Bengals Booth Podcast: California Dreamin'

to make a movie about this remarkable Bengals season. Who plays lap We'll also hear from his road roommate back in the day, the first quarterback to lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl, Ken Anderson, and in our Know the Faux segment, we'll catch up with Joe Ready, who used to cover the Bengals for The Inquirer and now

covers LA Sports teams for the Associated Press. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play next level fantasy football game, downloaded now from the App Store and Google Play and by on Location, the official hospitality partner of the NFL. Visit Onlocation exp dot com for exclusive access to the biggest events, including next

week's Super Bowl. Here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since kind text messages. Moments after Evan McPherson's game winning field goal last week that sent the Bengals to the Super Bowl, the text messages began pouring in from friends and family all over the country saying how happy they were that I would

get a chance to broadcast a Super Bowl. I can only imagine what it was like for the players and coaches. It was really nice to hear from so many friends, including some that I hadn't heard from in years, and it was a great reminder that if something special or difficult happens to somebody you care about, take a moment to reach out though really appreciate it. Now let's get to my guests, beginning with Dave lappam Lap. It's Wednesday. We've had a few days to think about it. Does

it seem real at this point to you? It's it's starting to get that way. It really is. Uh when you when you look back on it, though, it's it's it's an amazing accomplishment. It really is. I mean, I think when you go on the road in the playoffs and you beat the number one and number two seed. That's that's getting it done. There's no doubt about it. I mean, I don't want to diminish, you know, the successes of the team I played on the team in

eighty eight eighty nine, the eighty one team. You know, we were the number one seed in the eighty one eighty two same as eighty eight eighty nine. And you have home field advantage, you take full advantage of that FREEZEA bowle involved in there in the eighty one eighty two situations. So I mean, I just think the for them to make it to the Super Bowl, the road they had to travel, it's quite remarkable. I mean, I think it's it's as good as good an accomplishment by

any team in franchise history. I really do excellent points that I hadn't thought of. So I'm on cloud nine. We all are. But I have found one thing mildly annoying over the past few days, and that is the national angle on the game on Sunday that the Chiefs blew it. It's been more of what went wrong with myhomes. Andy Reid made a terrible decision in the second quarter, which he did, but not enough credit is going to the Bengals and the Bengals defense in particular, in my opinion,

couldn't agree more. You know, I think I think people were so shocked by the outcome. You know, I think I don't know what kind of a percentage of the population thought the Chiefs are going to win the game, but I'll guarantee it was a big percentage. And when they didn't, normally it's okay, Well the favorite blew it instead of the underdog winning it. You know, it's just kind of human nature. I guess it's like you were supposed to win. Why didn't you win? Well, here's the

reasons you didn't win. Why did you do that? Instead of you know, to me, uh, you know, Andy Reid's decision obviously was was was not good. Um. But it still boils down to the fact that in one on one in space Apple had to tackle Tyreek Hill. If he doesn't, it's all a mood point. If he doesn't make the play, Um, it's you know, the whole thing is is meaningless. Um. And then in the in the second half, I thought there were tremendous adjustments. I mean,

Loui Anna Rumo and the defensive staff. I think Anna Rumo outcoach Spagnola and I think that his act outcoached Andy Reid in this football game. I mean, bottom line, and still, like Loui Ana Rumo said when when he was did his press conference, you know a couple of days after the game, the players still have to execute. So you can, you can put them in position to succeed, but they still have to step up and get it done and succeed. So yeah, I mean, honestly, Patrick Mahomes

looked totally befuddled. I mean, he didn't know what he was looking at. He was holding on that football and had no idea where to go at that football. And I think you know that old saying apply the pressure or field of pressure. He did not want to make a mistake that was going to lose a close football game. And the closer the Bengals got, the more he held the football. He did not want to turn the football over. And you know, I mean that's a metamorphosis. I guess

a little bit of Mahomes. He's been a gun slinger. Well, he wouldn't have slinging any gun in the second half of that football game. It was it was a pe shooter and he had a holstered man. There was nothing going on there. So I give all the credit to the Bengals. Obviously, it's always a combination. It's always one team does things they need to do and other teams don't. I mean, it's are you going to make plays or not? And Bengals had players make plays, and some of the

players have made plays. It's like, I didn't expect that guy to make a play. Your ability to realize the game in real time is second to none. But you're like a coach or a player in the sense that then you go back and watch the video and you pick out nuances that maybe it didn't see initially. What really stood out, particularly when you watch the defense shutting down the Chiefs on seven possessions without a touchdown in the second half, the uh, the versatility of some of

the defensive players. I mean, they had Sam Hubbard doing a lot of a lot of things, a lot of things he's capable of. I mean, here's a kid that was a safety at Mohler, kept growing, goes linebacker, keV Growling, gotting stronger, goes the defensive line, so he's got athleticism, and they were utilizing him really really well. I mean they had him, you know, playing his defensive end spot

and pressuring. But then they also one time they had him in the spot working and jamming a receiver and then and then dropping back to the middle linebacker position where we've seen him blitz. We've seen Wilson and Sam Hubbard transposed positions and sometimes Hubbard blitz, sometimes he won't. So they had Wilson up at the line of scrimmage and they had Hubbard at at at the linebacker spot, and he was spying. You know, he was a spy that was designated. They had Wilston designated as a spy.

I'm looking back at the tape on Mahomes. So they had they had a really really good plan. They would only rush three, but then the fourth rusher would be the spy. They time it up perfectly. You know, when can I prush, I'm coming downhill. I'm coming after him now. And then Mahomes has to worry about not just what he's confused about, down to football. I gotta I gotta make this guy miss. It's a pretty good athlete. He's moving in spade, a big guy moving in space about

as well as I'm moving in space. So I mean about Sam Hubbard getting back to back sacks on two consecutive plays, and I mean, you look at it. He's got three sacks now in three games in the playoffs, and Henderson continues to be, you know, a big factor. He's got two and a half. The interception that that von Bell had, Jesse Bates and Von Bell made a great play, but they had Lou had Trey Henderson dropping

off a zone blitz. He dropped off into a short zone and just totally disrupted where Holmes wanted to go at the football. So then he tried to force it to a place he really didn't want to, and they did a lot of zone blitzing stuff. It was almost like, um, you know, it was so so complimentary or variables game plan where he had guys at the line of scrimmage and which ones are coming, which ones aren't. Lou did a lot of that. He was bringing guys and dropping

guys that the Knste Chiefs weren't anticipating. It was an unbelievably well orchestrated performance in the second half. And uh man, it's like, you know, whoever whoever wrote the ballet and then Barishnikov, you know, went out and executed. It was. It was that kind of thing with that second half unfolded. The Bengals Booth podcast the only podcast where you'll get

a Barishnikov reference courtesy of Dave Lapham. You know, it's it's great at rushing three and dropping eight worked out, but when you do that a lot of times, mahomes is gonna have forever. And there were several instances where it was four seconds, five seconds, six seconds. So for it to work, even though you got the numbers in the secondary, they've still got to be able to cover

guys forever. Absolutely, they got a plaster And I think it started, you know, the whole thing in the second half when when lu saw how well guys took away every option from Holmes on that second and one from the one yard line. I mean, Cheeto just jammed and just plastered his receiver. There was nowhere to go. And I think, you know, I think that triggered all right. We were aggressive on that play all half long. We were kind of on our heels. We were we weren't punching,

we were counterpunching. We were letting them take it to us. Let's reverse this a little bit. And that's kind of what they did on the second and one play from the five yard line with five seconds go. It's like, all right, well, if you're going for it, we're getting aftercare. We're gonna make you get the ball out. And and I think that kind of when it worked, gave them momentum going at a halftime. It's like, let's bring it all out. Let's let's get as aggressive as we can be.

And uh. But with that said, when you are, when you aggressive in what you're doing, differently empty the bucket that way, like, let's not leave anything. What do we Why why we have all these schemes are? What are we gonna do with them? If we lose this football game? We'll take into training camp next year. It's not going

to do us any good. So they started implementing a lot of things, and I agree with you they definitely had the numbers in their favor, but they got decent pressure sometimes out of that three man and then the fourth guy would come, you know a little late and cause problems. But man, the way guys plastered in that second half, the coverage was extraordinary. And then when they you know, they were real good leveraging with the double teams.

They bracketed guys effectively. I mean it was just you're right. I mean, when the when the front end is you only got three or four going, the back end has to step out in the back end stepped up, boy, And the sacks they got were covered sacks, period, no question about it. So in an AFC Championship game, they rotated right guards, which I'm not sure if that's happened in twenty thirty, forty, fifty years whatever, it might have been a Chemodenergy and Jackson Carmen both played. How did

they do? And do you think that's the way to go in Super Bowl fifty six? I wouldn't be surprised if they if they stay with that, because Carmen showed that, you know, he belongs. He made some plays. Both guys did some good things. Both guys did some things where gosh, at this stage of the season, you wish that wasn't the case. But competition always breeds excellence. So and I'm not saying that. Chemodenergy said I've arrived and I don't have to worry about my job anymore. You know, I've

got it. I'm gonna play this position for twelve years. You know, I'm not saying that he took that approach whatsoever. What happened he opened the door crack because Simmons gave him a tough way to go in that Tennessee game, and he had had some issues. He had had some really bad flow up plays in terms of physical dominance, you know, down the stretch toward the end of the season. And Carmen is a is a bigger, you know, a

more physical, naturally physical guy. So you know, one obviously is further along mentally than the other, but the other one has maybe more physical gifts. So if you could combine both and you'd have a hell of a player probably, But I think I think they are probably going to play, both of them. I think they both have shown that they are capable and probably worthy of playing in the Super Bowl. Um, and then I guess if you if you get a hot hand, if one really starts playing well.

The one thing you hate to have happened though, when you're playing guys like that, is a guy makes one mistake and he's looking over shoulder, is he gonna am I? Am? I done? Am I done? For the game? Man? I wish I didn't do that. You know, Um, that's that's the only downside to it. But if if the level of play for both players has elevated, because Frank said, you know what, nobody's got this right guard position, to show me what you got, you know, it could could

turn out to be a brilliant move. But it would not surprise me whatsoever if all of a sudden instead of like Aaron Donald can rush from both both right and left defensive tackle. But I would not be surprised if in the Super Bowl He's done a lot more rushing from left defensive tackle and he is from right defensive tackle because of the issues going on at that rotation at the right guard spot. It wouldn't shock me

at all. Is Bengals offensive line versus Aaron Donald, Von Miller and the rest of the Rams defensive line the obvious key matchup of this Super Bowl? I think it is. I mean, I think you know we're looking at when when going to ten to see the play of the Titans, they had three pass rushers. Well, these guys in the regular season Donald went for twelve and a half sacks, Floyd for nine and a half and Miller for nine

and a half. Floyd being a linebacker. They used to rush the pass are pretty well and uh in the playoffs, Miller's got a couple of sacks and Donald has a sack and a half, so they're continuing to to show that they're going to be able to pressure the quarterback. So I think I think they've got three solid pass rushers and one you have three and the other the other reason that I would put Aaron Donald over their

right guard as opposed to the left guard. When you slide the line, you can put three blockers on two guys if they're both in the same side of the line of scrimmage slide protection and you have an extra guy. When they're on opposite sides, you can't slide protect it. You know, you still if you slide to one side, the right guard who's struggling, potentially is working against Aaron Donald one on one with no center. He's slide un So you know that that could that could be a

little bit of of a factor too. So having having three guys, you know, if you need to go seven man protection, put five linemen in there in a tight end and a running back, and if you need to put it in a big body, tight end. If adenergies in the game, put Carmen out there as the as the extra linement, and in vice versa, you get guys that are in the flow of the game plan. I mean that that might not be a bad, bad remedy

the guard that's out on that particular series. If you need to throw him on our third and long situation, throw him in there at the tight end position to be an extra pass protector and keep it back into to help on the other side. So be it. I mean, just give Joe Burrow time. And then in that case, somebody has to win a route. I mean, there's gonna be guys are gonna be double team, but somebody is going to have a one on one situation and they

got to win that win that matchup. For sure, We've spent a lot of time talking about Joe Burrow over the last couple of years. This was his greatest moment yet, guiding this team to a super Bowl in his second year as the quarterback. At this point, is there something that just stands out more than anything else about what this guy's accomplished? Boy, I'll tell you you know, I think I think it's obviously his mental capacity for the game is one thing. Um, you know, I I think

it's second and done. I think the amount of information that he can digest, retain and regurgitate, you know, accurately, it's incredible. And his ability to take it all in and hold onto it, process it. Something shows up in a game, he can store through and hit exactly what he needs to to respond and answer that particular problem that they're trying to cause him. It's incredible to watch. He's got a computer like brain for a game of football, and he can. He's got a lot of megabytes in there,

there's no question about it. And that and then you know, as a former linement, I just inspired by his toughness. I mean he just the guy doesn't flinch. The guy never, you know, gets after his teammates for getting beaten. I mean, he knows he's part of football. He's just he's a football player. The guy plays quarterback with the linebacker's mentality. And he's brought up in a defensive household. His dad was a coordinator and a lot of skins in the

walls a defensive coordinator. Two brothers played linebacker at at at a high level at Nebraska. I mean he he said urban Meyer. Let me cover a kickoffs. If you're not gonna let me play quarterback, let me play some football. The dude is a football player, you know, he's not He's not just a quarterback that you know. Don't hit me, don't hit he he likes to mix it up. I mean, he likes football. He's he's uh. I'm not saying that. You know, he welcomes and thrives on contact, but he

didn't shy away from it. Tell you that he's a he's a tough guy man, and you know he I think I think that inspires offense defense specially, that inspires everybody. Your quarterback is uh is playing like that and playing at that level, and a playmaker like he is. Spashal with a big old capitals man. We're having this conversation on Wednesday, a week and a half before the Super Bowl. The Bengals did not practice today. They'll get back out

there tomorrow. We've got nasty weather coming into Cincinnati. They are going to be practicing in the practice bubble that you see for the next several days. It's nice that that option is there and they're always free to take advantage of it. My question is with the practices they have now. Between now and the Super Bowl, you'll have some practices here, you'll have some practices in Los Angeles. Is there a time period for these practices that you consider to be the most important or is it all

equally important. I will say that the Super Bowl that I played in super Bowl sixteen, we have the Freeze Bowl, and the week after the Freeze Bowl is provably cold as well, and we didn't have any bubble or anything like that to go into and we didn't get much done that we could practice. And I think it hurt us,

I really do. You know, We went out there before the game itself and had practices, you know, in a dome where we could actually you know, get to get something done, but it was hard getting things done the way you wanted to get them done in that in that weather in Cincinnati that week. So I think the fact that they have a bubble and UC is being gracious enough to let them use that it's going to be huge for them and they'll get you know, they

get some things done. The one thing you don't want to do necessarily is put your game plan out there too, you know, real early, and then say, uh, maybe we can adjust this, oh in the red zone? Why don't we do that? And then just start to overthink it, overthink it um I personally would, and we did this. Don't don't make it a normal week. Present the game plan at the early stage of the second week, and

go through that process. Right now, be working on things that you might think about incorporating into the game plan. U stay sharp with the core plays and the philosophical configuration of those plays that you like. And then, like we've been talking about here down the stretch of the season, how are you going to make them look different? As the great one said Paul Brown said, and make the same things look different and different things look the same.

So how are you going to tweak things where it's the same walking for the offensive line, same throw for the quarterback, But it's different matchups, it's different personnel groupings, it's different formations. It's how are you gonna window address it? How are you gonna make it look different? Where their eyes are like, ooh this, what is this? We haven't seen this? And then they run a player that they've been running the whole Oh jeeze long, That's what it

was all about. Just make it too late, you know you make a decision correctly too late, it's still a wrong decision. And that's what you're trying to get. You're trying to get that little bit of an advantage, you know, mentally as you go into the biggest game of your life. For sure. Brian Callahan coach and this Bowl four years ago with the Rams or not Brian Callan. Zach Taylor coach with the Rams. Brian Callahan has coach in the

Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos. How big of a deal do you think having a little bit Super Bowl coaching experience is going to help? I think it's a big deal. I do. I think. I think that any experience that you can draw upon is going to be a big help. And I think there's some interesting, you know, dynamics there Sean McVay and Zach Taylor. I mean, Zach Taylor knows Sean mcvay's mindset, thoughts, decision making as a

head coach. Sean McVay thinks he might know what Zach Taylor would think or whatever, but he only knows him as an assistant receiver coach and a quarterback coach. He doesn't know him in the role of a coordinator. Or a head coach, and now he's Colin plays and now he's a head coach. So I think the advantage kind of goes to Zach in that area. I really do. I think there's there's a little bit of an edge there where he's been part of the meetings, the whole process.

What's what's he thinking? Why is he thinking it? And Sean hasn't seen Zach in that environment, and Zach has seen Sean in that environment. And then you know, the other thing is, like you mentioned, Brian Callahan has been to a super Bowl, but he's also coach Stafford, so he knows stafford strengths, weaknesses, things, he likes, things he doesn't like. Any kind of intel like that in a

game like this is big. I just think that Zach might have a little bit more intel on McVeagh as a you know, from the head coaching vantage point obviously, and Brian Callahan may be able to tell Louanna Romo, you know what in this situation, he really doesn't like this, and that don't do this because he'll rip it up. He likes that kind of a look, he likes that

kind of a matchup. I'm not saying you don't see it on tape, but I'm saying that you can embellish it and even a deeper dive into all that stuff because you have first end experience for those guys, and any little bit of intel that you think you're going to be able to gather it is going to help you in the super Bowl. Even if it's psychosomatic you think, you know, man, that's an edge that's going to help us. Ultimately, it can help you because psychologically, yeah, man, we're better

prepared than they are. We know more than they know. Anything like that that you can get an edge you're looking for in the Super Bowl. So I've learned a valuable lesson in the last several days. Whenever an athlete has asked how does something feel, some great moment in a game, some personal accomplishment, and they don't necessarily have

a great answer. I am now sympathetic because for all the people who have asked me how this feels, I'm having a hard time articulating just how incredibly special this is. To have a chance to broadcast a Super Bowl. You've done it before, more importantly, you played in one. It's such a thrill. I'm really struggling to put it into the proper context. You know, the feeling that you have when you win an AFC championship game as a player

is indescribable. I mean it's like it's like no other feeling. Professionally, I mean, you know, marriage, birth to children, all that is huge in your in your life life experiences. But

what if you're in a profession. Getting to the top of the mountain is like indescribable, or as close to the top of the mountain, and going to the Super Bowl is getting close, and then you have to just take that one final grab and you can't quite clutch it at the top and that I will say, I just hope, like hell, they win this football game, because I can honestly say the highest I've ever felt in my life, the most adrenaline rush, the biggest adrenaline rush

I've ever gotten in my life, is that morning of the Super Bowl and I thought, oh, it's too early, you know, I wanted to go back to bed. I got such a big adrenaline surgeon in the locker room before the game and I thought, oh my gosh, man, I'm spent. Well, no Eric comes again and again it's like, oh my god, it's just unbelievable. And then afterwards, when you don't win it, you talk about a crash, a depression. Oh my gosh, man, it's like it's the worst feeling

in the world. So I hope those guys don't have to experience it, because experience it as a player. And then in the broadcast booth, it's certainly not that kind of high and low. But the excitement you feel is pretty impressed and pretty incredible, and you're thinking, got here, might as well finish it, you know, might as well, might as well be the world champion. How about that?

How about it? This football team that was two and fourteen two years ago and six twenty five and one over the last two years ends up the following year as world champion, the best in the world, Super Bowl fifty six champion. Watch that would be. There's gonna be books movie. There's gonna be rights all over the place about this one boy. I mean, Hollywood can't script this bad boy who plays Dave Lapham in the movie. Harrison Ford who plays Dan Horde, some ball guy, some bad loser.

Won't be Bruce Willis will be an ugly bald guy. Oh man, at least we'll buy tickets. Yeah, yeah, I'd like to go see it. It would be great. You have a good suggestion for who should play me in the Bengals movie, you can tweet it to me at dan Underscore Horde. Unless the dude is hideous, then just keep it to yourself. The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play fantasy football game.

This year, Ultimate Bengals awarded a weekly winner during the course of the season with tickets, autograph merchandise, and money can't buy experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals in the app store and Google Go Play Up. Next, it's the first quarterback to take the Bengals to the

Super Bowl nineteen eighty one, MVP Ken Anderson. He joined Lapping Me on the Bengals Game Plan Show, and I started the conversation by asking what this Super Bowl appearance means to them forty years after they played in Super

Bowl sixteen. Well, you know, to me, I think that sense of pride as a former player, you know, and Dave, you know you were there with me in the seventies and eighties when we were as good as any team in the National Football You know, we only got to one Super Bowl, and we happen to have a juggernaut in our division, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Raiders were tough, the Dolphins were going undefeated. We had a lot of

good football teams in the AFC in that era. And then you know, you kind of get to the nineties, we go down and you know, all of a sudden, you know, you listen, it's the Bungals and then the national media just toast us all the time. They can't do anything, they can't their ownership is chief, They got no facilities, you know, and all of a sudden, here

we are. And it's that sense of pride that I feel in the team that back to the you know, the lofty status that we ought to have because we you know, we had a great football tradition in Cincinnati, a winning football tradition, and now to see that coming back really makes me feel good right right honestly to h you know, the guy, the guy who's taken the biggest beating is Mike Brown, There's no doubt about it.

And for an eighty six year old guy to experience what Mike Brown's experiencing this year and uh and and have a chance to take another bite of the apple and maybe finish the apple. In terms of winning the super Bowl, that would be incredible too too. I can only imagine, you know, what he's feeling and thinking and and it's it's just we were talking about it off here before we actually on the podcast we were doing

before we came on the air. Here. From a professional standpoint, it's it's like the biggest thing that could ever happen to you, going to Super Bowl and winning a super Bowl. Now, you know, marriage, kids, all that in your overall life

are big moments. But this, this kind of moment is you know something that I mean, there are guys like we talked about Tequillo Spikes fifteen years in the league, five different teams, never went to a playoff game, great player, Yeah, Dick Barkas, Merland Olson fifteen years, fourteen Pro bowls, never won a championship, never went to a Super Bowl, never won an NFL championship. I mean, you can't, you can't take this stuff for granted. There's no question about it.

Everybody loves an underdog. I think people around the country are falling in love with this team. Joe Burrow is so likable. I think most of America is going to be rooting for Cincinnati in this particular Super Bowl. And speaking of Joe, is there a company in the United States right now that's not getting in touch with his agents? So can we line this guy up to be one of our spoke people? Because everything he does he does well. Obviously his play, but just the way he carries himself

and everything. If he wants some of that stuff, boy, it's gonna be at his fingertips. And that's different than and I guarantee that's the farthest thing from Joe's miya right now, that's the stuff for the offseason. I mean, this guy's focus, his preparation. You know, it was interesting hearing some of us thought, were you're nervous before the game? Well, you know, the night before I was a little anxious, but that's when I'm kind of going over all the

scenarios that could happen, you know, his mental preparation. He said, Hey, once I get to the stadium, I'm fine, you know. And I think that attitude really translate to the other guys on the team, where you know, we're they're loose. And I really credit Zach in the preparation for the team when the playoffs started, he said, you know, all, we gotta turn our preparation up a notch. He said,

we don't have to do that. You know, our preparation has been up a notch all year long, right the way that these guys work at practice, So that that's a you know, a really a compliment that the Zak and the coaching staff. You know that the Bengals are in this situation as well. You know, there's a big similarity. H And I don't know Joe Burrow obviously, like like, I know you, but you guys, you guys are both highly intelligent, I mean overall base intelligence plus football IQ.

And I know how much you put into absorbing every bit of information you could and retaining it and be able to bring it back out when necessary, solving a problem defense was trying to make and give you an all that sort of thing. And he's like that, I mean, he's he can retain a bunch and apply it perfectly when necessary and all that sort of thing. And that gives the whole team confidence when you have a guy

doing that kind of thing. Imagine how good I could have been if I had an iPad to look at everything I needed to look at it, and instead of taking the Kansas sixteen millimeter film home with my projector at home and showed it on the wall to got to get ready for a game. Yep, I hear you, I hear you. It's the thing I appreciate about this guy being our guests for this game. The great Ken Anderson played in the Super Bowl, broadcasting super Bowl, coached in a Super Bowl, got a Super Bowl ring with

the Pittsburgh steel Is coaching Ben Roethlisberger. Stow. This guy has been to the Super Bowl in a bunch of different roles, you know, And so how how different I guess the broadcasting parts in different world. I mean, that's not like playing a coach. So playing and coaching, how different was it from a process standpoint for you? Getting

ready for Super Bowl? Well, you know it's coaching was always a little bit more difficult for me than playing, because you try to get your guys ready, but when the game comes, you've got nothing that you can do about it but out of your control, you know. But I remember, you know, going through that, you know with the Steelers that you know, we had our media day on Tuesday and then they left us alone for the rest of the week when we were down in Tampa

getting ready for this game. You know, all right, every day at lunch, all right, you got interviews you gotta do. Here's more media stuff, and you try to go back in practice, you know. So it's just there was so much more to take up the player's time in the Super Bowl, you know, nowadays than there was when we played Dave And so, speaking of Super Bowl quarterbacks, Tom Brady efficiently announced his retirement this week. Seven super Bowl

rings for the coach, which is just absolutely incredible. It's nuts. Unbeknownst to me, Tom Brady does a podcast. It's called Let's Go. He does it with Jim Gray and with Larry Fitzgerald, and this week he had Joe Burrow on as his guest. I highly recommend listening to the whole thing again. It's the Let's Go podcast with Tom Brady. You're gonna play a little snippet of it tonight. Here's Tom Brady when asked for his opinion of Joe Burrow

and then Joe Burrow's reaction. I think Joe's got some tools that I didn't quite have when I was his age. So super impressed by how he's kind of coming to the league and went to Cincinnati, which has been a tough place to play over the years, and you know, two years into his career after a really tough injury last year, show a lot of mental and physical toughness

coming back and have an incredible season. So, you know, I always love watching quarterbacks, and certainly young quarterbacks, because I feel like, you know, there's certain ways to play the game, and to play the game at a high level requires a huge commitment, and I think Joe, even from when I saw him at LS, you know, he makes that commitment. So it's a it's really a great thing for me to see as as you know, somebody who's played this game for a long time, so really

happy for Joe and his team. Joe, when you hear those words from Tom, your reaction is, well, I don't know. I don't know if I can be in the conversation with this guy yet, but you know, I'm gonna work really hard to try and I think we're up to a great start. I'm excited about, you know, the opportunity that we have. We worked really really hard to to get here. You know, we had a great offseason, our front office did a great job of bringing in guys that not only what we needed on the field, but

off the field as well in the locker room. And you know, it's just been a warwind couple of weeks. Certainly, not going to compare Joe Burrow's accomplishments to Tom Brady, We're a long way from that. But do you see qualities in Joe Burrow that make you think of Tom Brady? Yeah, a little bit. I mean, I think you know, it's well documented watching Brady run his forty time and I would say, you know, take nothing away from Joe, but he's probably not the most athletic quarterback in the NFL.

He doesn't have the strongest arm about anybody in the end. But I think what really is similar to him and Brady is what's between their ears. And I think, you know, all the years looking at quarterbacks, you know, coaching quarterbacks, scouting quarterbacks, the toughest thing to figure out is what's between their ears, you know, and what's in their heart, their their love of the game, what they're willing to

do to be successful. So I think, you know, that's the similarity I see between you know, Tom Brady and Joe Burrow. You know, it's funny you mentioned the love of the game, and I asked, asked Zach last week, what was what was the non negotiable characteristic when you guys were addressing rebuilding the football team in free agency and or the draft. What was that one characteristic that players had to have? And he said, they gotta love the game, because we both have had teammates that were

unbelievable talents, but they didn't really care about football. You know, It's like, Ah, the Lord Bustman with all this talent, but I don't really care that much about football. And then if you have both, if you've got guy that has you know, great talent and then has the desire to be the best you know, and really loves the game of football, then you have something special, right. I mean,

that's what it's all about, you know. No, I mean it goes back to the Ring of Honor game and no one he's gonna get blitzed against Baltimore and a critical place to go out and get a field goal to win the game, and well they're in a formation, we're gonna want to go to the wide receiver screen. But as who's I'm out there? Would call it anyway,

and he does it. And then to hear Zach or other people talk about on Fridays, they'll take the receivers, line them up in different formations and switch them around. Called the concept that they're doing. So everybody has a feel for what they do if they do go to an audible and you know that. Going all the way back to Paul Brown, I remember when learning learning the offense, Paul Brown was like, all right, well, we're gonna you have to Tiger would give us test. You guys always

had tests as well. But he said, I'm gonna I'm gonna give you two grades. I'm gonna give you a grade in the upper left hand corner on your assignments, upper right hand corner on the whole team assignments. So Paul Brown was like, want you to know the whole thing. I don't want you to be tunnel vision on. Okay, well you're gonna block the defensive tackle and you don't

or if you pull. He wanted to know as a center region tackle blocking down, you know, is the back filling who's got their responsibility you just vacated and and why he wanted He wanted you to understand the whole big picture, right, And and that's that's key. That if the whole team, if Joe Burrows the only guy like you talk about Kenny, he makes that audible and CJ looks at me like, huh, what are you talking about? The whole team has to understand what the hell's going

on there? Well, No, And I think the other thing that Joe does is hold guys accountable. If you're not willing to put the time, the effort, work as hard as I am, we don't want you here, you know. So I think everybody's got that attitude that I will take whatever time, work as hard as I have to to make this thing go. And uh, and it's working. And I think he's set such a good example that way. He's the first guy in the last one to leave. So other players are saying, jeez, my doing enough. Look

at Joe's doing. Look, look at all the time Joe's putting into this, Look at the dedication Joe has to this. Maybe I better pick it up a notch or two. And that just raises the whole boat, right, I mean, that's the whole deal. That's what it's all about. You guys both played in the Super Bowl Tom Brady played in ten and one seven. Here is his Super Bowl advice for Joe Burrow. When you get to the game, you're going to realize it's just that it's exactly what

you've done all season long. The ball's gonna get kicked off, and it's gonna feel like a football game. Getting to that point, you'll feel quite a bit different than any game, But you just realize that when you get to that moment, it's a really exciting time for everyone. And I'm sure it's really exciting for your family and your friends, and it should be because it's we've all dreamed about getting to that moment. So I just happy for you and your team. You know, you guys have overcome a lot,

as it should be, and you've earned it. And you know football is about earning every single day every week, and you know when you get to the postseason, there's no margin of error. And you guys went into a really tough place to playing in Kansas City and got the job done. And I know that's a great feelings, probably one of the great feelings you'll ever feel. In the locker room after a game. There's only one show, and that's better as if you go take care of

the one two weeks from now. So what's it your experience that once they kicked it off, it felt like a normal game, but it had to be the kickoff, you know. You try to tell yourself it's just another game. And and we're in Pontiac and I'm standing out there and gosh, you know, it's time for the national anthem. And Diana Ross was singing the Nationalist. She didn't come this may be a pretty bay, a little bit big deal right here. No, but you know, you try to

get you get yourself to that point. Yeah, I remember it kind of hit me with the offense. Was fortunate enough to be introduced, you know. And I remember running down the you know, the tunnel of people, and there's the TV cameras right there at the lens, and I remember thinking, there's a lot of people watching this thing. Hope I don't screw anything. I hope I play good. You know, it's like, all of a sudden, I think

the magnitude of it really does start tension. But like you said, once the balls kicked off, once you take that first hit, it's just like, man, it's just like in high school, college whatever. I mean, it's football. Football's football. But you know the thing obviously that bugs me and I know it bugs Kenny. In the biggest game, we uncharacteristically self destructive. We made too many mistakes you know, that we weren't making during the course of the season,

and it uh it cost us, you know. We uh we put ourselves on the schedule and the forty nine ers were good football team. They didn't need to help, and we gave him help. And that, to me, that was the unfortunate thing. I'd like to, you know, be able to play him again and uh and not make those mistakes and see how it would turn out. You know. Did it take you a while to watch that game? Yeah? You know, man, I got I was there, you know, and I remember the disappointment of it that. You know.

I was leaving the next morning to go to the Pro Bowl and I went into the team doctor. I said, they find something wrong with that. I don't want to go And they said, oh why, Kenny says, you know, you didn't get hurt in the game. They're gonna know that the league is gonna send you to LA have another doctor look at you. You're gonna have to go over there. Anyway, But just it was just the disappointment of it. Although I will say one of the things that kind of helped me get through it, you know,

my son, Matt. I think I was the first guy to carry to carry him off the field. And we go in magic, we go into the locker room, and and I'm really disappointed. He's sitting in the locker and you know, the coaches really didn't talk to him. And finally I turned and I said, well, Matt, what'd you think? He says, Dad, they had the best halftime show I've ever seen. I guess it wasn't all that bad a day.

Here's my experience. I get back to the uh the hotel and uh tucking my son in sun Dave, you know, and and UH like Matt, you know, he had an understanding. He was old enough to know, Hey, geez, you guys played well or you didn't, you know. So I'm tucking him in and we're losing twenty to nothing at the half of that football game because of the mistakes. So I'm like, I, Dave, you know, and I and I mean I barely was able to talk anyway, And I looked at him like, hey, Dave, good night. Man, I'll

catch in the morning, Tuck Minnie goes Dad. I said, yes, sir son, Why did you guys stink so bad? In the first time? I wanted to take the pillow and go fus and just it's like, oh my gosh, I'm like Dave. I can't talk about it right now. I probably won't be able to talk about it for a while. But that's a darn good question, bage, no doubt what

it's worth. Ken Anderson played extremely well in Super Bowl sixteen, completing seventy four percent of his passes for three hundred yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of ninety five point two. He also ran for a TD another reason why Ken Anderson should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by on Location, the official hospitality partner of the NFL. Visit on location exp dot com for exclusive access to the

biggest events, including next week's Super Bowl. Now time for our Know the Faux segment with Joe Ready from the Associated Press in Los Angeles. If the name sounds familiar, Joe used to cover the Bengals for the Cincinnati Inquirer. So before we got to the Rams. I asked for his reaction to Cincinnati making it to the Super Bowl.

I'm pleasantly surprised, Dan. I'm happy though, for the city, happy for the organization, and I know a lot of people throughout the years, you know, was happy that they broke the long losing streak and then got the first ro playoff win. And you know, the way they took care of business in the second half against Kansas City was kind of similar to that week seventeen games. So

you look at the turnaround that Zach did. And I don't know if Lap agrees or not, but you know, this team making a Super Bowl kind of mirrors d eighty one and eighty eight Bengal Super Bowl teams and nobody expected a lot and now here they are playing in the Big Game. Only differences. They aren't playing the forty nine ers this time. Yeah, that's right, Joe. Hey,

good to hear your voice. Yeah, it's interesting that the big difference this team was the number four seed and those eighty one and eighty eight teams were the number one seed didn't have to go on the road, and the Bengals had to go on the road twice and they won both of them and the first road playoff win in franchise history. Nobody would be able to tie that accomplishment. So this this team is pretty interesting in

that regard. The thing that's the common denominator between the Rams and the Bengals in the last eleven games, including the playoffs, they're both eight and three, and the Rams are eight and one actually in their last nine. The Bengals don't have that kind of a record in their last nine games with the regular season in postseason. But both teams are playing their best football at the most opportune time. You know, they get hot at the right time. What was the key for the Rams to get as

hot as they did down the stretch. I think they had from the injury problems. Daves that somewhere around November. I think, you know, both teams have gotten on nice win streaks. But I take the difference between the Bengals and the Rams is the Bengals didn't have that three three game losing streak. It seemed like they'd have bad games but then immediately pop right back up after having

the bad games. The Rams really had that bad string there in November when everybody was wondering whether they'd rebound, and let's face it, at one time there were two games behind Arizona and NFC West, so the fact that they were able to storm back, win the division and get the losing streak behind them was big. I think the defense rounded into form a little bit better, and I think this offense, it's been missing a run game for most of the season. Cam Akers sat an achilles

injury even before training camps started. He's come back now and played during the postseason, but it was just a very inconsistent offense. But I think the story would the Rams offense has beside Stafford has been Cooper Cup, but I take odelcom junior coming in. Von Miller's had a nice four or five games. It's just all the parts finally got together at the right time. And I think the key two with the Rams is that this is the healthiest that they've been. We're chatting with Joe Ready,

who covers LA Sports for the Associated Press. Joe, I think a lot of people look at Bengals offensive line versus Rams defensive line is the most significant matchup going into the Super Bowl. Do you agree? I would agree. I think if the Bengals fans have a saving grace though, I think with as bad as that line performed against Tennessee A, played very well against Kansas City and against San Francisco, all of us thought and the Rims would would pressure and go after Jimmy Garoppolo. They kind of

they kind of stood back most of the time. They really didn't get pressure on Garoppolo until those last drives at the game, including the interception that clinched the game for him. So it'll be interesting to see how if the Rams kind of do like they did against the Niners where they dropped back in coverage a lot and really don't don't bring a lot of pressure, or you know, knowing this offensive line, do they decide to turn the

pressure up a little bit. But Aaron Donald will be more than psyched and ready in this game because he still blames himself for losing that Super Bowl against New England three years ago, including on the big play to Gronkowski where they basically shot the gap on him, and he's he's thought about that play for three long years. He talked about that a lot during last year, last week's game preparing against San Francisco to try to get back here. The turnovers are all He's big and the

bigger the game. The bigger turnovers are the Bengals seven takeaways to giveaways in the postseason, they're plus five and the Rams are plus two. Interesting, the MS Rams only lost five fumbles during the regular season, amongst the fewers in the league. They fumbled it four times and lost all of them in three playoff games. Why the ball security issues in the playoffs? Do you think they've been playing some physical defenses. Um, they had a bad turnover

against the Niners that almost hurt him. But I think that ball security, like he said, he is an issue. I think they're also counting on the run game a little bit more. I think him akers had one of those lost fumbles, he's still, you know, trying to get back into in a playing shape. For lack of a better term, I think he's averaging less than three yards of carry. So when they when they fumble, it's usually not those ones that pop right back up into into

your hands. That's usually the ones that go forward that opponents are lucky to get. Well. Jalen Ramsey followed, you mar Chase without help, leaving everybody else secondary and linebackers to cover all of the Bengals other weapons. I think so, I think, and I also think Jen and Jalen relish is the opportunity to UM to have a matchup like this UM if I'm not wrong. The last time Ramsey faces to Bengals was Jacksonville with the with the infamous incident with him and aj Or did they or did

they play after that? No? I think that's it. Okay, yeah, because they because the twenty eighteen game, Jalen was still with the UH was still with the Jaguars, so he wasn't here. But I think they I think these are the type of matchups did Jalen wants and likes to bring his way. He played a good game last week, especially after the Tampa Bay game where the long touchdown pass that he that he now likes to boast was

Tom Brady's final touchdown path of his career. But that was one of the few times that I think Jalen has gotten severely beaten coverage and and I think this is one of those games that UH, he definitely wants to UH. He definitely wants to take on a receiver one on one. So the Bengals are kind of running a little bit of a rotation at the right guard position. By series here, what have you heard? I know it's early, but as Aaron Donald, have you noticed him drooling or

anything like that? But as he anticipates lining up against the Bengals interior linement. I mean, Aaron Donald is such a such a different breed man. What what's that guy like? What's what's what's he like? Just as a as a person in the locker room? You know, in the community, what's he like? Very good in the community, He's he's kind of been a quiet guy in the locker room. But as Aaron noted last week, Von Miller coming here

has actually gotten him out of this shell. Von is taking it upon himself, is maybe one of those veteran leaders that he's been telling. Aaron, Hey, people, your teammates want to hear from you. They want to know what you're thinking. They want to It's not the lead by example anymore. If you've got something to say, say it. And if you've got to get on guys, get on them.

And I think Aaron was very vocal last week. That was one thing that you heard Jalen Ramsey and a bunch of players say that Aaron was gone around at a different position groups, just reiterating the goals for the game, what they wanted and because as Aaron has said, and I think it was a quote that went around everywhere, He's like, I've accomplished everything. The only thing that I don't have on my resume right now is a super

Bowl title. And that's been driving them in, you know, with the Rams kind of taking things year by year. They don't have a draft pick in the first three rounds next year, and I kind of joked him, maybe the last next time they'll have a first round draft pick, it's twenty thirty or twenty thirty one. Is this is a it's almost a year to year window with them. It's not looking two or three years down the line. It's what can you do, It's what can you do

right now? Which you got to give the rims and less meat than Sean McVay kudos for the win now and be aggressive. But I think at one time or another it's going to catch up with you, whether it's you know, two years down the line or three years down the line. This window in their time is definitely now. A couple more questions for our friend Joe Ready from the Associated Press in Los Angeles. Has Sean McVay articulated any lessons he feels like he learned from the Super

Bowl loss to Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Yeah, And I think there was a definite hangover with this team in two nineteen, and I think he's saw for twenty nineteen and half of twenty twenty that Bill Belichick was still firmly in the Los Angeles Rillham's head to where there was just some game planning that Sean did that and some stuff with Jared Goff that you were wondering what was going on there. And it took him a

long time. And I think the one thing that that went kind of stressed on Monday because is he said, it's it's not too often you're you're older than your head coach, and older by a lot I might had, but that Sean has matured. It takes it. It takes head coaches a long time to learn who they are and how comfortable they are. And Sean experienced the Sean experienced a lot of success early and god and really didn't get adversity until I'd say the past couple of years.

And I think he's calmed down a little bit. He's still got that fire on the sidelines where we've wondered a couple of times why I didn't get fifteen yard penalties for going to chess bump one of his guys in the end zone after a touchdown. But I think the adversity and also you know, maybe easing off and

practicing and stuff has definitely helped. And I also think too having Matthew Stafford, having a veteran quarterback where they're on the same wavelength and can agree to things has definitely helped him in that approach to where you know, you look at Zach Taylor. The first couple of years, a ton of adversity, and now in the third year, everything's clicking. For Shawn it was off as it first

couple of years. Everything came quickly, and it wasn't until twenty nineteen when they didn't make the playoffs that everybody was wondering if the boy genius or it weren't off a little bit. Final question, Joel, and thanks for carbon time. We really appreciate you in your insight and perspective. Minds about Andrew Whitworth, with forty years old, still playing efficient, effective football, does he retire after this year? Like Tom Brady.

Does he joined Tom Brady in the in the forty and overcrowd and call it a call it a career. Do you think Wit continues to play? I will go back to something laughs that McVeigh kind of said last week, and and I'd agree with him. When Wit signed that three year contract here, I didn't think he would make it through the full three years. In fact, his wife Melissa thought he'd be done after the second year. But I do think, I do think this is the this

is the final year for him. I think that he's always been a guy that, you know, would like to go out on his own terms and you know, on his own two feet instead of you know, like Joe Thomas went out with injuries and stuff. And I think for everything that he has accomplished what he's done with both franchises, and especially if he could get NFL Man of the Year this year, He's been up for it so many times that it would be it would be

great for him to get that. But no matter the team he was facing in the Super Bowl, I think that I think that this is his final year. And let's face it, a Brady Roethlisberger and Whitworth class in five years in Canton. If he does retire, will be will be a heck of a ceremony because I certainly believe with these years and what he's accomplished, he should

be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Thanks to Joe Ready and for much more on Sunday's game, join lapping me for the Bengals Pepper Rally Show Friday afternoon from three to six on ESPN fifteen thirty or on the iHeartMedia app by searching for ESPN fifteen thirty. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play next level Fantasy football game, and by on Location, the

official hospitality partner of the NFL. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and if you have a minute, give it a rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm Dan Horde. Thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast.