Hi again, everybody.
I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading the Bengals Booth Podcast, the I Want to Know edition as we get impartial analysis of the Bengals draft class from one of the best in the business, Greg Cosel from NFL Films and the NFL Matchup show on ESPN plus one on one conversations with first round draft pick Miles Murphy and one of his new teammates, Joseph Osai, who tells us how fans at a UC basketball game boosted his confidence after
that costly penalty in the AFC Championship game. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're free to play with tickets and signed merchandise up for grabs. Find both inside the Bengals app. Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since the birthday boy. My son Sam
turned seventeen this week. When you become a parent for the first time, every other parent that you talk to tells you to savor it because time will fly by. Well, they weren't lying. It seems like only yesterday I was reading Sam bedtime stories. Now I'm tossing him the keys to the car. In any case, Peg and I are very proud parents of a great kid and one of
the world's biggest Bengals fans. In fact, one of his birthday wishes this year was one of those garish necklace chains with a big Bengals logo on the end that will be part of his game day attire at Peikor Stadium next year. Now, let's get to my first guest. Everywhere you look these days, folks are breaking down NFL game video, from former players to knowledgeable fans. It's helped all of us better understand a complicated sport. Greg Cosell was one of the first people to study the tape
and share his observations publicly. Nearly forty years ago, he helped NFL Films create the NFL Matchup Show, and for decades, Greg has been one of the most respected analysts in the game. One of his annual tasks is to study draft prospects. He looks at more than two hundred each year, and he joined me this week to discuss the Bengals
picks and their moves in free agency. It is always a treat to talk football with my friend Greg Cosell, especially less than a week after the NFL Draft, because I know how much tape you have been studying to be informed about these guys. Let's start with the Bengals first pick, Miles Murphy, the defensive end from Clemson. He's roughly six five to seventy nearly thirty four inch arms. He ran a four five forty. What did you see on tape when you watched Miles Murphy?
Yeah, this guy looks the part Dan. I actually watched him last summer with his twenty twenty one tape, and of course watched him this year with his twenty twenty two tape. I thought he actually improves meaningfully this year from last year. He showed a little bit more bend in flexibility. But what his signature really is is speed
to power with an outstanding one arm stab. That's really his game, and the one big key for him is really timing the snapcount because when he could get off the ball right away, he was explosive with his acceleration and challenging the offensive technique. The technique of offensive tackles, you must be able to challenge the high side, you know, meaning the outside arc. If you can't do that as a pass rusher, it's very hard to be a good
pass rusher. And he showed better ability to do that in his last year at Clemson than he did in twenty twenty one. But he is ultimately a speed to power rusher. He's also really good with secondary movement. He can redirect, he can retrace, he's he's a very competitive player.
I have seen some people have this criticism that the production doesn't quite match the physical gifts. Yep, his single season high for sacks with seven. Is that a concern in your mind?
It's a concern in the sense that at this moment in time, he does not really have counters. And that's why the production doesn't match the physical traits because once if the speed to power did not work, there wasn't much more for him to do at this moment. That's going to have to be worked on through the OTAs, through training camp, and obviously, as you well know you've been doing this a long time, one move is not enough in the National Football League to be a quality edge pass rusher.
That sounds to me like something that a good defensive line coach can teach.
And I would agree with that, which is why he's a first round pick. Because the size, the length, and the overall traits are there. You just need to expand the arsenal.
All right.
There were several good cornerback prospects in this draft. The Bengals picked the fastest of the bube unpick DJ Turner out of Michigan. Did you have him ranked among the upper tier of cornerbacks in this year's class?
Upper tier? How do you want to define that? He was not among my first three or four, But that's okay. It was a very good cornerback draft. Obviously, as you said, he ran a four to two six at the combine. You know, he's five eleven in a quarter. He's light, he's one seventy eight, So now you're dealing with a
frame that's a little smaller than ideally desired. He's not really a physical player, but he's unbelievably good at mirror match press man, and by mirror match, I mean you play press, you wait for the receiver to declare his release off the line of scrimmage, and then you react to him. It's taught either getting in his hip pocket, reacting to his shoulder, it doesn't matter. You react to
the release. And he has quick, explosive feet. He's got really loose fluid hips, and boy does he have the easy deep speed dan to run with receivers in mirror match. I mean, so many times guys would try to run vertically and it looked like he was just out there jogging and he was running with him. So his speed really does show up on film. Now. One thing that is a little bit of a concern. Sometimes fast guys, and I learned this from an old friend of yours
who I've gotten to Noel TJ. Huschman Zada, Sometimes fast guys struggle to stop. So sometimes when he would be running with what appeared to be a vertical route and it would end up being a curl or a comeback, it took him too many steps to stop. That's a common issue for guys that are really fast, and that's going to have to be worked on.
It was interesting after the pick Bengals defensive coordinator lou Anarumo spoke about his recovery speed. To Lou that was the key to alf four to two six, not looking good at the Combine. But if he makes a mistake, and they all do at some point, the ability to recover because of his natural gifts.
And it looked so easy. Believe me, it really looked like it was a walk in the park for him.
All right, let's move to the third round. I'm really interested to get your thoughts on third round pick Jordan Battle, the safety out of Alabama. The Bengals met with him at the Combine. They put on the tape and they said his understanding of football was as good as anybody they've ever interviewed at the combine. Does that show up when you watch him on tape.
Absolutely. This guy started forty five games at Alabama and when I and keep in mind he's not a great athlete, so when you watch his tape, his game is built on Here's what I type, just, you know, talking about the Bengals, and I guess we see things the same way. I get lucky once in a while, Dan, you know, so, I said his game is built on high level mental acuity with a full understanding of both his assignments and opposing offenses. That's exactly what I said about Jordan Battle.
That's what he is He's an incredibly smart, aware, intuitive player. The reason he's a third round pick and not higher is because he's not a high level athlete. So now you have to think, what does that mean in the context of your defense? You know, can he match up to tight ends? He's probably not a post safety, even though he played a ton of post safety at Alabama.
But that's college football, you know. I don't think he's a replacement for Bates, not in my mind anyway, but you know, maybe I'll be wrong, but this guy is incredibly intelligent, the way in which he plays the game.
Is his skill set more of a replacement for von Bell?
Yes, I would say for sure it would be more of a replacement for von Bell.
Absolutely following the pick. Quite honestly, the more I learned about him, the more I watched, the more I thought von Bell. Yeah, does he remind you of von Bell?
I don't know if he reminds me, you know, apples to apples, But he's that kind of player. And I got to know Bryce Young a little bit, and I saw him at an event last year and we were actually talking about Jordan Battle. I said, hey, I was surprised he decided to come back and Bryce Young said to me, he said, hey, we're so glad he did because he is he is the team. He said, he's the guy at Alabama, you know, so he's that kind of guy. He's super intelligent. He controls everything in a
good way. That's the kind of player he is.
We are visiting with a great Greg Cosel from NFL Films in the NFL Matchup Show. In the fourth round, the Bengals took wide receiver and return specialist Charlie Jones from Purdue. He led the nation and catches last year with one hundred and ten. He had a couple of return touchdowns in his college career. He's got four four to three speed, so he is significantly faster than the Bengals depth receivers like Trent Irwin and Trent Taylor. What do you think of Charlie Jones.
Yeah, Charlie Jones, I think we'll have to move into the slot in the NFL. You know, he's one hundred and seventy five pounds. He's a little more straight linish. You know, he's got really good straight line speed. He's not a shifty, sink your hips in and out of breaks kind of route runner. He kind of needs free access, which is another reason I think he'll move inside. Those guys more often than not can be used as motion
movement receivers. As you know, you want do you want him to generate some velocity into his routes because he's much more, as I said, a speed cut receiver than he is as a sink your hips guy, you know, And that also minimizes the press coverage, because that's a question, you know, can he beat pressman coverage consistently? But he
can run, and you know he has. He had a really big day against Garrett Williams, who was a corner from Syracuse who was a draft choice and is a really good corner prospect, So you know, he's an interesting guy that but there's reasons he's drafted in the fourth round, and it has to do with the fact that he's even though he can run, he's pretty straight linish.
In the fifth round, the Bengals took running back Chase Brown out of Illinois, another guy with four to four speed and in his case of forty inch verticals, so he's got some explosiveness. He was third in the country last year in rushing yards per game. What are his strengths and weaknesses.
Yeah, I liked him. I mean, he's got a compact frame, he's got a very low center of gravity. He was used last year as a volume runner at Illinois. You're dealing with a guy that's tough, competitive urgent. He's got strong downhill trades. He's got a sustaining mentality, which is different than saying that he's a powerful runner, because he's not a powerful runner. Even though he runs hard and runs physically and competitively tough, he's not really powerful or strong.
So he does have really good speed. He can take it to the house. I think he's got great vision once he gets to the second and third levels of the defense. He's got a natural feel for where pursue who is coming from. He can, you know, as I said, he can take it the distance, so he does bring an explosive dimension. I think for the Bengals he's a really good pick because this is not a team. Number one, they don't play at a base personnel hardly at all. They play out a three wide, so the defense is
a little more spread. And number two, they don't really ask their back even with Joe Mixon, as you know, to carry twenty times every week. There may be a week that that happens, but that's not really the way their offense is structured.
They lost so much Jp Ryan to free agency to the Denver Broncos. He was getting a lot of third down snaps last year. Do you think that Chase Brown is a likely guy to get some of those snaps or what could his role.
Be as a rookie?
He could? I mean, he showed excellent hands as a receiver. He was used at Illinois. He ran a lot of wheel routes out of the backfield, which are our real routes as opposed to check downs or flat route So he did run those kinds of routes. He caught the ball very easily. Could he be a third down back? You and I both know there's many factors that are involved with that, but if you're just talking about the hands, he could do that all right?
Onto the sixth round and I imagine you were really interested when you studied this guy. Andre Yosi Vash the wide receiver out of Princeton an All American hetathletes, so he know he can sprint and pull, vault and do the shot. But how good is he as a wide receiver prospect.
Yeah, he was an interesting watch because obviously he played at Princeton, and you know, his athletic profile is elite, no question about it. But you know what was interesting to me watching his tape is I expected him to run by corners in the IVY League much more than he did. I don't think he played to his time speed, you know, but his short shuttle time was ridiculously good. I mean, the traits, the testing traits are ridiculous. But there'll be a developmental curve for this guy. How do
you use him? He's probably an outside receiver. He certainly, if he makes the team. It's not as if he's going to get meaningful snaps on the outside. He certainly has good size to you know, to be a boundary X type receiver in the league. But it's gonna take time for him. He needs more route running detail and nuance. I think he has to learn how to use his speed better than he did in college. So, you know, again you're dealing with a smaller school guy who has a developmental curve to him.
So those are the first six players that Cincinnati selected. Does anything stand out to you about the group as a whole?
Oh?
Tough question. I mean, obviously there was some need involved here because they they needed to deal with corner and they needed to deal with safety. So I think that that, you know, you know, the way the draft works now, you draft the best player at a need position. That's normally the way it works now, because you know, you have to line people up. I mean, people forget that. You know, it's easy to say, take this guy, take that guy. But you know, they lost to safeties. They
got to line people up in safety. Obviously at corner they need they needed a corner. So you know, I think that they addressed need with quality players at the time that they drafted. You know. So I'm very curious to see Jordan battle because I love watching him play. I just kept thinking to myself, God, is he a good enough athlete? But he's really a good football player.
All right. We are chatting with Greg co Sell from NFL Films in the NFL Matchup show. We spoke at the combine that was just before the start of free agency. What does the addition of Orlando Brown Junior mean to the Bengals offensive line?
They still needed to address the old line, and I think you would agree. I mean, even with the changes that were made a year ago. It was still up and down. I think that's a fair statement when you agree it was still up and down in terms of protection.
So it was necessary to address it. And when you can go out and get someone who's played in the league and been a good player, won a Super Bowl, you know, he's been with two quality organizations that you have one games a lot of games with different style offense is obviously you know. I think that all that's really really important. I assume he's going to play left tackle correct.
One hundred percent. He would not have signed with Cincinnati if they did not essentially promise him that he would be the left tackle.
So I guess the question is, is Jonah Williams is he going to I know he's probably not happy about it, but is he now going to be the right tackle?
That is my assumption. You're right, he's not happy about it. He has requested a trade, but I don't expect that to happen for a number of reasons, not the least of which is he's guaranteed twelve million dollars this year, and I suspect he'll want to make those twelve million dollars. So most of us assume that after cooler heads prevail, he'll show up in training camp and play right tackle and probably move on at the end of the year.
Yeah, and he'll probably be fine at right tackle. It'll probably be a little bit of an upgrade, and you know, so it'll really help their own line. We know how good Burrow is. I mean, Burrow is a master before the snap of the ball. He knows where everybody is. You know, he's not phased by pressure. So, you know, I think that's a clear upgrade and I think they needed to do that.
Prior to last year, the Bengals lost cj Uzama, they replaced him with Hayden Hurst. They got similar results. Now they've lost Hayden Hurst, they've replaced him with Irv Smith Junior. What do you think of earth Smith Junior.
I always liked him a lot. He's just been injured a lot. I think a healthy Erv Smith Junior is actually a pretty dynamic weapon as a tight end because he's a three level player. He's a seam stretcher. He can run crossers. You know, he can line him, you can line him up outside and he can run go routes. I mean, he's a really, really good athlete for a tight end, and every year I kept hoping, Man, I hope he's healthy this year because I think there's a lot there in his body. There's a lot of traits
there as a receiving tight end. So we'll see how it plays out. The number one thing is can he stay healthy and on the field.
No question about it. The Bengals are banking on that. I guess the good news with Irv Smith Junior as he entered the NFL when he was twenty He's still only twenty four. I now be a lot of football left.
Yeah, let's just staying healthy. Who's the second tight end right now?
They brought back Drew Sample, Yeah.
But he's more of a blocker and so they have a good combination there. But you know Erv Smith is he's a really intriguing player in the context of this offense because he can detach from the formation and run wide receiver type routes.
So, Greg, when I asked you at the combine about the Bengals internal free agents, you said that you thought retaining Jermaine Pratt was important, and the Bengals obviously agreed. What was your reaction when you saw that they reached an extension with Jermaine Pratt.
Not surprised Dan because I really, you know, understanding that defense, and obviously over the last number of years, because the Bengals have become a very good team. I've seen a ton of the Bengals defense, and I thought he was a really important players. I told you at the combine. So again, I never get involved with money in what
guys are asking for. But it did not surprise me at all because I think the way in which they played defense and what they asked their linebackers to do, it's important Wilson and Pratt, as you well know, are important pieces to that defense. Some teams view, you know, stackbackers in an important way, others don't. I'm in the Philadelphia area Hawie Roseman and the Eagles, the way they played, they don't view stackbackers as that important within the context
of their defense. But you know, there's ten different ways to do things in this league, as you know, and clearly the Bengals view Wilson and Pratt as really important pieces to that defense. So I wasn't surprised at all when they re signed him.
Final thing for Greg co Selm, my broadcast partner Dave Lapham reached out to a lot of his contacts around the league prior to the draft, and one of the questions he was asking was where do you have the Bengals ranked among talent in terms of talent on the roster, and Lapp said everybody he talked to had the Bengals ranked in the top three, top three. Feel that the Bengals have a top three roster or something like that, top to bottom.
I would probably have to say no, But I think that Joe Burrow factor makes everybody believe that. And there's nothing wrong with that because Joe Burrow is pretty damn good. But you know, again, it's hard for me to think of every roster now given that where you know, in early May, and I haven't been studying rosters the way I do during the season. So but my initial thought would be no. And I don't want people to hear that and think, oh, you think they stink.
No.
You know you're asking me top three. There's thirty two teams. That's that's that's high level. Certainly there are top ten, for sure, but I don't know if they're top three. If you look at the overall roster, you know, I think the quarterback can always make up for any potential deficiencies offensively and can compensate for anything. He's so good and so incredibly smart and aware, and I think defensively they have some good players and some underrated players, probably
by media people. But I don't know if overall you'd say top three, it might be. I just my initial thought was not to say, yes, it's definitely top three.
Which is why I love talking to you. Somebody else would have said, oh, sure, top three. You're giving your honest opinion, very good, top ten, just not necessarily top three.
Yeah, definitely top ten, but I just top three. I would have to look in detail at rosters, you know. And obviously I didn't know you were gonna ask me that question, so I didn't do that. But you know, I'd have to look at I'd have to look at rosters to answer that truly correctly.
Dave Lappham will not be offended just because some of his contacts, Oh differently. This is always a treat. I don't want to take too much of your time. Appreciate the visit as always, Greg, thank you.
Dan, No, thank you. I always appreciate it.
The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by Alta Fiber Future Fiber Internet capable of delivering multi gigabit speeds designed to take your home, business, and community to a new level. Elevate your connection with all to Fiber. I had my first opportunity for a one on one interview with Miles Murphy when he came to town a couple of days after the draft. I think you're going to be wowed by him, much like Jackson Carmen was. When Murphy left high school midway through his senior year and
enrolled at Clemson in January of twenty twenty. He said, Miles Murphy is the truth. Yes, as good as anyone that you've ever faced.
Yes, he's so gifted, you know what I mean.
When he gets to the league, he's going to that understanding is gonna take over, you know what I mean. Because when you in college, everyone's talented, but there's a certain there's a system in college, you know what I mean, And so you get to the lead, all that information just gets dumped on you.
And so a guy like Miles he's going.
To figure out those pathways to be able to transition himself.
It's a credible player. Like when he gets better as just like his.
Body Awarenes's like his flexibility, mobility, his energy transfer, his technique like predetermined techniques, like when you're in college, you're thinking about techniques. When you're doing you're thinking like long arm and then go like when you get to the league, you kind of can feel like as soon as his shoulder moves, I'm already doing that because I know his hand's gonna be like stuff like that, Miles is gonna take into his game.
He's gonna really just blossom. So I'm scited for my miuse.
At any point in the draft process, did you think man Miles Murphy would be a great pick at twenty eight?
Yeah, I mean I thought he would have went higher, honestly, but I'm glad he's here real the moment I want and gets in the first time, Like, oh, he's gonna get drafted the first round.
I'm like I've literally thought that. I'm like, yeah, this guy's this guy's it, Like it's great.
He's strong, he's fast, he's smart, he's humble, Like, well more could you ask in the player?
So he comes in early, he's seventeen years old or whatever, and you say, this guy is the first draft.
Yes, I told him that. You know, guys, kids in college is doing whatever. Practice can't wait to go home. You feel me. Me and Miles are working. He's seventeen, I'm a junior, and we're going at it. I'm throwing him around and then he I can see he's starting to kind of get like frustrated because I'm beating him. So he comes off with a different movie than he did, Like he's flashing me a long arm. He just disappears with it, and I was like, and I flip ran
them by. But that was the first like real like feeling of.
Like, oh my god, Like that was yeah, you know what I mean. So, and then from there it just compiled.
He seems like a very I don't know if the intellectual is the wrong word, but you know he's he's not it's cerebra, thank you. He's not a for lack of a better expression, like mead heead.
No, he's not at all, very very god feeling, very humble, very sensitive, like in a good way, you know what I mean.
Strong. He's a great kid, bro, I love mine.
Sounds like he'll fit right in.
You're gonna do more than that and go dominate.
The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps. More than twenty nine thousand customers trust Paycorp to help them recruit, pay, engage, and retain employees. Learn more at paycorp dot com. It's customary for the Bengals first round draft pick to fly to town a day or two after the draft to do a news conference and then a series of interviews with local reporters. Perhaps you've already watched one or more of the interviews that Miles Murphy did.
That's why when we sat down, I tried to dig a little bit deeper into Miles the person instead of the football player. Miles, based on everything that I've read, you take great pride in being more than just a really good football player. You studied engineering, you love to draw. Is all of that other stuff important to you?
I think it is important to me, honestly, because let's say it makes me kind of the person who I am.
It's probably it's part more personality. More. I am more than just a football player. Fly us I should be.
I should be every football player's mission to find you know something outside of football that you're interested in, whether it be cars, architecture, anything, so yeah, just you know what, find find that niche whatever it is.
Do you love math or you just good at it?
I'm just good at it, honestly.
Yeah, like Matt, math and science I always came easy, always came kind of easy to me putting together just physics, and I always saw it as you know, plugging in formula.
So I enjoyed it.
We're chatting with Miles Murphy. Is the truth that you have an interest in stadium designed?
I do.
I'm about to say, I've been watching I live in Atlanta, So I watched the Mercedes Benz Stadium from the ground up and the Georgia Dome come crashing down, and then Sofi Stadium. I've been, you know, all all into that project.
Honestly.
Uh watched watching that, watching that stadium be built, the Raiders, the Raiders Stadium with just a beautiful stadium. Been watching that STEDDI and been being built. So I I kind of am a nerve when it comes from when it comes to that.
You love to sketch them.
From what I've read, Yeah, that was I was being on sketching those stadiums more so when I was once. So when I was when I was in high school. Uh, in between classes and whennot so I just kind of being my own's own, listen to my music and my.
Headphones and just kind of draw a little bit.
So you fly into Cincinnati on Saturday morning, you make that drive from the airport in northern Kentucky down the hill, you start to see the skyline. Did you see the stadium and kind of take a look at Okay, that's gonna be my new home.
Yeah. But I'd say kind of kind of a surreal feeling.
Uh, just great, honestly, Uh, I would say, just love, love, love love the city of Cincinnati.
It's a beautiful just the beautiful spot, honestly.
So you went to Clemson, which is obviously one of the great programs in college football. But I'm amazed by your high school, Hill Grave or hill Grove High School, which is not too far from Atlanta. The alums include Bradley Chubb from the Dolphins, Evan Ingram from the Jags, You and Drake who's had a long NFL career. Did the fact that those guys went to your high school make the NFL dream seem attainable to you?
For sure? Uh?
And honestly, a big part of that just comes from the work ethic from the guys. Honestly, Uh, that work, that work ethic is instilled at Hill Grove of just you know, coming in every day, going all out because it's you know, it's competitive Georgia's seven and football. But I said, you're not gonna get wins easy. You're not just gonna walk into an accidental when you know the that's that mentality of day in, day in and day.
Out work starts there.
Really, you were one of the top five recruits in the country. That's a crazy process. When you were ranked that highly, did you enjoy it or was it overwhelming?
It was never overwhelming? Uh not, never made an overwhelming because I'm not I'm not the biggest social media guys, so I kind of I kind of keep my personal life to myself. Honestly, honestly, was exciting. I never I never talked about I played football. I was a five starlists. I was asked about it, so as that's really how I'm moved with it.
We're chatting with Miles Murphy, the Bengals first round draft pick. I am a sucker for a great draft party video, and it looked like you had a heck of a time back home, with roughly one hundred and seventy five people in attendance, you could have gone to the draft, I'm sure in Kansas City. Why was it important to you to be around friends and family?
One hundred and seventy five sounds like a lot.
But about to say, every single one of those people that can't well that was in that building had had something to do with where I am now.
You know, has touched has touched some part of my.
Life that has shaved me into having the discipline that I have, having any anything.
This is something that saved me to the presime today.
In the pre draft process, you ran a four five three forty. I'm sure people told you it's important to run a great time if you can. What was it like to cross the finish line and realize that you had run a time.
Like out of your size.
Honestly, when I was there and I ran across, I didn't know what I had run until I had to walk all the way back, and then my agent and coach Sweeney had walked up to me and they were like, yeah, all the scouts got between a four four eight and a four five two four five three, and I was like, oh well, my little.
Just stop right there. That's a good time. I'll end with that. But yeah, it was fine.
So some guys actually had you below four or five.
Yeah, and they every single Scott there said if I were to run straight, it would it would have easily been like a four four six, four four nine at the highest, And I knew that was the case.
But I'll take a four five three.
You seem like you have a very calm and mellow disposition. Do you flip a switch on game day and become like an alter ego on the football field?
This is one of those things that you gotta make a choice. Uh, you gotta dominate. But once that once that helmet comes on, once once put the cleats on, you gotta you gotta tap into that, you know, that different mentality of you know, we're going to dominate.
So I guess it is a flip that is switched every day.
The Bengals have a road game in Jacksonville this year. Your former college teammate Trevor Lawrence is the quarterback obviously for the Jags. I'm guessing you weren't allowed to get near him at practice. You'll get your chance.
Oh yeah, I'm gonna get my chance, and I about to say, yeah, if you remember my freshman year, if you if you got too close to him, if you reached an arm out to him, it just wasn't a good thing. H Coach Sweene was not too keen of that. So now now that he's on the other team that I'm able to do that, it's it's.
As I got to take that chance.
But I think you had two sacks in your first college game. When that happens, are you like, what's the big deal?
This is easy?
I think it was like a setur they kept where I was the first person since Dexter Lawrence do that, and no, that's great, great football player right there. So it was one of those thing, like you know, you said, you celebrate those small things.
So we're spending a few minutes with Miles Murphy. Your family's had Falcon season tickets for many years, So you went to NFL games as a kid. Did you look at the field and picture yourself in an NFL uniform?
I for sure did, especially what was the last time. I think the last time I went to a Falcons game was right before I went to Clemson, So it was for sure one of those things, like I feel like I can see myself out there on the field playing with those guys and let's see here I am.
Now.
Tell me a little bit about your relationship with your older brother Max, because he played college football at Worcester Polytechnic the Engineers. He's an engineer. Now, he wasn't blessed with your size and athletic ability, but it sounds like he loved the game. Share what what you got from your older brother.
All of the things that I that I do or did was because of him. Following this was as started playing football because of him, went into that engineering kind of pathway because of him. He went in, like you said, WPI as a mechanic engineer. And I know just naturally good at math and science, love to draw. So I put those together architecture, engineering, and.
Why I say he loves to work out, I love the workout. That a lot of the things that he that he does I kind of got from memor.
Really final thing, your dad shared a picture with me of you playing baseball when you were I think in seventh grade. You look like you're twice as big as the kid on the other team. It's a very amusing photo. Were you always the giant in comparison to your peers?
I was always a giant growing up, and I think that kind of plays into why my demeanor is what it is now, because I guess naturally, when you're always just the abnormally larger guy growing up, they parents expect you to be a little bit more, a little bit more mature. So I guess I kind of that kind of plays until why I'm man while they are today.
Turned out pretty well, I think, and you look impeccable, by the way in that three P suit. That's a very impressive fit. As the kids say, congratulations on being a first round draft pick. The Bengals are delighted to have you, and we look forward to getting to know you better in the weeks and months to come appreciate it. Miles and his brother Max weren't the only members of the family to play college football. His dad, Willard, was a standout linebacker for Chattanooga and had a tryout with
the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL. Had he made the roster, he could have played against my broadcast partner Dave Lapham, who spent two years with the New Jersey Generals. The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by Kettering Health, the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. With more than one hundred and twenty care facilities and fifteen hundred care providers. Kettering Health is committed to guiding you to your best health.
Visit ketteringhealth dot org to learn more. Last season ended in heartbreaking fashion. With seventeen seconds to go and the score tied in the AFC Championship Game, Patrick Mahomes scrambled out of bounds to pick up a first down at the Bengals forty two with eight seconds remaining. From there, it would have been a sixty yard field goal try under tough weather conditions in Kansas City, probably would have had to run another play in hopes of getting a
little bit closer. But on the Mahomes scramble, Joseph Osai hit him late as he was going out of bounds, and the fifteen yard penalty allowed Harrison Butker to boot a forty five yard field goal to win the game. To make matters worse, Osai injured his knee on the play. After hurting his shoulder in mid December, He had shoulder surgery in February this week I spoke to Osai for the first time since that game. We are in the locker room with Joseph Osai working hard at rehab. It's
unfortunately become an off season norm for you. But how are things coming around? Coming along this year?
Things are good. Thankfully we got it, got the surgery done right after right after the season, so I have a great amount of time to take the rehab slowly and come back right before the season started, before we start putting any putting in any physical work on the field.
So everything's coming great.
Obviously, not as serious as what you had to rehab from last year.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, that was a double whammy with the with the knee and the wrist. But this is a routine shoulder shoulder work. Surgery went well. He was able to put enough stitches in there keep the labeling stable, you know what I mean. I probably could have went without the surgery, but long term wouldn't be the best for me my health, so and then my performance will obviously tank from that. So it was just to go ahead and get it done.
Now. It wasn't anything you know, I mean.
Pressing, but it was a it was a good surgery to get done, and glad it's done.
We are speaking the day after or two days after the draft came to an end. The Bengals obviously added a pass rusher in the first round in Miles Murphy. Your thought on adding strength to your group.
Great addition and a great, great weapon for Marion Hobby. You know what I mean, he's gonna he's gonna love the dude and he's gonna, I'm sure he's going to find a way for each and every one of us to to get on that field and perform. But yeah, yeah, he's a great guy. Watched a little bit of his tape. Great addition for sure. I can't wait to get to work and work with a.
How much does coach Hobby help a guy improve from the college level to the NFL level?
Helps you, and he's well rounded coach, and he's a web rounded guy. And coaching with off the field stuff too. It's very important with the mental aspect of the preparation, the making sure you know your opponent because at this level, everybody's strong, everybody's fast, everybody has a skill set. But he does a good job of heapeness baked on that that specific guy, and he's a great coach.
I think Bengals fans are interested to know how you're doing emotionally after the heartbreak of the AFC Championship game and obviously the way that ended.
Still processing, still processing a bit, but I know you gotta let that go. You know, there's a there's an opportunity to keep going, There's an opportunity to put another foot in the front of the other.
And you just gotta look forward. You can't look back. Look at the things.
We we the the potential we have to achieve this year, and just go from there.
It was an unfortunate play, mistakes happened. You played a great game until that play. Does that offset it at all? Knowing that if not for what you had done, that you might not have even been in that play.
Not for me, it doesn't it. You know, I paid the ultimate prize, you know what I mean. But yeah, it doesn't. It doesn't offer it because at the end of the day, the agenda, the objective is to win, nothing else. It's not the stats, it's not how you look, it's not how bad. It's to win wins and losses. That's what gets coaches fired, That's what gets coaches hired. So that's it.
You came to a UC basketball game near the end of the Bearcats season, they showed you on the video board and the crowd went bananas. It was a all out show of love from about twelve thousand people. What did that say to you?
I appreciated that.
That that booses my confidence a little bit, you know, because I was going through a rough patch after their game. But no, the filler left in the city was dope, and yeah, it was awesome.
Tell me a little bit about what objectives you have going into year three and your second year on the field.
Staying healthy, staying healthy. You know, it's always been the same, impacting this team in a positive manner, not bringing any negative light to this team, and just winning games. Man, we got to keep winning. It's the fun is in the winning. My college course, you sed say all the time, the fun is in the winning. And you saw the team last year morning win and you've been I'm sure you've been around the team. When we're losing, it's not as fun as are. People aren't as happy, you know
what I mean. So it's a direct correlation. So if you want to be happy, we got to win. So the most important thing is to win.
I say all the time, the radio broadcasters sound good when they win.
Of course, of course, of course.
For sure, always great to visit. Best of luck to seeing you brother. The thank you that's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast brought to you by Kettering Health, the official healthcare provider of the Bengals, by Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're free to play with tickets and signed merchandise up for grabs by pay Corp, the official HR software provider of the Bengals, and by All to Fiber future Proof Fiber Internet elevate
your connection with Alta Fiber. 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 Horden. Thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast.