Bengals Booth Podcast: Something In The Way

Peter Schreger from Good Morning Football joins me to explain why the Bengals are a team that nobody wants to face In January, we'll hear from Joe Mixon and Sama J. P. Ryan, and finally, in this week's Know the Faux segment, we'll spend a few minutes with the voice of the Cleveland Browns, Jim Donovan. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals. They're freedom play with tickets and signed merchandise up for grabs. Find both inside

the Bengals app. Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since the Miracle Holiday Pop Up Bar. If you're twenty one and older and looking for a fun night out, I highly recommend the Miracle Holiday Pop Up Bar at the Overlook Lodge

in pleasant Ridge. You can get tickets online. It's a one hour experience with movie clips, music themed cocktails, and a few surprises along the way. For more information and to get tickets, go to that Shining Bar dot com. Once again, it's that Shining Bar dot com. Now let's get to Sunday's game. According to the folks at Pro Football Focus, there are eighty nine linebackers who have played at least twenty percent of their team's defensive snaps this year.

Jermaine Pratt is great it as the tenth best linebacker in the league, and Logan Wilson is twenty sixth despite dealing with a shoulder injury. I caught up with Wilson this week. Logan, you are having another great season despite injuring your shoulder back in Week six in New Orleans. How does this compare to what you dealt with in the postseason last year? Yeah, it's not nearly His significant.

I don't even know. I'd kind of just kind of retour the post to your capsule, which everything that I did in surgery is still They're still doing what it's supposed to do. Anchors are good. It's just kind of instant that happened, and you know, I think I'll just play with the harness to protect it. But it's not. It's nothing like last year. Like my shoulder is still healthy. I still a full range of motion. Like last year,

I didn't really have full range of motion. And there was a little bit more issues being dealt with after that one. There were some nervous looks after that game in New Orleans. Were you fearful that this might be a big problem? Yeah, I think and anything, and that's scared me, you know, just to reinjure something that you just you know, rehabbed all the way back, got fixed in the offseason, and for it to happen like that,

it was just more nerve wracking than anything. And um, you know, luckily I just needed a week to let it simmer down. I'm good. Now. We're chatting with Logan Wilson. So hearing you talk about the postseason last year, you played great, You had the most tackles in the playoffs of anybody in the last ten years in the NFL. You obviously had the huge interception in the Tennessee game. But what was normal life like? Could you lift your arm?

Could you sleep where? Things like that difficult? Yeah, it was. It wasn't like my life was pretty normal. Um, it's just some things like overhead type stuff that would you know, get my arm was like more like so I being able to come up next to my year was coming out about forty five degrees and I just couldn't physically get it up because of my labor and being torn. Um, it's just not being even when we do like rehab stuff, you know. Um, the pts would say that they could

feel like that. You could feel your feel the humoral head kind of slip out, you know when when you're doing some of those mobility stuff, and um, you know it was there was a long road to recovery. And um, there was times during the playoffs where you know, you get it hit and it just just shoot through your whole arm. I remember one play in the Super Bowl did that and I just kind of shake it out. Luckily it was a third down. I was able to go off the sideline, let it calm back down, and

we were good. But it was good to get it fixed. Very smart. One of the reasons why I wanted to talk to you this week was to ask you about your tag team partner, Jermaine Pratt, who's having a great year. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the tenth best linebacker in the NFL so far this year. He made the key defensive play last week, ripping the ball away from Travis Kelcey. What stands out to you about a guy

you've been playing with now for three years. I think, I mean, he's he is a good leader, whether or not he sees himself, is that or not. Um, He's he's very very smart schematically. Um, he knows what we're gonna get from the from the offense. He knows what we're doing on defense and what our weaknesses are. And UM, I think he's really just improved as an overall. You know, his overall linebacker play, you know, UM, piggyback onund some things that he learned from Coach Golden last year and

now Coach Best this year. Um, you know, some block protection things, just being physical, Um, but then always having the mindset, like always reiterating like we got to get the ball in some form or fashion, and um, you know, for him to you know, be miked up and be talking about getting the ball and then gets the ball, that drive was was huge and just kind of a no surprise. You know. It's a credit to the guy

he is. He works really hard to be where he's at and um, you know, very happy to be playing alongside him. Is it borderline comical how often he says that at practice and you know, in meeting rooms and so forth. I mean it is, but it's also good. It's a repetitive thing that you're always hearing. You're like, okay, well I made the tackles, Like who cares? You don't? You know, you don't want to make the tackle you

want to make. You want to get the ball back to our offense because, um, you know, our our offense is operating on all cylinders right now, and so the more times we can get the ball back to them to go score points, you know, the better off we're going to be. It sounds like both of you guys are football chunkies. Is that accurate? Yeah, you can say that.

I think we both have different ways that we UM learn things, and UM, I think we both teach each other some things and help each other on the field with you know, certain things. I think that's what you're supposed to do as a teammate. And UM, you know, we feed off each other's energy. So anytime one of us makes a good play, we you know, we hype each other up. But UM, you know, I think that we just have a really good linebacker room in general. Honestly,

we're chatting with Logan Wilson. So you've accomplished a lot personally and team wise in your three years in Cincinnati, But one thing you haven't done yet is beat Cleveland. Does it steck under your crop going into the game this week? I mean it's always creeped into my head. You know, it's the one team since UM, since our draft, our draft class Joe t me Um, Akim Hakim Marcus, and we know we have never beat Cleveland. That's the

one team in our division we've never beaten. UM. You know, we always say the next game is the biggest game. So right now, this is the biggest game, UM, of our season, and we need to get these these in these divisional wins. You just ran down the guys from your draft class who are still here. And I know it's early, but it's shaping up to be one of

the great draft classes in Bengals history. When you came into the building and you met Joe and you met T and you met the other guys that you just mentioned, did you know right off the batman, I'm part of something special? Um, you know, I I've I've figured it I would be. You know, I think that anytime you have the number one overall pick, um, it's about helping

set him up for success. And you know this organization has done a very good job of that, you know, getting the guys around it to protect him, and then getting weapons outside of him, and then like for Tea to be developing into the receiver he's become. Um, it's just a credit to the guys they draft, you know, I know, I think there was a stat I think six of our seven picks that year were all captains. I think in college U T would have been had

he stayed for another year Clemson. Yeah, so I didn't know he was the only one that wasn't a captain. But um, that's just a credit to the guys that they're looking for. The type of character and um, I mean you can see it in our locker room from when I got here till now. Like it's I mean, it's just it really is night and day. The guys that we have in the locker room. That's how you that's it really is how you win games. And it's

been a good formula for us. Getting back to Sunday's game against the Browns, Nick Chubb his head lot of success against the Bengals five one yard games and eight tries against Cincinnati. Sam Hubbard says he's the best in the NFL. Do you agree? And if so, what I think? He's just so hard to bring down and he's um, I mean, he's he's good out of the he's good out of the backfield because he's you got to have more than just one guy trying to tackle him and

bring him down. He's very um lower heavy, so he breaks a lot of tackles. UM and you're not gonna arm tackle him or some guys might be able to kind of trip him up. He's got very good balance. Um. You know, I think he's just a very good all around back and there's a reason why he's been at the top of the rushing yards list for really price

since he's been in the league. So one thing that's gone viral in recent weeks has been coached Duffner yelling in his high pitched voice, Yeah, everyone there, you gonna play Auffs. What do you think of that? And what do you think of Coach duff I think he's he's the man. He's he's awesome. My wife even asked me, She's like, is that has is that his voices normally? I was like, No, that's his like thing is he just gets to hype up and um, that's why coach

asked him to say that. He's a character. I think everyone on this coaching staff and the players love him. He's a great guy to have around. He's very knowledgeable and he's been around this game for a very long time, so he's a good guy to know. Final question for Logan Wilson. I appreciate your time. We are four weeks away from Bengals Bills and your opportunity to compete against your friend and former college teammate at Wyoming Josh Allen.

How frequently are you guys in touch, whether it's calls or texts and is this a game you've had in the back of your mind all year. We don't really stay in touch that much. I mean, he's he's pretty busy and he's he's a very focused type kind of guy. So I know he's trying to take care of what they need to do over there in Buffalo, and you know it will be a great opportunity, you know, to be able to go against him when that time comes. But I'm a big living the present guys. From the meantime,

I'll be worried about the Browns. The class of twenty twenty has helped change this franchise. You're a big reason why. Congratulations on your success. Thanks for the time today. Thanks Dan. There's six linebackers taken before Logan Wilson in the twenty twenty Laft, Isaiah Simmons, Kenneth Murray, Jordan Brooks and Patrick Queen went in the first round, and Josh Ouch and Willie Gay went in the second round before the Bengals

took Wilson with the first pick of the third. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't trade Logan for any of them. The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps. More than twenty nine thousand customers trust Paycorps to help them recruit, pay engage, and retain employees. Learn more at paycorps dot com. There's nothing worse in sports television than fake laughter. You know what I mean.

There are three or four people on the set, One of them says something that isn't close to being funny, and the rest of the cast laughs like hyenas. That's not the case on Good Morning Football on the NFL network. The hosts are legitimately funny and the laughs are real. Plus they know their stuff and have great chemistry as a group. I caught up with one of the stars of the show this week. But my money, Good Morning Football is the best sports show on TV, and my

wife Peg agrees. And we are joined by one of the hosts this week, Peter Schreger. Peter, you have been binging on Bengals content of late. Earlier this week, you said after the win over the Chiefs, I wouldn't want to face the Bengals in January. What was it about that win that maybe took the Bengals to another level. It wasn't just this win. I think they're on quite

a run right now. And and Dan I look back at the Tennessee win, going into that hostile environment, doing that without Jamar and doing it without Joe Mixon and then quickly turning around and then being the Chiefs for the third straight time. I mean it. I think this team has got a you know, ice in their veins. And I know that sounds like it's a cliche, but does Joe Burrow ever ever Waiver? Is this guy? Just so I said on our show, I'm like he's like

a robot watching him. There's there's a motion, but there's never this up and down that you get to see. You never see him yelling at teammates. You never see him, you know, spiking up ball and celebrating in a way that might rub someone wrong. This guy is just so dialed in. And I feel like this team is so young and yet it's been there for the most part. All these guys were on this ride last year and it's nothing's too big for them. So I would not want to face them in January, whether it be in

Cincinnati or be on the road. That is a team with that quarterback on the other sideline. I would not want to see and I would not want to have the game plan for I heard you called Joe a robot, and I knew what you meant. It was a good way RoboCop determinator something along those lines. Is Joe what you thought he would be as the number one pick coming out of LSU or even better at this point? Oh,

he succeeded expectations. And I remember talking to I guess it was it was Zach probably around the combine before it was even out there that they were taking him. And if the story at the time was Joe Purrow might hold out and doesn't want to be a Bengal and that he might want to just you know, play his cards close to the chess and all this stuff. And Zach Taylor at the combine kind of gave me the heads up and said, no, don't put us out

there everything but like of the quarterbacks, this is the guy. Like, this is the guy, and he's unbelievable and it's it's been everything, everything and that and more. And what I like about Burrow is, you know, it's not just number one pick, great success. You know, you know Peyton Manning and we've seen all you know, Terry Bradsch, all these guys.

Whatever it is with Joe Burrow it's he had to overcome a massive setback with the knee injury and then had to overcome the appendicitist, has to do it with a team that hadn't won a playoff game, and how many years like he has had to overcome real hurdles and yet never makes it about him, makes it about everybody else and is this incredible leader. We all saw the final season in college we all saw the college football playoff. But I've seen a lot of great college quarterbacks.

I a I was a huge Colt McCoy fan. I was a huge Tim Tebow fan. I've seen a lot of college quarterbacks win a lot of college games. Joe Burrow is doing something that Cult McCoy, who I love and Tim Tibo, who I love, have not done at the pro level, and that's take a franchise on his back and not only made them relevant, made them one of the best in the NFL. Tell me about your relationship with Zach Taylor, because you're close to Sean McVeigh. You did a podcast with him, I know you attended

his wedding over the summer. What do you think of Zach Taylor. I love Zach Taylor. I've known Zach Taylor since he was in Miami Dolphin. He was with the Dolphins back in the Joe philbin era and I built

a relationship with him then. And then he went back to the college game, obviously at Cincinnati, and you know, stayed on the radar, and I know Sean McVeigh really really trusted Zach once he brought him on his staff and would give me heads up and be like, I know I'm the young hot thing here, but I've got a bunch of guys in my staff that you should meet and speak with. And I went out of my way.

I did the Rams preseason games that twenty eighteen season, I think, and I went out of my way before those games to get on the field and talk to a Zach Taylor and get to know him, and talk to an Eric Yarber, who's the wide receivers coach, and really get to know the assistant coaches on that Rams team, because I thought what they were building was really cool, and I thought Zach was always so smart. And so you know, I guess humbles the word, but it's he's

not the loudest guy in the room. He's not gonna necessarily be the one that says, hey, look at me. He's not gonna necessarily have a Campbell Souper commercial like mcvay's got that's running at all ads and all times. Zach Taylor's the guy wearing the Triple Xcel sweatshirt and kind of hanging in the back and has the plane, you know, room when they're doing the draft during COVID, while Kingsbury's got the mansion and the sunny locale behind him.

Like that's Zach family guy, lifer. Obviously, his brother's a coach. Obviously he's got a great playing career at Nebraska, but a world of knowledge and a wealth, a wealth of respect around the league. And I know Bengals fans sometimes come out and they question play calls. And I remember last year even when they were hot, and it was what Zack Taylor doing. Asked the players, don't judge from

the outside, Asked the players, ask the staff. He treats people right, and I think if everyone respects him in the building. You host a podcast the season with Peter Schrager, and this week you had current offensive coordinator Brian Callahan on with you. What were some of your biggest takeaways from visiting the Brian well, Brian's got a lot of the same characteristics that Zach has and it's not a lot to look at me, and there's not a lot of puff your chest, and his voice is pretty level.

He's going to tell you like it is. But what I love about Brian's story is the amount of quarterbacks that he's coached. And I wanted to go through that because he came in and it was Tebow and then it was Peyton Hanning. Couldn't go from one, you know, inexperienced NFL quarterback to a guy who's got all the answers in Peyton, and then Stafford, and then Derek Carr and then of course now you know Joe Burrow. And I wanted to know all about what he's learned from

each one of those quarterbacks. That was interesting, But what I really liked hearing about was his lifestyle and his choice to go into this because his father, of course, his Brown's offensive line coach, Bill Callahan. And you know, you grow up in a coaching family can go one of two ways. One you can resent the profession. You could say, hey, my dad wasn't around on that offense. We had to move twenty different places all that stuff, or you can look at your father as a hero

and say, hey, that's something I want to do. And Brian followed in his father's footsteps. What I really like about him is he's gone out of his way to never work with or on his father's staff, and I think that says a lot about him. He's like, I love football, I love coaching, but I never want to go that route. I want to do it on my own. And sure, his father's opened millions of doors, but Brian's kind of charted his own path and I think that's

pretty cool. He's thirty eight years old, he's really bright, he's really well respected around the league, and I think his demeanor is the right demeanor. It's one that's you've got big personalities. In that Cincinnati locker room, you guys be you do your thing. I'll be here, I'll coach, and I'll do everything I can't to support you, both

Hee and Zach. For the Bengals fans listening, both Hee and Zach their main mission is to serve the players, to make the players the best players they can be, and Brian said it in the podcast A Day with Me. My goal is to get these guys paid as much money as they possibly can and have the most fulfilled lives that they can. And if we win some football games along the way, that's great. But I'm about the

players and the team. It's not about me. And I love that Brian and defensive coordinator lou Anna Rumo are both being mentioned as future NFL head coaches. Do you see that happening for either or both soon? Well, they've both interviewed last year, right So, Brian had an interview at Denver and that job went to Nathaniel Hackett. Then lou Ana Rumo, who was with the Giants are employee

and it's from Staten Island. There is a lot of local New York City buzz for lou They all wanted to see him maybe get considered their He interviewed for the Giants job and that went to Brian Dable. One of those decisions, Denver one is being questioned right now. The other one, the Giants one, everyone seems to be in full support of in the local market. But I think both of those guys are gonna be very high

up on the list. I do if we're a lot of the stuff with the coaching hirings come around the week seventeen eighteen everything, and the name I'm hearing a lot about is Damiko. Ryan's rightfully so in San Francisco. But on the offensive side of the ball, everyone's looking for that next young offensive mind. And Ben Johnson, who's in Detroit is getting a lot of buzz thirty six years old. And Ryan Callahan, the offensive coordinat of the Bengals,

is being mentioned there too. But gosh, if if LU doesn't get a slew of interviews and really get considered, something's up with the system. Because the second half adjustments that LU and a remote pulls off every single week. It's in the numbers. You see that the Bengals are the best second half team across the board and just about every category, and their defense comes to play in the biggest of moments, as we saw in the Super

Bowl run last year. We are visiting with Peter Schreeger last week, Elizabeth Blackburn wrote a letter to Bengals fans and you brought it up on Good Morning Football, and your words it fired you up. Why you know you do that kind of thing? And they can go one of two ways. The fans can read this and say, don't you tell me what to do. Won't you tell me anything? You go and you buy me a new free agent. You go and you lower prices on tickets. Why are you worried about me. I'll show up. I'm

a fan. I pay my ticket, don't you. Or it can be like wow, everyone in that building is really all in. And it starts from the top down, and it starts from mister Brown and goes all the way through, you know, obviously to Katie and Elizabeth Blackburn, and then you feel it through the pearlding and it's the coaches and then the players, and then I'm part of the team if I'm a player, if I'm a fan, and I'm being asked to play my part. And I think

it was the perfect letter. It wasn't saying anything negative about the Chiefs, who was saying we need you over this final stretch. Because I think Elizabeth knows what a great fan base, the Bengals fan it's are, and also what a great home field advantage that is. When that place is rocking. It's really hard to play in cold weather, especially under the lights late on a Sunday, and especially when the crowd is absolutely rocking in that environment. I

was not there for shame. I wasn't there. I was in LA for the studio show for Fox. But anyone that I know who's in that building was like, that place was lit. It was electric. And I think it's going to be the same way this Sunday, and I think it'll be the same way the remainder of the home games, and hopefully you guys get a whole playoff home game if you can finish the job and win this division. Peter, you've been hosting Good Morning Football since

twenty sixteen. You've obviously followed the NFL and been a fan much longer than that. Have your feelings or viewpoint about the Bengals changed over the years. It has, It has. You know, when I got there, it was in it was in a Marvin Lewis era which had been very successful and then kind of trailed off at the end, and then it was the first couple of years of Zach and then last year comes around and it's like this full swing thing. But you know, it's funny. The

Bengals franchise, I feel like has changed a bit. And that might be the influence of Elizabeth Blackman. It might be the fact that they're winning games. It might be the Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase see Higgins effect, whatever it is. I feel like there's an exuberance. There is a a fresh feel. You know, I'm not a branding expert, but that logo it means something. Right now in the NFL, it means, oh, those boys are fun. Those boys, those boys are good. That organization is fun. Like the Bengals

are on TV on a Thursday night. It used to be like, oh wow, the NFL purring the Bengals on a Thursday night game and they're playing the Browns and it's let's get done early in the season and never see this team again. Now it's hey, why aren't the Bengals being flex to Sunday night? You know, why aren't we getting more Bengals? Why why can't Chris collins Worth, the local guy, doing more Bengals games. I think they're they're worthy of that. And again, credit goes to a

lot of different places. Sometimes it can't put your finger on it. But yeah, you know, I'm not trying to, you know, give the ownership group anymore credit than it deserves. But this Bengals team, especially with the new indoor facility and all things like it does feel fresh, new, and it feels like the fans are really engaged, and I

think that's really cool. Well, you are absolutely right. The jungle is going to be rocking Sunday at one o'clock for the ninety ninth Battle of Ohio Bengals and Browns. The Bengals trying to end this streak of five straight losses to Cleveland. What are some of your keys for Sunday's game? Okay, so here are the keys to this game. You gotta beat the Browns. This thing can't keep going on this as much as a is for a week? Who said, does does Burrow have? You know? Mahomes number?

What is up with the brown thing? You guys have to get up early and do what you do, and you have to establish that. I think the Monday night lost on Halloween, there was a lot of things going on in the building. As we know that. There was a great tragedy that happened earlier in the day that the team found out about, the coaches found out about, and you know Adam Zimmer's passing. I'm I'm not saying that's why that game went that way, but this is a new game. This is a different thing, and all

the positive momentum is going in for the Bengals. So to me, the biggest key to the game is get out early and don't let that guy Chubb run all over the defense yet again, because that guy Chub is no joke. And if they get up early, they can win that way. Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb all day long, and to shove it down your throats how they play football.

But I'm not sure with a quarterback who's playing in a second game with the organization and with a team that's kind of, you know, fizzling out after the last few months, not necessarily being in the playoff. Hunt, you don't want the Browns to get up early and then have to play comeback football on them. Peter, I said it, and I meant it. My wife and I love Good morning football. Thank you so much for your time and

keep up the great work. Who Day The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by Cattering 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. Going back to that first Cleveland game on Halloween Night, the Bengals fell behind twenty five nothing and abandoned the running game. They

finished with ten carries for thirty six yards. In their four game winning streaks, since, the Bengals have averaged thirty one carries for one hundred forty one yards. Joe Mixon got it started against Carolina with two hundred eleven combined rushing and receiving yards and a team record five touchdowns. Then, after Joe suffered a concussion against Pittsburgh, Samaj p Rhyne

took over and he's been spectacular. Samaji had three touchdown catches against the Steelers, ninety three yards of total offense against the Titans, and one hundred and fifty five rushing and receiving yards last week against Kansas City. And it hasn't just been the numbers. Samaj has been burying defenders with stiff arms and constantly getting extra yards with his brute strength. Here's p Ryan on his punishing running style. There's just how elect to run the ball. Then you're

not gonna get too much flashy stuff from me. Is just if I can't run around you, I'll run through you and is what it is. I mean, you can you stand up to it if you want to, but it's gonna wear on you. Samaj's production has come as no surprise to Joe Mixon. They were in the same recruiting class at Oklahoma, shared the workload for a couple of seasons, and then we're members of the same draft class. After p Ryan started his NFL career in Washington, they've

been back together for four seasons in Cincinnati. Isn't that the new to me to be And it's like it's new to everybody else, but always knowing he's capable before. I mean, my guy, he stepped in and did what he's supposed to do. He'd been silent every game and U he definitely picked up where I left off. And I'm glad seeing him do his name. I hadn't been his teammate for eight years now. Ain't nothing changed from you know, the day he stepped foot in ou with

both of us, you know what I'm saying. So we came in together and we left together. So and we had the same spot together, which is ironic, but yeah, I mean, it's a it's a great thing to see and like I said, man, this has been a great thing. Mixon cleared concussion protocol this week and should be back in action. So, Zach Taylor, who's your starter? Joe Mixons are starting running back and he's done a great this

last game he played. He in five touchdowns, tremendous effort um and Somebodi's done a really good job filling in. And so to have those two guys that you've got a lot of confidence in whatever the moment calls for, we think that's very valuable to have, especially going into this this late season stretch and hopefully be on that. Joe Mixon is a Pro Bowler last year and was chosen by his peers, is one of the top one

hundred players in the NFL. But p Ryan has certainly played well enough to get a bigger slice of the pie going forward. My broadcast partner Dave Lapham has this suggestion, why not put both them on the field at the same time. Somaj p Ryan blocks his tail off he blocked for Joe Mixon. I mean we do not have both running backs in the field. Why doesn't have to be one or the other, but both. I mean, you have two backs like that, why not to figure out offensively.

I mean, you can run twenty personnel, you know, two backs, no tight ends, three wide receivers. Still have you three wide receiver studs. You can run twenty one personnel, two backs, one tight end, you know, and receivers. I'm not saying every snap, I'm saying mix it in that. Then it's not like, Okay, well man, Somaji has taken snaps from Joe. Joe's taking snaps from Somaj. Put them both out there. Make the Cleveland Browns have to worry about defending the

two backs. Put him in split backs in the backfield, and it's like, wow, you know what, what the hell? Why not? Why not add that to the repertoire. You got two guys that are both guys can run it, both guys can catch it. Somaj p Ryan may be one of the best, if not the best, blitz pickup guy in the NFL. You can have him in there as as a past protector with blitzes, or put him up at the line of scrimmage and let him chip with a tackle like a tight end does. I mean,

there's a million things you can do. It'll give it'll give matchup problems to the defense. Having both those guys in the field at the same time. What the hell why not. I'm not again, I'm not saying the entire game. I'm not saying, you know, fifty percent of the snaps. I'm saying, have it in the arsenal. You can roll it out there and change it up a rewards somaji a little bit. And I think those two buddies, and they are best buds, those two Oklahoma Stooners would thrive

on the field at the same time. It's an interesting idea. We'll see if the Bengals try it. The Bengals Booth by Cast 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 time for this week's

No the Faux segment. The Voice of the Browns, Jim Donovan, joined Lapping Me for a few minutes on the Bengals Game Plan Show this week, and I asked him the following question. With five straight wins over the Bengals and eight in the last nine meetings, do the Browns think they're in the Bengals heads, you know, I don't guys. First of all, it's great to be with you, and it would be great to see you on Sunday's good to be in a game like that. I don't think so.

I think that they just go into this game realizing that they have to play very, very well. And they have played very well in these games. I mean, some up their best performances. The win last year in Cincinnati, the win on Halloween Night here have been against the Bengals. I mean they really have. Unfortunately, they play so well against them that the games after that they can't stack wins after that. But I don't think that they believe

that they're in their head. I just think that they realize that they have to go out and come up with their A game. And for them, they have a couple of times. What's going on with Watson? I mean, one game in seven hundred days, it's hard for anybody to be close to peak form missing all that time.

He looked one of his Big four tays. He's got a tremendous skill set athletically, physically, you know, mentally, and he's accurate in the football, but he wasn't very accurate in that game against the Texans, and it was a two to one run to pass ratio. The way he can contribute with a quarterback run package. Do you anticipate them to feature that running game with Chubb Watson, you know,

the offensive line hunt all that. I do, Dave, but I have to tell you that, you know, he's gonna have to make play throwing the football because then they become so one dimensional. H that they really was a good thing. They were playing a team that was one nine and one going into the game last week in the Texas. He really struggled, and I think it was I think it took people, and I even think people

within the Bronze. I think it took them by surprise realizing, like you said, it's been seven hundred days since he played. But I mean, my gosh, he had no you know, mechanics, the balls, you know, he was bouncing balls in front of receivers. He looked very uncomfortable in the in the pocket, and he looked very indecisive as to whether or not he wanted a run or throw. So it's gonna take a big week of kind of settling down to go into,

you know, the game against the Bengals. This Sunday and really, you know, put to you know, it won't be hard to play better than he did last Sunday. That's how That's how rough it was. But he's gonna have to play better and he's gonna have to really hit some passes to really make their offense click. I mean, their running game is great, but they do need you know, they do need throws to open that up for them or they just become so one dimensional like they did

in the in the second half last week. Right Bronze radio voice Jim Donovan is our guest. I think a lot of us, Jim, were wondering if last week was going to be a zoo with Deshawn's first game bad, especially coming in Houston. What was the atmosphere like, you know, Dan, I have to tell you I expected it too. I expected it from the time we rolled up in the buses to the hotel. I thought that they would be protests, you know, people kind of being there and you know,

voicing their displeasure with him. That didn't happen at all. When we got into the stadium. I mean, when he came out for his first series and when he came out to start the game, there was really loud booing. But as the afternoon played along, the football part of

things took over. And I really think that, you know, the fans, though not great in number because there's you know, they're not having a good season down there, I think they just kind of got involved in the game more than you know, letting him have it and becoming a real problem for him. I mean, he was having his own problems as far as getting into the game, But I don't think it was because of excessive booing or anything like that or any kind of you know, protesting.

It wasn't that visible and really audible wise, it really wasn't that loud. That's that's interesting. You know, you look at at the at the rematch here, Wyatteller didn't play in game one. The Banker's two defensive tackles didn't play in game one, Reader and two Paul. That's going to be interesting to see that war inside between you know, amongst those three guys. Another guy that didn't play is huge in my estimation, Denzel Ward. I mean Ward, he's

got two fumble recovery touchdowns this year. This team has four unconventional non offensive touchdowns seventy six yard punt return of sixteen yard pick six, two fumble recoveries by Denzel Ward. Award Ward went, you know, coast to coast against the Bengals last year with a pick six, I mean Denzel Ward. Jamar Chase, who doesn't really speak about opponents so glowingly, knows Denzel Ward obviously and says he's the best cover corner in football. Do you agree? Yeah? I think you know.

I have to tell you, Dave, when the only thing that has held him back has been whether or not he's going to be able to play. Unfortunately, he runs into injuries each year since he's been picked by the Brons to come out of Ohio State. He has lost time sometimes like three or four games, and that's a big loss for them in the secondary. When he's playing though, there is no doubt about it. It is a very very good secondary and he is a terrific player that

can come up with big plays. Allah the ninety nine yard pick last year down in Cincinnati that really so early in that game, really kind of turned that game. He has the ability to do that. He really does, so when he's on the field, I'm right there with you and Jamar Chase. I guess as saying he is right up there is one of the best cover corners in the NFL. He is tough to really beat. 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, buy Bengals Picks and Ultimate Bengals They're free to play with tickets and signed merchandise up for grabs by pay Corps, 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.