Bengals Booth Podcast: Coming Home

Hi, gain everybody. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading the Bengals Booth Podcast.

The I'm Coming Home. I'm Coming Home.

Addition, As I catch up with this week's ruler of the Jungle, the one and only Adriel Jeremiah Green, we reminisce about his remarkable decade in Cincinnati, discuss the Bengals track record for drafting great wide receivers, and talk about the team's current stars, Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase. I think you'll enjoy hearing what AJ has to say. Then I'll look ahead to the Baltimore game with Logan Wilson

We're got to the right gop ball for a wide open h Green catches it the eighteen.

It's a touchdown.

For Adriel Sharamiah Green his eighth consecutive game with a touchdown catch on a beautiful fifty seven yard bomb from.

The red rifle to play action fake. Dalton sets up to throw.

He rangs it deep for a wide up at AH Green catches instide lett him go hit the twenty to ten the fun touchdown. Bengals eighty one yards to eighteen. Adriel Jeremiah Green.

Boyit out to the right. Here's a pass to.

AJ wiggles out of an ankle tackle and runs into the end zone for a Bengals touchdown. Great yak yards after catch produces a touchdown for Adriel Jeremiah Green. Dalton takes a shotgun snap against a five man rush. He's gonna fire, teach. AJ Green is open. He bobbles it. He's done it. That's the funny wait cut. He's still running ten five touchdown Adriel Jeremiah Green seventy seven yards. The former juggler as a kid made a juggling catch and took it to the house to give the Bengals

White boyd goes in motion. Dalton back to throw, steps up, heaps it long. AJ Green is watahman.

He's donning.

Touchdown.

Bengals has Ammy. Dalton floated a high rainbow fifty four yards down, a touchdown to AJ Green.

No revis island there.

It is third and seven at the Pittsburgh twenty five. McCarn five yards behind the line, takes a shotgun snap. It's a four man rush AJ gunfield for a J Green.

He cutches in and goes into the end zone.

Touchdown Bengals a twenty five yard touchdown and the Bengals have a one point lead.

Dalton back to throw. We're down to five seconds left in the half. He's gonna throw a high deep hail Mary pass into the enz and it.

Is Baba yeah cod hey Jas takes the catch on.

The ricochet hail Mary, a forty nine yard touchdown pass as a prairie is answered in the end zone. Bye Adriel share Amiah Green.

AJ Green announced his retirement in February and finished his career number two in Bengals history in catches, receiving yar yards and touchdown grabs behind Chad Johnson. The thirty five year old would have almost certainly held all of those records if not for injuries that caused him to miss half of twenty eighteen and all of twenty nineteen. He'll be back in town this weekend to serve as the Ruler of the Jungle for the home opener, and I

You know, I was a little surprised because it was, uh, it's a little early, but I'm on it to come back. Me and I it was just like honor man. I loved it. I loved it.

Sometimes when a player leaves in free agency, there's a little bit of bitterness on both sides for whatever reason, but that certainly did not appear to be the case with you. Why do you still have such great feelings about the franchise in the city.

I think for me, it's just we didn't leave on bad terms. It's just every good thing has to end. And I understood the business side of football. Like I said, man, it took care. Took care of me for ten years, and a lot of people don't last ten years in one spot. So I'm very honored the last that long in one organization. And they were the first organization gave me my chance. And you know, they're just great people.

When you left, you didn't really get a chance to say goodbye in person, and Bengals fans didn't get a chance to give you the tribute that they would have liked to have given you. Does this ceremony feel like there's a little bit of that?

Yeah, of course, you know, when you leave and you still you still want to play, it's a little bittersweet because you've you envisioned yourself leaving on a higher note. But that wasn't the case. So coming back here after everything's done, you know what I'm done playing is sweet. It's better than I'm being somewhere else. And then I got to come back. But to be done with football and come back to the place that I became AJ Green is unbelievable.

Let's turn the clock back to April of twenty eleven. The Panthers take Cam Newton with the first pick, the Broncos take Von Miller with the second, the Bills take mister big stuff Marcel Darius with a third, and now the Bengals are on the clock. Did you know you were going to be the pick? And what do you remember about that night? Oh?

Man, the crazy thing. I didn't know I was going to the Bengals because I had got a call from Atlanta and I'm like, oh, are you going to Atlanta? But I guess it's somebody playing tricks on me, like we made the pick, Like I'm made from my phone at the four or four and I'm like, what in the world's going on? Like Atlanta don't have the fourth pick, but like, yeah, we're taking you. We got the fourth pick,

At that point, Chad Johnson was still on the Bengals roster. He didn't get traded for a few months until after the draft. Did you think about the possibility of you and Chad being teammates?

Of course, I'm thinking about Chad. I'm thinking about t O. I'm thinking like Carson. I'm like, oh, I'm going to be the young book and go out there just like true a little bit. Don't have to be you don't have to do too much, learn from the guy, learn from some future Hall of famers, and uh got time to develop. And but that wasn't the case, No, it was not.

After picking you in round one, the Bengals obviously took Andy Dalton round two and for eight years. It was the Andy and a J Show. Did the two of you hit it off right away? And if so, why, Yeah?

Of course. I think for us to come in together, you know, you when you come in with your a guy in your class, you always create that bond. And I think Andy and I created that bond from day one. You know, we both come from humble beginnings, both great families, and we both had, you know, want to win, and he came from a great program at TCU. He did some great things, and then we grew up, we grew together and to this day we're still like we're family.

Now, your first seven years were basically as good as any wide receiver in NFL history. Do you have a favorite game, a favorite moment, a favorite catch, any sort of favorite thing that sticks out?

Andy and I were just talking about that, like, well with you know some of our favorite moments. I think for me it was the Seattle game when Seattle was coming off that Super Bowl in twenty fifteen, when we beat him at home, when I've had some great catches and Andy was playing at the MVP level that year before he got hurt. And then probably one of my favorite catches probably the playoff game that night game with

We beat Baltimore there to twenty seven against the Ravens, and it's appropriate you are the ruler of the Jungle in a game against Baltimore because you tormented the Ravens throughout your career. John Harbaugh famously said it would be nice just once to cover aj before he retires. Those were good Baltimore teams. Is there are reason why defensively they did something that kind of played into your skill set?

Oh? Man. I think they just played a lot of main a lot of you know, you versus him, and I think their defense is built like that. They also start up front great corners. I know Jimmy Smith and I always had great battles together, so I got the best of the them a couple of times. But you know, we used to probably wanted the hardest game, harder hitting games. You know, your body feel a little sore, more sore

I asked your former teammate Tyler Boyd about you recently. Here's what he said. Aj is one of the greatest dudes I ever met. He does everything right. He never gets in trouble, never does stupid stuff. He's the perfect example of being a football player and a man. That's leadership. How did you try to lead for me?

As you know, Dan, I'm not really the biggest vocal person in the room, so I lead more of my example of what I do on and off the field. And I think that's that's just who I am. That's how I teach my boys to treat everybody would respect, carry yourself with respect on and off, be a good, good teammate, be a good leader. I think that's the all aspects of it. Being a great athletist, you got to have everything, yeah to just not on the field, off the field as well. And that's the way I

You overlapped with Joe Burrow his rookie year. What do you think of what Joe has become?

I had no question. I remember the first meeting. Joe stood up and he told that story about when he was in high school and one of his friends got picked on uh and he cried and he was in tears up there, and I'm looking, I'm looking over to some of the older guys. I'm like, this guy got it. He is a leader of men, and these guys, whoever, he whoever's going to be in his room, He's going to lead them and they're gonna follow him. And you're see in it right now. He's a I call him

You didn't overlap with Jamar Chase. What stands out when you watch him play.

I remember when they drafted Jamal and I got a I was talking to Troy after they drafted him, and he's like, who is period two? I'm like, he's a faster A J. Brown. He's big, physical, but he can take take the top off and I and I and you can see it. He can make all the hard catches and then he can just run past you. And that's one thing. But the Bengals they gonna draft great receivers.

So when the Bengals made the Super Bowl two years ago, you actually reactivated your Instagram account in order to congratulate the players in the city of Cincinnati. What were your emotions like during that Super Bowl run? You just been with the team the year before.

Uh, you know, I wish, I wanted, I wanted to be a part of that, but it didn't happen that where I think, But I was happy for those guys. I'm happy for the city of Cincinnati because you know, I went to Arizona and you know, I seen the other side of it, and Cincinnati fans are unbelievable the way they fight for the team. Even when we're within winning, the stadium will still packed. I'm in Arizona and we

So let's talk about the current team. They had a subpar performance in Week one. Obviously, that happens from time to time. What would be your advice to the guys if you had the opportunity to visit with them?

Sweet And I don't think there's nothing I can tell them. I think they they already played at the highest level and that's playing in the super Bowl, So I understand they know, you know, I think when that that that year they had that run, or even last year they started up er and to you know, Joe missed a lot of a training game, so he still still got to get the feeldback. So it's a long season. They

This is the first time that you've been healthy and not playing football in the fall since you were a little kid. What do you miss and what are you doing to keep busy?

You know, I think I thought I was gonna miss playing, but I don't, not at all. I don't have that itch, not yet as as now. But I just met the biggest things being in the locker room with the guys talking and you know, just talking about everything, playing the games, betting, you know, just little just little guy stuff. But I think that's the biggest thing is it's the locker room. But the game, playing the game and practicing. Nah, I don't miss that at all. I don't miss that out.

I love it.

I know you've been back to Cincinnati once. What are you looking forward to on this return trip. Whether it's seeing people, whether it's seeing something, what are you looking forward to?

I think for me, it's just getting back to the city. I know my wife and my family are very excited to get hit the restaurants and the pre sinc and and stuff like that. I'm excited to get my boys around the players because it easy. Loves football, uh Jo Burrow, Dramaal Chase TVT. He loves That's all he does. He played with the Bengals all day in Madden, so it'd be excited for him to see them on a few

So Bengals fans are over the moon that you are going to be the ruler of the jungle this week. Thank you for a decade of great football in Cincinnati and for all you have meant to this franchise. I appreciate your time today and I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Thank you.

Dan Aj, his wife Miranda, and their two boys will be at practice on Saturday before he fires up the fans with the Who Day Chant on Sunday before kickoff. The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps. More than twenty nine thousand customers trust Paycorps to help them recruit, pay, engage, and retain employees. Learn more at paycoorp dot com. In last week's twenty four to three

People were talking about the haircut for all the kids out there that want to get a Joe Burrow haircut, for a bunch of them, help their care What what is it.

You're looking at it?

I don't even know what to tell people. Just make it happen.

How do you know it's time to get a haircut.

When you have a game like that on Sunday?

I love that.

Just following up on the haircut, were you just kidding about being related to the bad game?

Your motivation?

So Joe basically said, you know what, after a game like that, the biggest statistical dut of my career so far, I needed to change things up. I'm gonna get a haircut.

Yeah, and it's the two hundred and twenty five million dollar cut. I mean, what the heck? I as well sell that's one of the minor celebrations of getting that big contract, get the get the hair trimmed. It is uh, it is amazing, though, I mean, how would you couldn't comprehend every single move you make, every single thing you do from a clothing standpoint, from a grooming standpoint, it is amazing. Talk about a guy that's under the microscope,

So Game one this year was not good for Joe Burrow. Is his fiftieth NFL start if you include the playoff games that he's been in, and statistically this was the worst. He had his worst passer rating fifty two point two. He had his fewest yards ever eighty two yards under rainy conditions in Cleveland. I did little research about his previous bad games, and this amazed me. All right, this was his worst passer rating game ever.

Yeah.

The next two lowest passer rating games ever were also season openers.

Wow.

The second worst was last year when he threw four interceptions against the Steelers. The third worst was the first game of his NFL career against the Chargers back in twenty twenty. So out of fifty games, the three worst statistically were all season openers.

And I think you can relate it to COVID on one of them didn't have any training camp. You know, COVID was an issue. And you start off you don't really know what. You don't know yet as far as the National Football League, you have a knee injury, you have appendicitis, you have calf poll. I mean he has never had a training camp. He's never had a full training camp. So I mean, as great as he is, hot flash.

He's human. He's a human being.

And he needs repetition to breed comfort level just like anybody, and everybody does. And when he doesn't get it, I think you know, you take for granted that he's so he's been so good. His skill set is so magnificent that the expectation is he doesn't even need to work at it to be outstanding. Now, the reason he's outstanding is he works at it. And when that's taken away from him, when those reps are taken away, and I'm mean because he he is so intent and so layser

The Browns did not have a bunch of sacks last Sunday, but they did get a lot of pressure on Joep. The average time from the snap to the Browns applying pressure was one point nine to five seconds, less than two seconds. That tied for the sixth fastest since they've been measuring that stat beginning in twenty nineteen.

And that's that's a stat that needs to get better. Obviously, there's there's no question about it, and I think it will improve. I do think the offensive line, you know, as rusty as Joe Burrow was, there were a lot of guys that were knocking rust and dust off their uniforms. I mean, there were a lot of guys that went out there without any live game experience in the preseason, working next to each other and alongside, you know, teammates

So went back and did some research on how Joe Burrow has historically bounced back from the worst games of his career. So, if you look at the three lowest passer rating games he ever had before this one, right in the next three games, he threw seven touchdown passes, one pick, passer rating of ninety five. If you look at the three lowest yardage games of his NFL career, the three games after that, he had a passer rating of one twenty eight point nine. So Joe Burrow has

Game the same as he is after a good one, which which makes him consistent. I think that's that's the name of the game in the NFL. You know, there's seventeen. There's seventeen games, and you're gonna play well in some and not in others. And some defenses are tough matchups, and some games you play outstanding and some games you

The interesting thing during the pressure with Joe, you know has talked about that. Not only is Joe that way, the coaches, you know, Zach Taylor and Brian Callahan talk about Joe being that way. Joe talks about them that way. The opposite was true. Joe Borrow said that Zach is totally consistent in his approach and there's not the roller coaster highs and lows. Brian Callahan the exact same way.

The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet capable of delivering multi gigabit speeds designed to take your home, business, and community to a new level. Elevate your connection with Alta Fiber. While the Bengals offense struggled in Cleveland, the defense played pretty well. The Browns only scored two touchdowns on fourteen possessions, and

Twenty four hour rule.

That's our mindset, you know, learn from the mistakes that we were in that game and learn from the good things as well.

But it's on to Baltimore this week after twenty four hours.

I've got a buddy who's a diehard Bengals fan. When the team loses, he watches recorded episodes of America's Funniest Home videos just so he can completely put it out of his mind. Do you do anything like that or do you kind of replay the game until that twenty four hour rule is finished?

Yeah, I think it's kind of you know, replay like maybe certain plays that you think you messed.

Up on that you want to be better on.

You and then just like I said, you just learned from it, and then at the end of the day you try to get your body right to go.

The next week, we're chatting with Logan Wilson. The defense played well. You four seven punts, you had two takeaways. If not for an eighteen yard drive in the fourth quarter, the Browns probably wouldn't have scored twenty points. What did you think of the defense as overall performance?

You know, I thought we did some things really well. I think there's some things that we still need to continue to do better at. Obviously them scoring too many points is the biggest thing, and just continuing to learn from those those good things, like forcing those those turnovers, those are huge. The more often that we can get the ball back to our offense, the better off we're

To go on moving forward.

It was a wet, sloppy day. It was obviously hard to throw the ball. How was the footing?

Footing was was average to say the least.

It wasn't It wasn't horrible, but just because really because the grass was kind of brand new. It was the first game on that grass before it gets all torn out throughout the year, which is probably good.

But I was not expecting it to rain that much.

I remember checking the forecast that morning it was like fifteen percent chance of rain and just decided to rain the whole game.

So it was it was weird.

You didn't come out. You were in for all seventy four defensive snap snaps. Jermaine Pratt played sixty six of the seventy four. Is that a big point pride for the two of you, that you don't have to come out, whether it's first down, third and long whatever.

Yeah, we pride ourselves on being able to play all three downs, and you know, We push each other within the schemes of our defense to do things that you know, we might not have done in the past, and we're always trying to grow from each other and learn. And I think that having that mindset of like just never being satisfied has helped us grow into the players we are and will continue to help us move forward.

We're visiting with Logan Wilson after last year's playoff lost in Kansas City. I remember talking to Jermaine in front of his locker and I was thinking, this is probably the last time I do this. I didn't seem likely that he would re sign, just because of the contract situations on the team. Then on the first day of free agency, signed a three year extension. Were you a bit surprised? What was your reaction?

I mean, I was a little bit surprised too. I wasn't sure if we were going to get him back. But you know, I'm obviously exact that he came back and that we got to continue what him and I have going forward. And I think that, you know, we can continue to establish ourselves as one of the best linebacker duos in the NFL. And you know, I think that having that continuity is so rare in this league, you know, Like for him and I to be going in now year four together, I think is rare to

You got your extension done about a month ago, so you're going to be here for at least four more years, which were thrilled about. What was that whole process like for you?

I kind of just let my agent take care of that.

You know, at the end of the day, I was just trying to to better my craft on the field and help our defense as a whole start to gel, you know, some new guys back there, and I really didn't worry about it a whole lot.

You know.

Obviously I was in contact with my agent and we were exchanging words with what was going on and whatnot, and you know, I'm very excited and exetic that it.

Was able to get done.

You're a wyoming guy. Is there a big plot of land in your future? Will you buy horses? Will you and your wife see the world. What are some of the things you have planned?

I think, well, you know, we'll eventually build our like forever home back there in Wyoming. I think we're trying to work on that right now, but we haven't bought any land yet. That'll be in the future.

One thing.

Not gonna worry about that stuff right now during the season. We can look into that kind of stuff in the off season.

Let's look ahead to this week's opponent, Baltimore. In your first three seasons, they were going to try to run it down your throat. Now they've got a new offensive coordinator who came from the college ranks. Do you expect them to be much different?

There'll be some differences, for sure, you know.

I think that there they'll have some stuff that their offensive coordinator ran at Georgia, and then they'll have some stuff that they've kind of ran in the past. It'll be different with more past concepts. You know, we know what to we don't mean, it's always hard to know what to expect because you get preseason guys and they don't always show our preseason games and they always show everything.

You played these guys in back to back games at the end of the year, final game of the regular season, first round of the playoffs. Does it feel like you just played Baltimore?

Uh?

Not really, honestly, just because it was a while ago. But you know, I think that they're always They're always a tough opponent. It's always those division games are always tough, and I think we have one of, if not the best division in the National Football League right now, and so we always have our hands full playing him, and we always look forward to the challenge.

In that playoff game, you had a hand, actually two hands in the most famous defensive play in Bengals history, the fumble into jungle. You forced it, Sam ran it back for the touchdown. Do you have a framed picture of it or any sort of keepsake as a memory of that great moment.

Well, it's funny because that football that Sam ended up scoring with was in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And when the family it came down.

When I did that softball game during OTAs we went down to the Canton before we left for the summer, after which he has has finished and got to see that picture in the Profoball Hall of Fame with that football, So it was pretty cool to see that. I mean, I'll always have Eventually, I'll probably get a frame photo of that because I think that's going to be an Alzheimer for me.

There's no question that that's going to be an Alzheimer for all of us, and we look forward to the next Alzheimer whenever that happens. Best of luck this week. Thanks much for the time as always, and beat the Ravens.

Appreciate it. Thank you.

In Lamar Jackson's five NFL seasons, the Bengals have faced the Ravens eleven times, including last year's playoff game. Baltimore is six and one when Lamar starts and zero to five when he doesn't. Lamar's missed the last three meetings at pay Corps Stadium. The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're free to play with tickets and signed merchandise up for grabs. Find both

Other than that, Missus Lincoln, you're gonna love the second act of the play. Look, I think you're gonna see the Ravens have to make a lot of ajustice on the offensive line the rest of the season. They've got adjust to the backfield. I doubt we'll see Marlon Humphy since they didn't practice day, so you know Week two and you know, the Ravens new offense really now becomes an offense that has to adjust on the fly.

Speaking of new offense, offensive coordinator Todd Monkin plenty of experience as a coordinator in the National Football League and then with University of Georgia National championship run. What kind of a coach is he, Jerry.

He's terrific. I'm so impressed with Todd Munkins because he empowers his players and he puts He gives his players a lot of latitude in this offense to make adjustments. You know, Lamar for the first five years of his career, play comes in thinking about a helmet, falls, the huddle, run the play, whether you know it's gonna work or not. In Monkin's offense, Lamar comes to the line. He can adjust protection, he can read the defense. Now, he can call audibles, and he can suggest things and so it's

So you're saying he empowers people.

Huh.

Completely really impressed with Todd Monkin.

We are visiting with the Ravens radio voice Jerry Sandusky. Baltimore has drafted some wide receivers in the first round in recent years. It hasn't always worked out, but it looks like it might be working out this time. Zay Flowers taken twenty second overall. He had nine catches last week, and based on everything I've read about training camp, sounds like Zay Flowers is exactly what the Ravens were hoping for when they took him, and.

It's what they've been looking for in the draft since nineteen ninety six. They've never found that guy. They found him in Zay Flowers. Dan, you know, the Ravens are the only NFL team that have never drafted a Pro Bowl wide receiver ever, no Pro Bowl wide receivers. And I'm not I't believe me. I'm not elevating the rookie to Pro Bowl already, but he's already had the best first game of any Ravens rookie, I almost double the number of reception. He's got quickness, he's got football IQ.

What about the running game, I mean, do you think that uh, basically Todd Munkin and John Harbaugh based put Lamar Jackson under wraps or did Houston take away Lamar Jackson as an option running the football when he was doing the you know, the RPOs, his own reads and that kind of thing. It will Lamar Jackson be as big a running threat quarterback run threat as he's been in the pastund Todd Munkin, Dave.

I think he's going to be as big a run threat, but from a different angle. What I mean by that is the in the Greg Roman offense, the read option was the base of that offense. Along with power running ISO's trap that was the base of the offense and everything worked off of that. The Reid option is part of this offense. You'll see it some weeks, it will be a lot of weeks you don't see it. Where Lamar's going to get his yardage is this is more

Okay, Jerry, two years ago in this rivalry, in the two games, Joe Burrow threw for nine hunty one yards and the Bengals scored forty one points in each game. Last year, he never topped two twenty against Baltimore. The Bengals offense never scored more than twenty. Does Baltimore feel like it's got a pretty good formula for keeping the Bengals offense in check?

So? I think they did last year, but I don't know about this year because two years ago they felt like they did and they gave up a thousand yards. It's one of those things with this rivalry. There are a lot of really good coaches in this rivalry. I think Zach Taylor has evolved into a terrific young head coach in this league. I think lou Hana Rumo is one of the best defensive coordinators in the entire league.

You know defensively, when I look at both of these units, a lot healthy dose to respect for what the Baltimore Ravens have up front, healthy dose respect respect the same way for the Bengals and the back end. Now you know, the Bengals have a lot of young talent in the back end. The Ravens got some talent on the back end as well. But the position group that doesn't get talked about as much but is really good the linebackers. I mean, Smith and Queen combined for what twenty seven

It was wild you brought it up because I was doing game preps a little bit before I jumped on the call with you guys, and one of the big things that I circled was this might be the best matchup of inside linebackers we'll see all year until we see the Bengals again later down this year, because both defenses rely so heavily. The green dot is inside that group. For both teams. The big tackle numbers are inside that group.

And finally, and freciate you, as always, Jerry, special teams. You can never talk about a coach harball team without addressing the special teams because everybody knows it's so important to him. How do you see the special teams match up in this one?

Well, I think if either offense gets the ball the midfield, you're a scoring age. And I'm not think Justin Tucker and Evan McPherson have the strongest legs and the most accurate deep legs in the NFL. The two guys I feel bad for are the kick returners because they might as well take Sunday off because unless the teams want to kick it high and short and want to force a return, there will be no kick returns in this game.

Here's an invitation to join us for the Bengals pep Rally Show on Friday from three to six at Wings and Rings in Fairfield. Running back Trayvon Williams is scheduled to be our guest in the final hour. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast,