November 25, 2025 • 23 mins
Austin talks Bengals and more with Joe Danneman from FOX19 on ESPN 1530!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Tony Pike since he three sixty about Cincinnati
from Cincinnati, sponsored in part by Cincy Shirts.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Cincy Shirts all since E all Day.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Hi, Hello, welcome in our two of Tony Pikes since
E three sixty. Here on ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm Austin Elmore.
You might be wondering where on God's green Earth is Tony.
He's still employed. He's just a little under the weather today,
so it's just me, hopefully the big fellow back tomorrow.
But the show goes on, and every Tuesday we talk
to our guy, Joey d Joe Daniman from Fox nineteen
(00:39):
who joins us. Now, Joe, have you begun your preparations
for Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I have, and by my preparations, Austin, that means running
extra miles every single day, so I don't feel guilty
about the crime I'm going to commit on Thursday at
the Thanksgiving table ahead of the Bengals in the Raven Game.
To me, Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year.
(01:08):
I love Christmas. I love Christmas, but Thanksgiving comes with it.
What I feel are the two best gifts to men,
food and football, and they come with an overflowing amount
on Thursday. I can't wait. What a huge Thursday it
is for Cincinnati. Everybody gets to eat and then everybody
(01:30):
gets to watch Joe Burrow make his return on Thursday
night football. Happy Thanksgiving, Austin. What a night it's going
to be.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Well, Happy Thanksgiving to you, Joe, and thank you for
being here and we're thankful for your presence on this
show each and every day. Before we get to Joe Burrow,
let me ask you, how, like, how many miles a
day do you normally run? And are you the type
of person that does a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah? So I've been training for it because when I
was younger, I was a competitive runner, and I think
when you're a competitive runner, you have a hard time
taking that competition out of your soul. So even when
you're in your forties and you're out running leisurely, you're
always racing against something. I can't turn it off, so
(02:18):
I'm always racing against the clock. So this year I
decided to set a target, and I was preparing for
it and I feel great about it. And then two
nights ago I saw the forecasts for Thursday morning, and
I'm now officially spooked, and I'm on defense. I'm actually
going to do the race. You're talking temperatures in the
twenties with fifteen mile per hour winds and wind guts
(02:42):
even higher. A. That's miserable. B. I think it would
prevent me from running the time I want to run.
So I might be like Ryan Rico, a drop back
about fifteen yards a punt on Thursday morning, even though
I'm ready. Wait, but I'm sure it's going to allow
me to the forecast.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Well, I would share the same advice with you that
I share with Bengals fans who fear the return of
Joe Burrow and getting hurt again, and that is that
you cannot live a life out of fear. You only
have one life and one opportunity. Why Joe Burrow, Why now?
Why is this all happening the way it's happening.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Well, Number one, I think he's earned it, okay, and
I think it's okay for everybody in this discussion, and
that's everybody listening to this show. I'm sure has had
an opinion on Joe Burrow. Should he come back, should
he not come back? When's the right time for him
to come back. And I'm going to get a lot
(03:44):
of your listeners are a lot like me who have
changed their opinion on this and aren't really sure where
to land. And I think that's all right, because you know,
we grew up in the and the Jim Rome. Have
a take and don't suck up radio. Right, you have
to land on one side, debate it and be strong
(04:04):
in that stance. But I kind of see both sides
of this one, the pros and cons of Joe Burrow's return. Ultimately,
I'll go back to what I said at the start
of your question, which was I believe he's earned it.
When this happened, we were all thinking a mid December
or b the season is going to be so far
(04:24):
gone by then that there's no point. We'll see you
in twenty twenty six. But Joe Burrow has worked maniacally
to give himself a chance to come back and play football.
And if he's given and he has been given a
clean bill to go out and play, that he's fully
healthy one hundred percent. But I think he deserves to
play if he wants to play, and Joe wants to play,
(04:46):
and so I think now is the time and not
Sunday against the Patriots, just because of the short turnaround
from Sunday to Thursday, and the Bengals don't know how
the toe is going to react when you get it
out there, because look, you can do about eighty percent
of everything a quarterback has to do to get ready
to play in a game, but that last twenty percent
(05:07):
you can't simulate in practice. You can't simulate with anything.
That's when he's in the game. The pockets, money bodies
are near him, on the ground, near his arm, how
does he escape, does he take sacks? And he tried
to make plays that kind of instinct. You can't simulate
that until you get into a game. And I'm not
sure they knew how he was going to react from
(05:30):
Sunday to Thursday playing a game. So that's why I
think Thursday night to night and not Sunday against the Patriots.
We all understand the Bengals playoff chances, but I think
most importantly Joe has earned this, and I think his
presence matters. And I think and we can debate this too.
Certainly a coaching staff that needs to be evaluated when
(05:50):
they have their quarterback on the field.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yeah, I agree with that. Now there's been a lot
made of the Flacco offense compared to the Borough offense. Well,
Flacco can't move. The Bengals probably want to protect Burrow
a little bit, not only from defenders, but from himself.
Do you think there's going to be that big of
a difference in the actual structure of the offense from
(06:13):
Joe Flacco to Joe Burrow.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I think there will be changes. I think if you
go back and listen to what Zach Taylor said on
Monday when he was asked about that directly. He didn't
come out fully and say yes, but he didn't come
out fully and say no. So I think there are
going to be some slight variations to what Joe Burrow
does on Thursday night. For me, I go back to
(06:38):
think about Peyton Manning and near the end of his career,
and it was something we probably all laughed at, but
when there was any pressure near Peyton Manning at the
end of his career, he would just fall to the ground. Yeah,
like a folded launch carriage to take a stack. And
that's not in Joe Burrow's DNA. I get that. That's
(06:58):
not who he is. That's not how he plays the game.
So for me to sit here and talk about it
might be a waste of time, But I think there's
probably a happy medium where you don't just play dead
in the backfield like Peyton Manning did, but you also
don't try to be who Deany like Joe Burrow has
been for so many years now. I know it's hard
to tell the guy to play the game differently, but
(07:20):
maybe you do have to tell the guy to play
the game just a little bit differently to start to
see what it looks like, until he feels one hundred
percent comfortable that the toe is okay, the mechanism he's
wearing an his shoe is functional, and that he can
go out there and forget about it and start playing
football like we've seen him play. That's a hard thing.
(07:40):
How it looks different. Will it look different? We won't
know until Thursday night, but I do think reading between
the lines a little bit of hearing Zach Taylor talk,
they're aware of that, and I think you might see
some changes, maybe at least in theory, on Thursday night,
before the Live Bullets starts flying and Joe Burrow starts playing.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
The Bengals, Deep has a long way to go, but
they are at least showing signs of improvement, a little
bit of progress over the last couple of weeks. What
stands out to you about the defense and how they've
gotten better against Pittsburgh and New England.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yeah, to me, it's about evaluation now of individual players
and seeing which one of those players you can count
on in twenty twenty six. You know, if you start
just in the defensive backfield, I think you can count
on Certainly, DJ Turners had a great year. I know
Dak still got picked on a little bit Sunday, but
I think he's a guy you can count on as
(08:35):
a future player for this team. We'll see what happens
with this contract going forward, but certainly he's played his
way into a guy that I believe the Bengals believe in.
And certainly with Cam Taylor, BRIT's future and how very
much up in the air, I think you like those
two guys at least going forward. But looking in the
front seven, right, you're looking defensive line, you're looking linebackers.
(08:55):
We've talked so much about the linebackers and what they're
trying to do with Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter Baron
Carter had a good game on Sunday. Yet if you
go look back and look at the statue, see he
had sixteen tackles. I don't know what the mistackle number was,
but it was very small as none zero zero zero.
(09:16):
There you go. So that's the number. So he played
a better game. And the other guy that I think
has started to flash a little bit and it took
a long time, is Miles Murphy. And here's Miles Murphy.
He's had a couple of nice games back to back.
And what you're looking for from Miles Murphy is and
I go back to this, and the guy that comes
to mind with me is is a guy like Peter Warick.
(09:38):
Peter Warck was a good Cincinnati Bengal but was often
in the crosshairs of criticism because of where he was drafted.
You know, if Miles Murphy was a fifth or sixth
round pick, we would see a guy right now and say, Okay,
there's a guy who now has a runway of the
next six weeks to prove he can be a guy
who can produce and be a contributor on this team
and maybe even earn the finals. Six weeks a spot
(10:01):
is a starter next year. But the fact that he
was a first rounder and the fact that first rounders
come with higher expectations. He's played well under expectation his
entire career here in Cincinnati. But you've seen the last
couple of weeks and flashes, and I think that's what
you want to see individually from the defense overall. Now
I know as a whole, the run defense has been better.
(10:23):
We saw them show some guts, show some fight at
the goal line several plays against the New England Patriots.
Now are the New England Patriots just a good fit
for the Bengals defense to look better because they aren't
just an explosive offense. Perhaps, And I think maybe you
get a better test of that the next three weeks
with the Ravens twice in the Bills. But I think
you are seeing signs of individual players showing small bits
(10:47):
of growth, and I think that's what's important in the
second half of the season. Here the final six weeks,
the guys like Miles Murphy, Demetrius Knight, Barrett Carter showing
signs that they can be contributors and counted on. In
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Who plays another snap for the Bengals first, Jermaine Burton
or Trey Henderson.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Well, boy, that's such a great question. Often I'll go
Trey Hendrickson, even though I'm not sure he's going to
play another snap, because I think the Jermaine Burton story
is just kind of sailed at this point. He can't
be counted on, and the Bengals have made it very
clear what they think of him and his status with
(11:29):
the Bengals going forward. Even when he was asked a
question about him on Monday, Zach Taylor took the question
and basically drove it to a different path of talking
about a completely different player when asked about Jermaine Burton,
the Trey Hendrickson thing is going to be so fascinating
because you know who's winning the Trey Hendrickson air down here, right,
(11:51):
Because I don't want to bury the guy. Because while
there hasn't been a ton of information about his injury
and we haven't seen a lot of them inside the
locker room and around the facility, we are led to
believe the guy is actually injured and can't play. Now
the question is okay if he is that injured, and
(12:12):
that comes out every week at the start of the
week and says he's dealt for or out. Why is
he not on IR And that's a great question for
people to ask, and we don't have a great answer
because it hasn't been given to us. But as this
starts to lead into twenty twenty six and this upcoming offseason,
which is going to be so important on so many
different levels, but most importantly, it's finding personnel on defense
(12:35):
for this defense to take a step in twenty twenty sticks.
You think back to last year in the comments Mike
Brown made about negotiating with Trey Henderson and how difficult
that is. I just am so fascinated what it's going
to look like this coming off season with the option
to tag him, and it would almost feel like a
tag out of spite for Trey Henderson. So this could
(12:59):
get MESSI again in the offseason with Trey Hendrickson. But
certainly the lesser of the two that have a chance
to play, I would think would be Jermaine Burton. I
just don't see a pack for him being active the
rest of the season, and at least there is a
glimmer that Trey Hendrickson might want to get out there
against some bad teams. In the final couple of weeks
(13:20):
and pat his stats a little bit and look good
in the offseason.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Last Bengals question for you, how do they beat Baltimore
Thanksgiving Night?
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Well, Baltimore just hasn't looked great. And so I go
back to what I said last week against New England,
and I didn't think New England was built to blow
the Bengals out, so I thought they would have a
chance in the fourth quarter, and there they were without
Literally there are four best players, Joe Burrow, jamar j A.
T Higgins, Trey Hendrickson in the final couple of minutes
(13:50):
and they had the ball near the scoring zone to
go ahead and beat the team tied to the best
record in football. Now that's New England, right. I think
we all are smart enough to say, Okay, New England,
great story, great record, certainly deserving of being a playoff team.
I'm not sure we go as far as saying they're
an elite team or a super Bowl team. Baltimore has
(14:11):
that capability, and Baltimore has started to figure it out
with some scheme change defensively since since the middle weeks
of the season, and they've taken off on that side
of the ball. The question is where's the explosion on offense?
Why hasn't Lamar Jackson accounted for a touchdown in two
weeks against the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets.
(14:33):
You know, teams go through stretches like this and oftentimes
it's predicated on their quarterback and his health. Something's off
with Lamar. What it is, I don't know. I know
he was coming back from the hamstring. Now he's got
a tow problem. He's not playing at Lamar Jackson level.
So you know, the offensive fireworks were used to sing
(14:54):
with Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson on Thursday nights, and
going back to last year, I would I would point
people to go look at that box score and look
what those quarterbacks did last year on Thursday Night did.
Was awesome football to watch, but too just elite quarterbacks.
I'm not sure we're gonna get that because we know Joe. Look,
the Bengals have won seven consecutive games with Joe when
(15:17):
he starts a game. But we know when Joe starts
seasons or comes back from injuries, he often starts slow.
So I don't know what to expect from Burrow on
Thursday night and certainly don't know what to expect from
the Ravens offense. So I think the pass for the
Bengals to win this game is that the Ravens continue
to scuffle and get in their own way on offense
(15:37):
and Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase can find that magic
they've often had against the Baltimore Ravens. And I think
that's that's a plausible thing, that that's not a far
fetched thing to sit here and think that the Bengals
can go challenge the Ravens at offense that just hasn't
looked good for a couple of weeks and try to
get a win on Thanksgiving Night.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Talking to Joe Danaman Fox nineteen, I know this is
kind of old news now, but I want to ask
you about it. The Saint ex Elder game at pay
Court Stadium. What was that environment?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Like?
Speaker 3 (16:08):
How much fun was that for you as someone who
you know isn't taking a side, but just kind of
got to soak it all in and cover that event.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, as someone who's from here and understands what it
means the high school football that is in the Tri
State area, you know, it's funny because I talk often
you know, to high school kids and college kids about
my job, and and a lot of times kids will
ask me if you ever thought about going to a
different city, And the hardest thing for me to leave
would be the high school football and high school sports
(16:39):
scene in Cincinnati. It means so much to people. The
community is so strong in that in our area. It's
it's a bit unique to our city, to our region,
to our state. So so that that's the one thing
that that I love about Cincinnati and to see it
on display, listen, if you're going to make the commitment
(17:01):
to move a game that felt that big. Look the
two big brands right a Saint Axe and Elder and
the biggest football stadium. It's a great headline. But then
the game has to deliver. And the game delivered, and
the crowd delivered, and the atmosphere delivered. Like I want
you to picture in your mind. It rained all the
way up to kickoff, and it then was misty during
(17:24):
the game and there was a fog in the air.
The lower bowl was almost completely full. And a lot
of times when you put these teams in these huge stadiums,
like when Ohio Stadium was hosting the State championship games.
It felt empty, It felt cavernous, like you would take
shots of these teams playing and you would see nothing
but empty seats. But if you go back and you
(17:45):
look at the highlights of that game, all the seats
behind the players were full, and it just added an
aura to what was a great game. And then the
two teams combined for seventy six points. There are a
listers on the sideline. Know, I got to talk trash
a little bit to Dave Portnoy. That was funny, funny
story if you want to hear it.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
Yeah, that was my next question.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Portnoy walked in and I had been tipped off that Portnoy,
Brady Quinn, Matt Linert, and urban Meyer were all showing up,
and I said, listen, I mean, what an amazing open
shot to the highlights it would be to see that
quartet walking down the tunnel towards the field. And so
by the time I get there, I'm told, Okay, Portnoy's
(18:28):
showing up early because he's shooting a bit for Big
Noon on Fox, and then the other guys are going
to show up later, and Urban actually never did show up,
But so I get the shot at Portnoy walking in
and then he goes and does his bit, and then
I'm told that Brady Quinn are coming, So I go
back into the hallway and Portnoy's down there was I
guess what was his social media team, and the guy
(18:50):
was showing him the clip that I put on Twitter,
and he had no idea that I was the guy
who shot it and was standing two feet from it,
and he's looking at his phone and he says, gosh,
they made me look like Joe Burrow walking into this place.
And I said, hey, that was a great shot. What
He's like, yeah, it's a great shot. I'm like, well,
it came from this camera right here. And he got
a kick out of that. So we had a good
(19:10):
time with it. And you know, he was talking, you know,
about Michigan and about Ohio state, that kind of thing,
and some guy yelled to him, oh, and he looked
at me. He said, are those the only letters that
people in this state know? And I have the biggest
stick out of that. So he was a good sport
with a lot of fun with it. And to have
(19:31):
those guys on the sideline and be part of it,
I think added to the moment and certainly to the experience.
You think about the high school student sections. All those
kids wanted pictures, wanted a moment with portnoys. So it
was a cool thing.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Well, before I let you go, you mentioned it Ohio
State Michigan coming up this weekend on Fox Who You Got?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
So I was having some fun yesterday inside the Bengals
locker room, and I'll tell you that you know it's
going to be the eye roll again, but there's a
different energy about the room. When Joe gets back, he
has a presence. Listen, man, that that presence is real.
Like those young players that they see him walk in
that room and they see him back, and guys raise
(20:17):
their game. They understand the standard of Joe Burrow being around.
So there's a different energy, a different vibe in the room.
And I was curious to talk to Chris Jenkins and
DJ Turner about whatever the special secret sauce that Michigan
has had the last four years against Ohio State, because
as I told Chris, and you know, he nodded along
(20:39):
with me, it feels like every time Ohio State plays
this game, they're they're ranked higher, they're they're favored to win,
and then they kind of get on the field with
Michigan and it starts to turn on them, and you
wonder if it's an oh no, here it comes again
kind of feeling. And Chris made a good point, Chris
me and Chris Jenkins. He said, I feel like when
(21:01):
we get on and we, being Michigan, get on the
field with Ohio State, we're the team that isn't afraid
of them, and they sense that that when Ohio State
walks out there and they throw their jersey and their
helmet on the field, teams are afraid. They're they're going
to get run out of the building. And with the
physicality and the confidence that Michigan brings to the game,
(21:23):
he feels like that affects Ohio State, their players, and
their coaches. Has Ryan Day figured it out that that's
the question? Right? Has Ryan Day figured out how to
coach this game? And are his two star wide receivers
at or near one hundred percent or good enough to
be difference makers in this game? Are the two biggest keys.
(21:45):
If those things are figured out, Ohio State wins. If
not Michigan with Jordan Marshall, the pride of moll Or
High School are going to do what they do, and
that's choke Ohio State out with physicality, run game, and
confidence and beat them again at Michigan. So I'm fascinated
to see if Ryan Day has got it figured out.
I'm fascinated to see if Carnel Tate and Jeremiah Smith
(22:06):
and themselves on Saturday in the Big House.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
So you're just not going to make a pick.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
You're gonna set the fence on this one, Okay, If
you want me to make a pick, I'll pick Michigan
until until Ryan Day proves damn it he's got it
figured out and can beat Michigan. He's only one in
four against them, And you know, Michigan, it feels like
to me is built to beat Ohio State the way
they're built offensively, defensively, and the way their coaches coach.
(22:33):
My pick is Michigan to win on Saturday, because until
Ryan Day proves it, I'm gonna stick with Michigan.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Yeah, I mean, it's it's fair. I regret asking you
the question because sometimes the truth hurts, but it's it's
the truth. Uh, Joe, You've been generous with your time,
really appreciated. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving. We appreciate you,
and we'll talk to you again next week.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Thanks, ma'am. Austin happiest of Thanksgivings, Like a champion on Thursday.
Get it done, yeat, yeat.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Indeed that is Joe Danim and he's the best. We
are way late talkbacks for next ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Thanksgiving Day is about family, food, and most importantly football.
Armyloves Bengals look to roast the rival Ryvens in an
AFC North Turkey tussle that reminds me I thought you
should know. I really enjoy a delicious slice of punkin
pie with whipped cream. It's Cincinnati versus Baltimore. Coverage begins
(23:34):
at four pm Thursday. Stream for free on the new
and improved iHeartRadio app or ESPN fifteen thirty, the official
home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
People are buzzing
This is Tony Pike since he three sixty about Cincinnati
from Cincinnati, sponsored in part by Cincy Shirts.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Cincy Shirts all since E all Day.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Hi, Hello, welcome in our two of Tony Pikes since
E three sixty. Here on ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm Austin Elmore.
You might be wondering where on God's green Earth is Tony.
He's still employed. He's just a little under the weather today,
so it's just me, hopefully the big fellow back tomorrow.
But the show goes on, and every Tuesday we talk
to our guy, Joey d Joe Daniman from Fox nineteen
(00:39):
who joins us. Now, Joe, have you begun your preparations
for Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I have, and by my preparations, Austin, that means running
extra miles every single day, so I don't feel guilty
about the crime I'm going to commit on Thursday at
the Thanksgiving table ahead of the Bengals in the Raven Game.
To me, Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year.
(01:08):
I love Christmas. I love Christmas, but Thanksgiving comes with it.
What I feel are the two best gifts to men,
food and football, and they come with an overflowing amount
on Thursday. I can't wait. What a huge Thursday it
is for Cincinnati. Everybody gets to eat and then everybody
(01:30):
gets to watch Joe Burrow make his return on Thursday
night football. Happy Thanksgiving, Austin. What a night it's going
to be.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Well, Happy Thanksgiving to you, Joe, and thank you for
being here and we're thankful for your presence on this
show each and every day. Before we get to Joe Burrow,
let me ask you, how, like, how many miles a
day do you normally run? And are you the type
of person that does a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah? So I've been training for it because when I
was younger, I was a competitive runner, and I think
when you're a competitive runner, you have a hard time
taking that competition out of your soul. So even when
you're in your forties and you're out running leisurely, you're
always racing against something. I can't turn it off, so
(02:18):
I'm always racing against the clock. So this year I
decided to set a target, and I was preparing for
it and I feel great about it. And then two
nights ago I saw the forecasts for Thursday morning, and
I'm now officially spooked, and I'm on defense. I'm actually
going to do the race. You're talking temperatures in the
twenties with fifteen mile per hour winds and wind guts
(02:42):
even higher. A. That's miserable. B. I think it would
prevent me from running the time I want to run.
So I might be like Ryan Rico, a drop back
about fifteen yards a punt on Thursday morning, even though
I'm ready. Wait, but I'm sure it's going to allow
me to the forecast.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Well, I would share the same advice with you that
I share with Bengals fans who fear the return of
Joe Burrow and getting hurt again, and that is that
you cannot live a life out of fear. You only
have one life and one opportunity. Why Joe Burrow, Why now?
Why is this all happening the way it's happening.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Well, Number one, I think he's earned it, okay, and
I think it's okay for everybody in this discussion, and
that's everybody listening to this show. I'm sure has had
an opinion on Joe Burrow. Should he come back, should
he not come back? When's the right time for him
to come back. And I'm going to get a lot
(03:44):
of your listeners are a lot like me who have
changed their opinion on this and aren't really sure where
to land. And I think that's all right, because you know,
we grew up in the and the Jim Rome. Have
a take and don't suck up radio. Right, you have
to land on one side, debate it and be strong
(04:04):
in that stance. But I kind of see both sides
of this one, the pros and cons of Joe Burrow's return. Ultimately,
I'll go back to what I said at the start
of your question, which was I believe he's earned it.
When this happened, we were all thinking a mid December
or b the season is going to be so far
(04:24):
gone by then that there's no point. We'll see you
in twenty twenty six. But Joe Burrow has worked maniacally
to give himself a chance to come back and play football.
And if he's given and he has been given a
clean bill to go out and play, that he's fully
healthy one hundred percent. But I think he deserves to
play if he wants to play, and Joe wants to play,
(04:46):
and so I think now is the time and not
Sunday against the Patriots, just because of the short turnaround
from Sunday to Thursday, and the Bengals don't know how
the toe is going to react when you get it
out there, because look, you can do about eighty percent
of everything a quarterback has to do to get ready
to play in a game, but that last twenty percent
(05:07):
you can't simulate in practice. You can't simulate with anything.
That's when he's in the game. The pockets, money bodies
are near him, on the ground, near his arm, how
does he escape, does he take sacks? And he tried
to make plays that kind of instinct. You can't simulate
that until you get into a game. And I'm not
sure they knew how he was going to react from
(05:30):
Sunday to Thursday playing a game. So that's why I
think Thursday night to night and not Sunday against the Patriots.
We all understand the Bengals playoff chances, but I think
most importantly Joe has earned this, and I think his
presence matters. And I think and we can debate this too.
Certainly a coaching staff that needs to be evaluated when
(05:50):
they have their quarterback on the field.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yeah, I agree with that. Now there's been a lot
made of the Flacco offense compared to the Borough offense. Well,
Flacco can't move. The Bengals probably want to protect Burrow
a little bit, not only from defenders, but from himself.
Do you think there's going to be that big of
a difference in the actual structure of the offense from
(06:13):
Joe Flacco to Joe Burrow.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I think there will be changes. I think if you
go back and listen to what Zach Taylor said on
Monday when he was asked about that directly. He didn't
come out fully and say yes, but he didn't come
out fully and say no. So I think there are
going to be some slight variations to what Joe Burrow
does on Thursday night. For me, I go back to
(06:38):
think about Peyton Manning and near the end of his career,
and it was something we probably all laughed at, but
when there was any pressure near Peyton Manning at the
end of his career, he would just fall to the ground. Yeah,
like a folded launch carriage to take a stack. And
that's not in Joe Burrow's DNA. I get that. That's
(06:58):
not who he is. That's not how he plays the game.
So for me to sit here and talk about it
might be a waste of time, But I think there's
probably a happy medium where you don't just play dead
in the backfield like Peyton Manning did, but you also
don't try to be who Deany like Joe Burrow has
been for so many years now. I know it's hard
to tell the guy to play the game differently, but
(07:20):
maybe you do have to tell the guy to play
the game just a little bit differently to start to
see what it looks like, until he feels one hundred
percent comfortable that the toe is okay, the mechanism he's
wearing an his shoe is functional, and that he can
go out there and forget about it and start playing
football like we've seen him play. That's a hard thing.
(07:40):
How it looks different. Will it look different? We won't
know until Thursday night, but I do think reading between
the lines a little bit of hearing Zach Taylor talk,
they're aware of that, and I think you might see
some changes, maybe at least in theory, on Thursday night,
before the Live Bullets starts flying and Joe Burrow starts playing.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
The Bengals, Deep has a long way to go, but
they are at least showing signs of improvement, a little
bit of progress over the last couple of weeks. What
stands out to you about the defense and how they've
gotten better against Pittsburgh and New England.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yeah, to me, it's about evaluation now of individual players
and seeing which one of those players you can count
on in twenty twenty six. You know, if you start
just in the defensive backfield, I think you can count
on Certainly, DJ Turners had a great year. I know
Dak still got picked on a little bit Sunday, but
I think he's a guy you can count on as
(08:35):
a future player for this team. We'll see what happens
with this contract going forward, but certainly he's played his
way into a guy that I believe the Bengals believe in.
And certainly with Cam Taylor, BRIT's future and how very
much up in the air, I think you like those
two guys at least going forward. But looking in the
front seven, right, you're looking defensive line, you're looking linebackers.
(08:55):
We've talked so much about the linebackers and what they're
trying to do with Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter Baron
Carter had a good game on Sunday. Yet if you
go look back and look at the statue, see he
had sixteen tackles. I don't know what the mistackle number was,
but it was very small as none zero zero zero.
(09:16):
There you go. So that's the number. So he played
a better game. And the other guy that I think
has started to flash a little bit and it took
a long time, is Miles Murphy. And here's Miles Murphy.
He's had a couple of nice games back to back.
And what you're looking for from Miles Murphy is and
I go back to this, and the guy that comes
to mind with me is is a guy like Peter Warick.
(09:38):
Peter Warck was a good Cincinnati Bengal but was often
in the crosshairs of criticism because of where he was drafted.
You know, if Miles Murphy was a fifth or sixth
round pick, we would see a guy right now and say, Okay,
there's a guy who now has a runway of the
next six weeks to prove he can be a guy
who can produce and be a contributor on this team
and maybe even earn the finals. Six weeks a spot
(10:01):
is a starter next year. But the fact that he
was a first rounder and the fact that first rounders
come with higher expectations. He's played well under expectation his
entire career here in Cincinnati. But you've seen the last
couple of weeks and flashes, and I think that's what
you want to see individually from the defense overall. Now
I know as a whole, the run defense has been better.
(10:23):
We saw them show some guts, show some fight at
the goal line several plays against the New England Patriots.
Now are the New England Patriots just a good fit
for the Bengals defense to look better because they aren't
just an explosive offense. Perhaps, And I think maybe you
get a better test of that the next three weeks
with the Ravens twice in the Bills. But I think
you are seeing signs of individual players showing small bits
(10:47):
of growth, and I think that's what's important in the
second half of the season. Here the final six weeks,
the guys like Miles Murphy, Demetrius Knight, Barrett Carter showing
signs that they can be contributors and counted on. In
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Who plays another snap for the Bengals first, Jermaine Burton
or Trey Henderson.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Well, boy, that's such a great question. Often I'll go
Trey Hendrickson, even though I'm not sure he's going to
play another snap, because I think the Jermaine Burton story
is just kind of sailed at this point. He can't
be counted on, and the Bengals have made it very
clear what they think of him and his status with
(11:29):
the Bengals going forward. Even when he was asked a
question about him on Monday, Zach Taylor took the question
and basically drove it to a different path of talking
about a completely different player when asked about Jermaine Burton,
the Trey Hendrickson thing is going to be so fascinating
because you know who's winning the Trey Hendrickson air down here, right,
(11:51):
Because I don't want to bury the guy. Because while
there hasn't been a ton of information about his injury
and we haven't seen a lot of them inside the
locker room and around the facility, we are led to
believe the guy is actually injured and can't play. Now
the question is okay if he is that injured, and
(12:12):
that comes out every week at the start of the
week and says he's dealt for or out. Why is
he not on IR And that's a great question for
people to ask, and we don't have a great answer
because it hasn't been given to us. But as this
starts to lead into twenty twenty six and this upcoming offseason,
which is going to be so important on so many
different levels, but most importantly, it's finding personnel on defense
(12:35):
for this defense to take a step in twenty twenty sticks.
You think back to last year in the comments Mike
Brown made about negotiating with Trey Henderson and how difficult
that is. I just am so fascinated what it's going
to look like this coming off season with the option
to tag him, and it would almost feel like a
tag out of spite for Trey Henderson. So this could
(12:59):
get MESSI again in the offseason with Trey Hendrickson. But
certainly the lesser of the two that have a chance
to play, I would think would be Jermaine Burton. I
just don't see a pack for him being active the
rest of the season, and at least there is a
glimmer that Trey Hendrickson might want to get out there
against some bad teams. In the final couple of weeks
(13:20):
and pat his stats a little bit and look good
in the offseason.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Last Bengals question for you, how do they beat Baltimore
Thanksgiving Night?
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Well, Baltimore just hasn't looked great. And so I go
back to what I said last week against New England,
and I didn't think New England was built to blow
the Bengals out, so I thought they would have a
chance in the fourth quarter, and there they were without
Literally there are four best players, Joe Burrow, jamar j A.
T Higgins, Trey Hendrickson in the final couple of minutes
(13:50):
and they had the ball near the scoring zone to
go ahead and beat the team tied to the best
record in football. Now that's New England, right. I think
we all are smart enough to say, Okay, New England,
great story, great record, certainly deserving of being a playoff team.
I'm not sure we go as far as saying they're
an elite team or a super Bowl team. Baltimore has
(14:11):
that capability, and Baltimore has started to figure it out
with some scheme change defensively since since the middle weeks
of the season, and they've taken off on that side
of the ball. The question is where's the explosion on offense?
Why hasn't Lamar Jackson accounted for a touchdown in two
weeks against the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets.
(14:33):
You know, teams go through stretches like this and oftentimes
it's predicated on their quarterback and his health. Something's off
with Lamar. What it is, I don't know. I know
he was coming back from the hamstring. Now he's got
a tow problem. He's not playing at Lamar Jackson level.
So you know, the offensive fireworks were used to sing
(14:54):
with Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson on Thursday nights, and
going back to last year, I would I would point
people to go look at that box score and look
what those quarterbacks did last year on Thursday Night did.
Was awesome football to watch, but too just elite quarterbacks.
I'm not sure we're gonna get that because we know Joe. Look,
the Bengals have won seven consecutive games with Joe when
(15:17):
he starts a game. But we know when Joe starts
seasons or comes back from injuries, he often starts slow.
So I don't know what to expect from Burrow on
Thursday night and certainly don't know what to expect from
the Ravens offense. So I think the pass for the
Bengals to win this game is that the Ravens continue
to scuffle and get in their own way on offense
(15:37):
and Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase can find that magic
they've often had against the Baltimore Ravens. And I think
that's that's a plausible thing, that that's not a far
fetched thing to sit here and think that the Bengals
can go challenge the Ravens at offense that just hasn't
looked good for a couple of weeks and try to
get a win on Thanksgiving Night.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Talking to Joe Danaman Fox nineteen, I know this is
kind of old news now, but I want to ask
you about it. The Saint ex Elder game at pay
Court Stadium. What was that environment?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Like?
Speaker 3 (16:08):
How much fun was that for you as someone who
you know isn't taking a side, but just kind of
got to soak it all in and cover that event.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, as someone who's from here and understands what it
means the high school football that is in the Tri
State area, you know, it's funny because I talk often
you know, to high school kids and college kids about
my job, and and a lot of times kids will
ask me if you ever thought about going to a
different city, And the hardest thing for me to leave
would be the high school football and high school sports
(16:39):
scene in Cincinnati. It means so much to people. The
community is so strong in that in our area. It's
it's a bit unique to our city, to our region,
to our state. So so that that's the one thing
that that I love about Cincinnati and to see it
on display, listen, if you're going to make the commitment
(17:01):
to move a game that felt that big. Look the
two big brands right a Saint Axe and Elder and
the biggest football stadium. It's a great headline. But then
the game has to deliver. And the game delivered, and
the crowd delivered, and the atmosphere delivered. Like I want
you to picture in your mind. It rained all the
way up to kickoff, and it then was misty during
(17:24):
the game and there was a fog in the air.
The lower bowl was almost completely full. And a lot
of times when you put these teams in these huge stadiums,
like when Ohio Stadium was hosting the State championship games.
It felt empty, It felt cavernous, like you would take
shots of these teams playing and you would see nothing
but empty seats. But if you go back and you
(17:45):
look at the highlights of that game, all the seats
behind the players were full, and it just added an
aura to what was a great game. And then the
two teams combined for seventy six points. There are a
listers on the sideline. Know, I got to talk trash
a little bit to Dave Portnoy. That was funny, funny
story if you want to hear it.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
Yeah, that was my next question.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Portnoy walked in and I had been tipped off that Portnoy,
Brady Quinn, Matt Linert, and urban Meyer were all showing up,
and I said, listen, I mean, what an amazing open
shot to the highlights it would be to see that
quartet walking down the tunnel towards the field. And so
by the time I get there, I'm told, Okay, Portnoy's
(18:28):
showing up early because he's shooting a bit for Big
Noon on Fox, and then the other guys are going
to show up later, and Urban actually never did show up,
But so I get the shot at Portnoy walking in
and then he goes and does his bit, and then
I'm told that Brady Quinn are coming, So I go
back into the hallway and Portnoy's down there was I
guess what was his social media team, and the guy
(18:50):
was showing him the clip that I put on Twitter,
and he had no idea that I was the guy
who shot it and was standing two feet from it,
and he's looking at his phone and he says, gosh,
they made me look like Joe Burrow walking into this place.
And I said, hey, that was a great shot. What
He's like, yeah, it's a great shot. I'm like, well,
it came from this camera right here. And he got
a kick out of that. So we had a good
(19:10):
time with it. And you know, he was talking, you know,
about Michigan and about Ohio state, that kind of thing,
and some guy yelled to him, oh, and he looked
at me. He said, are those the only letters that
people in this state know? And I have the biggest
stick out of that. So he was a good sport
with a lot of fun with it. And to have
(19:31):
those guys on the sideline and be part of it,
I think added to the moment and certainly to the experience.
You think about the high school student sections. All those
kids wanted pictures, wanted a moment with portnoys. So it
was a cool thing.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Well, before I let you go, you mentioned it Ohio
State Michigan coming up this weekend on Fox Who You Got?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
So I was having some fun yesterday inside the Bengals
locker room, and I'll tell you that you know it's
going to be the eye roll again, but there's a
different energy about the room. When Joe gets back, he
has a presence. Listen, man, that that presence is real.
Like those young players that they see him walk in
that room and they see him back, and guys raise
(20:17):
their game. They understand the standard of Joe Burrow being around.
So there's a different energy, a different vibe in the room.
And I was curious to talk to Chris Jenkins and
DJ Turner about whatever the special secret sauce that Michigan
has had the last four years against Ohio State, because
as I told Chris, and you know, he nodded along
(20:39):
with me, it feels like every time Ohio State plays
this game, they're they're ranked higher, they're they're favored to win,
and then they kind of get on the field with
Michigan and it starts to turn on them, and you
wonder if it's an oh no, here it comes again
kind of feeling. And Chris made a good point, Chris
me and Chris Jenkins. He said, I feel like when
(21:01):
we get on and we, being Michigan, get on the
field with Ohio State, we're the team that isn't afraid
of them, and they sense that that when Ohio State
walks out there and they throw their jersey and their
helmet on the field, teams are afraid. They're they're going
to get run out of the building. And with the
physicality and the confidence that Michigan brings to the game,
(21:23):
he feels like that affects Ohio State, their players, and
their coaches. Has Ryan Day figured it out that that's
the question? Right? Has Ryan Day figured out how to
coach this game? And are his two star wide receivers
at or near one hundred percent or good enough to
be difference makers in this game? Are the two biggest keys.
(21:45):
If those things are figured out, Ohio State wins. If
not Michigan with Jordan Marshall, the pride of moll Or
High School are going to do what they do, and
that's choke Ohio State out with physicality, run game, and
confidence and beat them again at Michigan. So I'm fascinated
to see if Ryan Day has got it figured out.
I'm fascinated to see if Carnel Tate and Jeremiah Smith
(22:06):
and themselves on Saturday in the Big House.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
So you're just not going to make a pick.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
You're gonna set the fence on this one, Okay, If
you want me to make a pick, I'll pick Michigan
until until Ryan Day proves damn it he's got it
figured out and can beat Michigan. He's only one in
four against them, And you know, Michigan, it feels like
to me is built to beat Ohio State the way
they're built offensively, defensively, and the way their coaches coach.
(22:33):
My pick is Michigan to win on Saturday, because until
Ryan Day proves it, I'm gonna stick with Michigan.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Yeah, I mean, it's it's fair. I regret asking you
the question because sometimes the truth hurts, but it's it's
the truth. Uh, Joe, You've been generous with your time,
really appreciated. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving. We appreciate you,
and we'll talk to you again next week.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Thanks, ma'am. Austin happiest of Thanksgivings, Like a champion on Thursday.
Get it done, yeat, yeat.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Indeed that is Joe Danim and he's the best. We
are way late talkbacks for next ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Thanksgiving Day is about family, food, and most importantly football.
Armyloves Bengals look to roast the rival Ryvens in an
AFC North Turkey tussle that reminds me I thought you
should know. I really enjoy a delicious slice of punkin
pie with whipped cream. It's Cincinnati versus Baltimore. Coverage begins
(23:34):
at four pm Thursday. Stream for free on the new
and improved iHeartRadio app or ESPN fifteen thirty, the official
home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
People are buzzing
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