Bengals Booth Podcast: Best Laid Plans

third down, and still found a way to lose. Coming up, you'll hear radio replays, locker room interviews with key players, and Dave Lappom will join me for postgame analysis plus and this week's fund Fag's interview. You'll get to know safety Brandon Wilson. Among other things. We'll discuss the former head football coach for four years at his high school. You might have heard of the guy Doug Peterson, the current head coach of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

All of that is straight ahead, but first, here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing an itune, Stitcher, or pod Bean. It's the greatest invention since the search engine. In choosing a name for this edition of the podcast. I thought of the expression the best laid plans of mice and men, saying used to suggest that no matter how carefully something is planned,

things may still go wrong. Then I realized, I don't know where that expression comes from, so I google searched it. It's from the poem to a Mouse, written by Robert Burns in the seventeen hundreds, and it includes the line the best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew. Now you know that, Let's get to football. The LA Chargers entered Sunday's game with a fifteen and four record

in their last nineteen games. Nobody has a better mark during that stretch, so it was no surprise that the Chargers were favored by more than two touchdowns at home against the injury ravaged Bengals. It was also no surprise when LA opened the game with a sixth play, seventy five yard touchdown drive first and ten at the Bengals fourteen yard line. Rivers, with a glove on his left hand, catches the shotgun, snap throws it toward the end zone as a man open, and it's a touchdown for the Chargers.

A beautiful throw lofted over the shoulder Keenan Allen with the catch. Sheen and Allen made the catch. Star Quest narting coverage of Keenan Allen reren a great route. It's the twenty sixth straight game with a touchdown pass for Rivers, but it turned out to be his only one of the day, ending Philip's streak of thirteen straight games with two or more touchdown passes, two short of Peyton Manning's

NFL record. The Bengals answered with a field goal, but quickly fell behind fourteen to three as the Chargers also went seventy five yards to score on their second session. Eckler lines up seven yards behind the line at the twelve yard line. Hands on these second and goal from the five for the Chargers. A receiver goes in motion. That's Benjamin. Here's a handoff to Eckler and he will run it into the end zone for a Charger's touchdown, a five yard run for Austin Eckler and the Chargers

have scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. Two possessions, two touchdowns and one hundred and fifty yards of offense. It looked like it could be another butt kicking similar to the Chiefs or Saints games. As it turned out, far from it. For the rest of the game, the Bengals defense was spectacular, allowing one hundred thirty eight yards and no touchdowns on the Chargers' final eight drives. Here's

safety Jesse Bates on slowing down Philip Rivers. Once we start to move around a little bit, disguising a lot, we gotta get fill of what he was looking at and how deep in the play clot he was going. I think that kind of flustered him a little bit.

The Bengals appeared to or their first touchdown with five and a half minutes left in the half when quarterback Jeff Driscoll scrambled to the right and dove toward the end zone, extending the ball over the goal line for a one yard score, But after a replay review, the officials ruled that Driscoll had given himself up and was down inches from the goal line. Here's the Bengals quarterback. I've never seen that before. But you know, if that's the rule, that's the rule, and you know you can't

you can't argue with an official. If that's the rule, that's the rule. Maybe it's a you know, maybe they need to relok at the rule, but I obviously was not giving myself out. But if that's how the rules interpreted, it is what it is, and you know, unfortunately not hurt. The call was the result of a rule change in the offseason. For years, in an attempt to protect quarterbacks, defenders have had to ease up when a QB goes into a feat first slide. Head first dives were treated differently.

Not anymore. Now, a diving quarterback is treated just like a lighting one. The play is dead when anybody part hits the ground. That's why Driscoll's touchdown was taken off the board. But you know what, it shouldn't have mattered.

The Bengals were about a nostril hair from the goal line and should have been able to score easily on fourth down, but offensive lineman Alex Redman moved before the snap, and his five yard penalty forced the Bengals to kick a field goal, reducing the deficit to fourteen to six. Here's Redman, I mean, that's that's that's some rookie. Can't

be letting happened. So, yeah, it is frustrating. In the second quarter, the Bengals defense actually began to dominate, driving the Chargers backward on three straight three and outs, but his third down and one Chargers stick with the empty backfield in five wides. Rivers scanning the Bengals defense catches a high shotgun snap being chased by Dunlap. He's got him,

They'll sack him back at the six yard line. Dunlap's eight sack of the season forced the Chargers to punt in the back of the end zone, allowing the Bengals to start a drive at the LA thirty five yard line with one thirty five left in the half. Five plays later, they were in the end zone. Three receivers out to the right, one to the left. Nobody why to the Numerals. Driscoll catches a shotgun snap. He's back

to throw, good protection. His throw taught by John Ross right over the medal for a Bengals touchdown, and he was wide open across the Dan Cross. Has it been good? That's the six touchdown reception for John Ross and he's not even close to twenty catches yet. It's crazy. Ross is from nearby Long Beach, California, and had about twenty five friends and relatives in attendance. I one of the best feelings I've had, you know, in a very long time.

Definitely in the best moment I've had playing in a in a stadium since I've been you know, and colleger in NFL. So it's just nothing can beat playing in front of your family and your friends and your son. How do you think you're doing yourself personally this season? I think I'm doing okay, which is not good enough. I think it's always room for improvement no matter who you are, especially me, you know, hold myself to a

high standard. And you know, I think I'm still you know, figuring it out, you know, find an identity on him. I will say this those It's much more smooth than it was last year. Ross's touchdown made it fourteen to twelve with twenty seconds left in the half. They're gonna go for two and try to tie it with twenty seconds left in the half, so chasing points early not necessarily recommended, but we'll see if it works. Two receivers to each side of the formation, Driscoll back to throw.

He swings it out to the right to Bernard and he has tackled at the five yard line. As if that wasn't bad enough. The final twenty seconds of the half were a comical disaster. The Chargers used ten seconds to return the kickoff to the thirty two yard line,

leaving ten seconds in the half. Back to back eleven yard completions used up nine of those seconds and moved la to the Bengals forty six yard line, not close enough for a field goal attempt, so Rivers dropped back to throw a hail Merry pass and got sacked by Dunlap and Sam Hubbard, but inexplicably, Jordan Willis was offside that moved the ball to the forty one yard line, allowing the Chargers to bring out rookie kicker Michael Badgeley badually made the game winner at the gun last Sunday

night in Pittsburgh on his third try. The Bengals do have a returner waiting in the back of the end zone. Nine yard attempt. It looks like it is long enough and it is good. Wo wow. How about that. Here's Jesse Bates on the two critical first half penalties. I think that's losing football. I mean, we got a chance to score on not even the one yard line, and we jump offside in the sulfield goal it's four points.

And then right before the half, we you know we're about going inside halftime our offense getting the ball back on on saw and give them three more points. So that's a seven point you know swing right there. The Bengals got the ball down by five points to begin the third quarter, and on their opening drive, faced fourth and less than a yard at their own thirty five yard line, Marvin Lewis elected to go for it. Driscoll

under center, He's got to hand it off. Mixon trying to fight for the yardage he won't get there, doesn't come close. That's a great wall of China right there, I thought, hammered up inside where those young guys had been operating so efficiently and effectively, and the Los Angeles Chargers said, nah, baby nah. That led to an easy Chargers field goal in a twenty to twelve lead. Here's coach Lewis who got less than four inches to go,

five inches to go. We don't make it. I mean, you know those things we got to make those man we're counting long in the make it. On their next possession, the Bengals drove to the LA thirty four, but rather than attempt to fifty two yard field goal. They lined up to go for it on fourth and seven before a penalty on Billy Price forced the Bengals to punt. Lap asked Marvin about passing up the field goal try. Was it a tough decision not to go for that

fifty two yard field goal? Was right on the border of what you thought might be his range might be? Well, I felt with the wind today and just the way it was, the wind was cross wind and it was you know, and warm ups, and didn't so comfortable with it. On the Bengals next drive, Bullock was given the opportunity to attempt a forty six yard field goal, and he drilled it with room to spare to pull the Bengals

back within five. LA answered with a field goal to push the lead back to eight, but Cincinnati was still within a touchdown. In a two point conversion with seven forty five to go, Matt Lengal goes in motion. Driscoll takes the direct staff It's a run to the right for Mixon charging up the middle. Filt first down, still going all the way down to the eleven yard line. Want a run for Joe Mixon and the Bengals are

eleven yards away after that nineteen yard run. Again between the tackles, those young guys up front in the middle, they're operating very, very efficiently. Mixon finished with twenty six carries for one hundred eleven yards. Here's Jeff Driscoll on Joe's performance. We've been saying we got to be able to run the football. That's gonna set everything else up.

And I thought Joe did a great job today, you know, hitting the holes when the holes were there, and in creating when maybe there wasn't as much, you know, free room to run. So I mean, I thought he competed and ran really hard, and you know, I'm just you know, it was fun to watch him play well today. Mixon gave the Bengals a chance to tie the game with

less than two minutes to go. Sam Hubbard in at fullback, first in goal from the one, Driscoll hands it to Mix and he is in a touchdown from the one yard line for Joe Mixon, and now the Bengals will try for a two point conversion in hopes of tying the game with one fifty to go. The Bengals have not had a two point conversion in fifty six games, longest streak of any team in the NFL. They will try for one here to tie the game. Drist go back to throw looking still looking sacked back at the

fifteen yard line. That's a coverage sack right there, man, because he had nowhere to go at the football, and you can't throw it away. You have to try to create a play and he couldn't find anybody to throw it too. That's and he takes the sack. The failed two point try forced the Bengals to attempt an on side kick, and that failed as well. The Bengals have not had a successful on side kick since two thy ten.

They are over six since the Chargers added three points on Badgeley's fourth field goal of the game to win it twenty six to twenty one. Here are John Ross and Clayton Federlum. It was a wake up call, like, you know, we are better than what people think, you know, um, And you know we actually we were playing we're playing really good. It is this. We gotta put everything together, you know, and it'll come. I never never feel good

after loss. Doesn't matter if you lose by one hundred, by one point losses, you know, you know, I hate losing more than I like winning, so you know it hurts um. You know where there's some positive out there, absolutely,

most notably the play of the defense. The Bengals held the Chargers to two hundred eighty eight yards, the fewest the Bengals have allowed in a game all season, and one hundred forty five yards below the whopping four thirty three the teams have been averaging against Cincinnati this season. The Chargers were also just five for thirteen on third down. That's thirty eight percent, well below the Bengals league worst

average of fifty four percent. Going in. Now time to bring in my broadcast partner Dave Lapham for postgame analysis, and we start with the critical mistakes that cost the Bengals an upset win. You know, you can't put yourself from your schedule, and you only have six penalties for thirty four yards or whatever it is, but four of those six penalties were crucial. I mean, you know, one at the one inch line that makes you settle for

a field goal. There's four points off the board potentially because they were going for it on fourth down and literally less than a foot. And then at the conclusion of the half, they have a sack and there's a penalty because Jordan Willis jumps, uh, and you know now it's it's line up for a fifty nine yard field goal. Makes it so there are seven points right there worst case scenario, and a five point lost, and it's it's

just it's just unfortunate. I mean, you do a lot of a lot of things right, but when the chips are on the line, you know, there's not that margin for error, and I think guys maybe start, you know, realizing, oh man, I you know, I can't make a mistake, and then that's when you might make mistakes. You just

have to play kind of free and easy. And it's unfortunate because very there's only two teams in the NFL at this stage of the season that have run the football more than theyve thrown it, and both of them have winning records. And the Bengals did that today. They ran the ball more than they threw it. And I thought, you know, I still didn't really think that they had a big attack throwing the ball down the field. A lot of it was horizontal throwing, but I thought the

game plan was sound. And I will never understand how they apply a rule a quarterback giving himself up at the one inch line. I mean, I understand the rule. I understand the application rule, but there when you're you're going to score and you're you're stretching the ball out, I don't understand how you can apply it there. I don't know, but unfortunately was called and and that's you know, that's just another another thing you have to deal with

when it when it rains, it pours. Hindsight's always twenty twenty. But when it comes to a couple of decisions during the course of the game, the decision to go for two at twenty seconds left in the second quarter and actually your question chasing points that early in the game. The decision to run the ball on fourth and short early third quarter when you got a quarterback, try to quarterback sneak and possibly picked it up that way. Obviously,

when it doesn't work, it's easy to second guess. But those are some decisions that I'm sure a lot of people were first guessing as well. Yeah, I'm sure. And if you decide to go for two and you don't make it, then you have to, you know, at the end of the game to go for two. And the other thing is if you're going to chase points and go for two. Why don't you chase points and kick a fifty two yard field goal? At least try to. It's not congruous, you know, it's in incongruous there. It's

like they don't they don't. The pattern doesn't doesn't follow. So you know, a fifty two yard field goal in these weather conditions. He hit that fifty nine yard room to spare, and I think a fifty two yard or is makable. I didn't really detect a whole lot of wind or any kind of problems, but maybe they did. Maybe they didn't like what they saw in pregame warm ups or whatever. There has to be a reason for it.

But you know that, I'm sure people are thinking, what if you're going for two, why aren't you trying that fifty two yard field goal? I guess in hindsight, that's that's my thought on that too. Biggest positive on the defensive end for me is this. The Chargers scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, did not score another touchdown then their last eight possessions of the game. Now, they did kick four field goals, including a couple of short

fields where they got the balling Bengals territory. But it's hard to imagine, or it's been hard to imagine this defensa as badly as it struggled, holding a potent offense like that to eight possessions without a touchdown, and to play the way they did after the start, you know, and to h to put your finger in the hole in the dike, you know, that's hard to do on the road against a really good quarterback. That's that's a

really good football team. I mean they're ten and three now, they might be playing the AIRC Championship game here at stub Hub. Boy, the league would love that, wouldn't they. But I mean, that's a really really good football team. And defensively, I thought the Corners played hard. I thought Joe Mixon played hard, Tyler Boyd played hard. The Corners player so many guys played hard, played really really hard.

Defensive guys were you know, getting after it in the front front line, you know, after the first couple of drives, so the encouraging signers, they didn't spit the bit, you know, it didn't become an ugly situation. They made it a really really good football game. And I thought the physicality of the three young guys inside was a plus. I thought. I thought Westerman and Billy Price and Redman. Redman had that. You know that tough penalty obviously, but those guys were

getting course. Now Joe Mixon was. He wasn't making his first cutting his own back for he was making his first cut three four yards down the football field. That's what you want to see with him back like that. Thanks Lap. Up next the home finale against the three and ten Oakland Raiders, who stunned Pittsburgh on Sunday twenty four to twenty one. The Steelers are seven to five and one with a home game against the Patriots this

week followed by a road game against the Saints. So much for resting starters against the Bengals in week seventeen. The Steelers might have to beat Cincinnati just to qualify for the playoffs. The Bengals knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs in the final game of the year on the road last year. With so many players on injured reserve, they couldn't do it in Pittsburgh, could they? Could they?

It would be fun to find out. Now Time for this week's fun fact segment, where you get to know the person under the pads, in this case a second year safety and special team stand out from the University of Houston. Time for some fun facts with Bengal safety Brandon Wilson from Shreveport, Louisiana and the northwest tip of Louisiana, not far from the Texas and Mississippi borders. Tell us a little bit about growing up in Shreveport and what

you like to do as a kid growing up. I mean, I like to do what every kid does, go outside, I play play video games, but most of the time I really played football, I mean like everybody else, So I mean just playing football that was that was really my main thing. And running track. I feel like that's what kind of got me. You know where I am today. You're from a big family. Yes, I have three brothers and three sisters, and I'm the middle child, so you know how that goes. I'm the fourth out of five,

so I do know how that goes. How excited are they to have a brother in the NFL? Oh, my goodness, they are very excited. I Mean they always calling me every day, calling me after games, asking me how, you know, just checking on me, and they they're they're all excited. And proud for me, you know, just having a brother that's playing in the NFL. What your parents do for a living all My dad he works at a factory, and my mom she works as a custodian at apartment complex.

So I mean I kind of always looked up to them because they were always hard workers. Also one of my brothers, I always kind of look up to him as well, you know, because just growing up and just saying them work hard, you know, it always just pushed me to work hard as well. We're doing fun facts

with Brandon Wilson. Your high school was Calvary Baptist Academy, which was in the news last year because before Doug Peterson was the head coach of the Super Bowl winning Philadelphia Eagles, he was the head coach at your high school for four years. Now that was before you got there, But do you remember it at all? I remember it. I remember because my brother that's older than me, Zi Kendrick, he actually played under coach p And you know, it

was always cool just watching them. And I think, if I'm not mistaken, I think Brett Farve came went to the school one time, but I wasn't there. That's what somebody told me that those were the rumors. So I mean it was always cool. You know Sam as a coach,

you know, transitioning to where he is now. That must have been pretty neat for your brother when the Eagles won the Super Bowl last year, and he could say, by high school coaches, the coach, I mean, everybody that played under coach Peterson at Calvary, they on social media just going crazy, my high school coach, you know, won the Super Bowl. You know, it was it was real cool just saying that we're talking to Brandon Wilson. You're

a great high school running back. But not that heavily recruited. Correct, not heavily recruited at all, if I'm not mistaken. I had an offer from Washington, but they pulled the offer after they lost their bowl game to Baylor. I had an offer from Grambling as well, and I think Eastern Michigan or something, but I mean it wasn't know where I really wanted to go. So um, later on, like my process with it, I end up deciding to go

to Tyler Junior College. So I end up signing Tyler Junior College, and then like a month later or so, Houston came and they offered me a scholarship, so I end up, you know, signing there, and the coach at TJC he was like, I mean, if you don't like it at Houston, you can always just come back to t JC. And I was like, all right, so it's a win win either way it goes. So it was a blessing just you know, having that on the table. It worked out well for you, and it certainly worked

out well for the Houston Cougars. You did everything there, defensive back, running back, return specialist. You scored two touchdowns on offense, two touchdowns on defense, four touchdowns on special teams. Did you love doing everything? It was fun, honestly. I mean I always just told them whatever they need me to do, I'll do it. So I mean they just,

you know, end up throwing in there running back. It's because we had some injuries that running back, like my junior year, so I ended up coming in that week, you know, and they just showed me the playbook. I learned it and I ended up playing running back. I had like one hundred and twenty seven yards or something. I can't even remember. But I mean it was fun because we end up winning our division and end up going to the Chick fil A Bowl. So that year

was real, real fun. You had a great college career and you also earned your college degree. What did that mean to your family? Being the first in my household to graduate. I just felt like I just felt like just getting that degree, it kind of helped push my younger siblings because I got three siblings, that's you know. I mean I feel like it kind of pushed them to you know, just see me, just knowing that they can, you know, reach that reach that goal as well. So

it was real big for them. My parents were really proud of me. You didn't get invited to the combine, but then you killed it at your pro day a four to three six forty yard dad forty one inch vertical leap. Could you see the NFL scouts scribbling furiously making sure they had a lot of information about Brandon Wilson. I mean I really wouldn't paying attention, but everybody was like, yeah, man, the scouts they saw you run. Everybody was just, you know, wild,

They didn't. I was just like, oh okay, but I mean already I already knew what I could do, and I just went out there and did it. So where you ticked off he didn't get invited to the combine. No, I wasn't. I wasn't worried at all. So all ended up working out it did you wound up getting drafted by the Bengals. Describe your draft experience. Um draft experience. I was at home in Freeport, had all my friends and family there, you know, and I'm not gonna lie.

I was sitting there nervous. It's a real nervous process. So I was just sitting that real nervous, you know, people trying to come from him, but saying it's gonna be okay, It's gonna be okay. And I ended up getting a call from the Bengals. And it was pretty funny because my dad had on orange and black. He had he had on orange and black that day, or orange shirt, some black jeans, and some orange shoes. I was like, how did he know that I was getting

drifted to the Bengal. So everybody was like, you must already knew that he was getting drifted to the Bengal. So it was really it was really cool, and it was really fun that day, and everybody was just happy and excited for me. Your dad just has good fashion sense, range and black or good colors. Yes it is, Yes it is. You know the black around here, all right. A few more fun facts for Brandon Wilson, a few more wildcard categories. Who is your all time favorite athlete

in any sport? And why Adrian Peterson always growed up watching him? You know, And I used to play running back, so I mean that was why I always kind of lived the time. Um he's a real real good um running back, hard worker, and um that's just somebody always, you know, otherwise looked up to. What do you like to spend your money on food? I like to eat. I like to cook during the off season, you know, I kind of try to cook, but you know, I

like to eat a lot. Do you have a go to dish that you cook if you're trying to impress somebody, I'd like to cook some steak, you know, maybe some seafood or something like that. That's my goal to dish. Last thing. Do you have a talent that most people don't know about? No? I do not, but I do wish I could like seeing or play like instrumentals some because I always think that's kind of cool if you can play an answerment. So I'm with you. If I could do it all over again, I would either play

the guitar the piano. Yes, sir, me too, I wish I can we have that In comment, you're off the hot seat. I appreciate your time. Best of luck the rest of the year, sir. Thank you, and that's going to do it for this episode of the podcast. If you haven't done so already, don't forget to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or pod Bean and give it a rating or leave a comment. Your feedback has been awesome and five star

ratings help more Bengals fans find this podcast. I'm Dan Horde, and thanks for listening to the Bengals Podcast.