Six, nineteen seven hundred WLW the CINCINNTI Tax Resolution, Power by Tope Shot and Roundtable Show. We're in Long Necks in Richwood, brought to you in part by Hawksword Blood Centers, Hawksword Donors Saved Lives always presented by Postman Law. We love Postman Law. Lance Pacalister, Rocky Boyman. Let's welcome in
the man who joins us every week. What a treat it was to have him joined me last week, sitting in that very spot you were in, Rocky, He's all over the Bengals for CLNS Sincywithy dot com, host of the Jungle Roar podcast on YouTube, the man they call Trags, Mike Petralia. How are we doing?
Lance, Rocky? Thank you very much for having me and Lance. It was a terrific meal last week. So I'm still savoring that. Believe it or not, There you go.
Let's let's start with I guess injury news or projections to tomorrow night. Trey listed his question, do you believe there's any chance he plays to borrow NID?
Yeah?
I do.
I don't think the Bengals are playing games. I think they know they need Trey Henderson. It's a hip issue and Rocky, you know, those things can be touch and go.
It can be.
Cause of backspathom like it did at the end of the first half and it locked up and he didn't get back in the game. And I don't know how much of that was game situation related last Sunday in Green Bay. But after I'm sure hours and hours and hours of treatment this week, if he can get back
on the field, I think he will. And as I tweeted about a half hour ago, what would make it doubly important is it would be only the third time this year that the Bengals have had Shamar Stewart and Trey Hendrickson on the field at the same time.
I charge one of the surprises, at least for me from last week's game, and I don't know how much tip off you had coming into that game, but was the lack of snaps for Logan Wilson and.
Barrett cartery Berrick Carr.
Got sixty one snaps. On one hand, yes, Logan Wilson hasn't made a ton of splash plays, but also he hasn't been terrible. What was the reason I guess for giving Barrett Carter so many snaps? In his first start.
I think it's forward looking, rocky. I think they think that simply Barrett Carter and the Demetrius Knight junior have the best opportunity to cover the most space, especially in nickel situations. And I think Al Golden, and he even acknowledged this to us yesterday, it would rather have those two young players get up to speed quickly and pay
the price of missing a couple of plays. Unfortunately, one of those plays resulted in Josh Jacob's parting of the sea and running right up the a gap in for a fourteen yard touchdown. That was a killer maybe twenty four to ten, and Al Golden's like, well, we got to live with part of that, I guess to get these guys up to I think Logan Wilson is a heady player.
He's a leader.
Players love being around him in the locker room. But the Bengals are making a decision at this point that they would trade out the younger speed and quickness rather than have Logan Wilson's knowledge and quite frankly, is tackling ability. One thing that stood out to me, and it stood out to a lot of people. Bengals had nineteen mistackles against Green Bay. That's the most in the Zach Taylor era. That's saying quite a bit.
Treggs logan seems a little unclear on the messaging he's getting from the coaches with this decision. How is he handling all of this that has taken place this week?
Well, he couldn't have handled it better than he did yesterday with us. I was in there, I was in the locker room, and the logan was saying, how much he's going to pour in to Barrett Carter and make sure that he is up to speed on the defense is humanly possible because frankly, that's his role as a captain on defense. He's one of three captains along with bj Hill and Trey Henderson. And sometimes you've got to
live with going through difficult parts of your career. He even got very philosophical and said that when his kids grow up, he's going to reflect on a time like this where things didn't go his way.
He got demoted, he.
Wasn't playing as much as he would like, but still he found a way mentally to get through it. And that's the way Logan Wilson has always handled things, and that's why I think the Bengals keep him around because he's not only a heady player, but he's got the right temperament in a locker room that can go south quick when you've lost four in a row and you've just been benched tragers.
What as Joe Flacco said, if anything, about how much more progress can be made now getting a second week in this system and learning the burbage and getting comfortable with the players here this week.
I think really what he said yesterday, Rocky was that he knows where the receivers, namely Jamar and t are going to be when they run their routes.
I think in that first half, you don't know.
For sure how the Stars are going to run their routes until they run their routes in a game.
Now.
Joe Flacco especially, you could see it in the first half he didn't feel that comfortable, had very little rhythm. They came out, they established the running game, and I don't think Flaco felt as rushed, even for a forty year old. When you get thrown into a new system and in five days are expected to pick up a pass first offense, that's a lot to expect, even for a guy that has eighteen years of NFL experience. Well,
he got the first half out of the way. I think he acclimated very quickly, and I think he believes that he's going to have a much better time tomorrow night against the Steelers on a short week because the defense doesn't have as much time to prepare what the Bengals are going to want to do with Joe Flacco.
I think he sees that as an advantage. But look, I'm old school.
The Bengals need to run the ball, and their lack of pass protection is to me directly related to their inability to win at the line of scrimmage and run the ball.
Treggs I said of Joe Flacco last week, and I'll say it again this week. Prior to him arriving here, I only heard sound bites of him over his career. The more I hear him talk in those press conferences, the more impressed I am in terms of just how wise and reflective and calm he appears to be. What's your impression of him from that standpoint?
Exactly that lamp.
That he's calm, he doesn't get blustered in the pocket, the game doesn't speed up on him, doesn't mean he's going to compleat every pass, doesn't mean he's going to not miss some passes or you know, throw the ball away early when maybe there.
Was a play to be made. We saw that, I.
Think once or twice in the first half last week. But he doesn't get flustered. And I think when the Bengals, the Bengals were smart to go out and get a quarterback like Flaco. Yes, he's forty, but he is someone you can trust to try and learn the offense as quickly as he's been required to learn it, go out and execute it.
And he is a smart quarterback.
He's a winning quarterback that knows the Steelers, knows the AFC North, that carries a lot of value. And if Joe Burrow is indeed out until the second or third week in December, the Bengals, to me, the magic number is seven wins. That means, if they can get five wins with Joe Flacco, they've got a chance for Joe Burrow to come back, maybe run.
The table go ten and seven.
I think long term, that's what Joe Flacco gives the Bengals a realistic chance of accomplishing.
I mean, to your guys point, he like has the calmness of a serial killer. I mean he really does. And Joe Burrow does too. I think that's one thing that makes him great. But yeah, Joe Flacco is almost expressionless on the sideline, which is probably a good a
good quality have for a quarterback. Tracks in terms of of this Steelers team, what of the Bengals coaches have been talking about in terms of you know, you know, obviously have a great defense and Aaron Rodgers is playing at a high level, but with some specific things they've pointed out to how they got a battle against the Steelers here tomorrow night.
Well, I mean it starts with their front seven right in their front, their front line. Even Jamar Chase said that yesterday. They know that they've got to get off their releases quick because the Steelers have always had a great front. They've always done damage against the Bengals. And again I go back, if you have a really good physical run attack, you can counter some of that and diffuse it a little bit to give your pass blockers a little bit more of an honest attempt to.
Pick up these path rushers.
If you're dropping back, you know, eight out of ten times you're in trouble and Alex high Smith and TJ.
Watt. They're going to come get you, Damn Hayward.
Obviously, They've got guys along the front line that are game wreckers. That's what they do, and that is the strategy of the Steelers and always has been as long as Mike Tomlin's been there.
And I don't expect that to change this week. One thing the.
Steelers have done a very good job of in the first in their first five games, going four and one, is taking the ball away, something the Bengals have preached and desperately wanted from their team, but they haven't done it at the rate that the Steelers have.
And I think obviously that's the key to watch tomorrow night.
Traig's not to get lost a storyline, not to get lost in the shuffle. And maybe for the update for those just getting in their car, I have not heard the news. Not only are the Bengals going to be without Mike Yasicki for a while, but they're without Tanner Hudson tomorrow night as well.
Correct, Right, that's correct, And I'm glad you brought that up, Lance, because that means Noah fan stepped into more of a primary role. I think a lot of people have been disappointed with the production of Noah Fan and want to see him pick it up. They know that he's done it before with Denver and Seattle. He needs to start doing it tomorrow night. He can be a bigger part of the offense. And Tanner Hudson suffered the concussion. He's in concussion protocol. That is why he will miss He
has officially been ruled out for Tomorrow night. And obviously without Kasiki, who is obviously more of a receiver than he is a true tight end, it's going to be Noah Fan and Drew Sample and just hope that and obviously Cam Grandy he'll be.
Active as well.
But you've got to get more from Noah Fan than you've got Scotten in the first six weeks of the season.
You continue to pump out fantastic content for those who want more. Tell him how they can read, watch, listen, follow along.
Well.
I have a feature column up on Stealing s SNC with a y dot com on the things that Al Golden needs to do to work over his ever improving defense, but he still has a lot to fix. That's up on Stealing s SNC dot com.
You can follow all of.
My content on the x at trags t R a GF and has always follow my Jungle War Bengals postgame pod after every single game YouTube dot com slash at.
Jungle War Pod.
Thank you for making this work one day earlier. Always appreciate the inside. We look forward to talking again next week.
All right, gentlemen, have a great Wednesday night.