Hi, get everybody.
I'm Dan Horden.
Thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast b I want to rock and roll on the addition, as we get set for a Sunday Night primetime showdown between two of the best teams in the AFC, the Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. Coming up, I'll visit with the voice of Sunday Night Football on NBC, Mike Turrico. Jonah Williams joins me to discuss what a healthy Joe Burrow means to
everybody else. On offense, we'll hear from the tight end who's been added to the roster, and in this week's Know the Faux segment, we'll get the latest down the Bills from Tyler Dunn. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care
for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now 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 wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since actor Jeremy Strong. About a year ago, I jumped down the bandwagon and started watching the TV show Succession. I watched
two episodes, didn't really enjoy them, and punted well. After much badgering from friends and family, I decided to give it another shot, and by episode six I was officially hooked. There are four seasons of the show. I've just started season two, and I am bowled over by the performance of Jeremy Strong, who plays Kendall Roy. If you haven't watched the show, I don't think I'll be spoiling anything to say that. There's an accident in season one and
his performance in the immediate aftermath is extraordinary. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Up and now I know why. So if you haven't watched Succession, give it a shot, even if you don't enjoy the first few episodes. Now, let's get to the Bengals and Bills. Remember when we used to worry when the Bengals played in primetime. Thankfully
those days are over. The Bengals are one to zero in primetime this year with a Week three win over the Rams, and they won their last primetime game last year when they beat the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs. Mike Tarico and Chris Collinsworth called that game on NBC, and I caught up with Mike on Wednesday. Mike, the last Bengals game you called featured arguably the most iconic play in franchise history, the fumble in the jungle
by the Cincinnati kid as you called Sam Hubbard. What are your most vivid memories of that play and that night.
Well, it was one of those and you know, damn the exact spot where the booth is. It's one of those sometimes you don't see who comes out of the pile, right, you don't know who's going to have the ball. And I just had a dead eye look right at Sam when the play happened, and happened to see the play because it was happening so fast. Remember, the Ravens rushed to the huddle. And it's just like there are benefits
of years of doing something right. So having the Bengals Raiders Wild Card game the year before and doing our production meeting and talking to Sam about all the local ties from Cincinnati on through to Ohio State and all that stuff. It just that was just in my head. And sometimes when we prepare for games, I like to just think of somebody with a bumper sticker, if you will, Like, how do you describe this guy? You know, like buffalo
at James Cook. Okay, he's Dalvin's brother boom right away, right, you just and when I was going through preparation for that Raiders game, like, Okay, he's the Cincinnati kid, right, He's that guy, right, So he's the local, he's the home down here living the dream. And I'm a big living the dream guy. So when we catch somebody who
is doing it, you love to see it. But that was that was such a fun play and a memorable play, and the Mark Andrews' effort from the Ravens on that play, like fighting did that sticks in my mind too, as much as the celebration after and the place going nuts. Was That's why Mark Andrews is an All Pro player. You know, I know we're talking Bengals here, but that's the that's the effort of a great player. And that plus everything that happened after that after he scored was
uh was something else? Stick with me for a long time, as it will for Bengals fans as well.
Mike, I'm gonna bring up another possible bumper sticker. On the Super Bowl pregame show a couple of years ago, you had an interesting description for Joe Burrow. You said he had embraceable cockiness, two words that don't go together all that often. How did you mean embraceable cockiness? And what do you think of Joe Burrow's leadership?
The dude pulls out the cigar to smoke the cigar when he wins, right and like you're going come on, I can't, but you like him, like there's a warmth, there's a there's I want to hang with Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow's got a the way he dresses coming into games right, Like there's something about him that is really cocky and very confident. Sometimes that is an off putting characteristic of individuals. Joe Burrow's cockiness is never about look at me. It's like, hey, I got this and I'm
bringing my guys with me. So I personally embrace his cockiness. I love it. And I'm not a guy who's big on you know you score a touchdown, you point to the back of your jersey. Hey, look at my name, but we just said your name, dude, But I got it at your moment, celebrates you want. I don't won't be the old guy in the corner of the barbershop because you and I don't go to barbershops anymore. But I just love what Joe Burrows about. And you could see it last week, right, you could just see that's
the Joe Burrow, that's the guy. And Chris and I Collinsworth, we were toying around as we were watching Justin Herbert of the Chargers last week. Okay, how good is he?
Well?
Who are the best? And we got into full talk radio mode, give me your best quarterbacks, right, and Joe Burrows in he's he's not even the conversations like, okay, so you got Mahomes right, you got josh Awdie and you got Burrow. Yeah all right? And then what right? So that's how good he is. So this is a great time and it's good to see him back to that inside the Velvet Rope club type of performance like we saw last week. And Santa Cleric, excuse me, we.
Are visiting with Mike Terrico.
Exactly one month ago, the Bengals lost by twenty four at Tennessee to fall to one in three. Did you have any concern that NBC might have a Sunday Night done on its hands at this point of the year.
No. And we've been looking at the schedule and there are a couple that are sticking out like sore thumbs right now, but not this one for a couple of reasons. One, it's the Buffalo factor, which is very similar to the Cincinnati factor. I think there's a great parallel in these two quarterbacks, and they keep your team in every game, So there is that. I think also the experience of last year. I mean, the Bengals are pretty much right back where they were last year and then got on
this roll. Was it ten in a row last year? And you know it's there and you know that, Okay, this isn't a team that's lost a ton of their talent. Most of those key people are there. There's the interchange of one year one there. You know, you're younger in the back end than you were, and the concern with the safeties and all that, but you know, the quarterback, if he got healthy, the offense around him. Lou Anarumo, who, man, does that guy deserve as much credit as any coordinator
around the league. It is season in, season out now the steadiness, and it's the stability Dan you know, you go, Darren Simmons special teams coordinator, Brian Callahan an offense, Lou on the defense, and you know, and and the head coaching job obviously that that Zack's done. It's the same group. It's like we're coming in here for the last four years, same same dudes, same guys. That doesn't happen in the NFL. Just look at Buffalo. Leslie Frasier's not there now right,
there's a change in that spot. Brian Dable has been gone the last couple of years. Doesn't mean that Kenny Dorsey is not doing a good job or Saw McDermott's not doing a good job as the defensive cordat calling the places. Excuse me as the head coach. It just is changed and there's been stability, steadiness and investing in your best natural talents in Cincinnati, which is not something we said on this franchise for many years. And it's great to see because the fan base is being rewarded
by it and we as fans are being rewarded. So to answer your question, I didn't think this was gonna end up being a dud. And then obviously the storyline of last year and what happened on January second at that stadium when those two teams met, that had this circled right from when the schedule came out as it's going to be an emotional night and an exciting night too for a lot of reasons off the field and on the field as well.
We saw real heroism that night with the way first response under his doctors and trainers save the life of DeMar Hamlin. Anything special plan for Sunday Night football this week.
You know, it changes a little bit. DeMar hasn't been playing right, and why hasn't it been playing? He's the fourth safety on this team, and that's either a special team's role that the Bills have a couple of really good special teamers, so there's not the need to have
him elevate and active. But I watched him practice a couple of weeks ago in Buffalo, and he's right as much of a part of a practice as any other player who's a healthy and active which is great to see, you know, I think for us, it'll be talked about, certainly in the body of the game as well, and all sort of appreciation, not just for the folks on the field that night, but also the people of Cincinnati who show their true colors, I think in their support,
the way the sixty thousand plus in the building reacted that night, the outpouring of support, affection, belief, prayer from Bengals fans. So I think we'll touch on all of those as the game goes on. I think it'd be a little bit different if he was playing in the game, or something happens during the weekends up being active. I
think that would change the conversation a little bit. But since he's not on the field, as you're going through a game, within the body of the game, there's not too many opportunities to stop and take that left turn. So but I certainly think we'll be talking about it a bunch and how it impacted the players who were in the game because it changed their lives forever as well.
Chatted with Mike Turrico. Last week.
The Bengals won their third straight and fourth in their last five, but it was different. It was San Francisco on the road, by fourteen points. Did they make any statement with that performance last week?
Yeah, we're still here. We're still here, you know, just to scrape the escape play by Burrow, I still haven't gone. I want to go back and listen to your call of that. That was that was a magical play because he's he's done three times on that play and he gets out and he makes a great play, and that
just told you he's back in. The deeper drops were the thing to meet Dan and watching the game, you know, you go back and you watch before the buye the game before the bye against Seattle and then balls out quick quick, quick, quick, quick quick, and this game it felt a little bit a little more comfort of taking a deep drop, keeping a play alive, those types of things, and really attacked. I think it's a good defense in San Francisco. We had them earlier in the season against
Dallas and they destroyed a good Cowboys team. I go, wow, this is okay. They're in the Super Bowl. Who else is going to be there? Right? And then you wait three weeks and it all changes. So it was a statement by Cincinnati to go there, do that to that defense and look like the Bengals team We saw on the run through the fall and winter of twenty twenty two. Here in the start of the fall and winter twenty twenty three. Yeah, it's a statement that they're there and they're going to be around.
Let's talk about the Bills for a second. They've outscored opponents by more points than any other team in the l They beat the Dolphins by twenty eight, but they've got three losses. What accounts for that roller coaster ride in Buffalo.
Yeah, it's a good question, Dan. It has been similar but not the same as the Burrow issue. When Josh Allen is moving and aggressively threatening to run if not running, this team is different, right, and I don't think they're there just yet. I also think they're undergoing a little bit of a seed change. I think John McDermott, undefeated wrestler as a high school senior right, a wrestling guy now calling the defense. I think he wants to establish
some running toughness, physicality in this game. If you go back to the playoff game last year up in Orchard Park, the Bengals ran the ball effectively. The Bills did not at all. Josh Allen was their leading rusher in that game. I think Buffalo and Sean knows that they've got to have some of that as the season goes on, and it's trying to find where that balance is and how you can do it most effectively. So I think that
that stopped them here. And also they've had some key losses all along their front Daikwon Jones, Matt Mulano, tra Davius White. At each level, they've lost one of their best performers. So now they're fitting new pieces in. Some of those new pieces are pretty good and they're getting there. So I like their pickup of Rasuel Butler in a trade. I think they're gonna have a couple of corners now who can play. So overall, I think the Bills can be as good as we saw in that Miami game.
They just need to find their way. I just want to see the Bengals can beat somebody outside of the NFC West. I congratulate the congratulate the Bengals in their NFC West title, right, that's maybe the most bizarre thing that here are the Bengals. I feel like they can make a run here in the AFC. They might be the best team. They haven't beaten a team in the AFC yet four and zero against the NFC West. So this is a great measuring stick for both teams right now.
But I also think a huge game because if they can't get to Miami and the AFC East, or can't get to Baltimore at the top of the af SEE North, you know, if it starts coming down seats five and six and seven. Nice to have a win over one of these other like minded animals. So it's an important game for both teams.
They're definitely two of the best teams in the AFC. What are a couple of your keys on Sunday night?
The ability of Burrow to extend plays and how do the Bills defensive backs plaster to Chase and Higgins and the rest of the crew and Boyd who know every game boy makes a big catch's So it's so neat to neat to see that. I love that. Can Buffalo
run the ball? I think will be important Cincinnati pass protection because sometimes those escapes, whether it's the Houdini Act or the get out of the pocket and run for Joe Burrow, is because the protection breaks down and Oliver ninety one for Buffalo pushes the pocket in the middle. The edge rushers. Von Miller is coming on, getting more snaps now around twenty nine to thirty snaps a game.
Greg Russo is starting to have an impact. Fifty off the edge for Buffalo Leonard Floyd, but they rotate a bunch of good players in there. I'm an ajp and as a fan fifty seven keeping on forty three for their defense too, Ture Bernard. So those are a couple of keys the Bills pressure. Is Joe Burrow running for his life or is he running to get out of harmsway, keep a play alive and hit a big one downfield. And then on the other side, you know this Bengals
defense has done a terrific job. And you know this in the second half the last few weeks against Seattle and San Francisco, what a good job. And those late game plays, And when teams start to make plays in the red zone in the second half of close games against good teams, they start believing what they can do. And I get a sense that this Cincinnati defense starting to feel pretty good about what they can do against
anybody in the league. So I watch for them late in games in passing situations as Josh Allen, who can put the ball in Harm's way is running around, the Cincinnati team can take it away, so I think that'll be a big part of the game as well.
Mike, always appreciate your time.
I hope Worth treat you to a great dinner at one of Cincinnati's finest establishments over the weekend. Look forward to seeing you in the booth on Sunday.
Augusta is a tradition like any other, so is a Collinsworth Cincinnati party, so we will take care of that. And I can't wait to see you on Sunday, Pal, and keep up for great work.
Mike spoke at length about the Bills pass rush. Buffalo has twenty eight sacks. That's tied for second in the NFL, behind the Ravens, who have thirty one, and Von Miller doesn't even have one yet he missed the first four games of the year due to injury. It's going to be a big challenge for the Bengals offensive line. And I spoke to right tackle Jonah Williams about Sunday Night's game and his season to date journal last week, Coach Taylor picked six Californians to go out for the coin
Toss at San Francisco you were among them. I guess your hometown is a couple of hours away in Fulsome California. Did you know that was coming and was it meaningful?
It was meaningful. I got the text, I think the day before, and it was just it was really excited. He was my first time being a captain in the NFL walking out for the coin toss. So I thought that was a cool gesture by Zach and started off the game on a high note.
I think we can safely say that Joe Burrow's calf is one hundred percent. He looked great running around last week. What's that mean for the offensive line that he is not a stationary target?
It makes things easier on us for sure, you know, and it just adds one more multiple to our offense. You know, Joe's arms is a huge component our receiving corps. And then you know, we want to establish the ground game with our you know, super talented backs, so that that's line one. But then if you can also attack them with the quarterback's legs, it just takes everything to another level. So it was great to see that and glad he's feeling good and we're ready.
To roll on the opening series last week he had that one Houdini escape where he got away from what looked like a couple of sacks and eventually completed it past the t Higgins, you're blocking your guy on that play? When do you have a sense of what's going on?
When I'm watching the film after no, you know, I was blocking my guy and kind of the way it played out is I wasn't really able to see him or get close to him. I know Cap and Orlando had two big blocks where there guy was a little bit more involved, or they were at least facing Joe and could pick people off of them, So that was great by them, But I didn't know what was going on.
I was just kind of chasing.
My guy around and you kind of hear the crowd going crazy, so I knew something was going on. But it was awesome to see that, and it helped us tremendously on that first drive to get the conversion and not be forced upon, and that totally changed the momentum of the game.
We're visiting the Jonah Williams. Now that he's healthier, you can run plays under center where he takes the direct snap because he can push off on his calf and you did that thirteen times in the San Francisco game. That's more than you had had done that in the first six games of the season combined. How much does that expand the offense, specifically the running game.
It changes the angles for the back, which allows us to be a little bit more downhill, and it adds a lot of variety to our offense as well. You know, we had I don't know how many, but a handful of runs under center, but also we had some play actions coming out of that, And anytime you can do that, it just makes our job easier, you know. I think the hardest thing to do is no line is just to drop back, drop back, pass straight up and they're rushing.
It kind of makes everything feel like they'red down. So when you're able to change things up and we're still allowing our receivers to do what they do and allowing Joe to do what he does, but taking a little pressure off of us, that's that's obviously really nice.
You've won three straight and four out of five, but in the wins before San Francisco, it almost felt to me like there was a little bit of an asterisk, Like in the Rams and Seahawks games, the offense sputtered in the Cardinals game. They're not having a great season, They've only got one win. But last week you beat a great team on the road and every aspect of the Bengals team was solid. Did it feel differently to you guys?
It did?
I think it was the first win that you know, we allowed ourselves to feel really good about for a day. It's already behind us, We're moving on just like any other game. But I think that that was that was one where you can look at all phases of the game and say, we played, you know, at least close to what our standard is. So now the challenges we have, what ten more games and then playoffs moving forward, so
we're not even close to the finish line. And you know, I think that we know we can be even better. And like you said, that was a great team. Definitely wasn't easy to beat them, So we know we're capable of being the best team in football, and that's you know, it's been our goal all along. But that's what we really have to get to in the next ten weeks.
I'm no expert on offensive line play, but I work with Dave Lapham and I listened carefully to his opinion. He says that you look very comfortable at right tackle seven games in.
Is that how you feel?
Definitely? I feel good. I'm not even thinking about, you know, what side I'm on anymore. It just feels feels comfortable. You know, It's been it's been great playing next to Cap and we just have really talented and pretty vetter in a line this year. So you know, it's been a lot of fun through these first couple of weeks, and I'm looking forward to, you know, gelling even more and getting even better as the rest of the season goes on.
How do you feel going forward? Are you content to be a right tackle going forward? Would you like to get back to the left side at some point? How do you feel about that position.
I'll play whatever I think that I you know, I'm That's kind of my competitive character, I guess is that I'm going to when I show up, I'm gonna show up. I'm going to do my best wherever they put me. And you know, I think I'm having a good season at right tackle, and I know we can play left tackle in the league too, So you know, whatever it is moving forward, I'm just gonna attack it.
You face great pass rushers every week. But when I look at Buffalo, it's the number of guys that kind of stands out to me. Ron Miller, Leonard Floyd, Greg Russo at Oliver in the middle. Is that unique in Buffalo's case?
I think so.
They've got so much talent else the d line and you know, particularly at edge, I think they have pretty much too deep of guys who can be starters in the NFL, so that that poses some challenges. They move around a lot, so you're gonna get a lot of different looks throughout the game. You know, they're disciplined, really good front, so it'll be a challenge for us. But we're we're confident going into it and you know, excited to to start lining up some wins.
The last time the Bengals played the Bills in the playoffs, you couldn't play because of your knee injury. How is your knee and did you learn anything about your kneecap or anything along those lines in the process.
Well, I have a I have a super reinforced kneecap now, so that's good and it feels good.
I think that.
You know, if you ask anyone and that's currently playing in the NFL getting towards medway through the season, how their body feels. It's not always great, but you know, good enough to play and that's all that matters. So I learned probably more than I'd ever want to know about knees. I always joke with the trainers that I have an associate's degree in physical therapy from the unfortunate
amount of time I've had to spend in there. So yeah, it feels good though, and you know, just keep treating it, keep getting better.
Was your kneecap prone to that type of injury or just one of those things that happens in football.
I think it might be prone because I have shallow grooves, But it also is kind of a benefit because I have flexible knees, so that allows me to kind of anchor and get low and stuff like that. But it also, you know, caused my kneycap to slip out, so's it's reinforced in there now and so I can enjoy the benefits of loose knees without worrying about it slipping out of you.
All right.
Final thing for johnaugh Williams, for people that don't know you, became a dad back in March. I guess the cliche is you get to go home from football practice and you can forget about the game and you know, play with your daughter. In some cases cliches are true. Is that what parenthood has been like for you?
It is It's been by far best thing that's ever happened to me, and it definitely like it definitely makes my day. You know, if I have a tough day or whatever, and I go home and every time I walk in, she just gives me a big smile, and that lasts about five minutes before she's either hungry or grumpy or retired or wants you go for a walk
or something. So I enjoy those first five minutes. But it's it's been awesome, and it's you know, I'm so grateful for her and my fiance and everything that you know, I'm fortunate to have in my house.
It's the best, nothing better than parenthood. Congratulations on that and on a great season today, Best of luck on Sunday night.
Thank you.
The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider. By Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community to a new level and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. There was a lot of speculation about the Bengals possibly making a
trade for a tight end. That didn't happen, but they did add one to their roster this week, as Tanner Hudson was promoted from the practice squad. In two previous games this year, Hudson had four catches for forty eight yards, including a key twenty six yard grab in the win over the Rams. Here are Zach Taylor and Tanner Hudson about his promotion.
He's earned it, okay, so just start with that. He had a really good offseason. He had a first good practice rep last year when he joined our practice squad. He did a one on one drill and caught a fade ball and he got into his attention. Okay, so right away he set the tone with what he can bring to the table. And then he was on the practice squad you know, during the season and did a great job. I thought he had a great off season,
great summer, great training camp. Sometimes the roster just shakes out the way the roster shakes out. But he's continued to put his head down to work every single day in practice, makes plays on the scout teams a great job, He's done a great job in line blocking, does a good job. We're out running, and so he's earned an
opportunity to get up, you know. And so it's more about maybe him than anything else, just just earning that that opportunity, and and I think that's the right way to reward guys when it makes sense.
Yeah, it just shows that you know, they're they're trusting in me to prepare and be able to go out there and use my talents to help this team.
I mean, the first thing Zach said was you earned it. I mean, is that the satisfying partner.
Yeah, that means a lot. I don't think anybody in the NFL wants to just be given a spot. I think everybody wants to be able to go out and show that they can, show that they are supposed to be out there, and like you said, earn the earn the time to be out there.
Hudson has previous experience with the Buccaneers, forty nine Ers and Giants and won a Super Bowl ring in Tampa Bay. Now time for this week's Know the Faux segment. Tyler Dunn writes in podcasts about the entire NFL on his great website, I golongtd dot com, but he's based in Buffalo and has unique insight into the Bills. He joined Lapping Me this week on the Bengals Game Plan Show.
I know everybody's freaking out about Josh Allen and the offense because it's not as automatic and sublime as we've seen. I feel like the offense will be fine. As long as you have Josh Allen, Stefan Dick's healthy, they're going to be a contender. To me, the problems are on defense. You know, this is Sean mcdermo's defense. It's been his defense since twenty seventeen. But now he's calling the place, so now he really has all the power, all the control.
There's no more debate. He wow, what Leslie Fraser really doing it? Honestly, it hasn't been that pretty and I think the apologist would point to the injuries, and it's not easy to overcome the loss of Da Kwan Jones, which, by the way, he wasn't in that playoff game against Natti just a massive detail who could really anchor things, and the Bengals took advantage of it obviously in the snow. You don't have him. Now you don't have Matt Mulano, one of the five, maybe one of the three best
linebackers in football. I mean, he's unbelievable, and you don't have Tradavius White. So those are massive injuries. Don't get me wrong, But you guys know, I mean every team has injuries. There's attrition to pro football inherently, and they really haven't adapted well. They've played some bad seats and they've eked out some wins the Giants and the Bucks. Those games could have gone the other way, and you're looking at a three and five football team, So you
know they should make apologies for winning those games. But I don't know where the improvement comes on defense. Frankly, I don't know what else they can really do. It seems like, you know, there's a lot of Sean mcdermot's play and maybe he isn't handling the play calling well at times. You know he's blitzed in key moment and it's come back to bite him. Look at Calvin Ridley and a big catch he had in London when they sent the house, and now you have these injuries and
von Miller. Frankly, they look like von Miller. So I think that Cincinnati is gonna have a field day offensively.
What about in the secondary? They made a move to kind of less than the blow of White. They get Douglas from the Green Bay Packers. He didn't practice today, he's traveling to Buffalo. He's his zone, his strength, his zone coverage ability, breaking on the football, making plays in that regard. Do you think that the acquisition of Douglas at the trade deadline is big?
I don't you know. And it's I live here and it's weird to pour like cold water on it all. But you know, I've watched the Packers closely. It was. It was an amazing find by GM Brian Gutikin to pick up Razel Douglas off the street and he earned his way to a big contract. You know, he's on the fringes of the NFL. Gets to the Packers. He makes plays like he will turn the ball over every few games. But man, he takes chances and you see
that side of the he gives up plays. He's a riverboat gambler, and he's never been a guy who relies on speed. To your point, he's a zone corner. I don't know. I feel like, if I'm Joe Purrow, I'm looking to see where he's out there. If I'm any quarterback and I'm getting him to bite, I don't think he's just gonna cure all that ales the secondary. You know, you just swap a fit a third for a fifth
to get him. Maybe it's worth it for the occasional turnover, but I'm not so sure he's gonna be able to, you know, fix what they need fix him.
Tyler Donnis, our guest.
Check out the website golongtd dot com. You'll find some awesome feature stories about the Bengals that he's written over the last few years. You've been critical on that site, Tyler, of Sean McDermott, especially going back to the playoff disaster against the Chiefs a couple of years ago. What do you think Sean McDermott deserves praise for and what are you most critical of?
Great question, because he does deserve praise. Look, this is a team seventeen years they didn't make the playoffs, and let's be let's be frank they only got into the playoffs because of Andy Dalton and Tyler boy Connected for that touchdown Fellas. I mean, it was unbelievable. And in East Aurora, the suburb of Buffalo, I was hanging out with my wife and family, and in some of her family. I mean, I saw tears of joy in a forty
and fifth year old. So there's a reason they gave all that money to Andy Dogg's charity and Tyler Boyd's charity to end that drought. I guess is big. I mean, this team was in a bad place. Deamar Hamlin nearly dies on a football field. I don't know how in the heck you got a football team through that. I've talked to players that were in that locker room. Frankly, a lot of guys wanted to play. Isaiah McKenzie we
did the show last year. He said most guys wanted to keep playing that game, but a few weren't comfortable. Mitch Morris the Center spoke up, and you got to give Sean McDermott credit for saying, look, we can't play this football game. I don't even know how you lead a team through all that get down to football he's
a defensive coach. He thinks through that lens. We saw it again against the Bucks last Thursday, where they're a complete command of that game and they punt at midfield on four fourth and shorts in a row to basically roll out the red carpet to an inferior Bucks team to get back into the game. That again had no business coming down to a hal mary where Chris Godwin, if he just turns the other way, catches it. That's because he's just a he's a glass half empty kind
of coach. What can go wrong instead of what can go right? Thirteen seconds game. You see it there right, he overruled his special teams coordinator. The squip was on. He wanted the touchback because he wanted to lean on that defense. You know, so instead of wasting five to six seconds, now you're on your heels, you give up the first big play, you're on your heels even more now now he's thinking, oh, I don't want to give up a touchdown, Let's play for the field goal. I
don't know. And even the Cincinnati game last year, the Bengals were gonna win that game, but to uh to punt at the end of the first half when you finally got something good cooking, and then to punt the last play of the third quarter when I don't know, you're not gonna stop Cincinnati twice in the fourth quarter. You're basically waving the white flag by punting there instead of going for it on fourth and two. This is who he is. I mean, we've we've seen it season
to season. The season, I think they're wasting Josh Allen's primes defon Diggs's prime. I think that they know it, the players know it, and it's and it's kind of sad because I don't think he's gonna change. And I think you've got teams in Cincinnati, Kansas City, Jacksonville, even maybe even Baltimore who get it. They're they're gonna go for it on those fourth downs. They're gonna believe in their player. They're gonna choose to believe in their players.
I just think that McDermott can't get there in those moments. He'll he'll do it in the regular season. All the metrics will show you. Yeah, I know he is. He is aggressive for the most part in the regular season, but he gets into the playoffs and he clams up and his players clam up, and I don't think it's an accident.
You know, when I look at the Buffalo Bills, they're ranked in the top five in so many categories, offensively and defensively at the red zone. Eight times they've held the opponent defensively without any points in the red zone. Most in the National Football League. I mean sacks, pressure protection. They're number five, number three in sacks allowed, number one in yards allowed from sacks, tied for second in sacks generated, their second in yards lost for those sacks. They're plus
sixteen in the sack ratio, second in the league. They're doing a lot of things, right. What are they doing best? You said, what you think some of their concerns are. They're doing a lot of things right. What are they doing best?
I like hearing those statistics because it does speak to another one of Sean's strengths, and it is situational football. They do. They do practice that stuff to the extreme right year year round, to be the middle of May of the middle of June, and the pressure will be high for that situation, red zone, right third down, Like this is the stuff that he lives for. Uh So, yeah, I think their numbers are gonna be good in the regular season.
You know.
My criticism is more so you know, when you're wound that tight year round, you're gonna burst at some point, and that burst usually happens at the worst possible time. But you know, in that same vein, they don't really get blown out. You know, even when they were trying to turn this thing around, they never were really blown out. Maybe maybe once or twice. I'm thinking of a Saint's loss and a cult floss like year one. Other than that,
they're so good at the situational football. They can keep games close, and I think that's what you see out of a lot of defensive minded coaches. They are good at situational football, keeping it close and trying to win it at the end. Hey, there's nothing wrong with that thinking. I just think when you have Josh Allen, you've got a freak show at quarterback. You've got a gangster like lean into that. Right be the front runner, be the team that wants to put up fifty on the board.
And they don't really think that way on the sideline. So it's a weird dichotomy for the team. But they are really good, right it will It'll be competitive I think that they'll be able to move the ball offensively. Like I said, I'm not worried about the offense. I'd be worried about that defense because it's hard to think like a defensive minded coach when you are this underman.
There are some teams in the league that just match up well with other teams. The Bengals have a hard time with the Cleveland Browns, at least to this point. For whatever reason, in the meetings last year, the DeMar Hamlin game had felt early on and like the Bengals were going to dominate. Then they went to Buffalo in the snow and did dominate. Do you think for whatever reason, the Bengals just match up well with this Buffalo team.
I do, you know? And and these injuries play into that as well. Uh Dakwan Jones is he's a beast in the middle that he really did anchor that run game. So I think the Bengals will be able to run the ball exactly like they did last week. I'm sure they They don't want Joe Burrow taken off quite as much, but Joe Mixon he'll probably feast. You know. Even even the linebackers are kind of small Dreell Bernard. He had
that big game against Washington. He's he doesn't have the size that Tremade Edmonds had, and in Tremade Edmunds didn't even really have a good game himself against Cincinnati at Oliver, you know, he'll rush the passer once every other game. He doesn't give you much run defense wise. I think the Bengals are are so versatile because yeah, yeah, they've They've got Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase T Higgins and they can throw it all over the place, and you
got you gotta honor that right. You got to respect it and sit back in some coverages. But then you open yourself up to get gashed. So I don't really know how you stop Cincinnati. If you're Buffalo, maybe it blitz a little bit more. But okay, good luck blitzing against Joe Burrow, the smartest quarterback in football. I promise you I'm not just pandering to your audience. I think it's a bad matchup for Buffalo and I'd be shocked if they won this game.
I agree with that you blitz, you're living a dangerous life against Joe Burrow the way he can see it before it happens the Bengals. Final question Bengals special teams under Darren Simmons, three of the four phases of special teams are top five in the NFL. What are Buffalo Bill's special teams like the all important hitting the yards field position. How they've been doing in that regard?
You know, they've been fine, you know, Tyler, Yes, for the most part, it's been a solid kicker. Their punting game has been strong. I'm sure that's why Sean McDermott punted as much as he did against Tampa Bay last week, because he can do some situational punts, some coff and corner stuff. He's good, which is kind of crazy when you think back. Remember they drafted Matt Riza and that all hell broke loose with his legal case that they get out of that business and find Sam Martin and
ended up with a pretty dang good punter. So Adobe disciplined in that third of the game, and maybe that's the pass for Buffalo is trying to you know, I guess, force a turnover on special teams maybe and force a fumble. Maybe you're able to keep Gilber off the field. But at the same time, you do want Josh Allen to be Josh all That's something to keep an eye on too.
You know, they spoke all off season about Josh Allen needing to throw the ball away run less, and it was pretty clear they were trying to sanitize his game. It didn't work out. You know, if anything, he got into his head last week he finally kind of was himself, so maybeybe he turned a corner and then just cut the loose from here on out.
Here's an invitation to join lapp in me for the Bengals pep Rally show this Friday. We'll be at the Wings and Rings location in Finnytown from three to six and DJ Reader is scheduled to join us for the final hour of that show. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth podcast, brought to
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Bengals fans find us. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for listening to the Bengals Booth podcast