Bengals Booth Podcast: Ready For Some Football

players in franchise history, Geno Atkins. One on one player interview this week is with offensive lineman Fred Johnson, who discusses his bout with COVID nineteen and at Our Know the Faux segment, former Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor shares his thoughts on the Steelers and why he thinks the Bengals

have found their franchise quarterback in Joe Burrow. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by bud Light Seltzer Refresh the game and here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast livered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing on iTunes, Stitch, your Google Play, Spotify, or pod Bean. It's the greatest thing since coffee, vanilla, peanut butter. My wife peg is a marathoner and a

much healthier eater than I am. If left to my own devices, I can crush salty snacks like a three hundred and fifty pound nose tackle. Well. Recently, Peg started making this coffee vanilla peanut butter spread found in the Run Fast, Eat Slow Cookbook, and it's a game changer. I like to spread some on a banana. PEG typically pairs it with chunks of an apple and it's phenomenal.

So if you don't believe that delicious and nutritious belong in the same sentence, I highly recommend giving the coffee vanilla peanut butter spread recipe from the Run Fast, Eat Slow Cookbook a try. Now, let's get to football, beginning the visit with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham Lap. Let's start with the news from Wednesday that Geno Atkins has done for the year going on season ending ir with his shoulder injury. Finishes with no sacks this year in

eleven games. Earlier in the season, when people were ripping the effort of Carlos Dunlap and Gino Atkins, you were really the first person to defend Gino and say he was trying to fight through a serious injury. What do you make of his effort this season? He damaged that shoulder. I guess rotator cuff is the part of the shoulder that he damaged warming up for the inner squad scrimmage, you know, in the end zone, just doing warm ups with the offensive and defensive line. And you know, he

tried to battle through it. He missed a month and then tried to battle through it, but he just couldn't reach and grab with that right arm. He was literally one armed and very very deficient what he was trying to get done. I mean, he's his whole thing is power football and power foot ball. You have to use your hands. I mean that's a big part of it. And he couldn't. He couldn't, couldn't. Really, his right the

right side of his upper body was useless. So I admire the fact that he tried to give everything he could, but he was just basically a shell of himself. And um, sounds like in the Dallas game he exacerbated the problem and at that point in time, might as well just shut it down. You thought he was on his way

to having a good year in training camp, didn't you. Yeah, I mean I remember a couple of times, you know, when we were watching pass rush together, I'm like, man, you know he's he's really he's got I didn't see, you know, that explosion, and I thought, I thought not this season, the season before last year that it's like maybe, you know, maybe he's kind of round and third and heading for home as the lovable left he used to say.

But and then I saw him at training camp. It's like, man, this offseason really did him a lot and did well for him. So and then boy gets hurt and it all unravels and goes downhill from there. It's amazing when you look at it. All four of their defensive tackles that they were counting on actually five two opted out. But the four that they thought were going to play, all of them has spent time on injury reserve, if not the whole season on injury reserve. It's crazy. So

Gina will be thirty three in March. He's got two years left on his deal. Fourteen mill between salary and bonuses next year, sixteen mill between salary and bonuses the following year. If the Bengals cut him, there'd be five point two million dollars in dead money. But they would save nine point six million dollars. What do you think is going to happen? From the organization's perspective, it's like he was trying, you know, he's trying to give us

everything he's got. You know, it's not a situation where in Carlos's case, he could play, but he decided he wouldn't play, you know, and obviously that whole thing turned into a into an ugly situation, an unfortunate ending. I guess, maybe not so unfortunate for Carlos. He's out in Seattle and playing well, but um, you know, the bad taste in everybody's mouth I think is unfortunate because Carlos gave

him some good years. Gino has given him everything he's got, and he continued to try to give him everything he's got. That's a that's a that's a tough one, Dan, I mean, I don't know. I wonder. I wonder if it's you're gonna have to go for a while in the rehab, See how the rehab goes, See how he does come back from it. See if there's a potential that he could get back to you know, a good spot, a

good place physically and make a decision from there. I don't think there'll be any rash decisions made, but it's going to be interesting how it all unfolds. AJ Green's contract is up, unlike Geno Atkins. It certainly sounded, based on his comments after the game the other day, that he's ready to move on on. How do you think other teams in the NFL are going to evaluate AJ

Green after this year? Yeah, It's it's funny. You know, you hear all these coaches when AJ Green's name is brought up when we're doing zooms and conference calls with other head coaches. You know, AJ Green is still He's still he's still a good player. You know, we gotta go. You gotta take care of AJ Green. You have to double AJ Green and he has gotten doubled some. But Tyler Boyd's getting doubled a ton and you know it is shifted. Um. So I think it is going to

be interesting to see how they evaluate AJ Green. You know what they think that he has has left? Is he expo as explosive coming off the line of scrimmage? Can he run the routes the way he used to run them, you know, sinking his hips, getting in and and out of the cuts like he did before, with the explosiveness and the fluidity and everything that goes along with it. Um but he's certainly not going to be making the kind of money they made. As he was tagged this

year by the Cincinnati Bengals. That's that's by the boards. So it'll be interesting to see how many students there are out there and what they're talking about. And I guess that's probably why he definitely doesn't want to. AJ is the type of guy that doesn't want to close the door on anything or anybody really, and he doesn't want to burn any bridges. So whatever he does, I think he's going to do with the class that you'd

expect out of AJ Green. If it is a departure from Cincinnati, I think it'll be a departure that it'll be just the opposite of what Carlos Dunlap, you know, obviously experienced. It'll be a lot different with AJ. So right now, Bengals fans are hurting. They had so much hope going into the season with Joe Burrow and the great free agent class that the Bengals signed, and really very few of those guys are playing right now. I had this thought this week. And it sounds overly simple

and maybe pollyanna ish, but I don't care. I'll say it anyway. If they fix the lines on both sides of the ball, everything else falls into place. It's so blatantly obvious. They've just got to get good again on both lines. Now, it's easier said than done to fix it and coach it and everything else. But if you begin there, fix the lines, you can be back in contention in a relatively short period of time. Agree one hundred thousand percent. You know it's This season is a

great example of it. All starts up front. You know said many times over the years, you can have Hall of famers, a skilled positions. If you've got nothing up front to talk about, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. You have to give You have to give that group time to operate, in time to be an opportunity to be efficient and do what they need to do. Obviously that it has not been up to par on the side of the line of scrimmage. Part of it is injury,

part of it is due to ineffective play. And that's a you talk about a terrible cocktail to swallow man, that's a that's a bad, bad, bad, bad thing that takes. You know, when you have injury and inefficient play on both sides of the line of scrimmage, you don't you don't really stand a chance. And when you look at it, you know, the money that was spent in free agency and the draft picks that were spent in an effort to try to fix the offensive line, you know, it's

just it hasn't panned out for whatever reasons. And the reasons vary, but the bottom line is it just has not panned out. It's not like they haven't tried to fix it, but the fix is not done. It's so far from done. It's like you're just in the beginning stages of doing the fix again. And that's got to be frustrating because there have been assets spent in terms of draft picks and dollars to try to fix try to fix it. It's it's it's nowhere near where it needs to be right now. Yeah, at least on the

offensive line. I mean, an unbelievable amount of resources have been devoted to trying to fix that over the past several years, and unfortunately, by and large, they haven't worked. And you know, the defensive line it's injury is the biggest thing. You know. You look at Geno Daniels, I mean DJ Reader, it's it's just unbelievable. Wren, DJ Reader and Wren had the same thing happened, and it's a rare quad injury where an attachment to her quad, you know,

snaps it. It didn't happen once, it happened twice. So sometimes you sit back and shake your head and you say, wow, is there a black cloud? You know, how big is that black cloud? One's that black cloud cloud going to pass over us and go somewhere else, And you know it is. Every team has injury, there's no question, but this one, this one really had injury to people that you look at the quarterback. I mean all the hope is on Joe Burrow and he was delivering. He goes down.

Sometimes it's not the it's not injury, it's who is injured. And once that you you can't afford to lose. You start to lose and all of a sudden, man, you're in a real struggle. So looking at the two lines, who are the building blocks that you really feel good about on each side of the ball. On the offensive line, Jonah Trey Hopkins, anybody else that you know, You're like, okay, sooner or later, these guys are going to be part of a really good offensive line. Yeah, I mean every

everybody else. Really it's it's like you can poke holes him, you know. Um So if I'm if I'm an offensive lineman on this group of linemen that are finishing out the season, I have in my mind I have to put as many unbelievably solid reps on tape as I possibly can be because right now there's no way that I feel like, man, I'm going to come back and have a job next year. Really, I mean, you have to approach you with a mindset like, all right, this

we're not in the playoffs. We can't make the playoffs. This is my personal playoffs. For the last three games of the season, I have to go against good competition. I'm going against you know, two of the three opponents that are left our playoff potential teams. Pittsburgh's in already.

Baltimore is not that they could be. So put it in your mind that you're going to try to compete at the highest level you possibly can against pretty good competition obviously, and if you can do that, you know, finish strong and then give yourself an opportunity to compete next year. But there's nobody, nobody that should think that they're locked in and they've got a job available to them and it's a it's a done deal. There's nobody that should feel that way. In the offensive line and

my estimation defensive line. DJ Reader will be back. I'm Hubbard's under contract. I assume they'll try hard to resign Carl Lawson based on the season that he's had. Those are your three solid building blocks that you feel really good about on the defensive line if you keep Karl Lawson. Yeah, I mean, I think Carl Lawson. The thing about him is h he works really hard to be good. It's important to him and he wants to be good and that and that's the first thing is the work ethic.

And I see a strong work ethic with that kid. I really do. UM and I do a DJ Reader was given I thought he was given the Bengals as advertised. You know, he's a hard working guy. He's an effort guy. Um, he's got some athletic ability in a big body. I think DJ Reader, you know, is a is a nice is a nice piece as well, um, you know, Daniels is an interesting situation. What do you do with Daniels? He's on the back nine. But he's a guy that gives you effort out there too. I mean, he plays,

he plays hard, you know. I do think, I do think potentially you do have a few components on the on the defensive line, but you've got to address the pass rush. I mean, it's just you have to have somebody that, you know, besides Carl Lawson, who will give you consistent pressure off the edge. Sam Hubbard is a guy that will do the same. And you know he

battled injury this year as well. And when you have an elbow injury again, man, when you when you have to as a lineman, when you have to use your hands and your you know, your your hands, your elbow, your shoulder, anything in your arms is messed up, It's it's hard to play, it's hard to be effective. You know, you just can't do it one arm, There's no doubt about it. So I think I think Sam Hubbard's a you know, a piece to work with for sure. I

think he gives you everything he's got. He empties the uh, he empties the bucket big time. There's there's absolutely no question about it. I think that what this football team, particularly in the in the defense of an offense line, has to realize. I had a very good high school coach one time that uses this term to me that stuck with me for a long time, competitive endurance. And he said, you know what, he said, the good Lord blessed you son with some physical ability. Now it's going

to be your mental part of it. Where is your competitive endurance? Is your competitive endurance going to be where no matter what the situation, you're going to give maximum effort. You're going to max out with what you're trying to get done every single snap, no matter what, no matter what other people around you are doing, no matter what the score of the game is. You have to be

as consistent as players you can be. And the way you get to that level is competitive endurance, and you have to start to learn how to deal with that. And I thought, to this day I remember it, and that's something I think that it's a very simple concept, but it's a very true concept. Competitive endurance is what it's all about. That's what makes great players great. They have these unbelievable physical skills, but their competitive endurance is

off the charts, off the charts. Anthony Munels did not want to lose one rep. Not one. I mean, he was infuriated. If a guy got a good pressure against the never mind the sack, and that's what it takes, That's what it takes to be great. So Monday night against Pittsburgh will be Zach Taylor's thirtieth game as an NFL head coach. He's only won four so far, so the record is not good. What are some of the things you think Mike Brown's going to consider as he

evaluates Zach's future after the season. I think that obviously he'll evaluate the fact that, you know, this year was such an odd year in terms of the coronavirus, but everybody dealt with that and the injuries that we're talking about. I think Mike Brown is very sensitive to what you thought you were going to have coming out of training camp and what you ended up having as being two different things. I think he's very sensitive to that as

he'd go who is evaluation process all the time. But I think the biggest thing that has to be evaluated does he have the locker room still? And if he doesn't have the locker room still. If he doesn't have the respect of the players, and the and the players, the oars aren't in the water and growing the same way. If that's not the case, then then you have to

make a hard decision. But if he feels like that he does have the football team still and he has the respect of the football team still and his coaches and and that that's the other part of it, not only Zach, but who stays as assistance and who goes. I mean that that's a that's a big process. And I think obviously the thing that Mike Brown has shown over the years with coaches, his patients obviously, so that's going to be a factor. But it's going to be

it's going to be a process. It's going to be a arduous process, for sure. So the Steelers are here on Monday night looking to beat the Angles for the twelfth consecutive time. They're favored by anywhere from eleven and a half to thirteen points based on the lines that I've seen. They can clinch the AFC North with a victory against the Bengals, And at this point at least, we don't know who Cincinnati's starting quarterback is going to be, since Brandon Allen heard his knee last Sunday and the

loss to the Dallas Cowboys. It doesn't add up to a great scenario, unfortunately for the Bengals going into this National League televised game. No, it doesn't. They've played the Pittsburgh Stealers eleven times on Monday Night Football on or three and eight. Mike Tomlin was twenty two and five against the Cincinnati Bengals. Ben Roethlisberger better than that. I mean it, it doesn't add up to a very promising,

promising evening for sure. You know the defense that this offense that's missing key components, particularly at the quarterback position, is going against a team that's led up the fewest points in the National Football League and is a takeaway machine tied for most takeaways in the league, has the most interceptional league. I mean, you know, it's it's staggering. The odds are staggering going into this football game. So the bottom line is the Bengals have to bring their

at least a game. Hopefully they have an eight plus game, and you got to hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing to play at the level they've played at the last the last couple of weeks, which is closer to a sea, you know, for them, a lot of drops that that's the kind of thing that you you need.

You need some help from Pittsburgh, to be quite honest, To be quite frank, if Pittsburgh comes out and plays a clean game and Ben operates like he did the first time they played, he had a season high three hundred and thirty three yards passing, the season high four touchdowns passing. Supposedly coming off, you know, a knee injury that they were worried about. He wasn't gonna play it in practice all week. So Pittsburgh's Pittsburgh, There's no doubt

about it. And I think that they're you think Dan, at some point they're gonna start to try to commit to running the ball again. Eighty eight percent of their yards the last two in the two game losing stream has come from the passing game, eighty eight percent of their yards generated. And I thought, honestly that in the last game when they went to Buffalo, thought they're going to have to commit to the running game, and I'll be a son of a gun, they sure it didn't.

They didn't even try. So I'm thinking Monday and Night football against the Bengals in December. Pittsburgh has to commit to the running game, don't they. But maybe the coaches feel like with the running backs they have and the offensive line they have, and the quarterback they have and the receivers they have the best thing to do spread them out and throw the football and do the quick passing game. And I mean Ben leads the NFL in yards in attempts in completions, but his yards per attempt

are way down in the twenties. I mean, he's dinking and duncan. I mean, I don't even recognize the Pittsburgh offense has played in the last couple of games. And I think it might be different on Monday Night. We'll see you. Gotta think they'll try it there. Vaging fifty four rushing yards in their last seven games. That is unbelievable for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah, I mean the first time that the Bengals and Steelers played, Pittsburgh only ran

for like two point two yards per play. The Bengals ran for six. Now you take the thirty nine yard fake punt out of there, they still ran for five. They had twenty carries, one hundred yards, right than those five yards of carry. Pittsburgh was at two point two onlike twenty carries, twenty carries for like, you know, eighty yards whatever it was, and no one like twenty carries forty forty four yards. I think it was something crazy

like that. So that's that's not that's not the Pittsburgh Steelers. You know that that you know And then Ben, of course there in the thirty three yards, like we talked about that at some point in time, I think they're going to commit to more balance. As the playoffs get closer, they're going to have to have more balance than that. They cannot rely on a passing game that multiple receivers are having drops tight end receiver, they're all dropping the football.

Christmas shopping done, No, not yet. In that case, I'll wrap up this conversation. You can get to it. Have a good one, Dan, I appreciate it. Thanks obviously, wrap that up because I need to do my Christmas shopping now. Time for this week's one on one player interview. My guest is second year offensive lineman Fred Johnson. After rookie Hakimadenagy started last week's game at left tackle and struggled early Fred wound up playing sixty two of the seventy

two offensive snaps. As a result, it seems likely that Fred will get to start at that position this week. Fred, it's been an interesting year, to say the least. You have played three different positions this season, you tested positive for COVID. How would you describe your second NFL season. It's like one of them, the closest that everybody want to like, either they're too scared to ride or they're just you know, it's just one of those like things like you don't really want to do it, but you

kind of have to. You know. It's been a lot of ups and downs, me being COVID, switching multiple positions. So it was in the world when the highlight of the Bengals season was the Tennessee game, when four starting offensive linemen were out. You were one of the guys that that came through that day and be the likely playoff team. How would you describe that day and your

pride and what the offensive line achieved. I was walking in and like I've seen you know, you know, Mike Jordan was out there for that game, and I've seen him walking on. I was like, what you wanted? You forgot something in your car. He's like, nah, like I can't play to Then I was like, what did yell? We go do that? And uh, it was just one of those things like you know what you're going into,

you know what type of mentality you gonna have. And I think we went out there show like, you know, we we are definitely NFL caliber line, you know, being that it was all the scout team, the bomb spat and stuff. So I felt like we proved a lot of people wrong and showed the attitude that you know, the Bengals officive line. You know what we what we want to show, like what we want to display, and h that game just you know work for us. We're chatting with Fred Johnson. And then it was shortly after

that game when you tested positive for COVID nineteen. How bad were your symptoms? My symptoms aren't. I think I had symptoms for like, you know, like two to three days, like when I first test a positive, like I felt like I could have had a code or I couldn't have a code. You know, it's just like a little off. But it wasn't like, uh mind staking like they've written or anything like that. And then I had like body aches, but I didn't know if that was from the game.

Were just whatever. Then I felt fine, like for the next what However, many days I was on the protocol for ten days, I felt like I was fine. I was working out in my apartment and stuff, you know, just trying to keep some type of you know, fitness level. And it was one of the I was lucky. I was fortunate not to have to go through any severe symptoms and stuff. We're talking to Fred Johnson said, this year, you've started two games at right guard, one game at

right tackle. It looks like you'll be the starting left tackle this week. You're clearly willing to do whatever the team needs. But where are you most comfortable. I mean I wanted to do whatever the team needs. You know. The first start against the Browns at right guard. You know, we had a short week and you know, I was getting I got like my revs there, but there was short reps and you had a big task with playing the Browns, and I felt like I settled in and

got comfortable a guard. I gave up a play of Miss Garrett, you know. Then I mean I felt most comfortable at you know, tackle first and foremost left or right and just you know, doing whatever. But if the team needs, ben't play guard or whatever, like we'll hand nobody else they knock lightly. You know, accept that role because I played guard for four years in Florida, so you know I feel way. But I how about center?

Could you play center if it was a dire ust like have like, hey, you know, if I had to. But we gotta be understanding the whole game. We have to be understand I'm not snapping it back then, no shotgun snaps or ye, shotgun snaps unless you try to run a fumble ruski or something. With this about it, I'd like to see that we're talking to Fred Johnson

to this week. It's Monday night football against it. I guess. Yeah, the team you started your NFL career with last year, so you blocked these guys in training camp and in practice. What stood out from that experience from just being with Pittsburgh, Yeah, I mean just the standard of the stuff that they did.

You know, how you walk into the locker room, how you you know what I'm saying, hand yourself on the field and meetings and just every little detail about your day with distillers or something that I like like I got, I got kind of like got adapted too, and things of that nature. And uh, just that practice like it's it's you know what I'm saying this, either kid is either kill or be killed. And you gotta show what

you got every day, you know what I'm saying. Like you know, Mike Thomas used to preach a find a new find a new problem, you know, a training camp with things or that nature like with God. Like you get coached about something, don't let it be something that you know keeps happening, you know what I'm saying. So that that co league you've been kind of being undrafted rookie out of Florida, you know, trying to make that team with all those guys that they had them in squad.

I was just blasting favor to you know, find like understand the playbook as soon as I did, and you know, have have the temps duels that they was looking for and made the fifty three, you know, stay with them for eight weeks, you know, just waiting on my chance to you know, get in the game and stuff. And I was blessed to you know, thanks thankful for the opportunity, and things of that nature were excited to play against

them this week and see what happens. So when you're in training camp and you're blocking Cam Hayward and kJ Wattta, how does that prepare you for the NFL? It prepares you lock. I mean just going against those guys. They're high calor guys. I mean, look at look at their whole defness in front, Like those are you know, premier guys, you know, at each of their positions respectfully, and just going against dumb and experience, like you know, every snout.

You know, it's just something that prepares you for anything. Really.

And the guys on the old line, you know, the vessel with their Ramon Fosters, you know, the wave of US Councils, you know, they were guys well you know you looked up to this stuff, and like I learned a lot from that unit as a whole, and especially individual pieces like of how not to carry yourself coming from college to a pro professional team, and I those things that I felt like I needed to know, felt like I needed to learn there, and I did and I got and I got weighed and then you know

that's just the way to Kikie Crumble. So you're from Florida. Yes, it's going to be cold on Monday night. How your body adjusted it? It's just a cold there's no one's no adjusted to it. I don't have a I don't have a thermostat on my right shoulder anything to change the temperature. But I mean it's uh, it's getting I'm getting used to it. Kind of more shorder than uh. We were just out there in the snow and I didn't really feel cold, but it was snowing, so I

knew it was cold. But I mean, I'm getting used to it now. The last game was pretty cold, so nothing really too much to say about it. When you're on the field, you know, running around, you know, trying to hit people and stuff. But on the sideline it is probably the worst time. Once you're running around out there, you won't feel it. At that point you want it all. It's perfectly fine then. Bred appreciate your time. Best of luck against the Steelers, Happy holiday problem. Appreciate that both

podcast its presented by Bud Light Seltzer. It's light and refreshing with a hint of fruit flavor. The Pittsburgh Steelers come to town on Monday night with an eleven and two record and an eleven game head to head winning streak against the Bengals. Furthermore, Ben Roethlisberger is twenty six and seven in his career against Cincinnati, including fifteen and

two at Paul Brown Stadium. I know it's sickening. Ike Taylor was an outstanding cornerback for the Steelers from two thousand and three to twenty fourteen and one a pair of Super Bowl rings. He's currently one of the hosts of the Believe In Steelers podcast, and this week he joined lap In Wayne box Miller on the Bengals Game Plan show to preview Monday night's game. So the big buzz around the National Football League now is who is

this Pittsburgh Steeler offense. We've never seen the Pittsburgh Steelers not commit to running the football like they haven't committed this year. They're just not getting it done running the football. But of course Benn has Ben, but it's more of a horizontal you know, um, not dinking dunk, but short intermediate passing game kind of thing. In your opinion, are they doing what's best obviously with the personnel they have. What do you think about the Stealers offense? Boom, You

just hit on the head. That's that's that's your personnel. So when you look at the Pittsburgh Feelers offense, you're not looking at the running back room and be like, Okay, this is going to be us. You're looking at that wide receiver chords like, okay, this is us. The only thing when it comes down to this wide receiver chords drops. Of course, the Pittsburger Steelers lead the league and drops. But at the same time, you saw the difference when Deyontay Johnson was on the field and when he was

off the field. You saw the energy that he bought when he's off the fielder to what when he's on the sale. So the only thing about that he's the one dropping the ball. Yeah, And that's the reason why Big Ben has went to this quick game passing game one to keep the pressure up off of him too, to get the balls and playmakers like a Deontae Johnson is just the boys gotta catch the ball and they

gotta do it consistently, especially in this cold weather. You know, I when you think about guys dropping the ball like that, especially early in the Buffalo game, you guys a defensive backs, do you try to move quickly to get in their head and just remind them about that one hundred scent. I gotta let every time I'm facing you, I gotta let you know, ay, bro, you're about to drop got

to cover you because you're gonna drop it anyway. So you know, if I hate, I hate to say it, but in the game of football, when you're on the field, you gotta kick the man while he's down. That that that that's that's That's just how it is because it's one on one. Mindame you mind, No, you gotta kick them while he's down, because I guarantee you, when he's up, he's gonna be calling every name but your name in the pot, smoking you on routes and touchdowns. A lot

of that goes on, There's no doubt about that. Keith Butler, defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Defensive coordinators stay around Pittsburgh for a long time. I mean a lot of them had a lot of success. Is Keith Butler the kind of defensive coordinator the listeners to his players, particularly guys have been around a while. The thing I admire about Pittsburgh most players have played together for a while.

They don't even need coaches to make adjustments. Guy still good and understanding what the what the scheme and the concepts all about when you guys come off the field. Keith Butler obviously values the opinion of the players coming off the field and telling them what they're seeing, doesn't he You got to in order to be successful, as coach Butts is as a DC, You're only as successful as the adjustments you make. One two listening to your

players because they're on the field. You know, I think as a defensive coordinator sometimes you can go in with a game playing and your players are telling you something different because they're on the field. So now you have to a that's to your game playing coach. Coach Butts does that well, if you know what I'm saying, yep, yep. Yeah. When you think about the secondary the Steelers have, now, what do you like about them? And what do you

think maybe a challenge for them? I think they can do a better job of tackling in Oakland space, you know what I'm saying. That's that's that's when you're good. Secondaries win championship ball games. Yeah, guy might catch the ball, but once you catch the ball, I'm on my back and I'm making that tackle. It's not gonna be a five yard kiss turning into a third yard game. It's gonna be a five yard catching the five yard catch

right there. So the only the only thing I can kind of criticize the Pittsburgh Still a secondary on is really a good criticism is making sure they secure the tackle once the wide receiver catch the ball. At the linebacker position, you talk about a position that's been hit by injury, Bush Spillane Williams do pree. I mean, man, the only guy that's you know, kind of avoiding it. I guess his point is t J. Watt, who's having a great year. But the Pittsburgh Stills, they don't cry

and moan about that. It's always next man up with Mike Tomlin, isn't It Ain't a lot right, don't you say? Like the twist the scholars zero zero damn there? You know what I'm saying, yea, and coach T Damn then went out there with eight with eight defensive backs. Yep, you know so. So I'm telling you, man, Coach T and coach Butts. Many they it's really next man up. And a lot of teams say that, but they really don't have the depth or the knowledge or the IQ

as coaches to actually do that. Coach T with that defense and Coach Butts, they gave the Pittsburgh Sellers offense plenty of opportunities to at least get some points on the board or try to win that ball game. So yeah, it's really next man up. And if Coach T feels like his linebacker crew is depleted, which they are, he's gonna adjust and he's gonna get other extra guys out there. And at that time doing a Buffalo Bill game, it

was the defensive backs. You know, one of the things that when you look at this team and you look at people that played in Pittsburgh, whether they move on to other places or coaches that move on to other places, it says some about the way coach Thomlin talks and the way he communicates. Lap Dave Lapham here NFL veteran, talks about that he's just probably one of the best communicators he's ever seen. Man, I've seen a lot of Hall of Fame players that know the game very well,

but they're not able to teach it. They're not able to relay the message right. And that's what make good teachers great, and that's what make good coaches great. They understand the game where they understand whether you're a teacher who have a student or whether you're a coach. And this is my player. Every player won't learn the same how as a teacher or how as a coach? Can I simplify and make everybody understand what I'm saying? And I was talking about this on my show To Believe

in Still the podcast. All I've been around with Hall of Fame coaches Dick Lebo, Russ Graham, Mike Munchek, Ray Horton probably would had the best IQ of any coach I've ever had as a defensive back coach Cornell Lake who actually played the game, DP who actually played the game, had a Hall of Fame owner in Paul Paul Ruining. So I've just been surrounded by greatness. And what these guys did well was simplify and got everybody on the same page, regardless on how difficult you might thought this

defense or how complicated you thought this defense was. And that's the art, because everybody can't do it, you know what I'm saying. So and it forced me because I wound up coaching my son's football team to three to three championships. I've learned how the coaches coach me to do the same with my kids, and it's already in the messages. So I just go back and rewind what

I just told y'all. A lot of guys have a lot of information in their head, and I'm talking about Hall of Famous and they know the game and they can play the game, but they can't relay the game or they can't teach as the great ones due. I'll tell you what, your son and his teammates are lucky to have you coaching the man. Three championships. That's pretty that's pretty strong. So Mike, Mike Thomlin obviously is defensive oriented as a head coach, so obviously he and Keith

bought to have a great relationship, working relationship. Mike, Mike knows probably you know, I can make some suggestions, but I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna step on Keith's toes. Keith is the coordinator, but Mike, I'm sure has a lot of input, doesn't he. You got them right, I mean, you don't. Don't forget coach. He was a defensive back coach when they won the Super Bowl coach, he wind up going to Minnesota being a defensive coordinator. I guess who number one in the run stop and we was

number two. It was the Minnesota Vikings number one stopping the run and we was right under them at number two. But Coach T his love is secondary. He loves, he loves, he loves his secondary guys. That's why he went and got Minka you know, That's why went and got Joe Ye So And usually, you know, the prins Burghs killers. We usually draft corners, but we've been missing a lot. But when you got a sneaky free agent guy like that Mike Hilton, you know what I'm saying, who comes in?

When you got a guy like Cam Sudden, who comes in in the slide ether, they can play in the sloder, they can play on the outside. But that's that's coach T fourte But don't please, don't get it twisted, because he felt like, over the course of his coaching career, he's learned the best from a Tony Dungee in the four three in the best in the three four out

of a Dick La Boat. Yep. You know, like when you think about the game of football, now you know you're watching your fan, you're a coach, What do you like about the game. Now, obviously the way you hit has changed a lot. You think it would have been

hard for you to adjust. No, I was. I was going through this adjustment as I was playing, and coach and Coach T did a great job of making sure we adjusted like the old like the two thousand and three, two thousand and six pitch Birds stillers, Coach T say, hey, man, we ain't get away with these hits no motive. Yeah, this is where I'm telling y'all, this is where the

league is going. I know y'all may disagree with it and call it fantasy footballs or powder for football, but I'm telling y'all, old school catch this is where the league is going. And god damn Coat was at least three years ahead of his time, so he already was, you know, transcending, transcending into one of those coaches who understood and had a clear mind and seeing it before everybody else. So he was talking to us before everybody else.

That's why you see the Pittsburgh Steelers rarely getting penalized for illegal hits because it's been instilled in us since Coach T was there and coach he did a great job of just teaching and practicing and making sure where where what the league is going. So let me ask you in terms of injury, we talked about Spillan obviously, Williams duprees out out for sure, Hayden. How beat up are all the stealers? How many guys do you think will be able to make the dance and who's not

going to be able to? Man, I don't know, And that's a tough question, that's a real good question. But I do know schematically why they'll be ready on defense. Right, That's that's that's what that's that's what I will know, you know, just looking at Coach T and coach but they're gonna look at that roster. They're gonna see who could help them from game the game. From game the game, you're gonna see a different lineup and and and that's what I think it happens. Coach T, to me is

a Hall of fame coach. And I played with coach Kyle. He's a Hall of fame coach. I think Coach getting the Hall of Fame just as well. Yeah, But when you when you when you have a coach that can sit back and not be stubborn and say this is what I know, this is what I'm doing, and mess up your personnel or don't adjust to your personnel. That's

destruction coach. As we can see with a depleted linebacker. Course, he's adjusting weekend week out on what he have on that roster schematically and going in the game and at least giving this team a chance to win. Organizationally, three head coaches since the Vietnam War, no Hall of fame, Kyra hall of fame, Tomlin will be Hall of fame. That is putting the battle the ball man. That is

one hell of a decision making organization right there. In terms of picking head coaches, that's start with the Runeys. And I'm gonna go, don't give mister a big shout out because he don't used to get it. He's a man behind the scene. That's that starts with the whole Runny family, you know. So I just took my hat

the Runey's family. But like you say, when you got three coaches, nestability and I'll tell you this, we learned that as soon as you walked in that Pittsburgh organization on that second floor you saw in them lobarties, and you saw the mean Joe Green, the lan Swan's, Frank o'harris's third Branshaws, the Jack Lambs. You've seen all of them guys just come around and mel blunts. You've seen all them guys come around often. And you see guys just stay and live in Pittsburgh. And there's a reason

why you stay and live in Pittsburgh. Like Pittsburgh, it's really still a city, you know. But you I gotta give it to the Runis because they treat their players like family, Like you don't just work for me. You know, when when when the owner you know, know your kid and know your girlfriend and know your wife's name, or when you come downstairs after a meeting and he didn't gave everybody gifts for their kids, that's really family, you

know what I'm saying. And I'm getting this off of other guys coming from other different organizations, and as soon as they walk in and tho, they just see it and feel it, like I see why y'all went, I see why y'all got this brotherhood. I see why y'all have this commaraderie, like y'all really are a family. And that's what you gotta love about the Pittsburgh still Is organization. But please don't never get it twisted. It starts with

the Rooney family, you know. I uh, when you think about the matchup with the Bengals, you guys have had the Bengals number for quite a while. And as we wrap up here, talk about did you guys view playing the Bengals as much of a rivalry as the Bengals did here? Not at all, not one bit Cleveland, not

not at all. It was the Baltimore Ravings. Yeah, yeah, that's I mean, it's when you talk about the AFC North and winning the AFC North and going to Super Bowls and making it to the playoffs for the past twenty years, who you're talking about either Chris burg Still or the Baltimore Rakings. Okay, let's bring it back either first. If you want to go to the early nineties, who are you talking about getting into the playoffs trying to

Hoiston Lombardy. You're talking about the Pitts Burr Stealers us the Baltimore Rags and and that's and that's just how it's been for at least twenty five years. But I tell you this, and I said this on my show to Day as well. I said, between Cleveland, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Cincinnati Banks, Pittsburgh will have to draft a franchise quarterback this up and coming draft. And the reason why you got I call him Joe Cool, y'all call him Joe Burrow. You got Joe Cool sitting in the pocket,

A natural a natural born leader, unnatural born leader. It's crazy how a young guys can come as a rookie and you can see the eyes sitting in the huttel undivided on this man when he's calling the plays, ready break, all synchronized and let's at least try to win the ball game. You can see it like I saw. I saw that Lshoe Like everybody was getting mad at me when I saw Joe Cool, and Lshoe was like, well, he's gonna be some special. He's gonna be some special

in the league. And he just when you have a rookie who win as high as Joe, who can, who can pretty much say whatever he wants as then talking down about his teammates on the season and not having a good offensive line right now and not able to win ball games because of the defense sometimes, but when you have a rookie that says in probably he's the best guy on offense, say it's me, it's I. Yeah,

that needs to get better. You don't have more on the Monday night matchup on the Bengals pep Rally Show this Friday afternoon from three to six on ESPN fifteen thirty. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by bud Light, Seltzer refreshed the game. If you ever 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 thank you for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast.