterback sneak,
I don't know. It's twofold.

Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
One.

Speaker 9 (01:00:46):
I don't know why they they don't quarterback sneak enough. Two,
they've had these short yarded issues for years.

Speaker 2 (01:00:52):
That has to change.

Speaker 9 (01:00:53):
And you're hoping now that with Dylan Fairchild and Dalton
Reisner along with take care of as that changes, because
that's really the yeah of your offensive line that you're
leaning on. And then the other element here is just
offense wise, scheme wise, what are they doing in third
and fourth and short that hasn't worked and how do
they solve it? And that's up to them to solve.

(01:01:14):
We haven't seen enough of this team to say that
they're bad in those situations. Obviously they need to be
better than they were last year. And I did see
a lot of a lot of shotgun in those third fourth,
which if you get it, fine, but you got to understand,
like that's that's something that they've certainly done.

Speaker 2 (01:01:31):
So what's interesting to me is I this morning I
googled Bengals short yardage problems and there have been pieces
written about this every year for the last four seasons. Yeah,
that doesn't include this year, and it does include the
Super Bowl year. So this has been a recurring theme.
And it's not just like third and inches. It's third
and two. Yeah, it's second and one. You know, these

(01:01:53):
situations where you've just got to pick up a couple
I do not know over that span of time excuse me,
over that span of time and we can look it
up how the Bengals relate to the rest of the league.
But short yardage issues have become something we have talked
about a lot, and I'm not sure yesterday did anything
to end that.

Speaker 9 (01:02:11):
No, I don't think it did. I think now, I
think that's a tough front, sure, for sure. Yeah, and
they were clearly like I were not gonna get bullied
like we did in the first half, and certainly on
the first drive.

Speaker 2 (01:02:22):
But you even you would even see at times last
year where they would try stuff like jet sweeps for
Jamar who, as great as he is, couldn't get the yard. Oh,
and I hate that, you know, they would try. No,
they would try other stuff, and at times I would go, yeah,
let's why don't we just try to get the yard. Yeah,
have the quarterback take it, give it the chase, you know,
give it to one of the other running backs. Heck,
my guy, Taj Brooks, that's why he should be on

(01:02:44):
the team.

Speaker 9 (01:02:44):
They they they certainly from a sneak standpoint, only do
it against certain looks. I would say that that's definitely
been a theme where if the defense is expecting a sneak.

Speaker 2 (01:02:56):
They don't just say we're doing it anyway. That toush
push thing seems to work. Can we put one of
those in the book with Joe Jalen Hurts is different
than Joe Burrow, no doubt about it. But I mean, like,
all right, use it like use it occasionally, like you can't, Jake.

Speaker 9 (01:03:13):
Browning, get out there, Jake Browning.

Speaker 2 (01:03:15):
Like everybody else, including our guy Dave here, I just
want the Bengals to have a higher success rate on
short yardage, and I do think they've tried some other
stuff and it feels like it hasn't worked. I agree
with that.

Speaker 9 (01:03:27):
I mean, with third and one, Burrow goes deep to
Jamar should have should I could have, would have didn't
work out. I'm not gonna knock that, I mean, but yes,
it's uh, it's those type of situations I think where
some are like, eh, well, but honestly, just got a

(01:03:48):
block better at the end of the day, Like I'm
not trying to be you know, but but there's the
common denominator. They haven't had good offensive lines, no doubt,
which is why short yardage is a recurring issue every year.
And so fair chat, which well certainly Yeah, we'll see
if a third rounder and a guy who signed eleven
days ago now can solve it.

Speaker 2 (01:04:07):
Yeah, I mean that's what you're saying. But Ted Carros
gets one more year on his deal, very quietly snuck
that in late last week. Has there been a player?
First of all, he's a solid player, right, He's I
think he's gonna benefit from not having to clean up
you know, Alex Kappa's messes last year. But a guy
who has and this is like more off field stuff

(01:04:28):
because I know you've had a relationship with him, who
has done such a good job of wrapping his arms
around this city the way Ted Carriss has and becoming
a fan favorite as a center. No, that'll never.

Speaker 9 (01:04:40):
Happened, no one, Yeah, but literally no one. I mean
he's on a really unique path. I think everything he's
done off the field, all the good he's doing off
the field, and then all of the good he's doing
on I mean, he he brought stability to a spot
that was a huge Ted Krris plays in the Super Bowl.
Who knows, right, Like that's how close it was, And

(01:05:02):
so yeah, he's brought stability there. And honestly, I think
if I bet his agent and I don't know this.
I'm just purely speculating because I'm not going to put
Ted in this situation. I bet his agent would have said,
why would you take this deal? Play this year out?
We're gonna get you more elsewhere or from the Bengals. Yeah,
but your market's going to be higher, and he's like, nah,

(01:05:23):
I love he can't sell since he hats in another town,
no doubt. But I think he said, hey, I love Cincinnati. Yeah,
let's just get this done for the peace of mind
element because one year, five million, right, it's pretty team friendly.

Speaker 2 (01:05:36):
No question. I just I was thinking about that when
I saw the release on Friday that they did that,
and I like, that's that's a move that makes sense
football wise. Yea, And everybody celebrates it. And I think
it has as much to do with just him as
a guy as him as a center. It's it's hard
to become, you know, a popular player when you play center. Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:05:56):
Early on, like a year into it, I was like,
can you believe Ted, you've only been here for a year.

Speaker 2 (01:06:01):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (01:06:01):
And then I was like, Ted, you've only been here
for two years? Yeah, that's run its course now because
it's over three years it's over the three year mark, right,
but it's only been three years. Yeah, And Ted Carris
is like in the fabric he is of being a
bank like he's in commercials with Sam Hubbard, the Cincinnati kid,
like you know, and he was a free agent signe
who has spent the majority of his career elsewhere. And

(01:06:22):
yet yeah, he's gonna be here for well, this is
your four and then yeah, year five, next.

Speaker 2 (01:06:28):
Year twenty three. Away from five o'clock, we will go
around the NFL, specifically the AFC North. We'll talk about
the Jags as well, who beat the aforementioned Carolina Panthers.

Speaker 9 (01:06:39):
Bryce Young is still looking.

Speaker 2 (01:06:40):
Up five o'clock Tony m Football Show. James is in
for Tony this week. Twin Peaks in Westchester. Brendan and
Jones on baseball coming up as well. On ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 14 (01:06:51):
You've been listening to football in the NATI on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Thank Cincinnati's
ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center.

Speaker 8 (01:07:10):
and behavior. You see health addiction services can help call
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(01:07:32):
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Speaker 1 (01:07:41):
This report is sponsored by Rapierding, Cincinnati's sports station.

Speaker 2 (01:07:46):
Sports Headlines are a service of Kelsey Chevrolet, Home of
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to yours for life, kelseyshev dot Com. Any Bengals news today,
anything that happened, anything that was said.

Speaker 9 (01:08:03):
Lucas Patrick is going to miss a few weeks, Okay,
megone injured reserve.

Speaker 2 (01:08:07):
Okay, that's I feel bad for Lucas because I do too.

Speaker 9 (01:08:12):
In a rough go Hey Lucas, And what's wild is
is like I think he was better than can then
what people thought.

Speaker 2 (01:08:19):
Well, adult risers better. Bengals will host The Jags on
Sunday Hit one Live on ESPN fifteen thirty ESPN fifteen
thirty Tonight has Bengals line with Lance and Lamps starting
at six o'clock. Monday Night Football Tonight NFC North tilt
between the Bears and Vikings in Chicago. You can listen
to it on Fox Sports thirteen sixty. Reds and Padres tonight,

(01:08:40):
first of three in San Diego. Red's beginning a non
game road trip. Cincinnati is four behind the Mets after
taking two out of three from New York. My guy
Hunter Green got terrific yesterday. Yeah, they've won four of
his five starts since the All Star Break. He struck
out twelve yesterday. It keeps the Reds alive at least
little bit. New York is at Philly tonight. Tonight. For

(01:09:03):
the Reds, it's Nicolodolo and you Darvish. Cincinnati four behind
the Mets. New York is at Philly tonight. Cincinnati is
even with San Francisco, A Giants play the Diamondbacks. Reds
are a half game in front of the Cardinals, who
are at Seattle tonight. Ohio State, Penn State, LSU, Oregon
Miami won through five AP Top twenty five College Football poll.
Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, LSU, Oregon one through five

(01:09:25):
and the Coaches Pole. Indiana checks in at twenty second
in the AP poll, nineteenth in the Coaches Poll. Mark
Stooms talks about Kentucky's loss to Old Miss on the
Mark Stoops Radio Show that's at six o'clock on Fox
Sports thirteen sixty. It's time now for the hard hit
of yesterday's game. Third and nine.

Speaker 11 (01:09:44):
The Bengals cannot give up a first down here, Samar
Stewart in to rush the quarterback. Flack go back to
throw pump fakes, black House sitting around. He will be
sacked at the nineteen yard line. Two Bengals were there,
bj Hill and Trey Hendrickson and the Browns will have
to settle for the field goal try. And that makes

(01:10:06):
it a little bit longer, more like the length of
the extra point that Schmidt missed.

Speaker 2 (01:10:13):
Dan Horde, Dave Lappeen, Bengals Radio Network and ESPN fifteen
thirty spoiler alert. Austin Andrew Schmidt would go on to
miss the thirty six yard field goal. The field goal
try was forced. They officially gave bj Hill the sack.
That is yesterday's hard hit of the game. It is
brought to you by Hawksworth Blood Centers, Hawksworth Donors, save
lives close to home. Who will you save? Here's my take.

Speaker 9 (01:10:36):
Go ahead, you said Andrew Schmidt, Andre Andre Schmid. You
better get his name right. If you're going to say
that last name I wrote. His name, Schmidt is not
as z Myt. I'll say it.

Speaker 2 (01:10:48):
I wrote it, I wrote Andre, and that I wrote
the correct spelling of Schmidt on my notes. Sorry, no way,
that's how you pronounce that. I looked it up as
z m y multiple places this morning. Yes, Schmidt, Come on, man,
I'm just telling you what the Internet told me. I'm
not blaming you. It just like come on, yeah, but
they're saying that to him, and my last name is Rupine.

Speaker 9 (01:11:09):
I don't say it's pronouncer Williams like it's not even close.
It's not even close, Like, oh well, actually I'm from
this part of the world, Like, no, don't do that,
it's s z Schmidt.

Speaker 2 (01:11:21):
I'm always gonna remember there's no d. I'm always gonna
remember the season opener of the twenty twenty five season
as the game the Bengals won because the Browns, with
a kicker who doesn't have enough vowels in his name,
missed two kicks Andre that when they brought him on
the field. I'm like, w how do you say that? Yeah, Schmidt,
that's how you.

Speaker 9 (01:11:41):
Say someone's gonna And it says it here on Cleveland
Browns dot com pronounced SMI.

Speaker 2 (01:11:47):
Right, that's the that's I looked up. I looked up.
I just spelled his name and wrote pronunciation and that's
the first piece that came up because it looks like
smitt smite. Yeah, all right, I didn't think that are
gonna called himself unemployed. If he keeps a missing kids,
you're gonna get one more shot. A lot more on

(01:12:09):
the Bengals. We'll look ahead of the Jacksonville game. We'll
talk about what went down last night in Buffalo. What
many are wondering could be the the game of the
year Week one in the NFL. What's that look for?

Speaker 9 (01:12:21):
It's just Raves, Ravens, Bills, crown him. If you want
to crown him and crown him.

Speaker 2 (01:12:25):
Then my guess is there will be other games that
we go that's probably the game of the year. But
that's a pretty good clubhouse leader, it is. It was
a great game last night.

Speaker 9 (01:12:34):
Denver's on the schedule at the end of the month.

Speaker 2 (01:12:36):
Denver is on the schedule. The Broncos yesterday turn the
ball over four times, win by eight.

Speaker 9 (01:12:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:12:41):
Now, those of us who were burned last year by
the Bengals Week one in Survivor Pools decided this year
we're going heavy on the Broncos. I was gonna quit
Survivor Pools forever had Denver lost that game. I don't
bow Knicks was not great yesterday. The Broncos weren't great yesterday.
Bengals do go there at the end of.

Speaker 9 (01:12:57):
You know what, I'm really excited about the offseason and
the man Sean Payton thinks this is the best team
he's ever had tour. I've heard that from every national
Oh Mike, Sean Payton just can't stop raving about And
they may be great. I'm not saying that. I was
just sick of hearing it.

Speaker 2 (01:13:13):
I get he's talking his team up. Does he know
he coached some terrific teams.

Speaker 9 (01:13:18):
Bo Nicks isn't Drew Brees all right, you.

Speaker 2 (01:13:21):
Want my hot take, I think bo Nix is Andy
Dalton where it's like year one, you're like, man, that's
a good rookie year. And then he's probably never going
to be that much better. That's that's way closer than
Drew Brees, right, and way closer. He could play for
a long time as.

Speaker 9 (01:13:36):
And but by the way, Andy Dalton was Sean Payton
pretty interesting, right, But.

Speaker 2 (01:13:40):
I watched bow Knick last year and thought that that's
a dude having a nice rookie season. Having a nice
rookie season doesn't necessarily translate into superstardom. And that's my
guess for Bonix.

Speaker 9 (01:13:50):
You know my question, why did Joe Burrow look like
Andy Dalton in the second half?

Speaker 2 (01:13:53):
I sort of did, didn't he? Oh? Just very similar.
It's like, oh, this is what this is like. All right,
we have to do Brendman And it is next on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 14 (01:14:03):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the UC.

Speaker 13 (01:14:10):
Health Traffic Center.

Speaker 8 (01:14:11):
five one, three, five, eight, five nine seven two to
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Speaker 2 (01:14:42):
This report is sponsored by Rapid Radios, Rapid Radios.

Speaker 1 (01:14:45):
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Live from Dan Horden Dave Leon Cover Leach begins Sunday
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home of the Cincinnati Bengals. This is the Tony and
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fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:15:57):
All Right six after five ESPN fifty teen thirty, the
season premiere of the Tony and Mo Football show. James
Rapeene is in for Tony this week. It is the
bud Light five o'clock Happy Hour. We're broadcasting from Twin
Peaks in Westchester here till six o'clock. We're back here
next week. If you're out and about north of town
thinking about man, let's go have dinner somewhere. Twin Peaks

(01:16:19):
has an awesome menu. Or if you're getting off work
and it's like, man, I want a happy hour cold one, Well,
Twin Peaks has beer. If you're thinking ahead, you're a planner,
you want to watch the Bengals game on Sunday, Well,
Twin Peaks in Westchester is a great place for that.
Awesome place for Monday night football Tonight Bears and Vikings
Reds games late this week on the West Coast again

(01:16:41):
Twin Peaks in Westchester. We absolutely love it here. The
staff is awesome and we are thrilled to be back
at twin peaks, both here and in Florence for a
sixth year of the Tony and Mo Football Show. Sixth year,
six year. Wow. Our first season here was the COVID
year twenty twenty. Yeah, so you know they can only
have have like a few people come and everybody had

(01:17:02):
masks on and it was for everybody. It was weird.
But yes, six year, it's wild. We're excited.

Speaker 9 (01:17:08):
That's why this is at least my fourth year filling
in for Tony week one. I think it is maybe three,
but I've definitely filled in for a multiple years.

Speaker 2 (01:17:17):
I think this is the fifth consecutive year year. I'm
almost certain that's the case. Man where he has a
commitment on the first Monday of the season, Yeah, a
single years. It's playing golf. It's called what it is.
I didn't know that it's playing golf. I didn't confirm
that playing golf in a prestigious event up in Columbus.
He is raising money for a great cause. Good for him,

(01:17:38):
But he's playing golf. No good for him.

Speaker 9 (01:17:41):
It's better than me playing golf.

Speaker 2 (01:17:42):
I'll tell you that. That's one thing.

Speaker 9 (01:17:43):
I will not talk trash. And I'm the worst golfer
in the world? Are you, oh, the worst, worse than me?
I don't even need to see you, man, the worst,
the worst? Are you like the worst because you've never played? Well, yeah,
I've never played. I've never played, but see you have
an excuse. I play a lot and I'm terrible.

Speaker 2 (01:18:04):
That's fair, It is fair, that's fair. Bengals seventeen sixteen
winners over the Cleveland Browns yesterday, Ye, James, Yes, I
asked you at the top of the show the same question,
will ask you right now. Yep. How should I feel?
You should feel.

Speaker 9 (01:18:21):
Like the Bengals did something they didn't do a year ago,
and that something in Week one. Had they done it
would have gotten them into the playoffs. And so are
they perfect?

Speaker 8 (01:18:30):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:18:31):
Did they win? Yes?

Speaker 9 (01:18:33):
Do they need things to clean up?

Speaker 2 (01:18:34):
Sure?

Speaker 9 (01:18:35):
Well that's that's really a really good place to be
in because the best team doesn't get a trophy for
being the best team in September, right, But the team
that lifts the trophy in February finds ways to win
games in September, and.

Speaker 2 (01:18:48):
They need some luck like that too. Years ago. You
and I every day and.

Speaker 9 (01:18:54):
I'm trying to be all prophetic you I need a
little luck in life.

Speaker 2 (01:18:59):
Luck is a yes. Nobody wants to admit this. In life,
luck no doubt. Circumstance can be can can be extraordinarily beneficial,
can be extraordinarily harmful. Luck is a bigger factor in
sports than I think. Sometimes even myself. Fans are willing
to acknowledge the Bengals got lucky yesterday and to win

(01:19:20):
a championship. The Kansas City Chiefs last year won eleven
or zero in one score games. There were times last
year they got lucky went to a super Bowl because
of it. That's okay in a if you're gonna win
a title, and you're gonna win enough games to put
yourself in a position to win a title, you are
gonna have instances where maybe you have to find ways

(01:19:40):
to win when you're not at your best, when you
have to find ways to win when the unit that
you count on just for whatever reason, doesn't have it.
And sometimes you might get a lucky bad call. You
might get the opposing field goal kicker with a weird
last name leaving four points on the field. Whatever it is,
it's okay to say they got lucky yesterday. That can't
be the MO movie. Let's hope the other team just

(01:20:01):
gives us the game. But yesterday the Browns helped give
the Bengals the game, no doubt, and they did get lucky.
And I agree with you.

Speaker 9 (01:20:07):
I also think that they how many times did they
get lucky last year? Like there weren't many, right, there
weren't many, And so maybe this comes back around. Yeah,
and when you just say the scenario out loud, I
would have laughed at you, Oh, well, Joe's gonna go
three for nine in the second half or twenty five
yards and finished with one hundred and thirteen yards. I

(01:20:30):
just said, there's no way in how they went, right,
There's nothing. And I asked the guys that yesterday. I
was like, if I would have told you Joe Burrow
finishes with one hundred and thirteen yards and you guys
have well was seven yards two net yards of total
offense in the second half, would you do you think
you'd win?

Speaker 8 (01:20:45):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:20:45):
Well, no, I don't think you know.

Speaker 9 (01:20:47):
They admitted it, right, But they did win, and that
matters more so than any of the other stuff, all
the style points, all the others are they want to know,
they're want to know they're ahead of the Baltimore Ravens,
which is their main competition.

Speaker 2 (01:21:01):
Ravens had a really pretty loss yesterday, or at times yesterday.
Derrick Henry was awesome, and Lamar Jackson did Lamar Jackson things,
and Zay Flowers did Zay Flower things, and for a
stretch they looks great. Here's my take on the Baltimore
Ravens probably have the best roster in football. I cannot
trust them. If I'm looking at this independently and I,

(01:21:22):
you know, want to put some money on a team
to win the AFC or something like that, like the
Baltimore Ravens, I cannot trust them. Their roster is terrific.
Head and shoulders. I think better, I think better than
anybody in the AFC. Lamar Jackson is otherworldly. John Harball
is a Hall of Fame coach. They have a terrific organization.

(01:21:43):
I will not pick them to win the AFC because
stupid losses every year. Now, look, they won a couple
of games against the Bengals that felt like stupid, But
they have these stupid losses way too many times. I
feel like I cannot count on them.

Speaker 9 (01:21:57):
Here's why, because talent wise, I agree with you.

Speaker 2 (01:22:01):
Here's why.

Speaker 9 (01:22:02):
I was kind of down on Baltimore coming into the
year two. Things One, history says no team has won
the North three straight years, Right, that's not a coincidence.
Some awesome freaking teams in this division over the past
twenty five plus here twenty five years two. When you
look at what they are, what they're facing, they're not

(01:22:22):
thinking about the North. They're not thinking about September or October.
They need to prove themselves in January. And that's the pressure.

Speaker 2 (01:22:30):
Like that.

Speaker 9 (01:22:31):
Marvin kind of dealt with this to a lesser extent, sure,
Like it's like, doesn't really matter what you do.

Speaker 2 (01:22:35):
You gotta get there and then you gotta win. And
they're dealing with that now.

Speaker 9 (01:22:38):
And that's a weird place to be, man, because it
matters now.

Speaker 2 (01:22:41):
But you could say, but because of the dominance of
the Chiefs, you could say that about a lot of
teams in the AFC, say they're Buffalo. Yeah they've advanced
regular season six, they advanced, but like does it.

Speaker 9 (01:22:54):
Matter no, no, no, no, I agree, And I think that's.

Speaker 2 (01:22:58):
And in a division that is significantly less challenging than
the one the Ravens play him.

Speaker 9 (01:23:02):
I think this is the path where you you make
the case for the Bengals though, is well their quarterback,
their receivers, especially Jamar, but their receivers. They're going to
be like, oh, I'm at home in Buffalo. Sure, I
feel comfortable wherever.

Speaker 2 (01:23:18):
Zay Flowers was doing that. It's not gonna matter.

Speaker 9 (01:23:21):
Yeah, you know, but in January, you know I I
but no, I'm the Ravens had no business losing none
side note.

Speaker 2 (01:23:29):
None hardball punts it away fourth and nine. Ball on
his own end. He's taken a lot of heat for punting.
I will pile on and say he should have punted
fourth and nine. Yeah, that's well, yeah, what are you
gonna what I'll because what I'll do there is say
that the plays they ran on second and third down,

(01:23:50):
they should have just either given the ball to Derrick
Henry or Settle Lamar Jackson, go get the ardige. Sure,
and on fourth down, if I'm gonna pun at that point,
I'm losing the game. If I go for it on
fourth and nine and Buffalo takes over, they're gonna score.
At least I have some time. Sure, I get that.
I think.

Speaker 9 (01:24:08):
I think if you know, see this is this is
the the in game element. If you know you're going
for it, then call plays and treat it much differently.
There would be no scenario where I would be in
a fourth and nine. It'd be fourth and three or
fourth and four or fourth and one, and so that's

(01:24:29):
that's it. I don't know why he approached it and
why they approached it that way, and it was it
was fourth and three, okay.

Speaker 2 (01:24:35):
It and nine they picked. He threw a past the
de Andre Hopkins at fourth and nine. Didn't sound right?

Speaker 9 (01:24:40):
Yeah, I was listening to it on the radio on
the way back.

Speaker 2 (01:24:43):
Fourth and three, fourth and three at their own thirty
eight minute and a half to go, Like I was
listening to it with Lamar Jackson and Derreck Henry. I
can't get three yards and if I do, fine, Buffalo
will get the ball back and and probably score. I's
going to be a little bit more time, would I.

Speaker 9 (01:25:00):
I just said, if you set up a fourth and three,
you go for it? Of course you do, because this
is what you always should ask yourself. If all right,
let's say the Bengals defense is out there and in
the Ravens have fourth and three. Do the Bengals want
them to punt or do they want them to go
for it?

Speaker 2 (01:25:17):
Of course.

Speaker 9 (01:25:18):
So if that's the scenario, I always go the other
way because that's what your opponent wants to do.

Speaker 2 (01:25:22):
Fourth and three at the thirty eight, I have Lamar
Jackson and Derrick Henry like I am. I am gonna
go down with one of those two guys.

Speaker 9 (01:25:29):
And Hopkins making one of the catches of the year.

Speaker 2 (01:25:31):
Yes, I am gonna go down with one of those
two guys, having more to do with it than my
special teams.

Speaker 9 (01:25:36):
For sure, for sure. Four fourth and three spoke before, Yeah,
fourth and three, Yes, I.

Speaker 2 (01:25:43):
You go for it. Of course, you go for We'll
stay in the division. When we come back and talk
about Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Man more on Bengals v.
Browns at sixteen The Steelers may matter After five o'clock
were at Twin Peaks in Westchester, Tony and Moll Football
Show on ESPN fifteen thirty. Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 12 (01:26:00):
Adds ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 8 (01:26:04):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. Addiction is a treatable
medical disorder that affects both brain and behavior. You see
health addiction services can help. Call five one three, five eight,
five nine seven two two westbound seventy four before Cleves
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Traffic is stop and go from the Coal Raine Split

(01:26:25):
northbound seventy five after seventy four it's an accident on
the left shoulder and an injury accident on Pippin' Road
at Compton. I at Ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:26:35):
This report.

Speaker 4 (01:26:36):
He is sponsored by Discover Guess What After.

Speaker 2 (01:26:40):
Five, ESPN thirty about Football show, twin Peace and what
was just You're here till six o'clock. James Repaint is
in for Tony this week Cincinnati Bengals Talk, Bengals Talk
dot Com, Enter the Jungle, and he locked on Bengals podcast,
nout It All All four very well, are the Steelers good?

(01:27:04):
It might be good. It might be good.

Speaker 4 (01:27:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:27:08):
If and I said those months ago, if Aaron Rodgers,
isn't that Aaron Rodgers we've seen in recent years and
it's just focused on football. You get him and Mike
Tomlin's culture with DK Metcalf and Chris Boswell and nail
in sixty yarders. I mean they dropped thirty plus a
serial killer kicker.

Speaker 2 (01:27:28):
Mike Tomlin said, Mike Kicker.

Speaker 9 (01:27:29):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no insane kick, Yes, no insane kick.

Speaker 2 (01:27:33):
In a tough place to kick.

Speaker 9 (01:27:35):
And so yeah, they have a chance to be good.
And this is this is Aaron Rodgers chance to kind
of flip his legacy and remind everyone that he was awesome. Yes,
so I think he knows that. I think, yeah, will
he stay healthy? Will they be able to stop someone?
Because their defense was awful, which is they're old? Yeah,

(01:27:55):
doesn't mean they won't be good. That defensive line is
really good, and I'll buy I still think this may
be takey. I think this is the I on paper
think that's the best defense in the North. Better than
the Browns, better than the Raids. Justin Fields just dropped
thirty two on their heads.

Speaker 2 (01:28:12):
I'm just saying.

Speaker 9 (01:28:13):
Right, So it wasn't taky until yesterday. Now it feels
a little, you know. Yeah, Garrett Wilson's got a hold
on it.

Speaker 2 (01:28:20):
That no doubt about it. Aaron Rodgers said he was
like happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets. Yeah,
why is he mad at the Jets? Didn't they like
do everything he wanted? Yeah, I bettered his guy hacket.
They traded for DeVante Adams. They let him, you know,
have say over what the personnel was going to be.
They let him go to a darkness retreat like my
guy that that franchise, which is a punchline and has

(01:28:41):
been my entire life. They kind of let you do
whatever you wanted.

Speaker 9 (01:28:43):
Yeah, they also told him they flew him in there
and then they said, hey, we don't want you to
play first anymore.

Speaker 2 (01:28:49):
Well, they did it in person, better off calling him
on the phone. If they would have done on the phone,
he would have complained they did it on the phone.
Probably I only got a phone call, right, No, they
did it on the phone what they wanted to. I mean,
he got the coach fired, right, he didn't want solid
to be the coach. Like anything that guy wanted there,

(01:29:10):
they did for him and they shouldn't have. So I
don't understand his bitterness.

Speaker 9 (01:29:14):
Towards He's never He's always had a good structure when
he's won and been on good teams. It isn't the
Aaron Rodgers structure. It's the team structure. Yeah, that's why
I think he could work. The Jets are adopey franchise,
that their soul. They didn't work everything for him, but
he to his credit, man, he was terrific.

Speaker 2 (01:29:32):
Yesterday it was.

Speaker 9 (01:29:33):
And that's the scary part because if they do get
let's just say ninety eighty percent of prime Aaron Rodgers
eighty percent, they're gonna be good, best quarterback they've had
in a decade.

Speaker 2 (01:29:45):
So here's my my my thing on the Steelers since
months before the season started was with Aaron Rodgers, They're
gonna be really hard to play. They always are. The
Steelers are always hard to play, no doubt he's made
them more difficult to play. I am not prepared to
take them seriously as legitimate AFC contenders. And I say

(01:30:08):
that having said what I just said about the Ravens AFC,
I think I agree with that. Like I find it
really hard to believe that.

Speaker 9 (01:30:15):
Like, all right, it's Steelers and Bills with a chance
to go to the super Bowl in Santa Clair on
the line, right, could they win the division?

Speaker 2 (01:30:23):
Sure?

Speaker 9 (01:30:24):
I think they could win the division.

Speaker 2 (01:30:25):
For a while last year they were in the driver's
seat in the division and then you could no outcome
in the postseason last year to me felt more inevitable
than them just getting punked by the Ravens physically lined
up and just beaten. And that's you know, it's been
forever since they've won a playoff game. There's I think
a fair amount of pressure on that franchise to win one.
I don't know that Aaron Rodgers changes how I feel

(01:30:48):
about their championship bona fides. I reserved the right to
change my mind, and he certainly took a step toward
doing that yesterday.

Speaker 9 (01:30:54):
Well, yeah, he plays like he did yesterday. All bets
are off, then they are a contender.

Speaker 2 (01:30:58):
Everybody's dancing on the graves of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Don't do it. I really want to. Don't do it.
I'm not gonna. You shouldn't.

Speaker 9 (01:31:06):
I'm not gonna, honestly, if freaking Chris Jones keeps contained,
they win that game. Yes, like Chris Jones cost them.
I was literally like, Herbert gets sacked. It's third nine,
and I'm like, they're gonna freaking win this game. They're
gonna go down, get a touchdown, the extra point that

(01:31:28):
all year, they're gonna They're gonna do it again. And
Chris Jones decided to be a big, big dummy head.
I don't know, I don't know what he was thinking.
Let Herbert run up the sideline, Well, what.

Speaker 2 (01:31:38):
Are you doing, big dummyhead is the big dummy head
Jones the technical term. Yes, I think there's a real
sense of But you know what, last year the magic
you know, number one, the magic from last year is
not sustainable because they were so good. And one they
were so good winning one score games, and then the
Philadelphia Eagles so dramatically exposed their flaws. Now they've remade

(01:32:00):
their offensive line, so it's not the same on line
as they had in the Super Bowl last year. Top
to bottom, but I late on Friday night there were
a lot of folks dancing on the graves of the
Kansas City Chiefs, and I think if there's one thing
we learned over the years, it's exercise some caution.

Speaker 9 (01:32:16):
Yeah, let's just relax a little. I mean, is anyone
dancing on the Ravens grave? I kind of did like
to me, but dancing, you're not.

Speaker 2 (01:32:28):
My My angle on them is unique that I think,
top to bottom, they are the best roster. Like there's
there's everything you like, right, Yeah, you have an MVP quarterback,
you have a coach who's held an extraordinarily high regard,
wonderful front office, terrific roster just dudes all over the place,
there's nothing to not like until you watch them lose
a game like last night, which for them, as good

(01:32:51):
as that franchise has been, was kind of on brand.
Like they've lost a lot of games. Maybe not specifically
like that, the first team in NFL history to blow
a fifteen point lead with less than four minutes to go,
I guess, but still just these stupid losses they've had
where they have fallen apart in the fourth quarter. That
was reminiscent of many of them in recent years. Yeah,
I including early in the season last year. I get that.

Speaker 9 (01:33:15):
I get having doubts. I'm not saying don't Dan, don't
don't be dancing. Yeah, yeah, that's in the same thing
with the Chiefs.

Speaker 2 (01:33:22):
Basically, what I'm telling you is is nobody in the
AFC is any good.

Speaker 9 (01:33:26):
I disagree. There's a lot of good teams. I I
would the Chiefs are going to finish ahead of the
Steelers hot take. Okay, well, the last year they're gonna win,
They're gonna win the AFC West.

Speaker 2 (01:33:39):
Again, that's more than plausible, more than.

Speaker 9 (01:33:44):
I'm not gonna overreact a week one because Chris Jones
didn't keep his big dummy head gap in.

Speaker 2 (01:33:48):
In what might pass stays there, and it's over the
game in Week one that nobody paid attention to. There
was a weather delay involved. Jacksonville did win their season opener.
They did, So you get a pair of one and
oh two games, and we get the greatest college football
player I've ever seen come into town on Sunday.

Speaker 9 (01:34:04):
Oh, I thought you were talking about Bryce? Yeah, yes, No,
you're right. How many times this is a good stat
how many times have as a number one overall pick,
faced two number one overall picks and back to back weeks?

Speaker 2 (01:34:16):
I have no idea, but.

Speaker 9 (01:34:19):
No, that's literally as I was saying, and I'm like, Jay, yeah,
probably already done this right, but but yeah, it's a
big game.

Speaker 2 (01:34:27):
The guy you're filling in for, Tony Pike, yeah remember him. No,
he has been worried about this game for weeks, like, hey,
slow starts, they'll be Cleveland. The Jacksonville game is the
one on the worry about because he views Trevor Lawrence,
and I understand where he's coming from. Is so much
of an X factor.

Speaker 9 (01:34:45):
Trevor Lawrence is way better than people are saying right now.
I agree, it's so dumb. I would buy all of
the stock. And I said it before yesterday, and he
didn't really need to do much yesterday. All of the
Trevor Lawrence stock. I don't know why people can't understand
how dysfunctional they've been and from ownership on down, they're

(01:35:06):
just functional franchise.

Speaker 2 (01:35:08):
They don't know football.

Speaker 9 (01:35:10):
Like you say what you want about Bengals ownership, and
there's a lot of reasons to complaining, but I think
they have the under the general concept of football to
a degree where they wouldn't have put Trevor through what
the Jags have put him through. Yeah, a good quarterback
could be a great quarterback, but definitely a good quarterback has.

Speaker 2 (01:35:27):
Got the tools. It's got the physical tools.

Speaker 6 (01:35:29):
And and like.

Speaker 9 (01:35:32):
Put it like this, Brian Callaghan would love to have
some Trevor Lawrence in his life. Think you know, you know,
the Colts would love it. You know who else would
love it? People here aren't gonna like this. The Houston
Texans would love to have Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, I think
I agree with Sorry CJ. Yeah, I think I agree
with the silliest thing ever. I overreact because he was

(01:35:53):
better than Bracing as a rookie. Basically, he was good
as a rookie.

Speaker 2 (01:35:55):
That's great. He was good as a rookie in last year.
I don't know the there was a quarterback who had
more hype around him. It just it just didn't take
off the way everybody expect. How many points did they
score yesterday against the Rams? They were awful off yesterday.
And I think LA's defense is good. I don't think
it's what the stats would make you think it is.

(01:36:15):
Trevor Lawrence best quarterback in the South. Danny Dime's not
doing it for you. Come on, come on. The Daniel
Jones Comeback Player of the Year award train is it's
in motion.

Speaker 9 (01:36:27):
It is thanks to Loudini defensive clinic.

Speaker 2 (01:36:32):
Daniel Jones. Yeah, Daniel Jones, that's not doing it for you. No, okay,
Antheony Richards. Does the do the Jacksonville Jaguars present a
threat to you? Yes? Of course ye. Brian Thomas elite
Travis Hunter?

Speaker 9 (01:36:47):
Right?

Speaker 2 (01:36:48):
You think Cam Taylor BRIT's garden Travis Hunter?

Speaker 8 (01:36:52):
You like that?

Speaker 9 (01:36:52):
You feel good about that? Do you like any of
the Bengals corners? And I like some of them against
Brian Thomas.

Speaker 2 (01:36:58):
Despite yesterday, Dak Saill played well, but.

Speaker 9 (01:37:00):
No no, hell no, you don't. I don't why would you? So, yeah,
that's scary and.

Speaker 2 (01:37:05):
A good offensive. Mine as the head coach, is kind
of weird.

Speaker 9 (01:37:08):
As he Travis etn real guy oh ran pretty well yesterday.

Speaker 2 (01:37:12):
So I think a lot of folks after winning yesterday
were like, cool, chalk it up, they're going to Minnesota
two and oh you are you're playing league Corso not
so fast mine that so of course?

Speaker 9 (01:37:21):
Now, okay, all right, Like Joe Flacco outplayed Joe Burrow yesterday,
he did tell me Trevor Lawrence can't do the same.

Speaker 2 (01:37:28):
He can, of course he can. I'm not saying he will.

Speaker 9 (01:37:31):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:37:31):
Once upon a time Jake Browning out played him in
the game in Monday night. Did he or did he
get hurt? Come on? Say capably?

Speaker 11 (01:37:39):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:37:40):
Yeah, see see but Jake Browning played capably then, no doubt,
no doubt. And as backup quarterbacks go, that's about as
good as you could ask. That's fair. I agree with that.
Joe Burrow throws for one thirteen again on Sunday. They
will lose. They will lose by twenty. Yes, it'll be up.
It will be thirty to ten. What will the Bengals
record be have for four games.

Speaker 9 (01:38:03):
Why you're putting me on the spot now. It needs
to be it needs to be three in one. My
guess before yesterday was two and two.

Speaker 2 (01:38:10):
Got it? Mine was three and one. I don't know.

Speaker 9 (01:38:14):
I had them starting three and Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:38:18):
I think I'm still saying two and two because think
when winning in Minnesota is gonna be.

Speaker 9 (01:38:23):
Hard, and then they're gonna be two and three. Yeah,
Detroit's Detroit isn't gonna suck. I know they were bad yesterday.

Speaker 2 (01:38:29):
They were awful yesterday.

Speaker 9 (01:38:31):
Not gonna suck. The brain drain there is real though, man,
oh it is. And by the way, this is a
this is a real take. In NFL circle, I take
Trevor over Ared.

Speaker 2 (01:38:41):
Oh yeah, that's fine. I still feel like there's an
amount of upside for Trevor Lawrence that is untapped. And
I think Jared Goff, we know what he is. I
remember Sean mcvace told the world I can't win a
super Bowl with Jared Goff and he was right, Yeah, yeah,
he was.

Speaker 9 (01:38:59):
What's funny is last year in the Bengals locker room,
when the lines were rolling, I was having this conversation
with a few Bengals players, They're like, man, the Lions,
and I was like, yeah, but Jared Golf and they
were like, come on right, like they like they were
making the caser to I'm like, no, Jered Golf right,
it cost him. He was offul on the playoff in
their playoff falls, he was awful.

Speaker 2 (01:39:16):
So you're chalking down the Detroit game at home already
as an l even with what Detroit put on the field.

Speaker 9 (01:39:23):
I had, That's just what I had coming into these Okay,
I'm not gonna right.

Speaker 2 (01:39:27):
A lot of people did.

Speaker 9 (01:39:28):
I'm sure I have three to zero, and then they
fought a three and two, and everyone knows wonders if
the world's ending, and then they, you know, go through
that cycle.

Speaker 2 (01:39:34):
All right, Well, our friend Emma has brought his food yepes,
so we're gonna eat. It's twenty seven, twenty six now
away from six o'clock. We're at Twin Pigs in Westchester.
It's the Tony and Mo Football Show on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 14 (01:39:46):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the UC Health
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Speaker 8 (01:39:54):
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(01:40:15):
seventy four left two lanes blocked there also from an
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that heazac with traffic.

Speaker 1 (01:40:24):
This report he has spawned Tonight at six on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 14 (01:40:32):
This is football wam Minati, brought to you in part
by Postman Law and Vice. Skyline Chilly on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:40:45):
Bengals beat the Brown seventeen sixteen. Yesterday Sports Deadlines, our
service of Kelsea Chevrolet, Home of lifetime powerframe protection and
guaranteed credit approval from their family to yours for life,
Kelseyshove dot Com. Your one injury note from yesterday. Lucas
Patrick left the game with a CAF issue. Zach Taylor

(01:41:05):
today said he will miss multiple games. That is today's
Postman Law injury report. It is brought to you by
Postman Law. If you're injured, call eight four to four Postman.
Others promise Postman delivers eight for to four Postman. Monday
Night Football Tonight, Fox Sports thirteen sixty has the Chicago
Bears hosting the Minnesota Vikings. Reds Baseball Tonight down the

(01:41:27):
Hall on seven hundred WLW. Reds begin a nine game
road trip tonight, first of three in San Diego. Reds
and Padres Nicolodolo and you Darvish on the mound ninety
this evening. Reds, after a gut punch of a loss
on Friday, did come back and win on Saturday, excuse me,
and then again yesterday afternoon. Behind Hunter greens twelve strikeout performance,

(01:41:49):
Cincinnati is four behind the Mets in the hunt for
the last wildcard spot in New York. Is that Philadelphia. Tonight,
Cincinnati is even up with the Giants, who take on
the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. Arizona is a half game behind Cincinnati.
Cardinals are at Seattle tonight. Saint Louis also a half
game behind the Reds. College football Ohio State, Penn State, LSU,

(01:42:09):
Oregon Miami won through five, AP Top twenty five pole
Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, LSU Oregon won through five,
and the coaches pole Indiana twenty second, AP nineteenth in
the coaches the UCEE Bearcats that not get any votes.
The Mark Stoops Show is tonight at six on Fox
Sports thirteen sixty in the aftermath of Kentucky's lost to
Old Miss on Saturday. Have you watched any Bearcat football

(01:42:32):
this year? Yeah, I've watched a little Bearcat football this year?
Should be two and oh, should be. I think the
game on Saturday is one of the most forgettable good performances,
winning performances by the Barricats that I can recall.

Speaker 9 (01:42:47):
Sure, because it's just like, yeah, like you expected it
and you know.

Speaker 2 (01:42:50):
They went up twenty one. Nothing thought, Okay, they're not
going to lose. But if you went into that game
hoping they would play well enough for you to feel like,
you know what, this thing's about to hit the ground
running when they start big twelve played. That did not happen. No, no,
it didn't.

Speaker 9 (01:43:06):
I'm still so stuck, and I think maybe this is
why it's forgettable. You're stuck on week one and you're like, yeah,
like you do that and then you're two and zero, right,
and so you're not over overly reacting to this week,
you know, But you're right. It probably should have just
been a route the whole game and not not a
little back and forth.

Speaker 2 (01:43:25):
It wasn't a lot. I was never worried. You weren't worried,
but no, I never. I was never fearful that the
outcome would go south.

Speaker 9 (01:43:35):
But no, I well, you don't want it to be like,
oh well they're dealing with.

Speaker 2 (01:43:40):
Yeah when it was twenty one nothing. I was hopeful
that they put the foot on the gas and we
walk away from it feeling like, all right, you know what,
this team is about to hit the ground running like
fifty one to seven. And Saturday's game lacked that on
top of the frustration with how they lost.

Speaker 9 (01:43:56):
In the brass no doubt, confidence level is not high, No, no,
not at all.

Speaker 2 (01:44:00):
All right. We started the show two and a half
hours ago by talking about Bengals v. Browns Cincinnati's offensive issues.

Speaker 9 (01:44:08):
The main culprit was what, Wow, the main culprit was them,
I think, not feeling like they can be them against
the Browns.

Speaker 2 (01:44:20):
Right, Honestly, you know they play them again.

Speaker 9 (01:44:23):
Yeah, it, but like early on, what was working stuff
The Bengals never do running the ball, play a play
action a Noah fan on the first play of the
game for eleven yards, like, they're going to Chase Brown
and Chase Brown and Chase Brown. And I do think
that they'll do that at times this year. But I
think they felt like, all right, we're not going to

(01:44:44):
be able to go to our weapons the way we
normally do our top weapons. And it worked, but at
some point you do need there's a reason they're there,
and then when they needed to go to them, it
didn't really work for the most part.

Speaker 2 (01:44:55):
And so what is that? Is it just a little
timing issue?

Speaker 9 (01:44:58):
Is that? Is it because it's just Cleveland? Is it
a matchup thing? Or is it just they felt in
their head a certain way that they needed to play
that game the way they played it because they have
gone into games thinking that it's going to be ugly.

Speaker 1 (01:45:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:45:12):
I hope that wasn't it, because I think they had
a chance to blow the doors off of that team.
There was a moment in that game where I thought.

Speaker 2 (01:45:20):
And they didn't. And part of that has to do
with the defense too.

Speaker 9 (01:45:22):
Because they would have to get a stop to start
the third quarter, right, but like, there was a chance
there and it went the other way and it got
really ugly, really fast.

Speaker 2 (01:45:30):
When they scored the way they did on that first drive,
I was with you because I thought, cool, they just
showed the Cleveland Browns they can run it. And if
if Jim Schwartz, the defensive coordinator for Cleveland, if his
response is cool, we're gonna sell out to stop which
has happened to us, then Joe and the offense are
going to cook. And that just did not happen. I

(01:45:51):
refuse to believe that it's okay for the Browns to
be in their head that much. Come on, man, And
I'm not saying that's the case. It maybe, but but
the thing is it's plaus and that's fine, but really,
but you're gonna play him twice a year and it doesn't.

Speaker 9 (01:46:08):
During that game yesterday, I was like, especially in the
second half, and I'm like, well, that's Joe, Jamar and
t No one should be able to stop them.

Speaker 6 (01:46:16):
No, like literally, no one, not to the tune of passing,
slowing them down them down the shirt, yes, stopping them, Yes,
twenty five yards in the second half, it should be impossible.

Speaker 2 (01:46:30):
Yes, three of nine passing.

Speaker 9 (01:46:31):
Yes, the offense looking so lost that they only generate
one first down and it's because of a Jordan Battle
interception where they had a little momentum one first down.

Speaker 2 (01:46:38):
In the second half. If it should be impossible, if
you watch that game with somebody who doesn't follow the
conjecture around the sport, he said, coming in, uh, the
team and Stripe Telmt says, a guy that many believe
is the best quarterback in football, and he is leading
an offense that many believe will be the best in football.
They would have looked at you and said, I'm gonna

(01:46:59):
need you to be in a cup. I mean it,
it was that striking how bad they were. Do you
think like you could say, well, Cleveland's in their head.
Did Cleveland yesterday provide a blueprint that other teams could
try to use themselves.

Speaker 9 (01:47:15):
That's what I think is so tough, is no? I
mean they did, Sure they can try it, but it's
Miles and Denzel Ward and then Miles again, right, and
then Miles again. There's just not many Miles Garretts, and
so I think that's tough to deal with, Like Dylan.

Speaker 2 (01:47:30):
Fairchild man, it was welcome to the NFL. Welcome to welcome.

Speaker 9 (01:47:35):
But that's a great moment for him because he's gonna
be able to learn.

Speaker 2 (01:47:38):
And so I think.

Speaker 9 (01:47:41):
Teams can try, but to have sticky corners that are
sticky in coverage and a guy like Miles Garrett with
other competent defensive linemen around him. That's a unique situation.
But I will say this, you play them twice a year,
like you said, figure it out, Yes, And I thought
they had figured it out.

Speaker 2 (01:47:57):
That was the thing for me.

Speaker 6 (01:47:58):
You had.

Speaker 2 (01:48:00):
You had eight months from an offensive perspective to prepare
for a defensive unit that you knew what they are. Yep, right, yep.
I mean to say what you want about whatever amount
of success the Browns had on offense, which wasn't a
ton offensively, if there was a team in the NFL
that they should have been prepared to play the first game,
it was that one, no doubt, and.

Speaker 9 (01:48:19):
They didn't look it and they didn't have a second pitch. Yeah,
the first pitch worked in the first half, right, the
Browns adjust and then you go three and out to
come out and you're down sixteen to fourteen, and then
you settle for the field goal and then it's time
to adjust and figure it out. And I felt like
their adjustment was, let's go back to what we are.

(01:48:39):
But what they are does not work against Cleveland. We
know that are ready like to spread out. Joe's gonna
diagnose the defense. Yeah, that hasn't really worked against the
Browns consistently, and what was working was all these other weapons,
and so they're just gonna have to be probably even
more diverse. I think it's gonna be interesting. If that
Week eighteen game matters.

Speaker 2 (01:49:00):
Great, so they'll be playing for their playoff lives against
the Cleveland team.

Speaker 9 (01:49:04):
That is in their heads they should not. They should
not be playing for their playoff lives in Week eighteen.
I would like to think not. They should not. The
expectations should be something will have gone terribly wrong.

Speaker 2 (01:49:14):
If we ate them, if they could be playing for seating,
if they're if it's like it was last year, they
need to win, and especially if they need help, then
something has gone terribly No doubt. They are in the
same position basically they've been the last two years, needing
to win Week eighteen, with Joe Burrow having played seventeen
games then something has gone so awry that I can't

(01:49:34):
even fathom what it might be.

Speaker 9 (01:49:36):
They won't be in that position if they live up
the expectations. But if they play like they did yesterday
in the second half, they will absolutely be in that position.
May be worse, so you gotta be better.

Speaker 2 (01:49:47):
Will much better? Andre Schmid be Cleveland's kicker in that
Who Andre Schmidt?

Speaker 9 (01:49:54):
There's no way that's how you say his name. I
refuse to believe it. I even saw it on Browns
dot Com. No chance, that's not real. He's going to
be their kicker. Stefanski's confirmed yesterday, sticking by him.

Speaker 2 (01:50:05):
He's going to be their kicker this week, week eighteen. Oh,
he's week to week. Oh, week eighteen. That dude's going
to be kicking for the Browns here. Nope, nope, I
can't thank you it ofugh.

Speaker 9 (01:50:17):
Imagine blaming the kicker in Cleveland. The Bengals should have
won by one they killed.

Speaker 2 (01:50:23):
If I'm a Browns fan, it is agonizing to me. Then,
in a season where we're not expected to win many games,
Joe Burrow came to our building for one hundred and
thirteen yards. We held him to seventeen points and we
lost because of our kicker. That is, if I'm a
Cleveland fan today, sure, well that's all they're talking. If
Burrowing company come torches cool, they're going to do that

(01:50:44):
to everybody. If it's you know what, Flacco played poorly? Okay, fine,
that's probably gonna happen to times this year. We were
in a position to win against a Bengals team that's
offensively expected to be one of the best in the league,
and they weren't. And well, I'm off the hook. If
I'm a Browns fan today, that is driving me bonkers,
no doubt, because of the stupid kick.

Speaker 9 (01:51:05):
I would feel like I should be one to know
the Brown's outplayed the Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:51:08):
Yes, all right, we have to go. Have a great night.
Thank you for listening. You have great life. I don't
know what I'll see you.

Speaker 9 (01:51:13):
Oh wow, see you tomorrow. I don't know if you
will be coolest if you did.

Speaker 2 (01:51:19):
James Rapine, Bengals Talk dot Com, Enter the Jungles, Cincinnati
Bengals Talk and the Lockdown Bengals Podcast nailed it. Look
at that Tony is back Next week. We are back
here at Twin Peaks in Westchester. Thanks to Mike Mills
for producing on site, and to our guy Taran for
producing back and ken Wood Heaven unbelievable night, and we'll
talk to you tomorrow on ESPN fifteen thirty. By the way,

(01:51:40):
Bengals line is next on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 14 (01:51:46):
You've been listening to Football in the NATI brought to
you by Cincinnati Tax Resolution powered by Tafe Sheldon on
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of.

Speaker 12 (01:51:58):
The Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 14 (01:52:00):
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