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Good evening, everybody, Welcome to the Bengals Game Plan show presented by bud Light, Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy. Game Plan has come to game on tonight. Yes, we're the game on Sports Bar, West side of Town five eight eight oh Chevy and Road is the address if you want to come out and join us. Dave Lapham and I are here until eight o'clock tonight. Andre Yo C. Bosh is on his way. He will be here Percy minute. Just heard from him. Traffic's a little bit slow, but
he'll be walking in any minute. Now. We got the whole gang here tonight. Last we do. We've got four Bengals in the house. Yeah, we've got the bud Light Girls in the house.
How about that.
We have Nicki and Ashley from the Bengals helping us out with raffle prizes. Man. Of course, we've got our tremendous engineer, Mike Mills, Mike Patrick. We've got a packed house. We do we people are ready to see andre Yosi bars.
Absolutely, and we've got a lot of familiar faces. I mean, there's a lot of recognizable faces in the crowd. If you've come to shows. We have a three hour show on Monday, two hour show on Wednesday, three hour show on Friday. If you've come to those shows, you'll know all these folks. If not, why don't you, Yeah, why don't you come become part of it. Come on a regular basis. Join the crowd. There you go, join the in crowds. That's that's the place to be.
We will be at the on the Rhine Eatery on Friday. That's our home every Friday afternoon or in expected to be our guest this Friday in the final hour of that show from five to six. But in any case, let's talk about the big news for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have a new quarterback, about it signed yesterday. He practiced today wearing an unfamiliar number. He is wearing the number sixteen. I am speaking of forty year old Joseph Vincent Flacco, who will become the first forty year
old to ever play for the Cincinnati Bengals. They've never had anyone forty and older suit up for them before. He's a bet eighteen years in the league. He's had some tremendous highs. He led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title back in twenty twelve. He was the Super Bowl MVP that year, and you might be thinking, well, that was a long time ago. He hasn't been very
good recently. But two years ago he was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year when he came on late in the season, basically came off the couch for the Cleveland Browns and was tremendous in a five game stretch that got them to the playoffs. So that's what the Bengals are for. They are hoping that he can breathe some life into this offense. It's really struggled since Joe Burrow went down. Distribute the ball to their great skill
position talent and get this team back on track. To stay in the hut and what has turned out to be a topsy turvy AFC.
Yeah.
I mean the Baltimore Ravens are one in four. You know, really good teams in the AFC conference in general, ye are just okay.
You know, Kansas City's two and three and they play the Lions this week.
Yeah, some five hundred team. You know, it's like what so it's the season is far from over. And I think because of that, the Bengals said, you know, we got to go out and we got to get a quarterback that's capable of performing at a pretty high level. And they targeted Joe Flacco and they got it done.
They got Joe Flacco here in Cincinnati, and I think one of the craziest things is they got a driver to drive he and his wife from Cleveland down to Cincinnati, and he was his life was just grilling him on formations, plays motion, you know, skill patterns that they're going to put together, how they're going to put him together, why they're going to be putting together. What are they hoping to accomplish by running these patterns the way they're going
to be run. So she was trying to get him a big head start, which she did on the Bengals offense. Dan Pitcher has spent every waking hour. I mean, I think Dan Pitcher and Joe Flack are going to be tired of seeing each other. I mean they're spent every week an hour basically going over what the Cincinnati Bengals hope to accomplish and how they hope to accomplish it. I think I think it's exciting news.
I really do.
I mean, I took my cap to the to the Brown Blackburn family for going out and doing this. It's not something they've done in the past. And again, like you said, Dan, first forty year old Cincinnati Bengal player in franchise history.
You know that's a landmark.
Now, I'd like to have other landmarks this season that don't have anything to do with the age of players. Like to have landmarks wins, regular season wins, playoff wins, maybe even a Super Bowl win. At the end of the Super Bowl three times. Haven't gotten it done yet. I'll see if Joe Flackel can do it.
The Bengals are alone in second place in the AFC North. The first place team is Pittsburgh. The Steelers are three and one. They don't really have a quality win yet. Right Their quarterback is older than the Bengals quarterback Aaron Rodgers is older than Joe Flacco, So I think Pittsburgh. There's the jury still out a little bit there. Sure you mentioned the Ravens are one in four. They're racked by injuries. Don't know what's going to happen with Lamar
Jackson in the short term. They've got another tough game this week. They could very easily be one in five. They play the Rams. The Browns are the Browns. So if you just look at the AFC North, the Bengals are two and three, even if they lose this week at Green Bay, and it's obviously a tough game, and they've got a quarterback that's gonna practice for a few days. Even if they lose that game, their next three games are home, all home games against the Steelers on a
Thursday night. That's an advantage to play Thursday night, short week at home. The Jets only winless team left in the NFL, right the Bears, who are five hundred but not great. If you lose this week and then win those three home games, you're a game above five hundred going into a buy plenty of relatively easy looking games after that, and the possibility that Joe Burrow comes back in December.
Absolutely, I mean you're in high cotton. If you can go on that three game winning streak you talk about, and if you can beat the Green Bay Packers, you know, that's just added added fruit.
To the to the basket, you know.
I mean, it's not like the Green Bay Packers are you know, heavy heavy favorite Andre Jose gooshin house.
It's a big guy.
Yeah, how about it spend some time with us on his free time and we always do appreciate that. Dan, right when when players, no doubt, when players give up their free time to come out and be in the community and see the see all the Bengal fans, Philip Gota come out to support uh, support you and to support the team.
What do you think of the crowd as a packed house in here?
For sure?
It's awesome, it really is.
Yeah, it's a nice little neighborhood too, Like driving in here, it's nice.
There you go. An endorsement for the West Side for Andrea Josie By the west Siders are very proud of their neighborhood.
Well, South west Side.
Let's talk about today. Andre major breaking news that came down yesterday. Joe Flacco joining the team. Former Super Bowl MVP, A guy with a lot of skins on the wall, as they say It's had a great career two years ago, had this tremendous finish with Cleveland to lead the Browns into the playoff center in the Comeback Player of the Year Award. What was your reaction when you read it online or got a text or whatever yesterday that Joe Flacco is coming in.
Yeah, I mean I was. I was getting a massage and I just heard my phone going and yeah, I was like, I got I gotta look at it. And I was like, holy smoke, you got Joe. Like I used to watch that guy when I was like eight years old, like throwing bombs. It was crazy, and like I saw him in the facility today. He's a lot bigger than you'd think. To man, yes, six six. I
just remember him throwing to like Jacoby Jones. I mean, we don't like them here, But because I was a kid, I didn't have allegiance to the Bengals, so that understood.
I'll tell you he can. He can still sling the football. Yeah, I mean his his arm strength is is about as good as there is really in the league. When but he had he throws it with touch. He throws what comes out of his hand nicely, nice RPMs, nice nice fin on the football. And the biggest thing is he's extremely accurate. Is yeah, yeah, he can. He can hit like if he has to hit your right shoulder, that's where he's going to be left him, That's exactly where he's.
Going to be.
How big an advantage is when you have a quarterback that is that accurate?
Yeah, I mean you can definitely.
I mean he can throw it so far down the field that you're scared that you know you're running a slanter and under he's.
Just gonna rip the ball out your face.
But he guys with like big arms like that you never know what's gonna happen. But he has a really nice touch, like really easy to catch.
The ball has a nice spin.
On it so it's not wobbling, right, and he throw me. He threw me a deep ball today too, and I was, you know, I just ran under it like it was nothing.
So it was it was kind of nice to see that.
Cool talk to Chase Brown, your close friend after practice. Asked him about Placo. He said two things impressed him. Number One, the deep ball that he threw to you, He said, that was very impressive. Secondly, he said, his ability to spit out the plays already.
Yeah, that was crazy. It's like he's been here though, It's like he's been in the offense.
Is that right?
Yeah?
I mean the first day to recite the plays right back to the offense when Zach gives.
You the call, it's just is really really impressive because you know, we.
Have cans on it, so you call the first play and then you have to call the second play as well, and if the defense isn't a certain you know, in a certain look, then you have to can to play and remember what the second play is. And he was doing that.
Impressed, so I was, I was pretty impressed.
So we used to call that check with me. You know, it come to line of scrimmage with a play and you had a second player that if if they came up with a defensive front or configuration that didn't like, you know, immediately you'd you'd get out of that and get into that, uh, that more favorable snap. Right, So he's already doing that. He's already like double dipping players at the line of scrim Yeah, that's that's very impressive. Yet he's a smart guy.
Isn't he.
Yeah, he's super smart. He's super calm. You know, he's in the huddle, it's he's very he's a nonchalant guy. You can tell he's been in the league for a really long time, and uh, you know, a good a good presence to have in the huddle.
For sure.
Did you take this move as a sign that the front office believes in the rest of the talent on the team and that you guys can still ultimately wind up where you intended to wind up when the season began.
Definitely, I think that even even though we lost the last game, we scored twenty one points in the fourth quarter, and so, you know, there's signs of life there. It's just we needed to be more consistent, and uh, you know, they felt like Joe was a guy to do that, and you know, a guy with that much you know, a guy with that much experience under his belt and who's been in the big games and who's played everybody. Uh, you know, I don't think I think they made a good decision.
There, for sure.
You mentioned that you watched Joe Flack on television when you were like eight, you know, eight nine years old. Yeah, and I'm sure there's I mean, there's a lot of guys in the team that are in the same boat as you were. A lot of guys about the same answer as yourself. Yeah, with the Cincinnati Bengals, and certainly is an old foot is not an old football team? Right. What's like when you're in the huddle and you look at the quarterback and it's like, I remember that guy.
I remember them talking about that guy when I was a kid watching TV. He was the star quarterback. What's like playing with the star quarterback?
It was a little it was cool.
It was uh we were making jokes of like who's gonna ask for as autograph first? Like, oh, like, I'll pay you one hundred bucks to go after as for his autograph during the meeting or something, just making jokes like that.
Right.
He's actually such a cool.
Guy that, you know, once you get over kind of you know his history. He you know, talks like a literary dude, walks like a regular dude, very down to earth guy. I didn't really expect that, to be honest.
Just before you joined us. We were kind of talking about the state of affairs in the AFC North. Yeah, Steelers are three and one, but the Jersey and the jury's still a little bit out there. The Ravens are one and four with a bunch of injuries. The Browns are one and four and obviously they've got their issues. Obviously this move is intended to put you right back in the hunt with a record of two and three and nobody running away with a division.
Yeah, I mean, I think they made the right choice. They've you know, I mean, he's played for every other AFC North team except for the Steelers, right, So it's a guy who's been around, who knows what AFC North football is like, knows how to beat these teams. And I think I think he just I think he has it and once he gets really the playbook down, then I think are often should be moving like a machine.
What did you think and what are your teammates? What'd your teammates think? When you guys got together in the locker room and talked about the fact that the Bengals made a deal with the Cleveland Browns AFC North rival. Back when I was playing AFC Central Division rival, I mean, so the Cleveland Browns to make a deal for for Mike Brown to make a deal.
With ownership of the Cleveland Browns.
For a quarterback when Cleveland knows that they're struggling at the quarterback position and really need one, and they provided it. How unusual is that?
It was kind of weird for me because I was like, Okay, we must have traded somebody, right, And then I just saw we traded our our sixth round pick or fifth.
Round or something, right, traded the fifth got us sixth right, so they basically lost thirty spots.
In the right and then we got Joe and their pick.
So I'm not really sure what was set in the back end there, right. Uh you know, I guess they believe in their young dudes. Well, the starting quarter for the for the Browns actually is from Hawaii. I'm rooting for I never would have wanted them to beat us, but rooting for him.
So there you go.
Yeah, I guess I guess it was a little It was weird a little bit.
Yeah, all right, we're gonna take a time out. Our special guest is wide receiver Andre Yo c Bosh. When we come back, we'll hear from his teammate t Higgins. What Tea had to say about number eighty. This is the Bengals Game Plan Show. We're presented by bud Light, and we are live tonight at game on sports Bar the address five eight eight zero Chevy and Road. It's basically the North bendexit off I seventy four. Come out and join us. We're here until eight o'clock tonight on
ESPN fifteen thirty. Now the Bengals Game Plan Show, presented by bud Light, Easy to It, drank, easy to enjoy. Here on ESPN fifteen thirty. Andre Yosi Bosh is with us tonight. Andre will be signing autographs and taking pictures during the commercial breaks during the show. We still have several to go. We appreciate the patients of the Bengals fans who are with us here tonight at game on sports Bar five eight eight to oh Chevy at Row. The Bengals taking on the Green Bay Packers this Sunday
at lambeau Field. Lovely Lombo, Andre Yosi Vosh coming off a terrific game for Cincinnati last week, five marches eighty two yards against the Detroit Lions, and we're going to hear from one of his teammates. This is a comment little exchange I had with T Higgins prior to this season talking about our special guest tonight, Andre Yosi Vosh. Here's tea tea. This time last year, I remember a lot of guys were talking about Yosi Vosh and how
much improvement he had made. You seen another step in Andre this year?
Oh man, hell, you you know Yoshi, I don't he teaching me things? And it's it's it's night and day from from this from last year to this year. And y'all gonna see, y'all gonna see this year, Yoshi's gonna really gonna come.
On this ship.
He's teaching you things.
Oh yeah, yeah.
I have to always learn from the other receivers, you.
Know what I mean.
I learned from Chase, I learned from Charlie, I learned from Jamain, I learned from everybody, and just do anything to put, you know, put in my bag.
So so if he's taking those kinds of strides, knowing that the Bengals have the best one two punch in the league with you and Jamar, it's this three headed monster.
Definitely could be you know, That's what we're looking forward to doing. Obviously, y'all see him. He's got bigger, and he got stronger. He didn't got faster, he's twitchier, and he's just he know everything right now.
And man, it's just it's been great.
To see.
What to mean to you and you hear t speaking to you that way.
It's nice to hear it because you know, coming into the league.
Uh, he was someone I looked up to still is and it's just a credit to the work that I've put in every off.
Season since I've been in the league. And it's nice to hear. But I still have a long way to go.
So you have worked. I mean I've watched you with your workouts. You work hard. You are bigger, faster, stronger, twitchier, more flexible. You know, team team notices, the teammates noticed that, coaches noticed it.
What do you do? I mean, you go to Hawaii for part of the off season.
Don't you like for two weeks.
A couple of weeks.
Yeah, So do you work out with somebody at Hawaii or who do you work out with here? Who's been who's been the reason or part of the reason that your body has transformed into what it's what it is now.
Yeah.
Well, when I go back to Hawaii, that's that's my true vacation time.
So I'll take two weeks off.
And just hang out with my family and my friends. But I go to train in Atlanta with a receiver coach. His name is Drew Lieberman, and he trains guys like a tight end. Evan Ingram, Darius Slayton, train with Jacobe Meyers, all those guys. So he's really helped me just fundamentally with my with my strength and my legs being able to cut break and I obviously I just left really really hard every day too.
So all that combined is is good for me.
Do you think that the off season, I'm you know, I remember Paul Brown, the legendary first coach, founder of the Cincinnati Bengals. I remember he said to me at the end of my rookie year. He said, I recommend that you stay in Cincinnati and you work hard. I said, well, I'm not going to be staying in Cincinnati. Coach got a place back in Massachusetts. But I have a guy
that that I'm going to be working with. Yeah, and he said, well I'll can Can you have him contact our strength coach and give you the program that we want you to work on and work through. And I said, yeah, sure, and that was the smartest thing I ever did. And then the next year had first child, stayed in Cincinnati and worked out with the Bengal strength and conditioning coach.
I'm telling you, man, when you when you work hard in the offseason and make strides, it carries over the regular season.
Your numbers are going to go up. There's no doubt.
Yeah, definitely, I think.
I mean, I'm just a guy that is not even I'm not comfortable if I'm not working hard. So that's kind of how I am. Yeah, you know, I mean I'd take those two weeks off, but if I'm not working hard, I am not happy.
Because you're permitted those two weeks.
You know everybody, and with Drew Lieberman, it's not just strength and conditioning. He is a wide receiver guru. You and Chase Brown went to see him together, correct, and now you've kind of become pied pipers for the Bengals. Charlie Jones saw the improvements you guys made. He went Kendrick Pryor went correct. So clearly the work that you, you and Chase did with Drew has had a big impact on the team in general.
Yeah, I think you know, it's the receiver culture can be weird because you see all these Instagram videos of guys doing cone work and oh that looks nice. Oh that guy's so twitchy and he's fast. But a lot of that Instagram stuff is just for Instagram. It's like it's like we call it, uh, we call it receiver aerobics because it's just some guys just doing drills around cones and they're not actually getting better.
And so I've found that.
I've I found Drew because he was he I was like stalking Instagram pages of coaches I wanted to work with, and he made Evan Ingram hold a plank for as long as he possibly could, and I said, oh, that's that's like a little bit different. I think that definitely attracted me to him. And then we had a conversation and then, uh, yeah, now we have a great relationship.
So Troy Walter is your wide receiver coach. Uh.
He works you guys very hard, and he said that I love working with Andre Josevac told me because of your work ethic, it's like you can never give them too much. You know, He'll he'll accomplish it and look at you like, is that all there is? Isn't there anymore? And he said, you know, he's the hardest, the hardest working guy I've ever been around. And he played himself in the National Football League and he played with great receivers and great quarterbacks, so he knows of what he speaks.
What does that make me feel like when you hear that kind of a compliment from your wide receiver coach who played.
In the NFL.
Yeah, it's I mean, it's great.
And I have a lot of respect for coach Troit too, so we're always talking. I think like as I've grown older and started, you know, he really sees my work ethic and how much I love the game, he starts to respect me more. And so we have a really great relationship and I'm glad that he sees I'm glad the coaches see it. Because I only have so much time in the league, and especially coming into an offense with already so many weapons, I figured I had to make my way somewhere.
Yeah, five catches eighty two yards last week against Detroit. That statistical games so far this year. Obviously, Jamar and t command a lot of attention from opposing defenses. Did you feel like that was a step forward in terms of, hey, let's use Andre Moore if other teams are going to devote so much attention to those two.
Yeah, I mean I've always internally felt like that. I'm not always a guy to like, you know, there's so many guys asking for targets and said, okay, here's another dude asking for a target. But so I just try to get open every every route I can, every winning route I need to win, which I do, and if I keep constantly putting it on film, people will see it, the coaches will see it, and I think that definitely last week was a big step forward for me.
Jamar Chase triple crown receptions, yards, touchdowns led the National Football League across the board, established himself as one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest. T Higgins six or four plus two hundred and twenty pounds plus, very unique, twitchy for such a big guy, incredible hands, hand strength good and and then Andre Josi Bosh the third receiver. Slot receiver can move either side of the football field, and the sock can play outside as well.
And is that one of the big biggest attributes with your wide receiver corps that your quarterbacks appreciate the versatility that each and every one of you guys possessed.
Yeah, I think it's I mean, because me and Jamar and team will sometimes play in the slot too, but if you have Jamar moving around, it confuses the defense. And so I'm the guy I honestly was more comfortable on the outside, and then last year was my first time in the slot. I mean, I think it's really expanding my game, which I'm really grateful for. But if you can just move Jamar anywhere on the field, the
defense will have to shift. You can tell what they're trying to do, and it just makes the life of the quarterback and the offensive coordinator a lot easier. So it's great that we can all we're all so diverse.
Yeah, yeah, big challenge this week at Green Bay. The first two weeks of the season, it looked like the Packers had the best defense in the NFL. It's hasn't been quite as tough since, but still, the crowd noise is going to be intense, and they've got Micah Parsons and you guys are gonna have to play well yeah.
I think we're ready for the challenge. Like I said, at the in the fourth quarter of the Lions game, we scored twenty one points, so it's it's there for the taking. We just need to be more consistent, and I think we're making it a big point to just you know, really, you know, hammer the details, communicate as much as we can take the players that are there. And you know, we have a good team. We have a bunch of good players on offense. Our defense is
honestly playing great. I think sometimes like the offense will put them in bad situations with short fields and all that kind of stuff, so they're really they're holding their own for what they've given. And once we all put it together, I think people will be People won't right off.
The Bengals, for sure.
The Green Bay Packers offensively, like you said, they have a lot of a lot of good players. That's a solid group, Iden. I mean their quarterback is capable of putting up big numbers. I mean he can have big games. They seem to just every position. Group might not be loaded, but more than solid, you know. So, and then you then you add in, like we're just just talking about
earlier crowd noise. I remember there's a player going up there now, and it's no joke playing up there in Green Bay with a with an unbelievable amount of crowd noise, you can't hear yourself think. I mean, at the end of the game, you end up with a with a headache for crying out loud. Yeah, you know, because the crowd is uh is so deafening in such a pain in the butt, uh, And they pride themselves on it, no question about it. What's it like playing in that in that in those conditions.
Yeah, the first the first time I ever felt like that was last year at Arrowhead and then the Ravens Thursday night game where you actually can't you can't hear what the right backs saying, right, so you bet you gotta hope you hear like one part of the play call and hope you remember you ran it on Thursday's practice, right, and you're like, okay, Jamar's here, Te's here, all right, so he's motioning that means I got.
To run this. You know.
It's sometimes it comes down to remembering the play that you ran one time on a Wednesday practice, and so that's just that's that's why those home and away games.
I think it makes Copeball really fun.
To be sure it is going to be fun on Sunday. Lambeau is a special place. Bengals haven't been there for eight years. They do have three wins on the road over the years against the Packers. We'll see if they get number four this Sunday at four to twenty five. We're going to take a time out when we come back. We'll hear from offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher speaking about our special guest, andre Yosi Vash. The Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light, Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy
on ESPN fifteen thirty. You are listening to the Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light, Easy to Enjoy, Easy to Drink. We are live and game on Sports par Here at five eight eight zero Chevy at Road with our special guest in the first hour, Bengals third year wide receiver andre Yosi Vash. Let's hear from Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher speaking about tonight's special guest.
He's the perfect example of a guy that you take late in the draft because of his physical gifts.
He's got tremendous intelligence.
Right, So you got a smart guy with physical gifts coming from a small school entering the big pond, right and having to figure out what that means and the physicality that comes with that and the consistency that we need out of him to be the passing attack that we want to be. So he makes a jump from
year one to two, now from two to three. You see the confidence, you see the chest out, you see just how he carries himself like he believes that he's like those other two guys, and he's making steps to get there. And in a lot of other buildings he would have the opportunity that at T. Higgins has And so when you don't have that same volume, he knows that when the ball does come his way, he's got
to take advantage of it. And I just think you've seen the confidence grow, super proud of his progression, and I think you're only going to see him continue.
To get better.
What was the adjustment like Princeton to the NFL.
I would say that, I mean, it's not a different game, it's just football, but there's definitely a lot more nuance and you know, the windows are tighter, you know, it's a lot more physical.
Uh.
They didn't man me up single too much in the IVY League, so every time they would we were just bombing on them. But I think, you know, if you're a good player, good athlete, you should be able to adapt. I think it's a different game, but it's principally it's the same. So it wasn't too It wasn't too big of a jump for me.
To have your offensive coordinator, Dan Pitcher, fellow IVY leaguer by the way, have the amount of confidence that he has in you as a football player and more more specifically as a wide receiver that it's like, hey, he's one of our four. It's I'm good with whatever they do. They can't cover everybody, they can't double everybody. You know, Yoshi's gonna have one on one matchups. He's gonna crush you. He's gonna beat him. He's gonna beat him to death.
What is it like to have a coordinator that has that much confidence in you?
Well, it's great because I have that confidence in myself too. So it's it's just about putting it on film and having them see it and then understand like where I can win and how I can help the game plan. And I think if everyone's on the same page about that stuff, it's just going to help our team win.
So I'm happy with it.
What was your draft experience? Like Dan reference that you know, the Bengals took you in the later round seeing your potential right and thought that that would be a good move.
Yeah, it was. It was a long day.
I was very happy to get drafted because the Bengals were the only team that took me on an official visit, I guess, but I thought my agent was like, oh, you're gonna go from like the fourth to the fifth, and so I was waiting for Day three. But day three is a long day, sure, and so I was waiting hours and hours, and it was pretty much the Saints or the Bengals, and the Saints are like.
We're gonna pick you here, bro, We're gonna pick you here.
And I was like, I don't know, man, it's been like four hours, bro, Like, I don't know if I can do it. So I remember, I was so anxious. I had to like put my phone down. I told someone, if someone calls me, just run the phone out here. So I was just playing catch with my dad outside because I couldn't watch the TV anymore. I was also getting mad because I thought that was better than a lot of the other guys.
But at that point, so many were picked that I didn't want to keep up anymore. Right, And once I got picked it it was a great weight.
Off my shoulders and I was happy to be in Cincy.
Yeah.
That drives you crazy, one. You know you're better When guys are coming off the board, it's like, oh, man, I could smoke that, dude, Come on, what do you what do you guys see.
They had the IVY They had the IVY League bias. I couldn't couldn't fault them for it. Yeah, it's like why I picked someone in the IVY League when there's someone with similar trades who played in the ACC or something.
So I understood it, but didn't have similar traits at that point. I mean, by then, your traits were far superior to the other guys. Yeah, on the board. So there was an IVY League bias.
Yeah, definitely, So I kind of understood that.
I'm telling you there there's an IVY League bias. I know that.
When I was coming out of high school, all the IVY League schools I got recruited by and it.
Came down to Harvard or Princeton.
And decided that if I was gonna go to the IVY League, it was going to be Harvard, but decided not to do it and went to Syracuse, and uh, you know it's you get you gotta, you gotta coach like Troy Walters who played in the National Football League, who was a really good receiver with the Colts and
others in the National Football League. The ward on him was quarterbacks could always rely on he was going to run the exact route exactly the way it should be, I mean, with precision, never never made a mistake, never blew an assignment, Reliable, dependable, accountable, all of those, all of those kind of things, all of those abilities that are you know, good abilities that you need to have.
What's it like being coached by a guy like him who knows exactly what it's like, exactly what you're experiencing on a day to day basis trying to become the best you can be in the NFL.
Yeah, it makes it a lot easier going to work every day because you have somebody who understands you as a person, understands what you're going through understands the game. And so you know, if you have somebody who's never played the position, they'll be like, oh, you're supposed to run the round this way against this leverage whatever, but they don't really know what they're talking about. Was Troy, you can kind of you believe him because he's seen it.
He's seen a lot of football and he's played the position, so he knows when it's a very unfavorable position to win, and he knows when you should be winning.
And I think that this makes life easy.
All right, We're going to take a time out. When we come back, We'll talk to Andre about being a blonde. This is the Bengals game plan or Live at game on Sports Bar on the West side of Cincinnati, were presented by Bud Light here on ESPN fifty.
Seats.
Yose goes high and comes down to the ball, a great catch by Yosi Vosh at the twenty two yard line of Detroit.
Yosi Vosh is saying, Hey, you know what, I'm gonna get an opportunity to make a play. I'm gonna do it. I'm not quitting on this game. I'm not quitting on my team.
That was one of five catches for Andre last week against the Detroit Lions, and we're looking for that and more this week as the Bengals take on the Green Bay Packers at lambeau Field. It's a four to twenty five kick this Sunday. Andrea is our special guest tonight here in the Bengals Game Plan Show presented by Bud Light. We appreciate the full house that we have yes for tonight's show. I know a lot of folks loving the opportunity to get autographs, some pictures with Andrea Yosi Bach,
particularly now with these blonde locks. So last year prior to training camp, Joe Burrow with the buzz cut platinum blonde. Look, you didn't go buzz cut, but you can go kind of frosty tips. Yeah, it's getting a little darker now.
Yeah, a little summertime, Like I was just bored too, so I just was like, okay, I'll die.
I used to die.
I used to buzz my hair and bleach it actually every summer when I was a kid. Yeah, people used to call me lemonhead and back when I was a kid because that's what I would always do.
I don't think I'll ever go back to that. But those are fun times for sure.
So you're a very skilled athlete. I mean you're a triathlete, right, athlete the catholic.
So that's ten events, ten events, pull vault, But what is there?
Liked jump, running, broad jump, discus, shop, all of it. Right, that's running, running events and all that. Being a track and field guy like you have been. And you started doing that at a pretty young age, right, I mean you you started getting.
Run and jumping and doing all that stuff.
Okay, So how has that helped you to become a better football player? How does how do those kind of that kind of skill set when those kinds of skills transfer on a football field.
I mean, just being able to run and jump, I think is a big thing. Just being a fluid It's like being a fluid athlete, fast and kind of understanding. I think I was blessed with this, but understanding kind of like myself in space, like in the air. As a pole vaulter, I felt like I picked that up really fast, and I was one of the best pall vaulters for a decathlete in the country. Really yeah, just and I barely even practiced it. I just went and did it. So I guess I just was blessed to
have everything that culminates into being a good athlete. Strong, fast, yeah, and a big body.
You know. I always wonder with people that pull vault, Yeah, what's it like the first time, because that's one of those things that you can't pitch. You're doing right, sprinting, jamming a pole into the ground and jumping over a post, you know, twice above your head.
My well so growing up in Hawaii and my uh, we call him uncle, but he was like a very close family friend. He he competed for the US in the World Championships as a pole vaulter, so I always had kind of had him in the back of my head, like, oh, be it to Kathy be a pole vaulter.
I was like, I don't want to do that.
So I think I first did it maybe like seventh grade. He coached at my middle school, and then I stopped in eighth grade, and then I picked it back up in tenth grade, and then I stopped because I didn't really love it that much. It was fun, but I just wanted to run, so yeah, it was it was, it was, It was good, and I I have a whole in in my sophomore year of college. I broke the poll and uh so I went to plant and
I pulled back too much on it. If you pull back instead of planning it and pushing up, all the force comes back right into the wall and I did like a backflip and it was pretty scary.
Yeah, other than that, it's fun.
The final event is a distance run.
Yeah.
Is it sixteen hundred meters? Yeah?
So the indoors one thousand, outdoors fifteen hundred.
Yeah. So you've competed in these nine things into the catalon, Yeah, sprinting four high hurdles, I mean grueling in and of itself. And then they save the longest run for last.
Ye.
No brutal is that event.
Nobody wants to be there at that point.
Everybody's dead tired, and everyone's just it sucks if you're like neck and neck with somebody in the in the point differential and you actually have to run a fast fifteen hundred and you're like, oh my god, like I really don't want.
To do this.
It's a because you're not supposed to so you're not supposed to train it necessarily a lot, because you that's you turning your slow twitch muscle, right, So everybody there's kind of just lugging around the track until until they're finally you're helping.
You have a big point leader.
Yeah jog yeah yeah, because even that point jogging it is still super tiring.
So yeah, no, no, yeah, it's not fun. That's not fun at all.
Let me so, have you ever run a marathon? Have you been crazy enough to run America?
Those guys are crazy art, Yeah, they're they're there.
What's the longest distance race that you've ever run?
Fifteen?
Yeah, I mean in high school I never went over four hundreds, so really.
That was a big I was really scared of.
That's a gut race though, one lap as fast as you can around the track.
I mean that is a gut check right there.
Yeah, all the latic acid builds up and you're just swinging your arms and hoping you're making it to the finish line.
Yeays are crazy, man. And we have a a Larry Roberts, a basketball player track star, and he one of his specialties.
Was the four hundred yards for the meeting. Unbelievable to watch that guy.
I mean he would draw a crowd because I mean he'd win by twenty five yards, I mean blow people away, and it's like this guy's a freaking machine man that's not a human being.
Super super impressive to wash guys who can just sprint for.
A whole last Yeah, it's pretty amazing.
It's amazing.
I mean he came out of the gate like it was one hundred yard dad.
And just kept it the whole way, the whole crazy nuts.
All right, we need to take our final time out in this segment. When we come back, we will play America's favorite game show. Baby know your school have questions about Princeton University. Yes, Sir Corner, this is the Bengals Game Plan Show. We are live at game on on Chevy and Road. We're here until eight o'clock tonight. Andre Yosi Bosch is with us here for a few more minutes. We're presented by bud Light on ESPN fifteen thirty. We are live tonight. It came on Sports Bar here on
Chevy at Road. It's the Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light. We appreciate the Bengals for being here, the bud Light girls for being here. We appreciate the many Bengals fans who are with us. Tonight. We packed the joint tonight for our special guest, Andre Yosi Bosh. A lot of young ladies here tonight.
One.
I'm pretty sure they came see me and you. And as long as you know Andre's here, they'll go ahead and get an autographed in a picture as well.
There you go.
All right, this is going to be our final segment with Andre, and as is customary, it's time to play America's favorite game show. We call it Know Your School. Yes, sir, we got five questions about Princeton University. Andre must get at least five three.
Excuse me, at least.
Three out of five to be correct to be a winner. No audience clues, all right, Question number one. Two US presidents graduated from Princeton. He is not name neither one is the question, so that that does not cost you, David not one of them.
Two presidents.
Two presidents graduated from Princeton, according to the always reliable Wikipedia, And you have to name either one.
That's that I actually don't know that.
You'll never forget now, James Madison, Woodrow Wilson. Question, Oh, Taren, has the buzzer ready? Tea Tara in the studio. Question number two the first ever college football game was Princeton versus Rutgers within ten years. When was it played?
Eighteen?
That's correct, got the first two numbers, eighteen fIF.
Seven sixty eighteen sixty nine two.
That's a where to go. That's a point.
Nice on the board, baby.
Question number three, This is often a stumper, but you're a Princeton guy, so I like your chances more than most. What is the name of the main library on campus? Firestone? Ferstone is.
Demand scholar athlete we're talking about. That's that's student athletes.
Our SEC players never get that one right. Ivy leaguer nailed it. Question number four. Name the former Princeton basketball player, Oh, I know this one who helped the Tigers go to the Final four nineteen sixty five. Later won two NBA titles with the New York Next and was a senator in New Jersey from nineteen seventy nine to nineteen ninety seven.
Nice, good question.
Oh lord, uh was a road.
He was a Rhodes scholar as well. He won an Olympic gold medal as well. This is a completely this is my Princeton basketball team.
He was.
Princeton lost in the semifinals and he was the Final four MVP. That's how good he was.
What is the name Star was? Was?
The both and last names begin with B.
His first name technically begins with a W, but the nickname is B B B so. And he shot from down here, he shot from his hip.
There you go.
Was their audience participation final question. You're already a winner? You got three right? Named the former Princeton offensive lineman played in the NFL for Buffalo, Washington, Dallas, and New England, who is currently a color commentator for CBS Sports and Westwood One. He also has a podcast.
The only guy that I know is uh Keith Elias, who is a running back. He's a Good Morning Football a lineman.
This guy talks about you all the time. Really yeah. He has an eponymous that's the word when it's named for you, eponymous podcast podcast. Have I met this guy? I think you have zoomed with him. I think he may be zoomed. I like that.
This is bad. I don't know.
Huh, all right, so I talked to this guy fairly regularly. I'm not going to tell him you didn't know. Yeah, in fact, they'll tell him you did know. He loves you even more Ross Tucker, he was alignman. Yeah.
I always thought he was a running back, the.
Ross. Yeah, I didn't know he was an he got three right. That was the assignment in.
Nice. Nice.
Are you excited to go to Lambeau? That's kind of a bucket list thing for fans. Is a players that a big deal for you?
Yeah, definitely, It's super historic, So I'm really excited to go beat them over there.
That's what we liked, hear, that's the key.
I was very fortunate to play at Lambeau as a player with the Bengals, but even doubly fortunate because we won.
Yeah, win the game. It's a great playing flight home.
Do a Lambou leap.
Don't win me? No, I was no Lambeau leap. I have about a two inch vertical.
They needed the Lambeau ladder, yeah, right, lap to do the Lambar lap the Lambo cream.
Well, the good news is the tundra will not be frozen. Should be a great day, and like you said, it's gonna be even better when the Bengals bring home a win. Andre Yussi Vas, thank you so much. You're the minion here tonight. Thank you. That's Eric and Andre Yossi Vo.
Thank you, sir, thank you.
All right, We're gonna take a time out. We'll come back with our second hour of the Bengals Game Plan Show in just a moment. We are live tonight until eight o'clock here at game on sports bar on the West side of Cincinnati on ESPN fifteen thirty is.
Bengals game Plan presented by bud Light on the first Star Logistics Bengals Radio Network. Wrote to you by bud Light, blood Light, Easy to Bring, Easy to Enjoy, pak or Paykor is proud to be the official HR software provider of US Cincinnati Bengals Health, Best Care for the Best Fans, Kettering Health, official healthcare provider of the Cincinnati Bengals. This is Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Bengals.
Welcome back to the Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light, Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy Here on ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm Dan Horde with Dave Lapham. We are live tonight at game on a sports bar on the west side of Cincinnati. He addresses five eight eight zero, Chevy at Road. Andre Yosi Boss joined us in the first hour of our show. We greatly appreciate that, and now we really turn our attention to Sunday's game on
the road against the Green Bay Packers. Huge news yesterday broke that the Bengals have made a trade for quarterback Joe Flacco and he will start this week against Green Bay. Zach Taylor made that official earlier today. Let's hear a few of the things that the Bengals head coach had to say about his new QBA Joe Blacko.
Played him a lot, watched him a lot, brings great great experience, great leadership. His style fits our style of play too, so excited to get him out there. We'll start him this week, so he's gonna take all the reps, get ready to go. Already spent a lot of time meeting with us, getting up to speed, so feel really good about where he's at. I mean, it's different than a young quarterback coming in trying to learn a system and understand what a defense is trying to do to
challenge you. Not that, but he's played Green Bay this year, so he's already gone through a week of prep. So that's the nice part. Is now the communication and the weekly rhythm is maybe different, unique, but he's already prepared for this opponent, so he gets a chance to refresh himself on that well at the same time just learning our system and our terminology and our burbage and how we operate GULFSA knowing that he's playing now, he hasn't played there this year and so the crowd and noise
and all that stuff is different. But at least he's got some experience pointing in him.
He's a great pastor.
And again, we've got to expand all areas of our offense to be better, to be able to efficient run the football, protect all that kind of stuff. But the number one trait you're looking for is a guy that can operate your system in for the football, and Joe has always been a tremendous passer in this league and I've seen it, and so now we've got treminous weapons that he can play around, and so I'm excited to watch him do it.
Lap Jake Browning got three starts, unfortunately, simply didn't play well, certainly nothing close to what he showed two years ago when he got the opportunity to start seven games. So the rumor mill had started to turn. We heard the names Russell Wilson and Thomas Winston. They've both been on the bench for the New York Giants. Andy Dalton's name even popped up. He's backing up with the Carolina Panthers.
I'll be honest, I really had not heard of Joe Flacco being a possibility, So that part of it excite has surprised me, not the fact that they made a trade, but that he turned out to be the guy. What was your reaction and what can Joe Flaco do for this offense?
Yeah?
My my initial reaction was, like we talked about earlier, I can't believe the Cleveland Browns decided to pull that, you know, pull it off, pull the trade. I just don't.
I don't.
I don't understand why they They felt the uh, the urge to to help the Cincinnati Bengals win football games. The Bengals are struggling with the quarterback position. Jake Browning unfortunately, you know, the bottom fell out on him a little bit, and uh, and he's struggling and in the Cleveland Browns give the Bengals the way out and that that was just shocking to me.
It really was.
With that said, I think that Joe Flacco is going to do a really good job. I think that there are components here that that Joe can can really take advantage of and uh and and and make some make some noise in the in the division, in the conference, in the league.
You know.
I I think I think he's got some magic left in that arm. I think he can he can make make throws that they were hoping Jake was going to be able to make for him and andre Yosi Vash talked about the deep ball. I mean, there's still a zip on that deep ball. RPM's and that bad boy, but it's it's catchable. It's it's you know, it's not it's not gonna break your hands.
It's soft.
You can tuck it and put it away, secure it, keep it from uh, keep from turning it over, and then you can concentrate on making moves and lateral movement, make people miss the yards after catch, yards after contact, score touchdowns.
So when Jake Browning threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter last week and led the Bengals on touchdown drives on three straight series, I thought to my saying, Okay, this is the guy that we saw two years ago. Maybe this is a sign that he can get it going and you know, still hold things in check and Joe Burrow hopefully comes back. Then I heard him at his postgame news conference after the game, and he was so in his own head, you know, worried about costing
the team the game. And yeah, I mean, the interception's hurt. But when I heard that, my mind kind of changed to thinking, I'm not sure that he's going to be able to get out of this anytime soon.
Yeah, I think getting in his own head is a good comment by you, Dan. You know, football, you're in a stude football guy. When guys do that, it's tough. It's tough to turn the worm. You know, it's tough to work yourself out of that kind of football depression. You know as such. You know, you look at tape after the game, it's like you're kicking yourself in the butt. You know, Oh my god, how did I miss that? How did I not see that? Look at he's wide open? How can I Why did I throw the ball where
I threw the football? Why did I put the ball in jeopardy By doing what I did, I'm hurting the football team. Yeah, I think it was just in his own head to the point of man like I said, the bottom falling out and what do you do as coaches? Well, Zach Taylor and the organization decided Joe flackom make the call to Cleveland. Cleveland's willing to make the trade still stunning to me, can't believe it, but they did it, and hopefully it comes back to kick them in the butt multiple times here here.
So the Bengals are two and three. We mentioned earlier that the Ravens are one and four, the Chiefs are two and three. The AFC really seems like it's attainable, particularly the AFC North, and you definitely had this sense in the locker room today that this has given everybody a lift. They didn't want to use those words and make Jake Browning feel even worse, right, but you could
feel it in there today. Let's hear from a couple of Browns, Orlando Brown Junior and Chase Sprowed about the impact that this trade had today and hopefully has going forward.
I think it's, you know, more so a message too from the front office and ownership, you know, letting the world know that you know that this is important to us, and we do see that we know that, and I imagine Joe Burrow will be back to at some point.
Yeah, I think it shows that they want to win and winning as a priority.
And yeah, I think making that move.
I saw some stat online or something that they haven't made an indivision trade since like nineteen ninety nine. So I think it shows their commitment to this locker room, the coaching staff, and how much they believe in this team.
So both Orlando and Chase clearly appreciating the fact that the front office didn't say, well, let's just hope it gets better, that they made a significant and abrupt move to try to change things right now, a.
Historic move really, I mean nineteen ninety nine, like Chase Brown was saying, it is the last time that you know, a team made a move like that within the division. I mean, that's that's that's strong, that's a that's a big statement, you know, by the front office, by the general manager of the organization, ownership.
It really is.
I mean, they obviously were not when they when they looked at game tape, they didn't like what they saw the the you know, and and and Zach Taylor and Dan Pitcher, they all and other position coaches must have felt like we have to do something because there are players to be made out there and we're not making them. And and really the guy who is the uh, the
leader of the orchestra is the quarterback. And the quarterback struggling, We're going to make a move there, unfortunately, and uh and see if it makes a difference for us.
Now. I know a lot of people see the acquisition of Joe Flacco and they think, well, he's had a problem throwing intercessions in his career, and that's fair. But on the other hand, Jake was throwing the interceptions but also wasn't capitalizing on what was there. Joe Flacco is going to get the ball to a wide open Jamar Chase up. He's going to make the checkdown quicker than
Jake had been making it. Yeah, and there might be a couple of interceptions, that's part of it, but he will take he will take advantage of more of the opportunities that unfortunately this year Jake has not been able to capitalize on.
Yeah, I think you know, look, I look at Joe Flacco's arm as gunslinger ish, you know, I mean, he can he can rip it down the football field, but without the negativity that you think about a gun slinger, you know, not like not like Winston where he just is going to fire no matter what, and and rip the ball down the football field and look around and boy, everybody see how strong my arm is.
Man, I just ripped that thing down the football field, goodn't I?
So?
I mean it's a you know, you need more than that to play the quarterback position. A lot of great quarterbacks in the NFL did not have Howarzer's hanging off of their shoulder. You know, they didn't have a cannon. They weren't ripping the ball down the football field like that, but they threw with tremendous accuracy. And that's what I think. You know, Joe Flacco can do. Flacco can hit you in the right shoulder if that's what's necessary down the
football field, left hip, whatever the case may be. Joe Flacco can put the football in tight spots. And when you're trying to get the ball down the field against tight coverage or decent coverage, that's important.
Time for a quick time out. When we come back, we'll head to Green Bay and talk to the voice of the Packers, Wayne Larevie. This is the Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light on ESPN fifteen thirty Dave lab Back on the Bengals Game Planed Shokersvie bd Light, Easy to drink, Easy to enjoy. We are live at
game on Sports tonight. You appreciate andre C Bosh for spend hour with us as we get you set for the Bengals and Green Bay Packers coming up this Sunday at four twenty five at lambeau Field Historic lambeau Field, Lap and I looking forward to returning to lambeau for the first time in eight years, and also looking forward to seeing the voice of the Packers. Who's kind enough to join us tonight on our show, Wayne Laravi Man, Wayne,
Welcome to the Bengals Game Plan Show. Appreciate you of taking some time out of your schedule to join us tonight.
Great to be with you, guys. I wish I was there in person. It sounds like a good place to be.
That is accurate, good food, frosty beverages, and a great crowd tonight. We appreciate the Bengals fans who are with us here tonight. So Wayne, let's start with maybe the biggest news in the early portion of the NFL season, and that was the Packers trade for Micah Parsons. Gave up a Pro bowler and a couple of first round draft for pat draft picks. Excuse me, but it makes sense. Mike is in his prime, might be the best defensive player in the league. He's right up there with Miles
Garrett and maybe one or two others. What has that done for the Green Bay Packers defense and chances of winning a Super Bowl?
Yeah, well, you know what it's made. It's given that defense as certain swagger that maybe it didn't have before. It was a good defense last year. There's no question, a top ten defense, but they feel Micah Parsons can maybe push them over the top. He gives them, you know, he makes the four man rush effective in terms of pass rush, and that's something that they struggled with year ago.
And Jeff Hafley, the defensive coordinated, at a tremendous job of generating pass rush pressure and getting sacked, but he had to do it with blitzing and that type of thing. They're more prone today to be a four man pass rush, and that's what they were hoping to be when all this whole thing was put together, and so Micah Parson, and he makes the people around him better. You know, up until last week, Rashan Gary was leading the league
in sacks, and you know that's that's the difference. Having Parsons on one side and Gary on the other side makes Rashan Gary much more effective because he's not facing as many double teams right on way.
And there's no doubt, I mean, I bet when when the trade was made for Shawn Garry was probably the most appreciative guy in the organization. It's like, man, finally I got somebody else on the other side that's gonna take take some of the pressure off and he'll be facing a lot of the double teams. When I watched the Green Bay Packers defense on tape, I'll tell you the Parson is pretty stout in the running game.
Now.
He plays the run. He doesn't, you know, he doesn't just kind of show up or really not show up for a couple of snaps and then hope, hope for a third and a long and see if I can sack a quarterback and increase my sack numbers. Run a big total on sacks for the season. This guy's a complete football player. He plays both sides of the Dubney.
Yeah, he does. And you know that's something he kind of got a bad rapt by Kerry Jones about his run defense. But you know what we've seen, he's been very solid in holding the edge and making plays in the running game. So that's helped a lot. I mean, the Packers are giving up seventy seven yards rushing, second in the league. You know, they had a little bit
more of a rough day in Dallas. Dallas got a season high one hundred and seventeen rushing yards against them, But that game was a track meet, so you know, I don't know how much you can put into the defensive figures of that game.
The voice of the Packers, Wayne Larabee, is our guest. Green Bay opened with very impressive wins over Detroit and Washington. Attention was growing. People were talking about this team as a real Super Bowl favorite. Then they laid an egg in Cleveland. What happened in that Cleveland game.
You know, Dan, I mean they had control of that game, they really did. I mean, they were struggling offensively. Cleveland's defensive line dominated the Packers offensive line. The Packers have had some injuries in their offensive line, Zach Tom probably their best offensive line, been played one play in that game and went out with an injury that he came
into the game with. Meanwhile, you know the left guard, you know Banks, whom they acquired from San Francisco, kind of a road grader in the running game, Aaron Banks. He's missed seven He's missed seven games last year and he's missed two now this year. So having components of the offensive line down and having to shuffle that line against the Cleveland front that you guys saw opening I believe it was Opening Day. It's pretty good, pretty good unit, and you want to be at your best when you're
going up against that group. So they struggled offensively, defensively, they're in command of that ballgame. And then the special teams issue occurred and they had a field goal block and boom, all of a sudden, you know, Cincinnati was or I should say Cleveland was back in the game and snuck away with a win.
Yeah.
Special teams, I mean the all important third third phase offense, defense. Special teams. I all have to kind of lean on each other, and one is as important as the other.
There's no question.
Let's talk a little bit about Joe Flacco. What did you think of Joe Flacco in that football game? How did he perform against the Green Bay Packers?
To your eye, Well, you know, and and studying him they going into the game. He can still fling it and he can still get a downfield. Two things happen in Cleveland. Number One, they were just starting to find their running back and that kid that they drafted in the second round is going to be a really good runner. But they really don't have a solid round game. They couldn't protect the court. They just can't protect blackout and
that's the problem that he had. So so much of what he was doing leading into that game was check down stuff and really short stuff. And then he hit a couple of passes against the Packers, but nothing out of the ordinary. He struggled. I mean, he did not have a great game against the Packers at all. And you know, going to Cincinnati now, and if they get him up to speed and ready to play this week, he's got better people around him to throw the football to.
I mean, those two guys are number one receivers, both of them, and you know, Flacco didn't have anything close to that caliber in Cleveland. So if the Bengals can protect this guy. He can still get the ball down field accurately.
Dayne Lairbe is our guest. Do you expect the Packers O line to be at full strength this week? And what about wide receiver Christian Watson? They just opened up his twenty one day window to come back from his knee injury. Any chance the Bengals have to worry about him this week? Boy?
You know, I gotta tell you, Dan, from what I saw a training camp, from what I've seen at practice, and they've ramped him up a little bit this week. Now that he's actually in practice, I wouldn't count him out. But I wouldn't. My gut tells me, though, wait a week, you know, let him go through this week and then maybe his comeback has been stunning. I mean a training camp, it looked like he could practice and play, and you know, they held him out obviously, and they had him on
the reserve list. And now this week these back at practice and frankly looks pretty good. To be honest with you, guys, I just wonder, if I know the Packers are very cautious with their people from a medical standpoint, I still think it's a long shot he plays this week, but I wouldn't count it out.
When Joe Flacco was in Green Bay, I know you're there all the time, talk of the coaches players. What was he like in the locker room?
What was he like with the coaches in the meeting room? I mean, what's his personality?
Like?
What kind of a teammate is he? What can the Cincinnati Bengals expect in those areas?
What's Flacco?
Yes? About Joe?
Yeah, from what I understand, he's a great teammate, and you know, he's a veteran presence, and he's somebody that saved this season for Cleveland two years ago and just you know, they they they're just kind of messed up a little bit right now and he wasn't able to do that behind that kind of protection. But I think that you guys will find he'll be a very good quarterback, very good teammate. He'll be a good chemistry piece in the locker room. That's what I'm saying.
Wayne Lairvie, appreciate your time. I know it's busy this time of year for everybody in the business, and for you to take time out on a Wednesday night, we greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Enjoyed it. Dana and Dave hope to see it in lambeau Field on Sunday.
You're the best star. I appreciate you.
We are looking forward to the visit. That is the great voice of the Green Bay Packers, Wayne Laravie. We're gonna take a time out. When we come back. We'll hear from one of the guys that has to try to block Micah Parsons this week, right tackle a Marius MIBs. This is the Bengals Game Plan Show Live from Game on sports Bar, were presented by bud Light Here on ESPN fifteen thirty. Get Back on the Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light Live from Game on sports
Bar five eight eight zero, Chevy and Road. We'll be at the on the on the Rhyne Eatery on Friday from three to six. Linebacker Orren Burks will join us in the final hour of that show next Wednesday night MVP Sports Bar on Plainfield Road with special guest Sam Hubbard. Sam program the night before the Bengals take on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Thursday Night Football. So we couldn't get a current player for the Wednesday night show. We thought you would enjoy the guy we do have coming out.
I know you do, Sam Hubbard. That's gonna be an awesome show.
It will be.
I mean Sam knows everything there is to know about the Pittsburgh Steelers. I mean, he played the Pittsburgh Steelers many times and played well. I mean, you know, Pittsburgh wants to run the football. Sam Hubbard is a depth at stuff in the run. I mean, that's that's that's his game. And it's interesting his teammates they miss him. I mean, they got a ton of respect for Sam Hubbard, and I no know Sam feels the same way about
all of his teammates. So it'll be good to give him out out and about in the city talking about Bengals football.
One week from tonight six to seven at MVP Sports Bar. One of the huge challenges this coming Sunday at four to twenty five will be blocking Micah Parsons. Picked up just before the season by Green Bay from Dallas. He's been in the NFL for four years. He's had at least twelve sacks in each of his previous NFL seasons. The Bengals have faced him twice before. In his rookie year, he had two sacks, five quarterback hits. Dallas beat Cincinnati.
Last year they faced him again, no sacks, no tackles. Man. The Bengals beat the Cowboys in Dallas by seven, so neutralizing Micah Parsons was a big key to that win. He did get some quarterback hits, right, but he didn't wreck the game. That's the key. He was mostly matched up against the Marius Mimms last year. This year with the Packers, he's been moving back and forth a lot, so Orlando Brown Junior and Marius Mims are both going
to get their turns against Michah Parsons. But in any case, I talked to Amrius earlier today about that challenge of trying to block MICHAEH. Parsons in a Green Bay Packers uniform.
Yeah, I mean, I think Michael's the best d in in the NFL other than Miles Garrett. If you guys me, just the guys who I haven't played against, They're gonna be a challenge. It always is, especially on the road. It's gonna be a game where it's about me again, honestly, just just doing what coaches telling me. In practice, and you know, how can you know, try to neutralize him as much as possible and knowing you know, he's gonna make his fair share of plays, you know. I mean,
it's gonna happen with a guy like that. But really, like I said, my mind set is really to just you know, go out there and play the game football. Do I can play, continue to get better and you know, if I let woman like not let one mistake or one you know, one small minor, you know, step in that game and turn into like.
The whole game.
So, like I said, boy against a great player, not one of the best players on defense and ever, I mean, I think he's a good Like I said, you know he's a good player, but I know he's a good player. But I said, I'm ready for the challenge, you know, like I said, last year, he was with another team last year who played in Dallas, and this year is gonna be in on Green Bay.
So it's gonna be fun.
Last two weeks ago, Marius Mems had a bad game against the Denver Broncos. He's not shying away from it. He knows he had a bad game. He bounce back with what CO just say was his best game of the year last week in that game against Detroit. So hopefully he's trending in the right direction and he's getting going to need to be sharp on Sunday.
Agreed, Dan.
Hopefully he carries over the performance that he had in Detroit. Because Micah Parsons, like you mentioned, is a game wrecker.
I mean he can. He can.
You might be going on a nice drive six plays into the drive and then I'll sudden, bam, Micah Parsons knocks your back ten yards or eight yards, whatever the case may be, and in your face and your off schedule, and you're you're in disarray, you know, and now you have to.
Recover and recapture your poise.
You know.
He also is a turnover machine, causing turnovers left and right.
You know.
He's capable of sacking the quarterback obviously that's a big loss of yards, taking away from your yard.
It's total. He's capable of knocking running backs back for a loss.
Uh.
He is.
He's a tough, tough challenge. I mean, if he decides to take an edge on an offensive lineman, he's gonna nine times out of ten really win. I mean, the guy, the guy is that good. So you're gonna have to double him to minimize that total. Now you're you know, can you who else can you double? You know, you can only double two players on every snap normally, Doubling more than that just doesn't make sense. It doesn't work out. Numbers aren't your favorite offensively, so he is he's a problem.
I mean, he causes issues for offensive linemen, tight ends, full backs, you know, blocking backs, tailbacks to double block on occasion. Offensive coordinators have nightmares the night before game worrying about do I have enough end to take care of Michael Parsons. We can't let him take control of the football game and make it his uh, can't let him just take ownership of it. So yeah, it's it's
definitely a challenge, and it's a big one. It's one of the biggest in the National Football League, and it's gonna be interesting to see how Amarius Mims and others rise to the occasion.
How do the Dallas Cowboys not keep that guy at twenty six years old?
Come on, come on, Jerry, what the hell? Honestly, that that one is a head scratcher, It really is. I mean, this guy, if he's probably been responsible for more negative players than any other defender in the National Football League.
He's probably you know, his negative.
Play total is probably what a couple of players would have on another defense for a total number of negative.
Players, same draft class as Jamar Chase. So it really it would have been the same thing as the Bengals trading Jamar Chase instead of resigning.
Unbelievable And for what what they get?
I know, they got a lie what was the game? I mean, they got a row bowler in two first round draft picks, so they got a pretty good price. And the Packers are also now going to pay him forty seven a million forty seven million, forty seven million a year. There we go going forward. So it does take a big chunk out of your salary cap, but so well does He's one of the best defensive players in the league now maybe ever, and he's in his prime.
And same with Jamar Chase. I mean, you know, you can make the same argument. You know, why would why would the Cincinnati Bengals, you know, retain Jamar Chase?
Also that very reason. You know, he's he's a big.
Time playmaker on triple Crown receiver catches, yards, touchdowns, playmaker, extraordinaire. Two of the best players in the National Football League on the offensive side of the football on the defensive side of the football will be uh not necessarily going one on one knocking heads with each other, but they'll be out there trying to create havoc and and and make positive players for their respective football teams.
Michaeh Parsons ran a four three nine forty crazy at the scouting combine. How would you have tried to block Michaeh Parsons.
Man, I mean, he's like two hundred and fifty pounds.
Two fifty exactly. Let me come on, exactly four four four.
At two fifty.
Come on.
That should be outlawed. That should be illegal. Honestly, it's like, how do you block that? Your hope, you hope and pray, you pray to the football gods the night before the game, and you're on the road, so now you can't hear the snap count.
So now he's getting off.
His get off is unbelievable when you're running a four to three nine and now he's getting off the football before you even move, so he's into you and knocking you backwards before you know what the hell's going on. I'll tell you the offensive tackle is going to earn their money on Sunday. It's not going to be an easy, easy day.
Get those play calls in fast, Zach, so that the play clock is not winding down to zero and that the defensive ends can get a head start against your tackles.
Absolutely, absolutely, I mean they're gifted enough anyway. Don't make it easier for him.
And that's for sure. All right, We're going to take a time out. When we come back, we'll talk about the process of getting Joe Flacco ready to start on Sunday in a matter of days in a Bengals uniform. This is the Bengals Game Plan Show live from Game on Sports Bar were presented by bud Light Here on ESPN fifteen thirty Welcome back to the Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light. We're getting ready for the Bengals and the Green Bay Packers Sunday at Lembou Field
in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The smallest city in the US that has a major professional sports team. Got a big stadium though eighty thousand plus. It's going to be packed, it always is. We'll see if the Bengals can go on the road to Joe Flackwood quarterback and pull off the upset this Sunday. It's certainly been an interesting twenty four hours or so for Joe flack go and for the Bengals. The trade went down yesterday, Joe Flacco and
his wife drove from Cleveland to Cincinnati. They actually had somebody else drive them, Yeah, so that Joe could be on the phone with Zach Taylor and other members of the Bengals coaching staff going over the offense, talking about the play calls and so forth. They put those few hours to use over the phone.
They didn't do a.
Zoom, didn't do a FaceTime. They did a traditional phone call and talked about things. And then Joe Flacco was in the building today. He took all of the number one reps at quarterback as they are trying to hasten the process to get him ready to start on Sunday. He's got a couple of former teammates on the Bengals roster. Flacco played for the Denver Broncos in twenty nineteen. His teammates included offensive lineman Dalton Reisner and tight end Noah Fant.
In fact, Noah's first NFL touchdown catch was thrown by Joe Flacco in any case. I asked his former teammate Dalton Reisner today, do you think Joe Flacco will be able to get up to speed in a few days and be able to play well on Sunday. Here's Dalton's answer.
I do believe that he can do that.
He is a sixteen year I don't want to out speak sixteen or seventeen year vet in this league. I think he's fifty nine years old, right, something like that, And I'm just kidding, he's like forty regardless.
He's a guy that's.
Gonna come in here and be a vet and know how to do that, and he's gonna be on top of his p's and q's. He's gonna learn the offense. He's about to go out there and command it and put his best foot forward to help us win.
Lapp just how hard is what Joe Flacco is being asked to do? Come in on a Wednesday, start on a Sunday at quarterback.
Brutally tough. I think it's a major, major challenge. I mean, there's no two ways about it.
I just think I think.
The difficulty meter it's peg you know, yeah, it's it really is. I mean, he has no prior knowledge or has never even looked at a playbook a game plan. Now, the advantage he has is all that experience, all those years, all those different systems, there's going to be familiarity. He's going to see concepts, he's going to see formations, he's gonna see personnel groupings that will remind him of something that happened. It's something that he utilized from a game
planning standpoint elsewhere in his NFL career. And it's significant with the number of teams that he's been with, a number of different game plans in playbooks that he's been exposed to, it's really crazy. So I think he's the most unique quarterback in that regard in the National Football League. There's nobody like him, really, and he's gonna be able to tell his grandkids, you know, NFL stories, and he's going to be one of the big NFL stories.
He'll be able to.
Tell his grandkids about the fact that he went to Cincinnati on a Tuesday and started a quarterback against a team that he already had played against on Sunday.
You know, Well, that's the other thing I'm wondering, So how much does the fact that he played against this team, the Green Bay Packers, three weeks ago, how helpful as that? And I can't imagine there's ever been a quarterback to beat the same team twice in three weeks with two different teams. There's no way that's ever happened before.
Agreed, it's impossible.
Yeah, I've never heard of anything close to it.
But how helpful is it that he just faced Green Bay?
I think immentally, you know, I mean, I think he's going to be able to retain a lot of information that he was up at night, you know, and during the course of the day in meetings, position meetings with the quarterback coach, meetings with the offensive coordinator, team meetings with the offensive side of the football, going out there to practice, taking reps uh on all areas of the game plan out in the out in the field in terms of, you know, your regular offensive package, red zone,
low red zone packages, third down packages. He's going to have a lot of that information rolling around in his brain and and he's just gonna have to corral it uh in and piece it in with the nomenclature in the in the words that you know, identify what he needs to what needs to be triggered for him to execute it here in Cincinnati. So I think it's a big, a big plus. I think I think he's uh He's
definitely been challenged. But I'll tell you, Dan, I did get a chance to sit down uh in in the locker area with him and listen to him talk to his teammates, and I asked him a few questions, and the dude is smart. I mean, he has immense football IQ is. He's no Dodo bird Man. This guy is nobody's school. He ain't no dummy. So I do think that the Green Bay Packers, they're gonna have to mix
things up. Their defensive coordinator, their defensive coaches, their players are gonna have to think, you know, we're gonna have to do things a little bit differently, present things to him a little bit differently because he is a smart guy and he beat us, and he's gonna remember what he did to beat us. So it's not gonna be any walk.
In the park. A common refrain on ESPN and elsewhere has been a the Bengals offensive line has really struggled. They needed to go out and get a mobile guy. I understand that thought. But on the other hand, Joe's not gonna hold the ball forever. His offensive linemen are going to know where he's going to be, and it actually might result in fewer sacks, not more.
It could, It could, Dan, I like the way you're thinking. You know, you're my kind of football guy. You know, I do think.
I do think the offensive line already has a tremendous amount of respect for him. What I saw in the locker room today, they respect and trust Joe Flacco. I think they think that he's going to bring out the best in them. Like you said, Dan, I mean, he's not a he's not a guy that's you know, unbelievably mobile with tremendous lateral movement.
But he gets the ball out quickly. It's gone. It's you know, he makes us read boom. He goes through his progression.
It is out and it's out with smart pms, it's out with some zip on it, and he's saw on it accurately. He's hitting tight spots down the football field as well as anybody.
In the NFL. All right, we're gonna take our final time out. When we come back, we will talk about one thing that we are definitely looking forward to this Sunday going to lambeau Field. There's nothing quite like it in the NFL. It's a bucket list experience. If you've never been, we'll discuss that next. And here from a I used to work there for nine years. This is The Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light on
ESPN fifteen thirty. Final segment of the Bengals Game Plan Show presented by bud Light, Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy here on ESPN fifteen thirty. A few thank you before we get to our final segment. First, thank you to our engineer, Mike Mills, Mike Magic Baby, a fan favorite. Thank you to Tarren Bland back in the studio. Thank you to the Bengals. We've got four Bengals here today.
I appreciate your girl.
Thank you to the bud Light girls. We appreciate that. Hi every Wednesday night. Thank you to our server Misty and the folks here alright, Jamon, appreciate their hospitality. Great crowd tonight, good signage that the show is going to be here tonight. We appreciate that crowd. Thank you to the official pastry chef of the Bengals Radio Network, Nita. I think Nita just went to the restroom, but hopefully she heard us and we'll be acknowledged love world's best pastry show.
That's right.
Most of all, thank you to the Bengals fans to coming out tonight where to appreciate all of you, Love all of you. All right, We are headed to lambeau Field this Sunday at four to twenty five. There's a sign at lambeau near the security entrance that reads, quote, this is somebody's bucket list. And that's how I felt the first time we went there. We went there eight years ago. I had heard about it. The history. You know, it opened in the nineteen fifties. The streets nearby are
named for Packers legends. The street addresses Lombardi ave for lambeau Field. So it's really cool. It's something that every football fan should experience if you can. The Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery coach there for nine years, and I talked to him earlier today about returning to lambeau Field. You definitely feel the history.
It's an unbelievable place to work and unbelievable place to play a football game.
You walk through the tunnels and you feel it. It's neat.
Even practicing there, there's an air about it. So and what's cool is when you pull in and you see now it's a little different now because people have tore down those homes and built massive places across the street. They're big tailgate places. But it's just it's a really neat environment. It's probably as close to college environment as you'll feel in most places. But yeah, neat venue, a lot of history and cool place. It is a cool place.
Cool for me as a broadcast. But what was it like for you to play there?
Yeah?
I was going to say, Dan, it was the most surreal experience that I had at that stage of my professional career because I was a young player and going to historic Lambeau, Like Coach Richardson said, I mean, they're going through those hallways and those tunnels. I mean, the history is unbelievable. And then you, uh, you know, you work your way out of the tunnel and the fans are throwing every answer that they can throw, liquid or solid.
Nothing that's gonna hurt you, but just you know, bothersome stuff and they're just they're on your case. Man, they're on your case big time, and you could.
Run running out of there through that tunnel if you were in the units being introduced.
The offense was introduced when when I was playing there, and you know, spread out to the fifty yard line and peel off to the sideline and it's it's it's amazing. And then the national anthems playing. Your heart's just racing, it's beating.
One hundred miles, one hundred miles an hour.
And then you go out on the football field and I mean you're playing against good football players.
I mean the Green Bay Packers were good.
I mean Lombardi obviously, they were historic, Paul Horning, Jim Taylor, Forrest greg I mean, they had they had, they had players. You know, they have great linebackers, great members of the secondary. They had it all.
They had it all, and you know, I went away for a little while.
Now it's starting to come back, and I think that the crowd is so appreciative of the return of excellence that the organization's experiencing. It's a it's it's a big party up there. It's a big tailgate party.
There's no question we will see it on Sunday at four twenty five and don't forget to join us Friday three to six at the on the Rhine Eatery. Linebacker Orrin Burks will be our guest. That's going to do it for our show today. Thank you again for the Bengals fans who came out and joined us. This has been the Bengals Game Plan Show at ESPN fifteen thirty.
This was Bengals game Plan presented by bud Light on the Bengals Radio Network. Brought to you boy, bud Light, bud Light, Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy. Pecorp. Paycor is proud to be the official HR software provider of the Cincinnati Bengals. Alta Viber. Alta Viber the official Wi Fi and Internet provider of the Cincinnati Bengos. This is ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals,