Bengals Booth Podcast: Can't We Just Talk

fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get it now on the App Store and Google Play. And here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered rite to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since Barry So. I've become a little bit obsessed lately with the TV show Bear on HBO. It's in its third season and if you've never watched it, it's a half hour comedy slash drama about a hit man who

joins an acting class. Former Saturday Night Live cast member Bill Hayter co created the show and plays Barry, and the cast includes Henry Winkler aka the Fons. If you're old enough to remember happy days in any case, there's nothing quite like it on TV. It's very funny, but also dark and twisted. So check out Barry on HBO or for a small fee on the various streaming services. Now,

let's get to football. Remember last year's preseason opener. The Bengals faced the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who surprised many of us by starting Tom Brady at quarterback in the preseason opener. Here's how the Bucks opening series ended. Rookies Joseph Osai and Cam Sample are both in to rush Tom Brady on third down and ten. Giovanni Bernhardt pack in and running back lines up to the right of Brady, catches a high shotgun snap, looking

scrambling and sacked. Brady brought down at the thirteen yard line, and as the Bengals sack them on third and ten, that sack went to rookie Joseph Osi, who had seven quarterback pressures on only twenty three pass rushing snaps. According to Pro Football Focus. He was the star of a nineteen to fourteen win and I spoke to Osi right after the game. We're in the locker room with rookie Joseph Osai. Part of the Bengals excellent performance in the preseason opener and in your case, a sack of Tom

Brady on the Patriots opening drive. Look how big of a throw was that? It was awesome. You know, I grew up watching him play before Robin Harkhouse. He was lined up against me, So it was definitely dope seeing those guys and living a dream. But I just know we got to get back to work, so it'll be dope. We got great guys on that line all over. You know, for him to get moved, it was it was a

team effort for him to get moved to me. I just happen to be in the right place at the right time, so you know, it was a great effort. I can't wait to see how he'd grow as a team throughout the season. You're being modest. I admire that technically a combined sack between you and Trey Hendrickson, But was it surreal to look down and see the goat after your first preseason sack? It was definitely dope, man,

it was awesome. I looked before the place started. I looked back and I saw him and I was like, mine, that's that's Tom Brady. So it was definitely dope. But um yeah, i'd be just hopefully there's many more dose to come, you know. But as it turned out, there weren't more to come. Oh side did that interview with his right wrist wrapped up. It turned out to be broken. In the days that followed, Joseph experienced pain in his left knee that turned out to be a meniscus injury

that required surgery. Joseph did not play again as a rookie, but the Bengals are hoping that he can have a big impact this year, particularly it's a pass rusher. So far, in the offseason practices, he's been working off to the side with several teammates who are recovering from injuries. I spoke to the twenty two year old this week. Joseph, Right now, we see a working out on the rehab field with Nick Cosgray. How are you doing physically physically

little body wise, doing great upple body wise. We're getting there gradually, you know what I mean. I'll let you ask Nick how my progress is. But we're getting a lot of strength back, and that's one of the things we wanted to do. So a lot of progress for sure. So knee okay, risks still coming along, risk still coming along, knees, knees ready to go. What was last year like for you? I would see you come in here from time to time,

going through rehab, meeting with the medical staff. Was it difficult? Yeah, it definitely was, especially I think I've said this plenty times that being the first football season I've ever missed since I started playing, it was definitely tough. But like I said, I had great people around me to keep my head up. You know. It Definitely it was tough, even with the people around me at a certain point.

But you know, having those people around me and then seeing the success of the team, you know, you always want to I could see that some of these guys brothers, so um, you always want your brothers to win. You always want your your your family, your people to win. So seeing them succeed and have a lot of success definitely kept my spirit up for sure. Where were you for the Super Bowl? Super Bowl? I was right on the sideline, Yes, sir, it was it was. It was, it was, it was. It was a bit of sweet

for sure. It was awesome seeing them ball out and then for us to fall short, um and see a lot of those guys shed tears. It definitely hurt, you know, and it made me want to get back even faster to try and help and and see what I could have done to to you know, give a lot of put a smile on a lot of those guys faces. So uh, it was. It was a bit of sweet for sure. We're visiting the Joseph as I. I interviewed you in the locker room after the Tampa Bay preseason

game where you made that that was me. He made a great splash. And I mean I obviously had no idea that you were hurt. That was the last game he would play. What about you? Yeah, it was. I had no idea about the knee, but um, the rest we at first they thought it was a broken fracture skate forward bone when I went in during the fourth or the third quarter, I don't remember. I think it was third. So um, they would say, and I would miss three four games. And I was even crying about

that because I didn't want to miss any games. I had never missed any games ever. So they come to find out, you know, with the with the X rays and you know, mriyes and stuff, that I was gonna be out for the whole season. So it was definitely a gut punch. But you know, I'm glad I did get to play in that game and enjoy the moment, you know, getting getting even though it was preseason, getting getting to be out there with those boys and play was truly enjoyed and zac break. Yes, yes, hopefully we

can do it again this year. Man, that'd be dope. Did you gain anything last year just in terms of, you know, being around the team, watching the Bengals defense and the way that it operates, Sir, I learned what it takes to win. I saw how hard these guys worked and how focused they were, how locked and they were in meetings, how detailed they were even in walk croughs and on a practice field, you know, how detailed Coach Hobby was, Coach Lou and it laid the blueprint

for me. So now coming in almost as a rookie, you know what I mean. I'm not a rookie, thank god, but almost as I have that one game under my belt to kind of help my confidence. But coming in as a rookie, I kind of have that blueprint. I got to witness it firsthand, so I know where it takes. So if i'm if I'm ever not at that standard, I can look back and say it's not gonna cut it. We're not gonna get back to where we need to be if you're not at this standard. So that's what

I gained from. Sure, your debut was so impressive. I think a lot of us feel like, man, we got a taste of what this guy is capable of. It was it similar for you? Um? For me, to be honest, it was just I was just out there playing, you know, I was out there having fun and it was It wasn't until afterwards that I realized. I looked at the stat stat line and I saw what I did, and I remember after I generaline had worn off a little bit, I remember what happened. So UM, for me, it was

just playing. UM moving forward. That's when I'm gonna try to keep it. Like. I know, there's all these expectations and that could create pressure, but UM, at the end of the day, I'm trying to win, so all that stats and the pressure shouldn't bother me. I won't let it bother me. You know, that's my goal going in, but um, I just have to keep working in it to come. What are you looking forward to the most

when you're back out there just playing, just playing? You know, UM, when you when you play this game for so long as I had, UM, you almost forget that it's actually a blessing to be out there on the field. You forget that people get hurt left and right every day, you know what I mean, and people careers get cut short. So I'm just gonna be blessed and super thankful, thankful to God, Thankful the opportunity to just be out there. Now,

that's the most important thing. I'm looking forward to, just being able to be out there with the boys playing, competing, fighting, sweating, you know what I mean. And that's really it. All the other things would come. I feel like, do you have a target in terms of being back because at the beginning of training camp, beginning of the season, what is your nick? Nick has said the beginning of training camp,

and that's what we're aiming for. And I think right now we're all chat well, we look forward to it. Hopefully that is the case. Great to chat again. I look forward to doing it after great performances. Again, Sarah, thank you so much. I appreciate that Josi was the

Bengals third round draft pick. Last year. In the second round, they selected offensive lineman Jackson Carmen, who started six games as a rookie as he made the transition from playing left tackle at Clemson to mostly playing right guard in the NFL. This year, he's among the leading contenders to start at left guard, and he's looking to show offensive line coach Frank Pollock that he's ready to live up

to his massive potential in his second NFL season. Jackson, We've heard a lot about year two in the NFL, particularly for an offensive lineman, being much easier than year one. I know we haven't hit training camp for the season yet, but in general terms, do you feel like that's going to be the case for you? Definitely? I feel like I learned a lot from my first year. I'm I'm ready to apply everything I'll learned in my second year. The left guard job, as far as we know, is

up for grabs. Is that the target for you? I'm just compete as hard as I can every aspect. I'm doing whatever my coach is asking me. You'll look good physically. How have things like that done for you this offseason? Thos are going great. I had really good training this offseason, and I feel really good. My body feels good. I feel like I'm making a lot of progress, and I'm happy I feel this way, you know what I mean, Probably that my body's feeling good and functionally all those things,

or visiting the Jackson Carmen. The Bengals obviously brought in some great vets to add to the offensive line. Tell me about your interaction with those guys and if you've already started learning learning things from being around them. Yeah,

interacting with Ted and Alex and Leo. It's so funny because like I used to watch these guys way before I ever, you know what I'm saying, got to this level and being able to, like, you know what I'm saying, to be teammates and friends and learn like with people that like I used to watch Leo in high school, you know what I'm saying, And being able to be locker room Mexicans super cool for me. So definitely I've learning a lot from these guys already. They're great guys.

Even mentioning those guys, your face lit up. It seems like that's something that you look at is a huge positive for yourself and for the team. Most definitely huge positive. And you know what I'm saying, I'm looking forward to see what he's going to be coming into the season. How did you feel about your rookie year? How would you classify it? I felt like I learned a lot.

It's a great learning experience. I had a lot of fun I had I was able to do, like be a part of something I was greater than myself and do things that a lot of people can't say they've done in their rookie year collectively as a team. So I was just really grateful, you know what I mean. Bless So I feel about my rookie year. You're coming out back surgery going into your first year, you don't have to deal with anything like that going into year two.

Does that make a big difference. I mean, whenever you have back surgery, you're always going to have to deal with like upkeep and maintenance stuff like that, and something that is a part of my regular root team. So this team went to the super Bowl exceeded pretty much

everybody's expectations. What was that experience like for you? It was amazing, you know what I mean, to be able to be a part of something so like special and how because at the beginning of the year no one really expected us to do anything, and then for us to all, you know what I'm saying, come together do what we did, even though we didn't complete the end goals. Still it was really amazing. So I'm grateful for all that. So locking at some of the offensive line drills today,

you and Cordell Volson we're doing some stuff together. How does that situation or you know, that vibe work for you where you're working every day with somebody where it looks like you're going to compete, be competing with that guy for the job. Yeah, man, I love it. Cordell's awesome because we look at him and looks like brown man, bodies, cut up, smart shart, all those things, and really nice guy too. So I've been really enjoying my time getting

no Cordell and also likes NFL. Everything you do is competition. I'm saying, how early you show up to the building as a competition. How how well you're eating on the weekends as a competition. So everything we do is competence, says is the nature of the game, so just part of it could cut you out. Appreciate your time, Appreciate you Now. I've said it elsewhere and I will reiterate it here that I still have really high hopes for

Jackson Carmen. He showed me something during training camp last year when he did extra work on his own after nearly every practice and was usually among the last players to leave the field. I'll be eager to watch him fourth round pick Cordell Volson, and perhaps others as they battle it out for that starting left guard spot in training camp. The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals,

the free to play fantasy football game. This past season, Ultimate Bengals awarded a weekly winner during the course of the year with tickets, autograph merchandise, and money can't buy experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals in the app Store and Google Play Up. Next, a visit with one of the Bengals' biggest stars, wide receiver t Higgins. Burrow now scrambling fires deep down field for Higgins push it over as defender catches the ball runs it into

the end zone. There's no a seventy five yard touchdown. Burrow two Higgins as he knocked over jail Raps and ran it into the end zone to get the Bengals the lead. The six foot four inch receiver wrote one K on his mirror prior to last season and reach that goal with one ninety one yards during the regular season before adding three hundred and nine more in the playoffs. T had surgery on his left shoulder after the Super Bowl, so he's not practicing right now, but he expects to

be ready to go for training camp. As I was watching practice today, just seeing you standing by some of the other wide receivers and dvs and so forth, you look taller to me. Are you still growing? Oh? That's crazy because everybody, every time I'm away for a few and I come back, everybody say that I looked taller. I don't know what it is, or what I'm wearing on my feet or I don't know. Everybody says I'm

taller soon. Well, you did enter the NFL at a really young age, so it's not out of the question that you're still growing. Very true, Very true. It could be a possibility, But I don't know. How are you doing physically? Physically? All I'm doing well, You know, obviously a lot of people have questions about my shoulder. Um, so I'm gonna go ahead and get it straight to the point. My shoulder. I have full range of motion back and right now I'm just working on strengthening it.

I'm not rushing anything. I'm being patient and you know, just taking my time with this. It's something you have to take your time with and so I can be one hundred percent. But a lot of times the season starts, you're really good as a rookie, you're outstanding in year two. What's up for year three? Um, just another another you know, good season for me. Um. Like I was saying, um earlier, I just got to be consistent. That's that was my

main thing. Um. My rookie year, I wasn't consistent. And I mean I had a great season whatever, But you know, my jumping into my second year, I was more consistent with my play. And that's that's one thing I want to keep keep doing, you know, throughout my career. It's being consistent stacking games on type of games. So that's the biggest thing. So you're gonna post any numbers on a mirror anything like that again this year, Um, probably around training camp. I don't know yet. Um, I hit

that thousand mark, so that's that's the standard now. Um, but I don't know yet. Maybe I'll try to do touchdowns this year. So yeah, I usually make my goals around training camp. So the salary market for wide receivers has exploded this offseason. A year from now, they'll be talking to you about that. Is that started to enter your mind? Um? Obviously I've been hearing, you know, seeing I've been seeing a whole bunch of things. Um. But you know, me and my agent has and I've been

talking about none of that. I don't talk to really anybody about you know what what's to come in in the future. All I can do is focus on now rehabbing my shoulder and just just being the best version of me being the best team and that could be. You know. So did it take a while to get over the Super Bowl loss for you or did you move on pretty quickly? Obviously? You know it took me like two days. I'm like, dang, you know what, what what could I have done? What could we have done

another team? Um to have a different outcome. But I mean it's just one of those that you know, you're blessed to playing one of those games. You know. So you know a lot of people don't get to play in that game. You never know. Um, the goal is to get back, but you never know. And um, but man, it's just gotta let it go out. It's just gotta let it go. Man, it's just another loss. You caught two touchdown passes in your first Super Bowl. That's a

big deal. Yeah, yeah, that's crazy. That's crazy. It's like it's like it's like it's a step up. You know, my first national championship in college, I call one and then my second Nation championship, I only had one touchdown. But you know, going to the league, you know, just two touchdowns in the biggest game in my in my retired football career, and um, you know, I'm just blessed. Man. That was that was a blessing. Um. I still look

back at those two those two players. Yeah, I'm yeah, I grabbed this face mask, but they didn't call it so but man, yeah, man, it was just a blessing. I didn't have to bring it up. I knew I knew, I knew it was coming. I knew it was coming. So I have a lot of people mentioned that like, hey, you should have been Oh yeah, I'm like, but they didn't. So at the end of the day, I scored twice, So this's whatever. The first touchdown pass came from Joe Mixon.

That'll be a trivia question someday. How much fun was that play? Knowing that that was coming, It was a lot of fun. It's crazy we put we had put it in that week. Um, we didn't really show their practice, you know, because the media. You know, it was just the kind of like walked through it a little bit, and man, we called it. I knew what I had to do. Joe told me that how he wanted me to run that, how quick he wanted me to be, and it all worked out. Joe Mixon told you that,

or Joe Burrow told you. Mixon told me that. Yeah, he was being a quarterback. How it was his throat. It was actually perfect. It was a tight spiral on the run. I'm like, okay, it was just high and to where I was the only way they can get it. Should do anything fun yet this offseason? Or will you In early July? Um, I I went to Mexico. That's pretty fun. None because he just went out there, you know, just foot, the vibe, you know, being next to some

blue water, you know, just having a good time. Man. So it's fun. Well deserved. Congratulations and a great year. Look forward to year three. Thank you, thank you. And for the record, I wasn't joking with Tea at the beginning of that interview. I think he's grown. It wouldn't surprise me if he's up to six five. There are two conversations remaining up next. A cornerback who made one of the biggest tackles of the season in the AFC Championship game from the one yard line with five seconds

left and a half. Mahomes throws Hill catches at the six and tackled beIN bounds and the cock right. So like a very questionable decision by the Kansas City Chiefs. They threw it side bideways to Tyree Kill and the Cheetah could not get in or get out of bound. Eli Apple with a tackle at the one and the Bengals dodge a bullet as Kansas City drives to the one, runs two plays and fails to score. Eli Apple was one of the biggest bargains in the NFL last year.

He was signed for about a million bucks to add depth to the secondary, but quickly took over at cornerback for the injured Trey Waynes and wound up starting fifteen games in the regular season and all four in the postseason. The twenty seven year old was rewarded with a one year, four million dollars deal in March. How did it feel to resign? No, I feel great. It feel great to be back with the guys, be back with lou and

coach Teyler. Really appreciative of this opportunity just to be back and I have another year that we can build on, of course a super Bowl winning. Do you feel like you were one of the unsung heroes of the Super Bowl run last year? You know, I feel like I was just somebody that I was looking to improve every day, somebody that I really wanted to connect with the team, teammates and guys around me and learn from them. And I thought I did that pretty well going throughout the

season and trying to progress every day. Now it's just about locking it every day and get better, way better than I was last year. I think if anybody looks back on some of the biggest plays from last season, your tackle just before the half and the AFC Championship game of Tyreek Hill has got to be very high on that list. Is that a moment that's become really meaningful for you? I mean, yes, it was what it was. I guess at the time I didn't realize it, but yeah,

it was definitely, you know, huge. But there's a lot of plays you can pick apart the whole game, you know, especially from the defensive standpoint that made a difference. So you know, it's just about doing your job and competing hard all the time and let the results, you know, happy as they may. We're chatting with the Eli Apple. What do you do after a season? You go back and look at all of it? Or since you're doing that on a weekly basis, you know, don't you have

to do that? Yeah? Yeah, Well, so being back now, we've got our whole games or iPads and stuff. So yeah, I'm I'm looking through everything and I just feel like I'm a totally different player now mentally. So it's just about building on that, getting that confidences and incorporating what I've learned from watching film just on the field field and not making those same mistakes. You know, you had a Twitter post or Instagram post fairly recently where you

talked about something like the fire has been relet? How did you mean that? It's just always finding more more someone to just keep going for it, you know. Obviously super Bowls what you you know what I'm saying, as a team, strive for it. For me, it's just continue to just get that excitement to get better every day, you know what I mean? And I feel like that's

what I meant, just bringing that attitude. I already had it, already have it because it's in the sim But now it's just about you know, just spreading it around the whole locker room and giving everybody got juice every day, no matter if we doing walkthroughs, you know what I mean. So it was just about, you know, locking in all the details and just coming together more as a team. You know, how do you feel about the Super Bowl? You made some plays? Obviously Cup made some plays. Nah, man,

That's that's the name of the game. That's the name of the game right there. But I'd like to go undefeated all the time and throw no hitter. Yeah, of course, who wouldn't. But you know, you learn from those those inter kate moments where you know you've battled little one of the best. So him and Mat Stafford a great connection obviously, and you know you put on a great performance, especially on that last drive. So I thought it was a great learning too. It's for me for the offseason

and for us as a group. Know, learned from from that and just be better at finishing. You know, you did a great job, but it's always more to more to get I look back at that final touchdown. The coverage was actually good. I don't know what a dbat can do on a perfectly thrown ball on that particular route. A lot you could have played that better, way better.

My leverage was way too hard on inside. He played off the ball so I wouldn't be able to get hands on so he can have some room to walk up on me and create that space and mass I could put it right on him, right on his back hip. But I thought, you know, if I was head up so outside, I would be able to be able to get hands on look back for the ball. But you know that's hindsight now and the heat of the moment. You know, things happen, So you know that's off to them.

They they they did what they had to do to win. Do you enjoy sparring with the people on social media. It's a part of the game. All the fans, you know, I put them off one group of category, just you know, try to have fun with it. You don't take anything personal. I'm never really angry, even if I come off as suck.

So I know a lot of people don't like it, but you know the way I interact, you know what I mean, I feel like you know, obviously, social media is a space where everybody tries to let their feelings go and display their their thoughts or whatever, or troll most people. Allityd is that specially the media. So for me, it was more of meekom than back trolling the trollers. That's how I looked at it. But it's all info. You got a locker room that appreciates what you did here.

Last year, you played more snaps than any other defensive back. You feel like he found a home. I feel like every day I'm blessed to be here. It feels like home just because of the guys around and the coaches, the way they've embraced me. So I just want to concede to reward them, just my hard work in preparation.

Always appreciate your time. Thank you, appreciate you. In addition to that key tackle of Tyreek Hill, Eli was also responsible for tipping a pass near the end of the playoff win at Tennessee that was intercepted by Logan Wilson

to set up Evan McPherson's game winning field goal. My final conversation this week is with one of the sixteen rookie free agents that the Bengals signed right after the draft, Wide receiver Jack Sorenson, played college ball just down the road Miami University, where he earned first team All MAC honors last year by catching seventy six passes for one thousand, four hundred and six yards and ten touchdowns. So, having played at Miami, what's this experience like for you to

be with the NFL team right down the road? Yeah, you know, obviously, just getting a chance to play in the NFL is a dream come true. It's been a dream I've had for a long time. But getting a play not too far away from where I spent six years as pretty special. I got a lot of friends that moved to since and have jobs here. So the community and in the people that I know in Cincinnati is it's just pretty cool to play for the team

that is represented by all those people. So you had a monster year last year for the RedHawks fourteen hundred yards plus ten touchdown catches. I believe did you start to think last year that you were going to get an NFL opportunity? Um, yeah, I mean it's it's obviously something of this in the back here. It's in the

back of her head at some point. But for me, and I was so focused on the season, just the game that was at hand, and I wanted to go out, you know, a MAC champion again, and unfortunately weren't able to do that. But you know, I think the more you think about the stats, then the more it takes away from the team game, and the we game starts to become a me game. And and half the reason that I was able to have the success that I had was because of the support staff that was around me.

I had great old line, I had a great quarterback, I had other great receivers that opened me up and gave me opportunities, and had a great coaching staff that game planned really really well to put me in positions to make plays. So the reason I had all that success was really a culmination of everybody around me doing what they needed to do. We're visiting with rookie receiver Jack Sorenson. So Jamar Chase last year had some incredible

games as a rookie. I think two hundred and sixty six receiving yards in a game, which was a rookie record in the NFL. You topped that in a game

last year against Ohio two eighty three, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, yeah, I mean college to the NFL is a bit of a jump, but um, I mean it's just cool being not being around you know, Tea and and Trent Taylor and Trent Irwin, and you know and and Tyler Boyd and Jamar and and all these guys that you know, some of them at a young age have had a lot of success and then other ones are veterans in the league that have learned a lot of great tips and tricks on you know, how to run routes certain ways,

or how to read certain coverages and where the holes are going to be. And just getting to be around that type of experience every every day is is for a young receiver a blessing um and hopefully, well, will you know, help me a lot a little the way Is it kind of jaw dropping to practice with guys like Jamar and t who are just such genetic freaks. Uh yeah, yeah, I mean I mean I wouldn't say,

like Starstrucker jaw dropping. Um. I think it's like I said, it's you know, it's a blessing to be around as such a young receiver. Um, getting the opportunity from learn to learn from young guys that have had a lot of success and then some other guys that have been in the in the league for a while and have

learned how to have a lot to success consistently, consistently. Um, just being around that and getting to see how they, you know, attack practices and how they attack individual drills and how they attack special teams and the consistency that they have day to day. I think that's um a great uh you know example from for me to see as a rookie. How about Burrow? Is Burrow jaw dropping? Yeah? I mean, I mean, he's he's a great qub um,

but you know, just the same thing. I think. I think it's for me, you know, I'm not getting the reps with Burrow, but just getting to see him, just watch him how he goes about and his mannerisms during practice and how serious he takes it. UM. You know, for me, it's a great example as a rookie to to watch that and to you know, try to you know, take after or exemplify a couple a couple of things that he does in practice. So he's he's a great example for all of us rookies. What contact did you

have with the Bengals if Annie in the pre draft process? Um? Throughout about the pre draft process, I was at the local day, UM, so I got to talk with some of the coaches and UM kind of work with some of the staff then and then just a couple meetings here and there leading up to the draft. How do you feel a guy like yourself can try to make

a mark? Yeah, initially, I think for me, you know, obviously I want to contribute in the receiver room and but for me, initially, and I'm really focusing on special teams, I want to play all four special teams and UM and travel that way. And then obviously, you know, if I can contribute in any way in the receiver room,

I want to do that too. But I think for me, initially, I'm going to attack and be the best special teams player for me on the team that I can be UM, because I think that's the best way I can contribute this first year. And you know, if the opportunities come at receiver, then I'm obviously gonna take goes and run with them. But um, initially, I'm going to learn as much as I can to be a sponge at the receiver position and then just try to attack the special teams.

I think he noted off the top he spent six years at Miami. Was that a blessing for you to have the opportunity to have an extra year to develop? Yeah, you know, I think I think it's it's a blessing and a curse. Right, you come in a little bit older, UM than most rookies, so you know it's it's not the best in that way, but UM, yeah, blessing in the sense that you know, I got I got six years to develop, UM into the player that I really felt like I could be in college and it kind

of showed that last year. UM. And you know, I think I come in as a rookie with a little bit more maturity and understanding of UM, you know, how to you know, handle really long seasons and how to handle big off seasons like um, you know that that COVID gave us and just different stuff like that. You know, I've had a lot of experiences in college that had given me, you know, a sneak peek into what it

might be like to be UM an NFL player. So, um, just those experiences over those six years, I think you are, you know, going to help give me an opportunity to have some success in the NFL. Are your friends and family savoring this opportunity? Yeah, yeah, I think they're. I think they're adjusting a little bit. Um, A lot of my uh, a lot of my families from Green Bay, um, so uh, you know, just trying to push some orange and black into their into their wardrobe, um slowly. But yeah,

it's it's been awesome. Everybody been super supportive and really happy. This is a dream that I've expressed I've wanted for fifteen sixteen years now, so you know, everybody's just really happy for me, which is which is also a thing. Here's an interesting nugget about Jack Sorenson. He is related to Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsel. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download Ultimate Bengals ahead of the twenty

twenty two season. It's free to play next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get it now on the App Store and Google Play. And 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 and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast.