Bengals Booth Podcast: Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

former Lasale lancer and Ohio State Buckeye, Drew Chrisman. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Alta Fiber, future proof fiber Internet capable of delivering multi gigabit speeds designed to take your home, business, and community to a new level. Elevate your connection with Alta Fiber. Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, own tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest

thing since powerful hotel showers. Our home in Cincinnati was built in the nineteen twenties and the water pressure isn't great, especially in the upstairs bathroom. As a result, when I'm on the road and the shower in my hotel room has a powerful spray, it's a real treat. And the team hotel in Nashville was the perfect example. Remember the Seinfeld episode where Kramer bought a black market showerhead that

was used to wash off elephants at the zoo. Well, that's what I experienced in Tennessee, and that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about my shower habits. Now, let's get to the radio replays from Sunday's win at Nissan Stadium. It'll be a forty seven yard field goal attempt from the left hash for Evan McPherson, four for four in the playoffs on this field, including the fifty two yarder at the gun and that sent the Bengals

to the AFC Championship game. Chrisman Catches places the ball down, the kick has the distance and it is good money. Mac hits from forty seven and that ties the game at three. Play action fake by Tannehill sets up a screen. Henry Catches runs to the thirty thirty five forty five fifty head of the field at the forty thirty the twenty, cutting between the hash marks at the top, the ball is chopped out and the Titans fall on top of it in the end zone. It's a touchdown for Tennessee,

trailing Burke's trailing. The play fell on the fumble for the touchdown. Unbelievable play. Another horrible drive starts. The Bengals begin from their own eight. Burrow looks to pass short pass caught by p Ryan running to the twenty from outside the numerals thirty, uses a stiff arm at the thirty five and goes out of bounds at the forty thirty two yards on the short pass to Sama J. P Ryan. Burrow takes the snap, hands it off to p Ryan, follows blockers to the right, and he will

run into the end zone standing up from the Bengals touchdown. Nice. I'll tell you what I mean. He I don't think they got a hand on him, and he would have scored in touch football. This will be a thirty five yard try from the left hash the snap, the placement and the right footed kick. It is no good wide right. He pushed it badly, so she Dak misses With four seconds left, in the half. The Bengals trying to take

the lead for the first time today. Two forty one left in the third, the snap, the placement, the right footed kick, a high spinning and never end kick. Oh yeah is good, and the Bengals have taken the lead with two thirty five left in the third. On third and long, Burrow catches the shotgun snap his throat toward the sideline, back shoulder throw. Trent in a Law fakes an amazing catch as he's sliding to the ground. Incredible grab for a first down at the twenty seven yard line.

That is him as him Joe surveys the defense too deep safeties for Tennessee. Joe catches the shotgun snaff fakes the p rhyan floated toward the end zone and Higgins, he's got it. Touchdown Bengals has He used his height and his size and went up and over the cornerback in coverage for the touchdown. McCreary he he just outmuscled him. Dan, You're right, bigger body guy. It was like you called

basketball games so well. He boxed them out. I mean he got inside position, boxed him out and said I'm bigger, You're not gonna get over the top of me and he Boughty position McCreary. Perfectly great throw by Burrow, better catch by Higgins. Burrow catches a shotgun snaff against the four man rush. Guyer's deep down field for Higgins. See Higgins has the football an amazing catch half the eleven yard line of Tennessee. Oh my gosh, equal opportunity abuse.

Chrispin looks back at his kicker, now twists his head, catches, puts it down. The kick is up and money back Kim Cincinnati a seven point lead with one minute and fifty three seconds to go. There's a penalty flat down and the Bengals are saying it's on Tennessee. Yeah, they may have illegally tried to jump to block it. Might jump off number ninety seven defense for a hit on a defense list player half the distance goal automatic Bye, Lord that Kevin Strong. That's not very strong. Whoop? That

was weak? Do you think it's safe to say the Bengals of Victoria's Dan Coffin nails my man. Bam bam bam. Prior to the games, Zach Taylor sent two people to the fifty yard line for the opening coin toss. Joe Burrow, who beat the Titans in the playoffs last year despite getting sacked nine times, and Tennessee native T Higgins. Burrow through for two hundred and seventy yards with one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of ninety one point zero,

and he was only sacked once. Higgins finished with seven catches for one hundred fourteen yards after having one forty eight in last week's win at Pittsburgh. I talked to T after the game. This had to be a special day for T Higgins. You were out there for the coin toss as a Tennessee kid, and you ultimately made the game winning touchdown catch. Describe your afternoon. I feel good, obviously, you know, just coming off of any any w'm I'm

gonna feel good. Um, but you know, for me to come out, you know in my home state, Um, you know, being a going out there for the coin toss, you know, for the first time of my NFL career, and then coming out and you know after you know, a tough job that I had in the first half, you know, coming back out in second half making the big time plays that I did. Um, it just shows that you know that we got a group of guys that don't give up. Um, you wouldn't let one drop, you know,

you know, bring us down. We just gotta keep going, you know, and make plays on down the road. Two times mister football in this state, finalist for mister basketball in this state. Did you want to put on a show for your home state fans? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know idea. Man, It's just you know, um, you know, I had a lot of family come in. Um, so you know, just a lot of family in France came

to this game just to watch me play. And you know, you know, I obviously wanted to put on the show from our people's and um, a lot of people don't know. But my name is up twice in this studio on the banner from winning mister football twice. So all right, let's get to the game winning touchdown catch. Trenton Irwin makes a great catch on the sideline to extend the drive on the very next play. After the replay, they put it up for you and count on you to

make a play. Yeah. Um, you know, just like you said, we're gonna start off with Ti, Um, I'll standing catch, I'll standing you know. That's that's a hard catch. To make it for him to you know, stay in bounce with the catch and you know, and complete it through the ground. Big time play by him. Um. And then you know that very next play, you know, Joe said he's gonna give me a shot and he's just gonna throw it up and be expecting me to make the play.

And that's what I did. I think we saw the finalist for mister Basketball actually on that catch, because it was a classic box out a smaller corner and just dominate them physically. Definitely had to box him out. Um, you know that was that was the way he threw it up. Um, just give me a chance, and you know you had to use my basketball skills in No. One. This win has to feel good. That's a tough, physical team.

They make you earn every inch and you've managed to come in here twice in ten months and beat them on their home field. Yeah, for sure, it's a tough, tough win. Um, But you know, um, we're gonna be still. We made a lot of mistakes. Still, we're gonna come back in you know, go over the film, look it over. Got tough matchup next week and hope we can keep stacking these w two straight, great games one hundred yards plus. Congratulations.

That's T. Higginson. The Bengals Booth podcast just brought to you by pay Corps. More than twenty nine thousand stamers trust pay Corps to help them recruit, pay, engage, and retain employees. Learn more at paycorps dot com. Defensively, the Bengals held NFL rushing leader Derek Henry to a mere thirty eight yards on seventeen carries. That's two point two

yards per attempt. DJ Reader was literally right in the middle of that defensive performance, and I joined Jay Morrison of The Athletic in talking to DJ after the game, really shutting down the run the whole time. But when you're playing a guy like Derek Carry, how much is it in the back of your mind at one player you're going anytime, I'll saw it on the screen big or runway train down here, you know what I'm saying.

So I gotta make sure that you limit him. You know, you try to do your best to frustrat um your job back and forth a little bit, get a little frustration and settle in. So that's part of my game. I don't know if everybody else talks as much as I do, but I do a lot of talking out there, so that's a good time. Everybody knows what Joe Burrow is and he can put a team on her shoulders of Karen, do you feel like this defense is now

poised to show that you guys can carry. We're gonna do whatever you know, they put whatever situation they put us in, or wherever we got the ball, We're gonna go out there and play ball. I think we do a good job as a team, a whole overall team and playing off each other. If they're down, we're If we're down, they're picking us up. And when we get it rolling together. We had those blowout games, you know those those that's just what happened. But we're completely confident

those guys and what they got going. And we play defense. That's our job, play defense, the special teams and we just heer the offense on no matter what's going on. Physicality, toughness, execution, all that. Where does this game rank since you've been here as far as the defense is performing thin defense? This one of a good better games, playing as physical as we can play, not getting down on ourselves when they had a big play just coming back and fighting

back for the next play. Every play, you know, just making sure even on that the screen with a touchdown, to have Cam chase down, punching that ball, get it out. Those are huge plays. It says a lot about your defense, how gritty they are, the guys you got in your room, what their makeup is. And you know, I can go to warld with those guys anytime, that type of group, I can go to world with him anytime. Derrick Henry carried seventeen times. It felt like you guys knocked the

lineback probably on thirteen or fourteen up those seventeen. Was that the key? That's the job, I mean, that's what we've talked about all week, you know, just making sure we're sething a little new line of scrimmage. Don't let them be their aggressives. We go out there and be aggressives a day and get it done. That's a team that makes you earn every inch. Ye Braves gonna make you do that though. As a coach, you know, I got so much love and respect for the guy. Um Well.

I came in league, taking me as a young player and just teaching me how to do it the right way, teach me how to be about ball, understand ball, what's going on, situational ball, all that. So I know that they're gonna take on the characteristics or their head coach, and he's gonna have those guys prepayers, so they're gonna make you earn it. They're not just gonna go out

there and and just wash them down like. They're gonna make you earn it every time because they got a lot of pride and the coach has a lot of pride and a lot of good players over there too. So to come here twice in ten months against that team, that's got to be tremendously satisfied. Yeah, it feels good, man. You know, I played him all the time when I was in the other division in Houston. You know, I

hear about the rug game all the time. I still haven't giving up one hundred of Derek yet in the league, So I'm just I'm excited for a challenge every time he comes in and we gotta play them. I know it's gonna be a physical game, so I enjoy it. How many times do you think that's been against Derek? I don't know. I played him two times a year when I was in Houston. I think I didn't play twice and the two times here, no hundies. I want

this Nation championship. You got me want some Nation championship? How was it since then hadn't got one? Congrats in a great game. Thank you. That's DJ Reader, So I had to look it up. Derrick Henry carried thirty six times for one hundred and fifty eight yards and three touchdowns when Alabama beat Clemson for the National championship in DJ Reader's final college game. But at the pro level, DJ's defenses have consistently shut Henry down. Now, DJ wasn't

entirely right. Henry did have one hundred nine yards in a game against Houston back in twenty seventeen, but in their nine NFL meetings, Henry has only averaged fifty one yards per game and three point nine yards per carry. More evidence the DJ Reader is one of the best run stoppers in the NFL. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Kettering Health, the official healthcare provider of the Bengals.

With more than one hundred twenty care facilities and fifteen hundred care providers, Kettering Health is committed to guiding you to your best Health. Visit kettering health dot org to learn more. With Jacksonville upsetting Baltimore on Sunday, the Bengals and Ravens are now tied for first in the AFC North at seven and four. The Bengals also moved up

one spot on the AFC playoff totem pole. They are currently the sixth seed and seven teams get in time to hear from head coach Zach Taylor, as Dave Lapham spent a few minutes with him in the locker room. That was one hell of football game. I mean, uncharacteristically, you suffered a lot of penalties that you know, you were kind of instead of them stopping you're stopping yourself a little bit. I mean, you guys could have rolled a lot of points up on these guys, and that's

hard to do. There were some critical penalties in the first half that really set us back, and that's what Tennessee's done a great job of opinion in dat making you to the whole length of the field. We certainly didn't help that cause at all, but we still went in halftime feeling really confident about it being a ten ten game. Despite losing the penalty battle. Despite losing the field position battle. We knew things at some point would

take a turn, and they did. You know, I thought they wanted to coin toss and they decide, you know, we're going to defer. They get an opportunity to score at the end of the half, they missed the field goal. They come out to start the second half three and out. I thought that sequence was really big in a close football game like this. Yeah, I think even though we didn't score after the three and out, we felt like

we had some good momentum. We were able to pin them in there I think at the ten yard line after that drive, and then and then start to win the field position battle and start to push the points on the board. And so just really pleased with overall how our team played winning football. I thought that you were They play very soft coverage on the on the perimeter. It looks like quite quite a bit, and you guys

were very patient, took full advantage of it. And then at some point they're tired of getting picked on and you're gonna take your shots, and I mean Joe was very patient and then took his shots when they were there. I thought it was outstanding. Yeah, that's that's how you have to against them. You know, that's why they don't give up big plays. That's part they have one i think seven of the last eight games. That's your style,

making go to the length of field. No big plays, make you be patient, and unfortunately we got a quarterback that's one to do that. They don't give up many yards in the ground. I mean, they don't give up many yards per carry. If you guys. The other thing they started doing, you know, pin and pull, some gap scheme stuff, mixing things up a little bit on them, got that running game going a little bit too, I mean was running hard man. Yeah, we threw everything at

them that we had. You know, I think Frank did a great job developing the run play this week, and the guys believed in it, and um, you know, this team's they're a premier run defense, and so you're going to have a couple of zero or negatives, maybe more than we're used to. But I thought that the run game allowed us to play on play on time today and on rhythm and allow us to do the passes that we wanted to, and so I was really pleased

with that performance. What about stopping Derrick Henry again? In the running game. I mean three games in a row now, I mean Derrick Henry has done really nothing compared to what he's done to everybody else. What is it about the Bengals in the formula you guys have. Our defense isn't afraid of anybody, you know, it's it's they're gonna roll the ball out there. They got a playoffs. I

think that's the attitude of our defense right now. And they had a performance that wasn't surprising to any of us. No turnovers in the football game, so it was one of those who's going to be better, you know. It's

like no extra possessions for any anybody. And it was just a grind it out day, I mean on the road to grind it out against a team that had won what seven out of their last eight games or whatever, and one that was the number one seed in the playoffs last year, and felt like, oh yeah, we'll show you. You know, you guys knocked the style of the the playoffs will show you what does this winn't mean? It doesn't.

It's just the next game for us. It's our team and has so much confidence right now and so much belief that we're doing things. The right way. We're putting in the work to be successful on Sunday. They we're not paying attention to necessary who the opponent is, it's whoever's on the schedule next. Yeah, they're a good team. They got to come see us. We got a really good team too, And that's just the confidence we're operating with right now. It's funny. Last year you beat Tennessee

on the road, and then you beat Kansas City. Now you've beat in Tennessee on the road. Now you have Kennisty, but it's at home. But it's the same, it's the same sequence. I mean, I know it's one game at a time. You want to be one to know as many many times you can, But do you have any flashbacks at all as you're preparing for this stretch? Now? Every game every year is so different. I got to look at their personnel. I don't even know what personnel

they got this year, you know. So I'm sure there's there's a lot of new faces over there. We got some new faces and so it's a totally different game. Speaking of new faces, a big thing. One quarterback sack on the day there was some pressure. Joe had the intentional grounding but I mean, overall, I thought the offensive line really handled things well. I thought they did a great job. You know, last year we felt how physical,

how much this d line can get on you. I thought this year our guys really stepped up and had the right attitude for this game. The two time Tennessee High School Player of the Year Te Higgins comes back to the state of Tennessee and shows out how big was that. Yeah, that's what he does, you know when his numbers called epso makes plays and he made two on those last two drives that were just huge for us to get that one. And so I'm really proud

of the job t did today. Coach, congratulations, got your team ready to play a big time game on the road against a big time opponent. Seven and four. Nice. Yeah, it's a good feeling. Appreciate you, all right, Thank you. So it's a home game against the Chiefs next Sunday at four to twenty five, and CBS will send the a team of Jim Nance and Tony Romo. Kansas City has the best record in the AFC at nine and two, and we'll roll into town with a five game winning streak.

The Chiefs open as a three point favorite. Patrick Mahomes leads the NFL with twenty nine touchdown passes. Joe Burrow and Josh Allen are tied for second with twenty three. Now time for the radio guys recap lap. Let's start with the job the Bengals did on Derrick Henry. I've been saying, I haven't looked this up, but I'd like to know how many times he had seventeen carries in a game and couldn't even get to forty yards. That's amazing.

I mean, honestly, it's three games now against Derrick Henry. They've been able to handle him. You know, he had one the one screen got out on him and got unfortunately you know, Marta because his scrimmage yards would have been nothing as well. But that's seventy yard reception that he had and then fumbled the ball. That'll that'll, you know, make his his average per touch in terms of scrimmage yards look a lot different. But on a snap by snap basis man, the defensive line took control the line

of scrimmage. I thought Pratt and Wilson were confident, decisive, physical I mean, I thought they brought the physicality to Derrick Henry instead of the other way around. I mean, it was. It was really something to watch, and the defensive line really knocked their offensive lineback consistently. They did, and sometimes they did it going through him, sometimes they

did it hit the gap penetrating linebacker same way. And then on the flip side of it, I thought the Bengals offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage on the other side of it much better than the Tennessee Titans did. Um honestly, I mean, I thought for the most part they controlled the line of scrimmage pretty well. There's only one quarterback sack on the day, um Joe had the intentional grounding. There was some pressure there. There was some pressure.

There's always going to be when you're throwing it as many times as you throw it in any football game in the National Football League, there's gonna be there's gonna be some pressure. But I thought, and I thought the guys inside really really did a good job. And I thought everybody did. I thought everybody played a more than sound football game, and I thought that was a big part of it. That's that's the way you that's the

way you beat a football team. You give your skill people an opportunity to perform to show what they've got, you know, by handling things up front offensively. Another huge day for te Higgins seven catches for one hundred and fourteen yards. He was down on himself for dropping one in the red zone early in the game and kind of made it his mission to make up for it.

And boy did you ever. I mean, like you were saying during the game, two time Tennessee high school player of the Year, you know, it comes back and uh as a second consecutive hundred yard receiving day. I mean, you know, in the absence of Jamar Chase so many needs to step up, and he did. And then you gotta feel good for Trent and Irwin, you know, two weeks in a row making big plays. That that was as good a catch, as good a body control exhibition, you know, catches as you're gonna want to see. I

mean he did. He did a lot of things, a lot of things right on that play. It's it's just rewarning to see guys that you know, do it the right way, work hard, get an opportunity, and then capitalize on it by doing it right during the course of a football game. So I JP Ryan fits that description as well. Fifty eight rushing yards and a touchdown, thirty five receiving yards. He fills in for Joe mix And and gives him ninety three yards of offense. That's strong,

you know. And I mean I thought he was running better than Henry. I thought he was he was finding lanes a lot more decisively. I noticed hesitation and Derrick Henry running the football, which you don't see. You don't see that very often. And I thought Samaje was very, very decisive, and you know, just aggressive and downhill, squaring those shoulder pads up and fighting for extra yards. I mean, I thought he gave an incredible effort out there. He's

gonna go sleep well tonight. So I know. You talked to quite a few people after the game. I talked to a few as well. The overwhelming sentiment I get is that they have a ton of respect for the Titans and for Mike Vrabel, and that makes beating them on their home field twice in ten months incredibly satisfying. Yeah, I mean, it's it's like you look at last year, they beat Kansas City twice in a month in the same month. Now they beat Tennessee at the end of

the season. The playoffs and you're the Man five Beta Kappa Alex Kappa walking by and hum and then to come to their place, you know, and uh and get it done again, you know, like you said. Less than a year later and you can say all you want, Oh it's not. I'm not saying it's a revenge game. But it's a game where man, we were the number one seed and they knocked us out. It's a pride game,

is what it is. It's like, you know, every every professional athlete is extremely prideful, and they didn't want to get beaten again. It's the last thing they wanted to do is have a team come into their place and beat them again. The Bengals did it. The Bengals did it without Mixing in Jamar Chase. It's pretty strong when you think about it, it really is. I mean, it shows team shows this as a football team that has many ways they can win football games. I would think

they'll definitely have Mixing back next week. Probably a decent chance they'll have Jamar back next week. And the timing is good with Patrick Mahomes in the Kansas City Chiefs rolling into town. Man, I looked up you know, some of the stats just to get a little bit ahead, and you're number one and everything offensively, I mean it's it's there's there's not much. I don't think there's much

of anything. They are not number one, and you know, you look at it and you say, all right, well, geez, maybe they're better off not having that one big go to receiver and just a few guys, a bunch of guys to go to. If you talk to Louis andru it might be harder to defend. You got more places to go with the football. I mean, they may be a tougher offense to defend, which is almost incomprehensible. I mean it's it's almost when I say it out loud, it's almost stupid because the kids such a such a

huge weapon. He's doing the job also down in Miami. But I mean Andy Reid, I've seen him for too long a period of time. Camp Taylor, brit They hit her man, but bring to bring the wood. Yeah, it's I saw him do it in college with lesser players, you know, put together game plans that gave people some win football games that they shouldn't have won. And now he's got talent. That's a dangerous combo. The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals.

They're free to play with tickets and signed merchandise up for grabs. Find both inside the Bengals app. Finally, it's time for this week's fun Facts interview, where we get to know the person under the pads. Time for some fun facts with punter Drew Chrisman from Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Just across the state line. Anybody who's made that drive has seen the big signs for fireworks. That's the family business. Correct, Yeah, that's it. Party at Travis a big red, white and

blue building run off the exit. So you've done some work for the family business, including recently. Correct, every year, the whole family does work. They got pictures of me in the womb. My mom's sitting there leaning up against a palette in the warehouse while craziness of the Fourth of July is happening. So this is it's since birth and will continue to be long after I'm done playing football,

that's for sure. So this past fourth of July, you're in there helping customers even though you're an NFL player one percent. Yeah, it's it's all hands on deck that that week leading up to the fourth, and no matter where our family is at situation wise, we know it's it's crunch time for our family and we and we enjoy it. We really do. I was a minor league baseball broadcaster for many years. I've seen a lot of fireworks shows, so I'm kind of jaded to the whole thing.

What about you? Do you still enjoy a great fireworks show? I do. Um, I've seen my fair share, as you would imagine. I actually really don't get to celebrate the fourth. Our fourth is really after the fourth because we're a little too busy on the fourth of July. People are still coming in by that last minute mortar or artillery artillery shell. So um yeah, really my fourth July is

after the fourth. But at this point in my fireworks life, I enjoy the uh the m eighties and the little all the rockets I can go blow some stuff up with, don't get me wrong, and nice big breaking artillery shell is fun and I try to emulate that with my foot as best as I can. But yeah, I like to tinker around and blow some stuff up. We're doing fun Facts Withdrew Chrisman. You're from Lawrenceburg, as I've mentioned, but you went to high school in Cincinnati at LaSalle.

Was that for academics, athletics or a combination. We had a couple of buddies. I went to my grade school with Saint Lawrence and it was a small class and a couple of buddies who were gonna go out up to Cincinnati for a high school, and they kind of just talked me into it, and I'm real like, yeah, we'll try it. Sounds like a great opportunity. Nothing wrong with Laarrensburgh. My dad with a high school in Lawnsburg, I think it would have had a great career there.

But I think it worked out at Last as well, so I would say. So. I've read that you started out as a quarterback until you needed Tommy John surgery. Was that the case? Yeah, back in back in my prime when I was a real athlete. Yeah, no, I really did it all growing up playing playing sports. I was you know, punter obviously, and kicker, quarterback, middle linebacker, safety if they needed it. I mean, I never came

off the field. So yeah, when I got to LASU, it's a little bit bigger pond, and you know, I started off as a quarterback and then got injured and then ended up just finding my way as a punter,

and uh yeah, it was. It was a big change, you know, being on the field every play and then you know, maybe once or twice a game with how our offense was running out of sou I mean we once stayed back to back my junior senior year and I punted one time in the state game and we were pretty dominant those years, so it was a little bit of getting used to. But I don't think I would have been able to have a state as a quarterback still, So how bad was the arm injury? It

was good. I mean, I mean Tommy John surgery. I'm sure you said you were a baseball broadcast you know all about that, and um yeah I was. We were playing I think it was Mohler and stuck my arm out for a fumble. Guy landed on it, hyper extended and toward that same tendon, and then I couldn't throw the rest of the season. But I was still with a punt and that's kind of really when I started developing my I'd love for punting, so you still control football.

There's video evidence Big Ten Championship game at Ohio State, you completed a twenty one yard pass on a fake punt. Have you shown that video to Darren Simmons? You might have seen it somewhere along the line. I'm sure scouting me out coming out of college. But yeah, I only got one opportunity in college. It's funny that that same fake I threw that was my I believe junior year.

We practice that same fake ever since freshman year with Urban there, and then once Ryan Day got there, he finally felt comfortable enough to pull the trigger in a big moment. There were able to come through there. But yeah, I still got it. That's that's for sure. So you were the number one ranked punter in your recruiting class. Was Ohio State a no brainer for you? Or did you seriously consider several schools? I would saying it was

really the only one I had to work for. I went on a couple visits there to get that scholarship. A lot of the places offer me and just called me over the phone, and but they really maybe worked for it. And And so I don't know if that was,

you know, what really made me fall in love. But I was good friends with the kicker who was there at the time I trained with his same kicking coach in Cincinnati with Dick Sites that was our kicking coach, and Sean Nurnberger was a kicker's name, and so I kind of had that connection and and so I came up there and he showed me around and showed me all the opportunities that you'll get out of House State and what it opens the doors academically in just life afterwards,

and I was like, Yeah, after realizing that, it was kind of a no brainer. What were some of the highlights of your entire Ohio State experience? Shoot, I mean, I have four gold pants. I know, that's a big, big conversation piece this week. So that's that's all ac I highlights. I think I have four big Ten championships as well playing in the National Championship my senior year

during covid UM. I mean there's just so many. But really a top it off that's kind of when I was kind of fell in love with my wife in a way and I was able to propose to her on the Ohio State field. That's certainly I'll get in trouble if I don't mention that as the highlight, at least on the field. Wise. So there was a lot of a lot of really good moments in college, and that proposal can also be seen on the internet. It

was pretty clever on your part. You had kind of a fake that your now wife was going to do a kick, so you were in the holder position, and then instead of putting the football down for the kick, you had the ringwriting Yeah it was. It was pretty smooth, smoother than probably I even expected. It's kind of the peak of my career there for sure. And yeah, she had no idea what was coming, and I was able to pull it off. And luckily she said yes, or

I might have been in the transfer portal the next day. Yeah, I might not have finished my career there on High State. I would have been pretty embarrassing. But yeah, luckily she said yes, and kind of the rest is history. Now you put a lot of our proposals to shames, So I'm glad my wife had already said yes for anybody could see that. So you signed with the Bengals last year, and in your rookie season, it was on and off the practice squad quite a few times. You were actually

on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad. Briefly, what was the whole experience, Like was it difficult or did you just kind of chalk that up to this is the way it goes when you're trying for one of thirty two jobs. Yeah. I mean I think I came into it not really knowing what I was getting into. And you know, coming from college, you kind of have a stable job for the five years I was there, kind of had a good routine and what was coming each week, and then yeah,

you really get it. I really got a taste of the NFL last year and just the uncertainty of what was going to happen that week. I remember there was a lot of Tuesdays last year that's usually when they make the call to bring you on or not. And how'd be sitting there. I'd be mad as someone else called my phone that day because I'd be getting excited

I was going to get another opportunity somewhere. But yeah, so it was a little bit of a roller coaster, and I think this year we kind of just like kind of let go of all those expectations, just kind of went into it like I was just just gonna take it week at a time, see see what happens. Even last week when I kind of had a feeling that I was going to get the first start. Um, you know, I really wasn't sure until they actually officially made it,

you know, official on Saturday. Just because of the roller coaster year I spent last year just not knowing anything until it's actually, you know official. That's that's gonna how I've been treating things lately. So your debut would have been special under any circumstances. But Bengals Steelers, the rivalry, it's something you're obviously familiar with. Did that add anything to it? I tried not to let it get to me too much, but you know, I knew obviously it's

the first game. You know you're gonna have nerves already, and then you know you've got to think about, you know, how big of a game that is to the you know, the franchise and the fan base, and but yeah, I really tried to just think of it as just another another game and just go out there and let your training take over and do what you know what to do.

And so you know, you can kind of think about that afterwards, but you don't want to think about that too much leading up to it, or you're just getting getting your own head, So now it's starting to really so can just kind of how cool a moment that was with you know everything? All right, a few wildcard topics now for Drew Chrisman. You are a champion bottle flipper with a partially filled bottle of water. You can

flip it and it will land upright. Virtually every time you tried to get into the Guinness Book of World Records, did it work. Yeah, Darren Covid, they did a little thing where, because I've tried multiple times, I have many unofficial world bottle flip records, but to actually get in the book you have to pay. I think I looked into it. It was like over five grand, and as a college kid, I didn't I didn't have that kind of money. I would have been half to pony up

to some donors to get that kind of cash. I don't know. Now maybe with the nil deals that might might have happened quicker, but while I was in college, we didn't have that. So Darren Covid, they did a little thing where you can submit a video and that'll count as official. And I was beat out by this, uh, this kid who was flipping like a minute your bottle and he beat me in the most in a minute and so, but he was. I'll give it to him that his reaction him getting the plaque was pretty priceless,

So I'm happy for him. But yeah, nothing technically official world record other than just knowing that I'm the best bottle flipper in the world. At least I was at one time. I haven't. Haven't dabbled too much recently obviously been a little more focused on flipping the field, but it was I had a lot of fun doing that in college. You did sneak in a reference there to this person flipping a smaller bottle. Are you casting aspersions on his record? Nah? I mean, hey, whatever Guinness wants

to go with it, he can go with it. But if someone was gonna ask me to dispute it, you know, I think there would be two plaques, one given for a full size and half side. But I'll let him have his day. Who is your all time favorite athlete in any sport? And why? Really? We didn't watch too much sports growing up, and really I was a big basketball fan growing up. That was kind of my first passion. And the Dirty Bird, Larry Bird. He was someone I

always looked up to at least my dad said. I reminded a lot of him watching him growing up and my play style. But as far as football wise, Pat McAfee kind of comes to mind. When I started transitioning to a punter. I watched a lot of his tapes. He was fun and he was pretty electric and had a great personality. But I guess, yeah, best athlete if I had to really say, I'd say Larry Bird first was my first kind of true athlete that I looked up to in a way. So, Indiana guy, you gotta

go for an Indiana guy? Would you like to spend your money on savings account? Right now? We got a five month old daughter at home, so we are certainly

planning for the future. I know there's all these stories of like what you spend your first game check on and everything right now, and I have a feeling we're just going to be putting that, putting that away for some time, and especially with the kind of how the world it is right now, anything we can say for a rainy day, I think that's where we're gonna go on. We're pretty frugal. We try we try to live pretty frequently as much as we can. But I know this Christmas.

My wife's already got a couple couple of presents downstairs. I'm sure she'll enjoy. So we did. We did a little something special for this Christmas coming up. But yeah, really, I'm we're pretty frugal. Yeah, first Christmas as a dad, that's gonna to be awesome. What's your favorite part about fatherhood so far? Just there's so much. I mean, you know, everyone tries to tell you what it's gonna be like and give you tips and everything, you don't really know

what you're getting into to actually do it. And then just just coming home every day. And she's at the point now where she really recognizes me and gives me a big old gummy smile when I walked through the door. And really nothing beats that after a good or bad day. I mean, that just brightens your mood. My wife, she's been doing a lot of the work, to be honest, I haven't had it too bad yet. She's kind enough to let me sleep at night. We're breastfeed and so

she does a lot of work right now. But I'm sure once she starts walking around and run and I'm gonna get a lot more playtime in for sure. But yeah, just coming home and seeing her smile. I mean, there's nothing that beats that final thing for Drew Chrisman and I appreciate your time. This is kind of deep. If you could meet anybody in history, athlete, entertainer, statesman, whoever that person might be, who would it be. Well, I know recently there was one guy I've always been wanting

to meet. It was a great guy. He passed away recently. It was someone I've always wanted to meet and kind of pick his brain in some things. Unfortunately, he passed away recently. I think some illness he was fighting for a long time. So I think that would be someone I think it would be pretty cool to sit down

with and just kind of a conversation. How he, you know, really changed the game at this position, so the goat in your predict position, at least in terms of how much better he was than the rest of the guy in his time. Yeah, No, he certainly changed the game and he will go down as that for history. So that's awesome. This has been fun. Greatly appreciated. Best of Luft the rest of the year. Thank you appreciate for

having me on. That's going to do it for this episode of The Bengals Booth Podcast presented by Kettering Health, the official healthcare provider of the Bengals, by Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're free to play with tickets and sign merchandise up for grabs by Paycore, the official HR software provider of the Bengals, and by Alta Fiber future

Proof Fiber Internet elevate your connection with Alta Fiber. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and if you have a minute, give it a rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast