The morning after every Bengals game, we call it the Morning After and kind enough to join us each in every week. Former Bengals star Tim McGee, Well, good morning, mister McGee. I hope you had a good weekend.
Well, my weekend was somewhat excellent. I did see some fight out of the team. So it was was down at the University of Tennessee getting honored and that was a privilege, and came back to watch the game, and that wasn't the way you want to really end the all weekend on a downer.
But nevertheless, Okay, let me back up a minute. You got honored at your alma mater.
Yeah, definite, yes, I did.
And tell me about it. I mean, people want to hear this. This is great stuff. I love when when people have things like this.
What happened, Well, first of all, it was it was really one of my well it was my first time going back since I actually left there, so it was a chance for them. You know, when I left there, I had a bunch of accolades such as the UH Leading Receiver and all Americas and all that kind of stuff, And that was the year we kind of put my senior year, we put the University of Tennessee back on the map with the big win against the University of Miami, who was playing for the NACER Championship, and we.
End up winning that Sugar Bowl.
So they counted the team and myself at halftime for you know, such a wonderful job that we we did. And you know, that's when it became Wide Receiver University and all the good things starts to clicking. But I'll tell you one thing, man, that stadium and that atmosphere is just electric.
It's unbelievable. Yeah, I mean, it's one of the great venues in all of college football. There's no doubt about it. And and they're back to relevancy again after a lot of years where they were just so so, and it's good for college football. All right, let's shift gears to the Bengals. You just said. You know, look, if you watch the game, Tim, the defense was good in the first half. The offense is completely non existent. I want
to start with that for a minute. I know you have a new quarterback, but how in the world can you have fewer than thirty yards of offense in one half of football when you have the entire week to scout the opponent. I don't care how good they are. You've got an entire week to scout the opponent. How does that happen every week for the Bengals, doesn't matter who the quarterback is.
Well, I don't think they're that good.
I mean, let's just start there. I think we need to continue to manage our expectations. The team put all their money into three players on the offensive side, one player on the defensive side, so overall, I have never and I know we say this, I personally say this a lot. I just never expected them to be beat the Baltimore Ravens or the Pittsburgh Steelers, And now that you see it in real time, it's a very difficult pill to swallow. And I think it's on the talent side.
I don't think it's on the coaching side.
I don't.
You know, every time they win, you don't get Mike Brown credit. But when they when they lose, you you know, you blame Mike Brown and you blame the Brown family. But I just don't think this team is very talented on neither side of the ball outside of the Big Four. And other than that, I think there's a huge disparity and talent of their top tier players versus the next tier.
Were you shocked at the offense though? Was that bad in the first half and then pretty dog gone good in the second half.
I was.
I was really surprised they made such a conscious effort in the second half to get Chase the ball, just put the ball in his hands and let him make plays. He made obviously some unbelievable plays. But the first half it was kind of like, Okay, what are you thinking? Then you're they kind of put the they kind of put the cuffs on the offense as far as getting the ball in the personnel that's neat that can make
you plays. And then the second half, obviously they changed and they open up things a lot, a lot more So, I will say this, I left with the after that game. I have I'm under the impression that this team is not as bad as I thought they were, and He's not as good as I thought they were, but they.
Have some potential.
I was really pleased with the offensive performance in the second half, but they kind of looked like they were a threat in Flack. Oh you know, for got it coming in, you know, four days, five days or whatever it was before before you have to put the uniform on. I thought he played pretty good.
I'm with you. I'm with you all the way. I thought he looked very good. It did take a while for it to get going. But you know, Tim, I I just look at this offensive line and look, you can say they held up pretty well in the second half.
They did.
They don't have a play caller in the head coach Zack Taylor, who has ever been committed to the run. They're throwing the ball forty five times. There was never a time in the game yesterday ever where they were getting blown out of the gym like they were, you know, the three games prior to that, where they just had no chance and so to have any hope you got
to throw it forty times. But yesterday, again it's not to say they would have been successful, but they just had no interest whatsoever in running the ball yesterday right from the get go, outside of of course, a jet sweet panned off to Jamar Chase on the first play of the game.
Well, you have a combination of challenges with the run game. You have a head coach, last offensive coordinators, last play caller that loves throwing the football, he loves putting the quarterback in the pistol shotgun position and throwing the ball time at the time, down at the down. That's always going to create yourself a problem for the running game.
So therefore the mentality of the offensive lineman, they're working on their kickstep, they're working on their shuttle, they're working on a lot of things other than run blocking and run blocking. As you know, the run game in particular is all about attitude and determination and stript strength. You got it, you're going downhill. They don't have that attitude. So therefore, it is very, very disappointing that week after week,
game after game they're not committing to the run. I mean a commitment to we're going to be able to run this football because again, in Clement Weather's coming, we're going to need it. If we're going to be as the football team, we got to run the ball. And that is the most difficult, disappointing part of this season has been the run game. And it starts with the offensive line, and I think it also starts with the play call.
Yeah yeah, I mean, you know, look, I've been saying it for years. Zach Taylor is cal taled to Burrow on this. They've put all their money, as you've mentioned, into the passing game on the offensive side. And I guess it shouldn't be a surprise, but when you have you know, you've got to be able to adapt when you have a change of quarterback. Now the third quarterback this season they've had to use. It just seems like, you know, desperate times call for desperate measures. But that's
not happening. Flacco's swinging the ball around forty five plus times. Look, you talk about managing expectations, but second half yesterday, as you talked about, you know, Flacco starts to get settled in, got a little time to throw the ball. He's still got plenty of arm, and we know he has great skilled players around him.
The game this Thursday night, to me.
Tim, is almost a season defining game.
Do you agree with that or no?
You know what, I can see it both ways, Tom, And here's the reason they play Pittburgh obviously this Thursday Pittsburgh is probably you know, if you look at it on paper, they're going to come in here. They actually have the position that they haven't had in a number of years since Ben.
They have a quarterback.
So if things don't go the way the Bengals are hope that hope things will go. They still got the Bears in the I think the Jets coming up, so they'll have some time to kind of get back at their footing, but they'll obviously have a five game losing street if things don't go well with Pittsburgh. It's Thursday, so I wouldn't say it's the end all, but it's getting close to where you're digging a hole so deep that it's going to be almost impossible for you to
regain any type of playoff momentum. And I know we'll go back to the famous head coach to take playoffs. What's playoffs? You know where we can't even be talking playoffs right now, but that's the aultimate goal. I just think this team again, when you break it down, you can look at when losses, you can look at home away, you can look at divisions, you can look at a lot of different things. But it's going to start with this team running the football. They don't run the football.
The defense is going to be on the field a lot. Teams are going to score points, and you know they're going to take away strategically, They're just going to take away your mar chase and make them, you know, make them beat you underneath the poser over the top, and they're not having those big chunk plays, and that there's another reason they're not having a lot of success on the offensive side of the football.
Okay, well, they got the Steelers at home, and then they get the Jets, who we know are awful. But you know, some people say, hey, the Bengals aren't good either, so what would make you expect that you're going to be able to beat them? But then you got the Bears at home, they're playing okay, before you play the Steelers again. It just seems like me, let me ask you about the defense that third and eight yesterday with
about two and a half minutes to go. I just continue to ask myself, how can guys get this wide open on a third down and eight. I know that sounds so elementary. And I know the Packers have a good quarterback, and they've got good receivers, they got good running backs.
They're a good team.
I mean, you know they are a good team, but golly day, I mean, it just seems like there are stretches where guys are so wide open.
And that is man, I tell you, when that's the head scratcher right there, when you think you got or the team has some momentum. If they get this stop and you start playing possibilities in your mind, Well, if they get this, then they can go down, they can score, then they if they get the onside kick, you just start thinking of all these things going through your head because there's hope, and we haven't had hope in weeks,
almost a month now. So when you think of that and then you see a blown coverage or you see a misassignment and you see a player wide open and they're playing pitching cats they get the first down, you go right back to that demoralizing stage that got this team. They find ways to lose football games, and that's the fine of a bad team.
All right, let me ask you one last question.
Knowing what we know about the state of the Bengals right now, there was a story that broke that the San Francisco forty nine ers might be interested in acquiring in a trade Trey Hendrickson. If you ran the Bengals, would you even consider that?
Absolutely? Absolutely, And here's the reason why. He's only one year deal. He is a huge asset. You can get some draft capital or maybe another player in two backs and now you can really build a solid defense. But you only right now he is the only bona fide star or superstar player on the defensive side. So yeah, I would strongly. Now, Obviously, when I say strongly consider Tom, I'm talking about.
What I got coming back in return.
If I got something coming back in return that I can build a defense around Al Golden's system. Absolutely, if I get that draft capital, maybe a first round or maybe a second round or whatever, absolutely I would definitely consider it, because, you know, considering the Bengals are right now going to be drafting pretty high, and San Francisco ain't doing too good himself. You may, you know, you may have two top fifteen first round picks.
You just never know.
Yeah, you're exactly right.
I mean, you know, the forty nine ers or a franchise, it's always quote unquote trying to win.
They're not doing much of it.
They lost again yesterday to Tampa Bay, but they're one of the great franchises in football. Congratulations again, Tim McGee. Over the weekend at You're alma mater, Tennessee, do you think Tennessee is gonna make it to the college football Playoff?
Well, you know what, whatever I think ain't gonna really matter. I guess who we have next week?
Alabama?
Baby, we got our big rifle coming up and it's in Alabama. So you know, like everything, if you want to win a championship at the University of Tennessee, you gotta go through Alabama or Alabama. I gotta go through Tennessee. So we'll know this time next week.
Okay, I tell you the team. I just still can't believe. And my son's a student there. I just cannot believe what Kurt Signetti has done at Indiana. Indiana, Oh my god, Wow, can you talk about a coach making a difference? Man, This cat's unbelievable.
Dude, they don't get the top talent in there, out there kicking button taking names.
There's no I mean they ran.
I mean they destroyed Oregon in the second half of that game the other day. All right, Tam, have a great rest of your day. Thanks for your time.
I'm a man appreciate the time as all.
Wait, all right, eight twenty one, Let's check the traffic out there and see if things are moving along.
And he's yella Cower, are things right now?
Things looking pretty good out there? Tom from the UC Health Traffic Center Mammograms Save Lives. Call five one three five eighty four pink two. Schedule your annual mammogram with UC Help's expert team. That's five one three five eight four pink. Roadways are now accident free around town. Keep in mind though there are some bridge maintenance operations taking place. Eastbound two seventy five that on the Combshail Bridge might see some delays popping up in through there as well.
Southbound seventy five traffic slow between the Lachland Split and Paddock Road. Two to three minute delay in through there. On eastbound seventy four from Rivolt Over to seventy five, a little bit of slow traffic two minute or two worth of delays. And on two seventy five no delays from State Route thirty two in Eastgate over to seven on that. He'zeldec on News Radio seven hundred WLW all.
Right O WCPO nine First Warning fore Casts presented by K J. Jacobs. It is a beautiful morning out there. We're at fifty two degrees under mostly sunny skies today. We're getting up to seventy four clear tonight low down to fifty three Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday sunshine temperatures ranging from seventy two to seventy five is a high. The nights are going to be beautiful, clear, and of course the Bengals will be home at pay Course Stadium on
Thursday night. Steelers coming to town. We're trying to get on the same page with Marty Brenneman. Our mondays with Marty segment in the next half hour. He is in Lisbon, Portugal. We're trying to find out if his cell service is working, So keep your fingers crossed. We need all the help we can get.
Boon Bird Money Minute's on seven hundred WLW.
As a Bloomberg Money minute. The Trump administration opened the door for a potential trade truce with China, just days after the President announced an additional one hundred percent tariff on that nation that sent stocks tumbling on Friday. The New York Stock Exchange is open for training today and futures soaring this morning, Dow futures jumping three hundred ten points, SMP futures rising one point one percent. On Friday, the
Dow plunged eight hundred and seventy nine points. Lyft has ended a test that showed some drivers how often a passenger tips. The ride share company began the experiment last month. News of the pilot triggered lots of backlash on social media from some lift users. However, Lyft is still continuing a test that shows drivers information about how often prospective passengers are ready for pickup. And Amazon is hiring two
hundred and fifty thousand people this holiday season. Full and part time workers can earn an average of twenty three dollars an hour with benefits. Roles will be posted weekly on hiring dot Amazon dot com. Corney Donahope, Bloomberg Radio.
All right, eight forty three.
He has been standing by and we're hoping the service can hold up all the way over in Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal, mondays with Marty. How is Lisbon, Portugal?
By the way, It's absolutely beautiful, and we are currently in the Nacional Palace of Pena, which.
Has taken seemingly forty eight days to get to. But it's breathtaking. It's high on not a mountain, but it's a very sizable hill overlooking. This is one of the most beautiful places as far as countries are concerned, that I've ever been in my life. They we started at Barcelona, they talked about how wonderful Barcelona is. Barcelona is good, but for our money, that's amand in me it does. It doesn't hold a candle to Portugal.
I've heard other people say that about Lisbon. What do you like about it?
Tom? It's clean, It's incredibly clean, it's incredibly safe. The prices are reasonable, the buildings, the antiquities, everything, there's no negative. They've got beaches that are beautiful. The climate is I think the guy said yesterday, it's very comparable to central California, is the way he put it. They rarely ever get extremely cold weather. I mean, I mean, if you were golfer, you could play golf here three hundred and sixty five days a year. It just it's just a it's an
eye opener. I had no idea how beautiful it was coming into it. And you know, her horizon fell. My guy Prominent Travel put this thing together and we've had a wonderful time. You know.
The one thing I always wonder about when I've had the opportunity to go overseas is how they treat Americans. And you can get you know, right varying degrees on that you brought up before you went on the trip about how so many Americans actually retire in Lisbon, Portugal.
But are the native people friendly to Americans?
Oh? Yeah, yeah. I think in the last ten or twelve years more retired Americans who are retired abroad, specifically in Europe have retired in Portugal. Not so much Lisbon, but the entire country. The people are great. You rarely have a run into somebody who doesn't speak English. It's a world class city with you know, if you're a lady or a man for that matter, that it's inclined to shop. They got all the big time names here, man, I mean from Gucci to Prada to everything imaginable. It's
just special. It's a really special place. And now having been here, I can understand why Americans, if they want to retire abroad, would certainly seriously considered Portugal.
Which begs the question, are you seriously considering retiring in Portugal?
That would be an affirmative note to know. No, Marty is not respecting about retiring important.
Okay, all right, well well look with a time difference. Yeah, well, not too good. I mean, although Joe Flacco in the second half looked really good and at least you, for the first time, maybe a little bit of hope.
You know, I brought it up earlier.
And of course there are a ton of people that listen to this show in the station across the border in Indiana. And you have a grandson. I have a son that's in college there. I mean, for people that don't believe the difference of a head coach and the difference a head coach can make.
I don't know.
I got to be honest with you. You tell me, and I'm sure there's somebody out there. I don't know if I've ever seen any professional team, college team, hell, for that matter, high school team that is turned around from being so bad to so good as what Kurt Signetti has done it Indiana.
I agree on a percent. And if anybody had any doubts in their mind about the quality of his latest edition, the twenty twenty five edition, just check out what he did against Oregon on the road last Saturday. But also, I think you have to factor in. It can't happen this quick under the old rules. If you didn't have the portal, I don't know that he would have had the year he had last year, and I guarantee that
holds true. Now now they're coaches that do well in the portal, and he's one that's probably done better than anybody as opposed to go old Bill Belichick down of Carolina, who can't fight his rear end with both hands. But I think what Signette's done at Indianapolis, I think it's wonderful for college football. I think it's great for the Big Ten to have a program that's been something of a doormat and now this guy comes on the scene and it's just lights out. I mean, I'm become a fan,
you know, I answer to what they do. And a huge win the guesst Oregon, no question.
I want to.
Ask you a little bit about the baseball playoffs. I don't know if you're having a chance with a time difference, what's the difference, like six seven hours you're ahead of Eastern times?
That about right.
It can be five, or it can be it could be anywhere from five to seven. Okay, it's five right now?
Are you watching?
We don't see much No, no, no, I haven't seen any of it. No I paid attention to it. I'm but I wake up in the middle of the night I'll check to see what the scores are, and then I'll read the game scores, you know, the next day. Yeah.
I remember when I was out there doing the NFL games.
I'd wake up at two thirty three o'clock in the morning and find myself watching Ohio State Penn State. I mean it's crazy, yeah, but yeah, all right, let me ask you this though. You know, here we have the quint essential disparity and team payroll right the major superpower in the Dodgers taking on little old Milwaukee, who, by the way, had the best record in all the National League this year and will have home field advantage. Are you giving Milwaukee a chance in this series? No one
out talented. The Dodgers aren't quite honestly, how well the Dodgers you're playing right now?
Yeah, I give them a chance. I think anytime you have a short series. Although this would fall right down the Dodgers alley too, because in the short series, if you've got pitching, then anything can happen. And I think that obviously would apply to Milwaukee, although they got a pretty good offensive ball club. They can score. But the same things that I just said them you could apply to the Dodgers I think the Dodgers will win the series. Would I like to see Milwaukee win, Yeah, I really would.
I'd love to see Mowake. Think what Pat Murphy's done there this season has been nothing short of sensational, and I'd love to see them rewarded by being able to take the whole thing. But I think they got a tough tough road to hoe facing that Dodger ball club.
Without Yeah, you know, you talk about Pat Murphy, and you and I have talked about him for a long long time because I had a chance to get to know him when he was out at Arizona State, and you know, he took over this this monster program out there, and you know, all the great players through the years, and a whole laundry list of him, Barry Bonds going back to Reggie Jackson and you know, and all these other guys. But you know, he never got him to
the College World Series. They would make the tournament every year, but then he could beat you get the alumsa go crazy. They run him out of town. And basically he was a guy that was just looking for a job. And how ironic it was that the guy that he coached in college, Craig Council. I mean, you talk about the
weirdness of this world and the weirdness of life. Sometime that it would be Counsel who resurrects the career of his former skipper at Notre Dame in Murphy, and then it's Murphy who defeats Council in the playoffs.
It's incredible.
Well, there's a type of Liarny that can only show up in sports. I just wondered that I had a long visit with him last year. I went down and Metty, and she knew you and knew who I was, and I spent forty five minutes with him in the visiting manager's office at Great American Ballpark, Justesse. He and I. I was stunned that he spent so much time with me. The one question I didn't ask him, which is what I wanted to and I think I know the answer.
When he started out in college and established himself of ASU, did you ever think about going to the Major League Baseball? And I would think his probably his answer might have been, oh, they're guys that don't aspire to that type of thing. But I think the way and maybe I'm wrong, but the way things turned out, he manages great counsel council. Ultimately he gets to the big leagues in the managerial job. Murphy does too, and then Murphy beats him in the postseason. I think it's a great story.
Where are y'all to next? Before we let you go.
Next? We are going tomorrow? Where are we going to? Porto? Just don't ask me? Look at it and it's it's in Mocco.
Do you have to have a man to tell you everywhere you're going?
Well?
I read well? Okay, if she don't tell back, could read it good enough?
All right, we'll have Oh, everything's awesome. Couldn't be better.
Seventy degrees sunshine every day, lights out, can't be better.
Great. Yeah, I'll talk to you later on.
All right, God's peed ahead. Be careful, We love you. Take care of yourself.
Thanks, man, Okay, be good.
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But it's worth checking out Tri State Men's Hell six locations Cincinnati, Dayton, two in Columbus, Louisville, and Northern Kentucky. Most men, I was one of them. We wait too long? Won't happen to me again? What about you call him today in one eight hundred, nine hundred and nine and sixty five four or visit tri Statemen's Health dot com. All right, chuck ingram off today, let's check one more time before we get out of here today. How are things looking on the road, Eddie Zeleik.
Right now, Tom, not too bad. From the UC Health Traffic Center, Mammograms Save Lives. Call five one three five eight four pink two. Schedule your annual mammogram with UC Help's expert team. That's five one three five eighty four pink. On northbound seventy one seventy five at Mountain Zion Road. Only issue we're seeing is a disabled vehicle there that is off onto the right shoulder. Traffic's still slow on
southbound seventy five between Galbreath and Paddock Road. A minute or two worth of delays there, Nor would lateral both east and westbound. No delays right now. Three minutes between seventy five and seventy one and northbound seventy one seventy five and eleven minute drive from Florence into downtown. I'm at Eazeleka News Radio seven hundred WLW.
All right, our channel nine forecast. My dad just asked about it, and we'll let you know about it. It is absolutely perfect outside and going to be perfect at least until Saturday. Sunny every day, temperatures ranging from the low seventies to the mid seventies are nights clear cool lows in the load to mid fifties, and if you're going to the Bengals game Thursday night with the Steelers coming into town, kickoff should be in the upper sixties, clear skies and falling low down to fifty one.
Don't think it'll get that.
Load during the game, but there is going to be a little nip in the air just in case you're going to the game or doing anything else that matter. During your nights here leading into the weekend. It is eight fifty six on the morning shows, seven hundred WLW