Tony Pike's Cincy 360 -- 11/26/25

Tony and Austin talk Thanksgiving, Bengals/Ravens, Bearcats, and more with Charlie Goldsmith, Keegan Nickoson, Chad Brendel, and more on ESPN 1530!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tony Pike.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
SINCEY three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati, sponsored in part
by Skyline Chili. Stop by Skyline Chili for a three
way or cheese cony today. Feeling good, It's Skyline Time.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
All right, good afternoon, Welcome in, Happy Wednesday, Happy Thanksgiving Eve.
Thanks for listening to ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station,
or perhaps you're listening via the iHeartRadio app. It is
certainly appreciated, and we welcome you into the latest edition
of since E three sixty. We have a lot to
get to today. It's essentially a Friday here for us

(00:44):
Austin because we're not in tomorrow for Thanksgiving. We're also
on company holiday on Friday. I believe Chad Brenda is
in for this show on Friday, but this becomes essentially
our Friday, and it makes sense. We've got a Bengals
game tomorrow to discuss against the ball, more Ravens. We've
got Bearcats and horn Frogs on Saturday. Also, Ohio State

(01:05):
Michigan happens on Saturday, among many others with high school
football playoffs. Black Friday, NFL Thanksgiving NFL Friday Night College
Football Action. It is a loaded, loaded sports weekend and
we are going to talk about it all for the
next three hours right here on ESPN fifteen thirty. We'll
welcome your phone calls five to one, three, seven, four nine,

(01:28):
fifteen thirty would be happy to have you join part
of our conversation today. Also joining our conversation today Charlie
Goldsmith in from his normal Friday spot to Wednesday at
one o'clock and Keegan Nickoson will get us set for
both Bearcats and Eastern Michigan happening tonight and the UC
Bearcats on the road at TCU to and the regular

(01:52):
season from a football standpoint on Saturday. So Charlie at
one keeging it to your talkbacks in hour newnumber two,
we'll do our weekly pick them segment in our number
three and talk to you as mentioned all along the
way now, Austin, because it is essentially our Friday, you

(02:13):
told me today that you're actually starting to get that
that feeling that it is Ohio State and Michigan week.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
Did you try to elaborate? Yeah, you know, I just
I've been thinking about it more. I've been reading about it.
I've been hearing it more.

Speaker 5 (02:29):
You know, and it I was one I started.

Speaker 4 (02:35):
I tried to convince myself, you did that it doesn't
mean anything anymore because of the nature of college football.
But why should I feel that way? Why should I
take away what's fun about the rival? Sure, why should
I take away its importance? I get to decide what's
so important or not important to me? And so you

(02:57):
know what, Yeah it is still important, and yeah that
does mean something, and yeah, I'm tired of losing to
those guys. And so now I'm back to having that
pit in my stomach to anticipation. That's good for noon
or noon fourteen on Saturday at the Big House.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
Now that feeling, that feeling in the pit of your stomach,
that could also be the anticipation of Turkey Day tomorrow
as well.

Speaker 5 (03:28):
No, I should just be a hunger.

Speaker 4 (03:30):
Well, yes, there's a difference between a hunger and a
pit though, I think. Yeah, so yeah, no I I
I'm fired up for Turkey Day.

Speaker 5 (03:41):
Now you're on because of all the.

Speaker 4 (03:44):
Football that we get to consume, and the turkey and
the sides and the gravy. It's three and a mashed
potatoes and his stuff.

Speaker 3 (03:54):
And it's three good matchups Packers Lions, Fantastic Chiefs, Cowboys,
the way that Cowboys team is playing right now, and
the Chief's coming off a huge win. And then Bengals Ravens.
I get that the Bengals record is not there, but
Joe Burrow is going to be there. Joe Burrow versus
the Ravens. That's must see TV. So it's an awesome
slate tomorrow. And then Black Friday, Black Friday Bears Eagles. Yes,

(04:18):
both teams at eight and three. That's an awesome game.
The college football I know Saturday is a huge day
in college football, but on Friday you get Ole Miss
Mississippi State. Can you imagine all this around Lane Kiff?
And if he loses the Egg Bowl, you tak Kansas, Georgia,
Georgia Tech, Texas A and m in Texas, Arizona, Arizona State.

(04:40):
Even the Friday college football slate is awesome. So the
next couple days are are flat out some of the best. Now,
I wonder with some folks, you know the trip to
fan is what's in Turkey that makes people tired?

Speaker 5 (04:55):
Sure?

Speaker 3 (04:56):
I wonder if people are adjusting their dinner time to
make sure that the trip to fan has worn off,
so you can be alert and active and ready right
when the Bear and the Bengals and the Ravens kick off.

Speaker 5 (05:07):
Yeah, that's Sunday. That's a good question.

Speaker 4 (05:09):
I mean, it is going to if you're a football fan,
and if you're a Bengals fan, it is going to
affect the way that you maybe space out your meals
or perhaps space out your your second meal perhaps of
the day, or.

Speaker 5 (05:23):
You're left over.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
Is there a perfect time like I always just assumed
it was dinner, but I am I'm not coming to
an understanding that that there are more folks out there
that enjoy like a Thanksgiving lunch.

Speaker 4 (05:34):
Yeah, so for most of my life it was a
Thanksgiving lunch, gotcha. So we would kick things off around noon,
noon thirty. My goal growing up and going to my
grandma's house and Thanksgiving was to have plate in hand
and bottom to couch by the time the game kicked off.

Speaker 5 (05:57):
That was the goal. And so do that.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
You'd play in a turkey bowl and all that out
in the backyard and I would do that, and then
in the evening round, I don't know, four four thirty,
I'd go to my other family and go Thanksgiving number
two and that was more of the dinner or evening
a portion, gotcha, and then you have leftovers, as everybody knows,
for for several days after.

Speaker 3 (06:19):
Man doesn't get any better. So I'm so excited for
the next couple of days.

Speaker 4 (06:23):
I am too. I mean, do you make anything? Do
you have something that you made? Last year, we dabbled
in smoking a turkey?

Speaker 5 (06:30):
Who's we me? I'm talking about you?

Speaker 3 (06:33):
Yeah, last year. Well, so what we do is we
we host my family for Thanksgiving dinner, but we go
to my wife's side in the morning, so we have
a lunch for my wife's side. So what we have
done in recent like last year was the first year
I've ever tried to like long smoke a turkey, right,
So I took everything and I got it started before

(06:55):
we left on the grill outside and then just let
it slow cot there while we were gone. So I
made the turkey last year, did not do it this year,
relying on family members for that. So we'll make some sides,
mac and cheese, oh, desserts, things like that. Now that's something,
but we leave everything else up to the people that
are are going to be there making it while worldway now.

Speaker 4 (07:18):
Growing up, I feel like we never had mac and
cheese at Thanksgiving, and the older I get, the more
I yearn for mac and cheese. Yep, it's got to
be a good mac. Help there's some mac and cheese tomorrow.

Speaker 6 (07:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
I was also looking at the weather forecast for the
weekend and specifically ann Arbor, Michigan. Oh have you seen this? No,
tell me about her? Thirty one degrees, cloudy and cold,
two to four inches of snow. Really two to four
inches according to ACI Weather, during the day from two

(07:56):
pm Saturday until Sunday morning, so about midway through the Gametcha,
the snow will begin to accumulate.

Speaker 5 (08:06):
Oh man.

Speaker 4 (08:07):
Now you may remember and nineteen twenty nineteen, Ohio State
played Michigan.

Speaker 5 (08:15):
I was there. It was the last time that Ohio
State beat Michigan. Wow.

Speaker 4 (08:20):
Justin Fields was the quarterback. It was played at the
Big House in a white out occurred for a few
moments in the second half. And you want to talk
about bucket list of all bucket lists, to be at
the Big House with about sixty thousand Ohio State fans
and to watch those two teams go off in the

(08:43):
backdrop of a snowy, snow globed and arbor, Michigan.

Speaker 6 (08:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (08:48):
One of the coolest things I've ever seen, and we
whooped their ass this.

Speaker 3 (08:51):
I had a buddy of mine just way in three
point thirty to four to begin eating. No, we're done
by five. Wrong, shake off the meat sweats by six
to drink for the night games.

Speaker 4 (09:01):
Drink drinking, See now, I never my family never drink.
Or you gotta work too tomorrow Yeah, I have tomorn night.

Speaker 5 (09:08):
Yeah, I gotta work tomorrow night.

Speaker 4 (09:10):
Yeah, I'll have some drinks after dinner to mornight. Are
you gonna call into the show that depends now? For
those who don't know Bengals Ravens Tomorrow night, eight twenty
pm kickoff. Austin Elmore hosts postgame sports talk. Yeah, from
one am until three am Black Friday.

Speaker 3 (09:30):
So if you are one of those folks that wait
till midnight and then you go hit the stores for
Black Friday.

Speaker 5 (09:36):
Yeah, call in on your way.

Speaker 4 (09:38):
If you're one of those dinosaurs who actually goes to
stores still, yeah, because it doesn't seem like people do
that any not as many. That used to be a
Thanksgiving tradition for me. We'd go at like midnight. Yeah,
go till one or two o'clock in the morning, get
some Black Friday shopping done.

Speaker 5 (09:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:52):
I feel like now all the deals are just online anyway.

Speaker 5 (09:54):
Yeah, I don't like that. I missed that.

Speaker 4 (09:56):
So those of you who might be going after some
of those Black Friday doorbuster deals across the kid Wood Mall,
the Tri State area.

Speaker 5 (10:04):
At others, you can listen to me one am to
three A.

Speaker 4 (10:07):
How about that college where you have to go to
get any Black Friday deals? Nope, I don't. I don't
want to. I don't want to give it away. I
also don't want to gate.

Speaker 3 (10:18):
I've tried in the past and like it's just such
a madhouse still. But parking is stressful. Everything is stressful.
How about this from the Bengals Pro Shop. You ready
for this? Let's go so Black Friday. They're offering forty
percent off all T shirts and polos. That doesn't include Lululemon,
but forty percent off all polos. And if you spend

(10:42):
fifty or more in store between ten am and noon,
you get the opportunity to go on the field whoa
and take a picture with who day.

Speaker 5 (10:52):
Wow, that's pretty cool. I might be at the pro
Shop Friday morning. It's pretty cool.

Speaker 7 (10:57):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (10:58):
We'll see all right then?

Speaker 3 (11:00):
Yeah, college football playoff rankings those came out last night.

Speaker 5 (11:05):
Were there any change?

Speaker 4 (11:07):
Because I didn't pay attention to that at all? I
don't think so. Another top five are the same. The
top five stayed the same. Miami is inching closer to
the top, but right now, starting at number twelve is Tulane,
the U Miami is eleven, Alabama ten, Notre Dame nine,
Oklahoma eight, Ole Miss seven, Oregon moves up to six

(11:30):
because they jump Old Miss due to Old Miss being inactive.
Oregon is six, Texas Tech five, and then you get
Georgia for Texas A and M three, Indiana two, Ohio
State one. Now, if Michigan were to pull off the
unthinkable and win this game on Saturday as nearly a
double digit underdog, is there a scenario where that may

(11:52):
even help the seating for the Buckeyes based on who
they'll play in the College Football Playoff?

Speaker 5 (11:58):
I don't know, honestly. Are you going to talk to
often today? If it happens, Ohio.

Speaker 4 (12:01):
State still goes to the Big Ten title game if
they lose, Is that right? I?

Speaker 5 (12:05):
Believe. So yes, Okay, now.

Speaker 3 (12:08):
Right now, they play the winner of Notre Dame Oklahoma,
and then in all likelihood played Georgia.

Speaker 4 (12:12):
So after Michigan wins, and assuming Indiana wins, then the
Big Ten Title game would mean that Indiana is the
number one team in the country.

Speaker 3 (12:24):
Well, I guess, so, I guess I'm wrong. Michigan only
has one Big Ten loss, so if they beat Ohio State,
they would have the heads up and they would go
to the Big Ten Title Game over Ohio State.

Speaker 5 (12:34):
Damn it.

Speaker 4 (12:34):
But then we'd still get in probably, yeah, yeah, you
have to play an extra game.

Speaker 3 (12:40):
Now if it if it is inclement weather, is that
helping Michigan or helping Ohio State? With how the teams
are made up this year.

Speaker 4 (12:47):
I would say it it slightly helps Michigan.

Speaker 5 (12:51):
Okay.

Speaker 4 (12:52):
Jordan Marshall mowla running back, that's right. I mean that's
what Michigan does. Man, they just run the football like crazy. Uh.
Ho State has been good running the ball, but it's
not because their offensive line is just dominating people in
the trenches. It's because the running backs have been excellent. Yeah,
so there's a little bit of a difference there. So
I don't know. The whole thing makes me nervous, gotcha.

Speaker 3 (13:16):
Also, we've got some college hoops tonight, well actually today
as well. NKU getting ready to host Walford. That happens
at two o'clock this afternoon. The Bearcats will welcome into
EMUs Eastern Michigan comes to Fifth Third Arena tonight at
five o'clock or I'm sorry, at seven o'clock. And then
on Friday, Black Friday, the Xavier Musketeers back in action

(13:38):
against Texas A and M Corpus Christy. So that is
the local college basketball slate right now. That's that's upcoming. Well,
we'll touch on that with Keeg and nickoson at two
o'clock when we come back.

Speaker 5 (13:52):
Football in the NATTI.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
We got some stuff we've got to read and react to,
right and then phone calls five one, three, seven, fifteen thirty.
That comes up next on the Home of the Bengals,
ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
Joe Burrow is Ball in the NATI, brought to you
by Postman Law on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home
of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (14:17):
Welcome back since he three to sixty thanks to Skyline
Chile on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. We have
some phone calls we'll get to in just the next segment.
Five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty Austin. For now,
I know what normally happens on Thursday, but we're kind
of combining Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday into one show here. Yeah,
so for football in the NATI, let's do some read

(14:38):
and reacting.

Speaker 5 (14:39):
Are you ready for this? Tom can't wait?

Speaker 4 (14:41):
This is Bengals at Raven happens tomorrow night. Read and
react with these next gen stats, brought to you by
our friends at NFL Pro.

Speaker 5 (14:53):
Okay, all right, are you ready? Let's do it. Bengals
running back Chase Brown. I like him.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
Over the the first three weeks of the season, Chase
Brown recorded a minus fifty four rushing yards before contact
that was fewest in the NFL, while averaging a league
low minus one point two yards before contact per carry.
Oh However, since those first three weeks, Brown's yards before

(15:23):
contact per carry has improved to one point seven, the
fifth most among running backs from weeks four through twelve.

Speaker 5 (15:32):
React to me, It's just I think it's a credit
to Chase Brown.

Speaker 3 (15:37):
I do think Joe Flacco played a role in that
with his ability to go under center, But more importantly, Austin,
I think we need to highlight the offensive line at
this point.

Speaker 5 (15:46):
I know that we had.

Speaker 3 (15:48):
Questions going into the season in the early part of
the season, and we'll see if they go back to
the majority shotgun, if that offensive line resorts back to
who they were, and I actually think Austin, that could
be one of the main storrery lines coming out if
they don't run the ball successfully tomorrow night when they
have been Do you look at Joe Burrow for that?
Do you look at how the system changes with Joe

(16:10):
Burrow quarterback. I'm fascinated to see Chase Brown for five
straight weeks has been over one hundred scrim scrimmageyarge in
each of the last five games. That's the longest streak
in the National Football League.

Speaker 1 (16:22):
It is.

Speaker 3 (16:23):
It has been the ability of the quick passing game
to slow down the defensive front, mixed in with a
little bit ability to go under center. But I think
the offensive line and Chase Brown individually have a lot
to say from that as well. Read Baltimore center Tyler
Linderbaum has allowed pressure on six point four percent of

(16:45):
his pass block snaps this season. That's the fifth highest
rate among players with at least one hundred and fifty
pass blocking snaps at center. However, eighteen of Linderbaum's twenty
two pressures and four of his four four and a
half sacks allowed have come on dropbacks of over four seconds.

(17:07):
As a result, across his twenty two pressures allowed, they've
come in an average of three point four to two seconds,
the eighth longest averaged throw time, the eighth longest average
time to pressure among that same group of sinners. So
this is clearly you read that initial part and you're thinking, man,

(17:27):
Tyler Linnebaum is just not great. The second part of
that shows that maybe it's Lamar Jackson or whoever's playing quarterbacks
just holding onto the ball too long. That is one
of the things Lamar Jackson is going to do is
he's not going to throw the ball away. He feels
that every time there is a play that there's a
big play to be made, and he's going to scramble
as long as possible to help that happen. You said

(17:50):
eighteen of the twenty two pressures, Yeah, I mean that's
over four seconds. Is a long time in the pocket
snap to pass, you want to be around two and
half at the latest. That just tells me that Tyler
Lindenbaum is more of a victim of his quarterback and
not his actual ability to pass block. I think Tyler

(18:10):
Lindemom's a good player, and let's be honest. They're going
up against a defensive line that is registered as a
whole sixteen sacks on the season. That favors a good
matchup for the Baltimore offensive line, and on the other side,
it should favor a good matchup for the Bengals offensive line,
as Baltimore Ravens have just two more sacks as a
team on the season than the Bengals.

Speaker 4 (18:30):
But the Ravens are generating pressure. Listen to this. The
Ravens defense has generated pressure at the fifth lowest rate
in the NFL this season, twenty nine point four percent,
and when they have gotten pressure, they've converted just fourteen
point one of those opportunities into sacks. That's the fourth

(18:52):
lowest mark in the league. However, the Ravens have been
effective in generating unblocked pressure season, as they're nine point
four percent unblocked pressure rate is the sixth highest mark
entering Week thirteen.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
Well, that just tells me that they're not able to
get home with the initial pass rush. If you're talking
about unblocked pressures, to me, that is blitzing where you're
bringing an extra hat that's not getting blocked. Now you
can you can call that creativity in the blitz game.
So maybe where you align a certain way, it changes
a protection and now you're getting guys unblocked. But the

(19:31):
generating of pressure at the fifth lowest rate in the
NFL for the Baltimore Ravens, that tells me they're just
not getting home. They're not able to generate enough pressure
with their front three or four, and anytime they do,
they're still not converting those opportunities into sacks. So they
have to bring extra pressure, which again that's great. When

(19:51):
you can catch a team bringing those pressures all of
a sudden, you start having big gains. That is where
I think Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase can take advantage
edge of the Ravens tomorrow night.

Speaker 4 (20:02):
Jamar Chase had one hundred and twelve total matchups against
Ravens defenders in coverage last season. Of those, one hundred
and twelve matchups. Twenty six came against Brandon Stevens. He's
no longer on the team. Marlon Humphrey was in coverage
for sixteen Nate Wiggins fourteen. Against Humphrey, Chase was targeted

(20:24):
five times, catching three passes for forty eight yards, though
Humphrey also recorded an interception. Against Wiggins, Chase was also
targeted five times but managed just one reception for twelve yards.

Speaker 3 (20:39):
Would I'd react to that in a way that that
I think a lot of players in the NFL would
have similar numbers going man to man against Jamar Chase.
I just don't envision with the with the success Jamar
Chase and Joe Burrow had against this Ravens secondary and
playing without T. Higgins, I wouldn't imagine you're seeing one

(20:59):
on one at all tomorrow night. I would think every
time that Joe Burrow drops to pass, there's gonna be
some double team given to Jamar Chase. Jamar Chase is
so good after the catch. He had four hundred and
fifty seven yards combined against the Baltimore Ravens last year.
And it's a team and a defense that he knows,
and Joe Burrow knows very very well, so you can

(21:22):
throw names at Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stevens, whoever it may be.
No one's gonna have success in matchups one on one
against Jamar Chase. With no T Higgins, I would fully
expect the Baltimore Ravens to send two Jamar Chase's way
each and every snap Tomorrow night.

Speaker 5 (21:37):
One more. Let's go Lamar Jackson. Lamar.

Speaker 4 (21:40):
Lamar Jackson has completed play action passes at the highest
rate in the NFL this season eighty three percent, while
generating the second most yards per attempt thirteen point four,
trailing only Seattle's Sam Darnold. However, on passes without play action,
Xson has a completion rate of just sixty percent that's

(22:02):
the seventh lowest, and an average of six point two
yards per attempt the eighth fewest. His twenty two and
a half percent decreased in completion rate and seven point
two yard decrease in yards per attempt are both the
largest among qualified quarterbacks.

Speaker 5 (22:19):
You know, this is just who they're going to be.

Speaker 3 (22:21):
We've waited for years and years and years for Lamar
Jackson to just be a complete drop back passer. And
you could talk about the weapons and I certainly think
they do have weapons. I think Mark Andrews is playing well,
Zay Flowers is coming into his own. But if the
Ravens are going to be successful, it's because they're running
the ball to set up to pass.

Speaker 5 (22:41):
Now.

Speaker 3 (22:41):
I know Derrick Henry is not as effective as he's
been in years past. I know the offensive line in
the run game has not been as effective they as
they've been in years past. I also Austin, I don't
know what the numbers are, but it doesn't feel like
Lamar Jackson is a designed runner as much this year.

Speaker 4 (22:58):
Actually, he's been banged up. He's one of the insights
on here as well. I can pull that up, go ahead.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
He's he's not been a designed runner, and I think
a lot of that is because of the injuries he's sustained.
Me He's been on the injury report nearly every week
for something different. So when he's not being used as
a runner and Derek Henry's not having as much success
in the running game, teams are now saying, Okay, let's
make him more of a passer, and they're not biting
as much on the play action. So he's always going

(23:23):
to be elite if you get the running game going
and you're able to run the play action pass, if
you're asking him to be a dropback passer, it's still
just not where Lamar Jackson is comfortable. That's where you
have a chance to get wins against this Ravens offense.

Speaker 4 (23:36):
Here's the next gen stats on that. Lamar Jackson has
averaged just two point three designed runs per game this season.
That's the fewest of his career and over half of
his career average entering twenty twenty five, which was five
point six. He has also scrambled on just sixteen point
three percent of his dropbacks, by far the lowest of

(23:57):
his career. Between designed rush in scramble rushes, Jackson has
averaged five point eight carries per game, which is far
fewer than his career average Entering the season.

Speaker 3 (24:10):
It just feels like not only has he dealt with injuries,
but it's been lower body injuries which affect his ability
to extend the play and be that playmaker that he's
been for so much of his career. I wouldn't have
thought it was even that low. I mean, that is
that's not a normal Baltimore Ravens clip and when you

(24:31):
factor that in with at this point of the season,
Derrick Henry's lack of rushing ability. I mean, I'm not
saying that Derek Henry is, but he's six in the
NFL in rushing yards. So this isn't one of those
cases where you know Derrick Henry has fallen off, but
I believe he's fifteenth in the NFL in yards per carry.

(24:53):
So he's just not generating as many yards per carry
as we've seen years past. And you factor that in
with Lamar not running as much, well, then teams aren't
going to bite as much on the play action, so
you've got to run more drop back and Lamar is
struggling to do that. That is where if the Bengals
can stop the run tomorrow night, make him a passer.

(25:16):
You you give yourself at least a chance to start
getting home. Let's take a break, and that's Read and React.
Read and React brought to you by your company name
insert there.

Speaker 5 (25:28):
We'll take a break. We'll come back.

Speaker 3 (25:30):
The phone lines are open five, one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty. We'll catch up with you next on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (25:37):
You've been listening to football in the Nati on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 8 (25:50):
Thanksgiving Day is about family, food, and most importantly football.
Army loves Bengals look to roast the rivalry, evens in
an AFC North Turk tussle that reminds me, I thought
you should know. I really enjoy a delicious slice of
pumpkin pie.

Speaker 7 (26:06):
With whipped cream.

Speaker 8 (26:08):
It's Cincinnati versus Baltimore everhich begins at four pm tomorrow.
Stream for free on the new and improved iHeartRadio app
or ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (26:23):
Hey, welcome back, thanks for listening in since he three
sixty ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Thanks to Skyline Chili.

(26:44):
Anytime you're feeling good and hungry, it's always Skyline time.
Let's take a moment to talk to you your phone
calls on this Wednesday afternoon.

Speaker 5 (26:52):
Let's start with Tom.

Speaker 6 (26:53):
Hey, Tom, Hey, how's it going guys?

Speaker 7 (26:56):
Good?

Speaker 5 (26:57):
How are you.

Speaker 7 (26:58):
Doing great?

Speaker 1 (27:01):
I wanted to tell Austin I will be in ann
Arboro on Saturday, in that snow and cold and wind. Tom,
this is my This will be my thirty fourth Ohio
Street Michigan game in per.

Speaker 4 (27:14):
Oh my god, yeah, or just thirty four over the
course of time.

Speaker 1 (27:19):
I'm sixty three. My first game wasn't until I was
in nineteen seventy nine. We blocked a punt to beat
this bastards with my family. My dad was a cheerleader
at Ohio State, so I started drinking the kool aid early.
And uh yeah, so I've gone to thirty four. I'm
I'm eighteen and fifteen. The coup of years kind of

(27:40):
screwed my record.

Speaker 6 (27:41):
A little bit because I was up there for the
Biaka Batuca.

Speaker 1 (27:46):
Game and Tom Brady games and oh my gosh, but
it's so much fun to watch them walk up that
long stairway of hell to at home when when we win,
it's just been a while.

Speaker 6 (28:02):
So yeah, so it's a blast.

Speaker 1 (28:06):
And we do have a scenario where if we lose,
I don't want to lose, but if we lose and
Purdue beats Indiana and Washington beats Oregon, we are in
the Big Ten championship game against Michigan next week.

Speaker 5 (28:19):
What about that? Could you imagine? Now?

Speaker 3 (28:21):
Are you confident, Tom? Are you confident going into this
game on Saturday, or do you find yourself with a
pit in your stomach.

Speaker 1 (28:30):
I'm I don't know, I have a p I think
both things can be true.

Speaker 6 (28:35):
I'm confident, but I'm a pit in my stomach.

Speaker 1 (28:37):
I mean, fifteen losses to these guys in person takes
a toll. I mean, I have I don't have much hair.
I've gotta you know, love handles, and it's all because
of Michigan.

Speaker 6 (28:49):
Of them, it's rough man.

Speaker 1 (28:52):
But you guys have a wonderful show. I mean, is
by far and away the best talk show sports talk
show that Cincinnati.

Speaker 6 (28:59):
I think has had.

Speaker 1 (29:00):
I've lived here since ninety one. It's the best local
show there is.

Speaker 6 (29:05):
And you're funny. You don't take it too seriously. You're
good to the guests.

Speaker 1 (29:10):
I mean, and you know, Tony, I get your state stuff,
but I think it's a little bit of that is
for show. I think at his core, I think you
like them. You just that would be an off the
record statement on your I.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
Feel like I've at least come around in the last
few years.

Speaker 5 (29:25):
I would agree with that. I've come around to be
more fair.

Speaker 9 (29:28):
These are good people, Yeah, these are good people.

Speaker 1 (29:31):
I mean, you supported Brian Kelly for God. Bryan Day
is a good man. These are good people, good athletes.
They go to class, they really they actually go to
class for something other than.

Speaker 6 (29:43):
You know, best weaving. They're good people. Be proud of
your state.

Speaker 5 (29:48):
Buddy, you're a good man. Thank you. Go get us
a win. Brother.

Speaker 6 (29:52):
Absolutely. Oh and happy Thanksgiving?

Speaker 3 (29:55):
Thank you Tom. Appreciate that man, that's good stuff. Fifteen
and fifteen thirty fourth time heading to the game.

Speaker 4 (30:04):
I'm I don't know what would happen to me if
I saw a loss in person.

Speaker 5 (30:08):
That's crazy.

Speaker 4 (30:09):
Oh you want to talk about you know when we
won when we were up there the last time they
played and they won, there was I'm serious, like half
the place was Ohio State fans. Yeah, and Michigan was
in the top fifteen at the time. Sure, but they're
just awful to you. Yeah, just brutal. I just didn't

(30:30):
say a word and just mean mean nasty people north
of the border.

Speaker 5 (30:39):
What's up, Mark, how are you?

Speaker 10 (30:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 11 (30:42):
I'm doing I'm doing all right.

Speaker 10 (30:44):
Alston Elmore gave me a compliment the other day when
I brought up the point about Zach Keeler not being
you know, sure about what he's doing. When he's on
the side.

Speaker 5 (30:55):
That was a good point.

Speaker 10 (30:56):
Mark Yeah, hey, yeah, oh yeah, I mean yeah, the
word turning over when off Nebo. And then you got
you got to put that in the trophy case because
you ain't gonna get too many of.

Speaker 5 (31:09):
Those hold on to that.

Speaker 10 (31:10):
What But I got a I got a Dack's heel question,
and I got a Muma jip that got what happened
to that guy? And the reason I'm asking about him?
I would be in favor of a defense of philosophy
change where he looked like a perfect middle linebacker that

(31:31):
would stick his head in there in gaps and make tackles.
And the two linebackers that they have, they look more
like linebackers that you would play like if you play
a three four defense and one of them was the
strong side linebacker and one was a weak side. They
look more like linebackers that's more suited for that.

Speaker 7 (31:53):
As opposed to what they're doing now.

Speaker 4 (31:56):
I mean, and my off on that now with the
Carolina Panthers, by the way, he's yes, he was signed
off the Bengals practice squad.

Speaker 10 (32:06):
Okay, so the Bengals, Yeah, I thought I thought he
I thought that he should have gave him a shot
because I think.

Speaker 3 (32:13):
I mean, with how bad the linebacking play has been
for sure?

Speaker 5 (32:17):
Sure?

Speaker 6 (32:18):
Yeah?

Speaker 11 (32:19):
Is that okay?

Speaker 7 (32:19):
Dax Hill?

Speaker 10 (32:21):
Let's let's he looks like Mike Hilton. When when he's
close to the line of scrimmage and you Ron Blitzey,
he looks good. But when you get him back there
and coverage, you know it's either get burnt or get
So who are we ready to give up on him?
I mean, he he can't play safety. I don't think

(32:44):
he's a good cornerback. So how how do you use him?

Speaker 3 (32:49):
Yeah, Marko, let's we'll discuss that. Thank you for the
phone call. Dax Hill is interesting to me, Austin. Overall,
PFF hasn't been fifty two point nine this year, but
from a tackling point of view, he's ranked first with
fifty four solo tackles. On a defense that doesn't tackle right,

(33:13):
on a defense that struggles to tackle in space, Dax
Hill has at least shown the ability from the safety
position the corner position.

Speaker 5 (33:22):
To tackle.

Speaker 3 (33:24):
And I don't know if Dax Hill is a finished
product yet, Austin, but what I can say about Dax
Hill is I think he's at least one of those
guys that you can circle to run it back with
next year. And I know there's not a ton of
those guys on defense, but I do think he's one
of them. Yeah, I agree, what's up John?

Speaker 11 (33:45):
Happy Thanksgiving tellers, you too?

Speaker 7 (33:48):
All right?

Speaker 12 (33:49):
Tom?

Speaker 13 (33:49):
Bringing up memories there Again. I've been in Boston my
whole life, but in nineteen seventy nine, I was the
biggest Archschleister fan, So not always the best taste in quarterbacks,
to be honest with you, But you know, I thought
he was fantastic as a player. But off the field
he obviously had to say the least. But I thought
he was going to be a fantastic player. Didn't work
out that way. Looking back at Joe Borrow's press conference yesterday,

(34:11):
the two things that stuck out. First of all, when
he talked about that he's a football player. He's get
paid a lot of money to play a game with
his friends and that's what he wants to do and
I think that's so refreshing. And the other part of
it when he dumped on the Detroit Lions a little bit,
saying that, you know, memories of the staff had threw
him for three four hundred yards to Calvin Johnson, probably
in a loss.

Speaker 11 (34:29):
I thought that was.

Speaker 7 (34:30):
Actually pretty cool.

Speaker 13 (34:31):
But as far as going forward with him, and I
talked to Austin yesterday, if he were not to play
for the rest of this season, he would have played
five and a half quarters over a twenty month period.
That's not good, Tony. I think you could speak to
that more than anyone. Right, If you played five and
a half quarters in a twenty month period, that's not
good to get better as a quarterback because all he
ever talks about is reps and getting better and reps

(34:51):
and getting better. So I think getting him out there
is going to be a good thing.

Speaker 5 (34:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (34:54):
Look, I thought Joe Burrow handled everything that he was asked.

Speaker 5 (34:59):
Yes today awesome.

Speaker 14 (35:01):
You know.

Speaker 3 (35:02):
I think the reasoning he gave about getting back, he's
a football player, and that's what he's going to do.
If he's able to play, if he feels like he's healthy,
he's going to go out there and play. And I
think noting like I'm not going to live my life
being scared that something may happen. I just think that

(35:23):
from him. I think that's the ultimate reason he worked
his tail off to get back. He's a competitor. I
think there's a point to this where this team is
lacking leadership and he's saying, hey, look at me, I
am the leader. I'm putting it out there for the team.
I think all that being said, again, I've been so
back and forth on what I want to see or
not see from Joe Burrow, but I can't agree that

(35:46):
as long as this team has a pulse, they have
a chance with Joe Burrow. And if it's important for
Joe Burrow, then then I'm going to support what he's
able to do.

Speaker 13 (35:55):
Yeah, I mean, obviously the leadership part of it is
so important from that position.

Speaker 7 (36:00):
You look and he's come back.

Speaker 13 (36:01):
Two three weeks earlier than expected. Could we even find
out where Trey Henderson is. He's supposed to be a captain.
Jamar Chase is spitting at people. Although I'm a huge
fan of Jamar Chase, I think he was just out
of character. And here's this guy, you know, working his
butt talks off to get back on the field. But
he could probably give you easily said look, my money's guaranteed.
I'm going to come back when I'm fully healthy. And

(36:22):
I'm like that He's putting his reputation and his body
out there, which is.

Speaker 5 (36:26):
It would be easier, is why he's that good.

Speaker 3 (36:28):
It would be easier for Joe Burrow to say, I'm
just not right. I'll see you in twenty twenty six.
That would be easier.

Speaker 6 (36:34):
Right.

Speaker 3 (36:34):
It's the harder thing to do to come back and
put yourself out there, but it's the right thing to
do as a leader, and I respect that from Joe.

Speaker 13 (36:41):
Burrow without question. And now one more thing. As far
as tomorrow night's game, I'm irrationally confident about the game
tomorrow night. The defense has played better the last two weeks,
not great, but better than it did the previous six
or seven weeks. Baltimore struggled on offense. We know what
Borrow and Chase can do against that Baltimore defense. You've
got a team it's won five in a row but
hasn't been overly impressive in doing so. You've got another

(37:04):
team that's lost eight out of nine that you know
was play some good games in there national stage. I
think it's gonna be as a teaming game, and I
think they pull it out twenty seven to twenty four
and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Speaker 5 (37:14):
Guys.

Speaker 13 (37:14):
That great Thanksgiving and again, thank you so much for
embracing a guy a thousand miles aw.

Speaker 5 (37:18):
Absolutely talk with you guys. Thank you, John, We appreciate it. Thanks.

Speaker 14 (37:21):
You know.

Speaker 5 (37:22):
My question, and I said this to me on Monday, Austin.
My question is.

Speaker 3 (37:27):
If if tomorrow night, Joe Burrow just doesn't look good,
if he's struggling to move in the pocket, if the
running game can't get anything going, if they lose, or
he takes five or six sacks, are we then at
the point of, all right, he tried things clearly aren't functioning. Well,

(37:49):
let's not run the risk anymore because you'd be another
loss deeper. Would you still start him against Buffalo? Or
are you at the point where you need to see
how it goes tomorrow night before you make it decision
on Buffalo.

Speaker 4 (38:01):
I don't think you should expect him to just come
into this game and play like he did.

Speaker 3 (38:05):
No, I mean like, I mean like it looks like
he's compromised moving in the pocket, like the tell he's
not able to push, he's not able to he's taking
some sacks normally he probably wouldn't take. It just doesn't
look good. They lose another game. Are you then saying, okay,
the math doesn't math anymore. You were able to come back.
We love that, But but you're sitting back down.

Speaker 4 (38:27):
No, I would. I would still give him a chance
to play a little bit. I'm not going to freak out,
all right. Uh, we'll finish up the hour with the
rest of your phone calls. Next five, one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty, we'll welcome Charlie Goldsmith in at the top
of our number two on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

(38:51):
Welcome back cinty three to sixty thanks to Skyline Chili.
Thank you for listening on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Almost Turkey Day.

Speaker 7 (39:02):
There.

Speaker 5 (39:02):
It is a couple.

Speaker 3 (39:04):
More phone calls, and then Charlie Goldsmith will join us
to talk all things Bengals and raising.

Speaker 4 (39:11):
Is a ten hour long YouTube video that's of just that.

Speaker 5 (39:15):
Just a turkey gobbling. That's it. Gobble baby, gobble baby,
God of baby gobble. Okay, okay, interesting.

Speaker 4 (39:24):
You know I love the Internet. You do ten hour
long video of just that. In the first comment says,
if any of you spoke turkey, this is actually a
very good story about this Turkey's life.

Speaker 5 (39:36):
I like it.

Speaker 3 (39:36):
You talk turkey, Nah, I ain't talking about turkey yet, Mike,
what's going on?

Speaker 14 (39:45):
Hey?

Speaker 12 (39:45):
I got an animal joke quick when you want to
hear it.

Speaker 5 (39:47):
Sure is it clean, Mike?

Speaker 12 (39:50):
It's clean as a whistle. Okay, okay, I mean there's
no foul language in it. But that's what you mean.
There's a bear and a rabbit out in the woods
and they're both just going done going, having a bowel movements.
And the bear looks down at the little rabbit and
he says, excuse me, do you have any trouble with
your poop sticking to your fur when you go to
the bathroom? And the rabbit says, no, frankly, I don't.

(40:12):
So the bear reaches down to except the rabbit and
wipes himself with the rabbits.

Speaker 5 (40:18):
Very good, very good, mean old bear. Nice, well done.

Speaker 12 (40:25):
Hey. I was listening to Patrick this morning. They were
on a tangent about stuffing.

Speaker 5 (40:31):
You guys like stuffing, love stuffing.

Speaker 3 (40:33):
No stuffing here, Oh my god, I know that's a
shocker to a lot of people.

Speaker 12 (40:38):
You and Patrick got something in college that is weird, Tony,
that is just weird. Telling Moss and that is flat
out weird. Listen, everybody not eats stuffing my wife.

Speaker 4 (40:50):
I'm exhausted by trying to help Tony be a better
connoisseur of food.

Speaker 5 (40:56):
But it's it's a lost.

Speaker 3 (40:57):
Cause everything else at that the Thanksgiving dinner I'm in for.
I just let the stuffing tenders and copy, and.

Speaker 12 (41:10):
You're going to have turkey Skyline.

Speaker 5 (41:12):
No, no, I missed the stuffing. I let that. I
let that tub pass me by.

Speaker 12 (41:18):
Hey did you hear Scott Mantel the other night late?
I happened to be a lake. He was bad Mountain Skyline.
He's had Skyline and he's just like, man, I just
I'm not down with Scott. It was really weird, unbelievable.

Speaker 14 (41:33):
I thought I was dreaming. But his co worker, whoever,
he was, that bald headed guy, Stanford, Steve Stanford. See,
he goes, dude, you know, he couldn't believe he said,
you don't like Skyline. He goes, I think it's garbage.

Speaker 5 (41:49):
He's not American. Then he's not. He's Stanford. Steve knows
what he's talking about.

Speaker 12 (41:55):
Yeah, absolutely, Scott Manteau, he's a big goof anyway, big goop.
We I't even got that job. Hey, I'm thinking in
this game with the Bengals, are we just can we
just is there any possibility we can just run? Chase run, run,
Chase run? It helps So thirty tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (42:16):
You know, I think what's going to be the most
interesting if they lose the game, Mike and they don't
run the ball, is what that looks like with with
Joe Burrow. Chase Brown is coming off five straight games
with over one hundred scrimmage scrimmage yards. If all of
a sudden Burrow comes back and that coincides with Chase
Brown struggling with the offensive line, then I think you
have to really start looking into the scheme and how

(42:38):
you're utilizing the running game with Joe Burrow at quarterback,
I do think that can be a talking point.

Speaker 12 (42:43):
So then at that point Joe would be calling the plays,
not not that.

Speaker 3 (42:49):
That or what Joe is comfortable or able to do.
If there's any limitations I think would come into play
as well.

Speaker 6 (42:56):
Now is uh is uh?

Speaker 15 (43:00):
Well?

Speaker 12 (43:00):
The thing with Joe with his speech yesterday, it was
press comfort. I really picked up a even more admiration
for the little part he uh the way he said
what he said that hair's got to go. But the
win the way he said what he said was very admirable.
And yes, I heard guys in Vietnam that that would

(43:22):
just uh used to blow my mind. They would want
to go back out to the bush, and sometimes they'd
let him go, but sometimes they'd say, no, no, you
ain't going. Mentally for some reason you're not going, or
physically you're not going. But but that that's what I
was reminded me of that, So I picked up a
ton of respect for Joe. He's got a lot of courage.

Speaker 5 (43:43):
Yep, without a doubt, it would be easier to just
sit out the rest of the year.

Speaker 12 (43:47):
Now as far as one in a round, Toney, would
you as a quarterback, would you think he'd be safe
to do planned roll outs?

Speaker 3 (43:55):
I would not, I would think so. I think that
that would be at least half of the threshold of
being able to come back is to show that you
can be successful on the move. If not, you'd just
be a sitting duck back there. Without t Higgins, they're
going to be able to cover a little bit longer.
I just think that you would be opening up the

(44:15):
door for some unwarranted shots if you're not able to.

Speaker 12 (44:18):
Do that, okay? And is Lamar playing for sure?

Speaker 5 (44:24):
Yes, yes, damn it, yep, yep.

Speaker 12 (44:29):
All right, guys, you have a blessed holiday.

Speaker 5 (44:31):
Thank you, Mike. We appreciate your You do the same.
All right.

Speaker 3 (44:35):
We'll open up the phone lines and get more phone
calls in as we go. For now, we've got to
get a break. We've got to get Charlie Goldsmith to
talk Bengals Ravens next on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 7 (44:47):
This is Dan Horde joined Dave Lapham and me for
Bengals game Plan tonight, starting at six on the official
home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen to thirty.

Speaker 16 (44:57):
More than a few of our patients have talked to
me about the for This is Tony Pike Sincy three
sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati, sponsored in part by Cincy Shirts.

Speaker 2 (45:08):
Cincy Shirts all Cincy, all day. This is ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (45:18):
All right, welcome back our number two. A lot to
be thankful for here on CINCY three to sixty. Also
thanks to our friends at Cincy Shirts. We are thankful
for them as well. And Austin, we are surely thankful
for our guest to kick off our number two. You
usually hear them on Fridays, but since today has a
Friday feel to the show, we decided we'd bump up

(45:39):
Charlie Goldsmith. He's joining us right now to kick off
our number two. Charlie, what's going on?

Speaker 14 (45:46):
Man?

Speaker 11 (45:46):
I'm thankful for you guys. Thanks for saying that Happy Thanksgiving.

Speaker 5 (45:49):
Oh what a god? Charlie.

Speaker 3 (45:50):
What's your go to Thanksgiving plate look like?

Speaker 5 (45:53):
Oh?

Speaker 11 (45:55):
I snuck a line into my Joe Burrows story yesterday.
I know andem picked up on it, but that's okay,
I'll share it. I was talking about like on top
of the plate, you know it was it was, you know,
cherry on top of the cake, but instead of cherry
on top of the cake, I changed it to for Burrow,
that's the whipped cream on top of the chocolate peak
on pie with the black raspberry chip on the side,

(46:16):
which is when I think Thanksgiving, I go right there.

Speaker 17 (46:19):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (46:20):
Okay, so you go, you think of Thanksgiving, you go
right to Thanksgiving dessert.

Speaker 11 (46:25):
This chocolate peak on pie that my cousins make is
my favorite thing. It's my favorite thing.

Speaker 4 (46:31):
We got it before we continue. We just had to
fight a moment ago, Charlie about stuffing. Are you a
yes or no on stuffing?

Speaker 11 (46:40):
I love stuffing. I am stunned every year that it's.

Speaker 4 (46:43):
Not on the menu consistently settled, Tony, you lose again, Tony?

Speaker 5 (46:48):
All right, Charlie.

Speaker 3 (46:50):
The Bengals hope to not lose tomorrow night. How's that
for a transition? Joe Burrow is back, Jamar Chase is back.
There has been in recent seasons the issue with slow
starts for Joe Burrow. Now he has had an extended
amount of time off with the injury. Do you feel
like there are going to be some growing pains tomorrow night?

(47:12):
Or does he pick up kind of mid season form?
How do you expect just him to handle not playing
for a while.

Speaker 11 (47:19):
It's something I've ant a lot about, but something I
think is gonna happen. What it reminds me of is
like in twenty twenty two, he missed all of camp
with the appendectomy. He got about a week and a
half of practice and then he faced the Steelers and
he threw four picks. In twenty twenty three, he missed
all a camp with the calf shows up week one
in the rains. Now he couldn't move, but he didn't
look anywhere near himself, And I guess we'll see what

(47:41):
his mobility looks like Thursday night as well. Now it's
been on my mind now as Zach Taylor, Dan Pitcher,
and Joe Burrow, all three of them completely disagreed with that.
They feel like the carryover from preseason, from training camp
and from week one to two.

Speaker 12 (47:58):
Hasn't worn off.

Speaker 11 (48:00):
They're almost talking about it like Burrow's missed two weeks
and if he's missed two weeks or wouldn't be russed.
You know, obviously it's over two months. But how they've
spoken about it is, as we say in baseball, the
type of injury where you don't need a rehab assignment
before you come back. But I guess we'll see because
it's a really realistic concern that'll have to play.

Speaker 5 (48:20):
Around, Charlie.

Speaker 3 (48:22):
They have had success running the ball as of late,
Chase Brown's gone five games over the one hundred yard
mark in total yards. Is there any concern that the
return of Joe Burrow can deter that or can they
continue to build on this success in the ground game.

Speaker 11 (48:40):
I know, I just expressed the negativity there, but I
really am feeling pretty solid about the state of the offense.
It's still Joe Burrow we're talking about. I don't expect
him to be running all over the lot, but the
threat of Burrow's mobility compared to Flacco's does change the mask,
does open up opportunities, does give you more chances, more flexibility,

(49:00):
more creativity. And then just as a whole, the offensive
line in the run scheme have really really progressed and improved.
Scam Pitcher yesterday called it the biggest difference between the
Week two Bengals, the last MEMBERO played in the Bengals
team they have right now. So I feel very strong
about the state of the run game. About Chase Brown,
under stock, undershotgun, under center, it doesn't really matter. I

(49:22):
think I think they're gonna keep running the ball up.

Speaker 4 (49:24):
You mentioned I think last Friday when when you were
on with Tony that you think that that's one of
the more overblown narratives around this season, the under center thing.
Can you kind of explain why you feel that way?

Speaker 11 (49:37):
It just all depends on who you're playing. What if
you're playing a team with superstar dynamic, what if you're
facing Kyle Hamilton at safety and you know, we'll see
how they use them tomorrow. He's a bit banged up too.
And every time you go under center, they have a
rule where Kyle Hamilton's gonna blitz and you have slow
guards who can't pick up blitzers from ranges they're not expecting.

(49:58):
So in that matchup, then every time you line up
under center, you're inviting a negative situation for your past protection.
Like there are a million different examples like that of
how the chess match unfold. Now there are opportunities and
examples where under center perfectly leans into your hands and
leads into your advantages. And the history really does show

(50:19):
when the Bengals a demonstrated with a capital the advantage
and going under under center. They've done that, They've had
success with that, They've come up with big plays from that,
both with a run game and with the play action game.
It's funny too, like you know, the line teams are
a revolving door of the ping pong tables in to
light in the mood and ping pong tables out because

(50:40):
they're getting serious. I feel like football is a sport
where it's you know, you're either going under center more
because you feel like you need to establish the run
and get more answers. But then the other end of
that cycle is going back to shotgun because your offense
got too stagnant. So it's not like there's one sales
safe way and the Bengals of shown will.

Speaker 3 (50:59):
Do things different the one difference tomorrow night, and it's
not like they've operated without one of these guys before.
It would be nice when Joe Burrow was back to
have his full complement of weapons. They won't have T Higgins.
We know Jamar Chase and his history against the Baltimore Ravens.
How much will it impact this offense and the Ravens'
ability to game plan the Bengals when you don't have

(51:21):
T Higgins out there.

Speaker 11 (51:24):
What you really felt last week against the Patriots when
Jamar was out was the lack of Yack verticality that
year with the ball in your hands is separating down
the field. That obviously Jamar brings to the table and
the Ravens have never I know, they had some good
games against him in twenty twenty two, but the Ravens

(51:45):
have never really had a clear answer to stop Jamar Chase.
They'll still sell out to stop Jamar. I expect that
to be their plan. The Bengals had their own counters
to that. Last season. They featured Jamar a lot out
of the slot, a lot on screens. But it's also
going to be one of those games where, and I
believe the I want to say the Jets games. What
was this game where Dan Pitcher said to the offense

(52:07):
the night before, like, we're gonna need some people not
named Jamar and t to make plays this week because
of what we're expecting. I think tomorrow will be another
game like that where they have to find some sort
of at least the threat of an explosive element, whether
that's from Yasicki or Mitch Tinsley or Kenner Hudson or
Charlie Jones or Yoshavas or wherever that comes from. They

(52:28):
do need at least one more threat to keep them honest.
But on the whole, they're gonna run this game through Jamar.

Speaker 3 (52:35):
Chase on the defensive side of the ball. Charlie, are
there things you can take from the previous matchup and say, Okay,
the defense has taken a step in the right direction.
I thought Al Golden, I thought he let it fly
a little bit more. I thought he changed up the
looks and you saw some success against New England. Did
you see things against the Patriots the youth you think

(52:56):
are sustainable and things they can build on to continue
to get better as a defense what I liked.

Speaker 11 (53:02):
And they did this early in the year as well
on third downs, and then for whatever reason, they went
away from it a bit. Then they brought it back,
that creativity from a third down defense perspective, Like I've
got my notes right here. There was a play where
they blitzed dack Hill and DJ Ivy and had Chills
side takeaway a guy quickly. They had Chris Jenkins dropping
back and covered once. They had one third down where

(53:24):
they played it pretty or excuse me. They had one
third down where they had three defensive linemen and three
super high safeties like a prevent defense, and then the
very next third down they go all in cover zero,
catch straight man of blitz nearly get to pick six
to DJ Tournament would have won that game in the
final few minutes from Cincinnati. So being able to lean
into more of that is the next step for this defense.

(53:45):
A stematic creativity that they felt like they couldn't do.
The biggest thing they did last week was they tackled,
like finally, and so much of why they had been
so bad just came down to that. Now, I'm still
very worried about these rookie linebackers, and I'm very very
worried about these line We're worried about these rookie linebackers

(54:05):
against the Ravens team that'll do the thing that the
Bengals defense has struggled with the most recently, which is
shotgun two tight end sets that plays into the Ravens
hands pretty well. But if they tackle and they have
some ideas, they have a chance.

Speaker 4 (54:18):
Do you think that Al Golden maybe unlocked a new
role for Geno Stone, saw him up at the line
of scrimmage a little bit more, saw him blitz a
little bit, and overall looked like an entirely different player
than the guy we saw the previous week against Pittsburgh.
What do you make to turnaround last week at Genostone?

Speaker 6 (54:37):
I think the.

Speaker 11 (54:39):
Way he tackled early in the game, like he saw
a ball go through the basket almost and you saw
that gear start to turn for him, playing with confidence
and playing with momentum, which he hasn't been able to
do nearly enough of in the Bengals uniform. Now, while
you know, if he tackles better, you know what you'll
take that, You'll take that baseline safety play.

Speaker 12 (55:02):
Now.

Speaker 11 (55:02):
I don't think Geno Stone as all of a sudden
overnight turned into this dynamic playmaker who's going to be
lining up all over the field and changing the map
and you know being you know von Bell with all
the ways he keeps you off guard and all the
different ways he has the ability to make last plays.
I just don't think that's you know, Stone. I think
it's more likely that he just had the best game
of his Bengals career and it's not going to consistently

(55:23):
be at that level. But if he can just keep
tackling and keep that confidence up, you can work with that.
That's that's fine.

Speaker 3 (55:34):
Uh Miles Murphy, Charlie, what about him? We've seen him
getting home, not all the way, but pressures have been up.
I feel like I've noticed him more on the defensive
side of the ball.

Speaker 5 (55:44):
Are we seeing.

Speaker 3 (55:45):
A growth now from Miles Murphy as the season rolls on?

Speaker 11 (55:51):
Honestly, I have the bar set higher for Miles. He's
been playing some of the best games of his career.
He showed up against a run. He has just a
better bend, rip it off the edge that you've seen
a few times really show up. But he's still not
finishing it off, and he's still not killing drives. He
has the ability and the traits to do those, that's

(56:13):
the next step. One other thing I've been very impressed
with is his hustle. I think it's very notable that
Al Golden's kind of money quote on Mauth the other
day was he just has a different look in his
eye and he's carrying himself with a little more of
what you want to see from your theoretical standout defensive end.
But for me, the bar is at that position for

(56:33):
a guy with that pick is kill drives. And while
he's done that once or twice or a couple of times,
he still hasn't been doing that even though or really regularly,
even though these have been some of the best games
for his career. So you know, it's a quarterback who
he's shown he can chase down and Lamar Jackson his
speed really needs to be a big difference maker this week.

Speaker 3 (56:54):
Charlie Howe Overall offense, Defense, special teams. What's the path
tomorrow night? To find a way to beat the Ravens
and to essentially keep the season alive.

Speaker 11 (57:05):
You just have to find one way to create a turnover,
whether that's you know, Geno Stone, maybe doing some more
of the things we're talking about, combined with a wrinkle
where maybe you can beat the Ravens on a specific play.
I'm okay with maybe even being a bit more volatile
over aggressive, leaving yourself susceptible with a play call, not
with you your tackling or anything like that, but susceptible

(57:28):
with a play call to getting beat deep if it
gives you a better shot for that type of turnover,
because I still don't see how this defense gets stops
on a down to down basis, and then the offense
just needs to stay a fishing avoid negative plays, keep
burrowing situations where he's comfortable, keep burrowing situations where he
doesn't have to feel like he's a hero. And if
he has that, even though it's his first game back,

(57:50):
he'll have the answers, he'll have the momentum, he'll have
the ability to more than keep you in this game,
to lead you to a win. Possibly in this game
with a turnover and some help around him on the
other side.

Speaker 3 (58:02):
Also Charlie happening this weekend. They call it the game.
It's Ohio State and Michigan, And you know, earlier in
the week, Austin kind of just downplayed it, as you know,
it doesn't really matter as much as it did. And
here we are later in the week. It's starting to
become real again for Austin. What do you make of
this rendition of the game and does Ohio State break
this streak?

Speaker 11 (58:24):
I wonder if this is finally the year where the
playmaking on their defense fully imposes their wealth, their will
fully takes over the game. This to me is a
big Matt Patricia game with what he can do to
maximize on that and set the tone that way, with
the scheme, with the play calling, with the aggression they have,
with the unbelievable talent they have on that defense, and

(58:46):
the Michigan guys they're counting on, I believe, some pretty
young guys. But hey, you know, Michigan. You know you
don't need me to tell you that Michigan has been
pretty good in a still.

Speaker 4 (58:54):
Healthy If you're Duke Tobin, rvel Reese, Caden McDonald or
Caleb downs.

Speaker 11 (58:59):
Oh, I'm not there yet.

Speaker 5 (59:02):
I'm not yet, Charlie.

Speaker 3 (59:04):
I respect that that you've not turned the page yet.

Speaker 11 (59:09):
I'm not there yet.

Speaker 3 (59:10):
You're living in the present, Charlie. He's not there yet.
He says, you're living in the present, and I appreciate that.

Speaker 11 (59:17):
Yeah, you only do what you can do.

Speaker 5 (59:18):
You know, it makes a lot of sense. What's it
looked like? What? What's your what's your Thanksgiving weekend look like?

Speaker 7 (59:24):
Here?

Speaker 5 (59:24):
Charlie? What are you gonna be doing?

Speaker 11 (59:27):
What am I going to be doing? The families in town,
you know, with a whole family, you know, most of
my families in Cincinnati anyway. Truthfully, I heard Utopia too
was really good.

Speaker 12 (59:36):
Oh.

Speaker 11 (59:36):
I think some of the family might go see that.

Speaker 5 (59:38):
Interesting.

Speaker 11 (59:40):
I don't think there's a UC basketball game this weekend,
so that won't be on the agenda. Keeping a low key,
I honestly I'll watch some film too, hang out with
the family, get ready for next week.

Speaker 5 (59:50):
Love it, Charlie.

Speaker 3 (59:51):
We're certainly thankful for you here on Cincy three to sixty.
We appreciate your time. Have a great holiday, and we'll
talk again next week.

Speaker 5 (59:58):
Travels Chuck, thanks man, Thanks guys.

Speaker 3 (01:00:01):
Here he is, Charlie Goldsmith, there he is, he's you
know what I respect?

Speaker 5 (01:00:08):
What's that?

Speaker 3 (01:00:08):
A lot of these a lot of these folks that
follow football and the cover teams now they're already diving
into the mock draft stuff. Charlie's like, no, it's not
time for six games left. There's six games left on
this schedule. Let's focus on the now. And I appreciate
that from Charlie, just as I appreciate our listeners and
our talkbackers. And we'll get to that next. Your talkbacks

(01:00:29):
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 15 (01:00:32):
Hey, it's Mallleger. Did you miss yesterday's show. You can
listen to it now. Search the Mulleggers Show on the
iHeartRadio app and join me this afternoon live starting at
three oh five on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 5 (01:00:45):
It's that time for talkbacks.

Speaker 18 (01:00:47):
Press the microphone and record your message for Austin and tone.

Speaker 5 (01:00:52):
Please keep it.

Speaker 18 (01:00:52):
Clean and dope, be mean and a sprinkle, sprinkle, drip drip.

Speaker 5 (01:00:59):
It's that time. But talkbacks.

Speaker 18 (01:01:01):
It's our favorite tarter since three sixty So Austin, buddy,
play those backs on your screen and please ride out
to Sabotag.

Speaker 14 (01:01:13):
Here we go.

Speaker 5 (01:01:14):
It's our Thanksgiving Eve edition. Here Austin of talkbacks, Yes,
indeed it is. Yes, indeed, let's do it. Yes, indeed
it is. Let's just do it. Make sure I have
these all loaded properly. Let's do it.

Speaker 4 (01:01:28):
Let's know you just don't want to screw it up
on an important day.

Speaker 5 (01:01:31):
We get it like today, we get he.

Speaker 19 (01:01:33):
Then talking Tunkey, Tony and Austin with the Bengals playing
on Thanksgiving. It's got me wondering has Joe Burrow had
turned duck in before? Got an important question for you guys?
Stop bench cut turkey, duck chicken. Happy Thanksgiving gentlemen.

Speaker 3 (01:01:56):
I'm a chicken guy, so I'll start chicken. I will
bench turkey because I do I do. I don't eat
turkey much during the year, but I will indulge in
a lot of turkey tomorrow.

Speaker 14 (01:02:07):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (01:02:07):
And then duck is kind most of my meat consumption.
It's like sixty forty chicken turkey. Okay, I eat turkey
just but I don't eat a lot of red meat
hardly at all. So I'll start chicken. I'll go turkey.
I've never had duck, but I would try it. I've
heard it's really good.

Speaker 5 (01:02:25):
Okay, as good as my wits.

Speaker 13 (01:02:29):
Yes, happy Turkey, drop me everybody.

Speaker 7 (01:02:36):
Tony, I hope you're feeling better.

Speaker 6 (01:02:39):
Atti.

Speaker 7 (01:02:39):
I hope your boy.

Speaker 20 (01:02:40):
Julian Ess saying beats Michigan this weekend. I hope the
Bengals can find a way to get a win tomorrow
night with Joey Head Bamburro there. Take care of everybody to
have a great Thanksgivin. Thank you, Kevin, Thank you, keV.
Happy Thanksgiving, Triple Gobble, thank you.

Speaker 21 (01:03:05):
Hey, guys, it's Jeff and New Richmond. I just wanted
to call real quick and say thank you for everything
that you guys do. Have a listeners, callers, talkbackers, frequent
guests that we have every single week. It takes a
village to make this show as special as it is,
and I want to wish each and every one of

(01:03:26):
you a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Take
care and I love you all.

Speaker 22 (01:03:32):
Oh wow, Jeff, thank you, appreciate you man Happy.

Speaker 5 (01:03:38):
I was walking out of TQO Stadium.

Speaker 23 (01:03:40):
I could have swore I heard this coming from an
alleyway just one rough the weekend man.

Speaker 5 (01:03:46):
Anyway, what's this.

Speaker 7 (01:03:50):
Jill Burrows coming back? Jill Burrow's coming back.

Speaker 5 (01:03:54):
Give me one little hit a Hopium. Let's go happy Thanksgiving.
Let's go hoping hoping Hopium. They say.

Speaker 24 (01:04:07):
It's the Lord Happy Thanksgiving talkback Nation. I hope everybody
has some time off and gets to spend time with
family and friends. Speaking of time off, does Moager ever work?
And when he does work, he only works two days
a week at either a bar or restaurant. I would

(01:04:31):
sure love to have his job.

Speaker 17 (01:04:33):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:04:33):
Let us not forget that Moe is part of the
pregame show with you and Ken Brew home Bengals games.
He's also the pre and postgame host of UC Bearcats
football and basketball, and he does his show and you
know what, Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Moegar is hosting pregame Sports
Talk Wow ahead of countdown to kick right here. So

(01:04:56):
the Moager slander will not be tolerated.

Speaker 24 (01:05:01):
Oh I forgot my Bengal prediction. Yeah, we all dangled
five Ravens twenty eight cool?

Speaker 25 (01:05:07):
He said, Hey, Tony, and I first want to say
I want to wish you Tony and Aus in a
very very happy, wonderful Thanksgiving and I just feel really
grateful that, you know, we have you two to listen
to each day. And I'm also grateful that as hard
as it is to follow our teams, we're lucky to

(01:05:28):
have two professional teams in our city and we have
uc an X Shoe and the soccer team as well.
So have a great Thanksgiving.

Speaker 5 (01:05:37):
Thank you you too. We appreciate you. It's Jack Ever
and Kyle Joe.

Speaker 26 (01:05:41):
We all saw the Kendrick Perkins Sanders is the most
powerful black man two thousand.

Speaker 5 (01:05:45):
And nine Obama quote. We didn't, you know, we all
know it's rage bait.

Speaker 7 (01:05:48):
We all know it's clickbait whatever.

Speaker 4 (01:05:50):
Just so, just so, just before you continue, you don't
have to live in a world where you consume the
content of Kendrick Perkins. Yeah, I don't. I didn't see that.
This is the first time hearing of it. Yeah, that's
just so you know, it's it's easy to not engage
with this nonsense.

Speaker 26 (01:06:08):
I'm not going to get too into it. I just
wanted to point out a couple of things. One Obama
had Osama been lying assassinated in twenty eleven post two
thousand and nine, and he's not dead favorite all time
clickbait quote just dropped.

Speaker 5 (01:06:22):
I love it.

Speaker 27 (01:06:23):
Yeah, come on DP fifteen, Audie d am w g Man,
Well tell us.

Speaker 7 (01:06:30):
I woke up super grateful today. It's almost Thanksgiving.

Speaker 27 (01:06:32):
It's that time of year we kind of get reflective
on all the things that have happened this past year.

Speaker 7 (01:06:37):
And I love the show.

Speaker 27 (01:06:38):
I listened to some point almost every day and I
just wanted to drop a talk back and speak for
talkback Nation.

Speaker 7 (01:06:44):
Man, we are super grateful for you all do a
great job.

Speaker 27 (01:06:47):
Love the show, keep up the great work, and hope
you guys have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Speaker 5 (01:06:53):
Let's go, thanks man, Let's go.

Speaker 28 (01:06:57):
Hey, guys, can you ask Moe a question? Has he
been trying to work in six seven into his shows
us this week? Because I keep hearing him say he's like,
you know, he was out for six or seven weeks.

Speaker 12 (01:07:12):
Uh had six or seven targets.

Speaker 28 (01:07:14):
Like it's been a couple times this week, and it
just seems if if he was doing that, it'd be
pretty funny.

Speaker 5 (01:07:23):
I don't think Mo would partake in that.

Speaker 4 (01:07:26):
I would not put it past him though, No, just
as a joke to himself, he would do that.

Speaker 5 (01:07:31):
Yeah, Hello, this is.

Speaker 17 (01:07:33):
The President Ronald Reagan and a Well, I'm especially thankful
for the Auto Pen. I have been pardoning dozens and
dozens of turkeys the last couple of days. Oh and
speaking of Thanksgiving, I am extremely thankful for you, both
of you and this show, and frankly for all the
contributors to it. Have a very happy, safe Thanksgiving everyone.

Speaker 22 (01:07:57):
Thank you, mister President, Thank you appreciate that at the
Auto Pen. Oh, great sun, damn, damn.

Speaker 5 (01:08:20):
If you know, you know, let's get the band back together.
Let's do this thing. Oh, I love it. I can
only imagine what that means. Well, we used to do.

Speaker 3 (01:08:29):
Ah, we used to do a reading bar pub crawl
on the night before Thanksgiving. And yes, this is where
he got hit by a car, did damage to the
car and got sighted for it. This used to be
one of the main events of the year. I mean
we we don't just limit it the bars. We go

(01:08:51):
into Ponycakes, we go into gast I mean everywhere we
were going into. And that song Austin, when you heard
that song on a jukebox, you better pay out because
we're leaving. That was our That was the signal because
it was such a big group of people once you
heard black Betty, it's time to go.

Speaker 5 (01:09:10):
That's good.

Speaker 29 (01:09:10):
I like that.

Speaker 30 (01:09:11):
Tony Pike, Hall of Famer, Austin Elmore, steadfast warrior of
the airwaves.

Speaker 5 (01:09:16):
Stump from Ross.

Speaker 30 (01:09:18):
Jim, I'm calling to wish you everybody at since three sixty,
all the listeners, Moeger, Tarn, Bland, Drew and the ones
and twos the best Thanksgiving ever.

Speaker 5 (01:09:31):
It will be for me.

Speaker 30 (01:09:33):
My sister has been in kidney failure for years and
she just received a kidney Thanksgiving ever.

Speaker 5 (01:09:39):
Guys, Awesome, That's awesome, Jim, that is awesome. Congratulations and
hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving.

Speaker 31 (01:09:46):
Tony Audi TJ E Side, Thank you guys and all
the talkbackers for the daily entertainment. ADDI I grew up
brooting for the Targos, love the Bulls, been cheering for
the Bucks since like fifth grade. Suck a tea to
you in for all that common outy years on, Zach
and Mike Brown still rile me up. That's what makes
it fun, Tony. Pretty much all of your standpoints are facts.

(01:10:07):
You're a fact machine spinning up facts on local sports.
Thanks for your superior and intelligent takes on Cindy Sports.
Thanks talkbackers for making me laugh daily happy Thanksgiving.

Speaker 5 (01:10:16):
I'd just like to keep it at that, you know,
kind of my standpoint.

Speaker 4 (01:10:19):
Wow, that's awesome. I didn't realize we had that much commonality.

Speaker 10 (01:10:23):
H Oh.

Speaker 32 (01:10:24):
It's a great sports few days. Like you said, it's
a great games on Thanksgiving, great games on Friday, yes,
obviously Saturday and Sunday.

Speaker 5 (01:10:36):
Saturday.

Speaker 32 (01:10:36):
I'll tell you Lamar Jackson has not thrown a touchdown
pass the last two weeks. I know he didn't throw
one last week because they killed one of my parlays.
I think if you can slow down, Henry, we got
we got a good chance for the W.

Speaker 5 (01:10:51):
All right, the W. Let's go W.

Speaker 7 (01:10:55):
Hey, Tony and Austin.

Speaker 5 (01:10:57):
What is Austin Elmore's middle name? Michigan? Gonna hand you
that el Moore? Yes, Sam, Yes.

Speaker 4 (01:11:09):
As much as I hate that points points for creativity,
points for being part of the show, I respect it.

Speaker 33 (01:11:18):
Hey, Austin, Tony, this is Steve down here in Parkland, Florida.
Have Thanksgiving to you guys in case I doubt you're
on the air tomorrow, So hope you guys have a
good one. John from Boston, I think we need to
talk about maybe a weekly sponsored segment.

Speaker 7 (01:11:35):
Let's look into some sponsorship. That guy said is just.

Speaker 33 (01:11:38):
A natural on the radio. I think if we did
some digging, he's probably got a radio show somewhere.

Speaker 5 (01:11:44):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:11:45):
I'm going on the air with some guy from Boston
tomorrow morning. They've asked me to come on and talk
talk about the Bengals Ravens game. I'm gonna ask him,
you know, John and Boston. John, He's gonna be like, Yeah,
we got about forty of them that call the show
every day, you know, John.

Speaker 34 (01:12:01):
Yeah, it's Greg Sharon Good. You know, I've been listening
to this fantastic show for four years now. I enjoy
it every day. And this Thanksgiving I'm very thankful.

Speaker 5 (01:12:13):
Tony you got your job back, me too.

Speaker 34 (01:12:16):
And then you and Austin will continue on as a
team to do this fantastic show. So happy Thanksgiving to
both of you guys and your families.

Speaker 5 (01:12:27):
Thank you appreciate that. Greg, Thanks Greg.

Speaker 35 (01:12:32):
Tony and Austin elvi Ken of Utah here. I just
wanted to wish you and my fellow talking backers theyre
having Thanksgiving. We're on our way to Southern Utah. Where
we will spend the holiday tomorrow at Rife Canyon and
at Zion National Park, and we will be watching Joe

(01:12:52):
Burrow and the Bengals from an Airbnb in connect So
happy Thanksgiving.

Speaker 5 (01:13:00):
No beagleson, Let's go. It ain't too bad there, that's
a good way to joy it.

Speaker 7 (01:13:04):
Now.

Speaker 36 (01:13:05):
If you broke both of your hands and Doc says, sorry, Bud,
you can't use your hands for three months, which meant
you couldn't eat a skyline, cheeze coney or cut into
a three ways, you'd be miserable.

Speaker 5 (01:13:16):
Cut it off.

Speaker 36 (01:13:16):
But if you somehow got better in two months, you'd
be right back in there. Because you're an eater and
you love to eat. Joe Burrow's a football player and
he loves to play football. Damn right, I get it, man.
You want to get in there, do what you do best.
Be an eater, be a football player. Yeah, go out
there and win.

Speaker 8 (01:13:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:13:35):
Yeah, I'll tell you what now.

Speaker 37 (01:13:36):
Austin, Austin Antoni's when we drew from South Bend, got
a lot to be thankful for. Great family, great kids,
great job, great business.

Speaker 5 (01:13:48):
Great Cincinnati talk.

Speaker 37 (01:13:49):
I remember when I was a kid, my dad had
a high tech radio for at least for back then,
and I used to tune in to WLW and listen
to Bob Trumpy walk around the house trying to get
that reception. So I'm really thankful for you guys in Mo.

Speaker 5 (01:14:02):
It's really quality talk.

Speaker 7 (01:14:04):
Uh. I just enjoy it.

Speaker 5 (01:14:05):
Have a have a great Thanksgiving. Thank you, thank you.
I appreciate that.

Speaker 29 (01:14:09):
That repping the city out here, Sonny hots On or
what updy?

Speaker 5 (01:14:13):
First things? First, one to say happy Thanksgiving everybody back
in Cincinnati, miss my hometown. Happy Thanksgiving to all my
sense he peeps on the radio on talk back.

Speaker 38 (01:14:21):
You know how it goes man Without you guys on
this radio show, Man, I swear I'll be lost because
this is keep this keeps me close to home.

Speaker 5 (01:14:28):
You feel me. You gotta understand. Keep me close to home.
And Bengals will win thirty one to twenty eight. Run
the ball.

Speaker 29 (01:14:34):
I want to run it down the rat bird's throat
and no coach sat they see still hot.

Speaker 5 (01:14:38):
You better win. Keeps reminding God, I love it, he
lets he lets Tom Turkey.

Speaker 1 (01:14:45):
I'm just going to wish you to a happy Thanksgiving.

Speaker 7 (01:14:49):
A haughty I'll try to call you during the Bengals
postgame show. I might be thicking my neck out.

Speaker 5 (01:15:01):
Yeah time. I hope you make it to the postgame.
You can care for a double up.

Speaker 38 (01:15:04):
My go to plate easy ham, homemade mashed potatoes, some
gravy of course, some collar greens with some smoked meat
in it. Of course, chicken or turkey, whatever is your preference.
The bird is the bird for the holiday. You did
what I'm saying, a slice of cheesecake. Yo, gotta have
macaroni and cheese. Not just any type of macaroni and cheese.

(01:15:25):
You need to be smacking macing coming out the oven
with the crispy burn edges on the side.

Speaker 5 (01:15:30):
That's smacking macing with some football serving.

Speaker 4 (01:15:32):
Talk, he says, smacking mac from anti ham and anti cheesecake.

Speaker 5 (01:15:37):
Smacking mac.

Speaker 23 (01:15:39):
There's some sort of a wck white things getting giveaway
happening here in Baltimore.

Speaker 7 (01:15:43):
Dang on, what is that?

Speaker 23 (01:15:44):
I can see it now. That's a helicopter and it's
coming this way. That's some sort of large banner on it.
It says Happy thanks Giving from sency three sixty.

Speaker 7 (01:16:00):
Somethings following from it. But that's not a sky diver.

Speaker 5 (01:16:03):
Well, dirty rat hed Hay, Thanksgivings go Danglard, thank you,
good job, Hey.

Speaker 7 (01:16:10):
Guys, Marcus Roagrove.

Speaker 39 (01:16:12):
Happy Thanksgiving to you guys and your families. I'm always
thankful for the both of you and the show. It
makes noon to three every single day a whole lot easier.
And also want to say that I am not a
stuffings guy.

Speaker 7 (01:16:29):
Never was just not very good.

Speaker 5 (01:16:32):
Damn it, Marcus Smart, I knew it.

Speaker 40 (01:16:34):
Buddy asked me this question. I thought it was pretty interesting.
If you were a fan of any team besides the Chiefs, Ravens, Bills,
or Charterers, you know, because they all got great quarterbacks.
Would you take Burrow and Chase but you also have
to bring along Mike Brown, Zach Taylor, Duke Token.

Speaker 7 (01:16:53):
Would you do it?

Speaker 5 (01:16:54):
Yes?

Speaker 40 (01:16:55):
Yes, I said no, because yeah, you're gonna get Burrow
and Chase, bring your seven years or whatever, but you
got to deal with Mike Brown and Dacktail and that
ownership forever.

Speaker 5 (01:17:05):
No one's quarterbacks. We talk about an important position, yes,
in sports?

Speaker 7 (01:17:10):
Correct?

Speaker 41 (01:17:10):
What do you think Zach Taylor and Duke Tobin's favorite
Thanksgiving Day foods are unbuttered roll mashed potatoes with no gravy.

Speaker 5 (01:17:21):
Maybe Mac Smack, No, jeez, just Mack just back.

Speaker 42 (01:17:28):
Hey, Geno, this is Duke Tobin of the Cincinnati Bengals.
We really value how you took that pay cut this year,
so moving into next season, we'd love to offer you
the deal of a lifetime for seventeen weekly payments of
nineteen ninety five, you two can be the Bengals safety.

Speaker 5 (01:17:44):
What do you say? Hey, Y'allice is Ryan?

Speaker 11 (01:17:49):
Many gobbles and many thanks to y'all.

Speaker 5 (01:17:51):
And who day, Thank you? Ryan?

Speaker 13 (01:17:54):
Ked be close to home and b I'm rocking with you, Ronnie.

Speaker 5 (01:17:57):
Ron But have you heard about this?

Speaker 12 (01:17:59):
What?

Speaker 5 (01:18:02):
Oh my god? No way, yes, bawling the freaking jos.

Speaker 17 (01:18:15):
What's up?

Speaker 11 (01:18:16):
Tell you?

Speaker 5 (01:18:16):
Also, Joe and Baltimore?

Speaker 7 (01:18:17):
What up?

Speaker 16 (01:18:18):
Joe?

Speaker 7 (01:18:18):
What wish you guys?

Speaker 5 (01:18:19):
Big and Baltim Thanksgiving.

Speaker 10 (01:18:21):
I'm gonna be there tomorrow night to watch our boys
take down the Ravens.

Speaker 5 (01:18:24):
We'll bring it home, Joe.

Speaker 7 (01:18:26):
It's gonna be a big win. Whoday, Go Bengals, Go
bear Cats.

Speaker 5 (01:18:31):
There it is?

Speaker 12 (01:18:32):
Come on?

Speaker 14 (01:18:33):
That was it?

Speaker 12 (01:18:33):
Come on?

Speaker 5 (01:18:34):
That's our Thanksgiving talk?

Speaker 3 (01:18:35):
You know what, man, I'm thankful for our talkbackers and
listeners as of min Thanks to everyone that that that
expressed that today we have a football in the Natti.
When we return, maybe a little bit of what Joe
Burrow had to say in his press conference yesterday. Next
on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:18:53):
Joe Burrow is back and he plays here on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the Official Hall look the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 5 (01:19:02):
Actual praise will have been on Natty, brought to.

Speaker 2 (01:19:05):
You by Bud Light on ESPN fifteen thirty, the Official
Home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:19:13):
All right, welcome back, a little football in the Natti
for your Thanksgiving Eve afternoon. Keegan Nickoson will join us
at two o'clock just so you can prepare them. We'll
make our weekly picks right after that. Austin, let's just
let's go to yesterday and hearing from Joe Burrow and
Jamar Chase. I know we kind of talked about, you know,

(01:19:35):
the overall gist of what Joe Burrow had to say,
and you know, I give him credit because I do.
I think it just showed the leadership that Joe Burrow
operates with and it's something that I can certainly respect
of understanding kind of what goes into that rehab process
and getting back to full health and being there for
your team when I do think it would have been

(01:19:55):
easier to just kind of say, hey, well, we'll see
you next year. I think that from Joe Burrow is
is awesome. Anything else that he said Austin that stood
out to you from yesterday when he spoke to the media, Yeah,
there was.

Speaker 4 (01:20:09):
A couple of things that I found interesting. I know
mo I talked to him yesterday and I asked, I
asked him, like, what does he want to hear from
Joe Burrow? Sure, and he said he wanted to hear
that he was one hundred percent. Well, this was an
exchange between Jay Morrison and Joe Burrow.

Speaker 5 (01:20:32):
I assume it's fair to say that it was not
one hundred percent. Where would you put it right now?

Speaker 41 (01:20:37):
It's tough to say I feel confident that I can
go out and do everything that I need to do
to win a game.

Speaker 4 (01:20:43):
Doesn't necessarily say that it's one hundred percent, right, doesn't
really put an estimation on it. That gives me a
little bit of pause. However, Joe did try to explain
why he didn't end up playing against the Patriots.

Speaker 41 (01:21:00):
I was feeling good and Wednesday, Thursday, practice happened. I
took a lot of reps. My body was pre sore,
not necessarily my toe. My toe feels great, but just
the rest of my body being back.

Speaker 7 (01:21:12):
Out there for so long.

Speaker 41 (01:21:13):
And uh, I was confident that I could get that
right in order to play on Sunday. But Zach ended
up thinking that Thursday was it was better to wait
the extra four days.

Speaker 7 (01:21:26):
And I think that was a good decision.

Speaker 4 (01:21:28):
Okay, so says no soreness in the toe, says the
toe feels great, but didn't say that it's one hundred percent.

Speaker 5 (01:21:36):
So that I found to be interesting.

Speaker 3 (01:21:38):
Yeah, And I think the idea of you know, wasn't
one hundred percent, didn't feel great after a couple of days,
but was okay to do it. And I think it's
something to be said that Zach kind of came and said, okay,
let's let's push back then.

Speaker 4 (01:21:49):
Yeah, and he did say that, you know, it was
ultimately Zach's decision, and you know, the medical people talk,
Joe talk, everybody talked together, and it was on Zach
to decide what he wants to do. And I think
it's fair if you know, Joe is obviously admitting after
two or three days of practice, I was pretty sore.

Speaker 5 (01:22:08):
My body was pretty sore.

Speaker 4 (01:22:09):
So imagine how sore he would be after playing a
game against the Patriots and then having to turn around
and play a Thursday night game.

Speaker 5 (01:22:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:22:17):
So I understand where Zach's coming from with that. And
you know, I think one of the parts we haven't
maybe talked about that much is these Thursday night games
are tough, especially when you travel, especially when you're you know,
on the road in the AFC North. Joe's going to
be fresh, Jamar is going to be fresh. That's at
least a good thing.

Speaker 3 (01:22:35):
Yeah, without a doubt, anything from Jamar Chase that stood out.

Speaker 4 (01:22:40):
I watched that whole thing, and that was a guy
who had no interest in talking to anybody.

Speaker 3 (01:22:46):
Yeah, like I and I was remember we asked a
question like does what happened? Does that influence his relationship
with the media?

Speaker 4 (01:22:56):
Like, well, I think I'll be honest, Yesterday I watched
that and it was just question after question after question
about it, and I thought to myself, dear God, don't
they understand he's not going to give you anything to
My perception of Jamar is that he doesn't regret it.

(01:23:20):
Jalen Ramsey crossed the line, so Jamar crossed it back.
It sucks that he had to miss a game, but
he doesn't feel bad about it, and he hates that
it's now been blown all out of proportion and everybody
says all these terrible things about him when who knows
what was said or done by Jalen Ramsey to spur it,
and Jamar just kind of has to sit there and
take it, and he's dealing with it. And the questions

(01:23:43):
yesterday I thought were just like give it a break,
And now that was just my perception of it. And
I think maybe he'll get back to his old self eventually.
But you lose another game, you miss out on it? Yeah, stuff?

Speaker 6 (01:24:00):
Did it?

Speaker 3 (01:24:01):
Certainly something to watch do? And this was yesterday and
I know you guys obviously took advantage of it. Well,
was there an issue that he didn't specifically mentioned Jalen
Ramsey and his apology for you?

Speaker 4 (01:24:13):
So I don't know either. I think that I know
a lot of people made it a big deal, but
I don't think so. I think that's a statement. I
think that says, yeah, I'm sorry that I did something
that hurt my team. I'm not sorry that that person
had to suffer. Yeah, and I'm telling you there are
a lot of people around the National Football League probably
feel the same, feel very similarly about Jalen Ramsey.

Speaker 3 (01:24:37):
All Right, one more break a touch and go. Keing
and Nickoson will kick off our number three next on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:24:45):
You've been listening to football in the NATI on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 8 (01:24:57):
Sure, since he three sixty continues, He's on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (01:25:14):
Welcome back since e three to sixty ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports Station, A service of our good friends at
Cincy Shirts. What else do we got going on right now?
We've got college football weekend. We talked about Ohio State
and Michigan. We're gonna spend some time when we get

(01:25:36):
back in just a few minutes talking to Keegan Nickison
of Bearcat Journal dot com. He's gonna get us up
to speed on everything going on with the UC Bearcats.
A game tonight against Eastern Michigan in basketball, followed by
Saturday's game on the road at TCU a three point
thirty start, kind of mixed in the middle Austin of

(01:25:56):
what should be a pretty fun college football weekkend. Is
this what's known as rivalry weekend in college football? Yeah,
we've got Feast week happening in college basketball right now.
Rivalry weekend in college football. Friday night, well, Friday afternoon,
egg be there. It is day after the Turkeys come through.

(01:26:20):
Friday Black Friday. People out shopping. If you don't want
to shop, you can watch the Bears and the Eagles.
You can also watch the Egg Bowl. That's Old miss
and Mississippi State. Rumors circulating on what Lane Kiffin's going
to do. He's going to make a decision. I guess
on Saturday. That should be interesting. Georgia Georgia Tech lost
a little bit of its thunder, I think because Georgia

(01:26:42):
Tech lost last week to Pittsburgh. But that's still a
top twenty five matchup. On Friday, Indiana's only got to
cover twenty eight and a half on the road at Purdue.
Do you think Austin, and we'll get to this in
our pick him as well, you think Texas got something
for Texas A and.

Speaker 15 (01:26:56):
M and all.

Speaker 3 (01:26:57):
Why wouldn't they all right, Do you know anything about
Texas A and m at the number three team in
the country, because I feel like I don't.

Speaker 4 (01:27:04):
I don't like the hoodies that Mike Elko wears, Okay,
because I don't think they fit him.

Speaker 5 (01:27:08):
Right, that's fair. That's all I know about Texas A
and in all right, a.

Speaker 3 (01:27:12):
Top twenty five Big Twelve battle finishes off the day
on Friday night, Arizona and Arizona State. Weird guy about
Kentucky Louisville. Kentucky's got to win to they need a
win for Bowl eligibility.

Speaker 5 (01:27:26):
I don't trust either one of those teams.

Speaker 3 (01:27:28):
Yeah, we'll talk Bearcats with Keegan Nickoson. By the way,
it is worth noting that right now in the College
Football Playoff rankings, you do have three Big Twelve teams
in the top thirteen. Utah comes in at thirteen, Texas
Tech is number five, b YU still at number eleven.

Speaker 7 (01:27:49):
Why is that?

Speaker 5 (01:27:51):
Why are they still at number eleven?

Speaker 17 (01:27:52):
No?

Speaker 5 (01:27:52):
Why is it? Why does that matter?

Speaker 17 (01:27:54):
Well?

Speaker 5 (01:27:54):
I'm just thinking of the College Football Playoff? Can the
Big twelve get two teams in it? Okay?

Speaker 25 (01:28:00):
Like that?

Speaker 3 (01:28:00):
Like if BYU goes to the College Football if they
go to the Big twelve title and they beat Texas Tech.
And Texas Tech right now is number five and they're
not going to lose to West Virginia. Do you keep
Texas Tech in the top twelve.

Speaker 5 (01:28:14):
You would hope if they're one of the twelve best teams.
I think so as well.

Speaker 4 (01:28:17):
We got that Dobe rule. We're gonna put like two
lane or somebody in two lane. Stupid two lane. All right,
let's talk to Keig when we come back. Kick Nikkis
and barcaut Journal dot Com. Next on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports Station, World.

Speaker 2 (01:28:31):
This is Tony Pike Cincy three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in hardby Penn Station East Coast Subs. Handcrafted it
hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries, in lemonade. It's all
about good taste. Penn Station East Coast Subs order on
line today. This is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (01:28:57):
All right, welcome back our three Thanks to Penn Station.
Thank you for listening on this the eve of Thanksgiving.
Let's get right to it. Bearcat's Hoops tonight, Bearcat's Football Saturday.
Let's go to the man covering both for barcat Journal
dot Com. Keg and Nicholson joining us right now. What's
up Kegan?

Speaker 7 (01:29:16):
Nothing much?

Speaker 3 (01:29:17):
How are you, Kiggan? What's your what's your Thanksgiving look like?
Any big plans?

Speaker 7 (01:29:23):
I think just going over to my dad's house and
eating as much green bean.

Speaker 9 (01:29:27):
Cast role as can possibly eat?

Speaker 5 (01:29:30):
Are you a stuffing guy?

Speaker 12 (01:29:31):
That not really, I'm not.

Speaker 7 (01:29:34):
A huge stuffing guy. It's it's turkey, it's rolls, it's
mashed potatoes and greening cast role, and then you put
a heaping coating of gravy on the entire plate.

Speaker 5 (01:29:44):
That's that's nice.

Speaker 6 (01:29:45):
We'll go to Uh.

Speaker 5 (01:29:46):
That is music to my ears. Chiegan.

Speaker 3 (01:29:48):
Let's start with tonight at fifth Stird Arena, Eastern Michigan
rolls into town.

Speaker 29 (01:29:56):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (01:29:56):
After what we were able to see against the New
Jersey Institute of Technology, what are you looking more forward
to most in tonight's basketball game? What do you want
to see from the Bearcats?

Speaker 7 (01:30:06):
I think the biggest thing would be Shanabias continuing to
be in an alpha on offense. He's already on alpha
and he was through the first five games, but you're
starting to see it more with Baba Miller.

Speaker 9 (01:30:18):
Missing he's kind of taken that initiative and.

Speaker 7 (01:30:21):
Being able to take over on the court. And he
was also playing good on the defensive side of the ball,
and he was rebounding and playing tight defense. So he's
one of the big bigger things. What they do with
Baba Miller is another big thing. I wouldn't expect him
to play. I haven't really heard any updates from the situation.
Coach West said that he didn't practice Saturday or Sunday

(01:30:43):
before Monday's game, and I really I wouldn't expect him.

Speaker 9 (01:30:47):
To play because the best case scenario is.

Speaker 7 (01:30:49):
That he practiced yesterday for the first time and then
would play today. So especially with Xavier on the horizon,
you want to make sure he's healthy for that. And
then another thing is Jordi Rudaz. It's kind of a
weird situation. He didn't play for two games. It didn't
seem that there was an injury. It was kind of
just a benching, like maybe Easton needs to adjust to

(01:31:11):
this level of play. And he played very very well
on Monday on both sides of the wall. He played aggressively,
he was going after loose balls, was passing the ball well,
handling the ball well and he made shots. So kind
of seeing him continue to develop and gain some trust
from coach Miller so he can put him in the
rotation consistently. Stacking two, three, maybe even four games is

(01:31:35):
a great way to do that.

Speaker 3 (01:31:36):
It is a matchup tonight, they played Tarlton State on Monday,
and then after that it is the Crossdown Shootout next Friday,
so two more opportunities for the Bearcats before taking on
the Xavier Musketeers the Georgia Bulldogs. Clemson comes up on
that schedule, so a crucial, crucial couple games for the Bearcats.

(01:31:56):
I also think Keegan a massive one on Saturday for
the football program. Losers now have three games in a row.
If it could have went wrong, it went wrong against BYU,
the definition of a team beating themselves. How important does
Saturday become for Scott Saderfield in the football program.

Speaker 6 (01:32:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:32:16):
I coming into the year, my floor for the team
was seven and five, but I didn't think that they
would finish any worse than seven and five. And now
you put yourself in a situation where you could very
easily only have two losses right now, and then you
just fumbled.

Speaker 9 (01:32:34):
Two games in a row. Against Arizona and BYU.

Speaker 7 (01:32:37):
That you could have very easily won had you just
played up to your standard, not even above your standard,
not like excellent games. But if you just played up
to your standard, do you win those games and you're
in the driver's seat for a big co championship game birth.
So I think that TCU is definitely a must win
because if they are to finish seven and five, you're

(01:33:00):
gonna hear You're going to see those pitchforks out from
the fan base, just like it was after the first
two years, because you know, everything was made about how
much better this roster is, and it is a lot
better than the last two years, but you've kind of
seen a disappointing result and again where you're playing below expectations.

(01:33:24):
And one of my big things that I'm kind of
thinking about is how much better of a roster can
you get next year? Like when you look at this team,
You've got Dante Croleo, and you've got Joe Royer, Cyrus
Allen leads.

Speaker 9 (01:33:37):
The conference and touchdowns, he's had.

Speaker 7 (01:33:39):
A great season. He got Brennan Storthree, You've got your
the best offensive line you've had in a long time.
I don't know how many additions they can make out
of a transfer portal. I don't know what freshmen or
red shirt freshmen that they're expecting to make a huge
leap where this team is going to be so much
better to where you can expect them to go ten
and two or nine to three and get into a

(01:34:00):
big twelve championship game. So that's one of the biggest concerns.
But I also know that this fair personnel department is
going to work their butt off and try to get
a bunch of guys on campus that they think can
help the team. And you've seen the steps forward, even
though the steps from year two to three, if they
were to finish seven to five, is definitely kind of underwhelming,

(01:34:23):
especially to the fan base.

Speaker 3 (01:34:25):
You know, I haven't been able to figure it out
for two years, so I'm not going to try to now.
I don't understand the lack of usage for Joe Royer.
Outside of that in this losing streak, they've also just
not gotten the quarterback play that they did during the
seven game winning streak outside of just the opponents being better.
Is there anything you've noticed from Brendan Swarsby that would

(01:34:46):
lead you to have some concern going into the finale.

Speaker 35 (01:34:51):
Not really.

Speaker 7 (01:34:52):
I think you're still seeing those throws that show that
he is a high level passer, like the throws that
take way more into dissipation.

Speaker 9 (01:35:00):
Than most, way more confidence than most.

Speaker 7 (01:35:04):
But then like when they're playing against man and when
they're getting blitzed, you see where he tries to press
and tries to force the issue and it doesn't work out.
He said, two arm punts. In the last two weeks,
he's had some basically throwaways and just had some bad decisions, like,
for example, that your kickers missed three straight field goals

(01:35:27):
from the left hash, and then on like third and thirteen,
you just throw a three yard ball to Joe Royer
on the left hash. Your kicker comes on and misses
his fourth straight from the left hash. So it's just
like small stuff like that that doesn't really make sense.
But you know, I still think he's super, super talented,
and I'm expecting him to go out and beat TCU

(01:35:49):
because the defense kind of lines up to the point
where he should be able to have success.

Speaker 3 (01:35:54):
You know, Keegan, There's been a lot of conversation in
the last week or so about the three three five defense,
and you know, is it a successful scheme for the
Cincinnati bearcatch or can it be a successful scheme? This
obviously coming off a game where LJ. Martin was able
to do whatever he wanted on the ground along with
anyone who was running the ball from BYU. What is

(01:36:15):
your overall feel of the three three five as you
get in now obviously through year two with Tyson Vite.

Speaker 7 (01:36:24):
My thing about this season is that the defense has
put the team in a position to win the game,
and ten out of the eleven games they've played like
they were in a position to beat Nebraska, they were
in a position to beat Arizona and BYU, and then
they just got their book slipped against Utah. Both sides
of the ball did like that game was over from

(01:36:44):
the first like ten to fifteen minutes. So I don't
really get the thing I think. The thing I think
it is is just like it's kind of rare to
see like Cincinnati Fance aren't used to seeing it, So
when you lose, you're looking for scapegoat, and.

Speaker 9 (01:37:01):
Then that goes to how did the quarterback play?

Speaker 7 (01:37:03):
And then if Soorsby plays poorly like he did against
Utah and Arizona, everything piles on Soresby, and then Sorsby
played pretty good against Byu had the interception, but he
still completed sixty six percent of his passes and three
for three hundred yards and a couple of touchdowns. But
then you see Byu run all over the place, and
it's like you're not playing a four man front. You're

(01:37:26):
not blitzing a ton. But I still don't think it
was just because of the three three five that Byu
had success in the ground. When you go and watch
the film, the linebackers weren't filling their gaps properly, like
at all, and it like Jack Dingle struggled, gold A struggled,
and all the linebackers struggled, and that's when you get

(01:37:47):
those ten.

Speaker 9 (01:37:47):
Plus fifteen plus.

Speaker 7 (01:37:48):
Yard runs because they're just getting through the second level.
Like the three man front shouldn't stop the linebackers from
being able to make tackles, especially when they run up
the middle. So and I talk to Anton Peak about it.
I asked Dingle about it, and they both were very
confident in saying, like, look, it's not the scheme's fault.
We're not making plays. They're putting us in a position

(01:38:09):
to make plays. And you know, if you get run
all over one game a year and then you end
up losing that game, you're still going to be in
a good spot for the rest of the games of
the season to shut.

Speaker 9 (01:38:21):
Down the high powered passing offenses.

Speaker 7 (01:38:23):
That come through in the Big Twelve. And a large
part that's been the case, but that the three three
five did not lose them the Arizona or BYU games.
It was the offense not being able to put anything
together and.

Speaker 9 (01:38:34):
Having self inflicted wins and making crucial mistakes at important
times in the game.

Speaker 3 (01:38:39):
Nick Cardwell has been nominated one of sixty three for
the Broyles Award winner for the nation's top assistant coach.
When you think about this Bearcat offensive line and you
think about the strides they've taken, how much of an
imprint has Cardwell have on this university?

Speaker 7 (01:38:57):
Huge? And he's one of my stats and coaches that
I've ever covered, just.

Speaker 9 (01:39:03):
Super personable, super super passionate and like he played tight end.

Speaker 7 (01:39:09):
At app State, I think he was actually a walk on,
battled a neck injury and was able to play a
little bit after the neck injury, and when he I
think he was like a QC with the tight ends
early in his career, and he just saw.

Speaker 9 (01:39:23):
The offensive line coach and the offensive line.

Speaker 7 (01:39:25):
Group and how important they were to the team and
how they practiced, and he just said then like, look,
I don't want to do anything else but be an
offensive line coach, Like that's ultimately what I want to do.
And you see that every day in practice when we
get to see him in the fall, in the spring,
and when we get to see him once a week,

(01:39:45):
he's super, super passionate. And you understand why they were
able to get a guy like Joe Cotton, who canceled
a visit to Wisconsin, didn't line up any visits to
teams like Alabama or other schools that were really interested
in them, because he just saw what coach Cardwolfs could
do for him. And that's why you've gotten a group

(01:40:06):
that has outplayed a group from.

Speaker 9 (01:40:08):
Last year that put I think three guys in the NFL.

Speaker 7 (01:40:11):
So you're just seeing like what he's building and the
guys that he's able to bring in and the potential
that he gets out of them. And the offensive line
has been one of the most consistent groups over all
three years, and especially when you see that Brendon Sourzy
has only been sacked four times this year, so he
might be one of.

Speaker 9 (01:40:27):
The most crucial coaches on the entire staff.

Speaker 7 (01:40:30):
But he's one of my favorite guys and he's super
super important to keep around because if you look at
the landscape of college football, people are going to be
looking at him and try to poach him for their teams,
especially with all the coaching changes. But I know that
he's super super loyal to coach Sadderfield, and he's going
to be important to keep Keigan.

Speaker 3 (01:40:50):
Last year, the team got to five and two and
lost their last five games to finish five and seven.
I feel like if you would have told folks after
last year, Okay, next year they'll win seven games, people
would have said, Okay, that's progression. They're trending in the
right direction. However, if they finished with just seven wins,
as we talked about earlier, that would mean they lost

(01:41:11):
their final four games of the regular season. Would you
classify the season as a failure if they finished the
regular season at seven and five.

Speaker 7 (01:41:23):
I don't know about failure. I would more.

Speaker 9 (01:41:26):
Say a disappointment, and I would say that they.

Speaker 7 (01:41:33):
They played below expectations, Like I don't think the step
from seven from five and seven to seven to five
is as big from three to nine to five and seven.
Like I would say the jump from year one to
year two was bigger than from two to three, especially
because of not only the amount of talent that you

(01:41:53):
brought in but the amount of talent that you were
able to retain. It seemed like it was supposed to
be the perfect story, and then it's just you're losing
games that you're not supposed to lose, especially games at home.
So I would say it's a disappointment, but not a
total failure. I think if it was a total failure,
that's more six and six, five and seven, and you're

(01:42:15):
getting to the point where the eighties having a serious
conversation about the future of the football program. But if
he finishes at seven and five, he's coming back next
year and they're going to have an opportunity to build
on it. So yeah, I think it's an underwhelming and
disappointing year, but not to the point where it's failure
to where the coach should be getting fired.

Speaker 3 (01:42:36):
Keig and Nicholson Bearcat Journal dot Com covering the Cincinnati Bearcats.
I have to ask Kegan, I know you know, Black
Friday is a big thing at Bearcat Journal dot com.
Explain why to those that may not be following along
and how those can follow along with you.

Speaker 7 (01:42:54):
Yeah, seventy five percent off an annual VIP membership at
Bearcat Journal. It's a really great time to join us.
It's a crossover season. Hear about the Bowl games and
all that stuff and obviously the basketball content that's coming.
Follow me at k nickoson forty two on X follow
Barcat Journal. Yeah, come help.

Speaker 9 (01:43:14):
Pay my salary and give us a bunch of subscriptions.

Speaker 5 (01:43:17):
Do you have a Do you have a Bowl game prediction?

Speaker 12 (01:43:19):
Yet?

Speaker 7 (01:43:22):
For some reason, I feel like that they're going to
play in Shreveport, Louisiana, and I'm really.

Speaker 9 (01:43:26):
Not excited about that. So right now, it's whatever Bowl
games in Shreveport, the beautiful metropolis of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Speaker 5 (01:43:33):
Tony can't even spell Shreveport.

Speaker 3 (01:43:35):
Nope, it's not Kegan. Appreciate you man. Have a great Thanksgiving.
We'll talk soon.

Speaker 7 (01:43:42):
Thanks, Tony, I'll see you.

Speaker 3 (01:43:43):
That is Keegan nickoson Bearcat Journal dot com. We just
talked about the Barcat game. We'll pick the Bearcat game
among others. Next, Austin our weekly Pick Him segment on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Well, let's get right
into it. Then, welcome back. It's our three since He
three Stadium DESPN fifteenth day, Cincinnati's PlayStation. That sound means

(01:44:08):
it's time for picks now. It's not Friday. We're not
here on Friday. Austin and I are off tomorrow and Friday.
I believe Chad Brenda is in Friday, but he's not
going to be making picks like we are right now, Austin,
Let's start with the high school slate.

Speaker 5 (01:44:19):
The playoffs roll on.

Speaker 3 (01:44:22):
There are legitimate contenders in the state of Ohio and
Kentucky to bring home state titles. Let's start with the
long Blue line against Middletown's Right st X Middletown. They
travel to Dayton Welcome Stadium, Middletown, getting slept on a
little bit. That's you know where Kyle Schwarber went.

Speaker 4 (01:44:39):
Didn't Saint X just play at Welcome Stadium a couple
of weeks ago?

Speaker 5 (01:44:44):
Did I make that up? Was that a different game
and somebody play up there? I think they did. Yeah,
So see they're familiar with this familiar with the place.

Speaker 3 (01:44:54):
Give me the Bombers, give me the long blue line,
give me Daniel Vallmer is going to have another massive game,
just as he did against Elder. Gimme Saint Xavier to
win the game.

Speaker 4 (01:45:04):
I haven't heard a lot of people's really giving Middletown
a chance whatsoever.

Speaker 5 (01:45:08):
Yeah, I don't think so. Is there any room for
a letdown? Game?

Speaker 4 (01:45:11):
Could be after the Uh, you never know, Kyle Schwarber,
the pay Court Stadium game with the world watching.

Speaker 5 (01:45:18):
Maybe a leftown. No, we'll take say next, all right,
the Bombers.

Speaker 3 (01:45:22):
How about Anderson versus Sunbury Big Walnut. Yeah, this game
at prestigious Columbus Crew Stadium.

Speaker 5 (01:45:31):
Yeah, who do you think?

Speaker 7 (01:45:33):
Who do you got?

Speaker 4 (01:45:34):
I like Anderson because I think Raptors is a cool name.

Speaker 3 (01:45:37):
Yeah, the Raptors is a cool name. Big Walnut's cool too,
and their offensive style is cool. At Anderson, I think
Anderson's got way too much firepower on the offensive side
of the ball. Anderson wins, Anderson advances. Indian Hill is
going to play against Shelby. I'm not sure who or

(01:45:58):
what Shelby is. I know both of the teams come
into the game unblemished, not a loss on either of
these squads. But here's the deal. This game is being
played in Sydney. They're playing this at Sydney. I think
that's a disadvantage for Indian Hill. I'll take Shelby, Okay,

(01:46:21):
all right, I don't want to, but something about this
game being played at Sydney just makes me go against
Indian Hill.

Speaker 5 (01:46:28):
And I don't know why.

Speaker 4 (01:46:29):
I have in my life never heard of Shelby. I
don't know where it's at. I don't know anything about it.
I didn't know it existed until I saw this matchup.
But I know exactly where Indian Hill is. I'll take
Indian Hill. Wow the Braves, says Austin. Give me the braves,
all right. It feels like now we were told last week.

(01:46:50):
I was told last week you aren't in that. Well,
we don't pick enough Northern Kentucky games on this on
the slate. So what I did was I put in
Northern Kentucky game on here because Beachwood wash Rinz Repeat
has another chance to advance, another chance to win another
state title. I don't know much about Beachwood this year.

Speaker 3 (01:47:11):
I also don't know much about Owensborough Catholic, but give
me the tradition at Beechwood to win this one.

Speaker 5 (01:47:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:47:16):
I also don't know much about those two, but I
know Beechwood's always in these conversations late in the year.
You mentioned it, tradition. I'll take Beewood.

Speaker 3 (01:47:26):
All right, Let's go to the college football slate number
three Texas A and M at number sixteen Texas. Remember
this is rivalry weekend. Texas only a two and a
half point dog at home. Does arch Manning have an
upset in him? I'm a little surprised by this number,
aren't you a little bit? WHOA, I'm surprised enough to

(01:47:50):
make it our cheesy spread of the week. Yo, I'm
just not buying Texas. I don't believe in Texas. Everyone
says Texas A and is so good A and M
A and M A and M.

Speaker 9 (01:48:03):
No.

Speaker 4 (01:48:03):
Obviously, you got to play the game in Austin. That's
not easy for Texas A and M. But I'm not
impressed by arch Manning.

Speaker 5 (01:48:10):
I'm really not.

Speaker 3 (01:48:12):
So you're saying this is our Winschuler's cheesey spread of
the week, Yeah, because it should be up about six
more points to eight.

Speaker 5 (01:48:18):
Thanks to our friends at win Schulers.

Speaker 3 (01:48:19):
Listen, Is there anything better, Austin if you're like on
the fence and you gotta attend to Thanksgiving? Like my
wife just text me minutes ago, Austin. Yeah, she said,
I'm in a predicament. I said what she said? We're
in charge of mac and cheese and bread for both
her parents Thanksgiving and our Thanksgiving.

Speaker 5 (01:48:36):
Oh nice? She said.

Speaker 3 (01:48:37):
It was supposed to be here today. Now it says
it won't be here till Friday. Uh oh, I said,
fear not. Go get some wind Schulers, four delicious cheese
spreads that pair well with everything that would be great
for our Thanksgivings tomorrow.

Speaker 7 (01:48:51):
It's right.

Speaker 3 (01:48:52):
It cured our predicament. It can cure yours as well.
Can it cure two and a half points?

Speaker 7 (01:48:57):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (01:48:57):
I got Texas A and m okay this to me.
I go back to our guy Dan Horde. When a
line doesn't make sense, people know more than we know,
arch Manning. This has the feel of a Steve Sarkesian special.
Give me the Shark and the Texas Longhorns. All right,
Old miss is number seven in the country. They travel

(01:49:19):
to Mississippi State. It's called the egg Bowl. Yeah, and
the line's only seven and a half. I know Mississippi
State hasn't been great this year. I think a lot
of people are worried about all the noise around lane Kiffin.
Lane Kiffin operates in this noise. This is where he's
at his best. Give me Old miss to cover the
bigger number. Yeah, I'm right there with you. I don't
think this will be much of an issue. I mean,
it is a rivalry game. Everybody wants to throw it

(01:49:40):
out the window during rival games. I get it, but
not with Lane Kiffin and company. Them boys are trying
to prove to him he should stick around.

Speaker 5 (01:49:47):
One school has a lot to play for, the other
not so much. LSU.

Speaker 3 (01:49:52):
And I know Brian Kelly's son is still on the team,
and I know that he's still hoping to get support
for his dad and free BK and all this because
his dad is you know, obviously he's going through much
of a struggle trying to settle for fifty four million dollars.
Oklahoma has everything in front of him. They got a
late ten and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:50:09):
What do you think I'm never picking a three two stroke, Well,
I'm never picking LSU. As long as there's a Kelly
on the team, or the governor is interfering in the
election of the new head coach. I got to Oklahoma
to cover ten and a half Oklahoma, of course, where
the wind comes sweeping down the planes.

Speaker 3 (01:50:32):
This is a Oklahoma win, but I think it opens
the door for a late cover for LSU. I'll take
the tig Go tie guys. I'll take LSU to cover
the number but lose the game. Vanderbilt is fourteenth in
the country. Tennessee is nineteenth in the country. Austin I
said this last week. I'm kind of done with the
Diego Pavia hype train. I know he was fantastic last week.

(01:50:54):
I mean, honestly, he was awesome. Accounted for six total touchdowns,
the second time this year he's accounted for six touchdowns
in a game. I'm just I don't think Vanderbilt can
go on the road. It's only a three and a
half point spread. I think Tennessee they had to slip
up against Oklahoma. They got right last week on the
road at the Swamp. They finish out their regular season

(01:51:17):
on a high note. I got them beating Vanderbilt and
covering the number. I do too, never easy to play
at Niland Stadium. They're favored for a reason. I don't
believe in Vandy. You want to talk about something stinking
and line's not making sense? Last time I checked. Auburn
is not a great football team this year. Oh whoa,
this is one of those games. This is an Iron Bowl?

Speaker 5 (01:51:40):
Oh this is the game?

Speaker 39 (01:51:41):
Right?

Speaker 5 (01:51:41):
Are you won in six in conference? Doesn't matter? Alabama's
still playing for something. Did you not watch Ohio State
Michigan last year?

Speaker 14 (01:51:49):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (01:51:49):
God, it doesn't matter. They Ama cover six and a
half easy in this one.

Speaker 10 (01:51:53):
I agree?

Speaker 5 (01:51:53):
All right?

Speaker 3 (01:51:55):
What about the Battle in the Bluegrass? Louisville host Kentucky.
Mark Stoop's trying to get his Kentucky Wildcats Bowl eligible.
It's been such an up and down year. I feel
like for the Kentucky Wildcats. I'll ask you, Austin. Does
Kentucky get their third SEC win? More importantly, does Kentucky

(01:52:15):
game Bowl eligibility after the Vanderbilt Commodore has just boat
raced them last weekend?

Speaker 17 (01:52:21):
No?

Speaker 4 (01:52:22):
Yeah, Louisville wins. But I don't trust either one of
these teams. I really don't. Yeah, I don't trust either
one of them. But I'm gonna say because it's at Louisville.
The Cards win home team. I think that's good for
the three and a half point bump. I trust Louisville
more than Kentucky.

Speaker 6 (01:52:38):
I'm with you.

Speaker 3 (01:52:39):
I don't trust either of them, but I'll take the
Louisville Cardinals in this game. Let me get this out
of the way, Austin, it's number one Ohio State. It's
number fifteen Michigan. They call it the game, the game.
Ohio State's favored by nine and a half, and go
ahead and put me on record, Austin.

Speaker 5 (01:52:55):
I'll do it.

Speaker 3 (01:52:56):
This one won't even be close. Ohio State's just go roll.
This might be the easiest win ever in the history
of this rivalry. Oh Man, this will be I'm not
gonna say it might. This will be the easiest path
to victory Ohio State's ever had. I think they're gonna
start to win, to start to finish. They're just gonna
crush Michigan. It won't be close. Give me Ohio State.

(01:53:17):
I'd probably buy this up to thirty nine and a half,
but I'll just happily take the nine.

Speaker 5 (01:53:21):
And a half. I'll take the Buckeyes.

Speaker 11 (01:53:24):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (01:53:25):
Well, at first and foremost, it means a lot to
me that you're picking Ohio State.

Speaker 5 (01:53:28):
It really does.

Speaker 4 (01:53:30):
Before I make my selection, I just want to tell
any Buckeye fans out there, if you're looking for a
place to watch the game, go check out the Liberty Collective.
Oh they're having a huge party for the game.

Speaker 5 (01:53:43):
Are you going.

Speaker 4 (01:53:43):
It's gonna feature a since he Hat release. Gonna be
obviously at noon when the game starts. They've got drink
specials from noon to four, including my favorite tone of
fireball shot. They've got beer buckets, they got a DJ
They've got tents, they've got swag. I'm told there's a
twenty five foot television wow led Screen TV to watch

(01:54:05):
the game.

Speaker 5 (01:54:06):
This is at the Liberty Collective. Big game Saturday.

Speaker 4 (01:54:09):
Looking forward to that, Ted Carris since he Hat release
as well in conjunction with the Liberty Collective.

Speaker 5 (01:54:15):
No better place to watch the game on Saturday. It's
not going to be a game.

Speaker 4 (01:54:20):
No better place to watch The Buck guys the Ohio
State University continue their winning ways. Matt Patricia's defense makes
life hell for Bryce Underwood and the Buck guys finish
off a perfect season as they try to go back
to back national championship.

Speaker 3 (01:54:39):
You say continue their winning ways. You mentioned this, You've
mean for this season, not against Ohio, not against Michigan.

Speaker 5 (01:54:45):
They've won like sixteen games in a row or something.

Speaker 3 (01:54:48):
Okay, but you're talking about You're talking about winning ways
in the regular You're not talking about the matchup against
Michigan because they haven't won that in a while. The
Buckeys have won a lot of games in a row. Okay,
this one won't be close market Buckeye's role. Now you
want to talk about rivalry weekend Austin, You want to
talk about JV and varsity. Make no mistake about it.

(01:55:10):
When the folks in college football that put together these
schedules came out, they said, get Ohio State and Michigan
out of the way, put it at noon, and then
make way for the varsity.

Speaker 5 (01:55:20):
Three point thirty.

Speaker 3 (01:55:22):
On the road, Fort Worth, Texas, the horn Frogs the
home of Andy Dalton against the Bearcats of Cincinnata. The
Bearcats look to end a three game losing streak and
avoid a disastrous end to the regular season. The Bearcats
are going to get four and a half in this game,
and I will take TCU to cover that number. Okay,

(01:55:44):
That's where I'm out right now with our beloved Bearcats.
I need, I need to see it more than I
hear it from the Bearcats.

Speaker 4 (01:55:51):
I'm right there with you. You got TCU four.

Speaker 10 (01:55:54):
And a half.

Speaker 3 (01:55:54):
Okay, Now, we talked about the awesome slate that is
tomorrow and especially Friday. Let's get some of those games
in the NFL. It kicks off tomorrow, Thanksgiving afternoon. Packers
Lions ye Lions minus three. The game is in Detroit, Austin.
The floor's yours.

Speaker 4 (01:56:13):
The Packers never seem to make it easy right every
year or every week this season, it's it feels like
they're going in the wrong direction, like they're playing down
to their opponents. I think they do the opposite this
time around. I think they beat Detroit on the road.
Detroit just feels like they're they're barely staying alive. Kirby

(01:56:36):
Joseph not going to be playing this game short week,
They've been battling injuries all year. Detroit's just tread and water,
and I feel like green Bay has just enough to
beat them. Yeah, I think it's close, but I think
it's a touchdown that green Bay wins by on Thanksgiving.
This Packers. Your love crushing the Turduccan after this Packer's.

Speaker 3 (01:56:59):
Front against what has been the amazingness of Jamier Gibbs
is the storyline for me? I like the Lions at
home a little bit hungry. Or I think of the
Detroit Lions. I think they take on the persona of
Dan Campbell. Give me the Lions to beat the Packers.
How about the second game on Thanksgiving? It's the Chiefs
coming off a huge win at home against the Colts

(01:57:20):
versus the Cowboys, who'll raise the twenty one point deficit
to come back and beat the Eagles. Cowboys season hopes
still alive. I'll tell you what, George Pickens has been
awesome for the Cowboys. That offense is dangerous. Is it
dangerous enough to beat the Chiefs at home Austin.

Speaker 5 (01:57:39):
Yes, it is. I got the Cowboys to cover three
and a half.

Speaker 7 (01:57:42):
Good.

Speaker 3 (01:57:42):
We're on opposite ends as well. I think the Chiefs
figured some stuff out late in that game against the
Colts and lu An Arumo's vaunted defense. I will take
the Chiefs to get up early on a bad Dallas
defense and Spags does not let the Cowboys back into
the game. Bears Eagles Black Friday. If you're not out shopping,

(01:58:03):
if you're just waking up from listening to Austin from
one to three in the morning, you're rolling out of bed.
Bears Eagles, Eagles are laying seven. Both of these teams
have eight wins or seven or yes, eight wins.

Speaker 5 (01:58:15):
I'm sorry.

Speaker 3 (01:58:15):
It feels like they've gotten here in much different trajectories, though.
I think this is an Eagles statement game. They erase
the bad loss against Dallas. I think the Bears slip
up from how good they've been. Give me the Eagles
to win and cover.

Speaker 4 (01:58:28):
I disagree with you. I got the Bears. I know
their defense has not been great. I think this could
be a bit of a high scoring game, but I
think Caleb Williams and Jalen Hurtz go back and forth,
and I think the Bears find a way to win
the Bears because I think Ben Johnson's a better play caller.

Speaker 3 (01:58:43):
I just don't understand the line in the forty nine
ers in Browns game. It just seems too little for me.
I know it's in Cleveland. I know Miles Garrett could
very well have seven sacks in this game, but the
line right now is still just four and a half.
It opened at six and a half and it is
now down to four and a half. Something doesn't smell

(01:59:05):
quite right. But last time I checked, the forty nine
ers still have Christian McCaffrey. I'll take the Niners on
the road to cover four and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:59:12):
Short week for San Francisco, cross country trip for San Francisco,
Super Bowl caliber defensive line for the Cleveland Browns.

Speaker 3 (01:59:20):
Cleveland covers four an look at you drinking the Shadoor
kool aid again?

Speaker 10 (01:59:24):
No, no, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 3 (01:59:25):
Mine time the Texans. I was not familiar with your
defense in Houston. That front is phenomenal. They may have
just sacked Josh Allen again. I tried to tell you
that's a great defensive line.

Speaker 5 (01:59:38):
You asked me for the game. I know, I said
to watch out for Texans, no defensive line.

Speaker 3 (01:59:43):
It's a Colts team coming off just a brutal loss
down the stretch. Do the Colts do enough at home?
And can the Texans score enough to keep this within
four and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:59:55):
I do think the Colts continue down their path with
running off the I know Danny Dimes has been a
little bit banged up, but if they're able to run
him at all and kind of neutralize the edge for Houston.

Speaker 31 (02:00:07):
I like it.

Speaker 4 (02:00:08):
I think Indy can still run the ball on him,
So for that reason, I'll take the Colts.

Speaker 3 (02:00:14):
I got the Colts as well, just because I don't
think the Texans offense will be able to do enough
in this game. I think four and a half's a
fair number for the Colts to cover. Bills at Steelers.
I think the slide continues for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I
just feel like in watching Buffalo at least this year Austin,

(02:00:35):
when they do suffer a loss or they go through
a game in which they just don't play their best,
they respond in a pretty good way. Coming off the
loss of the Falcons earlier, they put forty on the
board against the Carolina Panthers before beating the Chiefs. After
the Dolphins lost, they came back and beat a good
Tampa Bay team and put up forty four on the board.
It's a bad Steelers defense. It's Josh Allen coming off

(02:00:57):
getting sacked eight times. A lot of questions circulating Buffalo.
I think they quiet that and they go and beat
Pittsburgh handily.

Speaker 4 (02:01:04):
I'm right there with you. I think there's a lot
of pressure on Buffalo. I think Josh Allen respawns well
to that pressure, and I think that they find a
way to beat Pittsburgh. I don't know that it's gonna
be double digits, but I think it's going to be
more than three and a half.

Speaker 3 (02:01:19):
Finally, to cap off your Thanksgiving Tomorrow night, Oh yeah,
it's Bengals, It's Ravens. It's Jamar Chase and his nine
hundred combined yards. I feel like last year against the
Baltimore Ravens, it's the return of Joe Burrow. Can the
ground game of Chase Brown continue? Does Lamar Jackson and

(02:01:42):
the Ravens offense continue to sputter or do they get
their offense figured out? Can the Ravens defensive line produce
any pressure? They've not done it this year we talked
about how bad the Bengals offense or defensive line has been.
Sixteen combined sacks for the Bengals just eighteen combined sacks
for the Baltimore Ravens. If they bring pressure, I think
Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase have a big day. If not,

(02:02:05):
if they play bass, I think Chase Brown can have
another big day. I can't wait to see this game.
There are so many intriguing storylines. I don't know if
the Bengals can win, but I think this is a
really close Thanksgiving Night game. So I'm comfortable laying that.
I'm comfortable taking the seven. Give me the Bengals. For
the last couple of years, the Bengals have gotten hot

(02:02:26):
at the end of the season. They have bowed up
when they've needed to bow up. They've showed up when
they've needed to show. They have with their backs up
against the wall. Given themselves opportunity after opportunity after opportunity,
they've made the most of it. They are due for
one of these games in Baltimore, and powered by the

(02:02:49):
return of their quarterback, our quarterback, Ohio's very own On
Thanksgiving with the John Madden patch on the beautiful white uniform,
the Bengals make a statement.

Speaker 4 (02:03:00):
Yes, Joe Burrow is back. Seasons back on, and so
are the Cincinnati Bengals. Seasons back on.

Speaker 5 (02:03:05):
Bengals wine, Bengals win.

Speaker 3 (02:03:08):
If Chris Chanty is going to go out of his
way to give a path to the Bengals to make
the playoffs, then he knows something and I'm picking up
on it. I love the Bearcats, right, I love the Bengals.
One of them has gotta win for us this weekend.
I do think the Bengals have a good shot to win.
I certainly think the Bengals can cover the number. We
take a break. Are we coming back? Right to Chad Brendle.

(02:03:31):
Let's go next, ESBN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station, A service,
a Penn station.

Speaker 8 (02:03:43):
It's time for Cincy three sixty quick hits on ESPN
fifteen thirty.

Speaker 3 (02:03:49):
All right, I guess we're not even looking for Mo today.
We're just moving right on. If he's not in having
a bit of an issue, Chad Brendle's in. Yeah, I'm here, Chad.
How are you good?

Speaker 5 (02:03:58):
Here ya?

Speaker 3 (02:03:58):
How are you good? How did you go today? What
do you got coming up on the show today? Thanksgiving Eve?
What do you got coming up?

Speaker 12 (02:04:04):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (02:04:04):
Well, we'll get into the Joe Burrow topic. I don't
feel great.

Speaker 29 (02:04:09):
When I asked if he was one hundred percent, Joe said,
I think I'm I'm good enough to win.

Speaker 5 (02:04:13):
It makes me a little.

Speaker 29 (02:04:14):
Nervous, not gonna lie, but look, there's no other you're
not You're paying Joe Burrow over a quarter of a
billion dollars. There's seven games left. There's no world where
he's healthy and you don't play.

Speaker 5 (02:04:32):
Yeah, that that doesn't. That doesn't.

Speaker 29 (02:04:35):
If there was two or three games left, then that's
a decision that you have to make. The season's over.
We got two or three games left. What are we
gonna get by Joe coming back? There's set there's you know,
just under half of the season left. He's a football player.
Go play games if they fall tomorrow. Yeah, and they're

(02:04:56):
mathematically out of it. And let's just say that his
pocket move it looks labored. Let's say that. Then you
revisit conversation shots. Yeah, now you're out of it. Do
you want to send them to Buffalo and have him
start in that game?

Speaker 14 (02:05:08):
Are you?

Speaker 5 (02:05:09):
Are you in the sense of it's a game by
game scenario at this point?

Speaker 7 (02:05:13):
Yeah? Yeah.

Speaker 29 (02:05:13):
I mean I don't think you can like, oh no,
he took two hard hits. We can't play him the
rest of the season.

Speaker 12 (02:05:19):
Uh.

Speaker 29 (02:05:19):
But but there's stuff that I need to see Tony.
Is he going under center more? Are they doing more?
Because this line has effective, this line looks competent. Again,
this is the second time now that Joe Burrow has
been out and in his absence, the line looks different.
So is Joe Burrow going to adapt and say, Okay,

(02:05:44):
maybe the way I want to play needs some modifications.
Maybe we can mix in the way I want to play,
but it doesn't have to be seventy snaps a game.
Maybe we run the stuff I want to start, run
twenty thirty snaps a game, and then we do some
other stuff that it's gonna not get me killed. Yeah,
so there's things I want to see from now until

(02:06:06):
whenever it is he's not playing for the Bengals the
rest of this season.

Speaker 3 (02:06:12):
You'll be on Friday. I won't have a chance to
talk to you before then about it. The importance of
Saturday's game at its massive, like just just the vibes
alone to get a win, to get to eight. I mean,
I think that's what we all agreed upon in the
offseason was look seven, okay, but how you've gotten to seven?

(02:06:36):
Well even just just in general, like you play. Those
are the three best teams they've played this year. Now,
the frustrating part is I think they were equally as
talented as Arizona and BYU.

Speaker 29 (02:06:47):
They didn't play well enough to win. Yeah, those teams
played better, So that's that's frustrating. But just eight, just
getting to eight, potential to get to nine, how much
different three four years from now. Well, we look back
on this season if they're nine and four as opposed
to seven and six. So just and recruiting, it would

(02:07:09):
be a nice lift to the recruiting department to show, hey,
this is we can get to eight nine wins in
this league, and I think it shows great progress. Plus,
you're gonna finish top five in this league if you
win on Saturday. If not, you're gonna be eighth, ninth.
Whatever you did, difference, you didn't elevate into the upper third.
You hung out in the middle third. It's a huge difference.

(02:07:33):
Tonight Eastern Michigan, U see basketball. You get tonight, you
get Monday, and then it's the shootout, and then after
the shootout, it's Georgia, it's Clemson. You're coming up on
your Big twelve opener, which is Houston, who has just
picked up again right where they left off.

Speaker 3 (02:07:51):
Have you watched them? Yes, Kingston, Yep, it's gonna be
the same Houston team.

Speaker 5 (02:07:56):
They're gonna be.

Speaker 3 (02:07:58):
Yes eventually with that Beans said, what do you look
for in a game like tonight? Knowing you don't have
many more of these? I don't want to say, gimme
your twenty two point favorite. You don't have many more
of these left. What do you need to see from
this team now as you go forward? Less of what
we saw the first ten minutes on Monday, where it

(02:08:19):
just kind of looked like they were, you know, and
some of that was in Jit throughout that weird zone man,
hybrid whatever defense, but they didn't look connected in the
first ten minutes of that game. They looked much better
the rest of the way. I want to see the
rest of the way, and then I want to see
more Jordi Rodriguez. I want to see him get up

(02:08:41):
to the point where we see more Jordi Rodriguez, we
see more Tyler McKinley, we see more Keishaan Tillery because
those guys, I thought in j t is terrible, terrible,
But those guys need confidence because at.

Speaker 29 (02:08:55):
Times in the Big twelve you're gonna need them. I
don't think we see Bob at tonight.

Speaker 3 (02:08:59):
Which a good point about Rodriguez too, Like overseas you
play once a week, Yeah, and you get a lot
of practice time and build up and now you're playing
multiple games a week. The build up time I think
is important as well.

Speaker 29 (02:09:08):
But the physicality for the European guys, it's a different game,
Like you don't get bumped and chucked and you don't
you know, you get the runoff screens pretty free. He's
adjusting to that. I love Jordi Rodriguez. I think he's
got a chance as he adjusts to be really good here. Yeah,
I want to see him continue to gain some confidence.

Speaker 5 (02:09:26):
What else you got coming up on the show.

Speaker 29 (02:09:27):
We're talking about Hunter Green? Oh do you trade him?
Do you not trade him? How do you look at
this situation? Like, of you know you're gonna hurt your
pitching depth and maybe lose your number one guy. But
we've already been told they don't have the money to
go get a bat. Sure, so you got to get
a bat. Do you think Nicklodolo is gonna bring a

(02:09:50):
great bat? No, Chase Burns will probably get you a
pretty good bat. Not trading Chase Barns at this point
in time. So really, the only guy, if you're going
to improve this offense, the only guy on the table
to do it is Hunter Green. Do I want to
trade Hunter Green? No, But taking all the information that
I have, I'm listening.

Speaker 5 (02:10:10):
The only thing that.

Speaker 3 (02:10:11):
Worries me about Hunter Green and I'm a huge Hunter
Green fan and I love the contract. There's just something
about watching him in that playoff game where it almost
felt like the moment was too much. Yeah, he's bouncing balls,
he was all over the place. You could just tell
he couldn't calm himself down. And you watch the rest
of the playoffs. You see rookies going to the playoffs
that I don't remember the guy's name for the Yankees,

(02:10:32):
but rookie went into Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox
like you dominate. You either have it or you don't.
I worry a little bit about that moment and how
it felt for Hunter Green. Yeah, and it felt too
big there, Yes, it felt too big. The other thing
that bothers me Tony He's had one season where he's
throwing one hundred and fifty innings, and he threw exactly
one hundred and fifty innings. He is so far been

(02:10:55):
a twenty twenty two game starter, and he had one
season with twenty six. Everything else has been twenty two
and under. Can you have your ace miss ten starts
a year?

Speaker 5 (02:11:06):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (02:11:06):
I don't feel comfortable with that, and this offense needs
significant help. Lastly, what is your what is your stance
on stuffing? And what's your go to Thanksgiving meal toll?

Speaker 29 (02:11:19):
You let me ask you a question, how many times
from January first to December thirty first, in any given
year do you have stuffing for dinner?

Speaker 7 (02:11:30):
With you?

Speaker 3 (02:11:30):
With jeffing, I'm anti stuffing, like I got you crushed
for it today. You're making my point like we're on
the same team. If stuffing was good, it'd be served
more people would eat it. You know what's good, tony
mashed potatoes? You know how often we eat mashed potatoes
a lot?

Speaker 9 (02:11:46):
You know?

Speaker 5 (02:11:46):
You know what's good?

Speaker 29 (02:11:47):
Mac and cheese. You know how often we eat mac
and cheese, desserts, desserts, yep, turkey, you know you know
it's not good stuffing, green bean casserole. We have that
once a year's stuffing once a year. If that stuff
was good, if that crap was good, thank you, then
we'd eat it more than the last Thursday in November

(02:12:09):
and then forget about it.

Speaker 5 (02:12:10):
For three hundred and sixty four days. It stinks.

Speaker 3 (02:12:14):
Case dismissed. Thank you, Chad. Ched Brendle is Next, We're
done thanks to Austin Elmore. I'm Tony Pike. This has
been Thanksgiving sins. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, enjoy Chad Breundle on
The Mowago Show. Next on the sc Cincinnati Sports station.

Speaker 5 (02:12:33):
Hey what if you could pull up to five hundred
thous