The Mo Egger Radio Show -- 8/1/24

Mo talks about the Bengals and Ja'Marr Chase, a peek into the Reds future, chats about Leagues Cup with Kevin Egan, gets an update on UC Football with Chad Brendel, checks in from Training Camp with Tony Pike, takes your phone calls, and more on ESPN 1530!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Like ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's sports station.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Have you ever had a colonoscopy? If the answer is yes,
you know how miserable it is. It sucks, the lead
up to it sucks, everything about it sucks.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
But when you reach a.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Certain age you should probably get a colonoscopy. What's up.
This is not Freddy and Harry. My name is Mullegger.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm glad you're here. Thank
you for listening. Our guy, Kevin Egan. Apple TV has
FC Cincinnati in the league's Cup tonight. He's going to
join us at three twenty. Looking forward to that. Chad
Brenda later on on UC football and of course Tony

(00:43):
Pike Training Camp reports Live three forty five, four forty five,
and five forty five.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Reds get drilled last night. But but.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well we can we can look on the bright side.
Perhaps that a little bit later on, so Zach Taylor
talked a short while ago, Bengals are having practice today.
Yesterday was an off day. By the way, No Jamar
Chase again, no Sam Hubbard, no Trey Hendrickson, none of
that is a major surprise. We're gonna talk more about

(01:15):
Jamar Chase coming up here in just a bit. I
guess if there's anything headline grabbing, And I'm not sure
this is necessarily brand new territory, but it's confirmation of
swords from Zach Taylor. Preseason. Preseason is different than it
used to be, right. First of all, there aren't four games,
thank god. Secondly, the preseason for the Bengals at least

(01:36):
is really condensed. A game on August tenth, a game
on August seventeenth, a game on August twenty second, and
then what feels like forever between the last game the
preseason against the Colts and the regular season opener against
the New England Patriots. Zach, speaking with reporters a short
while ago, mentioned something that I hate. I hated as

(01:59):
much as I hated it when I got a colon
Osco be a year and a half ago.

Speaker 4 (02:02):
Here it is, you know, the first game I've got targeted,
the first game. I'm not setting anything it's stone right now,
but I'm optimistic that that's where it's trending right now
for our team, and then we'll make decisions after that.
But this is something I've loosely talked to some of
the guys. It's not something I've I've advertised with the
team or anything, but I think a week and a

(02:24):
half away, that's that's what's in my head right now.
You know, there's a lot we just want to get
a lot of work in. And it really is, you know,
with with games and joint practices, there's there's not a
ton of practice time once you start playing your first
game against Tampa Bay. Really if you look at the calendar,
there's just not a lot before final cuts, and so
just trying to make sure our team is prepared for
the first week of the season. What work do we

(02:45):
need to get done, and so these games factor into that.
It is you know, the travel the Chicago is different
because we don't travel like that days in advance, you know,
and so there's more free time and things like that.
That's a good team building. I think that'll be good
chemistry trip for us. It does break up the camp
that not camp at that point we would have been
in for three weeks, you know, and so I think

(03:05):
that I think it's it's gonna fall right for our
team and what we need at that time.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
All right.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
So there's Zach Taylor talking about his plan, his loose.
You know, plans can change his loose plan to have
the starters play in the preseason, and Joe Burrow is
a starter, so to me, that means the idea is
maybe not necessarily a week from Saturday, but Joe Burrow
is going to get some reps during the preseason. Bengals
starters are going to get some reps during the preseason.

(03:31):
I hate this. I hate this. I hate it as
much as I'll stop talking about my colonoscopy. But I
did have them a year and a half ago. I
hated it.

Speaker 3 (03:41):
I hate it. There's nothing about me that.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Likes this, but I do understand it and I agree
with it, Like there are certain things in life where
you just understand, here's something I don't want to do,
but I'm gonna have to do it and just and
figure out a way to deal with it. I told
Austin at the end of his show that it's I
get a seven year old daughter. I love being a parent.

(04:05):
I am dreading. I am dreading when we get to
that age and we're still a ways away, but I
know how quickly parenthood goes. Where it's time to learn
how to drive, and uh, I'll be doing the one
instructing and uh, and then you give her the car,
you give her the key, and then it's oh, I
hate it. I'm gonna hate every second of it, but
it's gonna have to happen. Maybe not an apples to

(04:26):
apples comparison. Look, lots of things about the Bengals are
true on that list, maybe at the very top. The
last two years, the beginning of the season has been clunky.
It's not just that they've lost, which is obviously a
big deal. You can't you can't go h to two
every year. I mean, you just at some point it's
gonna catch up to you. And by the way it

(04:47):
did last year, it caught up to him. Hell, I
would argue it caught up to him in twenty twenty two,
even though they still won the AFC North.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
You can't do what so many of us have done.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
As we've watched the Bengals play real sloppy, real unprepared football.
And by the way, the slow starts haven't just been
those first two weeks. They were one in three last year.
They were two and three two years ago. And yeah,
everybody remembers, you know, two years ago Burrow turned it

(05:20):
over five times in that loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Remember Week two when they were worse and they lost
to the Bears, and it was just it was terrible.
Nothing about it functioned. Everybody remembers Cleveland last year. Remember
Game two. The only reason that game was marginally competitive
was Charlie Jones had a punp return for a touchdown
in the first half. We said often that this coaching staff,

(05:44):
this organization, and how these players have to figure out
a way to balance as best they can health and
availability with preparedness. The Bengals over the last couple of
years have not looked very to start the season. There
have been mitigating circumstances beyond anybody's control. Right, Burrow's happened

(06:06):
dec to me, Burrow's calf, I get it. But the
issues for me not just limited to him, and even
with him, if I have a chance coming off an injury,
if I have a chance to put him in a
position where he's a little bit better prepared to succeed
and be on the same page with his guys, and

(06:26):
not have to use the first couple of games to
iron out kinks, not have to use the first month
as the de facto preseason Okay, I don't love it.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
I hate it.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
I'm the guy who for years has said, don't even
send those guys to the stadium for the preseason games,
don't even put them on the plane for the road
preseason games. But you can't do both, man, you can't
be the guy who says, never play your starters, but
hit the ground running week one, no excuses.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
So I will admit to you, man, I am gonna watch.

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Let's say for a second that Joe plays against the
Bucks that game in ten Days Live by the way
on ESPN fifteen thirty. Guess nine Days Live on ESPN
fifteen thirty. I don't know that I'm gonna watch. I
know I'm not going I.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
May I may.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
You know, ever ever watch something that's sort of scary
and you got your your hands over your I'm doing
it now, even though it's an audio. You got your
hands over your face and you're kind of looking through
your fingers and.

Speaker 3 (07:27):
It's like, oh, ye geez, or is he okay? Did
he get hit?

Speaker 5 (07:31):
Did he is?

Speaker 2 (07:32):
I mean, like, I cannot imagine anything more deflating than
watching Joe Burrow play in the preseason and something bad happens,
or watching a lot of guys on this team who
matter watching something and something bad happens. And I hate
to say this, but the more football football players play,
the greater the likelihood of a football player getting hurt

(07:53):
is and so chances are at some point something bad's
gonna happen to somebody. I'm to watch these games like
I will watch my daughter take her driver's test. I
will watch these games the way I will watch my
daughter be escorted from my house by her date on
prom night. Like I'm not looking forward to any of this,

(08:17):
But if this is what they need to do to
put themselves in a position to play better Week one
and go to Kansas City and start the season two
and zero, let's go. Like that's the idea here. Man
Pike has talked about this a lot. The idea is
to get the one seed, man, Like it's it's a
drum we have beaten out for a while. All the

(08:37):
good stuff the Bengals have done over the last couple
of years. Whatever their playoff successes or failures have been
since nineteen eighty eight, the last time they were the
one seed, they have never been guaranteed to play every
playoff game at home. That's what I want. I'm cool
going to Arrowhead Stadium week two. Don't want to go
there in January. Don't want to go to Buffalo, don't

(08:58):
want to go to Baltimore, don't want to go anywhere else,
don't want to go to Houston.

Speaker 3 (09:02):
Want to play here. I want to be the one
I want to buy.

Speaker 2 (09:06):
Your chances of that happening are better if you're not
constantly coming back from a one in three start or
an zero to two start. And I know the schedule
is very forgiving, but come on, man, let's not put
all our eggs in that basket. So I'm the guy
that has said since Zach Taylor got here, dude, go

(09:26):
Sean McVeigh, that's your guy, don't play anyone, don't play
anyone of consequence. But that's only true if it works,
and in the early part of the season over the
last couple of years, it hasn't worked. When something doesn't work,
you got to try something different. So let's go ahead
and play the guys. I ain't gonna like it at all.

(09:48):
It's gonna be It's gonna be like when you you
know you're you go into colin colonoscopy training.

Speaker 3 (09:54):
It sucks but you have to do it. It's necessary.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
There's no excuse not to and to me, there's no
excuse not to come up with a way to be
better prepared to play well week one and you cannot
sit there and go, well, they're playing the Patriots, big deal.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
Come on.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
That is a plan wrought with issues and perhaps guaranteed
to have you fail. Also, I want to win that
game week two. Me just imagine for a second, maybe
Kansas City, as they did last year, they lose to
Baltimore week one. You have a chance to go there
week two and deliver to them their second loss, and

(10:31):
you start the season two to zero. Are you kidding me?

Speaker 6 (10:37):
So?

Speaker 3 (10:37):
I want to better prepare them to do that.

Speaker 2 (10:41):
The best way to do that is, unfortunately, play guys
in the preseason. Now, the question is this, Jamar Day's
going to be on the field for those first two games.
Got mad at me yesterday for bringing up the possibility. Okay, well,
if we're not going to bring up the possibility and
what are we doing here? More on that coming up

(11:02):
in a bit show preview video on x Thanks to
Emory Federal Credit Union, your credit union with heart since
nineteen thirty nine, go to Emory FCU dot org. You
can send a tweet thanks to Delta Dental at Moegger.
Delta Dental is building healthy, smart, vibrant communities for all.
Go to Delta Dental oh dot com. More on the

(11:25):
Bengals Tony Pika training camp. At about thirty minutes, we'll
touch on last night's Red's game, which.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
Did not go well.

Speaker 2 (11:31):
It was a bad night for Run Differential Guy because
the Reds won the series. But the Reds and Cubs
finished with the same amount of runs in the series,
So run Differential Guy might have you believe they really
didn't win the series. I'm not sure. I am pretty
positive that Nick Krawl gave us a glimpse into the
future two nights ago. More on that in a bit,
But first, FC Cincinnati plays tonight. Kevin Egan's gonna call

(11:54):
the match for Apple TV. He joins us next on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati. They're home and they've got to
play better than they did before. This league's Cup breakout
underway home tonight against Cue Teto. Game starts at eight
o'clock On the Call Tonight. Thank You on the Call Tonight,

(12:14):
part of MLS Season Pass on Apple TV is our buddy,
Kevin Egan. It is awesome to have you as always, Kevin,
how are you no?

Speaker 7 (12:24):
Wonderful?

Speaker 8 (12:24):
Thanks?

Speaker 7 (12:25):
Great to be with you on the show.

Speaker 9 (12:26):
Actually I won't be on the call tonight, but I'll
be hosting in studio.

Speaker 7 (12:29):
For Apple TV. So dude, join us.

Speaker 9 (12:31):
We've got our countdown show kicking off at at seven
thirty getting ready for the big kick in Cincinnati.

Speaker 2 (12:37):
Blatant lack of preparation by me, talk to me first,
because All Star Week in Columbus looked awesome.

Speaker 7 (12:45):
It was brilliant. It was so much fun. It was
my first experience of.

Speaker 9 (12:49):
All Star and it really felt like it took over
the city at Columbus.

Speaker 7 (12:53):
Everywhere you went to, you know, talk of All Star.

Speaker 9 (12:57):
You know, paintings, signs, all sorts of things around the city.

Speaker 7 (13:00):
The Skills Challenge.

Speaker 9 (13:01):
I had a chance to host that and call that
with with Moa Doo and Cayl and Kyle, and that
was a lot of fun, Like just to see big
superstars you know from Lega McK from from Major League Soccer,
the likes of Lucho Acosta laughing and smiling and joking around,
having fun and seeing their skills up close and personal,
and to see them bond and get along well with
the Lexa coucho Hernandez from Columbus, knowing that their enemies

(13:24):
the majority of the time was a pretty cool sight.

Speaker 2 (13:26):
To see, which means if we get it, when we
get it, we're gonna have to do better because Kevin,
as you know, we're not taking a backseat to Columbus.

Speaker 7 (13:36):
No, no, no, no. And I saw it on Twitter.

Speaker 9 (13:38):
There's all sorts of rumors and reports for a few
years down the line, Cincinnati getnis for.

Speaker 3 (13:43):
The uninitiated the League's Cup.

Speaker 2 (13:45):
Obviously, this is something that I've seen Cincinnati participated in
last year. Walk us through the competition as a whole,
and maybe the most interesting one or two things about it.

Speaker 9 (13:54):
The League's Cup is fascinating. It's a one of a
kind tournaments. There's never been anything like it where you've
got basically you've got three different countries coming together, two
different leagues, forty seven teams, you know, a chance to
make the Club World Cup, a chance to you know,
whin a huge prize pool as.

Speaker 7 (14:12):
Well, and the bragging rights too.

Speaker 8 (14:14):
Last year Major League.

Speaker 9 (14:15):
Soccer dominated in what was I'm telling you mo the
most exhilarating and fun tournament I've experienced. It's felt like
a World Cup style tournament or even a you know,
a March madness type vibe about it. When two leagues
take a break to come together and you had the
big giants from Lega MX from Mexico coming up, and

(14:35):
you know, to see a Nashville for example, there to
dream and go all the way to hosting the league's
cup final against Messi and Miami. I was there hosting
on the night and it was so much fun, so
big time stakes on the line. You don't want to
be dumped out of this tournament early. This is a
tournament you want to stay in. You want to get
the fans behind you. You want to collect the prize
money at the end.

Speaker 7 (14:55):
You want to collect the qualification too.

Speaker 9 (14:57):
And I think it's it's one that I think will
only grow momentum and popularity.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
Well, can you tell us about this team that have
ce Cincinnati plays tonight?

Speaker 9 (15:05):
Correct their aside from LEGAX and Cincinnati should win this game.
I don't think there's any other way to say it.
I mean, they've been struggling in the Apertura in Lega
and mekis this year, and I think they're aside that Cincinnati,
knowing the quality that Cincinnati have.

Speaker 7 (15:23):
Should put him to the sword pretty quickly.

Speaker 9 (15:24):
Corettro are sitting eighteenth dead last place in the league this.

Speaker 7 (15:29):
Year, four games, four losses. There's one or two.

Speaker 9 (15:32):
Old Major League soccer players, like former Major League socer
players playing for them, like Akiloba who played for Nashville.
But all in all, honestly, MO, this is the game.
Even though Cincinnati had decimated with injuries and international absence,
is like Myles Robinson, Cincinnati should still with the backing
of the Orange and Blue faithful the tiquel put them
away all right. If they do, I should point this,

(15:54):
if they do, Cincinnati, this would be huge for Cincinnati
tonight because they qualify this evening is Correctro have already
lost in this group, So although Cincinnati's first game, Cincinnati
have already already have a bit of an opportunity here
given that Correzro have lost to New York City on penalties,
so it's an opportunity for Cincinnati don't qualify.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
I think Pat Noonan would would agree with the statement that,
regardless of who his team is playing and what competition
they're playing, in, they've got to play better. Twenty five
days ago, they played Miami at home and we all
knew who Miami didn't have that night, and FC Cincinnati
looked like the greatest soccer.

Speaker 3 (16:32):
Team in the world.

Speaker 2 (16:33):
Since then, they haven't won, and they've looked like the
exact opposite. They've had injuries, they don't have Miles Robinson.
How does this team get back on track?

Speaker 9 (16:42):
Well, a transfer window is open right now to those
the Aliseum. A new center back has come in, which
Cincinnati absolutely needed.

Speaker 7 (16:51):
Now he could feature as soon as tonight.

Speaker 9 (16:53):
Big Nigerian center back, lots of experience from Europe, a
classy ballplayer at the ball of his feet, really intelligent
and good soccer player. So I would expect that Cincinnati
will look to use him as soon as they can
because without Miles Robinson. Obviously, Hagland rought Miles congratulations. By
the way, I should mention qualifying out of the group
for the first time for the US since two thousand

(17:17):
gone back an awful long time, and Miles.

Speaker 7 (17:19):
Has been integral in that group.

Speaker 9 (17:21):
So without Hagland, without Matt Milgetu, with season ending injuries,
it's important that Cincinnati boaster that line and big news
today that Ian Murphy has signed a brand new contract
with Cincinnati so to keep him at the club through
twenty twenty six.

Speaker 7 (17:36):
He's been absolutely stellar in.

Speaker 9 (17:38):
The in the time that he's spent since the Super
Draft in twenty twenty two, his debut season, he's been brilliant.

Speaker 7 (17:44):
So Cincinnati needs help.

Speaker 9 (17:45):
Though there's there's there's you know, reports that Leuto acostas
still harboring a foot concern.

Speaker 7 (17:51):
You know that.

Speaker 9 (17:52):
I'm not sure what his status is for tonight, but
it's it's it's it's a tough time for Pat Noon
and and for Chris Olibright in the back room.

Speaker 7 (17:59):
Team in new talents.

Speaker 9 (18:01):
Boltered this squad because Cincinnati is still there on the
hunt to retain the supporter Shield, to go on and
win MLS Cup and of course League's Cup. This team
want to go a step further than they did last
year when they were dumped out at the round of
thirty two by Nashville on penalties.

Speaker 2 (18:16):
So I was going to advance the conversation slightly. And
obviously the short term focus is on League's Cup. When
FC Cincinnati emerged from that competition.

Speaker 3 (18:26):
Last year, it was all right.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
They got to where they got now put it in
cruise control, so to speed to go win the supporter Shield.
That's not the case right now. How do you handicap
that race once things get underway here in a three
and a half weeks.

Speaker 9 (18:39):
Yeah, it's tough right now, given those results of late
and against teams the issue Cincinnati have had, and it's
been alarming, to be honest, it's some of the losses
you'd never have predicted, you know, against the likes of Nashville,
New York Red Bulls at home. I expect Cincinnati to
show us that fortress at TQL that we saw last
season when Cincinnati went on to win the sh Now

(19:01):
all of a sudden, patt New Inside find themselves five
points a drift of into Miami.

Speaker 7 (19:05):
Both teams have played the same amount of games. You've
got Columbus to have a couple of.

Speaker 9 (19:09):
Games in hand as well, starting a rally and then
out West LA Galaxy, LAFC and even Rails Thought LAK
are still in that conversation.

Speaker 7 (19:16):
So the supportshield race is a grueling one. It's a
tough one.

Speaker 9 (19:20):
But I think what Cincinnati will really want to perfect
this year is when you come out of the league's
Cup and you really head toward the postseason. Cincinnati will
be there, that's for sure. But it's about making sure
that the players are fit, available, raring to go as
soon as that postseason hits. Because the team looked a
little bit tired. Remember Luchal constag Is looking exhausted in

(19:41):
that game against Columbus.

Speaker 7 (19:42):
In the Eastern Conference Final. I believe it was. So
it's just it's about peaking at the right time. This
team certainly is the talent.

Speaker 9 (19:50):
They've got a class manager in Pat Noon, and they've
got arguably the best fans in the stadium in Major
League Soccer.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
Should be fun Tonight seven thirty Pregame coverage begins MLS
Season Pass on Apple TV. The match starts at eight o'clock. Kevin,
always awesome to have you with us, man. I do
appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Speaker 9 (20:07):
Always love it most take care of Thank you.

Speaker 2 (20:08):
You got it. FC Cincinnati tonight against Cueteiteto. He said
it a little bit differently than I did eight o'clock tonight,
League's Cup match obviously also on ESPN fifteen thirty, three
thirty on ESPN fifteen thirty we're broadcasting from the ESPN
fifteen thirty studios powered by Greater Cincinnati's roofing and exterior
restoration experts, Madwell Restoration dot com. Make sure you're ready

(20:31):
for severe weather with a Madewell pre inspection. Go to
Madwell Restoration dot com. Uh, did we get a glimpse
into the future The Reds off season future?

Speaker 3 (20:44):
That coming up in the four o'clock hour?

Speaker 2 (20:45):
Did you notice what I noticed about yesterday's Big Reds
announcement regarding their promotions?

Speaker 3 (20:52):
That's next on ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 5 (20:53):
Thirty Cincinnati's On Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty fours.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
Headlines are a service lan chevro Leigh home of lifetime
powertrain protection and guarantee credit approval from their family to
yours for life kelseyshev dot com.

Speaker 3 (21:09):
Bengals are practicing right now.

Speaker 2 (21:11):
We'll go to the venue originally known as Paul Brown Stadium,
coming up in just about ten minutes. Zach Taylor has
indicated that the team starters, including Joe Burrow, are being
targeted to play in the preseason, perhaps as soon as
the fake season opener a week from Saturday. FC Cincinnati
in Leagu's Cup played tonight against Credit Teto pregame at

(21:33):
seven thirty on ESPN, fifteen thirty NFL Hall of Fame
game Tonight's on Fox Sports thirteen sixty Bears Texans, by
the way, and I saw this in passing one NFL
note worth paying attention to. According to Daniel Popper of
The Athletic, Justin Herbert has been diagnosed with an injury

(21:54):
to the plantar fascia. Is that a fancy way of
saying plan a fasciitis which I have had sucks?

Speaker 3 (22:01):
This is in his right foot.

Speaker 2 (22:03):
Doctors recommend two weeks in a boot, then graduated return
to play. I think he means gradual return to play.
Expectations he'll be ready for the start of the regular season.

Speaker 3 (22:13):
That will perhaps slow down the Chargers hype train just
a little bit.

Speaker 2 (22:17):
Reds are off tonight, first of three against the Giants
tomorrow evening at gabp Floren's home tonight for Lake Erie.
And in the Olympics, Simone Biles won another gold medal.
Austin Elmore is with me today, which is awesome to
have tarn is taking a couple of days off.

Speaker 3 (22:34):
What event did Simone Biles win the gold medal in
the women's all around? I believe very good.

Speaker 2 (22:39):
Are you watching this women's basketball game between the US
and is it Belgium?

Speaker 10 (22:45):
Uh No, I'm watching Josh Allen take snaps at Bill's practice,
and I need you to do me a favor. Flip
over to this game. I think it's on USA.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
The US is up by eight with a two twenty
seven to go in the first half. When they show
the Belgium head coach, I want you to tell me
what it looks like he does for a living. Okay,
forty four to thirty six the US can I just
break in whatever? Okay? Absolutely all right? I mean yeah,
we have no real serious interviews to do, so yeah,

(23:13):
just chime in. Like that guy right there with his
back to us, that's the coach. When he turns around,
I want you to tell me what it looks like
he does for a living. Okay, very good. Tony Pike
from a Bengals practice in just a few minutes. Chad
Brendle was at UC practice this morning. He's going to

(23:33):
join us at four twenty and more obligatory Jamar Chay
segments coming up in the in the next hour. We
were on the air yesterday when we saw the announcement
that Phil Castellini is getting a job title change. He's
now the CEO and used to be the COO. And
then the guy who was the CFO is still going

(23:53):
to be the CFO, but now he's also going to
be the COO. So, if you're keeping score, fills the CEO,
he was the co the new COO was the CFO,
but he is still the CFO. So now you're aware,
but Bob Castellini is still in charge. The press release

(24:15):
from the Reds yesterday made it a point of highlighting
so that while everybody's getting a job title change, Bob
Castellini is still, uh calling the shots.

Speaker 10 (24:27):
Does that mean that his title was removed? No, wasn't
he the president and CEO?

Speaker 2 (24:32):
Well, I think he's still president, right, The release said,
fills the so Phill's president's CEO, and then the other guy, Healey,
is the COO, but Bob, Bob doesn't have a job title.

Speaker 3 (24:45):
That's what I'm wondering. Huh, I need to ask some questions.

Speaker 2 (24:50):
Uh, you know what was interesting to me about the
entire or you know, announcement, and we talked about it yesterday,
like timing not great. Let's be honest, there's a lot
of frust with how the season is gone. There's some
frustration with the way the trade deadline unfolded.

Speaker 3 (25:05):
Phil doesn't have a very high approval rating, fair or not.

Speaker 2 (25:08):
And then you know, in the middle of all this,
you announce that Phil's getting a promotion, like in the
grand scheme of things. I'm not sure anything is really
changing with the Reds, But I don't know that yesterday
was the day or time to make that announcement.

Speaker 3 (25:25):
I don't know. Here's what I do know. This is
what's interesting to me.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
Yesterday's announcement had a quote from Bob Castellini.

Speaker 10 (25:35):
The Belgium coach looks like the guy who works behind
the lanes at a bowling alley and fixes him when
they go down.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
I think he looks like somebody who is the assistant
manager at or fruit stand. One time, this is a
true story, Austin, I was on a UC football UC basketball.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Trip in Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (25:58):
They were in the Rock and Roll shootout and I
was pumping gas and I locked my keys in the car.

Speaker 3 (26:03):
This is how long ago.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
It was two thousand and two thousand and one, on
my way to the game, and my phone, my rudimentary
early two thousand cell phone was in my car, so
I had to go into the gas station and I'm like, man,
anything you can do to help me. And at a
gas station they're like, nope, you're a gas station. Surely
you've got to have some way to enter someone's car

(26:27):
where their keys have been locked in. And the dude
says to me, He's like, I got a buddy. He
can be here in fifteen minutes. He can get into
any car. You're gonna have to pay him. I think
the Belgium head coach is the guy who showed up
to get my car on bock.

Speaker 3 (26:43):
How much did you pay?

Speaker 2 (26:44):
It was like two hundred bucks? Oh my god, yeah, yeah,
like two hundred bucks. So anyway, Bob's big statement yesterday
it wasn't fine whatever. It was his first public statement
of the year, and it had nothing to do with baseball. Now,
not that he could have said anything that is gonna
make anybody feel better if they do feel bad about

(27:06):
how the season has gone.

Speaker 3 (27:08):
I just thought that was interesting.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
The onus by the onus has been put on the
team by the front office. So the Reds hit the
the one hundred and eight game mark, which means they
have now played two thirds of their season. So a
third of the season ago, and they're gonna tell you
with a straight face, well, yeah, we we certainly think
we can play ourselves back into this. We have to
basically gain a game a week. Nick Kral said that

(27:34):
the other night, fine run differential was mentioned by the way,
I do need somebody clear.

Speaker 3 (27:45):
This up for me. So the Reds won two of.

Speaker 2 (27:48):
The baseball games they played against the Cubs this week.
They won the first game by six, they won the
next game by three, and they lost the third game
by nine. So the run differential was even. Does that
mean they really didn't win the series? Because I keep

(28:10):
hearing a lot about run differential and the Pythagori in
win loss record. How does that work if you're a
run differential guy? Do we negate the two wins? Because
actually it was a push? The cub scored as many runs.
The team's record in one run games has to get better.

(28:30):
Nick acknowledge that. The other day. I wonder if, and
we'll play the audio in the next hour we played
it yesterday. I wonder if the messaging of Tuesday night
is basically what we're going to hear all off season.
The injuries, the run differential the record and one loss games,

(28:56):
not necessarily maybe from the Reds the Pythagorian record would
which I gotta be honest with you.

Speaker 3 (29:01):
As of today, I have no idea what it is like.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
I was thinking about that watching the game last night, which, okay, fine,
they lost a regular season game, thirteen four got blown out.
I have no idea why Elie de la Cruz is
trying to steal third down by six with two outs.
But whatever, But did what we hear from what we
heard from Nick Crawl on Wednesday? I'm sorry on Tuesday
give us a glimpse into what the talking points are

(29:26):
going to be all off season.

Speaker 3 (29:28):
My guess is yes.

Speaker 2 (29:30):
What I do know is Tony Pike joins us next
on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 3 (29:34):
Hey, if you're listening, Peper.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
On ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Bank.

Speaker 3 (29:43):
We do it every hour.

Speaker 2 (29:44):
Tony Pike is with us from Bengals training camp. He
is standing by in the practice fields outside the venue
originally known as Paul Brown Stadium. Hi, Tony, well, it
sounds like it's quite noisy back there. What's going on?

Speaker 11 (29:57):
Well, here's the thing on my bingo card today I
did not have Luke Combs talking to sangowner Mike Brown
on his golf cart really practice, but Luke Comb's country
music megastar in town of his in town for his
two show appearance starting tomorrow. He's out here at practice
today and quite frankly, Mowy's lasted longer than a couple

(30:18):
of players today. Marius Mims walked off the field earlier
today a couple other Bengals Jermaine Burton Head has left
foot looked at before walking off into the the stadium
under his own power. I should say, but it is
easily the hottest day that I can remember at training
camp and players dropping left and right here right now
with some hydration stuff.

Speaker 2 (30:38):
So that's what it is. They're leaving because it's hot,
because they're thirsty.

Speaker 11 (30:43):
I would assume, yes, I mean a Marius Mems, he
is a big, big human and with how hot it
is today, I mean, so I was like, okay, let's
let's get the guy onto a cart because he was
clearly struggling. They put water on the back of his neck.
So nothing to this point looks like gets overly problematic.

(31:03):
It's it's probably just more airing on the side of
concern when it is hot like this.

Speaker 3 (31:06):
As a ticket holder to Saturday night show is Luke Holmes.

Speaker 11 (31:09):
Okay, Luke's been great. You know it's weird, mom, because
I always thought these guys come into town and like
do soundchecks. You could hear his band right now is
going through sound check inside the stadium while he's out
here watching practice.

Speaker 3 (31:23):
Very good.

Speaker 2 (31:23):
I can't blame football football guy all right. In terms
of the guys who are playing, we're are practicing. Who
looks good? Who looks bad?

Speaker 3 (31:31):
Somebody existed something good? What was that so far?

Speaker 11 (31:35):
T Higgins made a very nice catch down the sideline.

Speaker 9 (31:37):
Uh.

Speaker 11 (31:38):
They're actually doing a segment here MO where they're kind
of unscripted, so they're moving the chains as the.

Speaker 7 (31:44):
Day goes on.

Speaker 11 (31:45):
It was easily Borrows best best thrower of the day.

Speaker 8 (31:48):
Uh.

Speaker 11 (31:48):
To that point, he has struggled. He's not had a
ton of zip on the ball. He's thrown a pick.
It was the first time most I've seen him drafted.
He missed four straight balls in one on one today
and it was just out something you normally see him do.
So hopefully the second half of practice he can be
a little better than what he was But with that,
I would say that a lot of the defense has

(32:09):
looked good today. The defense has been flying around, secondary
has had some success, being one of the big questions
for this team. That's a positive to take away from it.
Without Trey Hendrickson or Sam Hubbard practicing.

Speaker 2 (32:20):
The borough throws, are those bad throws or is it
maybe not being on the same page with the guy
he's throwing too.

Speaker 3 (32:27):
Is it discomfort with what's in front of him?

Speaker 2 (32:29):
What is it?

Speaker 11 (32:31):
It could be a little bit of the unknown with
the player he's throwing to. But a lot of these
throws are in one on ones, which for a quarterback
in an offense, you should win those battles because there's
no rush, there's no other defender on the field. It's
you making a throw and you've got a bunch of
space to do it. I just don't think it has
been today that there's been a finish or a zip
to the ball. Some of the passes have fluttered more

(32:53):
so than others, but they just don't seem to be
getting there as fast. This obviously coming off an off
day yesterday, and I do believe that after practice he
is speaking to the media today, so I'm curious if
he addresses it or talks about that at all today,
which has been some struggles early on for him.

Speaker 3 (33:09):
Let me switch gears really quick.

Speaker 2 (33:11):
The preseason starts tonight with the Hall of Fame game,
and I'm actually looking forward to it for a couple
of different reasons, not the least of which is I
want to see how teams start to handle the new
kickoff rule. I know the Bengals have practiced this extensively.
Have you seen anything to suggest maybe what they're going
to do from a personnel or a strategic perspective with

(33:32):
the new way of doing things.

Speaker 11 (33:34):
No, they're still early in the camp or anytime you
get into a special teams drill Right now, mo, you've
got about eight different returners back there, whether it's punts,
whether it's kickoff. So I think Darren Simmons is still
in the process of identifying who those guys are going
to be going forward for him and then kind of
make the adjustment and move on from that.

Speaker 3 (33:53):
Very good.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
All right, We'll check in again coming up at four
forty five. Tony, Thank you so much.

Speaker 11 (33:58):
Thanks Mom.

Speaker 3 (33:59):
There you go.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
Tony Pike at Bengals training camp joins us once an hour.
Don't forget Bengals Bucks a week from Saturday, kickoff at
seven o'clock live live every game on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Does that include postgame coverage till three am? Austin's It
sure does. Our postgame show after a preseason game goes
until three o'clock in the morning.

Speaker 10 (34:20):
Well, I don't think they will all go until three
o'clock in the morning, just the first one. I think
the first one goes until three o'clock.

Speaker 2 (34:29):
That is you know, that is coverage you're not gonna
get anywhere else. You know, some radio stations here, well
they'll carry some of the games, but are they carrying
a preseason game and then having their postgame guy until
almost sun up the next day. No, that's what we do.
That's what Austin does. That's the sort of commitment he has.
That's the sort of commitment. I'll be fast asleep by

(34:51):
the time he's probably just go out there talking to
the truck.

Speaker 3 (34:55):
You know what, the last time you did one of
those shows, I tried to call in. You didn't inswer
my phone call.

Speaker 10 (34:59):
I don't belie that happened. It did happen, It did happen.
It may have been done for the night. One might argue,
I was, Uh.

Speaker 2 (35:08):
By the way, five point three seven four nine fifteen
thirty is our our phone number. Chad Brendle speaking of
a football practice. Chad was at UC's practice today. They've
had two of them, the regular season opener. I guess
the season opener coming up on August thirty. First lots
to get to a Chad he joins us coming up
at four twenty Brandanman and Jones on baseball in just

(35:28):
about an hour, and uh, we got to talk more
about Jamar Chase.

Speaker 3 (35:33):
We're going to do that.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
And something that has turned into a little bit of
a theme in the aftermath of one specific Reds trade.
Let's make it not a theme anymore. How about we
do that. I'll do my best. I'll do my best
at Moeger on Twitter. By the way, anything you might
have missed, go get it on the iHeartRadio Appaul Danner

(35:58):
Junior yesterday was outstanding on a bunch of different Bengals issues,
including the race is over for the Moegger Award. Go
find that on the iHeartRadio Apple mypage at ESPN fifteen
thirty dot com Podcasts a service of long Neck Sports
Guirrel three locations in northern Kentucky.

Speaker 3 (36:15):
Still no better place.

Speaker 2 (36:17):
To hang out on a warm summer evening, cold beer,
grab some wings, and you are good to go. We
have a lot of ground to cover. I am frilleder
here coming up on four o'clock. My name is mog
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station.

Speaker 3 (36:37):
This report is sponsored by all Set. I'm Doug Brown.

Speaker 12 (36:44):
Halfway through the Olympic Women's gymnastics all around today, Simone
Biles was in third place. She comes from behind to
win her second all around gold medal. Teammates Sony Lee
takes the bronze. It's the sixth straight Olympics in America
and has won that event. The US also wins gold
in women's boiled team event today. Patriots linebacker Matthew Judhan

(37:08):
back at practice today after showing frustration with his contract.

Speaker 3 (37:12):
His head coach is Gerrod Mayo.

Speaker 8 (37:14):
I remember as a player, it's always a difficult time.

Speaker 4 (37:16):
It's always a difficult time when you go through contract
negotiations and things like that.

Speaker 8 (37:20):
We had a conversation.

Speaker 4 (37:20):
I have a great relationship with Matthew, have a great
relationship with the players, but we're moving.

Speaker 3 (37:25):
Forward, Girrod Mayo.

Speaker 12 (37:27):
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Buccaneers will sign offensive lineman
Tristan Wurfs to a five year contract extension worth almost
one hundred and forty one million dollars. That's a record
deal for an offensive lineman orioles. Infielder Jordan Westberg goes
on the injured list today with a broken right hand.
They're hoping he'll be back before the end of the
regular season.

Speaker 13 (37:49):
Here's one step that's super simple to remember. Discover automatically
doubles the cash back on your credit card at the
end of your first year. With cash back match with Discover,
you could turn one hundred and fifty dollars back to
three hundred dollars. See terms at discover dot com slash
credit card.

Speaker 5 (38:06):
Cincinnati's es good Friday since three six years.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
They're bringing you the Orange and Black Blight never before
from the Kettering Health Practice Field beginning Monday at BOE
on ESPN fifteen thirty. The official poem of the Mingles.

Speaker 2 (38:21):
You don't have to wait till Monday. Tony pipes their
training camp right now. I mean it's awesome broadcasting Monday,
but I mean you don't have to wait till Monday.
Tony's going to be there and join us in like
thirty five minutes. Just fyi, Chad Rendeland Fleet UC football
coming up in just about fifteen minutes. Day two of

(38:41):
camp for the Cats. One more day and before they
go to Higher Ground Camp Higher Ground and the large
food hall. More on the Reds in a bit as well.
Amarus Mems among those who left practice early because they're
dealing with cramps or hydration issues. And it is it
is really humid out there, really humid out there, So

(39:04):
just keep that in mind for any of your outdoor
activities this afternoon slash evening. I've heard this a lot.
Bengals just need to go ahead and pay Jamar Chase.
And if they do, fine, Like if this afternoon we
found out yep, they got the deal done. Here it is,

(39:24):
this is where it puts Jamar on the echelon of
highest paid wide receivers. Is there really gonna be anybody
who's like, ah damn, like I was hoping the holden
would continue. I think it would be hilarious. Actually if
they announced tonight that they got a deal done and
then Jamar still didn't practice tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (39:42):
That would be fun. But I've heard this offen. They
need to pay him. Why.

Speaker 2 (39:48):
I mean, like, legitimately, remove Remove how much we all
love Jamar, Remove how good we know he is. Remove
the fact that as fans we want nothing even resembling
conflict distraction. We want nothing that isn't directly related to
the goal of trying to win a championship this year, which.

Speaker 3 (40:09):
The Bengals can do.

Speaker 2 (40:11):
Remove all that, Why, like legitimately, why, Which is why
I brought up yesterday And I'm not even close to
the first, but I brought up yesterday that if this,
if this drags on, and not even if it drags on,
even as of right now, the only question that really
matters is is Jamar Chase willing to do something drastic?

Speaker 3 (40:36):
And doing something drastic is missing games.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
And it's drastic for Jamar because he's not out anything
financially for not practicing today. He's out something financially if
he chooses to miss games. The Bengals are not as
good of a team if they don't have Jamar Chase,
and they are if they do. Right now, the forecast
for the Bengals in twenty twenty four, if you think

(41:00):
they're going eleven and six. You think that independent of
Jamar Chase practicing, But off suddenly he's going to miss
some games, Well then maybe you'll adjust your forecast a
little bit. I know this makes you or others, It
makes a lot of people uncomfortable, because this is where
the conversation gets uncomfortable. Him not practicing. We prefer epractice.

(41:23):
We understand the benefits of him practicing, we understand the
risks of him practicing. But the discussion about practice doesn't
make anybody uncomfortable. The discussion about games makes people uncomfortable.
And so my point is I would say this to Jamar,
especially if I was his agent, if you really want

(41:43):
the Bengals to do something that, with the exception of
Joe Burrow and Joe Burrow is maybe the biggest exception
in the history of the franchise, if you want them
to do something that beyond him they've never done, you're
probably gonna have to be willing to do something something dramatic.

(42:03):
If you want someone else to do something that they've
a never done and b see no urgency to do,
you've got to be willing to do something dramatic.

Speaker 3 (42:20):
In the absence of that. If you're the Bengals, why
do I need to pay?

Speaker 2 (42:23):
They do not care that much that he's not practicing,
I promise you, Mike Katie Troy not losing an ounce
of well, I guess you don't measure sleep by ounces,
not losing a wink of sleep. And by the way,
if I were as generationally wealthy as they were, nothing
would make me loose sleep either.

Speaker 3 (42:43):
But still, if you want someone.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
To do something dramatic and you're gonna try to force
them to do something dramatic and something different, you've got
to be willing to do something dramatic which is not
even missing one game, it's missing too. I mean, come on,
they could beat the New England Patriots with four dudes

(43:11):
off the street catching passes from Joe Burrow. What about
game two? And like, legit, that would be the question
I would have for Jamar, like, all right, you're not practicing, fine,
and by the way, I have no issue with it.
But if you think not practicing is going to force
the Bengals hand it, nay. And I do believe the

(43:33):
reports out there that there's at least some dialogue between
the Bengals and Jamar Chase and maybe because Mike Brown
said we're going to get a deal done. That tells
you the deal's going to get done reasonably soon. And
if it does, awesome, awesome for all parties involved. But
if this is something that's just going to continue, I

(43:54):
mean like, at some point, it's Jamorrow, are you willing
to do something really dramatic? Because if the answer is no,
then you're the guy who sits in the breakroom and
does nothing but complain about how much he makes or
what he doesn't like, but never really does anything about it.

Speaker 3 (44:09):
And we all know those people.

Speaker 2 (44:12):
So that's what I want to know, is Jamar Chase,
the guy who sits in the breakroom and NonStop complains
about how much money he makes, the hours that he works,
who he doesn't like working with, what he hates about
his boss, and like we've all worked with that guy,
you've maybe been that guy, and you just at some
point you're like, dude, he gonna do anything about it?

(44:32):
Like I have friends in my life that just you know,
we all complain about our jobs.

Speaker 3 (44:36):
At some point. I don't, uh, but you listen to it.

Speaker 2 (44:42):
It's like all right, man, like you've done this for years,
are you gonna do anything about it.

Speaker 3 (44:47):
After a while, there's a tune out factor. So what
I want to.

Speaker 2 (44:51):
Know is, are Jamar, like, if you're serious about this?
How serious are you? If you're serious about forcing the
Bengals hand? And none of us really know that that's
what this is all about. Again, it could just be, Hey,
he's gonna sit not practice till the deal gets done.
Once it gets done, and it's gonna get done here
soon he'll be out there maybe, But at some point

(45:16):
it has to become something other than just a staring contest,
because that's what this is right now.

Speaker 3 (45:22):
It's two people just staring at each other.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
So, like, if that makes you uncomfortable as a fan,
like it makes me uncomfortable thinking about Jamar not playing
Week two against Casey, but if i'm him, like, I've
had very few moments in my life where I have
felt like it's time to do something dramatic. I know
I've talked about this before in one of my earlier

(45:54):
jobs in this current career that I have, back before
I was on air. Personality has done, is done with
the hours, has done with the pay as. Then finally
went in and I'm like, uh, I'm gonna leave like
oh leaven early, No, like I'm done.

Speaker 3 (46:09):
Things have to change. What do you mean you're done?

Speaker 2 (46:12):
Like I'm going to leave here in three weeks if
things don't change, put it on paper that it's gonna change,
Like where are you gonna go?

Speaker 3 (46:18):
Like I don't know.

Speaker 2 (46:20):
When you're twenty five twenty six years old and you
say I'm gonna leave and I have no other job
behind this one, which was the case, that's something dramatic.
I was willing to do something dramatic, and I got
stuff changed. In the absence of being willing to do that,
none of it matters. Like the guy who just constantly

(46:41):
sits in the break room complaining about what he doesn't
get how much he makes. That guy never gets anything changed.
That guy never gets anything done. The person who goes
in and says I'm not doing this unless I get this,
or I'm leaving unless I get this, or I'm finished
with this unless I get this might not always get
what they want In some cases, could end up regretting

(47:07):
the decision. But I think they've got a better chance
of getting what they want than the guy who sits
in the breakroom. What I want to know is is
Jamar Chase just the guy sitting in the breakroom, because
if he is and this is the ploy to get
the Bengals to do something that they haven't done, my

(47:32):
money is on it not working. My money is on
Jamar getting a deal. My money is on Jamar getting
a second contract from this team, and it taking place
within the normal timeframe that these things happen. And again
I'm like, I'm I'm rooting for the Bengals, which means
I want them to have as many good players as possible.
And Jamar Chase is a really good player. But I

(47:53):
also do understand, and I know I've said this often
this week, I get it. They come to him, and
he comes to him and says, I want a new deal,
and he's got two years left on his contract, and
he's making, from the Bengals perspective, a pretty team friendly
amount of money every single year.

Speaker 3 (48:09):
Like what's the rush.

Speaker 2 (48:11):
So if you want the Bengals to expedite the process,
every negotiation, I believe has to have a party that's
willing to do something a little dramatic. Maybe it's just
walk away whatever. In the absence of it, it's two
people just staring at each other. It's the guy sitting

(48:34):
in the break room, And what I would want to
know from Jamar Chase is like, are you are you
willing to take this to September fifteenth, That's when the
Bengals go to Kansas City? Are you willing to put
this team in a position wherein I think the most
talked about NFL game that weekend, one of these signature

(48:58):
players in the game is not involved in the game,
not getting paid to play in the game because he's
sitting out the game. If the answer is no, and
I know you and I want the answer to be no,
But if the answer is no, what are we doing?

Speaker 3 (49:21):
What's what's different.

Speaker 2 (49:22):
Than the guy who's just sitting in the breakroom popping
off again like he does every single day, about how
much he hates his job or how much he hates
his salary, or how much he hates his boss. Five
point three seven four nine, fifteen thirty is our phone number?

Speaker 6 (49:39):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (49:39):
Can the Reds do what they're telling you they can
and what they didn't do last night?

Speaker 3 (49:45):
Not coming up?

Speaker 2 (49:46):
About twenty minutes more from Tony Pike as well, But first,
Chad Brendl on the Bearcats on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati
Sports Station, Cincinnati's.

Speaker 3 (49:56):
Twenty minutes after four o'clock.

Speaker 2 (49:59):
This is ESPN in fifteen thirty broadcasting from the Madewell
Restoration Studios. We'll have a poll question here momentarily maybe
two thanks to United Heartland Insurance, the greatest place in
the United States to get insurance. Uhis dot com holding
pattern for our friend Chadrandall from Bearcat Journal dot com.

(50:22):
Scott Sanderfield's crew, otherwise known as the UC football team,
practicing this morning at Nippert Stadium, second day of fall camp.
They'll move things to a higher ground this weekend. Full
coverage of that as they get ready for the season
opener in thirty one days against Towson. Bearcat Journal dot
com we chat with Chad in in just a few

(50:44):
minutes a season. It is to a degree remarkable. Three
years ago at this time we were ramping up for
what we thought could be a legitimate push for a
college football playoff bit for the Bearcats, which ultimately they acquired.
And you know that amid all the excitement about the

(51:04):
announcement of going into the Big twelve, and boy, the
air really has come out of the balloom quite quickly.
Perhaps this season the Bearcats can put it back in.
Chad is here and he's with us to a talk
you see football. What's going on?

Speaker 8 (51:21):
I don't know. Apparently my phone once again does not
like this number, as it was sending you straight to
voicemail while I was awaiting your call.

Speaker 2 (51:27):
Well, uh, you know, perhaps we could have mitigate it
that by calling you before we came back from break.

Speaker 8 (51:35):
It happens. But I'm here now and we're all good.

Speaker 3 (51:37):
That's right, yes, all right. Two days in what has stood.

Speaker 8 (51:41):
Out team is significantly more athletic than a season ago.

Speaker 7 (51:46):
No like that.

Speaker 8 (51:47):
That was the concern a year ago, is you know,
did they have enough speed in the secondary? They were
they fast enough at linebacker? The answer to all of
those questions, or were they fasten up at wide receiver? Was?
It is dounding though, and that you know, they also
were not physically big enough, which I think is still

(52:08):
a little bit of a concern of mine, especially you know,
along the defensive front. But the one thing that's you know,
pretty abundant out there if you know what you're looking for,
is you can go in the transfer portal and you
can you can recruit speed. And they did a lot
of that, and it is so far evident on the field.

(52:28):
Would you like some numbers?

Speaker 7 (52:29):
Now? I have numbers four.

Speaker 8 (52:32):
Last year, gets how many players they had hit twenty
two miles an hour? You know that that little vest
that they wear, Yeah, looks like kind of like a
sports brawl that tracks your speed. Gets how many players
they had hit twenty two miles an hour last year
on the tracking system? One one this year eleven. Wow.

(52:53):
Last year twenty two guys hit twenty one miles an hour.
This year thirty seven over twenty one miles an hour,
including the quarterback. And how about this one though, this
is the one that blew me away. Everyone that they
expect to play linebacker, that they think is going to
get minutes this year was faster than all of the

(53:15):
safeties and most of the corners from last year. So
you're not going to be able to get that type
of size right away because some of that needs to
be recruited and developed. But you can go get much
more athletic, and I think they did that and that
has been clear.

Speaker 2 (53:36):
Is is there a legitimate quarterback competition or is that
just something Scott Saderfield alluded to on Tuesday Because he had.

Speaker 8 (53:45):
To my opinion is it's going to be Brendan Soersby.
But I will say this, Brady Lichtenberg through the first
two days is having a really good camp. So if
there is not a quarterback competition, the way that you
forced on is to go out there and throw the
ball really well, and so far that is what Brady
Lichtenberg has done. So we'll see. I mean, I will

(54:10):
be legitimately shocked if Brendon Sorosby is not the starting
quarterback for this football team. But at least Brady Lichtenberg
is it something to talk about With his play so.

Speaker 2 (54:22):
Far, Brendon Sorosby has arm talent that perhaps Emery Jones
did not, which is great. How significantly of a better quarterback.

Speaker 3 (54:32):
Could he be?

Speaker 8 (54:34):
The biggest thing for me, and it's one of the
more difficult things to do as a quarterback. He is
able to has been in practice.

Speaker 7 (54:45):
We'll see in.

Speaker 8 (54:46):
Games he's been able to utilize the middle of the field.
That's one of the things I thought, whether it was
they had as much trouble as they did to getting
open or protecting the quarterback, like you can list the
myriad of issues that were out of out of the
control of Emory Jones a year ago. They could not

(55:10):
make defenses respect the middle of the field. So you
load up on the run and you put your your
defensive backs on an island and tell them watch the sidelines,
and you pretty much could shut down this passing game.
Especially that was one of the biggest problems I thought
in the red zone, like they just they could not
open up the middle of the field to open up,

(55:31):
you know, the other things that they wanted to do.
Back the linebackers off a little bit and get the
safeties out of the box. And that is the thing
I have seen from Soresby that makes me probably the
most excited about the potential of this offense. And we
talked about not not throwing the ball to the tight
ends or you know, I thought they had a pretty
good slot receiver last year that we didn't really hear

(55:52):
a whole lot from because you know, that's where slot
receivers work, is they get opened in the middle of
the field and you hit them in space and you
let him run. And that was not a part of
the offense really at all last year. That is something
I think can help. The other thing that has had
me excited through the first couple of practices is watching
stores be spread it around. I mean, yesterday alone in

(56:16):
the first like real live of action, they did his
first five passes. One went to Xavier Henderson, one went
to Tony Johnson, one went to Tyron Smith, Joe Royer,
one went to Corey Kiner. And you know when you're
seeing a quarterback that's able to kind of keep the
defense off balance. And the other thing was when teams
figured out, well they're only throwing to Xavier Henderson, so

(56:39):
we'll double him and everybody else is out of the mix.
Like that's the kind of thing that really can can
take an offense from. It was rough last year in
the passing game, it was it was very difficult to
watch at times, and that has not been the case
at least so far.

Speaker 2 (56:56):
Things are looking very very good for Dante por Leone.
Should I expect to watch him on August thirty.

Speaker 8 (57:02):
First, I would be doubtful about opening day. I mean, one,
if you need him against an FCS school, you're probably
in trouble. But you know, I think you know there's
probably a timeline that they're working with on what they
have to do each step along the way to get

(57:24):
him back from you know, the specific thing that he
is dealing with. But my I was pleasantly surprised yesterday
and today to see how active he has been in practice.
He is not doing anything live yet, but he is
doing most of the individual stuff, the stuff that they're

(57:45):
doing with their position groups. He has been out there
quite a bit, and that gives me some optimism that
he is, if not ahead of schedule, he's at least
right on schedule to be back somewhere fairly early in
the season. But week one, I wouldn't hold your breath
a little bit after that, Week two, week three, getting

(58:07):
into you know, closer to Big twelve player, it looks
like things are on track for that.

Speaker 3 (58:12):
Who are these guys in the secondary, Well.

Speaker 8 (58:17):
I have been very pleased with what I have seen
at safety. I think Makay Miller is a name that
you need to know. I think Josh Lincoln's is that
you need to know. The safety hand team then is
a pretty hot wild is another guy that I think
will will prop I think those three guys are your

(58:39):
starters at safety. I've spent a bunch of time over
the first two days watching that group because I we
talked about corner but I thought they were even worse
at safety last year and they were bad at corner,
and I thought they were worse at safety. Yeah, the
linebackers this year faster than the safety life. You can't

(59:01):
you can't have that, right, So I paid a lot
of attention there. Another name of safety that I think,
you know has a chance to be to be pretty
good is Logan Wilson.

Speaker 7 (59:13):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (59:14):
And then there's a freshman that that continues from the
spring to catch my eye, and that's Jaquan Thanks. When
you get out to practice, mo, I'll point out Jaquan
Thanks to you, and you will look at him and
he looks like he's been a bodybuilder, like in his
lower body for like a decade, Like it's just freakish

(59:35):
what his leg. So those I've been, you know, pleased
with what I've seen at safety corner. Uh. You know,
Jordan Young has been pretty good. And then there's a
bunch of new names that that you know they're trying
to to work in and figure out. And Uh. One
of those names that that makes me kind of excited, MO,

(59:57):
because I you know it'd be good or be inter right,
there's nothing more interesting than having the nickname gravy. Yes,
and uh gravy was the second fastest guy on the
measuring system at twenty two point five miles an hour.
Uh so hopefully, well we'll maybe get to see some
gravy this season.

Speaker 2 (01:00:19):
When you think of the nickname gravy, speed and elusiveness
is not exactly what comes to mind.

Speaker 8 (01:00:25):
No, it's it's it's a thin gravy.

Speaker 7 (01:00:28):
Yeah, it's not.

Speaker 8 (01:00:29):
It's not like like sausage gravy. It's more like, uh,
like a what's the red eye gravy? Like the coffee.

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
Yeah, now I'm no, I'm talking about gravy. Very good
is I think most fans have settled into an area
where they feel like, uh, they got to get to
a bowl game and best best case, maybe seven victories.

Speaker 3 (01:00:58):
Is that where we should be?

Speaker 8 (01:01:01):
I think I think they're right now. Like, I still
worry of the team. Just flashback Iowa State and Kansas
and West Virginia. You know, when you looked at the
size of those teams and compared them to Cincinnati, it
really wasn't a surprise as the game started, but they
were able to push Cincinnati around. They were significantly bigger.

(01:01:24):
So I still worry a little bit about that when
they get to that back half of the schedule, which
is much tougher than the first half. I think all
of this mo comes down to the first five weeks.
You know, if they're four and one, and I think
we feel pretty good because that means they took advantage
of a favor, the favorable portion of their schedule going

(01:01:45):
into the second half of the schedule, which is which
is more difficult, and hopefully at that point you're four
and one, you're starting to get some confidence, your team
is starting to gel and play well together, and that
leads you in that you know, six seven win teart
but getting higher than that, I mean you're looking at
you know that that trip to Kansas State, that trip

(01:02:06):
to Iowa State in the back end of the schedule
where much more significant improvements than anticipated would have to
be made for them to take that kind of leap
on the back half of the schedule. But the front
half it's right there for you. You know, you beat
it last year at their place and kind of controlled

(01:02:27):
that game. Now they probably won't have a tight end
playing but you get them here and look, they were
bad at Yppert Stadium, yes, like they were bad, bad
at different stadium that you need to show that something

(01:02:49):
that that you're ready to end on a Historically the
past twenty years been one of the toughest places to
play in college football. That was not the case last year.
They won the ETCS game and then that was it.
That was it, and you need to beat pit here
to build some momentum. And then you get Houston here,

(01:03:10):
you go up to Miami like there's there's just a
runway for this to start in a pretty favorable fashion.
But they have to they have to step up and
take care of it. So that's that's the path I
think is get out early and then hang on late
and try to get to a bowl game and maybe
improve it a little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:03:29):
Chad Brendel bearkat journal dot com joins us on Thursdays.
You see football a month away. Awesome stuff, man, Thank you.

Speaker 8 (01:03:35):
As always appreciate Youamo have you got one here you go.

Speaker 2 (01:03:38):
Follow Chad on Twitter at Chad Rendel Chad, I think
calling in from Neptune to talk to you. You see football,
you see in twisand in thirty one days we are
late twenty six from five ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati's esp
quickly Sports headlines are a service of Kelsey Chevrolet Home
of lifetime powertrain protection and guarantee credit approval from their
family to yours for life kelseyshev dot com. Zach Taylor

(01:04:02):
says plan is first starters to play in the preseason,
perhaps as soon as next Saturday, when the Bengals host
the Bucks. Tony Pike is down at Bengals training camp.
We'll check in with him in just a minute. FC
Cincinnati home tonight in the League's Cup against Ceteiteto kickoff
at eight o'clock. Pregame at seven thirty. Hall of Fame
game tonight on Fox Sports thirteen sixty. Bears and Texans

(01:04:24):
Reds are off Giants here tomorrow first of three. Florence
will host Lake Erie Poll question because I need to
get to the bottom of this when it comes to
run differential, the Reds and Cubs are poll questions the
service of United Heartland Insurance. Go to uchions dot com.
This week, the Reds and Cubs played three games. In

(01:04:46):
two of the games, the Reds scored more runs than
the Reds. I'm sorry, the Reds more scored. The Reds
scored more runs than the Cubs. Let's try that again,
the Reds scored more runs than the Cubs in two.

Speaker 3 (01:04:56):
Of the games.

Speaker 2 (01:04:57):
In one of the games last night, the Cubs scored
more runs. In the three games combined, both teams scored
the same number of runs, so the run differential for
the series was zero.

Speaker 3 (01:05:11):
So did anyone win the series?

Speaker 2 (01:05:14):
Because I promise you the Reds run differential for the
season is plus thirty five, which is eighth best, I'm sorry,
seventh best in the National League plus thirty five. It
was referenced by Nick Crawl the other night if the

(01:05:34):
Reds run differential is about where it is now at
the end of the season, like they may hang a
banner outside the ballpark. Hey, our twenty twenty four run
differential was plus whatever. You're gonna hear about it a lot,
so I'm gonna have to start asking questions about run differential.

(01:05:59):
And two of the games red scored more runs, but
last night the Cubs scored nine more runs, which negated
their run differential advantage. Like Nick Kraul mentioning that the
other day, it laid the groundwork. It laid right or wrong,
but it laid the groundwork. That is going to be
the talking point all injuries which, by the way, a

(01:06:25):
factor like there's no getting around it. Injuries and luck.
The record in one run games just bad run differential
just good. The injuries all winter long. The US Olympic
women's basketball team putting the finishing touches on Belgium and

(01:06:48):
their coach who looks like a substitute gym teacher. Eighty
seven to seventy four. Tony Pike from Bengals training camp.

Speaker 1 (01:06:54):
Next, Hi Alchemiko, the founder of Miko's Hot Chicken.

Speaker 11 (01:06:58):
When we started our family restaurant, we were also raising.

Speaker 3 (01:07:01):
Up that years.

Speaker 1 (01:07:02):
This is the Training Camp Report, brooke to you by
Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg of ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home
of the Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:07:12):
Major celebrities at Bengals training camp practice today, one Luke Colmes,
who was playing tomorrow and Saturday at the venue originally
known as Paul Brown Stadium. And the other our guy,
Tony Pike, who's with us now, Hi, Tony, Hi mo.

Speaker 3 (01:07:27):
How was practice today?

Speaker 2 (01:07:29):
You know?

Speaker 11 (01:07:30):
Paul Danner Junior, we were talking on the sideline and
then he actually put it on Twitter. Today felt like
the first day of what you think of for training camp.
Hot Multiple guys going off due to cramps. The unfortunate
side of training camp reared it'sugually head late in the
practice when Cam Sample went down with what looked like
a pretty serious lower body injury. They caught out the

(01:07:52):
cart immediately, so he left the field. But from an
intensity standpoint, from the heat from guys having to to
deal with cramps and little different things throughout camp, it
it felt like an actual training camp practice.

Speaker 2 (01:08:06):
All right, Well, I guess there's some good to that
minus the Cam Sample stuff. All right, did did any
anything get better as it relates to Joe Burrow's throws?

Speaker 11 (01:08:16):
I thought kill Burrow got better throughout the practice. I
do wonder how much on the secondary side of things
that they are just still figuring things out, because very
rarely you're seeing very big openings on a lot of
these throws this afternoon. Sometimes I think Charlie Jones even
slipped coming out of a break today, got back up

(01:08:37):
and was still able to make an uncontested catch. So
they have to they have to shure up things at
the corner position Cam Taylor, but still get back into
getting into the swing of things. Daxfield has not looked
sharp to this point in him trying to make the
transition to corner. And I know that's a process and
it's still early in camp, but I did think as
the day went on, Joe Burrow picked up where he

(01:08:59):
needed to for a completion standpoint and an accuracy.

Speaker 2 (01:09:02):
Marius Mims left with what I think you guys feel
like is a little bit of a cramp issue and
and maybe that's been confirmed when he left.

Speaker 3 (01:09:10):
Who stood in for him?

Speaker 11 (01:09:13):
Well, Jackson Carmen stood in for uh for a Marius
Mems and they did an actual live drill today, not
live to the point of tackling, but some studying, some intensity,
some short yarded stuff. And the first series Jackson Carmen
was in, they moved the ball and they got the
third and one, and unfortunately Jackson Carmen jumped off sides

(01:09:35):
with the false start penalty, so that moved him back.
Jackson Carmen was benched immediately after that and the practice
moved on. But there hasn't honestly been much of that mode.
There hasn't been outside of a couple today, a lot
of pre snap penalties or false starts are off side.
It's been pretty clean on that point, and I think
when you're a coaching staff. You know that comes with

(01:09:58):
I talked about it with Austin a little bit today.
The call so much is made about the culture in
the locker room. Well, when you are more lenient during
camp with off days and rest days, and we've seen
those of plenty so far for the Cincinnati Bengals, they're
coming off and off day of the day before a
lot of guys still aren't practicing. You are expected on
days like this to bring intensity and to bring an

(01:10:18):
attention to detail, and so far through camp I feel
like they.

Speaker 3 (01:10:21):
Have much more so than in previous years.

Speaker 11 (01:10:25):
Absolutely. I mean we would spend almost I felt like
every segment in previous years so well, this guy got
called for a false starter or an all sides. There
hasn't been as much of that to this point. And
today was the first day they really moved the ball
and went unscripted. But no, it is I think that
does speak a little bit to the attention to detail
that's talked about with this team.

Speaker 2 (01:10:46):
What do you make of the approach to play more
guys who matter in the preseason.

Speaker 11 (01:10:52):
I think it's a good counter to them starting so slow.
I think they're identifying that that has been a legitimate problem,
and what has been done in the past hasn't worked,
and I think this is the next step. I think
this is them trying to say, Okay, let's see if
something else can work. Obviously, in a setting like this,
you're gonna protect Joe Burrow still by play calls and

(01:11:12):
getting it out of his hands quick and things like that.
So I think it's the proper step and the next
step that this organization needs to make to try to
alleviate some of these slow starts.

Speaker 3 (01:11:22):
Did Luke colmb stay for the duration or practice?

Speaker 11 (01:11:25):
Yes, yes, a popular guy on the sidelines. A lot
of Luke Combes fans apparently within the Cincinnati Bengals, and
a lot of Bengals that weren't practicing. Maybe the point
to go see Luke Combes, Jamar Chase, Trey Hendrickson, Sam
Hubbard all spending part of the afternoon with Luke Combs today.

Speaker 3 (01:11:41):
Incredible.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
All right, well chat one more time coming up in
five forty five, Tony, thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (01:11:46):
All right, Well, Tony.

Speaker 2 (01:11:47):
Pike at Bengals training camp. He'll join us again in
just under an hour. Don't forget Tony and Austin have
since he three sixty tomorrow and since he three sixty
broadcasts from Bengals training camp now.

Speaker 3 (01:12:00):
Next week, starting on Monday, we'll.

Speaker 2 (01:12:02):
Get to your phone calls coming up back to the
top of the hour. Five one, three, seven, four nine,
fifteen thirty the Bengals preseason plan.

Speaker 3 (01:12:08):
I hate it, but I get it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:12):
I'll elaborate at five oh five on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 5 (01:12:16):
Station, Cincinnatis, ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the UC Health
Traffic Center. No matter the injury you see, health orthopedics
in sports medicine redefines recovery to get you back to
doing what you love. Called five one, three, four seven,
five eighty six nine zero. Watch out for an accident
that's blocking the two center lanes and causing some hold up.

(01:12:38):
If you need to travel southbound seventy five actor Hoppel
Street and there's a ten minute slowdown on northbound seventy
five at Mitchell Avenue. And watch out for an accident
on the right shoulder of southbound seventy five at Seventh Street.
I'm n called with traffic.

Speaker 3 (01:12:52):
This report is spun.

Speaker 1 (01:12:54):
No one covers the Bengals like ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnatis.

Speaker 2 (01:13:00):
The mikelob Ultra five o'clock Happy Hour is underway. Thanks
for our friends at michelob Ultra. And on a hot
day like today, nothing sounds better. Austin, You'll be with
me tomorrow. The michelob Ultra five o'clock Happy Hour on
Fridays actually involves michelob Ultra.

Speaker 14 (01:13:18):
Be read.

Speaker 3 (01:13:19):
Let's go, Let's go, let's go.

Speaker 2 (01:13:21):
H Tony with the latest on CAM sample coming up
at about forty minutes, which is a tough blow. It's
a tough blow for Cam. It's a tough blow for
that defensive front. We'll check in with Tony at five
forty five. Your phone calls coming up in just a second.
Zach Taylor's gonna play some guys in the preseason.

Speaker 3 (01:13:39):
That's the plan. Joe Burrows included.

Speaker 2 (01:13:42):
They're targeting the opener on Saturday or next Saturday against
the Bucks.

Speaker 3 (01:13:47):
We'll see.

Speaker 2 (01:13:48):
When Zach Taylor came to town, I implored him to
copy his former boss and never play anybody who matters
in the preseason because the games don't count and the
risk reward quottion isn't there. But when you ask someone
to take a certain approach, that comes with an assumption.

(01:14:08):
The assumption is going to be you can still do
what you need to do to accomplish your goals when
you take this approach, like, for instance, I like to
get here a few hours before the show. There are
many hosts who like to get here ten minutes before
the show. Some will get here ten hours before the show.
There's no right or wrong way of doing it, but

(01:14:30):
the idea is to put together a good show that
does good numbers, makes revenue for the radio station, that
is engaging. And so my approach is typically I like
to get here about noon. But if there were issues
with my preparation, which oftentimes there are, but if there
were big issues with my preparation or my ability to

(01:14:50):
do what I got to do to get ready to
do the show, or execute the show, or handle other
stuff I gotta do here, then someone might say, actually,
could you get here at nine or could you get
here at ten? There's no right or wrong way to
do it as long as you're getting the job done.
So my belief for the Bengals has been for years,
don't play anybody, don't play Burrow, don't play the starters.

(01:15:12):
Take the fifteen most important players and send them somewhere else,
send them, send them to dinner, send them on vacation. Uh,
send them somewhere else. But the last two years the
Bengals have gotten off to really clunky starts. Oh to
two last year? Uh did it torpedo their season?

Speaker 15 (01:15:32):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:15:33):
Joe Burrow getting hurt torpedo their season. But as the
year played out, didn't you often think? God, what if
they would have won those two games? They didn't Two
years ago. They recovered nicely from an h to two start.
They recovered nicely from a two and three start. They
also had to win their last eight games to recover

(01:15:53):
from that start win the division, and they still had
to go on the road in the playoffs twice. It
caught up to him. They overcame it, but it's still caught.

Speaker 3 (01:16:03):
Up to him. So you can't.

Speaker 2 (01:16:07):
You can't do what I want to do. What I
want to do is say no, don't. I hate it
because I hate.

Speaker 3 (01:16:12):
The idea of watching Joe Burrow.

Speaker 2 (01:16:15):
Who's got an injury history and a significant one, and
his still young career. I hate the idea of him
playing in games that don't count. I hate the idea
of him putting himself at further risk in games that
mean nothing. There's no real reward for playing well and
winning in those games.

Speaker 3 (01:16:32):
I hate it.

Speaker 2 (01:16:33):
I hate the idea of the players who matter most
playing in games that don't matter at all. But I
also understand that this team's major one of this team's
major issues for the last couple of years have been
these really poor starts, and so you you can't do both.
You can't, as I have done, say don't play anybody

(01:16:57):
and then say, as I have done, the September results
suck and it's a problem, and you got to fix it,
and then not be okay with them taking measures to
fix it. So you can tell me if you agree
or disagree at five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty.
I am on board with this. I'm not going to

(01:17:17):
enjoy it. I am not going to enjoy this process
at all. I equate it's a getting a colonoscopy. It's
a very unenjoyable process. You should get a kolonoscopy once
you reach a certain age. I'm gonna watch my daughter
drive one day, long ways away, but I am not

(01:17:39):
going to.

Speaker 3 (01:17:40):
Look forward to that.

Speaker 2 (01:17:41):
But she's gonna have to start driving at some point,
and so if Joe Burrow is on the field next
Saturday and if his higher priority teammates are on the
field with him, I'll watch that sort of through my hands.
I might not watch it at all, Like that is,
you know, anxiety stuff. But I appreciate the change of approach.

(01:18:05):
My take has been since last September that this coaching
staff and this organization and these players have to figure
out a way to strike a balance between protecting their
health as best they can, ensuring their availability, but being
able to function early in the season. It's not just

(01:18:27):
been that the Bengals have lost a lot of games
early in the season. It's been how they've played, how
unevenly they've played by the way.

Speaker 3 (01:18:36):
Yes, the NFL is giving them a break.

Speaker 2 (01:18:38):
They start them with the Patriots, who might be awful
this season. I'm not going to rest on that. I'm
not going to rest on that at all. I want
to hit the ground running against the New England Patriots.
What I want to do is I want them to
beat the Patriots so badly that Jake Browning is playing
the second half because they're resting Joe Burrow for the

(01:19:00):
Kansas City game. Like I don't want to call I
don't want to slip up.

Speaker 3 (01:19:04):
I don't, I don't.

Speaker 2 (01:19:06):
I want to start four and oh, I mean I
want to start four and oh when Baltimore comes down
October the sixth, four and oh means you got to
go to Kansas City and win. The last two seasons,
the second game of the year has been as clunky
as the first. Last year, they did not score an
offensive touchdown to the third quarter. Two years ago, remember

(01:19:28):
that game against the Bears. They were down twenty to
three before they scored a couple of garbage time touchdowns.
So I give the coaching staff a lot of credit
for going. Look, ideally we wouldn't play these guys, but
you know, what we're doing isn't working, and we can't
use September to get ramped up. We've got to and
there have been we all know, mitigating circumstances. Maybe things

(01:19:51):
are different if Joe Burrow doesn't have an appen deck
to me. In fact, I know they would be. And
maybe things are different if Joe Burrow wasn't dealing with
the caf isshue last year. Those are things kind of
beyond your control. I think anybody who has watched the
first few games of each of the last two seasons,
would arrive at the would arrive at the opinion that
they didn't look completely prepared. So if playing these guys

(01:20:14):
in games that doesn't count enhances their ability to be
prepared and play the game in a way that gives
them a better chance of winning, I don't expect them
to look like it's week eight.

Speaker 3 (01:20:26):
It can't look like it's week zero.

Speaker 2 (01:20:28):
It can't look like August in September, So go ahead
and play the guys in August. I detest it on
one level, but some things you gotta Sometimes you gotta
do things you detest. You know, sometimes you gotta eat
cook veggies. It's good for you. I think to a
degree this is good for them. And look, they're running
risk here, and we're all going to talk about the downslide,

(01:20:51):
the downside of paying of playing some of these guys
in games that don't count. If something bad happens, and
there's at least a reasonable chance that something will, which
is why again I'll be watching these games through my fingers.
But I appreciate the change and approach and the acknowledgment
what we have done the last couple of years in

(01:21:13):
the summertime has hurt us?

Speaker 3 (01:21:15):
Come fall?

Speaker 2 (01:21:17):
Uh five point three fifteen thirty is our phone number,
pat and Williamstown. Thank you for your patients. You're on
ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 15 (01:21:26):
Hey mo, thanks for taking me sure. First of all again,
Paige mar Chase, please, you know the it's a moot
point now, I understand that. But the earlier that you
pay the player, the the better value that contract is

(01:21:47):
the next year and the year after that and the
year you know onward. The Lions right now are doing
a great job of that with you know, they paid
I'm on right s Saint Brown and Nae Sewell got
his extension and and now Sewell is one of the
highest paid tackles in the league.

Speaker 8 (01:22:03):
Is worth it?

Speaker 7 (01:22:04):
I don't know.

Speaker 15 (01:22:04):
I don't watch a ton of I don't watch a
ton of liance, but they're getting those deals done so
there's no questions going into the season.

Speaker 7 (01:22:11):
When I'm a fan of.

Speaker 15 (01:22:11):
A team, I love not having questions about the team,
you know, And they paid Golf early, and Golf isn't
you know he didn't get elite money because maybe he's
not an elite quarterback, but he's definitely been a huge
part of the change in that culture.

Speaker 2 (01:22:26):
The thing about the thing about the wide receiver contracts,
though I'm not sure much is going to change dramatically
at least between now and next offseason.

Speaker 15 (01:22:36):
And maybe that's the case. But wouldn't you rather have
Jamar at you know, I think Amarra was at one twelve.
Wouldn't you prefer to have Jamar at one fifteen for
the next four rather than one seventeen over the next four?

Speaker 3 (01:22:54):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:22:54):
But I think the Bengals are willing to live with that.
I mean, I sure, yeah, would you would you rather
have that the guy for less than more?

Speaker 8 (01:23:00):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:23:00):
But is is the Is the money gonna change that dramatically?
Understanding that a monre got his money, Jefferson got his money,
there is a belief that the wide receiver market, as
as much as it has exploded, is gonna plateau at
least a little bit. I don't think it's gonna burst necessarily,
but it's gonna plateau a little bit. And so if
Jamar has the sort of season we all expect, maybe

(01:23:21):
they have to pay him a little bit more. But
I'm willing to bet that's already been accounted for.

Speaker 15 (01:23:27):
Probably, so they the the front office is certainly far
more in tune with what's gonna happen with the wide
receiver market than I am. That's just my opinion, all right,
And it's.

Speaker 2 (01:23:37):
Again, it's and again, if if they did it, if
if pat we found out today, I am certainly not
anti Paigemar Chase. If we if we saw tonight they
got it done, who among us is gonna be like, ah, man,
I was hoping this would you know, go into the
regular none of us, None of us would have an
issue with it. I do think it's fair to at
least go from a Cincinnati perspective like, is there a

(01:24:00):
major rush to do it when we've got the guy
in the contract for two years? And you know, I mean,
it doesn't mean that they're right or wrong, but I
do understand them.

Speaker 3 (01:24:09):
I do understand that perspective well certainly.

Speaker 15 (01:24:12):
And I also agreed with your point about I hope
they get the deal done tonight and then he takes
tomorrow off as well.

Speaker 3 (01:24:18):
Would be the best.

Speaker 15 (01:24:18):
Tarif he plays a snap in the preseason, it doesn't
matter to me. I just I just want to know
as a Bengals fand that he is going to be
somebody that I'm cheering for for the next you know,
four or five years, whatever the case.

Speaker 2 (01:24:31):
To Mike Brown's public statements last week make you feel any.

Speaker 15 (01:24:34):
Better, Truthfully, there isn't much that ownership can say in
any sport, not just Mike Brown, not the cassilein I
don't put a lot of stock in it.

Speaker 2 (01:24:47):
In general, I understand that, and I don't disagree. At
the same time, when Mike Brown talks as effusively as
he did about Jamar Chaks and speaks as emphatically as
he did about the deal getting done like that's that's
not insignificant. It's certainly maybe no guarantee, but that's not

(01:25:10):
I have I'm among many who have said I've I've
never heard Mike Brown talk about a contract or a
player in those specific certain terms, And so I think
to a degree that should give you some degree of
comfort that while in the short term this is a
little weird, it's ultimately going to have the outcome that

(01:25:31):
we all desire, although maybe not within the frame of
time that we would all prefer.

Speaker 15 (01:25:36):
Certainly I do see better than I hear, though, so
fair fair, you know that, that's you know fair?

Speaker 7 (01:25:45):
Can we move to the red.

Speaker 15 (01:25:46):
Of course, is it possible that they are the and
and is it possible that they are the victim of expectations?
However understandable they may be. I think they're so unwarranted,
as as someone who's worked with young people, obviously not
the caliber of of the Red roster. I'm not trying,

(01:26:09):
you know, but young people take time to you know,
find their find their their their groove. I guess you
would say, I don't. Is it possible that we got
wrapped up in well, the Bengals are successful and f
C is successful, why aren't the Reds? Is that possible?

Speaker 2 (01:26:33):
It's and and add on top of it, you know
what they did last season. It's it's not as possible,
it's it's to me, it's it's likely for for a
lot of us, I think there's I think they're a
victim of expectation. I think they're a victim of decades
of failure. I think they're I've been thinking about this
a lot too. I think to a degree, they're a
victim of I don't know that Nick krawl Is is

(01:26:58):
great at articulating situations like the deadline this year. That
doesn't mean he's a bad baseball executive. In fact, I
think he's a pretty good one. But like even and
Tony and Austin were making fun of this, and I
understand why, Like when he's asked about the player of
the Reds acquired from the Boston Red Sox, and he
doesn't have an answer, like I understand he's probably not,

(01:27:20):
you know, been perusing a lot of that dude's stuff
and a ball, but come prepared with an answer, right,
And so I have thought for a while they have
a bit of.

Speaker 3 (01:27:30):
A messaging problem.

Speaker 2 (01:27:31):
They certainly have a recent and even not so recent
history problem, and a little bit of an expectations problem,
and those things don't help. You know, if you look
at the team this year, they're on pace to win
seventy eight games. If I would have said back in February,
they're gonna win seventy eight games, might have been a
little bit underwhelmed, but I think most would have said, yeah, yeah,

(01:27:53):
that seems that seems reasonable. I think though, that when
you combine the unwillingness to do much at the deadline
last year, and when you look at how it just
it felt like they weren't that aggressive and making the
team better in the spring when you're still allowed to
make the team better. And then you add to it
some of David Bell's recent decisions which have been under

(01:28:13):
been put under a microscope, and then you add to
it the history, and you add it adds.

Speaker 3 (01:28:17):
It adds up to a general vibe that I think
you would agree is not very good.

Speaker 15 (01:28:22):
No, I certainly wouldn't. And I think they're making very
unexperienced it's inexperienced mistakes.

Speaker 7 (01:28:31):
Excuse me, but it feels.

Speaker 2 (01:28:34):
But I think it feels like it's not they're not
getting corrected like that agreed. You know, we were talking
about the base running in April. We're still talking about
it in August, you know, I mean, I think I
think that's that's part of the frustration, where you go, Okay,
you build in some of that stuff when it comes
to a young team, but over the course of a season,

(01:28:58):
you want to see that stuff get better, and it
feels like that stuff's not.

Speaker 3 (01:29:01):
Like the base running is the one that we talk
about the most.

Speaker 2 (01:29:04):
Even last night, Ellie de la Cruz trying to steal
third with two outs in the fifth inning of a
sixth run game is asinine. And we all love Elie
dela Cruz but it's like, does that get corrected, does
that get addressed? Does that get and okay in a vacuum, fine, whatever,
But it feels like there's been a lot of that,
and I think that's part of the frustration. Like you

(01:29:26):
understand with youth, there are gonna be some things you
have to put up with, but they need to get corrected.
How much of that stuff is getting corrected? And I
think for a lot of folks it feels like it's
really not.

Speaker 7 (01:29:38):
It's a broken record.

Speaker 3 (01:29:41):
Pat, I gonna run man, Thank you very much.

Speaker 7 (01:29:43):
I appreciate you.

Speaker 2 (01:29:44):
I love Ellie dela Cruz as much as anybody. I
would have taken them out of the game in the
fifth inning last night. I know that sounds old school,
eighth grade sort of stuff. I love Ellie de la Cruz.
That is a selfish move. You're trying to steal third.
What you're gonna score on any sort of hit from

(01:30:05):
second base. You're trying to steal third with two outs
and a gamer down six runs like that's not aggressive,
that's selfish. That's it's either selfishness. If he's aware of
the situation, he's selfish, and if he's unaware of the
situation that has to be fixed, and I think that's

(01:30:26):
a big thing. I know, I'm late for a break.
I think that's that's part of the frustration watching what's
happening on the field. It's like, you know, we saw
the contact play again in Tampa this week, and we
saw the base running bite him in the ass again.
I mean, it's just you see a lot of things
that feel like they have been common themes. They were
themes in March or late March and April, and their

(01:30:47):
themes as we flipped the calendar to August. And that's
that's deeply frustrating. So is the host who's seven minutes
late twenty three after five ESPN fifteen thirty twenty nine
after five Tony Pike Fangals training camp in just about
fifteen minutes.

Speaker 3 (01:31:04):
Whole question.

Speaker 2 (01:31:05):
I just I'm trying to wrap my brain around this
run differential thing, because you're gonna hear it a lot.
You've already heard it a lot. Hey, the Reds have
a good run differential.

Speaker 7 (01:31:15):
It's cool.

Speaker 2 (01:31:15):
They've lost four more times than they've won. Do you
have the Nick Krawl audio, Austin, give me some nick krawl.
Give me nick Krawl referencing run differential on Tuesday night
in his post deadline comments to reporters.

Speaker 14 (01:31:28):
Look, our goal is not to just dismantle this team.
You know we did that in twenty two when we
had to go through a full rebuild. This is about, hey,
how can we continue to push forward right now? But also,
you know, look at it from a long term outlook.
I don't I didn't want to put a bunch of
younger players on the rosters just to put younger players
on the roster. We've got a good group of veterans.
We could have traded three or four more relievers if

(01:31:49):
we really wanted to and go down that road. But look,
this team's got right now has a positive forty one
run differential. I know that we've haven't won, and we
haven't won the games we should have won. We do
have a shot. We've played well. We've got guys like
McLean coming back, Pagan coming back. We've got guys that
are going to come back, that are going to help
this team. And you know, we want to be able
to at least give this team a shot to you know,

(01:32:09):
push towards the postseason.

Speaker 3 (01:32:10):
My understanding is Austin correct me if I'm wrong.

Speaker 2 (01:32:13):
There's no Reds Fest this year because of the construction
of the Duke Energy Center. I think that's correct, all right,
so no Reds Fest. We'll do the caravan though. If
you're on one of those caravan stops and the Reds
run differential is where it is now, you're they might
put that on.

Speaker 10 (01:32:28):
A T shirt next year. I feeling Nick Kral is
not going to stop here on the caravans. You don't
think so nice. If he did, he really played the
hits there, you know, positive run differential and hurt guys
coming back.

Speaker 2 (01:32:39):
Hurt guys coming back. That's one of my favorites. Hurt
guy coming back is the best kind of trade deadline.
By the way, it's interesting, I meant I meant to
print this, and I did not remember. Last year at
the deadline, the Reds were in Chicago and they're in
first place. I hate to say they did nothing because
Sam Maul was a good pickup, but they didn't address

(01:33:02):
the biggest weakness, which was clearly the starting pitching. And
then the dispatches from Chicago. The Reds were Wrigley Field,
the dispatches from Chicago were, well, the clubhouse is actually happy.

Speaker 3 (01:33:16):
They're they're relieved no one got traded. They're they're they're
pretty they're pretty happy. This is what they wanted.

Speaker 2 (01:33:23):
And I remember like listening to this gun okay man, sure,
I'm sure they're all just elated. We're running out there,
crappy starting pitchers. This is we're gonna go get. We're
gonna go get a hunter renfro. He's gonna be our
big addition offensively. So I'm reading Gordon Wentmeyer in the
Inquirer and he wrote about the team post deadline, and

(01:33:48):
this passage stood out to me. He writes what seemed
clear he's writing about Jonathan India, who they didn't trade
but they tried.

Speaker 3 (01:33:56):
Uh is still.

Speaker 2 (01:33:57):
Happy to be here, and he's kind of emerged as
the spokesperson for the team, which is fine. So Gordon
writes about Jonathan India. What seemed clearer to him was
this was a lot better than the feeling last year
when the Reds were in first place, ten over five hundred,
overachieving and in desperate need of a starting pitcher. And

(01:34:19):
then India says, quote right, and we didn't do it.
Hang on, wait a minute. Last year I was told
how happy everybody was that they didn't add at the deadline.
Remember what, the didn't want to break up the chemistry
in the clubhouse. So which is it run differential? You're

(01:34:41):
gonna hear that a lot. They've also expressed confidence that
they can still make a run. Last night's game, they
lose by nine runs. It happens, no big deal, I guess,
except it was game one oh eight. They have fifty
four to go. They're trying to make up a lot
of ground and leapfrog a lot of teams. They're on

(01:35:04):
pace to win seventy eight games this year. We've made
the target eighty four eighty five wins. Regardless, they're gonna
have to play like six hundred ball the rest of
the way. His team's been below five hundred since late August,
or listen, late April. So in order for that to happen,
they got to be better in one run games, which

(01:35:25):
they're terrible in. You cannot continue to shrink your own
margin for error with bad base running, bad defense. Can't
have Elie Delacruz squashing rallies by trying to steal third
with two outs when his team is down by six.
You can't have the goofball third base coach waving Tyler
Stevenson over to third and getting thrown out by eighty

(01:35:46):
feet when you're down by four runs. And David Bell,
who we have credited and criticized, has to have an
amazingly good hit rate, Like when he brings Nicklodolo back
out for the sixth inning last night, that can't blow
up in his face. They also have to get Nickolodolo

(01:36:07):
fixed because, with the exception of his start last Friday
against Tampa Bay, he's stunk in July. Like, that's a
lot of stuff that has to get fixed and get
better in a short amount of time, enough for this
team to play six hundred baseball Tony Pike in ten
minutes on ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 5 (01:36:26):
Thirty Cincinnati's ESPN Men's Room.

Speaker 2 (01:36:32):
We don't have our own facilities, you know. We're in
a big building here, big consortium, and we share this
facility with a bunch of other companies, and we share
the floor that we're on with other companies, so we
have a like shared common men's and women's room. So
you often encounter people that you don't know or don't
work with, which is sort of the fun part of

(01:36:54):
working here. So I just went to the men's room,
and unlike some people that astin and often works with,
I'm washing my hands and there's a sink next to me,
and the guy says, man, it's hard to believe it's
almost August, and like I didn't have time, like I
gotta go, like I could be back on a forty five.
So I didn't have time. Hard to believe it's almost August.

(01:37:18):
Sports Headlines or a service of Kelsey Chevrolet Home of Life.
Sure you went to the men's bathroom, iking well, because
I went as well, and I didn't see you in there.

Speaker 3 (01:37:25):
We didn't have a very long time where we could overlap.
I was in there. Interesting. Yeah, you know, here's the
thing about it. Go to the one on this floor. Yeah, okay,
just right in there. Do you see the guy in
the blue polo shirt. Nope, guy in the blue polo
shirt thinks it's almost off. I started to think maybe
I didn't go to the mint wash your hands. I did.

Speaker 2 (01:37:45):
Sure, because we were at the sink. You did one
of those one of those, you did one of those things. Huh?

Speaker 3 (01:37:55):
Sinks are you know usually less full at this time?

Speaker 8 (01:37:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:37:58):
The guy was clearly on his way home.

Speaker 2 (01:38:01):
Sports andlines are a service of Kelsey Chevrolet Home of
Lifetime power Train Protection and I guarantee credit approval from
their family to yours for life kelseyshev dot Com cam
sample carted off today at Bengals practice with a lower
body injury. Will chat with Tony who was there in
just a few minutes. Zach Taylor says the plan is
for starters to play, perhaps as soon as next Saturday

(01:38:23):
in the preseason opener Bengals Bucks NFL Hall of Fame
game tonight, Bears and Texans in camp.

Speaker 10 (01:38:29):
Have you been to the Hall of Fame game. I've
not been to the Hall of Fame several times. I've
been to the Hall of Fame game. I want to
go to the Hall of Fame game. The stadium and
the way that they have redone that entire area it's
called Hall of Fame Village now is fantastic.

Speaker 3 (01:38:41):
It looks awesome.

Speaker 7 (01:38:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:38:43):
Game tonight on Fox Sports thirteen sixty FC Cincinnati in
the league's Cup competition against Creediteto come on eight o'clock.
Pregame at seven thirty on ESPN fifteen thirty. Reds are off.
They'll play the Giants tomorrow. David Bell by the way,
still sitting on thirty one ejections. I believe it is
thirty thirty thirty one set the record. All right, Well,

(01:39:06):
drama tomorrow perhaps if he can get kicked out and
the Florence Yaws take on Lake Erie tonight.

Speaker 10 (01:39:12):
Can I add more headline? Suure Mike Trout has suffered
another meniscus tear and is out for the season. Dude,
poor guy can't Well he's not a poor guy, but
can't catch a break when it comes to injuries lately.

Speaker 7 (01:39:26):
That sucks.

Speaker 8 (01:39:27):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:39:27):
Well, you know, I had a buddy of mine who
wanted to have a discussion with me about something we
had talked about on our show, and I said, you know,
you should call the show one day, and he goes, God,
I'm way too busy, And I said, we have a
guy named Mike who called us yesterday. Well, he was
getting a blood transfusion. If Mike can call while he's
getting a blood transfusion, you can call while you're in

(01:39:50):
between meetings.

Speaker 3 (01:39:51):
Hi, Mike, what an intro?

Speaker 6 (01:39:54):
Thank you?

Speaker 3 (01:39:55):
How are you feeling? How are you feeling today?

Speaker 6 (01:40:00):
It's a weird you know, I don't I feel it's
like an out of body experience. I just feel uncomfortable,
real uncomfortable. But they told me that was going to
happen and that we're diminished in a couple of days,
so it'll go away. Luckily, I'm able to sleep pretty good.
That's a blessing because normally I don't sleep that well,
So I'm happy about that.

Speaker 2 (01:40:19):
Very good. Are you in the facility you're in? Is
it long term?

Speaker 6 (01:40:25):
Yeah? Okay, hospicity in La Jolla, right on the cliff
overlooking the Pacific. So I'm blessed with being in a
nice place. Of course, it's the V eight. Didn't pay
for that. I had to pay for that out of pocket.
It's really expensive, but man, is.

Speaker 7 (01:40:41):
It worth it all?

Speaker 2 (01:40:43):
And I get I get a lot of questions about you,
so I have to ask, all right, we don't have
a ton of time.

Speaker 3 (01:40:49):
What's on your mind today?

Speaker 6 (01:40:52):
Make it well. I talked to Austin and and Tony
today about Elia who.

Speaker 3 (01:40:57):
Show who showed you like more? Ours or Austin and Tony's.

Speaker 6 (01:41:02):
Well, I have to say yours because I've been calling
it for way way longer. But they're but they're they're
they're a close second.

Speaker 8 (01:41:10):
Because I don't have to wait as long.

Speaker 6 (01:41:12):
To talk to you is. So they did me long fast.
So I'm just being honest. But you're you know, you
got your thing, they got theirs. But they're real good
to beck getting me on puish and I'm grateful that Austin,
thank you very good e.

Speaker 7 (01:41:26):
Uh if you had to.

Speaker 6 (01:41:27):
Put a significant amount of money on this, as you
always say, and you had to pick the ale and
then I'm playoffs now hit.

Speaker 2 (01:41:35):
Me the the teams to make the playoffs.

Speaker 6 (01:41:40):
Yes, and the AL and the NL.

Speaker 8 (01:41:42):
Just right now you're gut feeling.

Speaker 2 (01:41:43):
I think New York the Yankees are starting to play
much better after their Midsummer swoon.

Speaker 3 (01:41:50):
I think they're going to win the nation.

Speaker 2 (01:41:52):
The American League East Baltimore is clearly still going to
make the postseason. I think the Red Sox are interesting.
I think the Red Sox get in. Nobody is catching Cleveland.
Although the American League Central has turned into a far
better division than anybody ever would have anticipated.

Speaker 3 (01:42:10):
I'm not betting against Houston in the West.

Speaker 2 (01:42:12):
As good as Seattle has been, we took ty Franz
from them, and as much as they got better at
the deadline, I'm not betting against Houston. I think Seattle
falls apart the Rangers. All season long, it has felt
like they turned the key and the engine just doesn't go.
So I'll go Houston, Cleveland, the Yankees. Baltimore still makes it.

(01:42:36):
I think Boston finds their way in in Minnesota. Nobody's
catching Philadelphia, Atlanta's gonna be a wildcard. I still think
somebody can catch Milwaukee. I'm not prepared to tell you
that I think definitively it's Saint Louis or Pittsburgh. But
I've said it all season long, and I'm not sure

(01:42:57):
there's a manager who's done a better job in baseball
than Pat Murphy with all the injuries they've had. You know,
I hear people here talking about, well, the injuries, and
it's like, do you realize in an offseason after they
gave up Corbyn Burns, which I still don't understand, do
you know how many pitchers the Brewers have had to use.
He just traded for Frankie Montas, who stinks, and they're
still fourteen over. But at some point, I keep using

(01:43:20):
the term house of cards. It's gonna collapse. Milwaukee is
probably still a playoff team. I still think Saint Louis
can catch him. I'm not betting on them too, but
I still think Saint Louis can catch them. Dodgers just
had their first losing month in six years, Mike, How
does that make you feel.

Speaker 7 (01:43:38):
Terrible?

Speaker 6 (01:43:38):
Too many guys hurt. We don't have any pictures.

Speaker 2 (01:43:41):
Yeah, anyway, So I mean Dodgers are still gonna make
the playoffs. San Diego is gonna make the playoffs, so
we'll go. The mathematical money would be on Milwaukee to
still make it. The Dodgers, Phillies. I'll put the Braves
in the playoffs. I'll put the Padres in the playoffs.
And uh we Arizona playing well too. Now I'll put

(01:44:01):
the Diamondbacks in the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:44:02):
How's that?

Speaker 8 (01:44:04):
Okay, that's great, and I know you got to go.

Speaker 6 (01:44:06):
But today, Tony and more Tony and Austin, I'm sorry, Austin,
Sunny and Austin. We're talking about what ranking the Bengals
defense has to have to make them legit Super Bowl contender?
Could you hit us with that ranking in the end
and in the not just their division, but in the
in the league.

Speaker 2 (01:44:25):
I think if they are in the twelve to eighteen
range in the following metrics, explosive plays, yards per carry
and quarterback hurries.

Speaker 3 (01:44:36):
They will be fine.

Speaker 7 (01:44:39):
Okay, thank you, MO, appreciate it well.

Speaker 2 (01:44:41):
The afore mentioned Tony Pike joins us next from Bengals
practice on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:44:46):
Whether it's after a war, this is a training camp report.
Prop to you boy, Skylight Chilie feeling good. It's Skylight
on the ESDN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:45:00):
With us one more time at Bengals training Camp, Cincinnati,
going through a workout after yesterday's off day, A hot
human workout, unfortunately, one that came at a little bit
of a cost. What can you tell us about camp sample.

Speaker 11 (01:45:13):
To this point, it looked pretty serious from a lower
body standpoint. He pretty much was in immediate pain and
it was one of those injuries where the trainer calls
for the cart immediately. It takes some time to get
him on the cart, players are down on a knee,
and players coming up once he's back on the cart,
you know, giving him a handshaker, a high five, and

(01:45:35):
people clapping when he goes off. It's one of those
you never never want to see when it comes to
anyone on the football field.

Speaker 3 (01:45:42):
All right, that's the bad.

Speaker 2 (01:45:43):
And obviously some guys left with some hydration and humidity issues,
which I guess is to be expected.

Speaker 3 (01:45:49):
Let's talk about the offense today. What stood out well.

Speaker 11 (01:45:53):
Early on it was Joe Burrow struggling for really the
first time all of training camp. He improved as the
day went on, but Trent Norwin uncharacteristically had two or
three drops right through his hands. Jermaine Burton left practice.
I thought andre Yosibass was good and bad at times.
So there's just still, in my opinion, there's a lot
of unknown when it comes to wide receiver three, and

(01:46:16):
a lot of times if you're normally practicing and Chase
and Higgins are out there, you just say, okay, well
it's a third wide receiver that gets magnified a little
bit when Jamar Chase is in practicing. So you look
at that position as a position of need. When Men's
goes out, you think, okay, Trent Brown is not here,
and all of a sudden, Jackson Carman is your right
starting tackle. He had a false start penalty today, But

(01:46:38):
all in all, I thought the offense got better as
the practice went on and I thought the defense started
well and kind of faded as the practice went on.

Speaker 2 (01:46:46):
Yeah, and for what it's worth, no Jamar Chase yet
again today. Then on the other side of the ball,
and no Sam Hubbard, no Trey Hendrickson. So give me
one or two things that stood out on defense.

Speaker 11 (01:46:55):
I think that the overall speed of the defense is
different this year. And I think that's different because as
bon Bell and Gino Stoner at the back end this team,
in my opinion, they played slow last year, and when
you've got those guys at the back end, I think
that's so much help to the nine guys in front
and lou An Arumo having his mouthpiece on the sideline
that can be on the field. So I feel like

(01:47:17):
the defense just plays faster. Yes, technique wise, they're still
going through stuff. They still got to fill some positions,
but from a speed standpoint, you can noticeably see them
playing more confidently and not having the huge letdowns where
a wide receiver is breaking wide open down the middle
of the field like you would see at times last year.
And I think the push, I think the interior part

(01:47:39):
of the defensive line has been good to this point.
Obviously they're not getting close to the quarterback because that's
how the rules are set aside, But I do think
you're gonna shine a light now with Hendrickson and Hubbard
being out cam sample leaving practice today. We know what
defensive end means, and we know how important that is
for a defense to get pressure on a quarterback. So
I'm interested now going forward. I's cam sample is a

(01:48:03):
serious injury that's gonna take some time what they do
at that spot.

Speaker 3 (01:48:05):
All right, Tony, awesome stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:48:07):
We'll talk to you tomorrow three forty five, four forty five,
and five forty five. And of course Tony and Austin
have since E three sixty noon to three tomorrow, and
then don't forget Monday next week broadcasting since E three
to sixty from Bengals training camp. As we get said
forward next weekend, and then one more plug for the
radio station because somebody has to plug it. Bengals and

(01:48:27):
Bucks next Saturday night Live on ESPN fifteen thirty pregame.

Speaker 3 (01:48:32):
Are you doing the pregame show too, Austin?

Speaker 2 (01:48:34):
No, pregame coverage starts at what like three probably, and
then postgame coverage all the way till three o'clock in
the morning.

Speaker 3 (01:48:42):
On Sunday. All right, then I'll do extra innings on Sunday,
will you Yeah? Wow, m our guy. All right, we're done.

Speaker 2 (01:48:53):
Anything you might have missed go find on the iHeartRadio
app podcast The Service of long Next Sports Grill. It's
been the michelob Ultra five o'clock Happy Hour. We thank them.
We return tomorrow three five. Have an awesome night. Thank
you for listening. Follow on x Ad Molegar, Thanks to
Austin for producing, and have a great night. This is
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati sports station.