Bengals Booth Podcast: And So It Goes

Hi, gain everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. The and so it goes, and so it goes. Addition, as the Bengals four game winning streak comes to an end in gut punch fashion as Houston wins on a field goal at the gun thirty to twenty seven. Coming up, you'll hear radio replays, locker room comments from players and coaches, and postgame analysis from Dave Lapham. Then, in this week's fun Facts Conversation, you'll

They've won four straight.

They will try to extend that winning streak today as they host the Houston Texans. Burro already for a shotgun snap. He catches at the thirty seven, drops back to the forty fires down.

Whoa caught at the famm by Trenton Irwin.

Touchdownn Wait Bengals as Burrow delivers a perfect strike and Trenton Irwin takes it in for the Bengals touchdown.

Stroud in the gun, three receivers rights. Stroud looking right, throws right, caught at the six, running back toward the middle of the field, diving toward the end zone.

Touchdown. Tagdell boy.

That was a heck of a He's a finish right there.

This will be a forty five yard try from the left. Hash trying to give the Texans a late lead in the second quarter.

The kick is on its way and it is good, and with.

Ten seconds left in the half, the Texans are ahead ten to seven. Stroud under center toss sweep to the right. Singletary has room and cruises into the end zone. I don't know if he was touched. It's a touchdown for the Texans.

They have taken control of the line of scrimmage and are not letting it go.

Three sacks for the Texans today and that turns it into a fifty yard field goal attempt as the Bengals went backward after having it the twenty four to snap the placement the right footed kick. It has the distance and it is good. So the Bengals cut the deficit to ten. As Evan McPherson nails one from fifty yards away, Burrow will look to throw. Pressure forces him to scre amble left. Burrow throws deep down field. Chase catches at the twenty.

He's at the ten, raises the ball in his right hand as he cruises into.

The end zone.

Touchdown to Jamar Chase, a sixty four yard strike. No gritty, no backflip. He's not going to aggravate the back. But he just made a huge touchdown catch.

Well.

CJ.

Stroud has done it.

Joe Borrow says I could do it too, rolls to his left.

Squares his shoulder, pads up, throws it down the middle of the football field of Jamar Chase.

Touchdown, first down in goal. The Texans go empty. Stroud drops back to throw. Now scrambles up the middle of the field to the five to the goal line, and he walks in for the touchdown. So here we go four minutes to go. The Bengals are in the red zone at the fourteen yard line. They trail by ten points. Burrow waiting for a shotgun snap. Three receivers left, Chase alone out to the right. Burrow from the pocket, going backward, scrambling right throws toward the end zone in traffic intercepted

The Bengals are running it back. Cam Taylor bru tackled inside the five. It's not over yet.

C J. Stroud with just his second ist of the year. Cam Taylor Britt with his fourth interception in the last five games. Tank Dell save the touchdown, but the Bengals will have it first in goal near the five with three and a half minutes to go, first and goal from the one with three twenty two left in regulation, the Bengals down by ten, Burwing the shotgun, mixing to his right.

Burrow catches the shotgun snap.

Gives it to Joe Mixon knife's into the end zone, touchdown. Bengals with three eighteen to go. Three receivers left, one right. Burrow catches the shotgun snap he's back to throw, flings it over the middle, sleeping catch boy to the fifty.

He's running away from the back at the thirty, the twenty to fifteen, the ten. He's tackled inside the ten. With one fifty three to go.

Joe Burrow has had seven fourth quarter comeback.

Victories in his career. Will it beat number eight?

Burrow waits for the snap from Ted Karris. Joe has the ball drops back from the twenty one throws Foo bobbled and dropped in the end zone. Tyler Boyd a great throw and Boyd dropped what could have been the go ahead touchdown. What should have been the go ahead touchdown, the Bengals have to settle for a field goal try from thirty one yards away, trying to tie the game with one thirty seven to go. Adamitas will snap, Robbins

Amazing.

You talk about coming back and having an opportunity to win a football game and then to lose it like that, the thrill of victory the agony of defeat in a matter of minutes.

The Houston Texans, a team that won three games last year, are now five and four with a twenty point win of Jacksonville, a thirty to six win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a road win at Cincinnati, and the stats on Sunday were downright ugly. The Texans outgained the Bengals by one hundred and sixty four yards five point forty four

I don't we didn't play well enough to win.

He was a group as a team a roll and so that's all this stuff happens in You know, it's not going to be rewarded when you don't play them.

Enough to win. They don't.

Sevin Singletary had a big day in the running game. What were the Texans doing that was challenging to stop missing tackles?

That's it.

We just missed tackles. They didn't do nothing that really made it tough. We just missed tackle. He's a good back, but they can't miss the many tackles. As the defense, what do you think of CJ.

Stroud?

We pretty good man. He stays in the pocket, well, throw some good balls. It does a good job of feeling the pocket out. Seemed like I was running wide open at there. So we just gotta do better as a as a group. We uh tightened up a little bit, but we.

Just gotta do better. You guys have won four straight and five out of stick six. Is it kind of a stunning result of that one slipped through your fingers at home?

Oh?

I think it's just more frustrating cause you know, we we we know we didn't play a guitar standard. You know they're a good team that fire that hot. But as a team, you know, you can deal with losses when you play up to the standard. But you don't, it's not it's frustrating to deal with, you know what I'm saying.

I imagine everyone's hurting for Tyler Boyd. He's one been one of the most reliable receivers in the league for his entire career and unfortunately dropped what could have been a game winner.

Yeah. Man, tough things.

Happened, man, this thing and that's why we got big shoulders. You know, we gotta well out there. I spend again next week, we'd look we go a short week, opportunity to get the problems. No time to stew over it then, for sure, No Thomas sad gonna worry about it. We just gotta go out there and get a win next time.

I appreciate this time for sure. The one thing the Bengals defense did do well was take the ball away forcing three turnovers. In fact, when Joe Burrow threw his second interception with four minutes to go, fans started heading for the exits, only to turn around and rush back in when Cam Taylor Britt picked off c J. Stroud less than thirty seconds later to give Cincinnati a chance. Taylor Britt is now tied for third in the NFL with four picks, and Dave Lapham spoke to him after the game.

I think you had at least nine tackles, probably double digit, but I mean the interception was huge. The interception kept the Cincinnati Bengals alive and then the football game.

Take us through that play.

Yeah, I just got hit on the same play before, and I think I was just playing off on the first one and he ran the underneath out and I was kind of off and I made the tackle on.

On the other side of the field.

By this time, I just pressed stitting on you know who I was guarding on, you know, to speak guy. They want to catch a run with him, So I just pressed at that time, and so he throws his undercutter like I should have did on the first one.

So yeah, it just made it play.

What about your your finger you had to leave the game for a little bit. Did you did you dislocated? Did you pop it? What happened?

Yeah?

He dislocated and popped it right back again.

Been there, I know what that's like. Did it go back easy?

No, I ain't go back easy. He did a little you know, fiddling around with it. But yeah, we're all good.

Now, that's good. That's good.

So their running game, I mean, they did get their their running game going to compliment that passing attack. And when you get a running game out for like one hundred and they had one back over over one hundred and thirty, and then they can run play action off that, it makes it tough, doesn't it.

Oh yeah, most definitely. You know, when you're trying to crash, run, crash and run and then they hit you with a nice play action deep shot across the field, that's when you know you really got the home in on your your craft and eyes and everything. That's when everything kind of comes into play, you know, And they kind of hit us with some of those in the game, you know, and I hurt us.

So you still have a chance to win the football game.

The Bengals were in position to score a touchdown to take take a lead that doesn't happen, and you know, I know Tyler's obviously feels terrible about you know, a play down the stress that wasn't made. But there's a million plays during the course of the football game that if any of them had gone differently, it might be a different outcome, right.

Yeah, Memos definitely, Man, I say, you can't just picking out one moment in that game. We played as a whole, as a team. Every those situation matters. You know, it can't put it on one person. So we just got to come out here next time and put off no tenth holes on the ground and go stand on business.

Muh As.

For the offense, it started well, scoring a touchdown on the opening drive for the fifth straight game, but then Cincinnati went bone dry for a quarter and a half. At one point, the Bengals had five straight possessions without a first down. Joe Burrow threw for three hundred and forty seven yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two picks in a game for the first time since the

The guys they fought.

They fought their asses off all four quarters, you know, from start to finish.

You know, offense, we struggled.

We started off slow, and they basically carried the momentum for the most part. But you know, the best thing about it is we figured it out, and unfortunately it was too late. So we just got to do whatever we can to not start that way, man, and just learn from what we've been having.

I'm sure, what was that emotional roller coaster ride like at the end where it looked like, inspite everything, you're going to pull it out, and then Houston makes the plays to win the game.

I mean when it come down, so he just got a you know, the game and over until it's over till his zero. The best thing about it is our guys we fought in claud scratch. But the thing is, you know, we came up short most of the time, you know, we find ourselves on a on a winning half man. So uh you know, for me, I try not to you know, get too high, get too love.

There's not a more sure handed receiver in the NFL than Tyler boyd imagine everybody in here is hurting for him.

Nine times out of ten, he's gonna make that play. And uh, you know, even though he dropped the past. I mean, I know what type of receiver he is. I've been with him for seven years and he's always been consistent. Thing about it is, I mean, gonna keep his head up high as he should. He got us back ope down, you know, to make a to make a crucial play, to be able to you know, potentially go ahead. And you know the best thing about it is, you know our guys, you know, kept him in there

I don't know if you even heard at this point Cleveland rally to beat Baltimore, so you didn't lose any ground in the division. How does that impact you going into Thursday night?

I mean that's cool enough, but.

You know, I guess thank them, you know, when it come down to it, we got a big game coming up, and I guess both teams is off of a loss. So I'm sure just like we want to get that taste out our mind, I'm sure they do too.

Man.

So as long we know what type of game is gonna be and we just got to get ready to, you know, for a big fight.

I appreciate your time, Yeah, for sure. The Baltimore Ravens had a fourteen point lead with nine minutes to go on Sunday, but lost at home to Cleveland thirty three

Man, that was a hard fought football game, no question about it. Could could have gone either way at any point in time. I mean, give us your assessment of what you saw on how you feel at this point.

We did enough earlier in the game to give ourselves the best chance. I was part of the way the guys fought back. That's rare that you can come down from from whatever we were down and late in the fourth quarter and be able to put ourselves in a position to win the game. Unfortunately, just too little, too late.

So I know Tyler feels awful.

I mean you know that that play feels like he can make the making his sleep. But it never comes down to one play in a game like this. There's always a million plays that you can go back to and say, if we had done this, if we had done that. But overall, what do you think were some of the things that that maybe surprised you or didn't go the way you thought they might.

A rhythm in the first half on offense particular, you know, a lot of three and outs, just couldn't get that first first down to get ourselves going and give ourselves a little bit of rhythm. You got regredit to them. They did the good job keeping us off off balance a little bit, and so then you know, that's I thought our defense was doing a good job in the first half. I've taken the pressure off of us. We just didn't get enough points on the board.

Yeah.

Defensively, well, they played fast and they're good tacklers. I mean they were. They were making tackles, were limiting. There was nothing after the after the cats. It wasn't in the yards after catch, not a whole lot of yards after the contract. The contact they were they were playing a very uh, very emotional game, I guess. So they were playing fast for sure.

Yeah, there are physical team. They play with a lot of energy, and so we expected to see that today and that's where we're at C. J.

Stroud is as advertised. I mean that kid has kind of ice water in his veins as well to go down the football field make some of the plays he made to win the football game.

He did a good job. He extended some plays, found some perceivers and certainly that in that last drive put him in a position to go win.

He seems to be when he gets out of pocket and creates an extens he's going for the juggular. I mean, he's trying to make a big play. It looked like a high percentage of the time. Is that his demo He's done a good job of that.

You know, he's just a rookie, hasn't played a ton, but I thought last week against Tampa he did that, led them down for a game winning drive, and did it again this week.

And finally, how about the effort that Jamar Chase gave you with you know, limited activity during the course of the week for him to come out and make the plays he made.

Is he's extraordinary.

Yeah, proud of him, Proud of the way that he he gave us a chance, you know, and got in there and made some big plays. And thankful that he gave us that opportunity today.

Chase, he's finished with five catches for one hundred and twenty four yards. Boyd had eight catches for a buck seventeen. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, Proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now time

Yeah, I agree, they just didn't take care of business. I do think that they're barely disappointed about their performance run defense. I mean one hundred and fifty yards for singletary five yards of pop. One hundred and eighty eight yards they rushed for as a team and the Bengals rush for sixty six. When you lose the run game, ballo by you know, touchdown on a football field and

It's never just one play, but.

Man, opportunities were there, didn't cash in on them. And like you said, Dan, they were their worst own worst enemy in a lot of cases.

So in my mind, this game was one up front they usually are. But the Texans had consistent pressure on Joe Burrow, Bengals didn't get much on CJ. Stroud. The Texans had a running game, the Bengals didn't. All of that points do line play.

No doubt, and you know, I just think that we mentioned that multiple times, particularly early in the football game. It was stunning to me how fast this defense was and how well they tackled. I mean one on one, they were making tackles. Guys were still pursuing to make plays, but they didn't even have to get involved because their teammates were getting it done in space one on one. It was a remarkable performance. I mean, I got to give to Miko Ryans and the Texans a lot of credit.

So a couple of years ago, in the Super Bowl season, Tyler Boyd went through the entire regular season without a drop. He had a couple of costly ones. Today, the one at the end of the game speaks for itself. But let's go back to the beginning of that sequence. First and goal at the seven. After he makes a fantastic play, Burrow gets sacked. Burrow tries to run a quarterback draw, Houston's all over it. I mean, again, it comes down to the inability to protect or open holes.

Yeah, and both of those plays, you got to give the interior of the Houston Texans defensive line a lot of credit. You know, Rankins just just collapsed the interior of the pocket and made a heck of a play. He did that a couple of times today. I mean,

Yeah, and he's certainly not looking to run for five yards towards the sideline. He wears Noah Brown, so I can chuck it to him thirty yards down the field.

Noah Brown, I mean, my goodness, I mean, Noah Brown just had himself a game. Eight targets, seven catches, one hundred and seventy two yards averaged over twenty four and a half yards a catch. His long was only thirty four. He had multiple catches of fifteen yards and more. I mean it was like every time they needed a play, Noah Brown was making the play and he was wide open, and he was stationary wide open. It's like, what the heck, man,

I mean, it was.

It was incredible how open the guy was.

It was nuts.

I think his first catch went for nine and his last six went for twenty plus.

That's crazy. I mean, that's that's just ripping.

Dell targeted fourteen times, only got six catches.

Out of it.

But they've got they've got to a compliment a stable of different type of receivers. You know, they got the big, strong guys, and they've got you know, Dell, a little cat quick cat quick guy. They're a good football team. I mean that's a legitimate football team. And c J. Stroud those twenty three for thirty nine, three hundred and fifty six yards after four to seventy a game before touchdown on interception. He came down to Earth quarterback rating

Bryce Young might turn out to be good the first pick in the draft, but we know that the second pick in the draft is already good.

Yeah, we know this guy's got a got a right right future. I mean, just like seeing and tape before the game, I mean, his throwing motion is very compact and it's very powerful. He's got a rubber arm and man he puts some RPMs on it and it is accurate. He just he puts the ball in very, very good spots. There's no doubt.

Did we decide that the Bengals were back among the elite too soon? Or was this just a blip and they are still kind of what we were thinking they were going into the game.

Yeah, I mean I think I think the uh, the Houston Texans are a little bit better than I was given him credit for. In my mind, I really believe that. I mean, they're one and three on the year on the road, and they went to Jacksonville and beat a good Jacksonville team, a division leader, by twenty points, so they're capable of that. But then they'd lose, you know, game by two to a team they shouldn't really lose to,

Stroud. There's no doubt the.

Bengals couldn't stop to run the first few weeks. Part of that was that the offense couldn't stay on the field. But I kind of thought they had it fixed. Clearly they don't.

Yeah, they certainly didn't in this game, and I got to give the Texans Texans credit once again. I mean those guys were finishing blocks. I mean you have big lineman like Tunsel down the field like five six yards, you know, sustaining contact and finishing blocks. I mean, this game was important to him. It was significant to him. You could you could tell. I think I think they probably they probably, you know, defensively got shoot out a little bit for giving up the number of points they

But I agree.

I do think you know, the temple of games are set in the trenches, and I thought that the Houston Texans set the temple in the trenches.

The Bengals have had one of the better defenses in the league for the past few years. They've only got one pro bowler on it, Trey Hendrickson. Cam Taylor britt Is to send into the conversation four interceptions in the last five games, and they have no chance to pull out a miracle win if not for the play he made with a little less than four minutes to go.

Absolutely, and I talked to him a little bit after the game and he said that he played the same route poorly the time before he had to face it, and they made a play on him that he felt like they shouldn't have made, and when it came back the second time, it was like, Okay, well, shame on me the first time, but I'm over that. Shame on you this time. And he undercut the route, saw it unfolding again and made a play on it. He's he's again,

So the Ravens had a fourteen point fourth quarter lead at home against the Cleveland and lost on a late field goal. The Bengals lose ground to Cleveland and Pittsburgh. They have fallen into the basement in the division, but there's still a game and a half behind the first place team, the Ravens, and they'll face the face I had to head on Thursday night.

Yeah, that's going to be a very interesting battle. Short week for both teams coming off tough losses. Ravens come off of division loss at home at their place. It's almost like, man, can they lose two division games in a row, two division games at home in less than a calendar week. I mean, I got to think, so Bengals got to think. So Bengal's got to get ready

Cincinnati is an early three and a half point underdog for Thursday night's game in Baltimore. The Ravens are thirty five and seventeen in prime time under John Harbaugh, a six seventy three winning percentage. Finally, time for this week's fun fact segment, where you get to know the person under the pads. Time for some fun facts with rookie safety Jordan Battle out of the University of Alabama. After

Yeah, yeah, he was an athlete as well.

Just growing up having him in my corner, having him my mom, be my guidance, my guidance counselors. I'll be my coach just every year, just growing and being able to have my dad in my life coaching me whatever sport I did.

Uh, except for track, That's probably the only.

Sport he really stayed away from, but he did come to all the track meets. But football, basketball, Uh, those are those are his sports. So uh whenever I played those sports, he was, you know on me, niddy and gritty.

Uh.

So you know, growing up in my house, it was it was fun, very hard working. Uh times times you know you all cry, you know because you're doing the extra work when you're a kid because you don't understand. But when you grow up, you can see it all pays off. So yeah, I'm thankful I have my dad in my life.

Which football always your favorite?

I would say, I mean track was like the first favorite, and then like I played football first before I played basketball, But basketball is kind of like my second favorite.

Then football is like the third, like the last.

But you know, I think when I got to high school, like freshman year high school, that's when I started to take football like the most serious and that's when I started to develop the more fun, the more I mean, I just started to feel like football was more fun than basketball was.

Even though I was playing basketball.

In high school and running track, I feel like football is the most fun sport for me.

Jeorgan. You mentioned your high school Saint Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, a well known football powerhouse former Bengals. Do you Havevonni Bernard and Gino Atkins played there? The Bosa brothers played there. Do you have high school teammates that are playing in the NFL right now?

Uh? Yeah, I have a few.

I know Nick Benito over at Denver and Denver two at the Chargers of sante Cem Junior and Joshua Palmer.

And I know I have one at.

Uh the Eagles, Tyler Stein who played with me at BEMA as well for his last year. Yeah, that's those are the ones I played with in high school. It's like five of us. I think, Yeah, that's ridiculous.

I don't even know if you realize how ridiculous that is. Is it almost like playing for a college team there.

Uh yeah, it is.

I feel like the coacher and all the coach just around there.

Uh, that they build up. You know.

I had Jason Taylor as my kind of like my DC my DIVERSI coordinator at Saint Thomas. Uh, Sam Madison was my dB coach. Uh, so I had guys who played in the league. So I had guys who knew who knew what it took to get to the next level.

And then after that, so you could.

Have played college football just about anywhere. You originally chose Ohio State, then changed to Alabama. Why did you change? Uh?

That was it was I mean it was pretty like simple for me. Uh, coach that was the year coach Irban May had resigned. And uh that's after that, I know, coach Ryan Day and all the other coaches, Uh, they came down right after that happened. They let me know that everything was gonna be fine. And turned out that all the defensive court, all the difsive coaches had left as well. And when that happened, that's when I had opened up my recruitment and again and then Georgia. It

Shut up.

So if I read this correctly, in the high school recruiting rankings, you were rated as the number two safety in the country and your current teammate Dax Hill was number one. Has that come up since you've arrived in Cincinnati.

Uh no, I do.

We haven't talked about it, but I was thinking about it and I was like, yeah, I kind of mentioned it. It wasn't like that, but like I was like, yeah, we were both like top savities coming out of this jab I mean, coming out of our class. And I was like, yeah, it's kind of cool that we were the number one in two staties coming out in high school and now we're on the same team. I thought

Now we're doing fun facts with Jordan Battle. It is highly unusual to start as a freshman for next Saban you did you started for four years. What do you respect most about coach Saban?

Yeah, I just love how straight up he is like with his guys. I love how how how the type of coach he is, how he's always on us.

He doesn't let us get comfortable.

Whether it's a win, whether there's a good play, where there's a bad play. You know you see you see it on the on the tape all the time, you see it on videos all the time where if a god makes a bad play, you see him come come up in the screen somewhere yether than that.

That guy.

Uh, you gotta know that it's all love and he does it out of the kindness of his heart because he knows the ability we have in us. And although some players don't realize what their talent, what talent, what their talent means to coach, or what their talent can be coach. I think helps people, you know, come out of their selves, come out of their shelves, just players, and you know, become that great player that they can be. Eno fel like he helped me do that, So it's a true freshman.

In twenty nineteen, you played in a wild game against LSU, final score forty six forty one in favor of the Tigers, led by a quarterback who went on to win the Heights been Joe Burrow. He threw for three thirteen and ran for sixty four in that game. What did you learn that day about your current teammate Joey Franchise.

I think that day I realized, uh that that was gonna be one of the NFL's best quarterback on one day.

And obviously that day has came.

But but yeah, that was that was like my first big test, uh in college. Obviously on the the side of the ball, they had Joe Burrow. Justin Jefferson Clyde, they had Jamar my Fault.

I should have mentioned him after Joe. Uh, yeah, they had Jamar.

But yeah, that was that was my first big test, as you know, as a freshman, and I kind of I kind of looked at that game and I was like, wow, the amount of players that were on that field, you know, at the same time as I was it's just a blessing and only good. Only I mean, this is motivation for me to you know, want to keep going, you know, and get further in life.

So you lost that game, but the following year you didn't lose anny and won the national championship, beating Ohio State fifty two to twenty four in the national championship game. What are your most vivid memories of winning that national championship not far from home because that game is in Miami.

Yeah, that was a I mean, I mean, let's start with I didn't play the whole game because I got kicked out in the first and half for a targeting call. But it was fun. It was fun while I was in. It was fun when I was out. I know, when I came out, I was just you know, hyping up the guys because I was just, you know, beggers, being that leader off the field that the didn't knowew I

I just felt like the the wave. It just hit me.

It was like wow, like I just want a national championship in college football. This is something you watch growing up, something you don't use, something you dream and most people don't even get a chance to play or make it that far. And uh, just being on that that that stage, in that spotlight, you know.

It was it was fun. It was a great experience, something I'll never forget.

I'm trying to visualize the targeting call, could call or did you get robbed?

I mean, I would say it was a horrible call. You know, I'm not gonna tell them. I'm not gonna say it's a good call, but uh.

You know it's it's it's to say I understand the you know the importance of the rule and protecting not only the person being hit, but the person's doing the hitting. So uh yeah, I guess there's I mean, a good call on what they would say.

We're doing fun facts with Jordan Battle. After a tremendous four year career at Alabama, you were selecting the third round by the Bengals in the draft. Describe your draft experience kind.

Of nerve record at first, Uh, you know, just sitting there, you know, waiting for that call. But you know, I feel like me, you know, I handled it pretty well because you know, I'm a guy who just who wants the opportunity, you know, to to to play.

And I remember us.

I remember us, me and my my friends from home, just playing cards, you know, and just having fun. You know, we had the draft through, just watching the draft and everything, you know, just trying to get everything, you know, out of my mind. I haven't, you know, got that call yet, but I just remember the phone ringing all we were playing uo.

And just that excitement that just pour over me.

And then when I knew it was the being was, I got even more excited because I was like, Yeah, this is a this is this is the right spot because this is another winning organization that I've been a part of now because I was at Saint Thomas, I won uh to two state championships. I was at Alabama Powerhouse one national championship. Now I'm at the Cincinnati Bengals where we can compete for a Super Bowl every year. So it was like, yeah, this is this is the right spot.

For me, and I know, I know God made the right decisions.

I look forward to you adding a Super Bowl ring to your collection of championship rings. Time for a few wild card topics now with Jordan Battle, Who's your all time favorite athlete in any sport?

I like Lebron because because the guy, the type of guy he is, the type of dad he is the type of father he is loves his kids, always always going going out his way to make their games, his son's games, or be there for his high school that he that he just built in Ohio.

So I would say, yeah him.

He's a great, great father figure, a great businessman off the off the court.

So yeah, definitely definitely Lebron.

He's definitely the total package. Is there anything about you that not many people know about, such as a hidden talent?

I don't know if this is like hid him, but I don't think people think I can dance. I think I'm a good I think I'm a good dancer. I think I have to show the world one day.

Well, I look forward to your first NFL interception then, because I assume there's going to be some sort of good dancing celebration that follows.

Yeah.

Yeah, for sure, the first the first NFL session would definitely definitely need a celebration.

With it aside from professional football player. Have you had any other jobs, even part time jobs?

Never? Not ever? I don't. I don't. I never never crossed my mind.

To to, you know, go have a job, like even in college. At first, like I was gonna do like door dashing, but I was like, I just don't take too much time. I ain't gonna be able to you know, look at him or you know, do something that that could be more productive.

And more more.

You know, I didn't I was gonna do door dashing, but I didn't do it. I didn't know if people were gonna know me or not, you know, coming up to their doorsteps.

But I just yeah, I never had a job.

Your job was preparing for what you're doing now.

Yeah, literally, and then and I all came in. It was perfect.

So it was like you don't need to I don't need a job anymore, and kind of doing your job in college.

All right. Final question for Jordan Battle. This one's a little bit deep. If you could meet anybody in history, living or deceased, athlete, entertainer, statesman, who would that person be.

Hmm, that's a good question. But when you asked, it was like two people who came to mind.

It was.

MLK Malta the King was the first one, but then it was Joel Washington because I like the way he acts and I like all his movies, and I would just I would love to have a conversation with him, just to you know, see see how he plays that role so well? How did How does it not affect him like in real life? Like with the roles he played in movies, and it's mostly mostly action movies that he plays in them.

But I just like he's a great actor, a great human being.

Might be my favorite actor, So that's a heck of a choice. I'm a big Denzel guy as well.

Yeah, yeah, that's my favorite actor for sure.

Jordan. This has been fun. Glad to have you in Cincinnati. Appreciate your time. Best of the rest of the year, sir.

Thank you.

That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth podcast, brought to you by pay Core, Proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber, future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is