Bengals Booth Podcast: Good To Be Alive

Hi, get everybody.

I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. The feels good to be alive right about now. Addition, as the seven and six Bengals look to boost their playoff chances by beating the Vikings on Saturday at Paycorp Stadium, coming up, I'll talk to Chase brown about running twenty

If the person three seats down from you in the row can't hear you, then you're doing a good job, okay. And so that's essentially what quarterback's dealing with as he's trying to communicate with a tackle make a last second communication to the receiver. If they can't hear him, they can't make that check. And so it's critical in a December game like this with a team coming on the road against us that third downs in particular, that's where

That's a call to action, Bengals fans. Zach Taylor wants you to be loud. I'm sure you'll make him proud. Now time for my first guest. Rookie Chase Brown is given the Bengals offense a turbo boost over the last two weeks. In the Jacksonville game, he had thirty one and fifteen yard runs and in the Colts game, he had a ten yard run, caught a screen pass for twenty five yards, and caught this screen pass for his

Half the five touchdown Bengals.

Chase Brown showing his.

Speed as he flies down.

The field for the Bengals touchdown.

I talked to Chase about that play and his rookie year this week. Chase, on your fifty four yard screen pass touchdown last week, you were timed at twenty two point zero.

Five miles an hour.

That's the second fastest time of need ball carrier in the NFL this year, behind only DK Metcalf of Seattle. You are ahead of the Cheetah Tyreek Hill, who has three of the top eight times. Did you think of yourself as one of the fastest people in the NFL before you saw that?

Well, I always knew I could run, but there's an opportunity to open up. And I mean no, not initially, but I mean the numbers are there and it's pretty cool to reflect on.

I tried an experiment this week. I set the cruise control on my car tot twenty two miles an hour. I stuck my head out the window to try to feel like what it must be like to run that fast? Is it God given for the product of hard work.

My mom was a great athlete and my dad's a good athlete, So definitely have the genetics to back up a twenty two mile privor speed. But you know, maintaining that over time is you know, hard work and effort, and obviously I feel like there's so many areas I can improve, and you know that's what I'm focused on right now.

We're chatting to Chase Brown. In the last two games, Joe Mixon has combined for two hundred and forty two rushing and receiving yards. You have one twenty one. It's kind of the classic thunder and lightning backfield. Do you guys feed off each other?

I definitely feed off his energy, and you know, I think we both sparked the offense in different ways, so I think, you know, we combo each other well.

After the game, you climbed into the stands to celebrate with some folks who had come down from your hometown in Canada.

Who were they?

Yeah?

Those are those are my high school coaches from Canada, guys that introduced me to the game of football, and extremely grateful for the group of guys, especially making a trip out they did. They didn't have to do that, but you know, they're just showing their genuine interests in me and supporting me, and I'm just grateful that they were able to be there for that moment.

We're chatting to Chase Brown. The coaches made it pretty clear coming out of the buy back in week eight that you were going to start getting more opportunities, and then you hurt your hand. I'm string at practice where you worried that your big chance had come and gone.

You know, I have a a positive mindset, so you know, I knew that there's opportunity there. But you know, injury kind of helped me back, but I saw it as an opportunity to make sure I was ready to go mentally some as I got back, so you know, I prepared as if I was playing every single week, and you know that paid off.

An NFL player's rookie year is a roller coaster ride. You are going through it with your twin brother, Sydney, who is playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. How much have you helped each other get through the roller coaster ride a year one.

Yeah, you know, we just talk. It makes the process so much easier when you know you have a twin brother that's pretty much exactly like you, but you know, going through something similar to you. So to sharing our experiences, talking about the goods and the bads and ups and the downs, and you know, that's always that always helps. It's like a little therapy session any time I get on there.

Jake Browning is not a rookie, but he's getting his first opportunity at roughly the same time as you are. What has he shown you over the past few weeks.

Yeah, he's he's a great leader, number one, But.

Dudes, dialed in.

He's playing really good football right now, and I mean him just being him as you know, helping us win games and you know, sparking the offense in different ways. And you know, I'm sure he learned a lot from you know, Joe Burrow throughout his time here, and you know, he's just ready to show who he is and make the most of this opportunity that's in front of him.

You had an extremely heavy workload last year at Illinois three hundred and twenty eight attempts. That's roughly twenty seven a game. You had forty one carries in one game. You got nineteen so far this year. How fresh do you feel as a result.

Pretty fresh, A lot more fresh than I did during the Illinois season. But you know, I kind of I took pride in them giving the ball seven times a game. They trusted me to make plays and get the ball in the end zone. So that's that was my job back then. Right now, it's just a little bit different. I'm a role player. I'm gonna do my role to the best my ability, and you don't do whatever I can help this team win.

You've given the offense a huge jolt over the past couple of weeks. It's been fun to watch. Best of luck this week and going forward.

Thank you.

Let's go back to that GPS measurement of twenty two point zero five miles an hour, the second fastest for any ball carrier in the NFL this year. Jamar Chase is eleventh on the list. He hit twenty one point five four miles an hour when he caught a sixty three yard touchdown bomb from Joe Burrow in Arizona. And remember a couple of years ago against Kansas City, when Jamar caught a short pass and then ran away from

I don't know.

Maybe I'm slow man.

Have you ever crossed seen your numbers? I'm slow right now, I'm not lie.

I just looked up the GPS from the twenty twenty one Kansas City catch. It was twenty one point seven.

Oh well, what he twenty one point eight? He was twenty two five?

Oh damn, I'm slow, slow man, I'm slow.

On the Kansas City play, you kind of had to start, you know, from a standing position almost, so it's harder to get up to twenty two.

He was already moving when he caught the ball.

You said I was twenty one?

Was the other twenty one point seven and the other twenty twenty one. This year against Arizona, twenty one point five.

Yeah, I'm slow, broke. You gotta love Jabbar. Chase.

By the way, he needs twenty three catches in the final four games of the year to break TJ. Hushman's out of his team record of one hundred and twelve receptions in a single season. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, Proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber, future Proof Fiber Internet designed elevate your home, business and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care

It is great to visit with Chris Rose.

Chris, we are always interested in getting the national perspective of the Cincinnati Bengals. Have you been wowed by what Jake Browning has done over the past couple of weeks?

Absolutely, Dan, I don't think there's a question about it. We were all watching that Ravens Bengals game and when Joe Burrow couldn't throw the ball on the sidelines, we were like, Okay, we'll see the Bengals in twenty twenty four. Well, I guess joke's on everybody else, because the Bengals are playing great football.

They're actually a.

Very healthy team outside of the quarterback position, and I think they're one of those teams. It only feels like twenty teams in the AFC are at seven and six, and the Bengals are one of them. Hey, everybody's talking up Buffalo and that's the team you don't want to see in the playoffs. I think Brown can keep doing what he's doing. I have a feeling, based on Cincinnati's pedigree over the last couple of years, that it might be the Bengals that you do not want to face come mid January.

So I'm sure as you have prepped to do play by play this week, you've learned a lot of things about the Bengals beyond the stars that maybe you didn't know from doing the highlights every Sunday. What stands out to you as you've learned more about this.

Team, Well, I mean, listen, I knew that they were really young in the secondary right. We watch all the games together every Sunday as we get ready for our game day highlights and game day final shows, and it just seems like every time they're trotting out a rookie or a second year guy back there. Cameron Taylor Britt, who unfortunately is not going to play as he continues to be on IR, was a guy that the first half of the season we were like, Oh, that's one

I mean, I have no idea.

We all watched that screenplay early on, We're like, what the heck just happened there because nobody's you know, we all saw him at the combine. I think he ran like a four to four to three, which is a really good time, but it's not like DJ Turner's four to two six or something.

But he just looked so much faster than everybody else.

I was like, they got to get the ball to guy, and so I expect more of that to happen this weekend.

Chris, you went to Miami University worked at Fox nineteen here in Cincinnati for a while back in the nineteen nineties. The Bengals were struggling at the time. What memories do you have of covering the Bengals back then?

They were struggling, and I was struggling as I was learning to get into this business.

So it was actually a perfect match.

I remember when Shula was the coach, David Shula, and I want to say that one year they started out oh and eight or oh to nine or something like that, and they finally won a game. And here I am. I'm like I was. I was Greg Hord's sports producer and Kevin Fraser's sports producer, and so I had to go down to interview the coach afterward the next day and it's you know, there's a few writers in there and a couple of camera people, but it wasn't a

We're chatting with Chris Rose.

What do you think of the job that Duke Tobin has done in building the roster and Zach Taylor and his leadership of this franchise?

Great? That's great.

Now listen, did they did they end up in a fortune area where Joe Burrow was the quarterback that was available in twenty twenty? You know absolutely, You know, Kyler Murray's a good quarterback, but he's not Joe Burrow. Baker Mayfield two years earlier solid quarterback, but he's now on his fourth team. I mean, could the Browns have taken Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen with that, yes, absolutely, But

You mentioned the muddled pack of teams at seven and six in the AFC. The Bengals probably need to go three and one in their last four games. They've got the Vikings this week, then the Steelers, then the Chiefs, and finally a home game against the Cleveland Browns. What do you think of their chances of emerging from this pack of seven and six teams and getting in So.

Don't Here's what I would I would advise all Bengals fans out there, don't do the whole schedule thing, like, don't try and figure out what every other team who's fighting for a walk, well, they're going to lose to them, and those guys are gonna beat that. That doesn't work. Just go back to Monday night for the proof. Right, The Tennessee Titans had not won a road game all year.

Dan.

If you figure out the tiebreakers by Saturday, please let me know because I'm struggling with it as well, so you'll be calling Bengals Vikings this week. Like the Bengals, the Vikings are seven and six, They are doing it without Kirk Cousins and they have a winning record since he went down eight games into the season.

How are they doing it?

Defense?

Ryan Flores took over as the defensive play caller from Ed Donna Tell and they are totally different than.

A year ago.

They lead the league in blitzes, they lead the league in three and fewer pass rushers. So what does that mean. You can't really get a grasp on what they're doing. They're all over the place. So Jake Browning one play might see six or seven bodies up at the line of scrimmage, and the next down he might see two,

Now. He's no joke.

He's got a decent arm, but he'll throw it to you. He's kind of like, you know, he went to Southern miss and of course the most famous player from there is Brett Farr. Just like Farm, He's going to throw it to you a couple times a game. It's just whether or not you're gonna catch it.

So with those things in mind, give us a couple of keys to the Bengals getting out of pay Court Stadium on Saturday with a win.

Well last week I talked to a good friend of mine who actually works for the Bengals this week and he reminded me he might even be on this right now. The zoom call that the Bengals did not give up a sack for the first time in their last forty three games, so If you do that against daneil Hunter and Crewe, that's that's a good deal. It's really important we look. Jake Browning has been great against like Blitz's.

Chris, this has been fun. Look forward to having you back in town on Saturday.

Thanks for your.

Time, absolutely and day if you need it. I've got the entire tiebreaker scenario. It's right right down here somewhere in one of these pages. So I'm going to send all this to you. It's not sloppy or anything. We'll take care of it.

Just summarize for me. Please just summarize.

Yeah, in three words or less. It shouldn't be probab that'd be perfect. Thanks Dan.

I'm still not sure that I have a total grasp of the playoff tiebreakers, but I know this thanks to my pal Jay Morrison, who covers the Bengals for Pro Football Network. There are three NFL games on Saturday. If the Bengals beat the Vikings, the Colts beat the Steelers, and the Lions beat the Broncos, and those are the teams that are favored to win, the Bengals would jump to the number six playoff seed in the AFC, and nothing that happens on Sunday would change that. Finally, it's

Really their defense.

Brian Flores has come in this season his first year of the defensive coordinator and has really engineered a one hundred and eighty degree turn in the way they play defense. From last season when they were a very passive, you know, too deep type, look to this year where they have essentially with the same players, become this like wild blitzing, mixing coverages, mixing positions, essentially using.

Players at multiple positions at any given time.

And really since the start, since about the third or the fourth week of the season, they've been a top five defense across the board. And so that's what you need when you lose your starting quarterback, and not only is your starting quarterback, but you lose your number two and your number.

Three as well.

And Josh Dobbs when he was playing for the Vikings was really their fourth and so usually those situations lead to a disaster. And one of the reasons the Vikings, the biggest reason that hasn't been a disaster for them has been their defense.

What is it about the Vikings with close football games? When they win eleven by one score or less? You know last year that was a record, I think. And then they've only had one game the entire season that's been decided by fourteen points some more against at Green Bay. Every other game there was one by eight, but that's one score the only two point conversion. Eight points are less. I mean, the six games they've lost by a total of twenty three points. The games they've won has been

And it's not great for the blood pressure of beat riders on dead that. But they have played thirty games since the start of when Kevin O'Connell became the coach. Last year, twenty three of them have been decided by one score games, so that, as you said, they are eleven and zero last year. This year there's six and six in the twelve games that have been one score and.

Then obviously the Packers game that you mentioned.

And so I'm kind of out of explanations. I don't think there's like a through line through all of these things. I think last year especially, they were really good playing fourth quarter situational football and so and they were they able to pull out a lot of games at the very end, either through game winning drives with Kirk Cousins or their defense maybe making an interception here and there. This year, it's been a little bit all over the map, and I think it's just kind of an extreme example

Is in that middle. And so they're kind of an extreme example.

Of that, where they're not good enough to just, you know, especially this year, just reel off wins every time they're in these close games, but they are good enough to rarely get.

Blown out either. And so maybe it's just kind of.

A little bit of a microcosm of the larger, you know, relative lack of disparity that we.

See in the NFL.

That they find themselves in every game playing with an opponent not necessarily being better, but sometimes this year sometimes coming out ahead sometimes this year being behind, but I'm always very close and I expect more of that to come this weekend.

Kevin Sefford covers the vikings for ESPN I do University of Cincinnati football game. So I can honestly say I am not surprised that Ivan Pace is having success at the NFL level. What stands out to you about his play as a rookie from Minnesota just you.

Know, just so energetic.

I mean, he from the from the beginning of train camp, he was just making splash plays.

He would just you would just see.

Him running sideline the sideline in at a at a rate that most of the guys weren't, especially when he was working on that second and third team, Uh, those second.

And thirteen groups.

And then you never but you never know when you're watching training camp what that means.

Sometimes it's just.

A guy that's really it hustles a lot, but the coaches don't see, you know, potential to actually be a contributor at the first team. And then all of a sudden he started, uh, you know, they'd have an inner squad scrimmage and he's working with the first team and the guy that they had penciled in to be the starters of the second team, and you think, oh, well, maybe they're just seeing what he can do, and then

Uh.

Brian Forlores's defense, I think has one of the things that's been really good is that he has found ways to maximize the skills of each guy, and so in some cases that means they play ten snaps one week and the next week they play fifty snaps. And so that's where Ivan was at least early in the year, like a lot of his playing time was based on what Flores and the defensive staff thought was best for

The Vikings has scored twenty six points in the first quarter in thirteen football games, two points per game. Why the slow starts, do you think?

Well, early in the year they were on this crazy run of not only not scoring but turning the ball over. I think they had first half of the season. I think it was four games where they turned the ball opening over on the opening possession, and so they were just coming out and maybe it was too you know, overthinking their script a little bit. Maybe it was trying to be too fine or too aggressive in what they were projecting opponents to do.

But they were just really rough in.

The in the especially on those opening drives, and that's where you see a lot of teams really excel as if you have the whole week to play in your opening script and if nothing is gonna work the whole day, but that but that, but you know that one one drive will And so it was really wild and they went they just kind of, I think, try to simplify things a little bit, uh decided who they thought was, you know, should have the ball in their hands more often,

So they've been a little bit better better.

But in the past two weeks, both the Raiders and the Bears got the opening kickoff and ended up on these long, time consuming, not a slight productive, but time consuming drives.

And the Vikings didn'tn't.

Really have many plays in the first quarter of those two games either, and so it's been a combination of factors. But now they've I think, have gotten their turnover situation under control. They're a little bit more effective now in the first quarters.

Kevin, My final question has to do with Nick Mullins, who will be the starting quarterback this week. Fourth starting quarterback of the year for the Vikings, first time in franchise history. Apparently they've started four in one season. Was this building or was this just the result of him having a good fourth quarter last week and the three nothing win in Vegas?

Well, it was a common factors.

Nick Mullens started the year at the Vikings number two quarterback and he and then he had a back injury that happened in practice and he went on injury reserve, And if that injury had not happened, he would have been the person who came in to replace Kirk Cousins when Cousins suffered the Achilles injury, but he wasn't available, so they went with a number three quarterback who got Jared Hollow at a concussion, and then finally to Josh Jobbs. And I think there was a belief all along that

And led the only scoring drive they had in the whole game.

And so at this point, I don't know that Kevin O'Connell, the head coach, had much of a choice but to turn to Nick.

But he also, like I you know this, he had a very cutting quote.

Where he said, this is a week to week offense, We're going to decide every week what we're doing and who the people out there are going to be.

That's doing it. And so I don't know that I feel confident that Nick.

Mallins has started for the rest of the year, but he's definitely going to be the starter this weekend.

Thanks for giving us all the time you've given us. My final question involves the tight end position. How good is Hawkinson been? The Bengals have given up more receptions and more receiving yards than any defense in the National Football League. In Hawkinson eighty five catches over eight hundred yards, five touchdowns receiving. How good is this dude?

Well, he's really become the security blanket for all the Vikings quarterbacks, and for reasons that we haven't even talked about yet, but justin Jefferson missed seven seven games with a hamstring injury, most of last week with the after he got hit in the back there and suffered a

He's been outstanding at that.

I think he has more catches or remember he's now ranked number two in the NFL amongst all tight ends. And so he's been very durable and very available and very much a security blanket for all of those guys.

And so we'll see.

How that, you know, how that plays out now that we expect Jefferson to be on the field for most of this game most is not all of this game Saturday, but he's always going to be there and he's always going to be a guy that those quarterbacks know can be a reliable gainer of yards.

And you're right, he's number one in tight end receptions with eighty five and number one in tight end receptions on third down with twenty five. So he's been a.

Beast, absolutely, And they traded for him last year from Detroit, gave up a second round pick, and then sign him to a huge contract extension, so he's a premium player at a premium value and they're getting their money's worth out of them This year.

The Bengals are currently a three point favorite this week. Here's an invitation to join Dave Lapham and me for the Bengals pep Rally Show this week. We'll be at the Wings and Rings location in Union, Kentucky on Friday from three to six, and since it's the day before a game, we won't have a current player joining us this week. Our special guest will be the starting center on the nineteen eighty eight Super Bowl team, Bruce Gazerski. That's going to do it for this episode of the