Bengals Booth Podcast: State of the World

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The State of the World.

To day edition, as I discussed the state of the Bengals and the rest of the AFC North with the NFL Network's Adam Rank. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Core, 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

So here's to you.

Lindy's Aflon the FTN Football almanat the phil Steel Guide, etc. As long as you're publishing, I'm buying. Now let's get to this week's guest. Every year around this time, Adam Rak from the NFL Network writes a state of the Franchise story about all thirty two NFL teams for NFL dot com. He wrote about the teams in the AFC North last week, and join me to discuss the Bengals

Not at all, not even close.

You know, the NFC North has got an interesting set of circumstances as well, But I don't think that any team or any division is as complete from top to bottom as the AFC North all four of those teams, and honestly, like if any four of those teams ended up in the Super Bowl wouldn't be a complete shock. I think two of them you'd be like, okay, yeah, that we've seen them make runs towards the championship game. The other two haven't really had playoff success over the

So the Bengals are an a in order to be successful in your opinion, they must win the Super Bowl. Why is the bar set that high?

Why?

I believe that when you look at the quarterback situation and how well he's played when completely healthy, there should be no other expectation for this Bengals team. And obviously getting to the Super Bowl wasn't one of them. But at some point you want to win one of these things.

Like it is the Bengals.

Like the Chiefs go in there and they kind of ruin everybody, you know, they go in there, they make Baltimore's life miserable, Miami not competitive. Jacksonville did okay against them a couple of years ago but eventually got kind of blown out. It's the Bengals, And while I might advise against the doing the burrow head thing, I still liked it, and I liked the moxie, and I think a lot of it.

And it's not really just Burrow.

It's lou An Roumo who makes everything so difficult for them.

So I think that the expectation should be the super Bowl.

Even last year, next to last game of the regular season without the Bengals led.

With with Jacob Browning playing quarterback, and you thought, like, you know what, they're doing it again, like they're doing it and again, like you know, the twelfth, the twelfth, the twelfth Chief comes out at some point too where you're like, oh, I forgot, you got to deal with this still, But yeah, like that was a thing, like

It's kind of like Robert Rory where you're like, oh, like, you know, Robert Orriy averages game bomp.

You know, he averages seven points a game, but yet he makes the big shots over and over again. And that's the most interesting thing about the Bengals is you look at their defense. They're never a top fifteen defense. It's not like the Jets, like, oh, they're the number two overall defense. But when it comes to the playoffs, when you need to devise a scheme to slow down players like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, nobody's better than

So that's the perfect segue to my next question, because one of the categories you have in your articles for every NFL team is most important non quarterback, and I think in recent years where the Bengals are concerned everybody, we'd say offensive line because it's been all about trying to protect Joe Burrow better. But you have picked the defensive line, specifically two defensive tackles. Rookie Chris Jenkins, the second round pick out of Michigan and Sheldon Rankins.

The free agent signing.

Yeah, I mean the offensive line was a I feel like we address that enough, like you talk about that enough, like you talk about Burrow, Zach Moss coming in to play running back and everything like that. But the defensive line to me was another sticking point and trying to get that pressure on the quarterback. And I was really impressed number one with a draft pick. I thought that was the fact that he fell that far. I'm like, Okay, that's a perfect spot for him. The free agent signing

If you can get that.

Solved and get that short up, I think that that helps them moving forward. When you're playing against all these great quarterbacks, what is one of the different Like you look at what really frustrated Tom Brady back in the day, it's like pressure up the middle.

And that's for a lot of quarterbacks now.

Obviously Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have the ability to scramble out of the pocket and everything like that. But you still want to flush them like, you still want to get them off rhythm and really just be a pest for lack of a better term. So I really thought that that was kind of an underrated thing that the Bengals did during the offseason. And again looking through this, you know you can see. I mean, obviously, Jamar Chase is wildly important for this team. Protecting Joe Burrow is

And I felt Network candalyst Adam Rank is our guest. You can read his state of the franchise stories on all thirty two NFL teams at NFL dot com. You highlight a few key players or coaches for every NFL team. For the Bengals, you've picked out new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, running back Zach Moss, and wide receiver Jermaine Burton. Let's specifically talk about Moss. What do you make of the Zach Moss Chase Brown combo taking over for the guy who got almost all of the work, Joe Mixon.

Zach Moss was tremendous last year and I felt like the cert like if he would have been able to give it an opportunity to play a full season. Now, obviously he gets bumped from his gig, which is going to happen life of a backup. He really did show some promise, and I don't think that he needs to come into Cincinnati and be the number one guy and take all the carries like Joe Mixon did because of who they've got there.

And we talked about this.

We talked about this in the fantasy take too with Brown there, and I kind of stole this from you, and I'll let everybody know. I'll pull back the curtain. I didn't like, listen, just sell. Everybody knows when I do this with all the teams. If I when I have contacts with certain teams, I'll be hey, let me

Did a great job.

So I think this running back tandem is going to be good because Zach Moss has the consistency, He can do the kind of stuff that Joe Mixon does, but it's but it's it's Brown who can go out there

Tyler Boyd is gone and will be missed, but they drafted Jermaine Burton. Yeah, this past year. They drafted Charlie Jones and Andre yoc Vash. They have added Mike Caseki as a wide receive as a tight end weapon. How do you think those weapons stack up with the rest of the pack.

I like Burton a lot.

I think that he can come in and really making an impact immediately. I you know, a lot of people look at this through a fantasy lens and you've got t Higgins and Bartase getting the majority of the of the of the targets. But when Tyler Boyd was here, he was the number one slot receiver, Like he had the most targets for a slot receiver since I think it was twenty twenty two or it excually twenty twenty. And obviously he's in Tennessee now, but like that's still

He gets a ten yard reception.

Those are the type of players that you're looking for with it's Bengals offense. And Joe Burrow has done a great job of including a lot of different people into this and I think of like it's funny because the Bengals have had kind of like Rando tight Ends over the last couple of years, but always seem to make big plays. And I think that's what they got, and they've done a really nice job of replenishing that roster.

And I think Burton is also there just.

In case te Higgins eventually moves on, but right now, I think that he can step in and kind of take some of that production that Tyler Boyd had.

Joe Burrow helps tight ends get paid. He did it with c j Uzama, got a big zob from the Jets. He did it with Hayden Hurst, got a big day, a big deal from the Panthers. Mike Kasicki signs a one year deal. He produces in a big way for Cincinnati. Chances are he's going to get a big contract from somebody else.

Yeah, he'll go to Carolina and get millions of dollars. Yeah, something like that. That's a great job with that. Yeah, I was trying to think.

I was trying to think of ben Utech if that if that crossed, but no, it was it was Oma, yeah, pre Burrow And sometimes like listen, as we get older, you're like, did they play together.

Did Dan Ross play with Burton? No?

Okay, but you know what I'm saying, like you kind of like, but like cj Uzama was the guy that was thinking of.

Cj Uzama was a is a player that I really like.

But he is also of that mold of Okay, he's not he's not a superstar per se, like he's not Tony Gonzalez, but still just is so good and so adapted, like oh, they're on the goal line, like, okay, they got mixing covered, they got chased. Oh there's there's Uzama just going out there and catching a touchdown. I think it's mostly frustrating from fantasy to that you have those players and you're like, of course it's cj Uzama. Couldn't be anybody else I have. I have Tyler Boydy that

Excellent deep cut with Dan Ross. By the way, Bengals fans will appreciate that in your State of the Bengals story, you don't specifically name a weakness or a biggest question mark. Do you have one with Cincinnati?

I mean you got to protect the quarterback. I think that's what I think it comes down to the.

Health of Joe Burrow, and it's I don't know if it's fair to question. I I don't like saying players are injury prone because I think it's like it's a violent game, like anybody like nobody's impervious to injuries.

There's nobody that's you know, that escapes it.

You know, it gets everybody at some point. I mean, listen, you look at what happened to Aaron Rodgers last season, and I was riding up the Jets thing today and it's just like that wasn't like the offensive line, that wasn't this or you know, anything like that. It was like it was the turf, you know, and it's a turf monster and everything like that. So truly it does come down to the health of Joe Burrow. Although Browning

I think that he's one of the best.

In the game, and I think we saw that when he came to LSU, just the swagger and everything about him, and you know, coming into Cincinnati, going to AFC championship games in two times in his first three years, Like you can't ignore stuff like that, Like he is a big time player. But the truth is he's got to be healthy. But that's every that's every quarterback, that's every that's everything. And so I do hope that the changes that they've made over the offensive line help out and everything.

I don't know. I don't know.

It offends me in a way, but I think that that's basically what it comes down to. It's Joe Burrow is healthy. This team's going deep into the playoffs. So I don't I don't think there's any question about that.

Joe Burrow has finished two of his four seasons. He went to the Super Bowl and won. He lost the AFC Championship on the last second field goal in the other So that's what a healthy Joe Burrow does.

Yeah, one hundred percent. And that's the thing too. You know, we saw what happened last year with Lamar Jackson. Now he was coming off a season where he didn't get the chance to finish it. The Ravens fell off at the end of the year. Lamar Jackson stays healthy, he's a near unanimous MVP. They go all the way to the AFC Championship Game and then blow it per usual, but still they go to the AFC Championship game. Similar thing with Joe Burrow if he's healthy, Like, that's a

Bengals making the playoffs.

Obviously, it might not be as many wins as people would want because I think the schedule is a little bit tougher. But at the same time, you're like, this is a team that doesn't need to go fourteen and three to get the number one overall seed.

To go out there and make some noise.

And sometimes too, like it didn't really help out the Baltimore Ravens at all. So for me, I think as long as the Bank, I think they're smart about the way that they approach things. Get to the playoffs, and when the playoffs start, nobody wants to see the Cincinnati Banks. Nobody, And there was a big read like they could Kansas City was playing with a lot of desperation last year in that game. Even they knew, like I know that Joe Burrow's not playing, they still didn't want to see

Well with Adam in a moment.

But first, a quick reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, Proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by all toa 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. Adam Rank from the NFL Network is our guest. You can follow him on x at Adam Rank. Let's take a closer look

It's a good program. I mean, let's be honest, Like they.

Do a great job of bringing in talent, replacing guys. They did sign their defensive tackle and jeez, Louise.

But adabk Justin Madabek.

Yes, sorry, listen, fantasy guy. I mostly the other that was a huge signing for me. And the thing that always kills me about the Ravens, and I'm sure that anybody who roots for the Bengals understands this frustration is like.

How do they always get these guys in the draft?

Like remember a couple of years ago, just watching the draft, and you're like, how are the Ravens.

Drafting Kyle Hamilton, Like does how does that end up? Like, how do they end up with him? That does doesn't make sense.

I was at the Rookie premiere and I saw him walking around in a Raven's uniform and like, this just doesn't make sense.

He's a top player. I don't know how he fell to them.

Similarly, they got Nate Wiggins out of Clemson this year and they're like, how, Like.

What do it they draft thirtieth?

How does this team always seem to find a way, And like Nate Wagans will be an All Pro within two seasons just because he plays for the Ravens. It's that kind of annoying franchise. But at the same time, not annoying enough because they're winning Super Bowls or anything like that, but still annoying because they're always good and they're always going to be into the mix. And I think Derrick Henry is a significant, significant addition for them. I mean, this is one that should have happened. Lad

Go out and do anything? Is Zay Flowers gonna do anything?

Or is it going to be their Mark Andrews and Isaiah likely as the two best receivers on that team. So I like the Ravens. I think it's a good organization. I think they do a lot of things well. But I think that you know, as critical as everybody is with the Cincinnati Bengals, why aren't we more critical about the Ravens, Like why why do they always get like

But that Ravens team is pretty good.

Cleveland went eleven and six before getting blown up by the Texans forty five to fourteen in the playoffs. Deshaun Watson is expected to be ready for Week one after his shoulder surgery. Are you buying the Browns as a contender with Deshaun Watson.

Listen, you saw what kind of trouble I got in with David and Joku last year. I'm not I'm not disrespector in the Browns talk about that.

He went after you in December.

He did. Yeah, it was it was my name, my name.

It's both flattering and it was funny because something had happened with my alma mater, cal State Fullerton. They were playing in a big basketball game. I think they're playing UCLA or somebody like that, and they lost. So people are like ooh, you know, like on Twitter already, they're like, oh, rough night for Adam Rank and I'm like, well, I'm like, jeez, that's a deep cut for you people to be thinking that this college basketball game has been rough for me.

Like, oh, David and Joku called me out.

Got it.

So that was fun and we had, you know, I enjoy you know, it's kind of funny. We did.

Think I did the whole spit take on the NFL Fantasy Live, which people.

Are like, was that scripted?

I'm like, obviously, like I'm sitting there with a cough, like when have you ever seen me drinking coffee during the middle of a segment? When have I been on camera that long? They're usually running b roll over us, but it was It was shocking. And then I did get an opportunity to see him at the Super Bowl, so we did.

We did squash the beef.

I didn't realize too that my good friend Akbar Baja Biamila is good friends with David and Joko, and I'm like, you couldn't put in a good word, like never once did you think to call him and be like.

Hey, But it was fun.

We had some fun with the Cleveland Brownspans, and it felt like I had settled everything. I did a couple of cameos, I did podcasts trying to like smooth everything over, and then we came up for the game picks, and I picked the Texans. I think it was the only one at the NFL network who picked thet Texans, and then the Brown Spans they came after maybe MJD. MJD would have been the only one because he's really good

You're like, yeah, dude, you guys are losing. You're not winning this game.

And they did it, and it went about as well as I had expected it for the Texans at least, I think that this team is good. Defensively, they're good. You know, Miles Garrett one of the best in the game. I mean, I'm happy that he won Defensive Player of the Year, but I do sort of get like the TJ. Watt, Like I can see where he feels slighted, where you're like, yeah, he's not kind of a point. But hey, the Browns were a big story and Joe Flacco was fun, and so there was a lot of good things going on.

Deshaun Watson, though.

I will and it's fair to point out the Browns were five and one when he was the starting quarterback, so it's fair to say, like, hey, this is a pretty good organization. It's a pretty good team. But it's hard to live that way, like you're really like, yeah, you're five and one. I will give you the credit for that. They did play very well. His best game of the season was his final one before he got hurt and was out for the rest of the year. So I'm buying the Browns as a very team that

Your gut, David Nijoku will get We'll find a way to listen to this and story until next December. Take another shot at you. Let's get to the Steelers.

By the way, they ever think about that too, Like you just won the division.

Yeah, you know.

I was on a GMFB and they were like we were talking about it, and I said, you know, because it happened to Peter Schrager one time, and he was like, it's kind of jarring. I'm like it is, and then like when you started to examine it, you're like, you just won. Like I get like you want to go after like haters and things like that, but like you should go be happy wait on the next day to call out the haters. But you know, I got called out for it. I was over in Cleveland for a

So that was fun.

It's all in good fun, don't It's not like he personally knows me.

Oh he does now, but he didn't personally know me. He knows me as a character on TV.

It's like, it's like if I didn't like Walter White, Like it's nothing to do with Brian Cranston, but I don't like Walter White thing, so I'm fine with it.

Was the exact quote. Adam ranked that guy stinks.

Guy sucks. Yeah, that guy sucks. That'll be the name of my comedy special. Adam ranked that guy sucks.

With David sitting in the front row.

Yeah. So, the Steelers ten and seven last year lost in the playoffs to Buffalo, their twentieth consecutive non losing season. There's the stat Gosh, they've changed quarterbacks. Thirty five year old Russell Wilson twenty five year old Justin Field. It's going to be one of the two who wins the job and does that make Pittsburgh any better.

Russell Wilson should win that job and he should be the starting quarterback.

It will make them better. Anything other than Kenny Pickett should make them better.

They really fumbled the bag with that one. I really thought that that was a very questionable pick. And I remember Franco Harris how excited he was reading the card, and it was a great moment. It was a great TV moment. Pittsburgh kid going, you know, our guy who played at Pittsburgh going on to play for the Steelers. There was a lot to like there. But at the same time, looking at him as a college prospect, you're like, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know Pittsburgh,

Warner was doing.

He played for the Rams, obviously won a couple of Super bowl or won a Super one one Super Bowl, won a Super Bowl, lost a Super Bowl. Like Russ goes to the Giants and despite the fact that the Giants were five and four, they still benched him for Eli Manning and then you know, he goes to Arizona and has that great third act. Russell Wilson can have that kind of great third act and the pairing with

But but uh, yeah.

That's a good that's still a good team. I mean, all these teams are good. There's no slouches in this division at all.

All right, final thing for Adam Rank from the NFL Network, and I appreciate your time. You refer to Cincinnati as the San Diego of the Midwest. Yeah, you often do. How did you fall in love with Cincinnati?

This is crazy.

So Renee Paquette, she's a she's an announcer for all all of EAT wrestling.

Yeah, he does some podcasting for the Bengals.

Yeah, you know, and.

Her her husband is John Moxley, who's a Cincinnati person. And so I was taking a trip to Cincinnati, and she had just randomly tweeted out like, hey, I keep hearing that Cincinnati is the San Diego of the Midwest, and I'm like, you know what, I'll be the judge of this.

I will let you know.

I'm going there in a couple of weeks. And as somebody who's been to San Diego numerous times. By the way, when I was in college, my girlfriend went to San Diego State, so I'm very familiar with San Diego.

Love love san Diego.

So I go to Cincinnati and you come over and you fly into Kentucky, which is weird to me, like we're flying into another state, like what is happening? But it's beautiful, Like it's so beautiful when you fly in, like what a great spot. And then you see Kentucky and Kentucky looks pretty cool. And then you get into Cincinnati and I was staying right downtown and I had an opportunity to walk up to Ryan Geist and all that stuff and went over to the Sam Adams Place and just kind of like.

Around what is at Finlaye Market. I went there the more the morning I was going to pay for a stadium.

I was at finlay Market and I saw a bunch of people lined up at a at a bakery and I'm like, I don't know what they're selling, but there's a huge line, so it must be good.

Yeah, that's awesome.

So yeah, I was like and I told Renee, I said, you know that I got I get it. I get I see I see exactly what people are talking about. Now, I will say San Diego has better beaches. Uh, this the County of San Diego, San Diego. I don't think the city actually has a beach, but that's nitpicking.

The beaches are from other beaches. You got to give that up.

But I think everything else, like the vibe, the people, The people are great, and the ballpark, the baseball stadium is incredible, and I love the fact that you walk into that area you know that surrounds it. And I remember walking up to some like I'm like, you guys are just like you can drink a you're out in public like an adult, Like oh okay, like this is

And I'm like, is this is spat? Like is this She's like no, this is just the price of it. I'm like, oh my god.

I have a good friend who lives out there, and so I'm like, I get it now. We always used to make fun of him, like Cincinnati, like the magazine is always repend than Natty, And I'm like, oh no, I get it, Like I totally get it now. I see why he's doing it. It's a great place and I thoroughly enjoy it and my Angels. I'm an Angels fan. They played in Cincinnati this year, if I'm not mistaken, and I was remiss that I wasn't able to make

You're welcome back anytime, and I appreciate you coming on this podcast at this time of the year every year.

Thank you so much for your time. Keep up the great work.

Oh, thank you so much. Appreciate it and look forward to doing it again next year.

That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth podcast, brought to you by pay Core, 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

I'm Dan Hord.

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