Higain everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading the Bengals Booth Podcast. The Let's Dance addition, as one of the most eagerly anticipated seasons in Bengals history, gets under way this Sunday with the one hundredth Battle of Ohio between the Bengals and Cleveland Browns coming up. I'll talk to the longest tenured player on the Bengals roster, Tyler Boyd, who enters his eighth season in Cincinnati. Speaking of long tenures, Jeff Hobson has covered the Bengals for more than twenty
five years. He'll join me to look ahead to the upcoming season and sticking with the theme, Tony Grossi has been on the Cleveland Browns beat since the mid eighties. He gives us the scoop from Cleveland on what to anticipate from Deshaun Watson and the Browns on Sunday. 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 inside the Bengals app. Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered rite to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since hydrangea shrubs. Whatever the opposite of a
green thumb is, I have it. I am historically a serial killer of plants and flowers, but this summer we planted three hydrange of bushes in our yard, and at least so far, they're flourishing with big pink, blue, and white blossoms. I've been sure to water them every couple of days, but they've also helped me out by indicating when they need water in extreme heat by drooping like they're sad. So if you're like me and are under the impression that the only thing you can grow are
your fingernails, consider planting hydrange of shrubs. They've convinced me that I might not be the ted but of plants after all. Now let's get to this week's game. The Bengals are not only one of the NFL's best teams, they're one of the youngest. According to bookies dot Com, the average age of the players on the bengals fifty three man roster is twenty five years, nine months, and nine days. Only two teams have a younger average Green Bay and Tampa Bay, and the Bucks have the youngest
roster after the retirement of Tom Brady. The Jets with Aaron Rodgers have the oldest average roster in the NFL, and Pittsburgh checks in at number six, with the oldest of any team in the AFC North. Getting back to the Bengals, Ted Karras is the only player on the fifty three man roster who is thirty or older. He's in his eighth NFL season, and so is Tyler Boyd, who has spent all of those seasons in Cincinnati. I talked to him this week. Tyler, this is the start
of year eight. How have you been able to maintain such a high level of play for this long?
Uh?
You know, just coming in and being the same person each and every day and just being consistent, you know.
I think that's what this game is about.
And availability, you know, is can account on me, you know, each and every day, each and every game. And I've always been there and I always met that standard.
We've heard from a lot of players during training camp say that Zach Taylor's approach has been helpful to them, not beating them up during the preseason games during camp. How helpful has that been for you?
It's huge, you know, because you keep us fresh. You know, it doesn't put wear and tear in our bodies. You know, it's not many days where we're coming in sore, banged up. You know, he's taking great care of us practicing and just mentally as well. You know, it ain't mentally taxing and meetings, and I mean, it's just overall. He correlated it so good that I mean, it's it's a pleasure for us.
You're twenty eight, You're still a young man in my book, but you're a vat in NFL circles. Have you given any thought to how long you'd like to do this?
I've been getting out a lot at this point.
I'm just gonna keep going till I feel like I can't, you know, And like like you said, I still feel fresh and young. I still feel like I'm on my first deal. So I'm gonna try to go as long as I can.
All right, let's take a look at the team. After missing about five weeks of training camp with this calf injury, Joe Burrow returned twelve days before the season opener. Did he look like normal Joe Burrow or could you tell a slight difference.
He still looked hisself, you know, his throwing mechanics looked well, his hip, mobility, just everything that I've seen. I felt that he was practically ready to go out there that play. If we had a game tomorrow, then he would be ready to go. In my eyes, I talked to him and see how he feels. Sometimes it may be still sore, but at the end of the day, he knows what he can do, and like I said, visualizing it, either he's haiding it well or he's actually really good to go.
So in my he's good to go.
We're chatting to Tyler Boyd. Several weeks ago. I asked t Higgins about the relationship between you, Jamar Chase and him. He said, quote, we're like brothers. Blood couldn't make us any closer. We love each other like we've got the same mama. It's not always like that between elite wide receivers on the same team. Why do you three have a relationship like that?
Yeah, I think cause it goes a long way.
You know, at the end of the day, we're all great receivers and we all know that and like you said, it's hard for a great receiver group to stay connected, you know, because everybody, every guy wants to be the guy, you know.
But here we are still all the guys.
You know, we get just as many plays as is the other you know, some of us might get more targets, hair and there, you know, and I just feel we all feel comfortable with what we bring and what we do to this team. And uh, we're just genuine people, you know that care for one another because we want to win. You know, if somebody's having a good game, we want to cheer that guy up, and then it could be holding different week where.
It's another guy up.
You guys that we don't get frustrated with numbers and how games go, because uh, it's go always coming back around, you know, next the next go around, or Zach gonna put us in position the next go around to uh have that game, you know. So at the end of the day, we spend a lot of our time together oppisode as well, and that's probably uh the brotherhood what we get.
So his expression was, we're like brothers. Are you the older brother? Is that your relationship with those guys?
Yeah, just because I'm the oldest, you know. But I don't treat them guys like the younger brother, you know. I just look at it like we're all one. We're one unit.
Uh. We we we treat each other.
The same with respect, and we're loyal and we we protect one another. We got each other's back, and I think that's what drives us to keep resetting the standard on being the best each year. So just being well connected, uh is just gonna uh make all of us better.
On the topic of great Bengals wide receivers, it's already been announced that the ruler of the jump for the home opener is going to be Aj Green. What did AJ do for you early in your career?
He was basically the guy that I am now and for everybody else now, you know, he was the guy that I can come in and lean on and talk to and get a vice, you know, because he I mean, he was the best at the position of the time, and that would really that's that's the position you want to come in as a young receiver to. You could actually see him do it, and AJ wasn't as vocal
as he was showing it. And that's probably the difference between how other people go about it, but for him to show it and see how it's done, and me going being able to go up to him and pick his brain and ask him how to run a certain route and certain leverage and things like that. I mean, at the end of the day, he I mean, he was the big brother for me, So I kind of embraced that role and kind of paved the way for me to share with these other guys.
Were you excited to hear that he was going to be the ruler of the jungle?
Yes?
I actually was, you know, because I mean, he's a great due. He's probably one of the greatest.
Dudes I ever met. You know, he's he's.
Super super upfront man. He doesn't he doesn't party, doesn't go out. He's a he's a real stand up man.
Yeah.
Man, he just does everything right.
Man.
I never he never got gets in trouble. We never do stupid stuff.
You know, he's the perfect exam example of being a football player and a man.
You open the season in Cleveland. The Bengals have lost their last five road games. There, does that stick under your crow going into this game?
Yeah?
We all know that, you know, and but each and every game we don't kind of think of that. We look at it as we're gonna go up there and win each and every game. So it is a battle for us because that's been the case going up there and leaving and losing. But we gotta rewrite it now, I'll guesswitch it up for.
The passing game to thrive. The offensive line's got a block Miles Garrett and Zadarius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson, et cetera. Is that the bottom line on Sunday.
It's a huge part, you know, But like, like again, it's a football game. Everybody got to play their part to win, you know, from us being able to make plays against their dbs, you know, our running backs be able to pick up blitzers and our running backs being able to run the ball on them, and just I think as long as we just stay locked in and I'll execute those guys, you know, and stay polished, and the game will always grow away.
A couple more questions for Tyler Boyd. You've got your catchphrase, big levels and the gesture that goes with it. Maybe I should know this, but I don't. Where'd that come from?
It kind of kind of been a part of me since high school actually, and then going into college because it had came out of a song and I can't really put my my mind doing I forget. It's a rap song and it will always stay level with and at that point I will go with it because it made sense. When you go out in the field, you dominate and you look like you're disuperior and you're out
there killing them, and so it's levels to this. So you got to step up your crabs, step up your work to compete with me, you know, and try to stop me. So, uh, that's I kind of reference to.
It's unique, it fits you perfectly. Final question, I think the Comeback Player of the Year award has already been decided because your friend Tamar Hamlin made the Bills fifty three man roster. How do you feel about that?
Oh?
Man, I'm I'm happy for him, you know, especially from what he overcame and that was that was that was that was a big time man.
That was a sad moment.
And it's because I know he's a great, great person, you know, and by him recovering and beating it and beating it and oways being against him, he's uh been a warrior to them times, you know, and even just coming up. You know, he's still competing and fighting for spots and having to deal with things like that.
Personally, it was crazy. But he has a great support.
System and I'm a I'm a part of that, and uh, he's a great player as well. He's even an even better person. So's it'll be well deserving.
Best of luck on big levels in twenty twenty three. Hope you get a ring.
Indeed, appreciate you brother.
The That Goes 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. The big question for the Bengals going into Sunday's opener
in Cleveland is obviously the status of Joe Burrow. He was listed as a full participant at practice on Wednesday and told reporters that barring a setback on Thursday or Friday, he expects to be good to go on Sunday. As for his contract extension, who knows it could be finished by the time you listen to this podcast, but Joe says he is not worried about it.
You know, you definitely realize that it's a business. But you know, at the end of the day, we're playing football professionally, and you know, I'm with great people, some of my best friends in there. Like I said, that's icing on the cake. It'll come when it comes. But I'm folks on being the Browns right now. Yeah, this is where I want to be. This is where I want to be my whole career. We're working towards making
that happen. You know, you've seen what the front office has done and what Zach has done in their time here, and you know, I'm a small part of that, and you know, I'm excited to be a part of that. And we have great people in the locker room that grind every day that you know, are excited to go and showcase their talents and excited to do it.
In the city of.
Cincinnati, you know, we have the best fans and so this is this is where I want to be.
Now, time to preview the upcoming season with Bengals dot Com editor Jeff Butch Hobson. Which how many years have you been on the Bengals beat, And is this the best roster that you've seen going into a season.
Yeah, I mean I've been with the team for twenty This is my twenty fourth opener, and I would say it is probably my pretty close to my thirtieth opener with the Bengals, And yeah, I mean it's if it's not the best team, it's certainly the most anticipated team. But certainly it's the most accomplished team, you know. I mean they're coming off No Bengals teams ever won two straight division titles, no Bengals team's ever gone to two straight AFC Championship games, and they have the core back.
So I mean, I would just, just you know, pure pure reason would say this is the best. And of course, you know, of course it's not a reasonable league.
But yeah, we have no idea what injuries will happen for the Bengals or for anybody else. But I don't see a glaring weakness. People talk about the loss of Bates and Bell. They're very, very good players, but I think Hill and Scott are maybe not as talented, but talented in different ways. Yes, so I jp Ryan's loss significant, but third down back is not the most important role on an NFL roster. Like I said, I don't see a glaring weakness.
No, I mean I agree. I mean I I saw something. Somebody had them as the most vulnerable division winner, and I just I really don't. I really kind of I didn't. I didn't understand that because okay, they lost both safeties, but that they haven't lost anybody on the edge. The
game's played in one on the edge, you know. I mean, obviously safeties are important, but I mean they've got all their playmakers back, you know, which is is the stunning thing to me and I and I and I think you made the point on a you know, on a who day conversation, is there is there really there's stunning continuity in coaching, which I think is just as important as having a Pro Bowl or at some position. You know. I mean I think that you can't you just can't.
You can't put a price on that, the continuity of it. That's why I think the safety thing is a bit overblown because it's the same you know, it's the same system, and it's and it's the guys who around the safeties, the two lines, back the three corners and Anna Rumo calling the shots. They've all been through the thing. So I think, you know, I think really that the coaching
staff thing is underrated. It shouldn't be. I think you've got to consider it as a you know, as a Pro Bowl player, it's huge.
I made the analogy that it's like starting from the fifty yard line in a one hundred yard dash because you don't have to start from square one. It's not all right, this is my system. These are the words I use. And all of that time I don't want to say wasted, but all that time spent getting up to speed in somebody else's system is a nonentity for all of the Bengals veterans. And I think that's really important on defense because we make a big deal and part of it's true about the loss of Bates and
Bell and the continuity and the communication. But there's no rule that says the safeties are the guys that have to be quote unquote the quarterbacks of the defense that can come from other spots, and early this season it will.
And to me, this is one of the reasons the first two games why I think they have an edge in the first two games Cleveland, they're really high in their defense, but it's the first tear on the Jim Schwartz, you know. So it's the first it's their first game, you know, in that system. And granted they're talented and Jim Schwartz is a hell of the coach, but this is their first time together in an actual game. Edge Bengals.
You know, the next week, Lamia Jackson is a great player, but this is the first time he is not in in in uh, the offense of right in the offensive Greg Roman, he's you know in Edge Bengals, all right, because you know edge edge because on on on Sunday, the offense has been together for four years going against the newly coordinated defense, and then you flip it. Uh, the next week, you've got you know, Louanna Rumo in five years in the same scheme going against the new
offensive Coten in Baltimore. I mean, I think that's a to me. You've got to make those matchups count against first year coaching staffs, and and you got to make that you know, we say, we sit back and we say, oh, it's great having coach a continuity, but these are two weeks where you hopefully, hopefully that you see.
That Joe Burrow basically missed five weeks with his calf strain, which gives him about a week and a half to get ready for the opener in Cleveland. Assuming that he plays, and I'm assuming that he does, do you expect vintage Burrow? Slightly limited Burrow? What does Joe Burrow look like in Cleveland? Assuming he plays a week from Sunday?
I think you get that Joe Burrow, who's good enough. I don't know. I don't think he's going to be vintage Borrow. I don't think he can ask that of a guy that sat out all this time. But I also don't think he's going to be throwing it just a bit outside either, you know. I think he's going to be uh now, we don't I don't know. We well, we're out out there practice. Can he run around Miles Garrett? Can he run around Zadarius Smith? You know? Will he go down if he can't? You know? Or will he
try to make a play? And you know, so these things I do not know, you know, And but hopefully that would go into the decision making, you know. So I think if they put him out there, I'm gonna guess he can run around Garrett, you know, although he hasn't yet. I guess, right, how many sacks does Garrett h Hey against the Mangles nine games? Yeah right, so bad analogy. But you know, but the other guy is
good too. You know, Zadarius Smith is a is a is a hell of an edge and Schwartz is using You know, they're they're they're beating their chests up in Cleveland. They rotating seven defensive linemen, four tackles, three edge guys and all fire it up.
So you know.
They're there. There's there's certainly no pushovers, and Joe is gonna have to be as you know, he's going to have to be able to do it athletically. If they put him out there, I assumed he can do it athletically, and at that point I say he's good enough to win.
I agree. I think of it more like two years ago than last year. So coming off the knee injury, up until the Denver Road game, Joe, by his own admission, wasn't one hundred percent confident in his ability to run. He would move as needed, he didn't take off and run, and then late in the year on the Super Bowl run, he did. I don't think it's as drastic now as it was then coming off tearing basically every ligament in his knee. But I do think maybe early this year he runs a little less.
And I think he'll be And people have talked about this, you know, there's a hell of a difference between cap stream, which is has challenges in itself, and a surgery, you know what I mean. So I'm just not sure, you know, physically that he was really in that great shape when he went out there, you know, And I don't know, you know, he's been through a lot of rehab and I think CaTiO, so I think we know he'll be in he'll have his body that he didn't have in
last year's open up. And you know, I just look at their openers with Burrow, you know, and the two losses they've they've had have been very easily wins. I mean, the referee takes his flag out on AJ on the AJ greenplay, which is absurd, but they should have won
that game. And how many different times they turned it over five times and still should have won five ways against Pittsburgh, So you know, they usually come out of the you know, they come out of the box and play a game there that they should win.
And Joe's playing behind a better offensive line. They've got four starters back and the one new guy as a four time Pro bowler in Orlando Brown Junior. Is this the year that the offensive line is a strength, not just good enough, but actually one of the better offensive lines in the league.
Well, Brown certainly gives them that. They haven't had a guy like that since Whitworth, you know, really a franchise bookend left tackle. But you know, I thought they were. I think there there. I thought they played for the most part last year until everybody, you know, get hurt.
And I said this.
Somebody was asking me this on a show the other day. Well you know, how come how come the line is so bad? It was? You know, they get to remember they beat Buffalo with three backup offensive line. Now you know they lost to Yeah, they couldn't block Chris Jones. Nobody can, but they were trying to block him with three backup offensive line. And I thought they were as they were rolling down the stretch in December. It's proven by their ten game winning streak that they were. The
offensive line was playing pretty well. I I just you know, Capa, Harris and Volson gave them, gave them a new look and a better look. And I thought it was it was that, you know, I thought they played. I thought they played well. I thought they played that it was a I thought it was a strength at some points
in November and decemberuntil everybody get hurt. But you know, I thought, you know, they won some smath shweouts games in Pittsburgh and Tennessee, you know, in November when I and I've seen, you know, I've seen we're offensive lines for the Bengals that didn't happen that they get that they can control by those teams. So but Brown makes them much better, you know, Brown makes them much better.
And Kapa, Carris and Wolsen been together for a year, which I think is also huge, big question mark, of course, So I think they're better there at those four positions are better.
Right, Yeah. I do think in the second half last year they were playing as a top third offensive line in the NFL. Now, if you think of thirty two teams, that puts them around tenth or eleventh best. If they're like that for seventeen games this year, they're going to put a lot of points on the board.
Yeah, I agree, And you know, and I think we you know, I think why Brown is I think why Orlando Brown is a good fit. And I know Willie Anderson and you were there when Willie Anderson was talking about a blind side and what really is a blind side and what is not a blind side? But I think it's going to help that for Burrow that he knows that when Orlan you know that he knows Brown is gonna rarely get beat, and when he does get beat, it is probably gonna be on the outside. He's not
going to get bold. He's not gonna probably get beat inside because he's so big, you know, it's just tired to get around the man. So he knows that. And I think he knows you know, that's and that's that's he'll be in a better spot than he has been in the last couple of years there and uh, you know, he'll he'll he'll know where to step up, how to step up, and uh, you know, I think that's gonna
I think that's gonna be a big advantage. And we'll we'll see, you know, there's you know, they don't do you know, they don't go into the they don't put the playbook on the shelf. They're also tweaking with it too, So you know, you figure they're going to fire something out that Cleveland that Cleveland hasn't hasn't seen, and who knows that could be? You know, is that show mixing in the run game? You know who? Who knows? What
better way to for the Bengals to shock you? And they come out and maybe and maybe try to nick Chubby a little bit? You know, So I I think, you know, I think Zach's done. I think Zach's done a really good job building this with he in tandem with Frank Pollack. You know, remember where this offensive line was just a couple of years ago. It was in tas. You just got to go back to the last play
to Super Bowl, right, you know? So Zach and Zach and Pollack I think have done a really, really a good job because they've also had to marry the past game with a run game, and I think that's been a work in progress and I think they've done a I think they've done a real good job with that.
Speaking of the running game, do we know who the third down back is on Sunday?
No, we don't, But like you, it's not keeping me up nights. I'm going to tell you that I don't think. I don't think he ever walked out of a Super Bowl saying, man, if we had well, I don't know. If we had had that, we had played that guy six more snaps, maybe we would have won. But I think it's obviously important. You need guys to come off the bench. I think people have forgotten about treaty on Williams.
I know he was hurt.
Looks like he's back, but you know, you go back. I mean, you call the games. Remember, hadn't done anything he was he was, hadn't done anything for the first half of the year, comes out of a snowbank in Pittsburgh in Tennessee, makes huge plays, makes huge contributions in special teams, picked up the blitz, made some big catches out of the backfield. I mean, I think, you know, he's a five year guy. He knows the system, so you know, you know he's not Yeah, he's not somebody
j pre rhyme. But he hasn't had the opportunities. It's some I JP his head had so uh. But that's gonna be interesting. That will be an interesting active list. You got to figure, you know, you would think Trevion being the veteran would be active, But will they go with Chase Brown or rookie? Will they go with the receiver Chris Evans? You can probably only keep three active.
And it sounds like, even though you know it sounds like forty, that Zach is gonna it's it's this is gonna be a rotation until somebody, until somebody puts their foot down. So the activation is going to be real interesting on Sunday.
The good news is that Evans and Brown are both impressive in the preseason. It wasn't like one of those guys like, dear God, he's not going to be able to help. They all look like they can do something.
Yeah, yeah, they all look but yeah, I mean yeah, I mean, uh, you know, they're just like the rookie class. I mean I thought it was one of the more impressive rookie you know, just going off at Chase Brown, you know, and we and we know what Chris Sevans could do. He's won games for this team, and uh, but you know, Chase Brown as advertised, but so are all the rookies pretty much, which I which I thought
was which I thought was impressive. I can't think of a of a rookie way said, oh my God, you know, they might they might have worked there. You know, I think probably, I think everybody showed up, you know, which was uh, you know which was which was And they're gonna have to now whenever, you know, with the way the salary is going, you know, with the expected borrow deal, you know, they're gonna have to They're gonna have to hit the draft out of the park, you know, just
like they've done for the entire decade. They got to keep doing it.
Well with Jeff and a Malmo. But here's a quick reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps. More than twenty nine thousand customers trust pay Corps to help them recruit, pay, engage, and retain employees. Learn more at pay corps dot com. What is the most legitimate concern going into the seasons? Is it the safeties or is it something else.
I'm not worried about the safeties. Dax still runs like a deer. Nick Scott's got a Super Bowl rang. Every time Dax hill is on the field, he does something. Bozz not worried about the safeties. Have a little bit concerned about special teams. You've got a rookie returner, you've got a Uh, you're gonna have rookie gunners. You're not gonna have you know, you don't have Mike Thomas as personal protector. You don't have Stanley Morgan as a gunner
or as a core teamer. So you've got you know, you've got you've got a rookie punter, You've got a you've got a rookie punt returner. You know, you've got rookies and key positions on teams. Uh, that's a little bit of a concern, but I have, I have. You know, I'm a Darren Simmons believer. We all should be a Darren Simmons leader. In his twenty first season, you know,
he's gonna find a way to make it work. And you know, I mean, you know, money maclooks as good as ever what perfect in the preseason three from fifty you know, so, uh that makes you feel good too. So I guess that you know that that I guess you know, that's pretty good. If if like if the gunners are keeping up at night, you know, I mean, that's that shows you how deep your club is. But I guess you know, the probably the overriding concern is
just this offense hasn't been hasn't been together. They haven't taken a snap together. You know, Borrow hasn't played for five weeks. That's the concern. The concern is they go out there and they're invisible in the first half because it's their you know, because it's the you know, their preseason is going to be the first half, and what's
that going to look like. That's a concern. I mean, but like I say, they've been together for so long, and Zach and Brian and Pitcher have been together for so long coaching wise, you just feel like that they can overcome that.
I think tight end is the biggest concern, largely because of earth Smith Junior's recent injury history. I think if he's healthy, he's going to be able to put up similar numbers to ce j U Zama and Hayden Hurst. So we'll see.
Uh.
But with Drew Sample coming back from a serious injury, Mitch Willcox coming back from a serious injury, Tanner Hudson begins the year on the practice squad, that position group, to me, is the biggest question mark. It doesn't mean that they're not going to be productive. Like I said, I think a healthy earth Smith Junior should be pretty good.
But we'll see, right if he's hurt, I mean one of his what if his injury history continues? And then you know, I I it's a good point. That's a that's a good point because you just kind of you're forgetting. You just plug in, you plug in RV for CJ and Hayden Hurst numbers. You know, you just assume, oh, he'll get he'll catch fifty balls because he's with Borrow, you know, and they have and then they're gonna and they can't cover him because they got to cover the
three wide receivers. But you know, you just have to hope that he's uh healthy. But it certainly seems like they've got a I'm not saying that Tanner Hudson is IRV Smith, but you know, it looks like Tanner Hudson catch some balls for you. But yeah, I mean it's a but again, it's not a it's an important position, but I'm not sure it's a I'm not sure it's
a killer position. But then I say that, and and then I think of what a big factors CJ was in some of those games in twenty one and some of the big catches that Hayden had down to stretch. So you know, you're just you know, you hope that Hayden's you know, you hope a nerve is healthy.
All right, let's put the finishing touch on training Camp. Who is your most outstanding veteran offensive player of Training Camp?
Angles dot Com doesn't have a coveted award for that. We may, we may, we may evolved, But I would say, I would say whatrdy, And I watched a lot of the stuff standing next to you, so I'll be interested in your reaction. But I mean I thought T Higgins quietly had a monstrous camp. I thought I thought he was he caught everything thrown at, you know, and uh, you know, granted a Woozier wasn't out there, but I
mean he was. You know, there was some pretty good coverage there, and he's just every time I look at the Higgins, I get the same reactions when I look at Borrow. They're so tall, they're so tall, and yet the things they do, they just don't play that way. But then you see him out there and just T is just a monster. He is. I thought he had a great camp.
I agree, hard to go wrong with Chase or Higgins. I mean they make great plays day after day after day. I would throw Trenton Irwin in there as just a guy that you never really think about, and then at the end of every practice, huh, Trenton Irwin had seven more catches today. But none of those guys is my answer. My answer is Cordel Volson. I think Volson is primed to just make this huge step forward. He's ten pounds of muscle, bigger, lowest fat percentage of any offensive lineman
on the team. We know he's, you know, tremendous work ethic, very smart player. I think Cordel Volson takes a big step in year two.
Well, Joe mixonergrees you because he says he's a future Hall of Famer or a potential Hall of Famer, So know what Mixing thinks about.
Him, I'm not willing to go quite that far.
You know another guy you know what as as and you know you were you were good to go look at the line because I I kind of went the lazy way out in training camp. You never look at those guys. But Trey Hendrickson is a guy too that maybe you could have. Oh no, we're talking defense.
Let's move to defense. Is he your most outstanding defensive veteran?
No, because I because I'm again I'm taking a lazy way out. I'm looking at the segment. You gotta go with Mike Hilton. I mean, Mike Hilton did everything. I mean, I mean, you know, he did everything but private golf card. Yeah, maybe he did that too, But I thought Hilton was
terrific with that. But you got I think you got to say something about Hendrickson too, because Hendrickson is just uh, and he's going you know, he's going up against Orlando Brown, and so that's not an easy matchup, but he's just that was a great matchup. And Henderson just he keeps uh, he just he. I thought he showed just how how or where his mentality is. He doesn't care if it's a game, if it's a practice, or he just uh, he's just going hot, you know. And I saw it.
But I but you can't. I mean, Hilton, what I mean, every time you looked up Hilton had picked six, it seemed.
Like they are my one and one A and I agree with that order. Mike Hilton would be my most outstanding veteran defensive player. He had more interceptions in training camp than he's ever had before in his life. He had a bunch of quote unquote sacks where you touch the quarterback, you can't hit him. Obviously, during training camp, you know, he's showing seven years of NFL experience and talent and it's all coming together as the best slot corner in the NFL.
And obviously we know what his teammates think of him, because they just voted him a captain for the first time. And maybe we'll have to name it will be the maybe the Mike Hilton Training Camp Defensive Player of the Year of wolpengles dot Com Award next year, will name it after Mike because he deserves.
He does deserve it, all right, most outstanding offensive rookie, Yeah right, it.
Has to be, got to be, has to be, has to yeah, I mean the guy caught everything and then did you go right to the defense. The other guy has to be the guy who was always covered DJ Turner, correct, the guy who was always covered him. They were in they always seem to be in the same frame. Eighty and twenty I think goes to the two.
We are in agreement on both of those guys. Yo, si Vash is an amazing story to me. I mean, he might have been able to be an Olympic to cathlete a year from now in Paris in the Summer Olympics because he did the heptathlon, because that's the indoor version of the dcathlon. Had he had fall and summer to just work on track and wasn't trying to be an NFL football player, he could be one of the top dcathletes in the world and be, you know, trying to compete for a gold medal next summer.
I mean, this was a guy who was like the youngest you know, he's like the youngest secondary black belt in Hawaii, I think. And I mean he was in Hawaii in the state in the state track meet. They he could only go in four events and they let him go in five and he want five gold medals. So I mean, this guy's athleticism is just is like unquestioned, you know. I think the only question about him was Kenny,
you know, can he catch? And yes he can't, because you know he and he's just he can tell he's just kind of learning how to how to do it, you know. I mean, really, you know, think about that boardy I mean his he he's never really only played football. What's he going to be like after he only plays football for two years and he's not out?
You know, Vault never did spring football at Princeton.
It's an amazing story. Talk to Bob Serras's his coach at Princeton, you know, and uh, it's it's to have a guy walk like that into his you know, he didn't know who the guy was from Adam watched him play, and then he went from doing a guy a favor to don't let him get on the plane, you know. And so because that's how you know, I think Bob kind of envisioned he would be looking up and looking at a guy playing at Boshington College or Duke or something like that, if you let him out of the play.
It's amazing that a kind of like that could kind of, you know, go go so far under the radar. No No Power five took a.
Shot specifically Stanford, because he made it abundantly clear to Stanford that that was where he wanted to go. He went to their football camp, he made every effort to try to get noticed by Stanford, and for whatever reason, they looked the other way.
Well, the guy from Stanford noticed them. They just had the Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Wallers.
That's correct. And in a year where a sixth round Bengals draft pick has entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they have landed on another seemingly impressive sixth round draft pick in andre Yosi vash Let's look ahead to Sunday in Cleveland. Browns were seven to ten last year. They choked away several games that they should have won. They didn't have Deshaun Watson for the first eleven games. Now he's had a normal off season and preseason. He played
in some of the preseason games. We know about Chubb, we know about Garrett. They spent a ton of money on their defense in free agency. How good are the Browns?
Well, on paper, they're a lot better than they were. You know, I think as it plays out, they're only going to be as good as Chubb, you know, I mean, that's there, that's their meal ticket.
Not as good as Watson.
Well, I think I think Chubb makes Watson.
But but Chubb had fifteen hundred yards last year and they weren't any good. I mean, he can you know, he could have a little more than that. But to me, it's Watson's got to be closer to what he was in twenty twenty than what he looked like in those six games last year. To me, that's the key.
I mean, I just assume he's going to be better than that. I assure he.
May never be what he was in Houston again, who knows, but there's no way he's as bad as he was last year, right, right, But.
You'd better make him one dimensional, you know, so I think the key. You know, you still have to stop stop Chubb. I mean, I but you know we know that that that Watson of Houston, We know it all all too well. He came into pay Corps and won his first NFL start, and he didn't exactly sip them doing it. As you know, he broke away, He broke a third and ten in the last He broke a third and ten scramble on the last play at the first half, right and went for forty eight yards. And
I don't know if he can do that nowadays. But I think you would rather have Watson beat you than get him or at least tried to beat you. Then get into what you know they get into, because that's that's how this team is to me, that's how this team has not not not fared well against Cleveland in the last you know, six years or whatever, going back to Baker Makefield, because they've been able to run the
ball on the Bengals. Why, I don't know, because the Bengals are have been pretty good against the run once, you know, once they got DJ Reader, and I think they'll be real tough to run against Sunday Cleveland. I think I know the Browns have those two guys. To me, the game is going to be decided by the Browns
offensive line and the Bengals defensive line. Browns have two offensive guys and if and if they get two Pro Bowl offensive guys Buttonio and not and Wyatt, uh yeah not whyet or but they are going to uh but tell them on boys, Stroonio, you know they I mean, if they get chased, you know, if they get Chubb going, it's it's a different game. And if they can you know, I mean, they're going to rotate. That's the whole the
Browns defenses, their whole thing is going to rotate. And I think you're gonna I think you're going to see probably the Bengals throw a lot of those. You know, I think all those tackles are going to play a lot might see three linebackers. You know, I just think you'll, uh. I think lou Will I think lou Will dare Watson to be Watson.
Well, when the Bengals beat the Browns last year and finally got a win with Joe burrowyd quarterback against Cleveland, the key to the victory was holding Nick Chubb to fewer than three yards per carry.
That was the bottom line, right exactly. That's what that's all decided on the on the on the linked front Sunday. We'll just will be uh because if you know, if Chubb gets going and Watson is going to be running wild.
All right, final topic before we wrap things up, give me your order in the AFC North this year.
Good. I'm glad you didn't ask them what the records are.
Going to be, But feel free to throw that in if you'd like.
Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland. But I don't feel I mean, I you know, since since since he's about the only good thing I feel good about the other three, it could be Could it be the Bengals battling with Baltimore? Maybe but I could also see them being in a being in a tractor pull with Pittsburgh or with Cleveland. I mean, I you know, I just it's in because Pittsburgh and Cleveland are kind of in the same well yeah,
but they're kind of in the same boat. They're kind of remade, you know, Pittsburgh and Cleveland a kind of remade. Although Pittsburgh had a nice little finish, had a nice little run to end it. So you know, you've got to give Baltimore the edge and second place because of my eye and to me, you got to give Pittsburgh the edge of a Cleveland because Pickett is Pickett Is, you know, did well down the stretch, you know, and
Watson has still proud himself. But I talked to a guy today who said he thinks everybody's going to finish ten and seven.
Division Cincinnati, Baltimore, then Cleveland, then Pittsburgh. This is the year that the Steelers finally finished with a losing record under Mike Tomlin. They haven't yet in sixteen years, but this year they go a game under five hundred. Keep in mind he has had three seasons where they went exactly five hundred, so it's not like they win eleven games every year, they missed the playoffs three out of
the last five. Kenny Pickett did have a good home stretch, but I still think he's the least talented of the four quarterbacks in the division. I think because the division is so tough, this is the year that the Steelers just barely finish under five hundred.
Yeah, it's also too Cleveland might have the second best defense, you know, behind the Bengals to it. Actually, Cleveland might actually have a defender defense than Baltimore Pittsburgh.
They might. They couldn't stop the run last year, but they've certainly spent a lot of money trying to fix that. So they Tomlinson and Zadarius Smith and the giant that they drafted from Baylor, you know, helped shore up that interior defensive line. I think it should be a really good defense.
I mean, on paper, I think it's I think it can challenge you know, I think it's on paper it's better. But you know, well, like I say, you still have to you know, a factor in that They're they're going to be evolving under Schwartz.
Yep, it's going to look very different in the final game of the regular season than it will in Week one with the Bengals playing them on both ends, and who knows, maybe a third time in the postseason. It's certainly possible. All right, I'm looking forward to it. I appreciate your time as always, see in the building tomorrow, Orty.
I appreciate it. Sounds good. I know Kerry Hobson will be very happy to hear this, as Freddy franchise is continues to follow the Bengals ten months old.
It's huge. 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. Finally, it's time for our Know the Faux segment. As you undoubtedly know, the Cleveland Browns have given Joe Burrow more
trouble than any other opponent. He dropped his first four starts against Cleveland before finally beating the Browns last December. But the problem really hasn't been Burrow, It's been stopping the Browns. In Joe's four losses against Cleveland, the Browns have averaged thirty six points and have scored at least
thirty two in every game. Tony Grossi has been covering the Browns since the Bernie Cosar days, and when he joined Dave Lapham and me on the Bengals Game Plan Show this week, I asked him about Cleveland's current quarterback, DeShawn Watson.
Watson's in a great place this year, great place mentally, great place physically. He has only appeared briefly in two of the preseason games. He moved the team each time he was out there, but you could tell that they're concealing a lot on offense and really the final product of it's going to be a different offense from what we all saw last year, even in the six games that Watson got on the field. So they've incorporated, they've
had the whole offseason. He and Kevin Savanski and Alex van Pelt, the offensive coordinator, they've they've they've you know, they've been meeting since April to tailor this offense to Deshaun Watson, and we're really looking forward to seeing what the end product is. You know, obviously they'll be more passing, more three receiver sets and how that how that affects Nick Chubb is kind of like the big mystery to us.
Yeah, that's what I was going to say, Boy, you have a weapon like Nick Chubb. I mean, you don't want to totally get away from what this guy can provide for you. That's an interesting dynamic there that that they're going through. How About defensively with the addition of Jim Schwartz. I have a lot of respect for uh for what Jim Schwartz brings to the table from a schematic standpoint, the aggressive mindset that he has. I think he's a master at creating one on one pass rush
opportunities for his best his best rush people. I think the guy is really a talented defensive coordinator. Have the players responded to.
Him, Yeah, Dave. When Schwartz was hired, and it was it was really shortly after the season ended last year. When he was hired, I thought he was going to be the most import important new face in the building, including all new players and anybody else they brought in. And I could say after four preseason games in the training camp, I'm going to be right on that. I mean, he has made a profound impact. They have completely completely redone their defensive line. The only guy you'll recognize is
Miles Garrett. And they've invested a lot in new tackles, two new defensive ends, and you know, Schwartz's whole idea is to come at you in waves. He needs seven to eight deep, which the Browns have not been nearly close to that in recent years. So it's very defensive line oriented and it you know, they scored two safeties and a pick six in the preseason. They held their you know, it's only preseason, but it's what we got to go on. They held their four preseason opponents to
fifteen percent and third down conversions. I mean, geez, that's not going to keep up, but it's a big change from forty percent of a year ago.
Tony Grossie is our guest. Let's talk about the Browns best cornerback. Two time Pro Bowler Denzel Ward suffered a concussion, the fourth of his pro football career in that final preseason game. What do you think will Denzel Ward play on Sunday?
He was on the practice field today for the first time since the preseason finale in August twenty sixth. He was listed as limited. In the open period that the media was able to view. He was participating in the position drills with the other dbs and looked great to me. So I guess part of the protocol he's still technically in protocol, and part of that depends on how he reacts overnight. Does he have a headache, you know, does
he get through it? It appears that he'll be ready to go, but these things are unpredictable.
You mentioned the acquisitions with the defensive line, because the Brown's defense got gashed in the middle, it seemed like in the running game pretty regularly last year. Picking up Dalvin Tomlinson is huge, But how stirring has the battle been between what I think is a top five offensive line in the NFL that the Cleveland Browns have with a pair of Pro Bowl guards Potonio is the best polling guard in football in my opinion, and whyatt Teller.
Is a beast?
And then this new defense, you know, this defensive line that they've accumulated, how a practice has gone between those two position groups.
Well, and everything I've seen the defense from day one of training camp was ahead of the Browns offense, which is kind of Although that's normal I guess around the league, it's surprising because it's completely new defense, and from day one you could see the impact of their investment on the d line and then Sports really masterminding that. So I do think the defensive line will be the most improved part of the Browns team, and that's going to
carry them. I think, you know, everyone has Deshaun Watson conscious nationally, like they'll go as far as he'll take them. I kind of think the defense is going to be the energy on this team this year as a result of their changes.
Tony, I know, the kicking situation was kind of a disaster in training camp. They had to cut Kade York, who they drafted last year and trade for Dustin Hopkins, who's had a fine NFL career. I'm sure he'll be okay now that they've done that. What's your big question mark at this point going into the season.
Well, you know that still is a question mark for me. Dustin Hopkins. Yeah, he's a legit NFL kicker going on this what ninth year. He has never attempted a field goal in Cleveland Brown's stadium in nine years. He's only appeared in one game there, and we know that's one of the toughest places in football to kick. And it usually takes a kicker a whole year to master the wins and the climate and all that. And that's why
it's still a concern to me. They traded for Hopkins, they did not trade for Nick Falk, They did not sign Robbie Gold. Can't get an answer why they weren't interested in those two kickers. But Dustin Hopkins was next on the list, and we'll see how he does. I fear a concern is that's going to be a concern all year. But we'll see. Maybe he'll prove me wrong. So that's a big concern because they drafted kate Yorick thinking,
you know, we've got to end this carousela kicker. And now Hopkins is the eleventh kicker in eleven season since phild Austin the left via free agency. So still not you rectified in my opinion, I see him kick at Clinton Brown Stadium.
Eleventh kicker in eleven seasons.
Yep, yep, man, Yeah, no kicker since Phil Dawson here has made it through two complete seasons. And like I said, it takes a year to figure out the nuances of that place. You've been there a lot, you know that that's a tough place to kick, and here we go again breaking in the new kicker. They did not expect it. They did not expect us. So that's probably my biggest concern, which you know, if you're worried about only your kickers, I guess you're ahead of the head of the game.
But it's something to watch, you know, how close these these games are every every week. So we'll see how that works out.
Let me circle back to the change in the offensive philosophy that you were talking about, wastfans k and Alex van Pelt and you know, determining they're going to throw the football more with Deshaun Watts, and they spent a fortune with Deshaun Watson, so I can understand, you know, the philosophical reason for that. But the skill position, guys, receivers, tight ends, they feel like they've made upgrades there as well.
Do they feel real comfortable about what they have going on to to support Watson?
Yeah, you know, there was a pretty good pickup in this receiver, Elijah Moore from the New York Jet. They're using him everywhere in the slot, they're using them in the backfield, they're handing off to him, he's running routes from the backfield. He's kind of like a Percy Harvin. They're trying to turn him into, at least that's what it looks like. So he'll be he'll be very instrumental in their offense. You know, they're, like I said, they're
going to more eleven personnel three receivers. They were very tight end oriented under Stefansky. They're not ditching multiple tight ends, but I think you'll see a lot more free receiver. You'll see Watson primarily in the shotgun or the pistol, and they'll be running out of those formations. He's been in empty a lot, so that's what they're turning into. And again, I'm really interested to see how they incorporate Chubb into all of that.
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. Safety Nick Scott is scheduled to be our guest in the final hour. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth podcast,
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