Bengals Booth Podcast: Finish Line

Hi, get everybody on dan Hord and thanks for downloading the Bengals Booth podcast. The The Thin is Mine addition, as we take a look at changes on the coaching staff and here from several players on what turned out to be a winning season, but one that fell short

Those were extremely hard moves for me to make. Those are all men that I have a ton of respect for, been through really high exciting times with, and do not take those decisions slightly. And I appreciate all that those guys brought to the table because They're like brothers to me. They worked hard every single day and those were not easy decisions to make, and we'll work to make those hires as soon as possible when that time is appropriate. I've been through a lot with all these guys, you know,

Two years ago, Bengals fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when lou Anaromo didn't land a head coaching job. His ability to confuse the NFL's best quarterbacks was a major reason why the Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl and AFC Championship Game and back to back years, and earned him the nickname lou DEENI. But let's face it, the defense has struggled since finishing twenty fifth in points allowed this year and twenty first last year in the

Just felt like we needed a change and again, did not take that decision lightly, thought long and hard about it. Lusman doing this for six years here and the success we've had, I mean, he's been a big reason why we've had a lot of success. And so again this don't this slightly put a lot of thought into it. It's not an easy day for any of us, and just felt like we need to perform better as a football team. And so again it's not in any specific one area. I think we've got to be better in

Similarly, Frank Pollack helped the Bengals get to a Super Bowl with a starting offensive line that included Isaiah Prince, Trey Hopkins, Hachema Dentegy in Quinton, Spain. Those four guys had a combined total of one start in the rest

Frank Pollack did so much for me in my career, you know, honestly, you know, outside of the injury this year, Man I was off to a great start, and Man I especially in past protection, I made such a large leap, which is very rare from sixty seven year sixty seven. But Frank had a very large impact on me, man and he helped me out of my career so much.

What was your reaction then you found out?

You know, it's sad man, you know, just because it's our livelihood. He has such a great passion for for us as players and for coaching the game of football, the offensive line position.

You know, it's sad. It is sad man.

Like I said, I truly truly, like I said, had a great relationship with him, and it just hurts just knowing, like you know, a guy who's stalled on the table for me with this organization would help getting like basically like help getting me drafted.

Here.

Man, just see, he's gone man my short time that I've been here. Like I said, Man, I owe that man a lot. Man, he say, ever since I've been here, all he's done is that's pouring to me. And Coach made as hard as possible. Like I said, I sat down when I first got here and he said, I mean, I'm gonna be hard on you, right, And I said, that's the kind of coaching I need. You know what I'm saying, Coach, and I thrive on same with my

Best going into the season. Many of us said, if Joe Burrow stays healthy, the Bengals will be a Super Bowl contender. Joe did and put up record numbers, but it did not lead to postseason play. The result is the biggest coaching staff turnover in Zach Taylor's tenure.

You know, we're all disappointed with the overall toutality of the season and the position that we put ourselves in, and I know that it's unacceptable to start the way that we started. We have a lot of talent on this team. We got great coaches, and so again I'm not just gonna say what I want to say and

Soon, attention will turn to contract negotiations as the Bengals look to sign Jamar Chase to an extension, reward Trey Hendrickson for his exceptional play, and see if they can reach a deal with t Higgins.

We got a lot of great players, and Tea is one of them, certainly, and I'm very hopeful that that will work out to where we're able to get him back. But there's certainly a process we're gonna have to undergo with a lot of players on our team, and I can a'masha well, we'll be We'll be in unison with whatever those decisions are, and that's a process will start now, you know, through the month of January and February and talking through every player on a roster and how it all fits.

Now, let's hear from several players, beginning with team captain Ted Karras and his reaction to the firing of Frank Pollock.

You know, I think that's always sad on bloody Monday of the NFL, and you know, it's some of the consequences of missing the playoffs two years in a row.

Great man.

We called him later. I haven't talked to him yet.

Were you surprised? Did you think because the team's record and we didn't make it to the playoffs that there was probably going to be some sort of move like that?

I've never you know, the surprised emotion is not something that I often feel in football. You know, I thought, what a great job rallying this team did backs against the wall for a month and a half, put ourselves with a chance, and god.

Will we you know, control the week?

In control?

And I didn't think the Chiefs would quite lay down like that, but I thought it would be a little at least a little bit more dramatic on Sunday. But nine to eight, four winning records in a row, I think it's a fantastic job by Zach Taylor in this in this program. So but two years missing in a row, never a comfortable feeling in the National Football League?

How long did you stick with Chiefs Broncos before you said, ah, this isn't even worth it.

When they switched it off on the broadcast, I mean they switched it to Raiders Chargers, So that was when I called it.

We spent so much time prior to this season talking about the need to get off to a fast start. Some changes were made. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it didn't result in a drastic change. Any thoughts to how to actually make that happen this coming year.

I think we can think about that as spring approaches. You know, never want to put ourselves in an own three hole. I've been owned to our own three, you know, three years in a row, so I'm sure the staff will be all over it. I think there's some things we can do individually, and I think, you know, that's definitely a you know, a monkey on our back going

After the Dallas game, Joe surprised many of us by outwardly campaigning for Tea to return, by expressing confidence that that can happen did that catch you guys off guard a little bit, the sense that he's really going out there and expressing that opinion with such conviction.

No, I think that you know this is uh, you know, this program runs through number nine. So you know, if he you know, he holds a lot of weight. I'm sure you know upstairs and you know that's a player that he has had a lot of success within this organization. You know, him him team Jamar together, I think is a very good high percentage win rate for the Cincanti Bengals.

On the subject of slow starts, Orlando Brown Junior says that simply cannot happen again in twenty twenty five.

You never want to put yourself in that position, and you always want to be able to control your own fate going into the playoffs. Uh, you know, late in December, you don't really want to have to be playing in those games where it's like, you know, you rather it be more so like we got the playoffs clinch. You know, we want to clinch his better seeding position, so we

Is there something you feel like you guys can do in the run up, whether it's in the offseason or in camp, to be a better team.

Early or is that a man? I think it's more mentality than anything. You know, it's hard to win. It's hard to win in life. It's hard to put yourself in good position, you know what I mean, It's hard to really understand all those things. And sometimes at the highest level of football, you gotta get used and comfortable the understanding of pushing yourself to the limit of what

You have to play more in the preseason, you have to change training camp.

I don't think any of those things need to change.

I think most importantly is just the mindset, man, understanding that when we go out there versus New England, we're four and eight already, you know what I mean.

We got to go out there and earn all right.

Orlando finished the season playing on a broken leg, but says it won't require surgery and that he'll be staying in Cincinnati to train under strength and conditioning coach Joey Bose For the second year in a row. He's also treating his fellow offensive lineman to an upcoming Buddies trip

Yeah, you know, I felt really good throughout the week.

I mean, I literally did everything I possibly could to put myself in position to play. But when I started moving around on it for real and started pushing it just it just didn't didn't feel good enough to plan an NFL game and to go out there injured with you know, not being fully confident in my ability. It's just, you know, it's a selfish thing to do if I were to go out there. So I felt like I did the not the best thing for myself, but for

You would have easily topped a thousand yards. I'm sure does that bum you out a little?

For sure?

Yeah?

No, I trust me.

I wanted I wanted.

That, and then to be ten yards away is like, it's hard, man, It's hard. So definitely just motivation for next year and it.

Will be a chip on my shoulder going in the off season.

Chase, you went in the last season with a focus on getting better as a receiver.

You did that in a big way.

What do you when you go into this offseason? Is there something on your mind right now in terms of something that you want to.

Have that be this year's thing.

Yeah, I'm just gonna become a better player, build on everything that I did this offseason, and you know, come back next season just more comfortable, more mature as a player.

I mean, I've I've taken a ton of snaps, so.

I'm comfortable and you know coming into you know, training camp and OTAs with you know, my experience.

Now, I'm just excited to build on that.

What do you think you've proved this year?

I've always had the confidence in myself that you know, I can play in this league, but you know, being able to go out there and show it definitely, you know adds to you know, my mindset and you know what I want to achieve next year, and you know what this team can achieve next year.

So that's what I'm focused on.

And you know, once training camp next year comes around, I just want to hit it full speed and ready to go.

You also feel like you established yourself as a core piece. It's not just Jamar and T. It's Jamar, T, you and maybe some others as well.

Yeah, I'm I'm happy with what I was able to show this year, and I'm just trying to build on it.

I mean, there's a bunch of great players in this locker room.

So being able to you know, make plays and you know, have a role in this offense with all the playmakers in it, it's pretty cool experience.

Or the emotions like last night, knowing that this team wasn't.

Gonna make it, it sucked, man.

I Mean I was kind of just sitting around after just talking to my girlfriend just about you know, it's it's just weird how long the season feels.

But when you think back on it.

I mean, it felt like we were just preparing for the Patriots and then next thing you know, you know, you're sitting on your couch waiting to find out if you're to make the playoffs or not.

So we could have.

Been better in some areas, and you know, it would have set us up to kind of control that situation. So on next year, we just got to come out hot instead of you know, warming up like we did this yere So, I mean, I'm excited about I know

Another positive was the emergence of tight end Mike Asiki, who earned Joe Burrow's trust as the bengals number three receiving target after signing a one year, two point five million dollar contract. Mike earned extra cash by hitting incentives for forty five and then fifty five catches and for five hundred and then six hundred yards. The sicky end of the year with sixty five catches for six hundred and sixty five yards and hopes to still be catching passes from Joe Burrow next year.

I mean, he is as advertised.

Honestly, He's done everything and more that I anticipated. I obviously knew about how well he could throw the ball, and you know, everything talent wise, and obviously you have that success and you have to have a really good understanding of what's going on.

But I didn't know he was.

Going to process information so quickly, and you know, know the defenses and how quickly you know things change and post snap and all that kind of stuff, and he did an an incredible job because you know, there's a lot of stuff in our offense that and the way that guys get defended with you know, Jamar getting doubled on, you know, just random plays here and there, and you got to be able to see that quick and defense is going to try to trick us because they know

You can't trick Joe Burrow.

Outside of personal expectation.

I'm sure there was team expectations that you guys didn't match this year.

How close do you think this team.

Is though, getting to where you want to go?

Yeah?

I mean very close.

Uh.

I mean you look at probably five different games throughout the course of the year where one play you know, obviously it's never just one play, but you can look back to one play that changes the outcome of the game, and you know one obviously one more win would have gotten us in.

Uh.

But that's you know, neither here nor there. I mean, it is, it is what it is at this point. But I would say that the coaching and the way that the culture is built and the way that things are run, it's all done the right way.

Like we're we're not far off.

And I mean it's easy to say when you're not in it, but I think that if we were in it, we.

Would have made some noise.

We want to come back?

Do I want to come back?

Yeah?

Absolutely. I loved it. It was It was incredible.

I mean, the coaching staff was incredible, the players were great, best quarterback in the league.

Like, I mean, it was fun.

If somebody told you you're going to have the second season gonna be a career book, you have.

Said, I would have said that I got the opportunity.

I knew what I was capable of.

It was just a matter of if the opportunity is gonna come your way. And that was just something that I haven't had in the last two years.

I came off a.

Year ride seventy three catches from eight hundred yards and then went two years and just kind of didn't get the same opportunities. This year, I got opportunities that I'm extremely grateful for and now I'll take for granted. And it all, Uh, it all played. It all played out the way that I envisioned it.

Joe said something to the effect of, how you were the perfect fit for this offense. How about the flip side of that, How has this offense been good for you?

It's been.

It's been good because I've been utilized in so many different ways. Like you'll see where Okay, hey, we're gonna splitch you out and if we get a safety out there, match it up, like my first play of the game, but the second play of the game the other night against Pittsburgh, like, all right, it's a safety.

It's we got Mike, Like we like this matchup, We're gonna go to you it man, coverage.

Last week, the first play overtime, we ran the same play, but I just ran like a I ran like a quick conversion versus press coverage, and we went back shoulder. We knew that, hey, we're probably gonna get man coverage again, he's gonna get pressed. He's gonna be thinking back shoulder, so get him a run and then come back down your stem. Like it's incredible the way that like our coaches think and like the next level thinking for them to be like, Okay, well we did that last week.

They watched that. Okay, now we're gonna come back and do this, and.

There you go, like some points in the game and some points and then the year, Like it is that easy. And like some of our basic plays is like double slants and a slant to the backside and a flat route and it's like it's the biggest play of the game. And like we just run our most basic offense that we installed day one OTAs because like we have a great quarterback who processes really quickly, and we have great receivers that win.

What's the thought process for you on Okay, I'm at this stage of my career, there might not be a ton of contracts left. I'd like to make a lot of money and all right, this offense fits me, they might be able to win a Super Bowl title. Where's that balance for you?

Yeah, three years or two years ago, came off of my best season career year and got franchise tagged, so that kind of yeah, so that kind of cuts into the contract you think you're gonna sign. It's still you know, you're so grateful for you know, the money you get for that one year, but it's not the multi year deal that you think you're gonna sign. And then we got a new head coach in Miami, wasn't utilized the way that I was.

Time to fresh Star Ago. New England played on statistically.

The worst offense in the league, so there wasn't a lot of opportunity there. So the market goes down and down. So it's like you have to really look at it from a business standpoint of like, okay, like definitely got to make up some money just based off of how the last couple of years have went. But also you know, you want to take everything into account and you know, be able to go out there and continue to produce the way that I produce this year because that makes it a lot more fun.

Kaseiki's sixty five catches were the second most ever by a Bengals tight end. Anne Ross had seventy one in nineteen eighty one. Finally, time to hear from a player who did not have a good year, kicker Evan McPherson. After signing a contract extension during training camp, Moneymack missed

Game, could have.

I'd say I was optimistic about playing in the playoffs. I kind of had my eyes set on it. I was going to test it and see how the body felt. But I was optimistic about it for sure.

So what happens from here now in terms of, you know, making sure you're one hundred percent ready to go for next year.

Yeah, I've talked to a couple of guys that have experienced this injury before and they just say that the biggest thing you got to do is rest and make sure that everything reconnects itself back to one hundred percent and then kind of go from there. So it's just kind of resting, rehab and making sure that my body's completely fixed itself.

Darren talked about, you know, kind of a long term thing.

This is kind of this is Yeah, you've had a couple.

Of meg and stuff, yep, you know anything, and he looked.

Into that at all about that.

Yeah, Yeah, I've definitely looked into guys kind of outside facility to kind of lean on and help in that area and just trying to understand why this is happening and kind of ways to fix it or prevent it. And so I'm just looking for the for next season to be in better shape one and to understand the body a little bit more. And I feel like going through this is gonna help me a lot.

Being in better shape.

I mean, is that just you know, getting a little bit older. It's requires a little more maintenance.

Yeah, definitely. I don't feel old.

You know, I'm only twenty five, so I like to think that my body can handle anything, but obviously it can't, and so I'm definitely gonna have to figure out kind of ways to protect my body from injury, because I mean, it's happened three out of the four years, and this year was the worst. So I just got to figure out a consistent way. Because there's guys in the NFL that have gone through kind of similar injuries but have

What's your overall description.

For this season.

Yeah, I mean this season was definitely interesting, and that's kind of what I talked about my end of year meetings. Just it was disappointing for me personally. I feel like I definitely didn't put my best foot forward this year. I've had a good feeling going into it offseason, preseason, and even the first couple of games, I felt like

Fortunately for the Bengals, Cade York did a solid job in the final five games, making nine of eleven field goal tries, including a fifty nine yarder to tie money