December 18, 2025 • 41 mins
Austin talks to John Sheeran, takes your TalkBacks, and more on ESPN 1530!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Tony Pike since he three sixty about Cincinnati
from Cincinnati, sponsored in part by Cincy Shirts. Cincy Shirts
all sincey all day. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati
Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hi, Hello, welcome in our number two of Tony Pike
Sincy three to sixty here on ESPN fifteen thirty. My
name is Austin Elmore. No big fella today, Tone is out.
He'll be back tomorrow. One hour from right now, we
talked to Keegan Nickoson from Bearcat Journal dot com. Keegan
just now talking of tweeting about a couple of Bearcat
(00:40):
offensive linemen that have decided to come back for next year.
We'll get an update on the transfer portal happenings and
all that with the Bearcats, what happened last night on
the hardwood as well. But right now we keep talking
football with a guy that I can't believe I just
now thought of this. I'm gonna start calling him this
from here on out. Johnny Football. John Sheeran from A
to Z Sports covering the Cincinnati Bengals. Hi, Johnny Football,
(01:03):
how are you?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I feel like we could worship this? There was kind
of the stigma with that name you know, like, you know,
someone else had it and he got kind of embarrassed
by the Bengals, and I kind of embarrassed the Bengals
and said the other way around.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So you know, uh, yeah, well you could be the
reason for change with the Johnny football nickname. We'll work
on it. We'll work on it. What do you make
of the last two weeks of the Joe Burrow narrative
about him and his future and not seeing eye to
eye with the organization and what he said yesterday and
(01:35):
last week sum it all up for me? What's your
general feeling and consensus about Joe Burrow in his relationship
with the Bengals right now?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
We love hearing Joe talk because he is very calculated
about what he says, and he's said that I think
forbade him. But typically when he says something of substance,
it's because he means it. And also he's just he's
just a very smart individual, so he think it's about
more than just what is directly in front of him.
And of course, you know, in the media nowadays, you
(02:06):
typically only look at what's right in front of you,
and that's what generates the headlines. Right So when Joe
is thinking about a lot of things beyond just the
last week or so of football, and it sounds like, oh,
he's thinking very big picture and it doesn't sound very good.
It leads to I think a lot of the reactions
that we've seen in the past couple of weeks. But
I think when you have to try to figure out
(02:28):
what is going on in his mind, you have to
think about every single angle, from every single avenue, about
what everything that is encapsuling what it could possibly be
going through his mind right now, which is again coming
back from another injury, and thinking about how long he's
capable of playing, how long he wants to play, and
how that all of that ambition and planning is being
(02:49):
you know, deterred by what has happened over the past
handful of months here on top of being on a
team that, just like he says, is a bad football
team that hasn't done enough and needs to continue doing
things differently and it needs to continue evolving and in
his own.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Words, thinking outside the box.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So I think it's everything from just him thinking about
his own ability, his own durability, his mortality in the game,
but also where he stands with this team and what
the team needs to do going forward around him, So
it's everything. It's not just like, oh, like he's thinking
about hanging it up and leaving the Bengals. No, Like,
(03:24):
there's thoughts about that that naturally pop up when you're
thinking about your futuring, your career and everything like that.
But I think so to boil it down to just
one or two things is not doing a justice to
someone who clearly thinks about a lot more than that.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Do you think he should play the final three games?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I think there's a reason too, because of how he
played this past week. I think it would be not
the greatest for his psyche to enter the offseason after
just having one of the worst games of his career,
especially considering the fact that he just hasn't played that
much this year.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I think having him, giving him.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
The opportunity to at least enter the actual offseason on
somewhat of a hind note, can be kind of good
for him, because if he only played what four or
five games this year, and again one of them was
terrible and they eliminated them for the playoffs, I would
imagine that wouldn't be necessarily the best for his mental health,
especially because that's been such topic of conversation for over
the past ten days or so, So.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
I think it was valuing him.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Playing and if you want to talk about like draft
positioning and keeping him healthy, like he needs to prove
that he can stay healthy. And I think regardless of
whoever's the quarterback for the Bengals right now, they're not
a guaranteed to win or lose any of these games
just because of the verst of the team around the
quarter quarterback position.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
When you saw the report this week from Paul Danner
Junior that Zach Taylor actually had two years remaining on
his deal and that Duke Tobin and Al Golden are
also unlikely to be let go, what was your reaction
and how does that shape your view of this upcoming offseason.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Oh, yeah, the Bengals are.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
They may not be exactly the same organization as they
were loose, but they're still the organization. It's not going
to fire head coach with two years left of guaranteed
salary left on his deal. That it was a complete
game changer in my opinion about Zach's job security and
the fact that it probably hasn't been questioned at all
this year and that's it's always about the same around,
you know, when the Bengals are bad and it's entering December,
(05:17):
like yeah, like maybe there's some conversation about the head coach,
but in reality, the front office doesn't really see it
like that at this point in time, And that was
kind of the sentiment this year. But hearing that in
the fact that he has again two years left of guaranteed,
like it doesn't matter, Like he could be coaching somewhere
else in twenty twenty seven, the Bengals would still to
be paying him the salary that they owe him and
(05:37):
that they gave him.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
I guess under the table.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
And.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I don't like Again, it's not standard practice for teams
to have officially announce these contracts. Sometimes it does kind
of go under the radar. An example brought to me,
brought to my attention over the past school days, the
Green Bay Packers extended Matteli Sluurer and a GM and
their vice president of football operations really early in the
twenty twenty two offseason, and it didn't get reported on
(06:03):
it until July, like during their annual meeting with the
media and everything like that. So sometimes it does happen,
but again, like if you're the Bengals and you just
came off with back to back games, the championship games,
the sentiment of round Zac kid, it was so high. Yeah,
I don't really know why they wouldn't announce whether it
was a separate five year extension or just a one
year extension on top of the five year contract that
(06:23):
he signed in twenty twenty two. It doesn't make a
lot of sense to me why they kept that a secret.
And I can't imagine that because they had the last
three years unfolded. Maybe it wasn't their best interest and.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
I let that be known.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
But it definitely did change how I view, like what's
going to happen in this offseason, because again I just.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Don't think they're gonna fire head coach with two years
left on the deal.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
What did you make of the way Zach talked about
it yesterday and not wanting to talk about.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
It, and he can say that it's going to make
any of the situation better. I understand him saying like
I'm not going to comment on it because he wants
to continue the solution that like, oh, like I'm coaching
for my job. We know you're not man like it
is what it is. Like, that's just not how it's
organization goes. And I appreciate the media for still pushing
it regardless, because at the end of the day, he
(07:04):
is again the only vessel of information that we can
that we can garner any information from with this organization
because the other powers that be are silent for three
hundred and sixty three days of the year. And yeah,
it's unfortunate that we can't that anyone in the media
can't talk to the people who actually employ Zach and
everything has to come through him. And it was kind
of a weird shippy respond to me like, oh, I'm
sorry that you can't talk to them, Like yeah, dude,
(07:26):
Like it is unfortunate. That's the problem with the lack
of transparency with this organization, And yeah, it does. It
is unfortunate that Zach is being put into the situation
sometimes there is all that responsibility that he has as
that coach and this doesn't seem like something that should
be his responsibility to talk about his job security. But yeah,
I think it just speaks to the lack of transparency
in the fact that there are some definitely things that
(07:47):
need to change in which the way that this organization runs.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Talking to John Sheeran ad Is the Sports I made
the point earlier. I think there's a lot of similarities
in this upcoming off season to the ones following the
twenty twenty season in terms of cap space, in terms
of needs and the way that they did kind of
go outside the box and signing a big free agent class,
trading for BJ Hill, extending Sam Hubbard to try to
build some veteran presence and some talent on the defensive
(08:14):
side of the ball. You mentioned outside the box. Thinking
for this offseason, what's an example of something that they
could do. Do you agree that it's similar to the
season following the off season following the twenty twenty year,
and do you feel like they can actually turn this
around in one off season based off of what they
have at their disposal.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
But it just depends on how aggressive they want to
go about it. I think they, I mean, we know
this by heart, right, they limit themselves in which how
much better that they can get a certain period of
time because they like to take things in terms of
value opportunities, in terms of sometimes the right player, it
comes at a greater constant what they're willing to end
(08:57):
up paint up, so they ended up sacrificing the quality
of players that they go after. And that's beyond just
the draft is also in a free agency. I think
if they want to identify what they need, then then
the evolution of thinking outside of the box in this
case is to not letting anything stopping them from going
after and getting the players that whatever Out Golden, whoever
out Golden wants, with, whoever Zach Taylor wants, whoever Duke
(09:18):
Tobin wants, whoever. If you identify that the coaches in
the personnal department are not the issue here and it
is a player and a roster problem, then make sure
that nothing is holding you back from getting the roster as.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
Good as it needs to be.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
And that was definitely an issue last year in which
they weren't aggressive enough. They were sitting on their hands
in the first week of free agency because half of
the personal department was figuring out how to extend Jamar
Chase and Teggans the contracts that should have been signed
months prior to freegency even beginning of the first place.
So that cannot be repeated again. They need to be
extremely more active and aggressive in freegency and not letting
anything hold them back, and if that means that you're
(09:49):
sacrificing your principles of guaranteed money and guarantee future salaries
and contracts, so be it. That is the outside of
the box thinking that they need if they're not going
to pin any of this on the on the actual
decision makers of this.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Organization when it comes to these final three games and
looking for some of the answers to you know, the
questions of the offseason. What exactly are you looking for
in terms of evaluating some of these players on this
roster and trying to figure out what they have going
into the offseason. Over the final three games.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Yeah, I think that is for me, honestly, kind of
started when once Burrow got back, because I think it's
important to see what the team as a whole looks
like when you have the main quarterback at play under center,
that that's when you know that all the operations are
going in the way that they would like them to go.
I think on defense, you still wants to see different
ways in which some of these players are used, Like
(10:39):
you saw some of the evolution with Demetrius Knight Junior
against the Baltimore Ravens. He saw make a little bit
more plays at him behind the line of scrimmage. He saw,
you know, Berek Carter continuing to be who he is.
He saw Miles Burkey continuing take to take those steps
as a pass rusher. So just giving these guys is
more it sounds cliche, but just giving them more reps
in positions in which they will probably be counted on
(10:59):
to play next year. Like that, that's all it is.
It's just a piling up of experience and reps and
making sure that you have as much of an evaluation
on them as possible. And that goes for both sides
of the ball. And you know, I'm interested to see
if there's any change up along the lines of the defense.
And with all these injuries that they're incurring, that like
eight guys who have ankle injuries right now, so maybe
(11:20):
you'll see some new players play against the Dolphins and
the Cardinals and the Browns. But yeah, it's just about
getting as much tape out there as possible and putting
these guys in the positions that they should be expected
to play next year because of the coaches.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Isn't going to change.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Who do you think outside of Miles Murphy and DJ
Turner has made the most progress this year on defense.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
I still I'm still wondering, like it is progress the
word that you would use with Jordan battle, because if
for every great play that he makes, there's a player like, oh,
there's probably a reason why you shouldn't be starting out there.
I think Battle at least I feel like I have
a better idea.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Of who he is.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
He's a guy that I would want on the field
if the rest of the defense has figured out, just
because he's such an ex factor in terms of just
finding the ball and being around the ball. And I think,
just at least for his sake, identifying that quality of
him as a player now that he's a full time starter,
I think that's useful information to know. Again, I don't
know if he's really made a big of a jump
(12:19):
that you would want to be like, oh, like I
want this guy for sure starting next year in twenty
twenty six. But at least there's more information about him.
I would have liked to see more of that from
Dak still this year. But I think the fact that
he's been playing on the boundary when he was you know,
being you know, trained to be in the Nickel this year,
all the time and the injury that came to him,
I don't think that's necessarily helped him, but I still
think that he was showing some progress in some science
(12:41):
of consistency in the role that he was probably meant
to play. And then again, like, I think there's been
some flashes here and there from Chris Jankins and McKinley Jackson,
but not quite enough to the point where like, yeah,
there are definitely the level of Turner and Murphy, So
I really do feel like it's just those two and
everyone else is kind of in the tier of their own.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Tony and I debated earlier this week. You know, when
you're trying to build a culture that wins are sometimes
more important than draft picks. Do you feel like the
Bengals need to build on and work on their culture
and wins can help that, or do you think they're
(13:17):
so far gone that the draft pick is the most
important thing and it really doesn't matter whether or not
they win games over the final three weeks.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
In general, I'm a firm believer that tanking for any
sort of draft pick that isn't going to be used
on a quarterback is not necessarily in your best interest
because at the end of the day, like, yeah, like
there have been examples of top sixteen picks that completely
revolutionize one side of the ball at Jamar Chase can
be an example of that, right, Kyle Hamilton example of
(13:46):
that for the Ravens. Right, maybe there is that player
that the Bengals could draft nine rather than maybe picking
like thirteen and fourteen.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Right, But at the end.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Of the day, when you have the quarterback, you don't
need a plethora of superstars around him. You just need
solid quality players and you can find that whether you're
picking at eight or fourteen.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
As long as you know what you're looking for.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
So I'm a believer that, yeah, this team definitely needs
to learn how to win again and learn what winning
feels like, and learn how to win games of this
part of the year, because that was something that was
assumed that would happen again this year, winning in December,
and clearly that has definitely fallen off the map. So
I think building wins if you're going to keep all
this together, what winning is definitely more important than having maybe.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
A couple of spots in the draft order picked up.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Because again, people are worried about the Bengals picking in
the teams because they haven't had that much success. But
I don't think that that, again, like a handful of
draft spots, is really going to make that large of
a difference, especially if they especially if they evolve their
draft process the way that they need to.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
When do you start, like digging into draft stuff. When
do you start, you know, start reading about prospects and
mock drafts and all that. When does that process start
for Johnny football?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
For Johnny Football, it's really just a bad after these
guys declare, because I've been burned too many times about
learning about underclassman who obviously, like are the guys that
you want to draft early on, like the guys with
the most potential, the guys who produced the most, and
sometimes some of those guys end up going back to school.
So I don't want to get burned about guys, you know,
going back and obviously that's more prevalent now than ever
with n IM the opportunity for these guys to make money.
(15:18):
So once they declare, I'm pretty much full full steam
ahead for the Senior Bowl and around that time of
the year.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Do you have any comments on Jisel James returning to
the Bearcat lineup last night.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
I think Moegger said it best in how like his
return could alter the team's chemistry or chemistry any talent
that you can get there and make west Miller less
important for the actual on.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
Field on core performance.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Oh my goodness, great stuff, John. What are you working
on for Bengals fans to follow along? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Again, it's it's you know, the last few weeks of
whatever this this season has been. I guess if you
want to continue following along or the Sportscincinnati dot com
a sports Cincinnati for your short form video on talk, YouTube, Instagram,
do live streams on all those platforms as well.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Once a week check us out there to see how
the season ends.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Great stuff, John, thanks for making some time for me.
Have a great holiday. We're not going to talk next week,
but enjoy your holidays. Man, appreciate all your help this season.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
Happy All that is awesome?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Thank you? That is John Shearon you heard him? Eight
is e Sports one of my favorites. Go follow him
John underscore underscore Sharon on X A lot of great stuff.
Did I say X? Who have I become? That's not me?
It's Twitter. Gosh, I can't believe I just I'm disappointed
in myself. I can't believe I just said that. All right,
(16:37):
it's it's Twitter. That's where it's at. All right, when
we come back talkbacks. If you haven't left to talk back,
there's still time. Go to the iHeartRadio app when you
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(16:57):
the Home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifty.
Speaker 6 (17:00):
Thirty episode of Since He three sixty Here every show
at ESPN fifteen thirty dot com.
Speaker 7 (17:09):
Is that hype for talkbacks? With that microphone and record
a message, O Hunter the missile toe remissile not keep
for this, so you better not be naughty. That's kind
of is that type for talkbacks. It's the most wonderful
time of the show. Austin HODI, will you guide this
(17:33):
very slow today and try not to sabotage it?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Very Blue Brugg, Welcome back in to Tony Pikes. Since
He three p sixty here on ESPN fifteen thirty on
Austin no more time for talkbacks. And if you haven't
left the talk back yet, you still have time to
do that. Tap that little microphone next to the play
button on the iHeartRadio app and leave me a message
(17:59):
Jack every coach subject. So, I need you to put
up a pick of you and that shisty. I know
you look like buzz Lightyear. I did. I put up
a pic. It's on my Instagram at audio more a
U T y E L M O r E shameless
plug right now for my Instagram. Go follow it. It's
in my latest post. I think it's slide number What
slide is this? Slide number six? Me and the shisty
(18:23):
and I do I do look a little bit like
buzz Lightyear. I'm gonna take that as a compliment.
Speaker 8 (18:28):
Hey guys, pre Merry Christmas to you guys.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Thanks man.
Speaker 8 (18:33):
I'll send my sentiments next week. Bankal Jerseys, let's do
a start bench cut all right, black pants, orange pants,
white pants.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I'm gonna start the black pants. I'm gonna bench the
white pants. I'm gonna cut the orange pants.
Speaker 9 (18:57):
Ron DC, Hello, Ron would shout out to Cincy shirts.
You see, I had a last minute idea for the
ugly Christmas sweater contest that Abe Lincoln was putting on.
I showed up at the Fort Mitchell location unannounced with
a picture of ugly old Abe that they put on
a sweatshirt for me. I ended up winning the contest.
Abe took it pretty well. In fact, he personally gave
(19:19):
me a Nancy the first place prize of two tickets
to see it play at Ford's Theater.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Oh my gosh, good golly gosh. Hey, guys, who's up
ride in the RBA boys?
Speaker 10 (19:33):
Anyway? I want to make myself perfectly clear. Every day
I leave a talkback as if it would be the
last one I ever do. I've been doing this since
twenty twenty two, and I've been through the highs of
being on the top five talk back yes to the
lows when the post got fired. Every day it's about
(19:56):
putting the work. It's about leaving a talkback back.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Yeah, well said well said Brad and the BA who Yeah. Consistency,
that is true. He has been consistent.
Speaker 5 (20:08):
I listened.
Speaker 11 (20:08):
Does Zach Taylor talk to the media yesterday?
Speaker 12 (20:11):
Boy?
Speaker 4 (20:11):
That was exciting.
Speaker 11 (20:12):
My two biggest takeaways. Number one note to self, don't
ever ask Zach Taylor any questions about his contract. If
you do, he'll suddenly go combative ex wife on you.
Number two. According to Zach Schamar Stewart pays attention during
team meetings. Dude sits in the front row. He looks
at Zach, and Zach looks at Chamar, and Chamar is
(20:33):
absorbing the information he's staring at Zach.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Zach's looking at.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
He was very complimentary of Shamar Stuart. I think Samar
is trying to like change a bit of a narrative
about it. He got off on the wrong foot. I
hope that this offseason he's healthy, there's no distractions, and
he can, you know, adequately prepare for an NFL season
and hopefully be better. I mean, obviously the Bengals are
going to need him to be better. But it does
(21:02):
feel like to me, like Shamar Stewart is like, Okay,
let me let me work on my image here, because
we clearly didn't get off on the right foot, and
a lot of Bengals fans are already out on Shamar Stewart,
and I think that's unfair.
Speaker 8 (21:13):
Yeah, Zach is.
Speaker 11 (21:14):
Looking at Shamar and Shamar making good eye contacts, staring
right back at Zach and Zach is staring at Shamar.
They're staring at each other like a couple of love
sick teenagers. The future looks bright, Chamar's Stewart. The sky's
the limit.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Let's go. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 13 (21:34):
We were talking earlier about why the communication of the
Bengals is there and why can't they tell us? Is
because I don't think they know. I don't think they
have a clue because I remember a couple years ago
during the draft, you guys asked Duke Tobin, who are
you going to draft? They said, we don't know yet.
Speaker 12 (21:48):
We don't know.
Speaker 13 (21:49):
We don't have anyone specific. We just go about who's
best on the board. I think they just wing n
So when they say about the contract, they probably still
don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Well, I mean, if the contract's been signed, you know
what the contract is. And also I don't know that
that's the best analogy. There's never going to tell you
who you're going to draft. Every GM in the NFL
would answer that question the same way, But I think
there might be a little bit of truth to that.
As sad as that might.
Speaker 6 (22:15):
Be up, guys, but Cahuna in Kentucky, So maybe I'm
in the minority here. But I don't know all the
NFL rules. But if the Bengals aren't doing anything against
the rules like talking to the media disclosing contracts, if
that's not the rules that they have to do it,
then why are people the media and why are some
of the fans so tore up about not knowing? It
ain't none of our business. It's their team, they're the owners.
(22:37):
They can do what they want. If you don't like it,
go route for Cleveland, Gonna see.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Yeah. I mean, I don't know that there's there's anything
that says they have to disclose whether or not a
contract extension has been signed. No, there's not. They don't
have to. But after a report comes out, I think
it's strange to not really acknowledge it. That I just
think is weird. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm
(23:05):
always in favor of transparency and truth seeking, and I
don't think there's enough of that. Hey, Audie TJ.
Speaker 14 (23:12):
Marvin was asked to go five in the playoffs, what
he was going to do different that year to prevent
another early exit, and true Marvin smugness, he says, We're
not going to.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
Do anything different.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Why did I do that?
Speaker 14 (23:23):
You know the results after that, Zach is in the
same comfortable and unaccountable position. Now I did some digging.
He's one of the lowest paid coaches in the league.
It doesn't matter if he's the right man, he's the
right price. This organization simply.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Has bass act words priorities.
Speaker 14 (23:36):
So let's start talking about how great next is going
to be?
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Who day. Yeah. I also don't think Zach's money has
ever been officially out there, so that would be a
rumor in and of itself, but it's probably true. And yeah,
I think one of my biggest issues with the Marvin
Lewis era was that, and you can equate this to
the Palmer thing as well, is that they would be
(24:00):
good enough to get to the playoffs every year, but
they would never go above and beyond in the off season.
We bitched and moaned about this forever. Is that there
was a lack of aggression in the off season in
free agency and trying to get people here. And it
was a stain on the organization. It was a stain
on Marvin Lewis, it was a stain on Mike Brown.
They have gotten better at that, but then you look
at an off season like last year where they chalked
(24:22):
it all up to bad luck. The off season last
year was similar to that of the Marvin Lewis era,
which is, we'll get a couple of low level guys,
but we're good enough to get back to the playoffs. Well,
it turns out you're not, and it's more than just
bad luck. You don't have the depth, you don't have
the good enough you know horses to lead this thing.
So I think you're right that sort of comfortability is
(24:46):
not a good thing. I don't know if Zach is
the same personality as Marvin when it comes to that.
I don't know if I would equate those.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Two if they did.
Speaker 12 (24:58):
Like Big Brother, Iheartradios the Saddy edition.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Who do you think would weigh?
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Mmmm, that's a great question. Big Brother I would like.
I like my odds personally. Who else would be good
at that? Around here? Mo would be great? I think
Stephan our president, would be wonderful at that. Scott Sloan
(25:24):
I would actually, I'd probably put I'd probably put Sloaney
as the favorite. I'd put Scott Sloan as the favorite there.
Speaker 15 (25:31):
Yeah, I want to give a shout out to Sandy
and Tracy too. Die hard Bengals fans. They bleed orange
and black like suffering with the rest of us. Hell yeah,
I like how Patinas said he didn't have XAVI, you're
ready to play last night? Well you lose by forty five.
I guess not. They couldn't beat Wes Claremont last night.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, I guess that's true.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
Austin a really good prospective people on the Bengals.
Speaker 16 (26:01):
There.
Speaker 5 (26:01):
I actually feel better about the next season with looking
at the schedule and hoping that they will do what
they need to do finally to get this done for
Joe and the fans. So Whode go Big Blue, and
go Rid.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Thank you, Ken, I'm glad that you appreciate that perspective.
I'm not I will say, I'm not trying to make
people feel better. I'm just trying to, Like, I get
where you're coming from. You have every reason, every reason
imaginable to be skeptical. I get it, and I am too,
because I, to quote Marvin, I see better than I hear.
But I'm just trying to look at it and from
(26:44):
a fifty thousand foot view and say, Okay, what's true,
what's not and what could be a potential path and
That's what I came up with, And I might be wrong.
I'm allowed, Lord knows I've been wrong before.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
You know.
Speaker 17 (26:59):
All I wish is that Mike Brown and the Bengals
would realize that they could just go all in, spend
a ton of money all at once, and just nail
this thing for the next couple of years, get ourselves
at parade, and then they could spend the next fifteen
years pinching pennies and going into miser mode and losing
(27:23):
fifteen sixteen, seventeen games a year, and no one would
care because we had gotten our parade.
Speaker 16 (27:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
I think that's It's a fair way to look at it.
I've on the flip side of that, you could say, well,
they did that in twenty twenty. They spent all the
way up to the cat basically and they failed, and
now what Just to play Devil's advocate there, But I
(27:50):
agree with you. There's an old saying out there. You
got to spend money to make money.
Speaker 18 (27:54):
Hey guys, it's Duke Tovin. I just want to let
you know we're working on an extent within Stone. Yeah,
he'll be our starting safety next year.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Yeah, that would be It would be a dark day
in Bengaledom, as it's.
Speaker 12 (28:11):
Known Austin, Tony, I wish I could sneak into the
Bengals stadium and put on the loud speaker. The Black
Sabbath song changes right when Mike Brown is doing his
walk in the mornings, goes like.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
Going me change.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Yeah, yeah, I like that. I'm sure Mike would like.
I bet Mike listen a little Black Sabbath. I can
imagine that. You imagine Mike cruising down seventy one listening
to Black Sabbath. You think Mike shedd it here when
Ozzie died.
Speaker 16 (28:53):
Hey, Patty, Patty here, I just want to say Merry Christmas,
Happy Holidays to everyone. Won't be able to listen next
week at all our families coming into town from Charleston,
including our grandson, and we are going to have a
house full, including two dogs. It's going to be crazy
and chaotic but wonderful. So just thinking about all you
guys and grateful for you all, and thanks Austin and
(29:15):
Tony for entertaining us. So blessings to you all. Merry Christmas, well.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Thank you, Patty, and Merry Christmas to you and to
your family. Yeah. The schedule for next week. Excuse me,
Tony and I are here on Monday, and I believe
that's it. Tuesday we are bumped due to Kentucky basketball,
and I will be on the Roundtable show with Lance
Tuesday night. But then we are off the rest of
(29:42):
the week and back Monday Tuesday, the twenty ninth and thirtieth,
if I'm not mistaken, and then we're off again. But yeah,
we are only here on Monday next week.
Speaker 19 (29:55):
Hey, Jeffer Casey here talking about Zach's compensation and if
he is one of the lowest paid coaches in the league.
I would say that's probably accurate. It's probably based on
his performance, along with the Bengals being a cheaper organization.
What's his overall record, he probably deserves to be towards
(30:15):
the bottom of the coaching pasco hood.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of people would agree with you.
Speaker 20 (30:21):
Shamar Stewart had a standout performance at the twenty twenty
five Senior Bowl, significantly boosting his draft stock. He dominated
early practice sessions with his rare combination of size, six
feet five.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Inches, two hundred and eighty one pounds yeah.
Speaker 20 (30:32):
And speed, notably forcing a strip sack against LSU tackle
Emery Jones Junior. His performance was so impressive that he
withdrew from the remainder of the week after just two days,
having already solidified himself as a first round prospect.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
This momentum event. Thank you. We knew all that information
about Schamar, but thank you.
Speaker 21 (30:53):
A forty one point loss to crighton that home forty
one points, yeah, Craton Man fire Wes Miller, uh.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
Hey, audy, great job on the show. Sorry to double dip.
Speaker 21 (31:14):
So evidently we're talking about practice.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Shamar Stewart dominated practice.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, he dominated a senior Bowl practice. Yeah he I mean,
we listened Shamar Stewart. We've talked extensively about his lack
of production in games in college. He clearly is not
produced in the NFL and his limited snaps. I would
love to see over the final three weeks as much
(31:41):
Shamar Stewart as I possibly can, as much McKinley Jackson
as I possibly can, as much Demetrius Nite, as much
Barrett Carter, as much of all those dudes, And listen,
you don't want to look back at last year and
those the final five games. They didn't play a bunch
of great quarterbacks. Played a little bit better. You don't
(32:01):
want that to carry a bunch of weight going into
the offseason, but I do think, and based off Paul
Dayers reporting earlier this week, these games do carry weight
when it comes to evaluating going into the offseason, and
so that to me puts meaning meaningful snaps on the
field for this team, and I think we can learn
(32:25):
and get a peak maybe into what their plans might
be based off of the way some of those young
guys perform and listen, Schamar is going to be a
part of the story, whether you want him to or not.
And it would be great for the Bengals to, you know,
finally hit on one of these defensive players that they've
spent all these top one hundred picks on. It would
(32:46):
be great and it would be nice if Shamar Stewart
was one of those guys, and hopefully we see something
out of him over the final three weeks and hopefully
he's able to play. That was it for talkbacks. Speaking
of playing over the final three weeks, Joe Burrow was
asked about it, and Travis Kelcey talked about it. Now
that the Chiefs have been eliminated, I thought both of
their answers were interesting. You'll hear that next on Football
(33:09):
in NATI. This is Tony Pikes since he three sixty
on the Home of the Bengals, ESPN fifteen to thirty.
As Players Fight to them NINNATI brought to.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
You in part by Bud Light and by Oakley Greens
on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Welcome back in You know. A lot has been made
about whether or not Joe Burrow should play in the
final three games of the season, and I think it's
a fun debate because kind of what we talked about
earlier this week, is winning all that important when you
have the needs and the holes and the issues that
the Bengals have, And should you risk Joe Burrow potentially
(33:50):
being injured. I've always stood by the idea that you
should not go through life scared, and if a player
who has paid well wants to play football, then he
should be allowed to play football, whether or not the
games have playoff implications or not. Zach Taylor was asked
why is Joe playing the final three games? And Zach said,
because we want to win, and I can't sit around
(34:12):
and say that the standard is the standard, and you
should always be trying to win and winning should be
the most important thing in YadA, YadA, YadA, and then
just be like Joe shouldn't play the last three games.
If it's about winning, and if it's about having a standard,
and if it's about meeting a standard, and if it's
about getting young players to understand what the standard is,
(34:33):
then that means you don't just pack up and go
home when you get eliminated. It doesn't mean you give
up on the season. Now, if you got a knee injury,
if you got an ankle injury, if you got something
going on, there's no reason to risk it. I get it.
But at the same time, like there's got to be
a culture, a standard, something here to build off of.
(34:56):
And maybe the momentum going into the offseason, maybe that
the whole idea is maybe that's overrated, and I think
there's probably some validity to that. But is it not
about winning at all costs all the time, And isn't
it always a good thing to win? And when I
think of it, like my favorite players are playing for
(35:17):
my favorite team, I want to watch them play football.
I want to watch Joe Burrow play football. I want
to watch Jamar Chase play football. Joe was asked about
it earlier this week, actually, just yesterday, was asked about
why he wants to play the final three games of
the year, played in the last three weeks, so important,
be pretty act. Why does it matter to you even.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
Though you guys are eliminating.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
I played football.
Speaker 5 (35:47):
For the same reasons that I want him to push
to comeback from injury.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
For some reasons, I want to play this week.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
It feels like.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Everything everybody's trying to do everything in their power to
make me not play football, and I feel like I'm fighting.
Speaker 22 (36:01):
It, like fighting everybody else.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
I just want to I just want to play ball.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
That's all I want to do.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
It's pretty simple, right, just want to play football. I'm
paid to play football.
Speaker 12 (36:12):
You know.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
We all propped up Joe for saying what he said
prior to the Thanksgiving game, and people were asking why
do you want to come back? Why do you want
to play? And he's saying, we are paid a lot
of money to play a kid's game. Why would I not?
It can be that simple, can't it. Travis Kelcey is
(36:33):
going to be playing for the Chiefs and they're going
to be eliminated from postseason contention during this game. Chiefs
haven't missed the playoffs since twenty fourteen. Patrick Mahomes has
never taken a snap in which the Chiefs aren't in
contention for the playoffs. It's been a long time for
Travis Kelce. On the New Heights Show or the New
(36:55):
Heights Podcast or whatever that thing's called that he does
with his brother Jason, Jason asked him about, you know,
how do you approach the last three weeks of the season,
And here's Travis's response, Yes, how do you approach the
rest of the season.
Speaker 22 (37:08):
Yeah, it's kind of unfamiliar territory at this point for
a lot of guys in the building, guys that have
been there, and I'm the only one that's been on
the team long enough to see us not make the playoffs.
There's an integrity thing here that that you know, when
you sign up for the gig, you're living out your dreams.
You're living out a kid's dream that that never got
a chance to do this. You're living out you know, man. Yeah,
(37:37):
you're uh. You're playing this game obviously to win Super Bowls.
You're playing this game to be in those playoffs scenarios
and stuff. But at the end of the day, man,
you're playing in the NFL. Yeah, and that's a blessing.
That's an honor. It's an honor to be out there.
It's an honor to feel the soreness after a game
because you're actually out.
Speaker 4 (37:56):
There, you're doing it, yea.
Speaker 22 (37:59):
And no matter if you're getting the ball thrown to you,
no matter if you're if you're blocking your tail off
and you never you know, see the pill. It's it's
an honor to be out there in a uniform, playing
for the for the guys around you, playing for your family,
playing for the people back home that are watching you,
that have known you since you were a little kid,
dreaming about this moment, dreaming about these moments, being in
(38:22):
the NFL. And I'll tell you what, man, If if
there's a game to be ad, baby, I'm gonna go
out there and I'm gonna love playing in it, no
matter if it's a game that uh in the playoffs
or gets us in the playoffs, or a game that
you know, seems like it doesn't have any implications of that.
And that's the integrity you gotta.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
You gotta go out there with man Travis Kelce obviously
in a much different point in his career than than
Joe Burrow is, but the point remains the same. Like,
these dudes are living out their dreams.
Speaker 16 (38:52):
And.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
Why you would willingly step away from that, I think
is I just don't understand. And there's already an attitude
out there about professional athletes that they only do it
for the money. Well, there's an example of a dude
that doesn't need another dime the rest of his life,
and he's getting emotional, choked up about the idea of
(39:17):
not being able to play anymore. Joe Burrow was emotional
after the Baltimore game and the thought of his football
mortality in the game being taken away from him. Like,
we are allowed even though we are not. I'm not
you might not be a professional athlete that makes millions
of dollars. We're allowed to empathize with these guys. We're
(39:38):
allowed to understand that. You know, this can be hard
on them too, and sometimes they just want to play
a game. They get paid to play football, So I
want to play football. I mean, that's what I would
want to do. I just think it can be that simple.
Sometimes we'll take a break we'll come back.
Speaker 4 (39:57):
This is.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
ESPN fi teenth.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
You've been listening to Football in the Natti on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
Been a while since we heard this. I said it
earlier this week with Tony when's my guy Chris Stapleton'
gonna come out with a Christmas album? So I've been
listening to iHeart Christmas. I hope you have been too.
And I can only imagine something like let It Snow
(40:39):
by Chris Stapleton or Please Home? What's that so please
come home for Christmas? Whatever? That is just a little
Chris Stapleton Christmas music. I can't wait. Somebody get Chris
to do that. Uh, wrap it up? Our number two
here on since E three sixty coming up in just
a couple of minutes. We'll talk to Keegan nickoson Bearcat Journal.
(41:01):
How did we get to this point with Gisel James
returning to the Bearcats? Big win for UC last night.
We'll also talk to him with the latest the transfer
portal for the football team. Quick update on the Bengals.
Bengals are starting practice right now. T Higgins, according to
Ben Baby, not spotted. Higgins still going through the concussion protocol.
He did not practice yesterday and Joe Burrow was on
(41:25):
the injury report yesterday. He was listed with a knee
injury but was a full participant. He did say yesterday
is just a little bit sore, so don't know that
that's anything significant, but it was on the injury report yesterday.
Cincinnati had a ton of guys on the injury report
and Joe was one of them. But T Higgins not
(41:47):
spotted at the start of Bengals practice today talking Bearcats
with Keegan Nickolson. Next, this is Tony Pikes since he
three to sixty on the Home of the Bengals ESPN
fifteen to thirty.
This is Tony Pike since he three sixty about Cincinnati
from Cincinnati, sponsored in part by Cincy Shirts. Cincy Shirts
all sincey all day. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati
Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hi, Hello, welcome in our number two of Tony Pike
Sincy three to sixty here on ESPN fifteen thirty. My
name is Austin Elmore. No big fella today, Tone is out.
He'll be back tomorrow. One hour from right now, we
talked to Keegan Nickoson from Bearcat Journal dot com. Keegan
just now talking of tweeting about a couple of Bearcat
(00:40):
offensive linemen that have decided to come back for next year.
We'll get an update on the transfer portal happenings and
all that with the Bearcats, what happened last night on
the hardwood as well. But right now we keep talking
football with a guy that I can't believe I just
now thought of this. I'm gonna start calling him this
from here on out. Johnny Football. John Sheeran from A
to Z Sports covering the Cincinnati Bengals. Hi, Johnny Football,
(01:03):
how are you?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I feel like we could worship this? There was kind
of the stigma with that name you know, like, you know,
someone else had it and he got kind of embarrassed
by the Bengals, and I kind of embarrassed the Bengals
and said the other way around.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So you know, uh, yeah, well you could be the
reason for change with the Johnny football nickname. We'll work
on it. We'll work on it. What do you make
of the last two weeks of the Joe Burrow narrative
about him and his future and not seeing eye to
eye with the organization and what he said yesterday and
(01:35):
last week sum it all up for me? What's your
general feeling and consensus about Joe Burrow in his relationship
with the Bengals right now?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
We love hearing Joe talk because he is very calculated
about what he says, and he's said that I think
forbade him. But typically when he says something of substance,
it's because he means it. And also he's just he's
just a very smart individual, so he think it's about
more than just what is directly in front of him.
And of course, you know, in the media nowadays, you
(02:06):
typically only look at what's right in front of you,
and that's what generates the headlines. Right So when Joe
is thinking about a lot of things beyond just the
last week or so of football, and it sounds like, oh,
he's thinking very big picture and it doesn't sound very good.
It leads to I think a lot of the reactions
that we've seen in the past couple of weeks. But
I think when you have to try to figure out
(02:28):
what is going on in his mind, you have to
think about every single angle, from every single avenue, about
what everything that is encapsuling what it could possibly be
going through his mind right now, which is again coming
back from another injury, and thinking about how long he's
capable of playing, how long he wants to play, and
how that all of that ambition and planning is being
(02:49):
you know, deterred by what has happened over the past
handful of months here on top of being on a
team that, just like he says, is a bad football
team that hasn't done enough and needs to continue doing
things differently and it needs to continue evolving and in
his own.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Words, thinking outside the box.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So I think it's everything from just him thinking about
his own ability, his own durability, his mortality in the game,
but also where he stands with this team and what
the team needs to do going forward around him, So
it's everything. It's not just like, oh, like he's thinking
about hanging it up and leaving the Bengals. No, Like,
(03:24):
there's thoughts about that that naturally pop up when you're
thinking about your futuring, your career and everything like that.
But I think so to boil it down to just
one or two things is not doing a justice to
someone who clearly thinks about a lot more than that.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Do you think he should play the final three games?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I think there's a reason too, because of how he
played this past week. I think it would be not
the greatest for his psyche to enter the offseason after
just having one of the worst games of his career,
especially considering the fact that he just hasn't played that
much this year.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I think having him, giving him.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
The opportunity to at least enter the actual offseason on
somewhat of a hind note, can be kind of good
for him, because if he only played what four or
five games this year, and again one of them was
terrible and they eliminated them for the playoffs, I would
imagine that wouldn't be necessarily the best for his mental health,
especially because that's been such topic of conversation for over
the past ten days or so, So.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
I think it was valuing him.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Playing and if you want to talk about like draft
positioning and keeping him healthy, like he needs to prove
that he can stay healthy. And I think regardless of
whoever's the quarterback for the Bengals right now, they're not
a guaranteed to win or lose any of these games
just because of the verst of the team around the
quarter quarterback position.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
When you saw the report this week from Paul Danner
Junior that Zach Taylor actually had two years remaining on
his deal and that Duke Tobin and Al Golden are
also unlikely to be let go, what was your reaction
and how does that shape your view of this upcoming offseason.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Oh, yeah, the Bengals are.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
They may not be exactly the same organization as they
were loose, but they're still the organization. It's not going
to fire head coach with two years left of guaranteed
salary left on his deal. That it was a complete
game changer in my opinion about Zach's job security and
the fact that it probably hasn't been questioned at all
this year and that's it's always about the same around,
you know, when the Bengals are bad and it's entering December,
(05:17):
like yeah, like maybe there's some conversation about the head coach,
but in reality, the front office doesn't really see it
like that at this point in time, And that was
kind of the sentiment this year. But hearing that in
the fact that he has again two years left of guaranteed,
like it doesn't matter, Like he could be coaching somewhere
else in twenty twenty seven, the Bengals would still to
be paying him the salary that they owe him and
(05:37):
that they gave him.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
I guess under the table.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
And.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I don't like Again, it's not standard practice for teams
to have officially announce these contracts. Sometimes it does kind
of go under the radar. An example brought to me,
brought to my attention over the past school days, the
Green Bay Packers extended Matteli Sluurer and a GM and
their vice president of football operations really early in the
twenty twenty two offseason, and it didn't get reported on
(06:03):
it until July, like during their annual meeting with the
media and everything like that. So sometimes it does happen,
but again, like if you're the Bengals and you just
came off with back to back games, the championship games,
the sentiment of round Zac kid, it was so high. Yeah,
I don't really know why they wouldn't announce whether it
was a separate five year extension or just a one
year extension on top of the five year contract that
(06:23):
he signed in twenty twenty two. It doesn't make a
lot of sense to me why they kept that a secret.
And I can't imagine that because they had the last
three years unfolded. Maybe it wasn't their best interest and.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
I let that be known.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
But it definitely did change how I view, like what's
going to happen in this offseason, because again I just.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Don't think they're gonna fire head coach with two years
left on the deal.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
What did you make of the way Zach talked about
it yesterday and not wanting to talk about.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
It, and he can say that it's going to make
any of the situation better. I understand him saying like
I'm not going to comment on it because he wants
to continue the solution that like, oh, like I'm coaching
for my job. We know you're not man like it
is what it is. Like, that's just not how it's
organization goes. And I appreciate the media for still pushing
it regardless, because at the end of the day, he
(07:04):
is again the only vessel of information that we can
that we can garner any information from with this organization
because the other powers that be are silent for three
hundred and sixty three days of the year. And yeah,
it's unfortunate that we can't that anyone in the media
can't talk to the people who actually employ Zach and
everything has to come through him. And it was kind
of a weird shippy respond to me like, oh, I'm
sorry that you can't talk to them, Like yeah, dude,
(07:26):
Like it is unfortunate. That's the problem with the lack
of transparency with this organization, And yeah, it does. It
is unfortunate that Zach is being put into the situation
sometimes there is all that responsibility that he has as
that coach and this doesn't seem like something that should
be his responsibility to talk about his job security. But yeah,
I think it just speaks to the lack of transparency
in the fact that there are some definitely things that
(07:47):
need to change in which the way that this organization runs.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Talking to John Sheeran ad Is the Sports I made
the point earlier. I think there's a lot of similarities
in this upcoming off season to the ones following the
twenty twenty season in terms of cap space, in terms
of needs and the way that they did kind of
go outside the box and signing a big free agent class,
trading for BJ Hill, extending Sam Hubbard to try to
build some veteran presence and some talent on the defensive
(08:14):
side of the ball. You mentioned outside the box. Thinking
for this offseason, what's an example of something that they
could do. Do you agree that it's similar to the
season following the off season following the twenty twenty year,
and do you feel like they can actually turn this
around in one off season based off of what they
have at their disposal.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
But it just depends on how aggressive they want to
go about it. I think they, I mean, we know
this by heart, right, they limit themselves in which how
much better that they can get a certain period of
time because they like to take things in terms of
value opportunities, in terms of sometimes the right player, it
comes at a greater constant what they're willing to end
(08:57):
up paint up, so they ended up sacrificing the quality
of players that they go after. And that's beyond just
the draft is also in a free agency. I think
if they want to identify what they need, then then
the evolution of thinking outside of the box in this
case is to not letting anything stopping them from going
after and getting the players that whatever Out Golden, whoever
out Golden wants, with, whoever Zach Taylor wants, whoever Duke
(09:18):
Tobin wants, whoever. If you identify that the coaches in
the personnal department are not the issue here and it
is a player and a roster problem, then make sure
that nothing is holding you back from getting the roster as.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
Good as it needs to be.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
And that was definitely an issue last year in which
they weren't aggressive enough. They were sitting on their hands
in the first week of free agency because half of
the personal department was figuring out how to extend Jamar
Chase and Teggans the contracts that should have been signed
months prior to freegency even beginning of the first place.
So that cannot be repeated again. They need to be
extremely more active and aggressive in freegency and not letting
anything hold them back, and if that means that you're
(09:49):
sacrificing your principles of guaranteed money and guarantee future salaries
and contracts, so be it. That is the outside of
the box thinking that they need if they're not going
to pin any of this on the on the actual
decision makers of this.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Organization when it comes to these final three games and
looking for some of the answers to you know, the
questions of the offseason. What exactly are you looking for
in terms of evaluating some of these players on this
roster and trying to figure out what they have going
into the offseason. Over the final three games.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Yeah, I think that is for me, honestly, kind of
started when once Burrow got back, because I think it's
important to see what the team as a whole looks
like when you have the main quarterback at play under center,
that that's when you know that all the operations are
going in the way that they would like them to go.
I think on defense, you still wants to see different
ways in which some of these players are used, Like
(10:39):
you saw some of the evolution with Demetrius Knight Junior
against the Baltimore Ravens. He saw make a little bit
more plays at him behind the line of scrimmage. He saw,
you know, Berek Carter continuing to be who he is.
He saw Miles Burkey continuing take to take those steps
as a pass rusher. So just giving these guys is
more it sounds cliche, but just giving them more reps
in positions in which they will probably be counted on
(10:59):
to play next year. Like that, that's all it is.
It's just a piling up of experience and reps and
making sure that you have as much of an evaluation
on them as possible. And that goes for both sides
of the ball. And you know, I'm interested to see
if there's any change up along the lines of the defense.
And with all these injuries that they're incurring, that like
eight guys who have ankle injuries right now, so maybe
(11:20):
you'll see some new players play against the Dolphins and
the Cardinals and the Browns. But yeah, it's just about
getting as much tape out there as possible and putting
these guys in the positions that they should be expected
to play next year because of the coaches.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Isn't going to change.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Who do you think outside of Miles Murphy and DJ
Turner has made the most progress this year on defense.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
I still I'm still wondering, like it is progress the
word that you would use with Jordan battle, because if
for every great play that he makes, there's a player like, oh,
there's probably a reason why you shouldn't be starting out there.
I think Battle at least I feel like I have
a better idea.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Of who he is.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
He's a guy that I would want on the field
if the rest of the defense has figured out, just
because he's such an ex factor in terms of just
finding the ball and being around the ball. And I think,
just at least for his sake, identifying that quality of
him as a player now that he's a full time starter,
I think that's useful information to know. Again, I don't
know if he's really made a big of a jump
(12:19):
that you would want to be like, oh, like I
want this guy for sure starting next year in twenty
twenty six. But at least there's more information about him.
I would have liked to see more of that from
Dak still this year. But I think the fact that
he's been playing on the boundary when he was you know,
being you know, trained to be in the Nickel this year,
all the time and the injury that came to him,
I don't think that's necessarily helped him, but I still
think that he was showing some progress in some science
(12:41):
of consistency in the role that he was probably meant
to play. And then again, like, I think there's been
some flashes here and there from Chris Jankins and McKinley Jackson,
but not quite enough to the point where like, yeah,
there are definitely the level of Turner and Murphy, So
I really do feel like it's just those two and
everyone else is kind of in the tier of their own.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Tony and I debated earlier this week. You know, when
you're trying to build a culture that wins are sometimes
more important than draft picks. Do you feel like the
Bengals need to build on and work on their culture
and wins can help that, or do you think they're
(13:17):
so far gone that the draft pick is the most
important thing and it really doesn't matter whether or not
they win games over the final three weeks.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
In general, I'm a firm believer that tanking for any
sort of draft pick that isn't going to be used
on a quarterback is not necessarily in your best interest
because at the end of the day, like, yeah, like
there have been examples of top sixteen picks that completely
revolutionize one side of the ball at Jamar Chase can
be an example of that, right, Kyle Hamilton example of
(13:46):
that for the Ravens. Right, maybe there is that player
that the Bengals could draft nine rather than maybe picking
like thirteen and fourteen.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Right, But at the end.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Of the day, when you have the quarterback, you don't
need a plethora of superstars around him. You just need
solid quality players and you can find that whether you're
picking at eight or fourteen.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
As long as you know what you're looking for.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
So I'm a believer that, yeah, this team definitely needs
to learn how to win again and learn what winning
feels like, and learn how to win games of this
part of the year, because that was something that was
assumed that would happen again this year, winning in December,
and clearly that has definitely fallen off the map. So
I think building wins if you're going to keep all
this together, what winning is definitely more important than having maybe.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
A couple of spots in the draft order picked up.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Because again, people are worried about the Bengals picking in
the teams because they haven't had that much success. But
I don't think that that, again, like a handful of
draft spots, is really going to make that large of
a difference, especially if they especially if they evolve their
draft process the way that they need to.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
When do you start, like digging into draft stuff. When
do you start, you know, start reading about prospects and
mock drafts and all that. When does that process start
for Johnny football?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
For Johnny Football, it's really just a bad after these
guys declare, because I've been burned too many times about
learning about underclassman who obviously, like are the guys that
you want to draft early on, like the guys with
the most potential, the guys who produced the most, and
sometimes some of those guys end up going back to school.
So I don't want to get burned about guys, you know,
going back and obviously that's more prevalent now than ever
with n IM the opportunity for these guys to make money.
(15:18):
So once they declare, I'm pretty much full full steam
ahead for the Senior Bowl and around that time of
the year.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Do you have any comments on Jisel James returning to
the Bearcat lineup last night.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
I think Moegger said it best in how like his
return could alter the team's chemistry or chemistry any talent
that you can get there and make west Miller less
important for the actual on.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
Field on core performance.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Oh my goodness, great stuff, John. What are you working
on for Bengals fans to follow along? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Again, it's it's you know, the last few weeks of
whatever this this season has been. I guess if you
want to continue following along or the Sportscincinnati dot com
a sports Cincinnati for your short form video on talk, YouTube, Instagram,
do live streams on all those platforms as well.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Once a week check us out there to see how
the season ends.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Great stuff, John, thanks for making some time for me.
Have a great holiday. We're not going to talk next week,
but enjoy your holidays. Man, appreciate all your help this season.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
Happy All that is awesome?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Thank you? That is John Shearon you heard him? Eight
is e Sports one of my favorites. Go follow him
John underscore underscore Sharon on X A lot of great stuff.
Did I say X? Who have I become? That's not me?
It's Twitter. Gosh, I can't believe I just I'm disappointed
in myself. I can't believe I just said that. All right,
(16:37):
it's it's Twitter. That's where it's at. All right, when
we come back talkbacks. If you haven't left to talk back,
there's still time. Go to the iHeartRadio app when you
search ESPN fifteen thirty. There's a little microphone next to
the play button. Just tap that microphone. Leave me a
thirty second message and we'll play it. I'll play it
when we come back. Talkbacks are next right here on
(16:57):
the Home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifty.
Speaker 6 (17:00):
Thirty episode of Since He three sixty Here every show
at ESPN fifteen thirty dot com.
Speaker 7 (17:09):
Is that hype for talkbacks? With that microphone and record
a message, O Hunter the missile toe remissile not keep
for this, so you better not be naughty. That's kind
of is that type for talkbacks. It's the most wonderful
time of the show. Austin HODI, will you guide this
(17:33):
very slow today and try not to sabotage it?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Very Blue Brugg, Welcome back in to Tony Pikes. Since
He three p sixty here on ESPN fifteen thirty on
Austin no more time for talkbacks. And if you haven't
left the talk back yet, you still have time to
do that. Tap that little microphone next to the play
button on the iHeartRadio app and leave me a message
(17:59):
Jack every coach subject. So, I need you to put
up a pick of you and that shisty. I know
you look like buzz Lightyear. I did. I put up
a pic. It's on my Instagram at audio more a
U T y E L M O r E shameless
plug right now for my Instagram. Go follow it. It's
in my latest post. I think it's slide number What
slide is this? Slide number six? Me and the shisty
(18:23):
and I do I do look a little bit like
buzz Lightyear. I'm gonna take that as a compliment.
Speaker 8 (18:28):
Hey guys, pre Merry Christmas to you guys.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Thanks man.
Speaker 8 (18:33):
I'll send my sentiments next week. Bankal Jerseys, let's do
a start bench cut all right, black pants, orange pants,
white pants.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I'm gonna start the black pants. I'm gonna bench the
white pants. I'm gonna cut the orange pants.
Speaker 9 (18:57):
Ron DC, Hello, Ron would shout out to Cincy shirts.
You see, I had a last minute idea for the
ugly Christmas sweater contest that Abe Lincoln was putting on.
I showed up at the Fort Mitchell location unannounced with
a picture of ugly old Abe that they put on
a sweatshirt for me. I ended up winning the contest.
Abe took it pretty well. In fact, he personally gave
(19:19):
me a Nancy the first place prize of two tickets
to see it play at Ford's Theater.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Oh my gosh, good golly gosh. Hey, guys, who's up
ride in the RBA boys?
Speaker 10 (19:33):
Anyway? I want to make myself perfectly clear. Every day
I leave a talkback as if it would be the
last one I ever do. I've been doing this since
twenty twenty two, and I've been through the highs of
being on the top five talk back yes to the
lows when the post got fired. Every day it's about
(19:56):
putting the work. It's about leaving a talkback back.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Yeah, well said well said Brad and the BA who Yeah. Consistency,
that is true. He has been consistent.
Speaker 5 (20:08):
I listened.
Speaker 11 (20:08):
Does Zach Taylor talk to the media yesterday?
Speaker 12 (20:11):
Boy?
Speaker 4 (20:11):
That was exciting.
Speaker 11 (20:12):
My two biggest takeaways. Number one note to self, don't
ever ask Zach Taylor any questions about his contract. If
you do, he'll suddenly go combative ex wife on you.
Number two. According to Zach Schamar Stewart pays attention during
team meetings. Dude sits in the front row. He looks
at Zach, and Zach looks at Chamar, and Chamar is
(20:33):
absorbing the information he's staring at Zach.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Zach's looking at.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
He was very complimentary of Shamar Stuart. I think Samar
is trying to like change a bit of a narrative
about it. He got off on the wrong foot. I
hope that this offseason he's healthy, there's no distractions, and
he can, you know, adequately prepare for an NFL season
and hopefully be better. I mean, obviously the Bengals are
going to need him to be better. But it does
(21:02):
feel like to me, like Shamar Stewart is like, Okay,
let me let me work on my image here, because
we clearly didn't get off on the right foot, and
a lot of Bengals fans are already out on Shamar Stewart,
and I think that's unfair.
Speaker 8 (21:13):
Yeah, Zach is.
Speaker 11 (21:14):
Looking at Shamar and Shamar making good eye contacts, staring
right back at Zach and Zach is staring at Shamar.
They're staring at each other like a couple of love
sick teenagers. The future looks bright, Chamar's Stewart. The sky's
the limit.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Let's go. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 13 (21:34):
We were talking earlier about why the communication of the
Bengals is there and why can't they tell us? Is
because I don't think they know. I don't think they
have a clue because I remember a couple years ago
during the draft, you guys asked Duke Tobin, who are
you going to draft? They said, we don't know yet.
Speaker 12 (21:48):
We don't know.
Speaker 13 (21:49):
We don't have anyone specific. We just go about who's
best on the board. I think they just wing n
So when they say about the contract, they probably still
don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Well, I mean, if the contract's been signed, you know
what the contract is. And also I don't know that
that's the best analogy. There's never going to tell you
who you're going to draft. Every GM in the NFL
would answer that question the same way, But I think
there might be a little bit of truth to that.
As sad as that might.
Speaker 6 (22:15):
Be up, guys, but Cahuna in Kentucky, So maybe I'm
in the minority here. But I don't know all the
NFL rules. But if the Bengals aren't doing anything against
the rules like talking to the media disclosing contracts, if
that's not the rules that they have to do it,
then why are people the media and why are some
of the fans so tore up about not knowing? It
ain't none of our business. It's their team, they're the owners.
(22:37):
They can do what they want. If you don't like it,
go route for Cleveland, Gonna see.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Yeah. I mean, I don't know that there's there's anything
that says they have to disclose whether or not a
contract extension has been signed. No, there's not. They don't
have to. But after a report comes out, I think
it's strange to not really acknowledge it. That I just
think is weird. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm
(23:05):
always in favor of transparency and truth seeking, and I
don't think there's enough of that. Hey, Audie TJ.
Speaker 14 (23:12):
Marvin was asked to go five in the playoffs, what
he was going to do different that year to prevent
another early exit, and true Marvin smugness, he says, We're
not going to.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
Do anything different.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Why did I do that?
Speaker 14 (23:23):
You know the results after that, Zach is in the
same comfortable and unaccountable position. Now I did some digging.
He's one of the lowest paid coaches in the league.
It doesn't matter if he's the right man, he's the
right price. This organization simply.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Has bass act words priorities.
Speaker 14 (23:36):
So let's start talking about how great next is going
to be?
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Who day. Yeah. I also don't think Zach's money has
ever been officially out there, so that would be a
rumor in and of itself, but it's probably true. And yeah,
I think one of my biggest issues with the Marvin
Lewis era was that, and you can equate this to
the Palmer thing as well, is that they would be
(24:00):
good enough to get to the playoffs every year, but
they would never go above and beyond in the off season.
We bitched and moaned about this forever. Is that there
was a lack of aggression in the off season in
free agency and trying to get people here. And it
was a stain on the organization. It was a stain
on Marvin Lewis, it was a stain on Mike Brown.
They have gotten better at that, but then you look
at an off season like last year where they chalked
(24:22):
it all up to bad luck. The off season last
year was similar to that of the Marvin Lewis era,
which is, we'll get a couple of low level guys,
but we're good enough to get back to the playoffs. Well,
it turns out you're not, and it's more than just
bad luck. You don't have the depth, you don't have
the good enough you know horses to lead this thing.
So I think you're right that sort of comfortability is
(24:46):
not a good thing. I don't know if Zach is
the same personality as Marvin when it comes to that.
I don't know if I would equate those.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Two if they did.
Speaker 12 (24:58):
Like Big Brother, Iheartradios the Saddy edition.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Who do you think would weigh?
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Mmmm, that's a great question. Big Brother I would like.
I like my odds personally. Who else would be good
at that? Around here? Mo would be great? I think
Stephan our president, would be wonderful at that. Scott Sloan
(25:24):
I would actually, I'd probably put I'd probably put Sloaney
as the favorite. I'd put Scott Sloan as the favorite there.
Speaker 15 (25:31):
Yeah, I want to give a shout out to Sandy
and Tracy too. Die hard Bengals fans. They bleed orange
and black like suffering with the rest of us. Hell yeah,
I like how Patinas said he didn't have XAVI, you're
ready to play last night? Well you lose by forty five.
I guess not. They couldn't beat Wes Claremont last night.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, I guess that's true.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
Austin a really good prospective people on the Bengals.
Speaker 16 (26:01):
There.
Speaker 5 (26:01):
I actually feel better about the next season with looking
at the schedule and hoping that they will do what
they need to do finally to get this done for
Joe and the fans. So Whode go Big Blue, and
go Rid.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Thank you, Ken, I'm glad that you appreciate that perspective.
I'm not I will say, I'm not trying to make
people feel better. I'm just trying to, Like, I get
where you're coming from. You have every reason, every reason
imaginable to be skeptical. I get it, and I am too,
because I, to quote Marvin, I see better than I hear.
But I'm just trying to look at it and from
(26:44):
a fifty thousand foot view and say, Okay, what's true,
what's not and what could be a potential path and
That's what I came up with, And I might be wrong.
I'm allowed, Lord knows I've been wrong before.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
You know.
Speaker 17 (26:59):
All I wish is that Mike Brown and the Bengals
would realize that they could just go all in, spend
a ton of money all at once, and just nail
this thing for the next couple of years, get ourselves
at parade, and then they could spend the next fifteen
years pinching pennies and going into miser mode and losing
(27:23):
fifteen sixteen, seventeen games a year, and no one would
care because we had gotten our parade.
Speaker 16 (27:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
I think that's It's a fair way to look at it.
I've on the flip side of that, you could say, well,
they did that in twenty twenty. They spent all the
way up to the cat basically and they failed, and
now what Just to play Devil's advocate there, But I
(27:50):
agree with you. There's an old saying out there. You
got to spend money to make money.
Speaker 18 (27:54):
Hey guys, it's Duke Tovin. I just want to let
you know we're working on an extent within Stone. Yeah,
he'll be our starting safety next year.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Yeah, that would be It would be a dark day
in Bengaledom, as it's.
Speaker 12 (28:11):
Known Austin, Tony, I wish I could sneak into the
Bengals stadium and put on the loud speaker. The Black
Sabbath song changes right when Mike Brown is doing his
walk in the mornings, goes like.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
Going me change.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Yeah, yeah, I like that. I'm sure Mike would like.
I bet Mike listen a little Black Sabbath. I can
imagine that. You imagine Mike cruising down seventy one listening
to Black Sabbath. You think Mike shedd it here when
Ozzie died.
Speaker 16 (28:53):
Hey, Patty, Patty here, I just want to say Merry Christmas,
Happy Holidays to everyone. Won't be able to listen next
week at all our families coming into town from Charleston,
including our grandson, and we are going to have a
house full, including two dogs. It's going to be crazy
and chaotic but wonderful. So just thinking about all you
guys and grateful for you all, and thanks Austin and
(29:15):
Tony for entertaining us. So blessings to you all. Merry Christmas, well.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Thank you, Patty, and Merry Christmas to you and to
your family. Yeah. The schedule for next week. Excuse me,
Tony and I are here on Monday, and I believe
that's it. Tuesday we are bumped due to Kentucky basketball,
and I will be on the Roundtable show with Lance
Tuesday night. But then we are off the rest of
(29:42):
the week and back Monday Tuesday, the twenty ninth and thirtieth,
if I'm not mistaken, and then we're off again. But yeah,
we are only here on Monday next week.
Speaker 19 (29:55):
Hey, Jeffer Casey here talking about Zach's compensation and if
he is one of the lowest paid coaches in the league.
I would say that's probably accurate. It's probably based on
his performance, along with the Bengals being a cheaper organization.
What's his overall record, he probably deserves to be towards
(30:15):
the bottom of the coaching pasco hood.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of people would agree with you.
Speaker 20 (30:21):
Shamar Stewart had a standout performance at the twenty twenty
five Senior Bowl, significantly boosting his draft stock. He dominated
early practice sessions with his rare combination of size, six
feet five.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Inches, two hundred and eighty one pounds yeah.
Speaker 20 (30:32):
And speed, notably forcing a strip sack against LSU tackle
Emery Jones Junior. His performance was so impressive that he
withdrew from the remainder of the week after just two days,
having already solidified himself as a first round prospect.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
This momentum event. Thank you. We knew all that information
about Schamar, but thank you.
Speaker 21 (30:53):
A forty one point loss to crighton that home forty
one points, yeah, Craton Man fire Wes Miller, uh.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
Hey, audy, great job on the show. Sorry to double dip.
Speaker 21 (31:14):
So evidently we're talking about practice.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Shamar Stewart dominated practice.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, he dominated a senior Bowl practice. Yeah he I mean,
we listened Shamar Stewart. We've talked extensively about his lack
of production in games in college. He clearly is not
produced in the NFL and his limited snaps. I would
love to see over the final three weeks as much
(31:41):
Shamar Stewart as I possibly can, as much McKinley Jackson
as I possibly can, as much Demetrius Nite, as much
Barrett Carter, as much of all those dudes, And listen,
you don't want to look back at last year and
those the final five games. They didn't play a bunch
of great quarterbacks. Played a little bit better. You don't
(32:01):
want that to carry a bunch of weight going into
the offseason, but I do think, and based off Paul
Dayers reporting earlier this week, these games do carry weight
when it comes to evaluating going into the offseason, and
so that to me puts meaning meaningful snaps on the
field for this team, and I think we can learn
(32:25):
and get a peak maybe into what their plans might
be based off of the way some of those young
guys perform and listen, Schamar is going to be a
part of the story, whether you want him to or not.
And it would be great for the Bengals to, you know,
finally hit on one of these defensive players that they've
spent all these top one hundred picks on. It would
(32:46):
be great and it would be nice if Shamar Stewart
was one of those guys, and hopefully we see something
out of him over the final three weeks and hopefully
he's able to play. That was it for talkbacks. Speaking
of playing over the final three weeks, Joe Burrow was
asked about it, and Travis Kelcey talked about it. Now
that the Chiefs have been eliminated, I thought both of
their answers were interesting. You'll hear that next on Football
(33:09):
in NATI. This is Tony Pikes since he three sixty
on the Home of the Bengals, ESPN fifteen to thirty.
As Players Fight to them NINNATI brought to.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
You in part by Bud Light and by Oakley Greens
on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Welcome back in You know. A lot has been made
about whether or not Joe Burrow should play in the
final three games of the season, and I think it's
a fun debate because kind of what we talked about
earlier this week, is winning all that important when you
have the needs and the holes and the issues that
the Bengals have, And should you risk Joe Burrow potentially
(33:50):
being injured. I've always stood by the idea that you
should not go through life scared, and if a player
who has paid well wants to play football, then he
should be allowed to play football, whether or not the
games have playoff implications or not. Zach Taylor was asked
why is Joe playing the final three games? And Zach said,
because we want to win, and I can't sit around
(34:12):
and say that the standard is the standard, and you
should always be trying to win and winning should be
the most important thing in YadA, YadA, YadA, and then
just be like Joe shouldn't play the last three games.
If it's about winning, and if it's about having a standard,
and if it's about meeting a standard, and if it's
about getting young players to understand what the standard is,
(34:33):
then that means you don't just pack up and go
home when you get eliminated. It doesn't mean you give
up on the season. Now, if you got a knee injury,
if you got an ankle injury, if you got something
going on, there's no reason to risk it. I get it.
But at the same time, like there's got to be
a culture, a standard, something here to build off of.
(34:56):
And maybe the momentum going into the offseason, maybe that
the whole idea is maybe that's overrated, and I think
there's probably some validity to that. But is it not
about winning at all costs all the time, And isn't
it always a good thing to win? And when I
think of it, like my favorite players are playing for
(35:17):
my favorite team, I want to watch them play football.
I want to watch Joe Burrow play football. I want
to watch Jamar Chase play football. Joe was asked about
it earlier this week, actually, just yesterday, was asked about
why he wants to play the final three games of
the year, played in the last three weeks, so important,
be pretty act. Why does it matter to you even.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
Though you guys are eliminating.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
I played football.
Speaker 5 (35:47):
For the same reasons that I want him to push
to comeback from injury.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
For some reasons, I want to play this week.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
It feels like.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Everything everybody's trying to do everything in their power to
make me not play football, and I feel like I'm fighting.
Speaker 22 (36:01):
It, like fighting everybody else.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
I just want to I just want to play ball.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
That's all I want to do.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
It's pretty simple, right, just want to play football. I'm
paid to play football.
Speaker 12 (36:12):
You know.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
We all propped up Joe for saying what he said
prior to the Thanksgiving game, and people were asking why
do you want to come back? Why do you want
to play? And he's saying, we are paid a lot
of money to play a kid's game. Why would I not?
It can be that simple, can't it. Travis Kelcey is
(36:33):
going to be playing for the Chiefs and they're going
to be eliminated from postseason contention during this game. Chiefs
haven't missed the playoffs since twenty fourteen. Patrick Mahomes has
never taken a snap in which the Chiefs aren't in
contention for the playoffs. It's been a long time for
Travis Kelce. On the New Heights Show or the New
(36:55):
Heights Podcast or whatever that thing's called that he does
with his brother Jason, Jason asked him about, you know,
how do you approach the last three weeks of the season,
And here's Travis's response, Yes, how do you approach the
rest of the season.
Speaker 22 (37:08):
Yeah, it's kind of unfamiliar territory at this point for
a lot of guys in the building, guys that have
been there, and I'm the only one that's been on
the team long enough to see us not make the playoffs.
There's an integrity thing here that that you know, when
you sign up for the gig, you're living out your dreams.
You're living out a kid's dream that that never got
a chance to do this. You're living out you know, man. Yeah,
(37:37):
you're uh. You're playing this game obviously to win Super Bowls.
You're playing this game to be in those playoffs scenarios
and stuff. But at the end of the day, man,
you're playing in the NFL. Yeah, and that's a blessing.
That's an honor. It's an honor to be out there.
It's an honor to feel the soreness after a game
because you're actually out.
Speaker 4 (37:56):
There, you're doing it, yea.
Speaker 22 (37:59):
And no matter if you're getting the ball thrown to you,
no matter if you're if you're blocking your tail off
and you never you know, see the pill. It's it's
an honor to be out there in a uniform, playing
for the for the guys around you, playing for your family,
playing for the people back home that are watching you,
that have known you since you were a little kid,
dreaming about this moment, dreaming about these moments, being in
(38:22):
the NFL. And I'll tell you what, man, If if
there's a game to be ad, baby, I'm gonna go
out there and I'm gonna love playing in it, no
matter if it's a game that uh in the playoffs
or gets us in the playoffs, or a game that
you know, seems like it doesn't have any implications of that.
And that's the integrity you gotta.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
You gotta go out there with man Travis Kelce obviously
in a much different point in his career than than
Joe Burrow is, but the point remains the same. Like,
these dudes are living out their dreams.
Speaker 16 (38:52):
And.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
Why you would willingly step away from that, I think
is I just don't understand. And there's already an attitude
out there about professional athletes that they only do it
for the money. Well, there's an example of a dude
that doesn't need another dime the rest of his life,
and he's getting emotional, choked up about the idea of
(39:17):
not being able to play anymore. Joe Burrow was emotional
after the Baltimore game and the thought of his football
mortality in the game being taken away from him. Like,
we are allowed even though we are not. I'm not
you might not be a professional athlete that makes millions
of dollars. We're allowed to empathize with these guys. We're
(39:38):
allowed to understand that. You know, this can be hard
on them too, and sometimes they just want to play
a game. They get paid to play football, So I
want to play football. I mean, that's what I would
want to do. I just think it can be that simple.
Sometimes we'll take a break we'll come back.
Speaker 4 (39:57):
This is.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
ESPN fi teenth.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
You've been listening to Football in the Natti on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
Been a while since we heard this. I said it
earlier this week with Tony when's my guy Chris Stapleton'
gonna come out with a Christmas album? So I've been
listening to iHeart Christmas. I hope you have been too.
And I can only imagine something like let It Snow
(40:39):
by Chris Stapleton or Please Home? What's that so please
come home for Christmas? Whatever? That is just a little
Chris Stapleton Christmas music. I can't wait. Somebody get Chris
to do that. Uh, wrap it up? Our number two
here on since E three sixty coming up in just
a couple of minutes. We'll talk to Keegan nickoson Bearcat Journal.
(41:01):
How did we get to this point with Gisel James
returning to the Bearcats? Big win for UC last night.
We'll also talk to him with the latest the transfer
portal for the football team. Quick update on the Bengals.
Bengals are starting practice right now. T Higgins, according to
Ben Baby, not spotted. Higgins still going through the concussion protocol.
He did not practice yesterday and Joe Burrow was on
(41:25):
the injury report yesterday. He was listed with a knee
injury but was a full participant. He did say yesterday
is just a little bit sore, so don't know that
that's anything significant, but it was on the injury report yesterday.
Cincinnati had a ton of guys on the injury report
and Joe was one of them. But T Higgins not
(41:47):
spotted at the start of Bengals practice today talking Bearcats
with Keegan Nickolson. Next, this is Tony Pikes since he
three to sixty on the Home of the Bengals ESPN
fifteen to thirty.
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