Tony Pike's Friday Football Frenzy -- 12/19/25

Tony and Austin talk Bengals / Dolphins, make their picks, chat with Charlie Goldsmith and Bob Mangine, and more on ESPN 1530!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Tony Pike's Friday Football Frenzy Show, brought to
you in part five fellow Windows and door Making life
writer pelenaw Hey, later Skyline Chili Feeling good, It's Skyline
time OnCore Technologies. Visit OnCore dot Tech, Hudson Oil, Heeling Champions,
on and off the field, Game Day, Men's health, Start

(00:23):
your best life today, and by the Creation Museum. It's
more than a museum. Visit Creation Museum dot org. Today
on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official Home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
All right, here we are, let's get it started.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
The Friday Football Frenzy on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.
Thanks as one to our friends at Skyline Chili. More importantly,
thank you for listening on the Home of the Bengals,
ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station. Or maybe you're listening
via the iHeartRadio app. If so, head to that microphone.
Leave us a talkback. We'll get to your talkbacks an

(01:04):
hour number two today. Listen Fridays. It's about the sports,
it's also about you, the listener. Your phone calls five one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty. Your talkbacks here's what I want to know today, Austin.
We'll go as much sports as we need to cover.
We're in on Monday of next week, you and I
and then we are off the rest of the week

(01:25):
or I'm off the rest of the week. I don't
know if are you off the rest of the week.
We're off Tuesday because of Kentucky basketball.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
By the way, yeah, I'll be on the air Tuesday
evening for the Bengals Roundtable show.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
But on this show after that? No, okay, so we
will not be on this show. We have today Monday,
and we have Monday. So what I want to know
from you the listener, what's your Cincinnati sports Christmas wish?
And here's the thing. You only get one. So it

(01:55):
could be a bear Cat wish, it could be a
Xavier wish, it could be a Bengals wish. It could
be an FC Cincinnati wish. It could be a Red's wish.
Maybe it could be something else. But what I want
to know today is what is your Cincinnati sports Christmas wish?
Maybe it's this show going to four hours, Maybe you
want more of since E three to sixty. Whatever it

(02:15):
may be, let us know that today our phone lines
are open. We could talk about whatever you want. We
could talk Bengals. This is an open platform for you,
the listener, as it is each and every day. Charlie
Goldsmith stops by at one o'clock, Bob Manjean joins us
at two o'clock. We've got Read and React, we've got
our weekly pick him segment. Of course, we have talkbacks
and in between all of that, plenty of time for you.

(02:37):
And since E three to sixty, let's start with Thursday
Night football last night Austin. Many are asking, many are
wondering game of the year last night.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Well, you wouldn't know from here now, Michaels. But yeah,
it was a great.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Game, Michaels. Again, a put returns a big deal, my goodness.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
To Puka catch to send them over two hundred yards
and take the lead in overtime. That's kind of a
big deal. Big nice catch, don't. I don't like you
piling on all that, but god, Lee, buddy, can we
get some excitement going on? More people are piling on
now as well. I mean, well, I'll admit, like right
now I'm feeling sleepy. Sure, I don't have the same
energy that I would normally have, but I'm gonna give

(03:12):
it my all right to juice it up a little
bit here on a Friday football frenzy. I need that
same energy from al. But I had a blast watching
that game. I had no problem sacrificing some sleep to
watch the end of it. I thought it was amazing
the difference in Jackson Smith and jigbuff from the first
half to the second half. Goodness, and how the Seahawks

(03:32):
were able to move him around and get him involved. Specifically,
coming out of the backfield. Sam Darnold could have shriveled up,
could have went away, could have started seeing ghosts, could
have got mono. He said no, I'm gonna keep throwing
that football and made some big time throws down the stretch.
The two point conversion was one of the craziest things
I've ever seen. It was just a highly entertaining game.

(03:53):
And I told you before the show, I like it
when Seattle's good. I love that stadium, I love that atmosphere.
I think that team is is fascinating. It was awesome
last night.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
You would have thought going into that game, two pretty
good defenses, defensive battle. No Seahawks win it. Thirty eight,
thirty seven in overtime. How about this five hundred and
eighty one yards of offense for the Rams, four hundred
and fifteen yards of total offense for the Seattle Seahawks.
Sam Darnold overcomes two interceptions in the game. It was
not without controversy. If you followed along last night, a

(04:26):
two point conversion attempt by the Seattle Seahawks essentially becomes
a backward pass, hits off a Rams defender, Ricochet's into
the end zone. Zach Charbonay picks it up. They're calling
it the Zach wardz pass. Yeah, I mean like officials
had blown the play, called incomplete pass, like the teams
were getting ready for the ensuing kickoff, and next thing

(04:47):
you know, they review it and they put the points
back on the board. I'm with Sean McVeigh, I get
the right. Cod've never seen anything like it transpire. Yeah, insane.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
This is my biggest problem with the the NFL and
with their officiating, it is that it is so profoundly
inconsistent that sometimes you'll get, you know, a buzz in
from New York. Sometimes you won't. Sometimes we don't know
until after a commercial break what somebody is thinking. Now.
Credit to Terry McCauley on the broadcast with Prime last night.

(05:20):
He was all over it from the very beginning and explained,
you know how it's a little bit of a different
rule when it's a backwards pass the whole nine yards,
and it was I just wish and I've said this
many times. I know Albert Breer has posted and written
about this. They need to strip officiating all the way
down to the studs and kind of restart and determine

(05:45):
what can be when the sky judge can be involved
and when it can't. Number One, I think we need
a sky judge for everything. If we can get the
call right, then get the call right. Let's do it quickly.
Last night it took a little bit longer than anybody expected,
but I think I think the right call was made
and ultimately that's what mattered. Sean McVay wasn't happy, but

(06:05):
he just didn't benefit this time.

Speaker 3 (06:09):
Poka Nakua twelve catches, sixteen targets, two hundred and twenty
five yards, two touchdowns.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Strange week for Puka. Crazy with the puka, he is
a monster.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
Jackson Smith and Jigba had eight catches for ninety six
yards and a big touchdown. Kenneth Walker ran it over
the century mark at one hundred yards. Like I said,
it was just a fun football game. What makes it
even more fun, Austin is it's two really good football
teams that are going to be playing in the postseason,
and last night they just happened to come from the
same conference in the NFC West, the same division and

(06:42):
give Seattle a heads up now in that division and
a path to be the number one seed.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
That is a big win.

Speaker 3 (06:51):
That's what I like the most, the stakes being at
the highest, Both teams played at such a high level,
both coaches coached at a high level. That was just awesome,
awesome football to watch last night. I hope, I hope
it's a small snapshot into what the rest of Week
sixteen is going to be in the National Football League
starting tomorrow night. Eagles Commanders at five, Packers Bears at eight, twenty.

(07:15):
Other news happening across the sports world. Do you have
any interest at all, Austin and Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua, No,
I don't know who. I don't those are boxers. No,
they're boxing this week? What about I don't I don't
care about boxing. All right, do you not really? Okay,
not really?

Speaker 2 (07:35):
What about the World Baseball Classic? What about it? They
have now added Tarik Skuball to the roster. Who's they
The United States? The US? Okay, how about US is rotation.

Speaker 3 (07:48):
You're gonna get Scuoball, Paul Skins, Matthew Boyd, Garrett Whitlock.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
They better not lose.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
You also get Joe, Ryan Logan, Webb, Clay Holmes, Mason Miller.
I mean they are loaded loaded at pitching for the
World Baseball Class.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
I don't think I've ever seen any clarification on I
was thinking that as well. I don't know. I know
Ellie has been posting some some some videos of him
back home. It looks like in the dr and he's
playing baseball and you know, taking live pitches and stuff
like that. So I don't know if he's still part
of a rehab program or what. But you know, I

(08:26):
go back to what Charlie told us last week, the Reds.
It's not something the Reds would do, so just kind
of kind of weird what's going on there?

Speaker 3 (08:34):
Yeah, college football bowl games are underway. They need to
throw the talent in right now in Myrtle Beach, well,
like this is just the myrtle beach ball, so waste
of everybody's time. There is seven minutes and thirty eight
seconds left in the second quarter and the Broncos from
Western Michigan lead Kennessas State thirty four to nothing. Now,
I don't have the game on in here. I would

(08:55):
imagine there's probably not a huge crowd.

Speaker 2 (08:57):
I can't. I can't really tell me Ano they're on
the teal turf over there Coastal Carolina. But yeah, thirty
four to nothing, I mean action, you know what it is?
Speaking of action, there was a coach getting some action
at the uh Boy Ohio in or whatever called oh
you Yeah coach, what's his name? Brian Smith? Not good.
They determined that he was in a relationship with an

(09:21):
undergraduate student at O you And they're trying to say
that well, because divorce was already going through, it's no
big deal. But they're like, you can't work at the
school and have a relationship with a student.

Speaker 3 (09:32):
Man, coach does not understand that, like, stuff like this
will will come out, it will come to light.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
I just it's I don't so Ohio's in your pants?

Speaker 3 (09:43):
Man Ohio cited officially extra marital affairs and alcohol use
in the firing of head coach Brian Smith.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
Now my question is extra marital affairs. How is that
like a violation of your job's battlest I don't know.
It's one thing if you're like the pastor of a church,
you're the head coach of a football team. I don't
know that that's the reason to be I don't know
the fact that it's said is extra.

Speaker 3 (10:10):
Marital affairs, including one with an undergraduate student. So maybe
there were multiple affairs happening.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
But see there's something going on with someone who works
in the football.

Speaker 3 (10:20):
The university president said it brought scandal and ridicule to
the program, which violated his employment agreement.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
I don't know if that's true, because nobody knew what
was going on until yesterday. That's true, So maybe internally
there was scandal and ridiculed the department. I don't know
there were I did think that our buddy Mo made
a great point, which is football coaches often tell you
how hard they work and how little they see their families. Well,
these guys have been finding ways to spend time with
other people.

Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, Now there were reports that this coach showed up
at A an appearance smelling strongly of alcohol and intoxicated
and demeanor. He pushes back and said he was never
drunk at A at A. I mean, so it's it's again,
he said. She said, who knows a lot going on?
But uh Ou is without a football coach, and right

(11:09):
now it would seem like Kennessall State's without one as well.
Thirty four nothing, but don't worry. Don't worry. It'll get
better for bowl season.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
This is thirty the Myrtle Beach Bowl, presented by Engine. Yep,
you say, who's engine? My engine? Who's the fire? Engine?

Speaker 3 (11:28):
Couldn't tell you? Like engine, Well, don't worry because at
two thirty you get the Union, Hole, Mortgage, gas, Parilla Ball.
Don't care Memphis, NC State couldn't care less. What about
tonight though, the first round of the college football playoff.
I'm mildly interested in Norman, Oklahoma, Yeah, Oklahoma?

Speaker 2 (11:44):
Who do you want to win that game? Oklahoma? Really? Yeah? Okay?

Speaker 3 (11:49):
I could? I mean, I don't. I don't really have
a reason. Miami, Texas A and m Tallane Old Miss
James Madison, Oregon. The other first round of the college
football playoff games happened tomorrow. We'll touch on those games
as well when we get to our pickum segment today
in our number three, pick them for now we've got
Is that so what it's called?

Speaker 2 (12:07):
Pick them? Yeah? For now.

Speaker 3 (12:08):
We'll see what happens now three. I'll throw your name
on that too, Mike, we'll throw a name on it today.
I'm sure interesting. Jamar Chase made some comments yesterday. We've
got some injury updates happening right now Bengals practice, and
Bill Barnwell wrote about some NFL head coaching vacancies or
possible vacancies. We'll dive into all of that in our
number one, along with read and react in your phone
calls five, one, three, seven, fifteen thirty. It is the

(12:30):
Friday Football Friends on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (12:34):
This week, the Bengals and Dolphins meet up in Miami
for a South Beach showdown. Speaking of the beach, my
swimsuit of choice is a speedo European style. I don't
like those pesky dead lives. The Bengals stool, the Dolphins
get the call live from Dan Lloyd and Dave Lapham.
The game kicks love it won them with Kevin starting

(12:57):
at nine am Sunday for free. Are the new and
improved iHeartRadio app Core ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home
of the Cincinnati.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
Bengals in the Natti, brought to you by Hey during
Window Company on ESPN fifteen thirty, The official home of
the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (13:19):
All right, little football, then out of here Friday Football Frenzy,
thanks to our friends at Skyline. Chilly here. As we
roll along, we'll get phone calls. We'll do a little
read and reacting now number one as well. Right now
Austin practice happening or just getting over at the practice
fields at pay Course Stadium. Do we have any injury
updates to report on?

Speaker 5 (13:39):
We do.

Speaker 2 (13:40):
Zach Taylor, talking with the media on the way off
the field at the Bengals practice bubble, says that Joseph Osai,
Chris Jenkins, Noah Fant, and Charlie Jones are all out
on Sunday. Oh, Chris Jenkins will go to IR, ending
his season with his ankle injury he suffered late in

(14:02):
the game against the Ravens. Meanwhile, bj Hill practiced for
the first time this week. He will play in Miami,
as will Shamar Stuart so Stuart will be activated off
the ir and play against the Miami Dolphins. T Higgins
is listed as questionable. He is still in the protocol.
There's one more hurdle for him to clear. According to

(14:22):
Zach Taylor. So Higgins listed as questionable and Osai is
an ankle correct. Osai is an ankle as well, I believe.

Speaker 3 (14:29):
Now this obviously just from a football dynamic standpoint, Osai
has been, alongside Miles Murphy, their most productive lineman over
the past couple of weeks. Sure, going up against a
quarterback making his first starting Quinn Yours, this is substantial
for the Bengals because that makes life a little bit
easy on yours for Sunday.

Speaker 2 (14:49):
Yeah, I'm sure it does. But at the same time,
I'm like, hey, can we put Shamar Stewart out there
for every single snap? Probably probably not, you know, the
coming off of an injury, but opportunity for him to play.
That's part of the story of the rest of this
season is evaluating those players on defense and that dude
needs snaps. How much can he change the thought about

(15:13):
this defensive line with a strong three weeks. I don't
know that it changes much at all about the defensive line.
But you know a guy like Jerry Montgomery, the defensive
line coach, can he you know, break through with something.
Can can he you know, take something from what Shamar
Stewart does that they can build on in the offseason
and all that stuff, Like, he's got to show something.

Speaker 3 (15:35):
Yeah, because if he's just if he's non existent in
three weeks and in three straight games, that is a
huge issue going into next year.

Speaker 2 (15:43):
I would agree with that. Yeah, he's already an issue.
And even if he plays like Miles Garrett over the
last three weeks, I don't think we want to overreact
to that.

Speaker 3 (15:53):
We feel a little bit better than where you're at now,
right right, I mean, because if I don't, let's face it,
he goes out there with no SI, plays meaningful snap
Sunday and you don't notice him. That's an issue, sure,
even more of an issue than what this season has been.
Jamar Chase, at least from coach speaks standpoint, I think
said all the right things. Yesterday he was asked about

(16:16):
the front office and the coaching staff. He said, quote,
I feel great about them. I've got a great bond
with the staff. He was asked to expand on why
the Bengals get so much loyalty from players, Jamar Chase said,
because they've shown them love since they got here, his rookies.
Over time, you build a relationship, and they still have one.
Now again, Chase is not going to say anything negative

(16:36):
to the public in any sense like that, But at
least outwardly, you've had Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow both
kind of vouch for the organization this week.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
Yeah, listen, Jamar Chase has always been very straightforward, very honest.
He's been thoughtful. I don't feel like Jamar is ever
really holding anything back, and so because of the history
of that, I feel that same way about his comments yesterday.
I think the players like Zach. I think Jamar likes Zach.

(17:10):
I think Joe likes Zach. And I don't think that
the issues that some of the players have with the
way things have gone with the Bengals really have all
that much to do, if anything, with the head coach.
I think more than anything, they have to do with
the way that the front office operates and the difficult

(17:33):
nature of the front office and ownership, and so people
are I've seen some people making it sound like, oh,
Jamar is just saying that he's not trying to rock
the boat. When has Jamar ever avoided rocking the boat
if he feels like he needs to. So, I think
his comments are sincere there and I think that's a
good thing. If and I.

Speaker 3 (17:56):
Fully don't expect there to be any changes to the
coaching staff for this Cincinnati Bengals if there were any changes,
would it immediately become the most desirable job in the NFL?

Speaker 2 (18:06):
No? Who would it be? What do you mean if
their job opened? Who would the if? The if?

Speaker 3 (18:14):
What if the Bengals head coaching job opened? Yeah, would
it be the number one job?

Speaker 2 (18:19):
No? Why not? Because of ownership and Duke toven So.

Speaker 3 (18:24):
The only reason I asked. Bill Barnwell wrote an arc
on ESPN yesterday and he went through the most most
desirable jobs. Now what he did He gave two honorable
mentions because he thinks there's a caveat that maybe Mike
Tomlin's future in Pittsburgh has done, and maybe there's an
outside chance that Andy Reid retires. And he said, if
Reid retires, you get to come back and coach Patrick Mahomes.

(18:46):
That would obviously be the top job. But he put
together eight potential opportunities. Two of them are already open.
But out of the eight opportunities that he laid out,
Bill Barnwell, Titans, Raiders, Giants, Foul Dolphins, Cardinals, Browns, Bengals,
he lists the Bengals as easily the most desirable job
that would would come open.

Speaker 2 (19:08):
There's plenty to say that it would be desirable. It
starts with Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase. They're under contractor's
cap space, and you do have a patient ownership group,
but financially you're not going to get paid among the
best in the NFL. You do have to be the
face of the franchise. No one is going to no
one else is going to speak. Duke's not going to speak, Mike,

(19:30):
Katie Troy, They're not going to talk. You have to
go through all that crap. You don't really have a
say when it comes to contracts and negotiation, and that
has proven to be a distraction and an issue with
players due to the way that they do their contracts.
And more than anything, like you do you feel like
the people that are your bosses are going to exhaust

(19:54):
every avenue to win a championship. Are they going to
support you in every way possible. Yep, there are plenty
of reasons to take the job, but I think those
When has it ever felt like the best coach available
wants to be in cincrinty.

Speaker 3 (20:11):
I think it's also Barnwell points out, and I didn't
realize this, Austin. The organization ranks thirtieth in cash spending
over the past five years combined, ahead of just the
Raiders and the Rams. They talk about the Jesse Bates
situation in free agency, and Joe Goodberry kind of added
to this. Austin listened to these numbers. The Falcons paid
Jesse Baits fifty million over the last three years. Over

(20:34):
that same time, the Bengals have now spent forty one
point eight million dollars on safety with free agents and
draft picks. They've also spent a first, third, fifth, and
seventh round pick on safeties, and in all likelihood, they'll
need to spend another pick and more free agent money
this offseason as they still haven't found the replacement. Yeah,
this team is still haunted by the decision to move

(20:56):
on from Jesse Bates on the defensive side of the ball.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yeah, I mean, there are plenty of play that the
Bengals have let go where it's like, okay, like I
can see that, and maybe there's there's nothing there, but
it's notable that there's three that that should have altered
the direction of this franchise. Bates is one of them.
Kevin Zeitler was one of them, Andrew Whitworth is one
of them, you know, and Trey the whole nonsense with that.

(21:21):
Who knows how it's gonna end up working out, But yeah,
I mean, that's that's an example right there of like
because of the stubborn nature of doing business and not
wanting to guarantee a certain amount of money beyond whatever it,
it hurt them.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
Yeah, and again they are still set back from that
because of the ensuing decisions that they have made and
how those decisions have not panned out in the end.
We'll take another break. When we come back, we'll open
up the phone lines five, one, three, seven, four nine,
fifteen thirty. We'll hear from you on this the Friday
Football Frenzy on the whole of the Bengals, ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 4 (21:56):
You've been listening to football in the Natty on ESPN
fifteen thirty. The official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 6 (22:08):
This is Dan Horde, joined Dave Lapham and me this
afternoon at three for Bengals PEP rally on the official
home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (22:17):
For ten years.

Speaker 3 (22:26):
Welcome back Friday Football Frenzy. ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.
Happy to have you along. Give us a call. Phone
lines are open five to one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty. We'll go to those phone lines right now.
John is giving us a call.

Speaker 2 (22:43):
What's up? John?

Speaker 8 (22:45):
Happy Friday, Tony, Happy Friday, Austin. How are you good?

Speaker 2 (22:48):
How are you.

Speaker 5 (22:49):
Good?

Speaker 9 (22:50):
We're doing okay.

Speaker 8 (22:50):
A couple of points. I just want to bring up,
first of all, to our friend Mike in La. Thank
you for the kind words yesterday and again, thank you
for your service and keep fighting along with friends. The
other thing, too, is last night's game. And it happened
so early in the game I think everybody forgot about it.
But the Rams scored a touchdown, they got called back
for illegal man bound field, which never happened.

Speaker 10 (23:11):
I mean, the broadcast team.

Speaker 8 (23:13):
And the official that was overseeing things was like, this
didn't really happen. So they had to take a touchdown
off and settle for a field goal.

Speaker 10 (23:22):
So there's a four point swing.

Speaker 8 (23:23):
Who knows how the game goes after that, But that
was a really bad call. I mean, that was a
horrendous call and that obviously may have had a big
impact on the game. As far as Tony was, as
far as Austin with al Michaels, I'm with you, brother,
he's lost.

Speaker 2 (23:37):
Some energy or something.

Speaker 8 (23:38):
The only thing I can think of is maybe he's
not getting his customary steak at halftime. Remember he gets
a stake at half time that he eats.

Speaker 10 (23:46):
Maybe he's not.

Speaker 8 (23:47):
Getting that, so could be not enough protein. And from
what I understand, he's eighty years old. He's never had
a vegetable in his life. Maybe someone's mixing in vegetables
and it's doing something to his energy level for the game.
Because he's he's not quite the same as he's been
and I think he's the greatest to ever do it.

Speaker 3 (24:01):
It's hard because the Thursday nights are a little bit
more difficult, but they've been They've had some incredible moments
over the last couple of weeks, and the moment has
almost lost a little bit during the broadcast because it
doesn't feel as it's viewed by the broadcast as that
big of a moment.

Speaker 8 (24:20):
Do you think he really jibs with Herbstreet. I mean,
Herbstreet to me, is outstanding on college football, not so
much on pro football.

Speaker 2 (24:27):
I think there's a very laid back like thing vibe
to the Thursday night games and I don't mind it
because it's different, and I like when they go into
the way back machine and they have al tell a
story and they show an old highlight and all that.
But my biggest issue is that Herbstreek is constantly interrupting
al Michaels and it drives me nuts and it makes

(24:50):
the flow of the game, like I just don't understand it.
So yeah, I don't know that they have the best chemistry.

Speaker 8 (24:58):
Well for early prediction next year comes back for a
final year Aaron Rodgers of the Booth with him. That
could be interesting, very interesting. He'd be a home runner
or you know, look at three strikes final comments. I
know you guys are looking for some Christmas wishes. I
just hope that obviously going forward, Joe Burrow stay healthy,

(25:19):
has that long, prosperous career that we all know he's
going to have if he's healthy, but also find his
love for football again. The teams like that's been waning
the last couple of weeks. And my solution would be this.
If you remember a year ago, they had him miked
up and they were playing with Cleveland Browns and before
the game, he was talking about Jameis Winston, how much
he loves Jameis Winston, how funny Jameis Winston is to me.

(25:40):
Jameis Winston would be the perfect backup because I think
that you know, you've got a serious guy at the
front who blames himself for everything, and then you got
Jamis who could be kind of like that prankster, that
kid that keeps everybody loose. I mean, as great as
Joe Flackl's been this year, he has a similar personality
to Burrow. Maybe you need someone in that quarterback room
that's that's going to have some fun and keep the

(26:01):
light and say, boys, we're playing again.

Speaker 2 (26:03):
Here, Let's just have some fun.

Speaker 8 (26:05):
I think that that could be something going forward.

Speaker 9 (26:07):
Thanks guys for the.

Speaker 8 (26:08):
Time, and now we'll give you buzz Monday to wish
you all a happy, happy Holliday and merry Christmas.

Speaker 2 (26:13):
Thank you. Have a great weekend.

Speaker 3 (26:16):
Yeah, I mean, the the love and and and the
fun of the game is something we've talked a ton
about over the last two weeks. And the quicker that
that Joe gets back to that, the better and the
quickest way to get to that is is winning more
football games, which this team is going to try to
do down the stretch.

Speaker 2 (26:31):
Dave, what's going on?

Speaker 7 (26:33):
Hey, guys, thanks for taking my call. Yes, sir, so
you ask for a Christmas wish, So my Christmas. You
all know seeing the movie A Christmas Carol with Eben
Ater Scrooge. Yes, so Evan Azer Scrooge is Mike Brown.
So then Paul Brown comes back on Christmas Eve and

(26:55):
Mike eat and his mock turtle soup, and then show
him the past, which is the Lost nineties. There the President,
which is a horrible defense, and then the future of
Joe Burrow not being playing for them anymore, and he

(27:16):
wakes up on Christmas Day and tell Katie to start
spending money.

Speaker 3 (27:21):
Man, I like this. I like the storyline, Dave. Thank you, man.
I appreciate that.

Speaker 9 (27:25):
Now.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
Austin, I would assume you've seen The Christmas Carol at
some point like, yeah, I know that. Okay, Yeah, maybe
that happens. Okay, maybe that's that's an outsider. There's this
idea and a vision of what's happened, what's currently happening,
what the future holds. And it works for Ebenezer Scrooge
because he became a delightful individual after that happened, very giving.

Speaker 2 (27:47):
I feel like there's some things, you know, that could
be applied to our life. That story you ain't kidding
this year. You ain't kidding.

Speaker 3 (27:56):
That's why I don't it to be necessarily Cincinnati sports
related speak. Christ Christmas wishes.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
That that story has a lot of you know, man,
a lot of a lot of power, a lot of
power that it yields important this game itself, and we'll
do some read and react to finish up the hour
when we get back, uh, this game itself for just
a sheer matchup standpoint, what do you think that the
best matchup on Sunday becomes the Bengals and the Dolphins? Yeah, dude,

(28:26):
I have no like the individual. I have not thought
about that the matchup side of at all. I don't
want to see I want to say Stewart, Yeah, everything
that he does that's interesting. Sure, is Wattle gonna play,
that's a good question, assuming he plays him and DJ Turner,
I'm still fascinated by DJ Turner, guy who can help

(28:49):
himself a lot over the last three weeks. But I mean,
let's not over complicated. It's is Joe Burrow going to
get to get back to himself? Yeah, that's what matters.

Speaker 3 (28:57):
And I think too, what what a difference it would
make to get a Burrow four touchdown dominant performance, just
to kind of ease everything that's going on. Both teams
are eliminated from the playoffs. The Bengals right now have
a sixty two percent chance at a top ten pick,
the Dolphins a fifty five percent chance at a top pick.

(29:19):
According to the Playoff Machine from ESPN Analytics. The Dolphins
Austin rely almost more than anyone else on yards after
the catch, and this might get into a little to
read and react. Fifty four percent of its passing yards
this year are yards after the catch. Bengals allow five

(29:39):
to thirty three after the catch, which is the most
by any team and one hundred and ninety eight more
than the next closest team a chain. If Waddle plays,
he's not going to throw the ball fifteen yards down
the field. It is going to be a lot of
dink and dunk to try to make some plays. Let's
carry that over into Read and React to finish up

(30:01):
the hour. When we return on the Friday Football Friends
of ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station WC Welcome back
Friday Football Frenzy, ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Charlie
Goldsmith joins us at the top of hour number two.
Then we'll get to your talkbacks. But before we do

(30:23):
any of that, Austin, can we read and react on
a Friday?

Speaker 2 (30:27):
Are you ready? Yes?

Speaker 4 (30:30):
Now we read and react to Tony Pike Sincy three sixty.

Speaker 3 (30:35):
Well, that sounds great, Austin. Let's read and react. Bengals
Dolphins Sunday at one o'clock.

Speaker 2 (30:41):
Bengals sent to take on the Fish in Miami, and
they'll be doing no with the with a new big tuna.
Oh Quinn, your big tuna. The starting quarterback for Miami
on Sunday. He's gonna make his first NFL career start
against the Bengals, but he made his debut in weeks
seven against the Browns, tone entering the game in the

(31:02):
fourth quarter in relief of twa turned the ball over
you Weers completed five of his eight attempts for fifty
three yards and was pressured on five of his ten dropbacks.
Under pressure, he completed two of three attempts for forty
four yards, taking two secs. He went three for five
for nine yards from a clean pocket.

Speaker 3 (31:20):
Yeah, I don't know how much you can take from that,
especially against a defense like the Cleveland Browns. I think
one of the biggest things around yours coming out of Texas.
I just think there's too many inconsistencies and he turns
the ball over, which is odd because if you look
at why they're benching to a tongue of ioloa, he
turns the ball over a lot. Now, he's not going
to be asked to make many throws. As mentioned down

(31:41):
the field, they rely on yards after the catch, They
rely on one on ones with their playmakers, which should
bode well against this Bengals defense. But over his career,
he was inconsistent, top end stuff really good, turned the
ball over way too many times. Hopefully the Bengals can
make that in life a little bit uneasy for him
on Sunday and force some turnovers on the back end.

Speaker 2 (32:02):
Now, this one's a roller coaster. Just bear with me, okay,
all right. The Bengals have played cover zero on eight
point three percent of drop backs this season. That's the
third highest rate in the NFL. However, they have surrendered
thirteen touchdowns on thirty nine attempts when in cover zero,
the most in the NFL. On the flip side, Cincinnati

(32:26):
has generated pressure on fifty percent of the cover zero dropbacks,
the second highest mark in the NFL. Live and die.

Speaker 3 (32:36):
They are living and dying with cover zero in the
pressure is the problem I have the cover zero. It
requires communication to be one hundred percent and the problem
that we've seen from the Bengals Austin. We saw this
twice in the Buffalo game that resulted in big plays
in a touchdown, and you saw it on Baltimore's first
touchdown last week. If you're in cover zero, you have

(32:57):
got to make sure you are locked onto your ky.
Whether that is a back on a running back, whether
it's a free rush to the quarterback, you've got a
breakdown and make the play. Whether it's you have to
peel off and guard a running back out of the backfield.
It feels to me like the Bengals too many times,
and that's where those thirteen touchdowns would come into play
have resulted when the communication just has not been there.

(33:19):
Cover zero is also a high pressure down which you
can get home to the quarterback if you cover it properly. Again,
the issue is they have had too many breakdowns and
coverage on the back end of cover zero.

Speaker 2 (33:30):
Miami running back Devin a Chan has forced miss tackles
on twenty seven point eight percent of his rushes this season.
That's the sixth highest among running backs in the NFL
with at least one hundred carries, though it marks the
first time his rate has fallen below thirty percent. Since
entering the NFL in twenty twenty three, he's totaled five

(33:50):
hundred and twenty two rushing yards after miss tackles forced,
second most in the NFL and one hundred and seventeen
more than the next closest player but Jean Robinson. Since
entering the league in twenty three, a Chan has accumulated
twelve hundred and seventy six yards after miss tackles on rushes,
also the second most. The Bengals defense has allowed six

(34:11):
hundred and twenty seven yards after miss tackles on design
runs this season. Unbelievably, that's the second most in the
National Football League. He terrifies me.

Speaker 3 (34:21):
It is to me the biggest key in this game
one because of a quarterback making his first start too,
even if it was to the idea is going to
give it a chain the ball. He you want to
talk about a guy explosive in space. You want to
talk about a guy who is not letting the first
guy bring him down. That to me, we hear gang
tackling all the time. You hear flying to the ball.

(34:43):
You have to get eleven hats to the ball if
you're the Cincinnati Bengals, because a Chain's gonna reverse fields,
he's gonna put the foot in the ground, and he's
going to more times than not make the first guy miss.
If you don't arrive with the cavalry, it is going
to be a long day for the Bengal defense because
Ahan just doesn't do it against bad tackling teams. He

(35:04):
makes good tackling teams look silly. You've got to rally
to the football this weekend if you're the Bengals defense.

Speaker 2 (35:12):
Last one very quickly. The Bengals have chipped on Orlando
Brown's pass blocking snaps fifteen point four percent of the time,
the second highest rate among all left tackles. He is
allowed a five point seven percent pressure rate when helped
with chips compared to ten and a half percent when
he's on his own, creating a four point seven percent split.

(35:33):
It's the sixth largest in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (35:35):
Just reading between the lines, and I think you and
I have both discussed this, there are times I feel
like he's the weakest link on the offensive line. And
if we see that and the Bengals are also chipping
on fifteen percent of his pass blocks, that means the
Bengals see that as well, and they're trying to send
help that way. It also is important because it's the
blind side of Joe Burrow, the side that you can't

(35:56):
see where pressure could be coming from if you miss
a blocks. So I like the fact that the Bengals
have identified that and are at least helping a little bit.
But it doesn't exactly vote as a vote of confidence
that they are chipping that much, because that tells me
that Orlando Brown Junior is just not grading out well
for what they want him to do. React, read and react.

(36:18):
What's coming up next, Charlie Golds. Charlie should get his
own segment intro as well. He joins us to kick
off our number two Friday Football Frenzy continues next ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 11 (36:31):
WCKY, Cincinnati, Make us the number one pre set on
your car radio and on the free Knew It Improved,
iHeartRadio add Free never sounded so good.

Speaker 1 (36:40):
ESPN fifteen thirty. Rick Fair for Rick is Tony Pike's
Friday Football Frenzy show, brought to you in part five
fellow Windows Indoor Making life writer Pellan out Hey. Later
Skyline shilling feeling good. It's Skyline time on Core Technologies.
Visit OnCore dot Tech, oil fueling champions on and off

(37:02):
the field, Game Day, Men's health, Start your best life
today and by that Creation Museum, it's more than a museum.
Visit Creation Museum dot Org today on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 2 (37:22):
All right, welcome back.

Speaker 3 (37:23):
It's our number two, thanks to our friends here at
Cincy Shirts.

Speaker 2 (37:26):
Let's do it.

Speaker 3 (37:27):
Let let's get our number two started here on a Friday,
the only way we know how. It's by welcoming to
our guy, Charlie Goldsmith, who joins us each and every
Friday to kick off the second hour.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
Charlie, what's going on?

Speaker 12 (37:38):
Man?

Speaker 9 (37:39):
Tony doing well? How are you?

Speaker 2 (37:41):
Charlie?

Speaker 3 (37:41):
I have one question about the Bearcats and then we'll
move on. I have to ask, when March Madness rolls
around and the Committee sits down, will they view the
Bearcats with and then without Gigsel James? So can we
just throw the other losses out the door and view
this team going forward? Since Gigsel James is now back.

Speaker 9 (38:00):
The most fascinating part to me about all this with
Jiggle James, and I'm just speaking from a basketball perspective,
is the maturation and the growth that had to happen
with his own game, being a more consistent player this year.
So how much he's actually improved while he's been away,
you know, I kind of need to see it. But
if he grows, you know, we all know the upside.

(38:21):
But I'm interested to see him more during the rest
of the season.

Speaker 3 (38:24):
Let's start with the Bengals, Charlie. Let's start with what
we've recently learned Zach Taylor speaking after practice, Chris Jenkins
is going on the IR, Joseph Osaiah is out, t
Higgins is questionable. Which of those three is the most
significant for Sunday's game in particular?

Speaker 9 (38:44):
The most significant obviously is Key. But I'm intrigued by
the state of this defensive line right now, like right now,
right now, and how they'd finished the season without us
or not, but potentially without Osai and without Jenkins. Of course,
you know it's an opportunity. How do you want to
use Samar Stewart inside outside, rushing out of this spot

(39:06):
on early downs, that spot on late downs. Miles Murphy's
another guy They've never really had an opportunity to say,
all right, Miles, go be the guy this week. So
because of how little infrastructure there is around them, you know,
there's no like Trey Hendrickson lining up on the left side,
you can kind of structure that those rotations whoever you want.
So how do you do that to try to evaluate

(39:26):
those pieces you have on the defensive line? And then
how do you cycle in the depth? You know your
Seed Johnson, you're McKinley Jacksons behind them.

Speaker 3 (39:34):
How important are these next three for Miles Murphy? I
feel like we don't know anything about Miles Murphy and
what we do know, we know about the uncertainty of
Trey Hendrickson in the future, JOSEPHO size in a contract here,
Miles Murphy has played better down the stretch, But how important,
how vital are these final three weeks for Miles Murphy
or for sure I'm sorry for Shamar Stewart.

Speaker 9 (39:54):
For Samar Stewart. So Samar had some of the most
Like I guess the best way to describe it is
like if you were just looking at the batting average,
even if it was a small sample size, he probably
had the worst batting average of anyone on the Bengals,
just in terms of how many bad plays he was making.
And I think what you saw there was just the
lack of reps and the lack of attention to detail

(40:16):
catching up to him and getting exposed in the biggest way.
And he was literally getting benched to make game every
single game. What I've been told, what I've seen, what
I've heard is that they did fign some things from
a homework, from a preparation, from an attention to detail,
not his attention in meetings, but using what he's learned
in meetings and all that kind of stuff and applying that.

(40:37):
What I've heard is there have been some positives, but
obviously you've got to prove it. So it's not even
about the sacks from him for me down the stretch
that I want to see. It's execute your assignments, make tackles,
find a way to play with a bit more confidence,
and hopefully find something to build on heading into the office.

Speaker 3 (40:56):
The linebacker position. You're talking about going into the off seat,
and do you view Demitrius Knight and Barrick Carter as
linebackers that are improving each week? Are you there yet
or do you still need to see more?

Speaker 9 (41:09):
They're improving. I haven't seen them at a starter level.
I thought Dimitrius played at a starter level against Baltimore
and that was his first time probably since like the
Broncos game in Week four where you can say that
about him. How I view the room next year, and
this is just me right now, is I'd like to
go out and get a let's call him a linebacker,
one who can kind of be the rock of your

(41:31):
defense in the middle, and then let Barrett and Demetrius
and Orrin Burk's kind of rotate around and maybe they
all have sub package rolls and mix and match, and
maybe one of the young guys like Carter or Knight
does pop and take that step into a development and
develop into a starting linebacker. But Miami is actually a
huge game for both of them. First, because this, on

(41:54):
paper isn't a quarterback who should give them a lot
of headaches. We'll probably try to keep things simple and
quick in ways to stretch the linebackers. And then you
don't need me to tell you how much Miami versatile
and dynamic and explosive rushing attack with a fullback in
front of the running back challenges and puts a ton
on the plate of the linebackers. One of the more

(42:14):
interesting schematic things to me about this game is they've
been taking Night off when fullbacks are in as a
way to kind of like take things off his plate.
I think it's how it's been described. They don't want
him to have to learn a million packages and a
million different looks. Well, now that they're eliminated, do you
just let Night work through that and you know, see
if he can win the block against alex Ingold. That's

(42:36):
one of the more interesting schematic things to me about
this game. But this is a game where the linebackers
will be in the microscope this game.

Speaker 3 (42:43):
In general, there are very few teams that rely more
on yards after the catches. The Miami Dolphins add in
a quarterback making this first start, and how how devastating
Devin Han can be in the open field versus the
problems we just outlined with the Cincinnati Bengals. Is that
what this comes down to on Sunday on the defensive
side is tackling on space.

Speaker 9 (43:03):
In your opinion, that and from what I'm getting from
what I was hearing in the locker room yesterday, a
lot of pressure looks and a lot of this guys
is trying to throw things at Quinn. You were that,
to be honest, Lamar Jackson didn't even handle that loll
and the Bengals stewarded him in those games against Baltimore
things that yours hadn't seen before. I think. I don't
think yours is going to play well at all. Like

(43:23):
third string linebackers don't get reps, and it's a short
week for Miami and they have so many guys who
were hurt, so I doubt that they were doing a
lot of full feed practice reps over the course of
the week. So that's a really tough spot for a
kid to make his debut. They'll probably try to run
the ball a million times and throw a screen off it.
Maybe set up one shot for him to take a
shot and hope you find a bus that coverage on

(43:44):
the other side there. But that stresses the Bengals just
playing clean all around overall football.

Speaker 2 (43:50):
Tony and I talked earlier this week about the idea
of winning these games versus losing them and improving the
potential draft slot. Zach Taylor said, very bluntly, we want
to win. That's why Joe Burrow is playing in these games.
How important do you think it is to the culture

(44:10):
of the team and specifically those young players to win
these games on the way out this season?

Speaker 9 (44:18):
Well, this is the chance for you know, Miles Murphy
to start leading, and for DJ Turner to start leading,
and for the Rooky linebackers to keep trying to do that.
Jack Hill is the guy you can put in that category,
loop in with the veterans on offense, Chase Brown.

Speaker 13 (44:32):
And Andre Josebash into that.

Speaker 9 (44:34):
Tier of players. So it's an opportunity to try to
get a feel for what you want it to feel
like with those guys stepping into more central roles from
an intangible perspective in twenty twenty six, what I really
go back to is I truly, truly, truly believe said
some of the final few games of the season in
twenty nineteen and in twenty twenty for the Bengals ended

(44:55):
up meaning something tangible in the long term, for Tyler Boyd,
for CJ. Zama, for Sam Hubbard, for Jesse Bates. Like
I really saw like I saw. I think we all
thought carry over from the confidence you could start to
feel themselves carrying. You saw that translate then dame to win.
The Bengals were good. So you know, obviously the young

(45:16):
core of the Bengals have now not proven yet. But
if they're going to become the next version of those guys,
all right, let's see it.

Speaker 3 (45:23):
Go do it offensively, Charlie obviously coming off a game
in which this offense was shut out and at times
across the game lifeless. I know they got inside the
thirty five four times, they came away with zero points.
What are you expecting to see from them now? Coming back?
We know Joe Burrow is gonna play Historically, Joe Burrow
bounces back from a bad performance in a big way.

(45:45):
What are you expecting to see from this offense on Sunday?

Speaker 9 (45:49):
This was just a very normal week, Like there was
no all right, let's reassess everything now that you know
Joe Burrow just had a bad game. But I think
they chalked it up to facing a great raven defense.
Let's call it what it is. The cold was a
part of the equation for both sides, for both offenses,
and we saw the cold impact both teams, and it's
just something the Bengals and Burrow will have to handle

(46:09):
better than the next time. During one of those brutally
cold games. He saw them pack drops by the receivers.
Biggest thing for the offense probably be you can't have
the lapses and miss assignments and pass protection that Baltimore
had to let the free runners up the middle going
straight up Burrow and you throw Burrow into that because
some of those were things you could have corrected and
adjusted up front before the snap. But overall, like they're not,

(46:34):
like their quotes say the opposite, but they view it
as kind of just an outlier and let's go re
gather yourself and get ready to face the Dolphins.

Speaker 3 (46:43):
Right now, Chase Brown and SOMEAJ p Run. We've seen
games this year that the carries are about fifty to fifty.
I think p Run had one more carry than Chase Brown.
What do you think the end all plan is at
running back and how they want in an ideal situation,
and I know the game dictates a lot of that,
but an ideal situation, how do they want those those
snaps to be handled?

Speaker 9 (47:04):
I'm meant to go through this. I didn't, but I'll
bet you that pe Rin got I bet he got
like three or four carries on that final give up
drive with seven minutes left. So if you take those
theories out, yeah a lot of times in peer and
I can, then I can visualize this very clearly off
the top of my head, several second and one third
and one spots where they handed the ball to p

(47:25):
Ro so he is the backup. This is Chase Brown's show.
Sometimes gain situation. How many start downs you get, how
many red zone snaps you get, all of the specific
nuanced stuff that's truly random about how many of those
situations you get game to game will lead to more snaps?
For you know, it will lead to a snap percentage

(47:48):
changing but this is Chase Brown's show. They think they
know he's the top ten back in the league. I
think he's the top ten back in the league. Anything
that you've seen that has led to a bigger role
for p Ryan. For me, it's just the product of, oh,
this happened to be a game where there were more
third downs, or oh he got some carries, running the
ball out, running the clock out down the stretch.

Speaker 3 (48:10):
Charlie the wide receiver three, We've not talked about it
a ton this year, and we don't know t Higgins
status yet for Sunday, but I've seen different opportunities this year.
Andrey Yoshivash won without a catch last week. Mitchell Tinsley
has not really excelled when given the opportunity. Jermaine Burton
is no longer on this roster. Do you still think
there is time for Andrey yoshi Vash or do you

(48:33):
view wide receiver three as maybe not currently on the
roster for next year.

Speaker 9 (48:37):
I mean, the idea of the Jermaine Burton pick was
right because it's exactly what they need. And that's not
me defending the Bengals because it was just a massive
myths of who he was kind of from an intangible perspective,
that can't happen again. But that skill set is something
you feel they desperately. It's even go all the way
down to Burton's ability on special teams. He was able

(49:00):
to turn punts Yo Sibosh to me, has been one
of the most disappointing parts of the season, and that
has been on my mind. So I went back and
I watched all his catches from this year and I
was stunned how many body catches there were. And to me,
that wasn't a receiver who was going out and getting
the ball. I wasn't seeing that same confidence at the

(49:21):
catch point from Andre and that's concerning that's something that's
going to be hard to fix now. You know, without
a chance to really build that up down the stretch
of the season. You know, it's kind of something you
can only build kind of in big games. Maybe you
can do it in a game where you're just playing
out the string. Maybe he gets some catches against Miami
and that becomes a turning point for him. But to me,

(49:43):
it's a thing where he just got to be more
aggressive and you know, challenging and going up and getting
the ball like we've seen him do in the past,
and if he doesn't, well, then you know we'll be
looking at wide receivers during the offseason.

Speaker 2 (49:56):
What was your reaction this week when you saw Paul
Danner's report that Zach Taylor actually had two years remaining
on his contract and the way that Zach chose not
to really say anything about it. What did you make
of that this week?

Speaker 9 (50:12):
Yeah? Really interesting. My question, and this is just all speculation,
was the idea that this is like a rolling contract
like you often see in college sports. Was Zak interested
in another year headed on to his deal after twenty
twenty three where you know, twenty twenty three you said
what you want about, you know, the Bengals not making

(50:32):
the playoffs, but that was the year that got Brian
Callahan a head coaching job. So what was the plan
moving forward? Ideally, if you know, in their mind they
were just going to keep making the playoffs every year,
what was their long term plan from a contract perspective?
Then with Zak? How has that changed? What was their plan?
Anyway when we got to the end of the twenty

(50:52):
twenty sixth season and oh, by the way, Zak still
worked you without a new contract extension announced. It raised
a lot of those questions for me. But already heading
into you know, the great work by Paula, I wasn't
expecting a coaching change this season.

Speaker 3 (51:06):
Charlie, Have you allowed yourself to start looking at mock
draft simulations?

Speaker 12 (51:11):
No?

Speaker 2 (51:12):
Have you allowed yourself?

Speaker 3 (51:13):
Have you allowed yourself the possibility that they draft like offense?
Can they go get Jeremiah Love and just go all
in on the offense?

Speaker 9 (51:20):
You can't, Well, I think that's disrespectful to Chase Brown.
So I think he's just a great player what they need.
And it's just me. I haven't studied Caleb Downs enough yet,
but if he depending, I'll be looking for the versatility
from him, and if he can play multiple positions, that
boosts them up significantly. What this team needs is more

(51:41):
help on the defensive line, and adding a premier, explosive
defensive line and with production is something you can do
with the top ten ticks. So that's where I'm leaning
right now.

Speaker 2 (51:50):
We'll leave you with the Reds question, Charlie. I know
that you've often talked about how the Reds have five
or ten ish million dollars to spend. They spent some
of it on a relief pitcher in Caleb Ferguson. I
know he met with the media yesterday. What do we
know about him, how does he fit into the bullpen?
And do we expect any more moves from the Reds

(52:13):
considering their budget.

Speaker 9 (52:16):
First of all, like I like the move. I like
the move. It's particularly in a vacuum. Like Terry Francona
called Caleb Ferguson to you know, like welcome him to
the squad. And Francona said, and we heard this from
Ferguson then, like you were in need on our roster
last year and like you just can't go into games
like the right the way the Reds were without a
left you felt like you can count on Ferguson is

(52:39):
a lead against left handed hitters, a lot of playoff experience,
a lot of leverage experience. He was the guy I
had a de top rated lefty on my board and
they found up for cheaper than I thought they would.
So you gotta say that's a good move. But you
say that and then it's not even end of sentence.
It's trauma. But what about the best? And clearly like
kind kind of like I've said, along, they just viewed

(53:01):
bullpen and getting like adults in the bullpen as the
biggest need on the roster because of how you need
that consistency to get you through through a season. And
so now when you look get opportunities to improve your lineup,
it's platoon. It's complete bilo bounce back guys. Or it'd
be like trying to find the next Will Benson. And

(53:22):
I know it hasn't worked out with Will, but is
there a guy and another forty man roster here? Like
you know what we see it? And then in twenty
twenty three, Will Benson was a very good player. So
like some platoon free agents on my radar, Austin Hayes
would be great, even an everyday guy Rob Refschneider the
AM I like on a trade market, like the Mets

(53:42):
had a logjam of young infield prospects, on one of
them available where you trade one of your young relievers.
You know, Ryan Mountcastle kind of lost his job when
the Orioles got Pi Alonzo. Is he available on a
trade now? So it's kind of looking not in the
most premier places, but kind of trying to find diamonds
in the rough for opportunities to get nice offensive players.

(54:05):
Even if no one's going to be a big big like,
all right, this guy changes.

Speaker 3 (54:09):
Your lineup that as Charlie Goldsmith before I let you go, Charlie,
just to kind of round off this conversation of going everywhere,
what were your initial thoughts seeing Brendan Soorzby put his
name in the portal and what that means for the
Bearcat football program?

Speaker 12 (54:24):
You know what?

Speaker 9 (54:25):
First of all, I keep going back to the point
of how hard it's going to be to find and
develop a quarterback who reaches that level. In terms of
the NFL draft buzz, he was getting, well, he could
have a nice pro career as a backup or as
a third stringer, and always though felt that what they'll

(54:45):
need from the quarterback position will be a bit more
than that. So how do you get a bigger success
at quarterback than that when also you probably won't have
as much like running back talent. It's sort be tad
here or tight end talis in Cincinnati. So how do
you reach that level? To me is the big existential
question that I'll be thinking about about UC football.

Speaker 2 (55:08):
Charlie Goldsmith.

Speaker 3 (55:09):
The easiest way, especially here around the holiday season, was
so much going on what's the easiest way to follow
along with everything you got happening.

Speaker 9 (55:16):
Is Charlie Shockboard on Substack and on Fox nineteen.

Speaker 2 (55:19):
Charlie, you're the man.

Speaker 3 (55:20):
Appreciate you have a great, great holiday next week and
we'll touch base after that.

Speaker 2 (55:24):
Thanks Charlie.

Speaker 9 (55:26):
Happy holidays, guys.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
Thank you Charlie.

Speaker 3 (55:28):
That is Charlie Goldsmith. By the way, Austin, have you
seen what Ken Rosenthal.

Speaker 2 (55:33):
Put out earlier? I did not about the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Speaker 3 (55:37):
No, Brandon Lowe is a Pirate's that's been made official,
he says, right now, it is officially in the physical
side of things, the medical review. But right now, according
to Ken Rosenthal, Brandon Lowe and I now see talking

(55:58):
Baseball has picked it up as well, Brandon Lowe in
a three team trade involving the Astros and Rays. The
Pirates are going to pick up Brandon low Jake Magnum,
and Mason Montgomery. Interesting, so the Pittsburgh Pirates have added
a substantial and significant bat that's been on the market.
Imagine that something else to keep an eye on as

(56:20):
teams continue to make moves. Let's take a break, let's
come back, and let's hear from you the listener with
your talkbacks next on the Friday Football Friends at ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (56:30):
Hey, it's smallwagger, join us month, press.

Speaker 12 (56:32):
The microphone and record your message or Austin in tone,
please keep it clean and doping me at a sprinkle sprinkle,
drip drift.

Speaker 2 (56:44):
It's that time for talkbacks.

Speaker 12 (56:46):
It's our favorite part of Sincy three sixty.

Speaker 14 (56:51):
So Austin, buddy, play those bunkbacks on your screen and
please ride out to sabotage.

Speaker 3 (56:57):
All right, the Friday Football Frenzy Edition, ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports Station. Let's see what we got today, Austin.

Speaker 15 (57:05):
Sad news about Greg Biffle and his family yesterday in
North Carolina. Condolences to everyone in the Biffle family and
NASCAR community. Good luck to wal Burrow this weekend. I
love watching Walburrow play, except for last weekend when he
got a whopping five points in the quarterfinals at my

(57:28):
fantasy football tournament I'm out Marry Christmas Surprise.

Speaker 3 (57:33):
He scored that many points out one incredibly sad news
around Greg Biffle and his family. By all accounts, the
guy gave back and did so much for others in
need the fantasy football thing. I'm under the semis Austin.
Last night I chose to bench, well, I didn't bench.
I have Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford, but I kept
Stafford on the bench to drop thirty.

Speaker 11 (57:55):
He wisnard of.

Speaker 16 (57:59):
Chris and we just wanted to bring a little segment
of can he or can't he to your show today, guys,
and can't he? We just want to ask you, can
Burrow or can't Burrow? Get his head out of his
ass and quit being sad?

Speaker 2 (58:14):
You know, I don't think he can.

Speaker 13 (58:15):
I don't think he can't.

Speaker 2 (58:16):
Greg, and I think you're gonna quit on the teams
and we.

Speaker 16 (58:21):
Hope he doesn't, guys, but good luck with everybody.

Speaker 17 (58:24):
Good luck Burrow.

Speaker 2 (58:25):
I'm gonna say, can he he can?

Speaker 13 (58:28):
Hey, fellas, it's Vannie Austin, fight on man. The Bengals
need to play. Burrow need to get his confidence back.
Think about it last couple of years, last year and
then all this year he had to win every game, man,
and can make the playoffs. Now he can just have fun,
relax fling the ball around? Man, what's up with this?
You're out of contention. You don't play your stars.

Speaker 12 (58:50):
Man.

Speaker 9 (58:50):
If that's the case, Tony Bonto would have played like
half a season every year.

Speaker 17 (58:54):
What are we doing?

Speaker 2 (58:57):
Many rarely makes a good point, but he made one there.

Speaker 18 (59:02):
My one Cincinnati Sports Christmas wish would be for Jeff
Bezos to buy the Bengals. Not only would he have
deep enough pockets to buy the damn Lombardi if that's
what it took, but they could rename the stadium the
Amazon Jungle.

Speaker 2 (59:18):
Ooh about that, the Amazon Jeff Bezos bought the Bengals,
they wouldn't be in Cincinnati much longer after that.

Speaker 19 (59:25):
No, my wishes for Wes Miller to get a lifetime.

Speaker 2 (59:31):
Contract, the James Franklin of the NCAA men's basketball programs, Boy's.

Speaker 20 (59:37):
Up guys, Big cahoone, and Kentucky Christmas wish for Cincinnati Sports,
that's easy fire Zach Taylor. I mean, you know, everybody
wants to talk about Duke Tobin and all this. I mean, yeah, look,
I mean some of the guys that he signed, like
Gingo Stone. I believe he let the AFC, if not
the NFL on interceptions the year before he came here,
the year they got Kappa and Karras and all them
guys on the offensive line. Them guys were good signings.

(59:59):
The guy Dallas, he was good signings. It's the coaching.
It's all coaching. Get this guy out of town. He's
the common denominator.

Speaker 2 (01:00:08):
Agreed.

Speaker 17 (01:00:09):
Hey, guys, Muker from the grove.

Speaker 21 (01:00:12):
My Cincinnati Christmas wish, and all I see is pretty simple.
I just want a parade. I don't care what it
is at this point. Just give me a parade to
go to for celebrated championship.

Speaker 17 (01:00:26):
That's it.

Speaker 21 (01:00:28):
Cincinnati wish, a Cincinnati sports parade. Don't care who it is.

Speaker 2 (01:00:32):
Right, well, maybe the newly found Cincinnati Slingers able to
win an arena championship for you.

Speaker 9 (01:00:39):
I'm from White Oak.

Speaker 2 (01:00:41):
My Christmas wish is to get rid of that flat bill,
Duke Tobin, get him out of here flat Now they're
going with the flat bill. Start bench cut. I'll give
them to you in the order that I would do it.
In fire Duke.

Speaker 5 (01:00:59):
Togin, fire Al Golden, and fire Zach Taylor.

Speaker 2 (01:01:07):
All right, well that that's not starting to cut. That
would be my start venture cut.

Speaker 3 (01:01:12):
I will uh sure, I will fire Duke, I'll bench
ol cutsack happy Friday.

Speaker 13 (01:01:21):
Guys.

Speaker 22 (01:01:22):
Yeah, I don't understand these bold games. I mean their pointless.
They don't decide anything. Now we got this playoffs there,
I don't even know how they make money off of this.
That are the good players are actually playing? Everybody offs out.

Speaker 13 (01:01:37):
Let's just cancel the saying sure their pointless, no names anymore.

Speaker 3 (01:01:43):
Well, you have you not only have teams opting like,
you have whole teams opting out, and then you have
players opting out. And it's I just don't know how
much you can actually get out of the game the most.
The coaches will tell you that more important than the
game is the practice time you get. I can see
that the extra practices you get leading into a bowl game,

(01:02:03):
but the game.

Speaker 2 (01:02:04):
Itself is maybe if you get six wins, you get
more practices instead of a bowl game. Okay, hello, this.

Speaker 12 (01:02:10):
Is former President Ronald Reagan and will take it easy
on my old buddy Al Michaels. He's an all time great.
In fact, I want to play a couple of his
classic calls to remind everyone. This one's from the seventy
two playoffs.

Speaker 2 (01:02:22):
We did this last week.

Speaker 14 (01:02:24):
The wine the two pitched the bench, swang on fly
ball right field. Beck goes Clemente at the wall. It's
gone and no one will forget this one from the
eighty Olympics. Do you believe in miracles?

Speaker 2 (01:02:39):
Shoote got right there? Addie, what off?

Speaker 17 (01:02:44):
Mwg Man.

Speaker 23 (01:02:48):
It's been a long couple of weeks, but I have
one holiday wish, and that's for Joe Burrow to finish
the season healthy. Ooh, I like that, I would add man.
Can we just get a stretch where he can play football?
That's it, That's all I want. That's all I want
to see Joe do for the next several years is

(01:03:08):
just play football.

Speaker 2 (01:03:10):
We got nineteen games in a row at one point.
That was cool. Yeah, what a fun time. That's a
good afternoon, gentlemen. Is Rob from Michigan.

Speaker 21 (01:03:17):
My Christmas wish for the Cincinnati Bengals this year is
to tank or Caleb Downs.

Speaker 2 (01:03:24):
Have a good day, gentlemen. Okay, thank you, Ron, Okay,
Caleb Downs.

Speaker 24 (01:03:28):
Hey, guys, I was just thinking to myself how great
it would be if we got more people in the
city to throw down money for more of those billboards
calling out for firing of some certain Bengals employees. Doubt
it will do anything to change anything. But there's nothing

(01:03:49):
better than these literal, giant metal fingers pointed at the organization.

Speaker 2 (01:03:54):
What do we think the billboards accomplished nothing? Now I
think other people think they accomplished something. I'm telling you
they accomplish nothing. Yeah, they don't, especially when you don't
put it anywhere where any Bengals personnel drive like. I
get the sentiment people are unhappy. They want to state
that they're unhappy. Are there better ways to do that? Sure?

(01:04:18):
I would wonder, But I mean it gets news headlines,
people write chlos about it, It goes viral on Twitter.
I get it. It feels like a waste of money. Hey,
the Happy Friday, Tony in Austin, Tony. Hope this isn't
too hard for you.

Speaker 25 (01:04:37):
Got a stop bench cut Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve
and New Year's Eve.

Speaker 2 (01:04:45):
Oh gosh, happy weekend, gentlemen. This part in my life.

Speaker 3 (01:04:49):
I will start Christmas Eve, i will bench New Year's Eve,
and I'll cut the night before Thanksgiving.

Speaker 2 (01:04:57):
Start New Year's Eve, bench Christmas Eve.

Speaker 17 (01:05:01):
That's how I used to be just another Jeff, And
my Christmas wish for the twenty six sports season would
be that Matt McClain would return to something close to
what he was before his injury. I think that would
be a huge piece the Reds having a decent season.

Speaker 2 (01:05:24):
Okay, I agree with now that is a legitimate wish.

Speaker 21 (01:05:26):
Right now, get your ears on, mother Lovers, because you're
gonna hear a PayPal commercial seven hundred times diest.

Speaker 26 (01:05:36):
Good afternoon fellows are on Wisconsin. My Christmas wish is
sincey seven twenty six hours straight with you guys, Molk
can move to the evening and then maybe add a
segment where you ask Duke Tobin questions and then it's

(01:05:57):
followed by twenty seconds asilum. I mean, I'm a retired
weather guy, and even I wonder how he can get
paid being wrong?

Speaker 2 (01:06:04):
So off, I forgot to bring this up earlier. When
Skinny was on with Moe on Wednesday. Skinny said that
the Beat writers have put in a formal request to
interview Duke Tobin and it was denied. Yeah, like last week,
and I think they're gonna put another one, like a
written request. You have to keep doing it. And I

(01:06:26):
think that's what Trags was pushing at too. And Trags
is the guy who's leading that. He's like the president
of the local chapter, the pro football writer. So Trags
is the one who literally is doing that good. So
I think sometimes we we forget that there is an
effort being made to talk to him. Yeah. Uh, and
they just choose not to amer Drew himself that crazy

(01:06:49):
backward pass play.

Speaker 7 (01:06:51):
Uh, didn't they get blown dead? That was why I thought,
once the whistle blows, doesn't doesn't play done and over
and and so they the guy pick it up after
the whistle blows and then they count it.

Speaker 2 (01:07:03):
I don't really understand this. So anyways, Uh, you know
what Santa Claus said to my three sisters, Ho ho ho,
I have a good onne, guys. Yikes, I thought the
play was blown dead. That's why everyone stopped.

Speaker 5 (01:07:20):
Hey, guys, it's a duke toobin again. If we finish
off these last three games strong, I really don't see
any reason not to run it back. I mean, you know,
we'll have a lot of momentum going into next year.
You know, we'll get that deal done with Gino Stone.
It will be the starting safety. We can draft a

(01:07:40):
guy that we can develop for the future, because this
defense is going to have a lot of momentum going
into next year. It'll be a great defense, no need
for change.

Speaker 2 (01:07:49):
Thank you. Love the sentiment.

Speaker 11 (01:07:55):
Yeah, sorry for the double dad, but I got a
touch on it. I mean, Tony with your breakdown of
key mash ups and this Bengals down with them, and
you're really trying hard to break down this toilet bowl
that's coming up this weekend. Christmas. Christmas, wisch Man, I've
been your wiz. Came true that you're off all next
week and the Poluns. You ain't got to break down
these junk games that the Bengals are playing in. Now, Man,

(01:08:15):
you are trying hard.

Speaker 17 (01:08:16):
I'll give you credit for that.

Speaker 11 (01:08:17):
You're trying to keep the listener engage in the toilet bowl.

Speaker 2 (01:08:20):
Listen. Winning is important, That's what I was told. So
what's the best way to win? Oh?

Speaker 9 (01:08:27):
Ton in on it.

Speaker 6 (01:08:28):
It's Chris Kringle. I was just checking Christmas or Is
myself and thought i'd call in. Let's see here. I'm
checking my list. Austin Moore, nice, very good, Tony pi Uh,
nothing here for Tony Pike. You know I started this
a couple of months back. Let's see here. Any questions
regarding Tony Pike should be addressed to iHeart corporate media.

Speaker 2 (01:08:53):
Yep, call them out. Send it my way. Hey guys,
TJ east Side Up.

Speaker 27 (01:08:59):
Thanks and Merry Christmas too, the Talkbackwards who provide so
much entertainment, and thanks for providing a great daily form.

Speaker 2 (01:09:06):
For saxety Sports.

Speaker 27 (01:09:07):
Audie, thanks for playing a great foil to all of
Tony's common sense and great takes. You're super about it
and makes the show great, even though you don't agree
with you picking up her sun at the airports and
I really looking forward to having him home. Tony have
a great time with Meredith and the kiddos. Hope it's
a special Christmas audio. I hope Sanna brings you a
few new Zach Taylor ornaments for your tree. Merry Christmas.

Speaker 2 (01:09:26):
Fellas just zero relationship with reality and that guy.

Speaker 28 (01:09:32):
You guys were talking about things you're interested to see
from this Bengal squad down the stretch in these last
three weeks, and I have my eye on that third
wide receiver spot te presumably you out this will give
some guys some more opportunity. This guy, we all remember
Yoshi had that stretch where he couldn't catch a cold,
and I've been kind of disappointed in him all year.
I feel like he hasn't really recovered from that point,
and I like Mitch Tinsley a lot. I feel like

(01:09:53):
he's done some things with the limited targets that he's had,
and done at least enough to deserve more targets.

Speaker 17 (01:09:58):
Interested to hear what you guys think.

Speaker 15 (01:10:01):
Yeah, I.

Speaker 3 (01:10:03):
Targets, but as Charlie mentioned it, wide receiver three. I
don't think it's on the roster right now.

Speaker 2 (01:10:06):
But yeah it's not. I agree with that. And those dudes,
you know, four drops on Sunday could have changed that game.
Chase had two of them, Tinsley had one, Yoshi had one.
Tinsley missed stopped running on a deep route that could
have been a touchdown against Baltimore the first time. I
think that's also part of the reason why Burrow is upset.

(01:10:28):
You know about Zach Taylor.

Speaker 25 (01:10:29):
I don't care if the players lik him because they're
not winning, Maybe they shouldn't like him as a coach.

Speaker 2 (01:10:35):
He's got a losing record.

Speaker 25 (01:10:37):
He's missed the playoffs five of the seven seasons, including.

Speaker 2 (01:10:40):
The last three three in a row.

Speaker 25 (01:10:42):
Only here can that happen and you still keep your
job and everybody keeps talking about all of you know,
things all change next year, then that's gonna be a problem.
We said that last year about this year. It just
feels like we're in a never ending loop. This team
get serious.

Speaker 2 (01:10:57):
Well, the point I'm trying to make is everyone's trying
to read between lines and everything that the players say.
I think the players have made it clear that they
don't think Zach is the problem. I also don't think
that the player will ever come out and say that
he is the problem. Maybe not, but I also think
that those guys have been pretty honest and straightforward in
the past. But you're right, I mean either way, I

(01:11:19):
think this is their way of kind of saying it
without saying it about the other people.

Speaker 29 (01:11:26):
Audie got run over by a reindeer. Oh, walking home
from skyline Chilie. Oh, you could say that Tony could
have saved him with him and Mo were chilling that
twin peace. Now they've been having too many cold ones.
Autie begged him not to go, but he forgot his

(01:11:48):
oyster crackers. Then he's staggered in the snow.

Speaker 2 (01:11:53):
Audi got run over by a reindeer.

Speaker 22 (01:11:56):
Gosh, Christmas for Cincinnati? Is that manuate Baseball implements a
salary camp. I think that will finally give us a
chance to actually.

Speaker 9 (01:12:09):
Be even better. I know we had more money to spend.

Speaker 22 (01:12:13):
But it's not even those but some of these others
to spend, even if they actually didn't come up most
that money actually spending at for a change. But it'll
be a salary cam.

Speaker 2 (01:12:26):
Okay, all right, thank you, Hey, Audie, You're not alone.

Speaker 19 (01:12:32):
A lot of people think if the Bengals sold that
they'd get moved to a new city, but.

Speaker 17 (01:12:38):
Realistically, what city makes sense.

Speaker 19 (01:12:40):
I don't see a lot of ditties that are bigger
and more lucrative than Cincinnati that don't currently have.

Speaker 2 (01:12:49):
An NFL team. Well, the size of the market really
doesn't matter all that much based off the structure of
the NFL. But a team like Toronto or a city
like Toronto, San Antonio, Mexico City, if they want to
go international, those are some some teams, some some cities
that have been floated out there. I don't know for sure.

(01:13:11):
Las Vegas could be one of them. So not Las Vegas,
They're a secret. The second one, Mike and Independence.

Speaker 6 (01:13:20):
Here, I just want to thank everybody part of the
local shows, sports, sports commentary.

Speaker 13 (01:13:26):
It's just an amazing market here.

Speaker 2 (01:13:28):
Appreciate all you do.

Speaker 6 (01:13:30):
From Chad Brandall to Austin, Tony Mo and Dan Horr
laugh them everybody.

Speaker 2 (01:13:35):
Just amazing.

Speaker 16 (01:13:37):
Off topic, what's with the susme street advertisements asking for money?

Speaker 2 (01:13:41):
Why don't all that tackle me home?

Speaker 9 (01:13:42):
Mo money?

Speaker 2 (01:13:43):
We can dove out? Where's all that at? Let's go?
Great question that I don't know the answer to it.
I got kids. I don't know what you're talking about.
A reminder that I don't have any control over, nor
do I hear or see the commercials that are run
on the stream. So I apologize and we're done, all right.

(01:14:06):
I'm guessing with our breaks today, we'll have one segment
coming back. Uh s, We're gonna need to have two,
all right.

Speaker 3 (01:14:15):
And we got Bob Mangin coming up at the top
of our three with picks after that as well. Since
he three sixty to Friday Football Friends on ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports station.

Speaker 1 (01:14:26):
This week, the Bengals and Dolphins meet up in Miami
for a South Beach showdown. Speaking of the beach, my
swimsuit of choice is a speedo European style. I don't
like those pesky cat lives the Bengals stool. The Dolphins
get the call live from Dan Lloyd and Dave Lapham.
The game kicks off at one pm, with covered starting

(01:14:49):
at nine am Sunday. Stream for free are the new
and improved iHeartRadio app or ESPN fifteen thirty, the official
home of the Cincinnati Bank.

Speaker 4 (01:15:01):
This is Football in the Natti, brought you in part
by Blood Light and by Oakley Greens on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:15:13):
Welcome back, It's a Friday football frenzy. Nearing the end
of hour number two, Austin, what's going on?

Speaker 2 (01:15:18):
Very quickly here? Tony? I put up a poll question
on my Twitter at Audielmore. I received a text yesterday
while I was doing the show that said the following
about Joe Burrow quote. Now he's acting like a teenage
boy during puberty. Ridiculous the way he's handled the last
two weeks. I simply asked, do you agree with this statement?

(01:15:39):
So far, five hours left over five hundred and sixty votes,
seventy six percent say no, they do not agree with that.
It's not as many as I thought. I agree, So
you can go vote at Audio Moore A U T
y E L M O R. I hope to God Monday,
we are not talking about Joe Burrow's mental state. And
he goes off four hundred and four tugs on Sunday and.

Speaker 3 (01:16:03):
My also shout out to former Bengal linebacker Adrian Ross
the Slingers. He's been named the general manager of the
Cincinnati Slingers, who begin play in the International Arena League
in April of twenty twenty six at Heritage Bank Center.
Shout out to Adrian Ross. We'll be back a touch
and go to get to our number three. On ESPN

(01:16:24):
fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 4 (01:16:26):
You've been listening to Football in the NATI on ESPN
fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 1 (01:16:37):
This is Tony Pike's Friday Football Frenzy Show, brought to
you in part five fellow Windows and Door Making life
writer Pelenau. He later Skyline Hilly Feeling Good. It's Skyline
time OnCore Technologies. Visit OnCore dot Tech, Hudson Oil Fielding
Champions on and off the field game Dame Men's out

(01:17:00):
start your best life today and by that Creation Museum.
It's more than a museum.

Speaker 2 (01:17:07):
Visit Creation Museum dot Org.

Speaker 1 (01:17:09):
Today on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of US
Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:17:16):
Welcome back our number three underway as you just heard
right there, thanks to our friends at Penn Station. Here
on the Friday Football Frenzy on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati
Sports Station. We have a few moments here to check
in with our guy from the University of Cincinnati and Novacare.
It is Bob Manjean joining us to kick off the
third and final hour here today.

Speaker 2 (01:17:36):
Bob, what's going on man?

Speaker 10 (01:17:38):
Just getting ready to go on the road again, Tony.

Speaker 30 (01:17:40):
We play down in Greenville, South Carolina against Flenson on
Sunday at three o'clock.

Speaker 10 (01:17:46):
Everybody wants to watch.

Speaker 2 (01:17:47):
We're on ESPN and that's a neutral site game.

Speaker 10 (01:17:50):
Do you feel free?

Speaker 2 (01:17:51):
Neutral sitel site? Yep, yep. Just wanted to clear that up.

Speaker 3 (01:17:55):
A lot of these neutral site games not going in
the favor of the Bearcats lately.

Speaker 30 (01:18:00):
Well again, I like the neutral site games, like in
the Atlanta George. Why you're playing Georgia that that's a
really neutral site.

Speaker 2 (01:18:09):
Here's what I want to do today, Bob.

Speaker 3 (01:18:11):
We spent a lot of time talking about injuries at
the highest level of athletics, and what I wanted to
do today, Let's bring it back to everyday life, because
whether you are listening to this show right now or
you're an athlete at the very highest level of sports,
I think there's one thing everyone has in common, and
it's back injuries. The dreaded back injury. Am I right

(01:18:31):
to assume when you talk about back injuries, are lower
back injuries more prevalent than maybe the upper back?

Speaker 2 (01:18:38):
Correct?

Speaker 30 (01:18:38):
I think if you look at at you know, the
literature of whatever population you're dealing with, from athletes to
non athletes, recreational athletes, workmen, comp low back pain accounts
for a lot of injuries in this country and really
absorbs a lot of dollars within this country. And back

(01:18:59):
injuries oftentimes are preventable, and again we've even had some
athletes to have had to undergo surgery for back injuries
at the university because of the amount of workload that
we're doing nowadays, whether it be through the weight room,
whether it be on the field, and it's no different

(01:19:20):
than you know, having a job, and the amount of
load that people carry on their backs day in and
day out.

Speaker 10 (01:19:27):
You know, in certain occupations.

Speaker 30 (01:19:29):
So I think, you know, the back accounts for quite
a bit of injury risk, and mitigating that is critical,
and a lot of people just don't take that opportunity
to try to avoid the back injury, you know, and
then once it occurs, it's kind of like that, you know,
that chronic sprained ankle that keeps coming back to haunt
you at the wrong time. You know, back problems come

(01:19:52):
back to haunt you at the wrong time all the time.

Speaker 3 (01:19:55):
I want to get into how you can mitigate it
or how you can prevent them, But first let's go
into what goes in to it. Because again I can
see watching in a basketball game or watching the NFL
on Sunday, how someone might hurt their back. There's also
times for me personally, you pick something up the wrong
way and the next thing you know, you're stuck and
you can barely walk around, or it can just happen
so quickly. What is going into the average lower back

(01:20:18):
injury that people are dealing with.

Speaker 30 (01:20:21):
Well, I think a lot of it is muscular. You know,
you've got little joints, just like at a knee joint.
You got little joints in your back. Your spinal success.
And if you put them in the wrong position and
you don't make them happy, they will cause you to
go in the muscle spasm. If you lean the wrong
way to pick up something off the floor, if you

(01:20:42):
run too many miles, if you're running more downhill than uphill,
if you're you know, lifting weights the wrong We see
so many back injuries in the you know above twenty
five adult category from weightlifting and people trying to go
to the gym stay in shape that have no idea
how to really property lift. And so you've really got to,

(01:21:05):
you know, you've got to be careful you're in the
in the uh you know, in the gym, you've got
to take more time to stretch. And in this country,
I find it in three areas I'm going to I'm
going to categorize.

Speaker 10 (01:21:18):
These back problems.

Speaker 30 (01:21:19):
In most of them are musclem skeletal back problems because
people are not in shape, they have poor posture, they
don't stretch enough, and they don't work.

Speaker 2 (01:21:28):
Their core enough.

Speaker 30 (01:21:30):
They're abdominal muscles, their back extensors, they're obliques, they're ship abductors.
You need to have a good stylid foundation of core exercises.
If you want to keep from having chronic back problems.
That's where you know you've got to get in and
get evaluated. Biphysial therapists who can look at your posture,

(01:21:51):
they can look at your strength, they can look at
your poster or your chain and then design something for you.
You know, your lower abdominal is critical. That that muscle
that holds your pelvis in the right position so you
don't look like your you know, your guts stick it
out so that you know, again it's post here your
length and here your strengthening and really work that that mobility.

(01:22:16):
So so again I think you need to see somebody
who can get you on the right track. And you know,
you don't always need to go in and see your
doc right away. You know you can go get into
a fisial therapist who can get you into a good.

Speaker 10 (01:22:29):
Program and see what happens.

Speaker 30 (01:22:32):
And plus, if they evaluate you, you may have something
different and they may be able to say, hey, you
do need to go see you know, the orthopedic history
of your family doc.

Speaker 3 (01:22:41):
So it's it's one thing if you're a college athlete
or parathlete and you have all of these things at
your disposal. And I think when you talk about, you know,
having a chance to mitigate the risk you talk about,
you mentioned the word core, and I can't help but
think how many injuries come back to a week in core.
So for those that are not at the college or

(01:23:01):
professional sports level, there are still ways to prevent these
types of injuries. What type of stuff are you doing
with your core that someone can do at home to
help prevent these types of injuries?

Speaker 8 (01:23:12):
Right?

Speaker 30 (01:23:13):
There are some really simple exercises you can do for
your lower abdominals with you know, post ei pelvit crunches, bridges,
work your back extensors, working your hip abductors, working rotational
sit ups for Europa leaques, all of those really control
your core. I also like a lot of exercises what

(01:23:34):
we call quadruped for being on all fours to where
you're doing like something we call the bird dog and
banded bird dog to try to get good glued, trying
to get good paraspinal strengthening, and that supports your pelvis generally.
We you know, one muscle that people really don't focus

(01:23:55):
on enough is their hip fletchers because especially if you
sit all day, or an administrative person or an executive,
your ancher, your muscle, your your ilioso as hip flexor
tends to be super tight and every time you stand
up the walk, it's pulling your pelvis in the wrong position.
And too many people don't want to stretch, you know,

(01:24:16):
they don't want to take that time to use a
foam roller, they don't want to take the time to
use a stretch band.

Speaker 17 (01:24:22):
You know.

Speaker 10 (01:24:22):
They want to get up and go run. You know,
I want to go home. I don't want to an
early stretch.

Speaker 30 (01:24:26):
You just want to throw some shoes on it and
go for a five mile jog. Well, you're really doing
a lot of detriment to your body.

Speaker 10 (01:24:32):
Just doing that. Or I want to just don't stretch
when I'm going to go play.

Speaker 30 (01:24:35):
Wreck basketball with the old guys or you know, old
girls on Thursday nights and they don't take the time
to stretch, and the next thing, you know, your tier
your Achilles tendon. So mitigating injuries through mobility, through stretching programs,
through core programs is really valuable to save your body.
As you're starting to get older, you hit peink flexibility

(01:24:57):
generally between somewhere between fish teen and twenty years old.
After that you're just getting tight. And if you don't
start stretching in those late teams, which is what we
do in college, I mean, our guys do mobile. Coach
Rachfeld got them doing mobility every day before practice, every
day after practice. We're preaching stretching in the trading room

(01:25:21):
before practice. So I mean we're really dealing with trying
to get the mobility in and people don't stretch enough.

Speaker 10 (01:25:29):
If I sit at the desk all day.

Speaker 30 (01:25:31):
I'm trying to stretch my it bands, I'm trying to
stretch my my hip flexus probably every two hours. And
how many people take the time to really stretch every
two hours, you know? So, and that's that's a hidden art.
People just don't want to take the time to do
the simple things. They think they have to try the
big thing. You know, I'm going to go get my

(01:25:53):
back manigulator, I'm gonna go get you know, dry needle,
or I'm going to try to go do this.

Speaker 10 (01:25:58):
Hey, how about stretch? How about take care of your body?

Speaker 30 (01:26:02):
And that's what cracks me up about this society's to
day is everybody wants a quick fix or or everybody
wants you to do it for them, and it's like, no.
My job is to teach you how to control your posture,
how to improve your core, how to get onto a
good stretching program, take care of your body, and guess what,
your body will take care of you. Otherwise, by the

(01:26:24):
time you're in your forties, Ye're in some people as
early as the thirties and you know you got problems.

Speaker 2 (01:26:30):
Let me wrap this with this.

Speaker 3 (01:26:31):
So for those that didn't do a good enough job
mitigating it, and now here you are with a lower
back injury and it's just debilitating on a lot of levels.
What are some things you can do to either alleviate
some of that pain or get yourself back as quick
as possible to normal once the back injury occurs.

Speaker 2 (01:26:49):
What are you asking or advising folks.

Speaker 9 (01:26:53):
To do well.

Speaker 30 (01:26:54):
I'm advising folks to make sure that their attack plan
or they're treating the planet the right plan. So you
really need to get somebody to take a look at
your posture, look at your muscle length, look at your strength,
look at your core strength, and then design the program.

Speaker 10 (01:27:11):
From there. You can do some basic routine stuff.

Speaker 30 (01:27:15):
Everybody today goes on online and says, oh, here's the
quick fix the back problems. You know, stretch your hamstrings
or stretch your quads or use this machine and it
takes away your back pain.

Speaker 10 (01:27:28):
No, it's it's more than that.

Speaker 30 (01:27:30):
It's you've got to increase your as your muscle length,
increase your lower abdominal strength. You've got to improve your
hamstring and it band mobility, and you've got to have
some good strength in your post to your chain. American
societies post through your chain is not very strong. And

(01:27:51):
posture is one of the things that I can. I
walk through airports and marshal things some kind of goofy
because I look at people's posture and say that one's
got a back back, that one's got a bad knee,
that one's got a bad back, because you can see
by the way they're compensating and they're walking that you
know they've got muscles delations, but they won't take the

(01:28:11):
time to do the exercise or the other things to
you know, to correct it and then mitigate it.

Speaker 10 (01:28:20):
You know, I mean, you know I've got a.

Speaker 30 (01:28:21):
Bad you know my history of back provis you know,
I'm not afraid to say it. I've got a three
level backfusion. But I'm still working because I mitigated every
day with a sprenge program and a stretch the program.

Speaker 10 (01:28:35):
And that's how I keep up with these young kids.

Speaker 3 (01:28:38):
You keep up with them well, Bob Manjean. The University
of Cincinnati and novacare getting ready to head to uh
to a neutral site game this weekend for the Bearcats
as they take on Clemson on Sunday. Bob, as always,
thank you for your time. Have a great weekend, and
have a great holiday next week as well.

Speaker 10 (01:28:55):
Thank you, Tony, you too.

Speaker 30 (01:28:57):
You guys have a good holiday, and I'll talk to
you after a holiday and have fun with the kids.

Speaker 17 (01:29:01):
There we go.

Speaker 2 (01:29:02):
That is Bob man Jean. Thank you so much, Bob.

Speaker 3 (01:29:04):
Whether you're traveling to the game, walking to your seats,
partaking in postgame celebration, your body can take a beating
from all the activity on game day. But at Novacare
Rehabilitation they understand how important it is for fans to
be there to root for their team through the power
physical therap. But you don't need to let as pains
or injury keep you from the game, So find a
center near you at Novacare dot com. Today we're just
getting started. In the hour number three, our weekly picks

(01:29:26):
next on the Friday Football Friendzy on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati sports station Rocking.

Speaker 2 (01:29:38):
Yes, it's time for.

Speaker 3 (01:29:40):
The Friday Football Frenzy pickum segment. Before we get to this,
let me say thanks to our friends at Denados Pizza. Yes,
Denados Pizza and their new Creamy Palm pizzas. Creemy, you
said creamy palm pizzas. Whether that's the chicken palm or

(01:30:01):
the bacon spinach palm, go try either one of them
right now. You will instantly instantly thank me.

Speaker 2 (01:30:09):
At that point.

Speaker 3 (01:30:10):
Thanks to Denado's Pizza, we got some picks to make Austin. Yes,
now I'm thinking about food. Now I'm starving. Before we
get to any more food, let's start with the college
football Playoff. There are four college football Playoff games that
start tonight and then you get three more tomorrow. Let's
make our picks on those. Number nine Alabama. These are

(01:30:31):
all home games now for the higher seeded teams on
campus games. Alabama travels to Norman, Oklahoma, Oklahoma tonight, a
one and a half point favorite.

Speaker 2 (01:30:42):
Austin, the floor is yours. I think Alabama has a
little bit of a chip on their shoulder. Everybody said
they weren't good enough, they shouldn't be in the College
Football Playoff. They've got time to prepare. I think they're
probably a better team than Oklahoma, even though it's on
the road. I'll take the Crimson Tide to cover one

(01:31:02):
and a half.

Speaker 3 (01:31:03):
I'm gonna say the reason they had that chip on
their shoulders because they're not actually good enough or deserving
to be in the College Football Playoff. For that reason
and that reason alone, I will take the Sooners Boomer
Sooner tonight in Norman, Oklahoma.

Speaker 2 (01:31:16):
Bob Stoops ain't walking through that door, although he could
because he stepped away from the Dallas Renegades. That's right.
What about the Ys? What about Miami.

Speaker 3 (01:31:32):
Travels to Texas A and M. A and M is
a three point favorite. Does Miami have a chance to
win this one on the road.

Speaker 2 (01:31:41):
No, not even close. Texas A and M's gonna blow
them out. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:31:44):
I think A and M is a machine. I think
Texas A and M is a dangerous team. I like
A and M at home to easily cover the three
points in this one. Tulane an Ole Miss Austin Tulane
and Old Miss. These two teams already played once during
the regular season. It wasn't close. Old Miss rolled in

(01:32:06):
that one. Now some will say that maybe there's a
distraction with Old Miss. Uh, they're not going to beat
Tulane by thirty five again. In fact, they're only favored
by seventeen and a half into that. I say, hogwash.
I think Old Miss covers this number. I think they rally.
It seemed like they liked the coach when he was
named the head coach because they stayed in house. I

(01:32:26):
think Old Miss makes a statement tonight of hey, don't
forget about us in the college football Playoff.

Speaker 2 (01:32:31):
I want to Tulane to win because I think Ole
Miss has been a little arrogant in the way that
they've handled life post Lane kill them. But that being said,
I don't think that Tulane's good enough to hang with
Old Miss. So I will take Old Miss to cover
seventeen and a half. I don't want that that.

Speaker 3 (01:32:47):
Yeah, I admittedly don't know a ton about James Madison.
I do know person or the school the school.

Speaker 5 (01:32:53):
Oh.

Speaker 3 (01:32:53):
I do know about Dan Lanning and what they bring
to the table at Oregon. I think James Madison's a
great story. I don't think the Dukes from James James
Madison can win this one. The question is can they
cover twenty and a half. They have a fourteen point
loss at Louisville early in the year. They played Louisville
really well in that game. I just this is Austin,

(01:33:15):
this is in Oregon. I think Oregon dominates. I think
they win this one like thirty five to three or
something like that. I think Oregon covers the number.

Speaker 2 (01:33:24):
It's not about the x's and the o's. It's about
the Jimmy's and the joe's, and Oregon's got more Jimmys
and Joe's than James Madison. If they had Jimmy's, Joe's,
exus and o's, I'll take the Ducks to Quack can
cover twenty and a half. All right, college basketball? Now,
these first four games Austin, they're neutral site games. I
just threw the home team second on the list, but

(01:33:47):
these are all neutral site games. Being played Tomorrow, Ohio
State is playing against number twelve North Carolina. North Carolina
is laying two and a half in this one. Remember
that time when folks in Cincinnati they're worried about Hubert
Davis and North Carolina and hopefully Hubert Davis turns it
around so North Carolina doesn't come and steal West Miller.
North Carolina should be afraid that Hubert Davis doesn't go

(01:34:09):
leave for a bigger job. Part of the West Miller
try to weasel his way.

Speaker 3 (01:34:13):
In CBS Sports class sick. This is happening in Atlanta.
I like North Carolina to cover just a two and
a half.

Speaker 10 (01:34:21):
I do too.

Speaker 2 (01:34:22):
As much as I want Ohio State to be good,
they haven't proven to me that they can be good yet,
So I'll take North Carolina, who I think is a good,
good team.

Speaker 3 (01:34:30):
Now the second game happening in Atlanta is going to
be I'm sorry. The first game happening in Atlanta number
twenty two Saint John's against the Kentucky Wildcats. There are
rumors and speculations awesome that Jade Quinn's will make his
debut for Kentucky. If so, he is a legitimate difference
maker for Mark Pope squad. That being said, Saint John's

(01:34:51):
Rick Patino, they are a two and a half point favorite.

Speaker 17 (01:34:54):
Who do you like?

Speaker 2 (01:34:55):
I like Rick Patino and Saint John's same thing, same
argument that I would have for Ohio States like, I
want them to be good, but they haven't proven to
me that they can be that type of team yet.
I think the same applies to Kentucky.

Speaker 3 (01:35:07):
I think Mark Pope gets his team to finally get
one of those marquee wins. This year, they've been awful
against ranked teams. I think we finally see them breakthrough.
I'll take Kentucky getting the two and a half. Let's
go to Madison Square Garden, Austin Duke and Texas Tech.
What I like there's a common occurrence here. There are

(01:35:28):
a lot of these college hoops team Austin that are
scheduling extremely difficult in the non conference, and I respect
them for that. Dukes an eight and a half point
favored against the Red Raiders in Texas Tech. Duke wins
the game. Texas Tech keeps this close enough. I like
Tech to cover the number. Duke wins by ten plus.
I'll take the Blue Devils, although I don't want to. Okay,
what about the Houston cougas part of the Never Forget

(01:35:53):
Tribute Classic. It's going to be played at the Prudential Center.
That's where the Nets play, I believe, But what now?
The Prudential Center Houston against Arkansas again. I cannot say
enough about what John Calipari has done. They have played
Michigan State, Duke, Louisville, Texas Tech. They now play Houston.

(01:36:15):
They have scheduled extremely difficult. That being said, this Houston
team is a different animal. Lost, and what do you think, Houston?
I'm with you, Keep it simple, stud.

Speaker 5 (01:36:26):
I'm with you.

Speaker 2 (01:36:27):
That's the kiss method. Keep it simple. Stupid.

Speaker 3 (01:36:29):
Yeah, these next games don't officially have a point spread yet,
but I went through the ESPN BPI index. Xavier's on
the road at Georgetown. Did you talk it all yesterday
about Xavier on Wednesday night?

Speaker 2 (01:36:40):
Yes? I did.

Speaker 3 (01:36:41):
Not a good showing. It was not good for Patino's team.
Let's say Georgetown minus five and a half. Does Xavier
regroup after a bad showing Wednesday night.

Speaker 2 (01:36:50):
I'll tell you one thing about Richard Patino is he
seems to have answers for things now. I don't know
if there's answers for a forty one point loss to
the Creaton Blue Jays, but I feel like they don't
make the same mistake twice. And I don't think they're
gonna get blown out. I think they're going to compete.
I think they'll cover five and a half on the
road at Georgetown. I am going to operate with Xavier

(01:37:10):
now on a I need to see basis. I don't
know who this team is. I thought I did. That
first game in the Big East showed a lot of flaws.
I'll take Georgetown strictly because they are the home team.
Speaking of home teams, I know it's a neutral site game.
Clemson is a very good basketball team. They are flirting
right outside the top twenty five. The University of Cincinnati

(01:37:31):
Austin is not. But they are one to zero with
Giggle James as a member of the roster. Yesterday Chad
called him jiggle James. Jiggle James, which that's me after
I have too many holiday cookies. Clemson Jiggle Elmore.

Speaker 3 (01:37:44):
Cleveson is lost on the road to Georgetown and then
to number twelve Alabama and number ten BYU. That Alabama
and BYU game were spectacular. They lost by six Obama.
They lost by three to BYU after winning by twenty
two in the first half. You see is going to
get six and a half in this game? Who am
I kidding? Give me the Bearcats. They're all the way
back with Gisel James at point guard.

Speaker 2 (01:38:06):
Who's the name of that big fellow used to play
for n KU.

Speaker 3 (01:38:09):
And then you said, Chris Voter, Victor Lockin, Chris Victor locketyah,
Victor Lockett.

Speaker 2 (01:38:14):
He's not with Clemson. No, all right, Well, his spirit
lives on. Give me the Tigers, all right now?

Speaker 3 (01:38:20):
I put this last, Austin, because winners go, they get
primetime on this show.

Speaker 2 (01:38:25):
Well they didn't win. Oh no, earlier this week. Oh,
they already lost it. They lost it. I didn't know
that this changes everything. You should have heard it. I
played it yesterday. Dan Darren Horn was honked off. He
said they were stupid. Wow, they said dumb mistakes. He
was mattering a wet hornet. Jeff Brantley, here comes Charleston. Then, yeah,

(01:38:47):
Chris Mack get out the way, good luck. Give me
the Norse at home doubleheader men's and women's game in
the same day over there, truest, it's gonna be an ugly,
ugly day for the College of Charleston whatever their mascot is, Nku, Norse, Norse,
Norse norso.

Speaker 3 (01:39:02):
Now knowing that they're coming off a loss under Darren Horn,
the Cougars from Charleston. Don't stand a chance. Give me
the Norse to rain some every on Sunday. Yeah, that's
a Cougars Cougars NFL. Let's start Saturday night. Austin Packers Bears.
Packers Bears. Bears are favored against the Packers.

Speaker 12 (01:39:19):
What do you like?

Speaker 3 (01:39:20):
I like the Packers, all right, I'm gonna take the
Packers as well. We're gonna get through these quicker Buccaneers
seven and seven, Panthers seven and seven.

Speaker 2 (01:39:29):
The division is still.

Speaker 1 (01:39:30):
On the line.

Speaker 2 (01:39:31):
Carolina is a home dog. I love Tampa Bay in
this one. I'm with you.

Speaker 3 (01:39:35):
Give me Tampa Jaguars Broncos. I'm gonna go first. I'm
gonna pick the Broncos because I want to see how
strong your ties to the Jaguars in that comment you
made earlier in the season are give me the Give me.

Speaker 2 (01:39:48):
The Denver Broncos. My allegiances lie to the front seven
of the Denver Broncos.

Speaker 3 (01:39:52):
Give me smart smart man Steelers, Lions. The line of
seven is that too many.

Speaker 2 (01:39:57):
Doesn't matter if it's Tjatt, jj Wa or anybody. Derek Watt,
don't care. Lions seven.

Speaker 17 (01:40:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:40:03):
I think Lions win this by double digits. What about
Patriots Ravens Sunday Night football? People sleeping on the Patriots again. Now,
they did blow the big lead against Buffalo, but you've
got Patriots, you got Ravens. Ravens a three point favorite.
I will take the Patriots in this one.

Speaker 9 (01:40:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:40:18):
I think Mike Vrabel and Darren Horn very similar coaches.
These guys are not gonna screw this up. They're gonna
come back after a loss. They're gonna expose the Ravens
basically in their seats.

Speaker 3 (01:40:27):
Philip Rivers host Monday night football against the forty nine ers.
People have wondered about the forty nine ers and they're
scheduling Austin. How the schedule are they battle tested? They
get to go to the Colts. Now it's not the
same Coats team as a couple of weeks ago, albeit five.

Speaker 11 (01:40:40):
And a half.

Speaker 13 (01:40:41):
What do you like?

Speaker 2 (01:40:41):
There'll be twenty five thousand Niners fans there. San Francisco wins.
I like the Colts to keep this close. Niners win
by a field goal. Finally, thanks to our friends of
win Schulers are cheesy spread of the week. It is
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(01:41:01):
to your store now at any of their four flavored
Fantastic flavored cheese spreads. I recommend going all four to
make sure everyone is happy at the holidays. They pair
well with anything. Thanks to Win Shulers, It's our cheesy
spread of the weekend. Austin Bengals Dolphins. Dolphins started as
a favorite. That line has shifted significantly. Bengals are now
four and a half point favorites. On the road in Miami,

(01:41:22):
What say you? Joe Burrow reminds everybody who he is.
The Bengals stomp these guys. Miami doesn't want to do this.
They want to go book their trips to Cabo, and
the Bengals are still playing for pride. I'm nervous about
a change. I've said that all week.

Speaker 3 (01:41:35):
That being said, it feels like the type of game
where Joe Burrow comes out and legitimately throws for four
hundred yards and four touchdowns. Give me the Bengals going away,
and then everyone's talking on Monday about draft positioning and
what are we doing going forward? But it'll be on
a Monday midday quarterback after a Bengals Monday win. Bengals win,
Bengals cover. We'll be back after this since he three

(01:41:55):
sixty the Friday Football Frenzy. Thanks to our friends there
at Nado's on ESPN fifteen to thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 4 (01:42:00):
It's football Wam the Natti, brought to you in part
by Postman Law and by Skyline Chilly on ESPN fifteen
point thirty to the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:42:13):
All right, we're back Friday football Frenzy, real quick football
in the Natti. Thanks here to our friends and No.
Number three at Penn Station Austin. We have news from
the Bengals that I think everyone was expecting, although it
is now being made official.

Speaker 2 (01:42:27):
That's right, Tony. Just a couple of minutes ago, the
Bengals made it official that Shamar Stewart has been activated
after being on the injured list the injured reserve list
since November fifteenth with a knee injury. He was designated
a return to practice on December tenth. We heard Shamar
say earlier this week that he does plan to play,

(01:42:48):
and the Bengals have confirmed that they have also unfortunately
placed defensive tackle Chris Jenkins on the injured reserve lift list.
He suffered an ankle injury in that game against Baltimore
on Sunday. It is it's put up for shut up time.
In my opinion for Shamar Stewart, you get three opportunities
to show a glimpse of why this team took you

(01:43:11):
at the seventeenth overall pick and maybe give a little
bit of assurance going into next year. Shut up time already? Yes, absolutely, Wow,
that's kind of early.

Speaker 3 (01:43:21):
I think no, no, no, he just hadn't seen it,
and when he was playing, I didn't see it outside
of the play he made where he hit Joe Burrow
at training camp.

Speaker 2 (01:43:29):
I just do you think there's any similarities to him
and Amarius Mems. I don't know. Okay, he had he
played a lot different positions obviously, But.

Speaker 3 (01:43:41):
Speaking of more of Marus Mems, the Dolphins, Uh, they
blitz I think top five in the NFL on dropbacks.
The Bengals did not handle blitz well last week against
the Baltimore Ravens. I'm sure the Dolphins turned that tape
on a team that already likes to blitz on drop
back passes and said we are going to pressure even
more than we normally do because the Bengals need to

(01:44:05):
show that they can pick that up. Their protections were
disjointed last week. They did not have answers for blitz.
Joe Burrow was off with some of the checks. I
would expect the Miami Dolphins to challenge the Cincinnati Bengals
in multiple, multiple areas of the blitz on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (01:44:23):
In that matchup.

Speaker 3 (01:44:24):
I think the Dolphins also possessed the NFL's leader in
tackles too, in Jordan Brooks.

Speaker 2 (01:44:28):
Well, that doesn't mean much. Yeah, who is it?

Speaker 3 (01:44:31):
A couple of years ago for the Banks vigil? No,
who did they Preston Brown? Didn't they sign Preston Brown?
He had led the league in tackles the year before,
and people made a big deal about Preston Brown.

Speaker 2 (01:44:41):
He was a really nice guy, Yes, very nice. He's
from here. Also, that does bode well for folks here
in this area, which I heard the Reds called the
Bengals and said, hey, you should sign Preston Brown. Kick
the tires.

Speaker 17 (01:44:54):
Yeah, I like it.

Speaker 2 (01:44:56):
We'll take a break. I'm gonna keep making fun of that,
keep going.

Speaker 3 (01:45:00):
We should, we should when we come back, we'll put
a bowl on this week and today's show with quick hits.

Speaker 2 (01:45:08):
It it went fast today. If you like flew By
fleu By. What do they say about when you're having
fun and stuff?

Speaker 3 (01:45:15):
Yep, time flies? Yeah, when you're having fun. It's the
Friday Football Frenzy on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 4 (01:45:24):
You've been listening to Football in the NATI, brought to
you by Cincinnati Tax Resolution, powered by Tofe Sheldon on
ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati.

Speaker 10 (01:45:37):
Bengals from the Johnson Heating Now.

Speaker 4 (01:45:39):
It's time for quick hits on Tony Pikes Cincy three sixteen.

Speaker 2 (01:45:47):
Was looking for Mo.

Speaker 3 (01:45:48):
Mo is not here. Bengals pep rallies coming up though,
that's right right here on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:45:55):
I believe Sam Hubbard is going to join the show
for the last hour. Nice, so that'll be cool. Well,
the Cincinnati kid, Sam Hubbard, wouldn't mind if maybe Sam
could go speak to the team. At some point you
rejoin him, don't.

Speaker 3 (01:46:10):
NC State is on the board first in the Union
Hole mortgage Gasparilla ball.

Speaker 2 (01:46:14):
That's cool. They lead Memphis seven to nothing. You know,
we were just talking about Tulane. Some sad news to share.
I don't know if you saw this. John Summerall, who
is both the head coach of Tulane and Florida right now,
just announced that his dad passed all last night and
his dad was just with him a couple of weeks
ago at the press conference at Florida. He's been fighting

(01:46:35):
I believe cancer for a lot. That so obviously going
to be a tough weekend for him, but he wrote
a really cool post. Do you want to talk about
a guy who has dealt with that whole situation like
the exact opposite of Lane Kiffin. Yep, the way John
Sumrall has handled that. He gained a fan in me.

Speaker 3 (01:46:56):
The Pittsburgh Pirates land Brandon Love from the Tampa Bay
Rays in a three team trade today. Across Major League Baseball, Locally,
the Bearcats take on Clemson on Sunday. The Xavier Musketeers
traveled to Georgetown, and Darren Horn's NKU Norris host Charleston

(01:47:16):
on Sunday as well. Kentucky is at a neutral site
game against Saint John's, and I think Louisville they play
a home game. I think it's essentially a bye week,
although I don't want to say aything about louisvillecause they
have scheduled really hard as well. They got Montana coming
to the Young Center tomorrow. Pooka Nakua.

Speaker 2 (01:47:38):
Pooka has been fined oh no, twenty five thousand dollars
for his comments about officia. You think you may remember
he was on a stream recently with a guy by
the name of Aiden Ross apparently and said that NFL
officials just want to be on TV and their lawyers
and they joke around with their buddies at work about

(01:48:00):
did you see I made that call even though it
wasn't really a passer inference call. Oh and uh. Then
last night, I don't know, ninety seconds after the game ended,
was tweeting about officials. He deleted that pretty quickly. Sean
McVeagh was running hot in the postgame press conference over
a dumb week from Pooka Nakua, but the NFL has
fined him twenty five g's for his comments on officiat I.

Speaker 3 (01:48:22):
Do uh, I do wonder the uh the folks who
tweet and then immediately like try to delete the tweet. Yeah,
they have to realize that's not going to ever work night.
Today's day and age that is going to be screenshoted
way too many times. Another injury update across the NFL.

Speaker 2 (01:48:38):
TJ. Watt is back with the Steelers. Oh, he was
watching practice today. Mike Tomlin has no further updates on
his status. So it sounds like TJ. Watt's going to
talk at some point later today. But okay, something to
keep an eye off for. We're still waiting on that
Dolphins injury report. The biggest one, most notable one for
them was Minka Fitzpatrick. He injured his calf last week

(01:49:01):
and did not practice either of the first two days
this week. So that would be is Jalen wats lift,
No's he's good to go. I believe I must have
made that up in my head.

Speaker 3 (01:49:10):
For the Bengals, Higgins remains questionable, Chris Jenkins goes on IR,
Joseph o Siah is out, and Shamar Stewart has been activated.
Bengals Dolphins. That happens Sunday at one o'clock. Do you
have any Do you have any any Christmas wishes going
into this holiday season?

Speaker 2 (01:49:28):
Christmas wishes?

Speaker 3 (01:49:29):
Yeah, we did our we did our Cincinnati Sports Christmas
wish or just like gift. You know, maybe there's someone
out there looking for a last minute gift for you.
You had any Christmas gift wishes this year? Because Monday
is essentially our Christmas show right now. We get together,
you and I get together with Lance and Moe, and
we do a Christmas morning show that's correct, which I love.
It's one of my favorite shows of the year. We
love our families and we come into the studio and

(01:49:50):
we give everything for the station. But on Monday it's
our last time being on Sincy three sixty until after
the holiday. Sure, so make Monday. You know at Chris
as spectacular. But you got anything on on the you
know how you set your sights on anything. I have
a new car, no Phil listening.

Speaker 2 (01:50:07):
I have first generation og AirPods. Oh and I just
sent them through the washer about two weeks ago, and
they worked fine for a week and now they have stopped.
And I really held out as long as I could.
So now I've been lugging these headphones, my nice ones
that I use for work, to the gym. Oh and

(01:50:29):
I don't like that I get a little too sweaty
at the gym. And so that that's that's what I'm eyeballing,
maybe with some some Christmas money. All right, the new
air pods, they're just they don't have to be new, now,
oh you ain't. No, I'm not looking for that new. Now,
I ain't that new. No upgrade, you know. Yeah, Well,

(01:50:50):
let's make you don't need the best to the best.

Speaker 3 (01:50:52):
Let's unofficially officially make Monday our Christmas spectacular.

Speaker 2 (01:50:55):
So is that what you're gonna get me for Christmas?
Is AirPods? Let's make Let's make Monday unofficially official. A
random thought today, I asked Joe Daniman and Jeremy Ralph
ends of the show. I said, do you guys exchange
gifts at Christmas? They said no, really, yeah, I'm a
little surprised by it. That's shocking to me. I mean,
those guys spend all the time together, like Bob and Patrick,

(01:51:16):
they're like connected. Now, I think of it differently, more
than brothers. Now. I questioned everything I knew about them, Yeah,
I mean, what's the point of Christmas might be ruined?
I'm just kidding. Christmas isn't ruined, you know. If you've
see any fire Tony Pike billboards on the way home.
I'm always on the lookout for just buttoned up for
one on one the firepike, save Elmore. I'm always on

(01:51:41):
the lookout for anything and everything. A sincere thank you
all week to our our listeners, our talkbackers, our guest,
our sponsors, Thanks to Austin Elmore here there see that,
thanks to Austin. Oh my goodness, since.

Speaker 3 (01:52:00):
I really hope all of you there might be some
folks out there that, based on schedules, are celebrating their
holidays over the weekend. If that's you, have a great
holiday weekend, happy too, happy honkah, all of it and
everything else that falls up and everything holidays, have a
good everything. Most importantly, have a good Friday, have a
good weekend. We'll be back on Monday to do it
all again. It's been the Friday football Frenday. Thank you

(01:52:20):
so much for listening on the Home of the Bengals,
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:52:50):
Do you own a small business? A seismic shift is
coming