Bengals Booth Podcast: Old Days

Before we get to those conversations, 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 since Bob's. If you love Bengals memorabilia in general and bobbleheads in particular, courage you to check out Sincy Bobs.

It's a new company started by Bengals fans Joshua Hoffman and Hollis Strunk that makes incredibly detailed bobble heads, beginning with Bengals greats Anthony Munio's and Ken Riley, and there are more to come as part of their Bengals Legend set. You can find the complete list on their Facebook page. Ken Aderson and Tim Crumry are coming next with autograph opportunities planned for September, so if you're interested, look for Sincy Bobs on Facebook. There's also a website coming soon.

Another player who is part of the Legends Bobblehead set is safety David Fulcher. I recently caught up with a three time Pro bowler and discussed the contract status of Jesse Bates and why David is happy that some people consider last year's Super Bowl run a fluke. David, what was your reaction to some of the moves the Bengals have made in the offseason. Oh, unbelievable. I think finally, as so many years of watching this franchise kind of stay in the middle of the pack, I think some

of the free agent picks were well overdoing. I'm I'm excited just to see Burrow play with somebody up front that that can really protect him. Yeah, they had an obvious need and they went out and signed three free

agents to fix it. And that's surprising because we've been around there for so long that those are the things that u's couch quarterbacks have been waiting for, and all of a sudden boom, the Bengals do exactly what we expected, we wanted them to do, not expected wanted them to do, and and once again, and they still got to play football. But at least we addressed what we needed. And then in the draft they went heavily on guys that played your position, A couple of safeties and a cornerback. And

these guys are all very versatile. You are an extremely versatile player. I imagine you'd like seeing that and the guys they drafted. But that was great. I mean, I think it's always good that you can put you know, a safety over there at corner. You know, they put five wides in there. They put big in there then, you know, and these guys can come and play big as well. Unfortunately, I hate to see Jesse Bates sit around and not be part of this football team right now.

But I understand the business part of it and understand what Jesse's trying to do. But it's really nice to have choices. When you have choices, it gives you an opportunity to do a whole lot of things. And I think this football team has put themselves in position to make plays and maybe get back to the Super Bowl again. They still have until July fifteenth to theoretically extend Jesse Bates.

I don't know where that stands. Obviously, Joe Burrows contract is going to be coming up before too much longer. Can you afford to pay a Jesse Bates at the top of the pay scale with some of the other guys that are going to be coming due, Well, I think that's what's happening right now. Just to sit back

and watch and see it. If these young guys pan out to be just as good as Jesse, then you know you're you're gonna lose Jesse, and especially when you got you know, Burrow and Chase him that offensive the football team that they got to try to keep them. So, you know, it's it's unfortunate, man, that they're not in nineteen eighties, you know, where the contracts aren't that big. But it is what it is, and you know it's a business because that's what Mike Brown told me when

I when I was released by the Bengals. He told me it was a business. And I never looked at it as a business because I just love playing the game of football, and they paid me to hit people. So I can understand now thirty years later that it really is a business. And you know, you gotta take what you got. And you know, if I'm Jesse, you know, and I can give him some words with wisdom. I know he wants that big contract, but if you love

playing a game of football, fourteen million ain't bad. It ain't bad at all, man, It ain't bad under any circumstances. Von Bell is not as big as you were when you played. But do you see a little bit of yourself and him in terms of his demeanor, his his willingness to hit, etc. Yeah, I think, you know. I try to tell people, Hey, I always asking about von Bell and he's not as big as you are. David doesn't weigh as much as did, but he but he

makes plays. And you know, if you got the heart to play this game, you don't have to be six four, you know, and you gotta be two forty. You just gotta make sure you make plays. And the guy makes plays and people respect him back there and receivers see him back there, come across the middle and you know he's not wearing thirty three, but he you know he could hit like thirty three. So yeah, I respect him and and I wish him well and I hope that

it continues more success. There's a bit of a national narrative out there that the Bengals were something of a fluke. Maybe that's not the word that some people are using, but you know what I mean. Does that annoy you with that impression that seems to be out there in other parts of the country. You know, I like that. Man, you keep calling me a fluke all you want. If we keep winning and we keep getting to the super Bowl, you're gonna have to one day say it's not a fluke.

And and and I don't think anybody a true Bengal fan, even a player. I was only concerned about winning one playoff game when they beat the Raiders. I was happy. If they would have lost the next week, I would have been like, you know what, we thought only won the playoff game. But then all of a sudden, it got to the point where they started winning and winning and winning. And you know, a player two away from winning the super Bowl, you know, you don't get to

the super Bowl because as a flop. You get the Super Bowl, Man, because you've done something good to get there, and this football team's got it. Great to see. Appreciate the time this sir man thick here. This week, David hosted his sixth annual put for Penguins celebrity golf outing to benefit the Wave Foundation. That's an organization that partners with a Newport aquarium to educate the community about aquatic

life and the importance of conservation. Updext another all time Bengals great offensive lineman Joe Walter, the right tackle for the nineteen eighty eight AFC champs, who unfortunately had to miss the Super Bowl that year after tearing his ACL in the regular season finale. Everybody knew the Bengals needed to improve the offensive line. They went out and signed three guys. What was your action? You know, I gotta tell you that I was really excited. Those are three

stout guys, veteran guys, leaders. It's exactly what they needed for this offensive line to help this young guys grow and figure it out. These are some players. Leyall Collins, the new right tackle, came from Dallas, has the reputation of just being a Maller. Sounds a little bit like a modern day Joe Walter. To me, Yeah, your reaction to him specifically playing your old spot. You know what, I'm excited about this guy. Watched him play when he was a Dallas and he is a maller and you know,

just the way he came in. I've got your bag, Joe Burrow, Nobody's gonna touch it. You know, that was just big. I'm excited about him. I really am. As an old lineman. How difficult was it to watch the Super Bowl? It was very hard to watch. It was very hard to watch just you know that far into the season, a lot of technique problems and issues and footwork issues. It was just, you know, you just scratch your head at some of the stuff that they were doing. Like,

you know, football is an easy game. If you just go by the rules, you're gonna be okay. And it was like they weren't even going by their rules and it it was crazy, But you know, we got there and we'll get there again. Rules as in how to handle twists, how to handle stunts, offensive line rules, rules on how to handle a twist, your footwork rules, your blocking rules. You know, if there's a twist, where are you supposed to be? There's all kinds, right it's it's

an easy game once you figured it out. These guys obviously haven't figured it out yet, and hopefully this veteran leadership will help them. We're chatting with Joe Walter. What was your reaction to seeing Joe Burrow's demeanor as he got hit. Never complains about the old line, never has that, you know, whiney face after a sack. What did that

represent to you? Well, that's a true leader. And you know, we don't know what he was saying in the huddle, We don't know what he was saying in the locker room. I'm sure there was some butt chewing's going on, but as far as not showing it publicly, it was really good. And that means a lot to alignment. Right when they know that the quarterbacks got your back. You know, he made choo your tail inside, but outside, nobody's gonna know. How excited are you for this season? You know, I'm

pretty excited about it. You know, it's all about health. They've got to stay healthy, and you know they were one of the healthier teams last year, hence the reason they got to where they were gone, plus some big plays. But this is a fun, exciting team. To watch. You know, just if you can give pearl. You know, you think of the last play of the Super Bowl. If he'd just had one more second and gotten the ball off, there was a possible opportunity to win the Dad Gume thing, right.

So I just think that with this group of guys, the leadership that they brought in, they're keeping the talent around. I'm excited about it. Again, it's all about staying healthy. Oh, he's great to visit. Appreciate your time, Big Dan. Thank you very much. Good seeing your brother. Jill also recently hosted a golf outing to benefit Ohio Valley Goodwill. It's the twenty first year he's been the celebrity host, and

he's also served on the board of directors. The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play fantasy football game. This past season, Ultimate Bengals awarded a weekly winner during the course of the year with tickets, autograph merchandise, and money can't buy experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals in the App Store and Google Play. It's hard to imagine any kicker in NFL history having

a better rookie year than Evan McPherson. He booted five walkoff game winners, including two in the playoffs, kicked nine field goals of fifty or more yards that's the most in a Bengal's career, let alone a season, and drilled a team record fifty eight yarder. Who better to discuss that with than the team's all time leading scorer and the kicker on their two previous Super Bowl teams, Jim Breach. All right, Jim, I'm sure you had high expectations for

Evan McPherson. But did he exceed them? I think pretty apparent he exceeded everybody's expectations except maybe his own. Uh. And it was just amazing what he did last year. And you know, you hope there's no complacency there, and you know you do it once, you got to do it to come back and do it again, so to prepare well mentally. But he's he was phenomenal. I mean, I really think that he's justin Tucker like maybe because of his youth. He's still a hair short if he

can put ten years like that together. But you know, they that was a great pick he got. They got ripped for picking him in the fifth round and Now, I was like, I think, you know, if we took him in the second rounds, there would have been a good pick. Now with what he accomplished, Yeah, I think he eliminated the saying don't draft a kicker, right, Yeah, And even when I think it was Cleveland took a kicker in fourth or fifth round. And I see their

raving about this guy. You know, when you're when he got points involved, it's a huge thing. You know, it's it's it's part of your offense. And if they can really impact your offense, and why wouldn't you, you know, why why worry about all the analytics part of it? How does he impact your team? And he makes a

huge difference to the Bengals. And I was telling to Zach Taylor recently about that, and he said, you know, it allows us to think differently on our play calling when we know once we get over the fifty, we've got a chance. You famously were money in the clutch. Do you see anything in his demeanor that helps explain why he was so adept at coming through in those pressure pack situations. I think it's hard to really see

some of these demeanors. There are times when the guy who seems real fidgety, but there's definitely a confidence in his case. And it's just it's one of those things you know, you get into good routine, you understand how to deal with it, and you really have to want it. You have to enjoy it, because I always thought it was kind of the coolest thing. You kind of put yourself out there. Can I do this when it matters most? And to me, that was the most fun and I

would say that he probably feels the same way. But it's also the greatest way you can help your team as a kicker, because obviously we're only on the field for a couple of minutes a game, so if we can impact it positively, because these guys are out there busting their heads and at least we can help him out right, He kicked a walk off game winner in his NFL debut. Do you think that propelled him going forward?

It certainly didn't hurt. I was huge, and what a great comeback against and then the fumble they got to be able to go down and kick the field goal. So everything he did, I mean, there's nothing you can really think about that he didn't handle well, you know, the game against Green Bay, whatever, was so windy, and he and Gus we were both struggling. He bounced right back from it. I don't know if he missed another kick or maybe one kick the rest of the year.

So everything he did, he showed he's got just great perseverance, but great confidence and great talent. Did you WinCE when he prematurely celebrated in the Green Bay game, thinking that he had kicked the game winner, only to see it get blown to the left? I get it. I mean, when you kick it, you have a pretty good handle on it, and you know, and then you're watching it fly, and you know, in that case, it probably wasn't moving a lot, and he's thinking, hey, it looks really good

and then boom it moves. So yeah, I did I feel bad for him because it looked like the game was over and then all of a sudden, how that happened. It was unfortunate. But again, when the wind comes into play, you really don't know. You got to make sure it's

done before you know. That's one where I wish they had made more of an effort to get the ball closer, because it was so windy and all, and both guys were really struggling, so when Kevin Huber resigned, I was speaking at a Bengals related speaking engagement, and I joked, well, the Bengals have resigned their holder because now that they've got a better offensive line, they don't plan to punt

this year anyway. But in all seriousness, Kevin Huber says his job now is sixty percent holding, forty percent hunting. How valuable is Kevin Huber as a holder? The holder is unbelievably valuable to the kicker if you have If you don't have a good holder, it is one. It's a struggle because you don't know exactly when the ball

is going to be there. If he doesn't have quick hands, if he blocks the ball with his hand, if he can't get it down quick quickly is big because you know it's such it's only like one point two seconds, so you want to be able to see the ball. If it's slow getting down, you're kicking just as it's getting there. It is a huge, huge part of the kicker's confidence and and and good snaps to make a

big difference. So they're really in great shape there. The holder is a mate, so I get that because because he's such a you know Evans is such a weapon that I can see with what he's saying, and he might be right. He might not be punning a lot this year, which was offense. Yeah, last thing. As one of the guys who played in the two previous Super Bowls, what did last year's Super Bowl run mean to you? It was so unexpected and it was so fun the

way the city responded. I've always said, I just wish these guys, the current guys, it could find out what the city feels like when your team is just killing it and they start killing there towards the end and the city just went nuts, and it was so much fun to see the life in the city and how it came to be everywhere if you think about Bengal fans were all over the country because I mean, it came out of nowhere. And this guy, whether you know, a messed up knee and he's playing that next year

and boom they make it to the super Bowl. Really within you know, a fraction of winning the Super Bowl. And that's the biggest thing we've struggled. We can't see him to get We play them all close, and we can't see him to close it out. So we got to figure out how to close it out. Every Super Bowl has been getting closer. It's gone from five points to four points to three points, so it's getting closer. Yeah, and and the last two we were ahead. And that's

the thing. I mean, we've got to be the team that steps up like they did in the playoffs where they come up with the big players. We gotta be that team that stops that drive. It doesn't allow that to have the chance to score and come away with the winner. So they're getting closer, and I just hope they have another opportunity. I hope they have a few opportunities in his next few years. Me too. Always great

to catch up. Thank you, thanks for being Irdan. Jan's among the fifteen nominees on this year's Ring of Honor ballot. My final guest this week is an offensive lineman who spent most of his fourteen year NFL career in Pittsburgh before ending it with his hometown Bengals, Woodward High School grad John Jackson. It's no secret the Bengals needed to improve the offensive line in the off season. They went

out and signed three veterans. What was your reaction. I was happy, because you need to really take care of the guys in the backfield, and especially that quarterback. He's young and upcoming, and I think he's almos gonna be as good as his offensive long So we'll see this year. I mean gonna have a tough schedule. Anytime you go to the Super Bowl, you get the best of the best.

It is loaded, no doubt about that. Now, there were some free agents out there that were at the top of the pay scale, and had you signed one of those guys, you might have only been able to get one. Instead, they were able to get three veterans with good track records at a relatively reasonable price. Do you like that strategy as opposed to signing Trent Williams or Brandon Shure. If somebody like that, well, I think you've got to look at this, squay. I mean, whatever it fits in

that locker room and the culture. You don't want to disrupt that culture having a hot price guy going there. It might have rubb a couple people wrong. So I think they did it the right way. You know, three is better than one any day. That's a very accurate math. Did you WinCE as you watched the playoff win over Tennessee when Joe got sacked eight times, or the Super Bowl when he got sacked six times? Was that difficult

as a former O lineman to watch. It's always hard to watch those quarterbacks go down because you know offensive line take pride and you know what they do and it's just one of those things that you know you're gonna learn from it. But that's one of those things you don't want to be a recurrent thing. So hopefully they can get that thing fixed this offseason and have a great season. Um. I know the fans and Cincinna are excited. It's about time. The schedule is brutal, as

you alluded to, but the roster is better. What do you think of their prospects for this year? I think they got a great chance. I mean it all boils down to stand healthy and when somebody does go down, do you have that quality backup to go in there and play up to that level. So I think they're close to getting that done, but only time will tell. What impresses you most about Burrow He's just cold blooded. I mean he's got ice in his veins. You give him some time and he'll put it in the right spot.

For a quarterback to be hit that many times, that's that's that's pretty impressive. What did the team's success mean to you last year? I was just proud of him, especially being from Cincinnati, but you know, I played with three different teams and I had a chance to come here and play and it was just it was just fun to watch them. So I'm excited about this season and we'll see what goes on. Great to see you,

appreciate the time. Good seeing you. That's going to do it for this episode of The Bengals Booth Podcast, presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download Ultimate Bengals ahead of the twenty twenty two season. It's free to play next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get it now on the App Store and Google Play, and 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 Horde, and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast