Bengals Booth Podcast: Patience

a better pass rush. This week's one on one player interview is with Kevin Huber, whose goal twelve years ago was to punt until he was thirty five years old. He's made it, so what's his goal now? And finally it's our no the Faux segment as we get an entertaining look at the Eagles from Michael Barkan, who hosts the team's pre and postgame shows on NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Bengal Booth Podcast is presented by Prime Sport, the

official hospitality partner of the Cincinnati Bengals. And here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing on iTunes. Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean.

It's the greatest thing since that other pregame show. Since the Bengals played at four o'clock in Week one and on Thursday Night in Week two, I've had more time available on the first two Sunday mornings of this season than I do when the Bengals have their usual one o'clock kick. That's given me the chance to watch that other pregame show, which airs from eight to noon every

Sunday on CBS Sports Network. The cast includes host Adam Shine, former players Kyle Long and London Fletcher, and former Raiders executive Amy Trask and is just the right mix of information and entertainment without the painful fake laughs you have to endure on the traditional network pregame shows. So check out that other pregame show or tops for short Sunday

mornings on CBS Sports Network. Now, let's get to the Bengals, beginning with this week's breakdown with Dave Lapham lap I think when the schedule came out and we looked at Week three, a road game in Philly, most of us figured, all right, that's an l right, but not anymore. The Eagles struggled in their first two games worse than the Bengals did. They blew a seventeen nothing lead to Washington in Week one, gave up twenty seven straight points and

lost twenty seven to seventeen. Then they lost by eighteen points to the Rams last week. Yeah. I mean they've been outscored sixty four to thirty six, twenty six points allowed in the fourth quarter. I mean they've down the stretch, They've they've collapsed basically, and you know, you think, okay, playoff team more than not on the road in Philadelphia,

fans at BOO Santa Claus when the schedule came out. Now, they don't look like the Philadelphi Eagles expected and anticipated, and there's going to be no fans in the stand, so it's going to be a much easier scenario to try to go steal a w in Philadelphia. I agree with you, Dan, I mean, I think right now the Eagles are doing a lot of things wrong. I mean, six giveaways, dead last in the NFL, minus five turnover ratio, dead last in the NFL. We think the Bengals have

turnover issues. Man, Philadelphia, they got more turnovers in a bakery many they're just producing them. Left and right. Basically one third of the league so far ISZ and two. Eleven of the thirty two teams are off to an O and two start. The Bengals lost their two games by a total of eight points, and there's only one team with an O and two record with a smaller point differential, Denver. They lost their first two games by a total of seven points. Should we be encouraged by that?

I guess, I guess you could be, you know, but people are going to compare the Cleveland Browns to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which who the Bengals played Cleveland, Denver played Pittsburgh, you know in Week two. Yeah, it's I don't know, I guess, I guess, you know. Close. Only constant horseshoes and hand gernads, as the old saying goes, and Mike Man, Mike,

we've been saying for a while. Oh, in ten now, in two seasons games decided by eight points or less, NFL standard says, when about half of them, they haven't won one of them. So it's a matter of learning how to finish or making plays at crucial times of football games. They're going to be a big factor in determining the outcome of the football game. You can't let an opportunity that when it presents itself just slip through your fingers and move on. That's that's coming back to

Biden big time. There's no doubt the Bengals are giving up one hundred eighty five rushing yards per game so far, third worst in the NFL. It would help. I would think if Geno Atkins and Mike Daniels returned this week, but neither one is practicing today, and if I had to guess, I'd guess, you know, if the injury are equal, meaning that the groin injury wasn't a real, real severe one and it's going to take like you know, forever.

In Gino's shoulder injury, whether it's rotator cuff or if it's labor on, whatever it is, it's not, I think probably have a better chance of Daniel's coming back from a groin you know, depending on the severity of the pull,

a groin strain, a growing pull. I would think that Daniels may be able to make the dance in a better way than Geno Atkins would potentially and maybe need another week or so for Gino and you know, again, their day to day week to week, but the fact that neither one of them practiced, you know, and when when they came back with the extra practice time, Today's today's injury report will have a big bearing on it. Wednesday's the big work day. Hopefully at least one of

them went limited. Maybe both went limited. But if I were to pick one that might have done something today, I'd probably gamble and pick Daniel's over. At let's talk offensive line. Pro Football Focus has the Bengals ranked twenty sixth in past blocking so far. Who are the sixth best, sixteen twentieth in run blocking so far? How has the old line performed in your opinion, you know, it's been

I guess spotty would be kind. I do think that Fred obviously had a couple of issues, but I do agree with Zach's comments that he didn't even have a practice, a full practice with any physicality to it before going into play Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns. That's tough duty, it really is. I mean, you think, okay, you take

some snaps of training camp, it wasn't. It was never really anything more than a scrimmage situation, you know, not live not tackling people in everything defense going one hundred miles an hour with a bunch of different looks and adjustments you have to make. And he probably took more snaps at tackle initially when he was battling Bobby Hart than he did a guard. And I can speak from experience. Going from tackle to guard is easier physically because you

have people on both sides of you. You have less space to worry about, and not as athletic a player as you might see on the edge, So physically it might be easier although they're they're behemous. You know, you've got to be strong inside, but boy, it's fast in there. The traffic patterns are quicker on the edge. No matter what I found when I was playing all the different positions, every single assignment blocked the end. What if they do this block the end? If you're playing center a guard,

they'll give you different looks. They'll bring linebackers. You know, there's a lot goes on double a gap blitz is and it's quick and man, sometimes you feel like, you know, man, you're over the speed limit. These guys are really you have to make quick So mentally it's a big adjustment going from tackle to guard. Physically, it's not as much. Although Fred got rocked man on that bullrush, he got rocked and I was surprised. I thought that would not

be happening to Fred. If I were to pick anything, that wouldn't happen to Fred, being the behemoth that he is. But it just goes to show you if you're tentative at all in terms of what you're supposed to do and how you're supposed to do it, and you have a high pad level, and I don't care if you're King Kong, you know they're gonna get under your pads

and knock you around a little bit. So I think, you know, it was probably really really quick for him mentally in there, and hopefully it's slowed down a little bit because it's tough. And now you have again you're between the center and tackle. Either one have worked with you in live conditions either. It's it's an issue. I mean, it's it's not as easy as people think. And but the one thing I will say, Fred Taylor has untapped upside. Fred Johnson, I keep on him run the football. Fred

Johnson has untapped upside. I mean he is he is gargantulan, you know, and I do think when if he does get his feet under him and start to feel real comfortable mentally, Michael Jordan and Fred Johnson could be you know, a twin tower of strength inside at the guard position. Yeah, he he learned a couple of things. He got bowled by one guy and got beaten upfield. Miles Garrett, you know, came came upfield on him and get got a quick rush and knocked the ball out of Joe Burrow's hand.

So he had a couple of major negatives, um that were visible to everybody. But boy, he needs reps that. It has been announced that Fred Johnson will start again this week at right guard, but in the meantime, Alex Redmond was resigned this week to the practice squad. At least what happens with him going forward? Do you think? I wonder if he gets activated, you know to the fifty one of the fifty five, the two guys that bring up for fifty five. But I don't know if

that would be an overload inside. You know, they get Calhoun, Um, uh, let's see who else they have. They have Billy Billy and Identity playing tackle and guard. I mean, I don't know, I don't know where Redman, And I don't know exactly why he was terminated, waved or or whatever. I think it was because he keeps getting hurt. You know, he's injured himself wrestling in the offseason and couldn't participate in

training camp until the very end. And you know, against Pittsburgh the year before in pregame warmups, blows his elbow out. It's like, man, you gotta be kidding me. So they're wondering. I think again again, one of the best availables, one of the best abilities to have his availability, and he hasn't been available. So is that that is it? Other things? Is it a compilation of multiple Who knows? But I do know one thing. When he is healthy, that is one finishing fool. He is the strong. He is a

strong guy that loves to fight you. He will battle you, he will finish you. He loves hand to hand combat. He's one of the best finishers I think in the league. I mean, the dude is like distraught. If he doesn't dominate a guy at the end, he'll give him the rabbit punch. He'll give him that, you know, a little gut action. He'll do anything to finish guys. That's another issue. You don't want to be drawn penalties unnecessarily and all that sort of thing. But that guy wants to compete, man,

he wants to finish. So I think I think he's a He belongs to the National Football League. Just gotta get everything right, everything calmed down, everything in place, and get healthy. See if he can contribute. Alex Redman, he is a little nutty, but he is lovable in his own brawling sort of way. According to the official league stats in Cleveland, the Browns sacked Joe Burrow three times and had seven quarterback hits. And there's a common misconception

that those are separate numbers. They're not right. It might be different for Pro Football Focus or football outsiders, but according to the official NFL stats, right, a sack counts as a quarterback hit, and it should. You shouldn't get double you know, double credit forward if your defense right. So by official NFL stat keeping, he was hit seven times in the Cleveland game. Now that seemed low to me. So I went back and I watched the All twenty

two video. And there's another thing. If a quarterback gets rocked running the ball, that doesn't count as a quarterback hit. That's strictly the stat exists for pass rushing, so I included runs and I counted up eleven times that Burrow was legitimately knocked to the ground, some harder than others in the Cleveland game. Is that sustainable for Joe Burrow? I asked him that very question, like right after the game, you know how you doing? Took some shot? I'm fine.

You know, he feels like a football player when he gets hit. He says all the right things. But I don't want to see an Andrew Lux situation where you know, you have a great player who just takes too many hits, whether they're because he's inflicting them a lot on himself basically by the manner in which he's playing, or the offensive line is not up to part line. Is he took a ton of hits and he said that's enough, No Moss, I'm done out of the game, Star future,

I mean, bright superstar out of the game. I don't want to see that. I definitely don't want to see that. Getting hit eleven times, solid contact eleven times times sixteen football games adds up quickly. You're looking at one hundred and seventy six off the top of my head one hundred and seventy six times during the course of the season. It's a lot of hits. That's a lot of and you got a hope that some of them was direct hit to the head, that were a couple of them

were missed. There were shots to the head, and you start, you know, getting that done and start scrambling things upstairs. That's not good. You don't want to be in concussion protocol and everything that goes along with that. So yeah, I mean, i'd like to see those decrease by at least fifty percent or maybe seventy five percent. I mean, you're gonna get hit, but you don't want to You don't want to see your quarterback get hit, you know, more than a handful of times. You always want to

see it less than a handful of times. But if you're throwing at sixty one times, you're putting them him at risk a hell of a lot more. That's usually two football games. You throw it thirty thirty one times in a game. It's a lot of pass did one game two times the normal? I mean in one football game, that's a lot of throws. In the Bengals most recent game last Thursday in Cleveland. They threw it to Aj Green a lot and didn't get much out of it.

He was targeted thirteen times, finished with just three catches for twenty nine yards. And going back to July, prior to training camp, I spoke to former Bengals wide receiver T. T. J. Hushman Zada, and I asked him this question about Aj Green. AJ Green turns thirty two on the last day of the month. How much great football does he have left in him? The way the game of football is now like honestly, as can play if he stays healthy, he can play at a high level for four to five

more years. High level, high level, and the game of football is different. Like up, I'm forty two, I have weighed the same for twenty years. I still in shape, I still have ASPS. I only work out a couple of times a week. The game of football is different if guys are standing in shape. AJ in essence, his body should be healthy, if it's healthy, if that makes any sense, because he's been hurt for the last couple

of years and so AJ phenomenal man. I tell people all the time, if you want to learn how to get off of press coverage. Even if the release isn't a great release, it will be a great release by watching like AJ is just so violent at the line of scrimmage that even if it's not good, it's gonna work because he believes in it. And Yeah, I'm looking forward to AJ reminded people that he's Aj Green. I'm looking forward to that because he doesn't talk a lot.

He's not gonna tape himself up. And I don't even know Aj that will, but I'll hype him up. I'm looking forward to him reminded people how did he really is? All right? Again? That was t J Hushman Zata back in July. I'm not going to panic over that last game for AJ Green. It was a short week, which I think was tough on him considering the hamstring injury and training camp and the injuries he's coming back from before that. Additionally, Denzel Ward might be one of the

top two or three cornerbacks in the NFL. I was gonna say Dan Denzel Ward did a great job. I don't. I can't remember a game where AJ was targeted thirteen times and only at three catches. There's never been one ten balls that he doesn't come up with. I mean, I can't, so I wonder if Darius Slay, who they picked up from the troity, three time pro bowler. I wonder if they're gonna put him on AJ all over the field like like you know, Cleveland had Ward basically

on AJ. And he's gonna get He's a Pro Bowl he's gonna get If there's a pro bowler in the in the secondary, he's gonna get him. You would think, unless you know they're so stubborn about note, we're not gonna we're not going to travel corners. We're just gonna play right and left corner. AJ Green is the type of talent that might make your mind change a little bit, particularly when you look at the success that DJ Ward had. He played, he played them well, he played a good

football game. And I think they're getting their hands on AJ now, hands are really you know, it's it's a big, big deal, and the officials aren't aren't really even when it's more than five yards down the field and they're getting hands on him, it's not being called. And on the touchdown that was reversed, he was bear hugged basically coming off the line of screen. It wasn't called in Week one against the Chargers, and then he did push off a little bit to get started because he was

getting bear hugged and he gets called. So you would think that a guy who's made seven Pro Bowls might get a little bit of a benefit of a doubt. But right now he's not getting anything. He's really not getting much called in there. There's some sticky coverage going on. There's some handsy stuff happening. The Thursday night game in Cleveland a special one for rookie wide receiver t Higgins.

He was targeted six times in that game and had his first three NFL catches, three catches for thirty five yards, including an eighteen yard or on a great throw by Joe Burrow into a very narrow window. In any case, here's the second round pick out of Clemson on his first two NFL games. Man, it's feeling like no other, you know, something always dreamed of and now I'm living my dream. You know, I just got to go out there and go out there and keep competing and go

out there and get some ws now. So just like with Joe said not too long gone Thursday night when he did his interview, I've never lost two in a row. You know, it's been a long time since I've done that. Last time I've done now, I was playing basketball in high school, So I mean it's been has been a minute. Hopefully he will not experience losing three games in a row. Let's talk lap about the Bengals use of their wide receivers, particularly in the Cleveland game. Tyler Boyd got the most

snaps seventy eight. AJ Green was in for fifty seven, and you would expect him to get little breaks here and there since he's coming back from the injuries. Tae Hagan's got the second most. He was in for sixty, more than twice as many as John Ross, who was in for twenty eight. Michael Thomas was in more than John Ross. He was in for thirty two snaps. Auden Tate inactive. Yeah, that one's that one's a tough one.

And uh, you know, so you think Alex Erickson and Thomas will provide special teams plays snaps that Audum Tate isn't going to necessarily provide. I guess it came down to that in terms of who is going to be active for the game. But the snaps, I mean, it's a meritocracy. You know, there's no there's no way two ways about it. I mean, m John Ross's production, you know, even though he's quote the third receiver as such, you know, I would think they'd have no higher, no, no higher

than number three. He hasn't really produced. So it's a meritoxic you produce. If you don't produce, your snaps are going to diminish. So te Higgins, I mean, it's all about how you practice. It's all about you know, what kind of rhythm and timing you're starting to see with Joe Burrow and some of these guys, because te Higgins really didn't work much with Joe at training camp. AJ obviously didn't, so John Ross didn't. So those guys are obviously getting in a better rhythm and timing with Joe

Burrow than John Ross is. So it is, it's it's all about what you see, what the coaches see during practice, and meritocracy of you know, who's going to be able to perform, who's gonna be able to make plays. That's why the ten balls that we're in intended for Aj Green. For him not to come up with any of them, thirteen targets, three catches is so Unaj like, and it's there's probably, you know, multiple reasons for it. There's never just one reason. But that's got to change. You can't.

You can't. You can't target your number one guy thirteen times and only harvest three receptions for thirty yards. Whatever it was, I forgot to mention Alex Rikson. I ran down those snapcounts, by the way, he had eight snaps at wide receiver. I don't want to be killed the play calling guy, because Zack Taylor and Brian Callahan know a million more things about offense than I ever will.

But I scratch my head that they are not finding something for John Ross to do chet sweeps, some sort of packs that'll short Cross to try to take advantage of his speed. He really hasn't displayed the ability on a consistent basis to run way down field and catch forty or fifty yard throws. But can we get him the ball close to the line of scrimmage and see

if he can run away from somebody. I'll tell you they better start figuring out a way to get big plays somehow, because they have one in each area twenty three yard touchdown on a quarterback draw from Joe Burrow and one twenty three yard pass which was a touchdown to cj Uzama. Those are the only splash plays of twenty yards more this season for the season, and we're talking, you know, quite a few plays. So you have to figure out some way to get some kind of you know,

burst explosion chunks. Got to get some of them going. They're chunkless, they don't they don't have any chunk plays going on. Got to figure out a way and looking at him physically, Bass's got everyone the forty in the history of the National Football League. Yeah, I mean some kind of you know, little motion alley screen or something. I mean when when they have hit him on a slant he split the safeties and gone to the house. I mean, it's frustrating. It's frustrating when he's not used.

It's frustrating to see him not execute when he is used. He may be as frustrating a Bengal player to watch as there's been in quite a while. He really is. Prior to last year in training camp, it's seemed like there was going to be somebody in jet sweep or fly sweep motion on almost every play. The forty nine Ers do it a ton, Chiefs do it a lot. Rams do it a lot. I've seen it more in practice than we've seen it in games. Yeah, and I

mean the forty nine ers. One of their touchdowns this past week was there was so much going on in terms of motion. They had nine defensive players in a ball in the middle of the football field and it was a walk in a little short reverse touchdown run, but it had like five pieces of motion to it. It was like unbelievable. It's like, at this point, I can't trust my eyes. My eyes are deceiving me. My eyes are telling me this, my brain's telling me that.

You know. It's like there's so much going on. I agree. And the running game too, where's the pin and pull? Joe Mixon was killing it with the pin and pull getting outside. I haven't seen much pin and pull. I haven't seen a whole lot of it, you know. I know in h in the second week in this game against Cleveland, Cleveland played against Baltimore. Baltimore's offense is so unique.

They threw out the fronts and everything. I mean, they had Garrett in a four eye technique inside and the offensive tackle just blowing up the field to try to disrupt some of the running game. You're not gonna do that. I mean, they're not gonna line up like that against them. And they lined up in wide seven and nine techniques, so I can understand, you know, hammering the ball between the tackles. Some try to come downhill and pound them. Man, I'd like to see some of that pin and pull.

That was How many times do we see Joe Mixon, you know, timing it perfectly, letting his offensive lineman work tight end, pinning, tackle blocking down center, and guard pulling. They're getting their blocks. Man, it's good looking stuff. Got to see it. Like to see that again. It's interesting that Joe Mixon because it feels like he's not getting enough touches. He's averaging twenty a game. He is fifteen carries five catches a game. Basically, they're they're they're putting

the ball in his hands. They are yep, they're just right now. They're not getting any explosives everything. I remember saying it multiple times because I'm thinking it again, and I remember saying it during the Thursday night game Root Canal Surgery. Every drive is like, man, you go on a fourteen play drive for forty one yards. You don't even average four yards of play on their first drive and settle for a field goal. That's root canal surgery. I mean, man a chevits, you know. And the thing

is the Philadelphia Eagles. Looking at their run defense, Dan, They're only allowing three point six to carry, seventh best in the NFL. They gave up a forty yard run. Take that run away that they had seventy five carries, So now seventy four carries two hundred and forty one yards three point two five yards are rushed. They're not an easy football team to run the ball on this defensive line. Fletcher Cox, immovable object. I mean, I'm telling

you they got they got, they got some guys. The guy, the guy that I see playing pretty well again as Malik Jackson. This dude, strong, explosive. You know, he's in the rotation of three defensive tackles. Telling you not gonna be easy street running the ball against these guys either. You're not making me happy. Dave Lapplan, let's hit one more topic. After having two sacks in the opener, the Bengals did not have a sack or even a quarterback

hit on Baker Mayfield. So, Carl Lawson, what's the problem with the pass rush. The struggled to stop to run. You don't get that many attempts to just have dropped back passes to get after the quarterback. So we got to fix that problem first. And then you know, obviously we have talent and the pass rusher should go get the quarterback. But that's the narrative is, oh, you you

guts to struggled to get out to the quarterback. But I'm like, when you're in third and short or put teams in doing plays and boots and things of that nature, you don't really get that many drop back opportunities. As you see one of the best teams in league, and then some defenses, you know, and then last year the team that had the most sacks wasn't think it's Tampa Bay. They stopped to run first, and then they had to guys go get the quarterback. Um, Pittsburgh did a good

job of stopping a run. Then they get to go get the quarterbacks. So people know what we could do. People don't want to sit back, and you've seen what happened at the end of the last season. The pass russ picked up. That's because we were you know, more sounded. We started playing again better against the run. So but you know, it's easy to go sit there and be a writer and be like, oh, the past rush sucks. I mean, like, no, we got to stop the run first so we can get those people in the positions

to do that. I mean, Carl, how frustrating is it to have writers like us? Uh? Oh no, I mean it's not frustrating. I mean rantings do every day, So like the narrative can change what you write in the day, or this staves sucked next day. I've had so many experiences that with media just talking when I was at all and just like trashing me like a bout injuries or or people on the fans talking to me. So I mean it doesn't really affect me at all. Like this is this is your job, this is how you

make your money. I'm not knocking you for your craft at all. It's not frustrating at all. But like you said that the narrative can change the next day. You know what I'm saying, The right can change the next day, and guests the job of that to do that's us, you know, But until then you're gonna keep saying we sucks. So I mean, I'm not mad at you at all, like you're still offered it. We're cool. I love that. I tell you what. Carl Lawson's got a pretty good

grasp on how this works. You play lousy, we all say you stink. I turned it around the next day and we're gonna love you. But he's also right about the total inability to stop the run making it impossible to get after the quarterback. Had a high school coach played offensive defensive line in high school. In the high school coach or my d line coach said, look, you have to make them, or we have to earn the

right to rush the passer. It's not they're not going to give you the right to earn the pastor you have to earn it, meaning control the running game, put him in bad down and distance situations, and get after the quarterback. It is, that's simple. It's it's very very true. When you're giving up one hundred and eighty five a game on the ground, your thirtieth in the NFL, hard to hard to pressure the quarterback. Plus when Cleveland, when you know they get make Baker Mayfield a lot of pocket,

a bunch changed in launch point. That's tough. You know, instead of a guy just being seven to nine yards away from the line of screens depending on the five or seven step drop like a statue. The only guys they're going to play this year that plays like that is Philip Rivers. Every other quarterback on their schedule has some movement skills, so they're only going to play against Philip Rivers, who they know exactly where he's going to be every time he throws it pretty much one time.

So you better start stopping the run and put them in third and long situations where these guys are going to at least be in the pocket for a while before they try to extend and create plays like every quarterback, including Joe Burrow, is doing for the Bengals. I mean, that's part of the quarterback package these days is everybody's not fran Tarkington, but they want them to be more like Fran Tarkenton than Johnny You. They don't want him just standing in the pocket, you know, and and throwing

the football. That's not the NFL these days. So yeah, you're gonna have to earn the right to rush the passer. For the younger audience out there, Fran Tarkenton was the Russell Wilson of the sixties and seventies. Need proof, Google search fran Tarkenton scrambling and watch some video on YouTube to see what I mean. One of the Bengals best performers so far this season is kick returner Brandon Wilson.

He leads the NFL with a forty three point seven yard average on his three returns, and that's more than ten yards better than anybody else in the league. And he's not the only standout on special teams. Kevin Huber is averaging more than fifty three yards on his first eight punts. And I spoke to the bengals longest tenured player this week. Kevin, I heard you say in a recent interview that your goal when you got into the NFL was to punt until you were thirty five years old.

You made it, but it sounds like you might have to update that goal. Yeah. You know, when I first started, my goal was, you know, back when I was a young twenty something year old, I thought it'd be a pretty good moles on a place weels thirty five. So that was what I I don't know why that number kind of came out, but that was my goal. So I reached that, and now you know, the next goals to plays on forty, so a couple more years for that.

Your first punt of the year was a seventy yarder and we're not talking about a bouncing roll seventy yarder. It flew about sixty two yards from the line of scrimmage. Were you like, WHOA, ielt good to start the year? Yeah? Yeah, I came off pretty good. Obviously, like to have a better bounce keep by the end zone, but you know, it was one of those things. It's, you know, no preseason games, just you know, you just want to get a good hit on the ball to skip the year off,

start off right, so hanging time to be better. But I was happy with the hit itself. And you know, I'll take a seventy fifty you know, all day long. Yeah, fifty net after seventy gross. Right, we're chatting with Kevin Huber. You're averaging fifty three and a half yards so far this year per punt. And I asked Darren Simmons the other day what's gotten into Kevin Hubert, and he said he thinks the lack of OTAs and many camps might

have helped. Do you agree it was kind of like the lockout year where you just kind of get ready for the season, you know, you just instead of getting ready to go for OTAs and you know, and then you kind of calm down in the summer and then pick back up in training camp. It's just, you know, I just kind of took this year and I just I didn't really rush anything. I just let it build up until we got the training camp, and that way,

by the season I was ready to go. So I think I was probably more fresh coming to the year than I've ever been in the past, and just really took it slower this year, knowing that, you know, we weren't going to have you know, all the games, so it just really just took some more time. Probably lifted more this year than I ever had before, just because I had more time to do that and just really got myself ready for week one versus ready for OTAs

and ready for training camp. How do you think your legs strength compares at thirty five too when you broke into the league twelve years ago, it's probably you know, I think it's probably just as you know, just as strong as it was. And then I've had a couple of years where I was probably strong on him now, But I think overall, probably you know a much similar you know strength than I was when I first came out.

I think now I just know how to utilize it better and get more out of it than I did then. I think my form and my technique and just knowledge of the game and when I need out of a certain situation has really changed, which has helped me to you know, use leg strength when I need it, but also be able to back off when any too as well. Kevin is the holder. You were obviously the closest person to Randy Bullock when he missed his game tying attempt

in Week one. Could you tell what happened right away? Um? I just knew that the hits sounded different. You know, I don't get to see the ball flight. I get to see like the aftermath. I just knew, you know, the ball. It just it wasn't the same kind of thought. So I knew something that had happened. And then once I looked up and saw that he was grabbing his leg, I you know, I didn't know if he had um pulled something to ur something. I had no idea what

was going on. Um, So you know, it felt so bad for him Um, but I know, you know, he came back last week and had a great game, and you know he hasn't He's been, you know, more committed now than you know, than I've ever seen him before to you know, kind of to get back to, you know, what we know we can do. And you know, I think he showed that last week. UM, on our last game and he made all his kicks. He had great kickoffs, and I'm man pretty common he'll be able to do

that the rest of the year. A couple more questions for punter Kevin Huber. Darren Simmons had his contract run out at the end of last season, and Lapp and I both thought that there was a decent chance he would move on to another team. How happy were you when the Bengals were able to retain him. Yeah, I think that was huge. Um. You know, I think he's a great coach. I think he's probably the best coach in the NFL especial teams wise. Um. And the fact

that we have him is huge. And you know he's able to help me individually with punning because he's punt in the past, but I like it better for how he can get the other guys ready for a game. And you know, for me specific is the punt protection guys. He's dealt the short end of the stick, you know, week in and week out because he's the last guy to know who's gonna get activated or and activated. So he's got to get every guy ready. And you know, there's no look that our guys haven't seen going into

a game. And that's a lot of confidence for me knowing that, you know, whatever a team throws at us, our guys are going to protect it. So the fact that he got signed back and you know he's now here two or three more years of that is m that's huge and that was a big confidence thing for me as well, to be able to, you know, going the season knowing that you know, no matter who we have on the team, thirty of you ready to go. So Coen, full circle back to the start of the interview.

If the goal now is to punt until you are forty, hopefully that'll be the case. But have you given much thought to what you're going to do when you are no longer punting in the NFL? I actually got to ask that question. I think it was the last night yesterday some that I always think about that but it's always you know, it's the changes from year to year, and you know from day to day is what interests me. I really liked the real estate field. What part of

real estate I would get into? Not really sure, but I'm not really like, you know, doubting on one thing. Kind of If something comes my way that interests me, I'll I'll pursue it. But no real like set plans right now. Just something comes on my way and I like it, I'll try it out, keep blasting away, and you don't have to worry about it for a few more years. Well that's the goal. Hey, congratulations on a great start. I appreciate your time. Best of luck this

week against Eagles. Thanks appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Now time to turn our attention to this week's opponent, the going to Philadelphia Eagles. Michael bar Can host the Eagles pre postgame shows on NBC Sports Philadelphia, and he joined lapping me this week. I'm a Bengals game plan show here in Cincinnati. An O and two start is being seen as well. It's Burrows rookie year. They're bound to be some growing pains. How is an O and

two start being received in the City of Brotherly Love. Well, it's as you might expect, you know, in fact, and I don't know if I don't know if Fox did this or if the Eagles did it. I'm hoping it was Fox. But if you watched any of the game, you heard the Birds running off the field after one of several miscues, and I'm being kind saying several, and you heard booze if you were watching the telecast, and I'm thinking, are they booing them in their own stadium

with no fans. People think the season is on the brink, even at O and two, and with the Bengals coming up, and you know, anything can happen on Sunday. There's no reason the Bengals can't get win number one, and then they've got to fly and play San Francisco. They got Alison the first date. Um, it's going to be a real uphill battle for the Eagles from here on out.

They should have blasted Washington in that first game, and they had every opportunity to beat the Rams as well as good as the Rams are, and it was it was their own miscuse. It was their own sloppy play, it was their own poor play calling. And I don't know if that improves in week number three, I just don't what do you guys think, you know, I'm looking at Wentz and uh, he gets sacked five times in the first twenty five plays against the Redskins, and and

that that that changes your clock a little bit. I kind of it altered his clock. Now. To me, it looks like he's pressing and he's become a turnover machine. Five giveaways, most in the NFL six by the team. He's responsible for five of them, four interceptions and lost fumble. I mean, the dude is just he's now he wants to get it out of his hand so quickly as mechanics have fallen apart his you know, his form. I mean, he looks like he's he's definitely, you know, definitely he's struggling.

I don't know if it's something that can be remedied by, you know, one good game against a team that's struggling as well against the Bengals. But man, he looks like a different guy to me right now. Yeah, I don't know if it could be remedied, Dave, although it did happen in somecembers last year and then he led the team the last four games to the playoffs, and then he got knocked out against Seattle. Unfortunately. I think all of that has to in some sense form who you

are as a quarterback. He's just getting blasted physically, but also he continues to give up his body, as the hockey guys say, and I don't think that's a good idea. I think he needs to be more more careful. And this week, week number two, you saw what happened week one with the sacks, but week number two, the line protected him. And it's his inaccuracy, as you spoke of. He's not throwing the ball and placing it where it needs to go. And there was one play in particular

to Dallas Goddard. Goddard's wide open, he throws behind him on his back shoulder and God had almost got blasted. There a couple other plays like that. The same with the Sean Jackson. In fact, Jackson didn't have a catch in the first half and then comes back and leads

the team in receptions with six. But it's something I really go back to the departure of Frank Reich is now with Indianapolis and John D. Filippo, who was the quarterbacks coach, and I think sometimes and then you can say, Dave, you can speak more to this better than I. But sometimes there's just a chemistry between coach and player. There's a comfort zone and there's an ability to make the player understand better than when with other coaches and whatever.

It is this chemistry now with Press Taylor, who's really the facto offensive coordinator, and the quarterbacks coach, and Doug Peterson and his words from the locker room that perhaps you know Wentz doesn't always listen to the play call and that he calls the plays that he wants to call, and I don't know if Peterson's on board with that. So there's a whole bunch of tumult going on right now. But I really think it started with that with the

departure of Reich and Di Filippo. After the Super Bowl, we're talking to Eagles pregame and post game host Michael Barkan. We know the Eagles have had injuries on the OH line. How is the group that they have now okay, below average? How would you consider these guys? I think it's okay. You know, it's so easy to just say, oh, these guys can't play. I mean, you know they're not Jason Peters on the left side. It's not Lane Johnson. And even Jason Peters isn't Jason Peters anymore. But I think

this line is all right. You know, they still have Peters, still have Kelsey. Peters has not been a major issue. As old as he is, I think I think he came back in good shape and I think he's all right. They've got this rookie at right guard, Nate Herbig, and then Lane Johnson, who missed the first game, but Jack Driscoll, this rookie came in and he was okay. For Lane Johnson the first week. It wasn't because of him that they got all those sacks. And Johnson comes back in

at right tackle and the line kept Carson Wentz clean. Um, So I don't think there's an issue there. I think there is an issue with the with the tight end, Zach Ertz, the All Pro tight end. He's not getting the ball very much. And as you may have heard, he's complained about his contract situation and he's expressed that he's not he's unsure that the Eagles want him to

finish his career in Philadelphia. Well maybe they don't. I don't know, but don't cry about it, start catching some balls and maybe you leave to get a new deal. He's got a contract, by the way, that always you know, I'm sure, I'm sure, Dave, you gotta love that the arrow which you played, you know, you got a contract and plays pays some pretty good money. Finish the darn

thing off, you know, I know you're Zach Ertz. But and then Dallas Goddard, honest the goodness, who was drafted a couple of years ago, and a lot of people raise their eyebrows because we thought many they got a top fight tight hand and you get in, you bring it in another one. And then sometimes it looks like he just doesn't know what the plays are. Sometimes he's yelling back to Wentz like do I got here? Is it over here? And so that's a problem. But he

is a physical specimen. So but I'd like to see Ertz get the ball a little bit more. And then there's Doug Peterson, who I don't know if you've heard or seen, is kind of like his mentor Eddy Reid, who got his first trophy, which is nice because he was beloved this town. But he doesn't run the ball, and he doesn't run the ball, then they get their brains beat in. Then he runs the ball and usually that'll send him back to a more fifty fifth not it's never fifty fifty, but to a more fifty fifty

type of offense. And they still lost against the Rams, But I think that had more to do with Carson Wentz and his inaccuracy and his throwing into double coverage. And I don't know what's going on with him right now, but they got to figure out quickly, you know, let's flip to the other side of the ball. Jim Schwartz, I mean defensively, he's the kind of guy that he doesn't want to blitz all that much. He wants to rush four drop seven. Have four really good rush guys.

They don't even really twist and stunt all that much. He just wants to overpower you with good players in the pass rush and then play good sound defense on the back end. That's what it looks like he's doing in the early stages here. And shoot their top ten and yards allowed yards per play their seventh, I mean they're fifth and yards passing aloud. Has it just been bad field position because of the turnovers? I think that's the way it was in week number one, and I

guess to some sense week number two. But these guys, there was one play at the end of the game last week where Josh Sweat is it's kind of spying Jared Goff and Goss out there, and Sweats just kind of jogging like he's not gonna run. He's not gonna run, and oh my goodness, he run and then then he's too late and Cop ends up picking picking up six yards. And so I think these these guys need a wake up call, Um, Brandon Graham, how about trying to, you know,

set an edge for everybody. Fletcher Cox has not been what he can be. He's not been his Pro Bowl self. But the other thing is Dave. They've got linebackers that should be safeties or Nathan Gary. He's hand tackling guys. He's undersized. And the Eagles have long believed, indeed, if not by stated uh intent, they have long believed that the linebackers really don't have a big place in the defense.

And so they have these linebackers that really are not you know, they're either playing out a position or they're just not as good as they need to be, Um Malcolm Jenkins. They let go to the to the Saints, as you know. And then they moved Jalen Mills, who was a corner and he was an okay corner, but they moved him to strong safety, Rodney Mclouds at free safety, and then they brought in Darius save Detroit and that

was a great and crav Craivon LeBlanc. LeBlanc is out there as the nickelback with Avante Maddox is the right corner. It's um, you know it just it has not worked. They've looked really bad. And with regard to m to Jim Schwartz, I guess the bottom line is does your team have more points than the other team when the

when the clockage zero. But Schwartz gives up tons of yards all the time and tons of points, and everybody kind of glosses over it because they went to the Super Bowl in eighteen and then you know nineteen Wentz has hurt all season. There's always an excuse. But to me, lets Schwartz's defenses give up way too much yards and points and that's the bottom line. Our guest is Michael Barkan Eagles pregame post game host on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Here's my last question, Michael, you mentioned Jalen Hurts. To me, that was a curious draft pick. You've got. Carson went second overall pick in the draft MVP candidate before he

got hurt a few years ago. Did you find it strange that they selected a quarterback in the second round with the other needs they have on the roster, Dan, I think the entire NFL establishment found it strange that you take a guy with the fifty third overall pick when you've got a Pro Bowl quarterback and a guy who were not for an injury in his second year would have likely won d MVP. I think everybody thought it was bizarre. And then last week, I don't know

if you know this, excuse me. He had been inactive in week one and Nate Sudfeld had been the number two. Sudfeld was inactive in week two and Hurts was the number two QB, and then he was in there for a couple of snaps. They put him out at wide receiver. But at some point you got to ask yourself, if this is the guy that you're gonna use him, and you're gonna use him as a decoy, you have to

use him at some point don't you. I mean, you have to otherwise the defense is just gonna say, yeah, they put him in there every every play they ever go to him. So at some point he's gonna have to get the ball, whether it's under center, or whether it's a pass from Wentz or or it's a wildcat formation.

But that is the you know, you start getting into the into the weeds with this, and you can go all day because that Howie Roseman is a general manager of Philadelphia Eagles, and a lot of people questioned that selection. They questioned many of his selections through the through the years. And you may recall that when Chip Kelly came in, they spent one year together and then Chip basically said

either that guy goes or I go. And at that point everyone thought Chip would still a genius, so they Jeffrey Lewis, the owner, said yeah, okay, we're gonna put you how at the end of the hall and stay out of Chip's way. And then they brought him back when they fired Chip, and how he was celebrated after they won the Super Bowl. And he has had some good drafts, but I think a lot of them have been wasted drafts. And I don't mean just at the number one pick, I mean entire draft and so um.

I don't know that that happens with with top flight gms and top flight teams that are there every single year. The most important position, in my opinion, I'd love to hear your guys on this. The most important position in any organization is the guy picking the talent. Because you know, you can be inferior a coach, and you can have some players that are a little off. But the guy who's selecting your talent needs to know what talent is. And I question that at times with Howie I really

do play? I was going to say play by play guy is most important, followed closely by the person picking the talent. You're right, You're right. I'm sorry, Sorry Dad, I think you're right though. I mean I'm expecting a Hurts package, you know, gadget gimmick stuff. When you're struggling, you got to come up with something. I think they are going to come up one final question. Thanks, thanks for Cardinals. Are you kidding? Sc guy? I know we're on Marshall Street, right there we go im Street. I

love it. Get a little slice, all right? So I thought the Bengals are having a hard time finishing. The Philadelphia Eagles have scored three points in the second half and two football games they've been all scored thirty six to three. No, they've been shut out in the third quarter, three points in the fourth quarter. I mean, my goodness,

talk about not finishing. What's up again? I think that's Peterson And I always thought a strength of his was the adjustment at halftime, thinking, well, it's not going to get worse. They're not going to double up on the score or they're they're they're not going to fail to score. But that's what's That's what's happened, Dave. That's exactly what's happened. And I think there's some kind of communications gap going on with Peterson and Wentz. I don't know what that is.

And I think the defense is just they need to get They need to get kicked in the butt. They really do. And Jim Schwartz to me, this is a defining game for him. But you can do before it just one more if I can have one more question, what are you making of the Bengals offense? Joe Burrow. I saw what happened how he threw away Game number one, which was a shame. He's a rookie with that little shovel path that got picked off. Um, I don't I don't know what happened last week, But what do you

make of this guy in this offense? Well, he was thirty seven for sixty one in the in week two, only sixty one yeah, yeah, second most ever by a rookie, and he had the most completions buy a rookie. He's he's um. I think he's he's cut from a good cloth. He's got some five or two him. He's the real deal.

He's far from their biggest problem, that's for sure. And after the interception that you referenced in week one, he threw a game winning touchdown pass with seven seconds to go, they got wiped out by a semi bogus call, right so off he bounced back nicely from that. That's the thing about him. He has a short memory. You know. He moves on, He compartmentalizes. He uh, he doesn't let he doesn't let one bad play turn in multiples. I mean, he's pretty sharp. He's he's a mature guy, very mature,

very patient. I think he's gonna be I think he's gonna be around for a long time. Yeah, Well, I love watching him play at LSU, and I love the sensibility. I'd love when he came at ed Burrow Spell within eau right XU. And I'm really I'm really looking forward

to seeing him play. He gets it. He'll have much more on the game this Friday and the Bengals pep Rally Show from three to six on ESPN fifteen thirty in Cincinnati, Online at ESPN fifteen thirty dot com, or on the iHeart Radio app by searching for ESPN fifteen thirty. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by Prime Sport, the

official hospitality partner of the Cincinnati Bengals. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe, and if you have a minute, give it a rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find this podcast. I'm Dan Horde, and thanks for listening too. Up Bengals Booth Podcast. Mm hm