Bengals Booth Podcast: Still The One

so excited to be in Cincinnati. And then something a little different with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham as we compare our Mount Rushmoores in a wide variety of categories. I'll explain later in the pod. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download Ultimate Bengals ahead of the twenty twenty two season. It's free to play next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get it now

on the App Store and Google Play. And 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 Fenway Park. The Reds opened to two game series at Fenway on Tuesday, and seeing the ballpark on TV reminded me of why it's one of my favorite places on Earth. You never forget your first time at

a place like that, right. My first trip to Fenway was on a high school band trip when I was in ninth grade. Growing up a sports fanatic near Buffalo, New York, I couldn't wait to see the Green Monster in person. Our entire high school band was scheduled to attend a game against the White Sox on a Friday night. Unfortunately,

it got reined out. I was devastated, but I somehow convinced our high school band director, mister Popolardo, to allow me and my buddy Matt Moretti to skip the group activity on Boston's historic Freedom Trail following day and go to Fenway on our own for the makeup double header. I was fourteen years old. Parental supervision was apparently a

little less strict back then. Thus, two ninth graders were allowed to leave their group on an out of town band trip to attend a Major League baseball game in a city they had never been to before. Mister Popolardo probably would have been reprimanded for insufficient chaperoning in this day and age, but we hopped in a cab and headed to Fenway. From what I've read, Roger Clemens and I apparently had the same experience when we saw Fenway

Park for the first time. We both climbed out of a taxi in front of a short brick building that blended into the surrounding neighborhood and said, where's Fenway Park. In my case, the cabby pointed out the light towers as proof that he had taken us to the right location. I've been to Fenway dozen of times since and have the same sense of awe and wonder every time I walk through those gates. I've even had the thrill of

broadcasting games from Fenway Park. The broadcast booth high above home plate is not a great place to see the action. Imagine trying to describe a baseball game from the Space shuttle, but it's still magical. You have a magnificent view of the Green Monster, the sitgo signed, the Pesky Pole, the skyline of Boston, and that perfectly manicured grass field. So

here's a Dan Horde hot take. Fenway Park is easily the best ballpark in Major League Baseball, And for those of you who say, what about Wrigley Field, I've been to both and it's not even close. Now let's get to football. It's been nearly a month since Kevin Huber signed a one year contract extension as he looks to

extend his career to a fourteenth season. Ken Anderson, Ken Riley, and Reggie Williams are the only players to spend at least fourteen years in Cincinnati, and in the final game of last season, Hubert tied Riley for most regular season games played in a Bengals uniform with two hundred seven. Before I get to my conversation with Kevin, here's a quick warning that there's about a two minute stretch where I get some interference on my microphone. It's not terrible.

You can still hear and understand, Kevin, but I just wanted to let you know in advance that the noise goes away after a couple of questions. Now, let's hear from the Cincinnati native who holds the top spot in every Bengals career punting category. So I'm watching a replay of the Super Bowl the other day and I see the opening coin toss, and you're one of the four captains out there. I think technically you're the guy that

deferred after the Rams lost the toss. But what was that moment like to be one of those four guys standing out there as a Super Bowl is about to kick off? And it was pretty special. And you know, at first you kind of, yeah, you figure out who

who's going out there to do the coin tochs. It's like a normal game, and it's like you you start you know, looking around and um, taking a moment and realizing like what you're actually going out there for, and um, it was just a lot of fun to just to be out there with the guys and just you know, after you know, being here for so long, just to be a part of that was pretty special. You seem to take tremendous pride in the fact that you're a Cincinnati guy and you were on a Cincinnati team that

made it. At least that's the way it felt going up to the Super Bowl. Was that the case, Oh, it definitely was. Um, you know, there's definitely a different, uh, different perspective. I feel like that I was able to have compared to a lot of other guys in my team just from being here my entire life, you know, seeing the ups and downs over the years. When I was growing up them to be a part of it.

To have my entire family here, all my friends here. Um, it was definitely I think, uh, I definitely took a lot of pride in that, and um it's something I'll definitely never forget and uh hopefully I'll get another chance to that. Perforehim done. Who is there? What friends and family members made the trip? Uh? Shoot, my entire immediate family, um, all my siblings, uh, most of the kids, most of my my nieces and nephews. Um, my wife was out there.

I had several several buddies that came out that made the trip out. Um. Some flew in and out the same day. UM say every just much whatever they could to get out there. Um. So I think all told, probably you know, probably twenty thirty people, but I at least that I knew, and several others that just came out just you know, because there's quite a few people

out there. How long did it hurt? I mean, I don't think that we were stopped pritting because you know, you feel how close you were, Um, and uh, you know, it's just something that I think, I think for the team gives a tremendous a managements the next season because we have somebody guys that are young and they but they're hungry and they want that again. They want that

feeling again. So I think, yeah, it's I think it's always gonna hurt and always gonna be like, you know what if, But I think it's gonna be a huge catalyst for us to, you know, get back through this year. So there was a team party after the Super Bowl

at Pauli Pavilion. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been had the outcome been different, but it was still very nice a celebration of the season, and at one point you and several of your teammates are up on the stage with Kid Cutty and it occurred to me watching from the audience that you're young. I mean, in football terms, you're referred to as like, oh, he's thirty six, he's gonna be thirty seven. In real life, you're a young man. Does this game and being around

these guys keep you feeling young? Absolutely. I think me and Clark joked about it last year when when we drafted Evan, and it's me and Clark at thirty six, thirty seven and Evan at like twenty one. Just getting his you know, be able to go by by alcohol for the first time. So yeah, definitely the youth the team and the youth of Evan, And it definitely keeps you young. It keeps you, um, slightly immature, I would say, but uh, in a good way. Um. You know, so

I think it definitely keeps you going. And you know, you've got guys that that aren't looking at the end of their career, they're looking at the beginning and wanting to grow, and you're you're right there with them, just helping them along the way. And it's it's definitely a fun, fun part of it. We're chatting with Kevin Huber so Evan McPherson had these dramatic game winning kicks in the postseason, fifty two yards at Tennessee, end of the game at

Kansas City, and obviously you're the guy holding. How nerve racking? Is it for the holder in those situations? Um, I'd say for a young holder, it's probably more so. But I you know, I've done it long enough, and you know, we've had some game winners along the way of my career. But it's with being with Clark so long, it's it's

definitely like you know, tiers, shoes. It's it's just something that you don't really think about, which in those moments I think is a huge benefit because you're not really thinking about the moment. You're just thinking about get the ball down so Devin can do his work. So it's you kind of and well you can almost like shut everything off and you just kind of just just things just happened. So it's, um, you know, it's it's not

too nerve wracking. UM, I would say, um when it comes that just because of the experience and um, the amount of reps, I mean, park about together. The day that you resigned, I had a speaking engagement with some Bengals fans and I said, well, good news, Kevin Huber has resigned as the Bengals holder. Now that they've improved the offensive line, they're not going to be punting this year anyway, which got a good laugh. But is holding fifty percent of the job forty percent of the job,

how do you think of it? Um, you know, comparatively, you know, I've had you coaches, I had you know, Coach Lewis and and and coach Taylor. Um, I think under coach Lewis when we were a huge defensive amount

of team. I think hunting um was probably more important because we did a lot of a lot of We harped a lot on you know, winning the field position battle um, you know, winning games division game, you know nine to six where it's a couple of field goals where there's not a lot of scoring, but it's just you just keep pinning them back and enforcement of bad situations. But now with with coach Taylor and you know, it's offense and let's see how many points you can score.

And then add and Evan whose range is something that we've never had before. You know, we've just got to get across midfield. So I think the holding aspects is definitely probably tipped more on the sixty percent side. And then the punning part is just get good hits and get yourself in the best best situation for that particular punt and just kind of just don't screw up. So I think holding has definitely the biggest u part of

my job right now. So you resigned right after the draft, kind I think many of us assume, well, the Bengals are waiting to see what happens in the draft, and it's it turned out you were the one that was waiting. Correct, there was an offer on the table, but you wanted to see what transpired. Yeah. We had communications back and forth, you know, leading after the draft five for like a

month or so. UM. But I you know, knowing, uh, you know, just talk to my agent, knowing that there were uh was more of a punt heavy UM incoming class. UM been normal. UM. And you know I'm not dumb. I'm not being the punter for the next sixty years. It's it's gonna happen where at some point I'm not the punter. UM. And knowing that there was you know, more punters and you know, the opportunity for them the

good one. UM. You know, I wanted to see. I wanted to sit back and see what uh what transpired and draft and um just because if they drafted when I totally get it, it's you know, it's um, it's just part of the job that we live in. And UM, yeah, I wanted to see what we're going on. UM. And UM I feel like if if they drapped someone, because when I got drafted, they cut the other guys in

the team. So UM, I didn't want to put myself in a situation where I would be almost trapped if they drafted someone that they were going to make them part. So Drew Chrisman is here. He was on the practice squad off and on for much of last year, so

they must have seen something in him they liked. Is this training camp battle and he different from anyone that you've been through in the past, considering that you will be thirty seven when the season begins, well, considering that, I don't think I've really ever had a quote unquote training camp battle. We've had some guys in, but they're more combo guys that were more or less taking some reps off the kickers and helping out with kickoffs and stuff like that. So yeah, I think this is gonna

be definitely different. And you know, I got my work cut out from me. I'm definitely getting older quote unquote in terms of football years. But you know, Drew does a good job. He's got he's got a big leg and it's a really nice ball. But I know that if I just do what I can do and you know, just stick to you know, not try to you know, out kick him, just do my job and be consistent and put the ball needs to be put, and then

you know the holding part. I feel, you know, very confident and so as long as I do what I'm gonna do, I should be fine. This is audio, not video. But when you said I'm getting older, you did air quotes when you said the word older. Yeah, yeah, I mean because I don't. I feel like I'm very old. But I know it's viewed in the football world. Is thirty six is like, oh my gosh, he's he's done,

He's old. He's But I don't feel like that. I feel like I'm you know, I feel like I'm sitting at Mobile just well now as I did five six years ago. So I don't think the age is an issue for me as far as losing leg strength. So yeah, age is just a age, is just a number. You're tied with Ken Riley for career games played in a Bengals uniform. That's a regular season record. Is being alone on the top of that mountain a big deal to you? Definitely? I think that'd be a pretty awesome, you know, a

record to hold. And at the same time, I can't let Clark have that instead of me. So I need to make sure I make the team and get that record and keep Clark off the list. Really appreciate your time. Best of luck this season. Thanks so much. I appreciate all Right, here's a trivia question for you the next time you're hanging out with a Bengals fan. Who is the last person to punt for the Bengals other than

Kevin Huber. The answer Romanian born Zoltan Mesco, who punted in the playoff laws to the Chargers in January of twenty fourteen, when Huber was out with a broken jaw. We turn from the longest tenured Bengal and Kevin Huber to a newcomer, tight end Hayden Hurst, who spent two years in Baltimore and two years in Atlanta before signing a one year free agent deal with the Bengals to replace c j Uzama. He spoke with reporters in front

of his locker on Tuesday. Yeah, it's just awesome being around, you know, an organization like this that was in the Super Bowl last year, because they've set a standard, you know, and it's fun coming in as the new guy. I get to kind of reinvent myself and live up to that standards. So it's been fun. Who has helped you the most with feeling like you're a Bengal, like you've earned your stripes. Really, everybody on the offense is pretty helpful.

You know. James is an awesome tight end coach. It's nice having a guy like that in our room, just level headed and helps me, you know, maintain focus and stuff like that, and just learning the playbook and things. Joe has been awesome, Brandon has been awesome to helped me learn stuff, to Drew Mitch. So everybody's really you know, welcome me with open arms. It's been nice. Let this phase help you and Joe develop a rapport and knowing

each other. Oh, it's incredible. It's incredibly helpful. Just like today we're going over stuff just how he wants things to run. And I went up and told him, I said, hey, I'm all ears. You know, whatever you need me to do, that's what I'm here to do. He's the real deal, you know, he captains the ship and you know, like like I said, whatever coverage he sees, you know, he's

checking into certain things. So as a professional, it just helps me be on my p's and q's because I know, I got to know the ins and outs of that playbook. The more that I know and the more that I can do, the more I'll just be, you know, available and be able to be on the field. You know, I just this is my fifth year and my fifth offense that I've had to learn, So it's it's fun, but you know, it's nothing new to me. Just got

to go in and study and learn stuff. When you signed, it seemed like the opportunity slash need at the position really excited you. Now that you're here and you see the guys, has that been reinforced even more. Oh, it's a great group. You know I've been in I've been lucky and blessed to be in some pretty good groups in the NFL. These guys are awesome. Like I said, it's kind of all hands on deck right now helping me learn this stuff. I'm excited to get in there

and play with those guys. There's a lot of good athletes in our room, a lot of smart guys. So it's a good group to be around. Five offenses in five years. Well, what's the hardest part about that? Just getting the rapport with a quarterback. And I think that's what I told Joe today. I said, Hey, man, you know, I know I do some things well but I don't have this all figured out. So whatever you need, whatever, whatever you want, you know, that's that's what I'm here

to do. That's why they signed me. Um, whatever I can do to help this team, help Joe, That's what I'm here to do this year. Watching you practice, it seems like you really get up the field quickly. It's noticeable for a guy your size. Has anybody pointed that out or saying, WHOA? I think this staff finally understands what I'm capable of. It's taken five years, unfortunately, but everything happens for a reason. I think God put me

here in Cincinnati for a reason. Like I said, you know, I'm just gonna do my job, buckled down, learn this playbook, and just work my ass off. That's all I can do. Maybe you did a lot of research about, you know what, where you wanted to sign and why, how was it matched up with your experience now that you're in it, I made the right choice. Just I mean, I think we all know what Nine's capable of. I mean, he's

incredible and he's a professional. And like I said, it was good for me being in Atlanta because Matt was that way, you know, he's a professional. You knew what he was going to have every single day, So it really raised the standard of what you had to do, your knowledge of the game, your knowledge of the playbook. I love it, you know because, like I said, there's an expectation and you know, I have to live up

to it. So it's fun. Is that professionalism between the two of those guys, who really stands out is the big similarity one hundred percent. Some guys aren't like that. Some guys are. You know, he's he's about he's about his business. You know, he's not really when he's in the building, he's not screwing around. You know, he knows what he has to do and he expects you to

know what you need to do too. So just watching him on the field from afar, you know, not even being in the same huddle, you know what he's about. And when you're in the same huddle and you hear him and it's confidence and what he expects. It's just it reinforces that. It's pretty awesome. Do you think people around the league have any idea what you're capable of? No,

And I can't wait. It's gonna be very fun. It's like I said, I'm you know, I'm not throwing jabs anywhere, but for whatever reason, it kind of hasn't clicked yet in an offense with me and an offensive coordinator. And you just have to have somebody fall in love with you, and it hasn't happened for me yet. And like I said, I think I've kind of found home. You get to play both of your former teams. Yeah, smile has already come to your face looking forward to that. I'm already

a self motivated guy. There's not really you know, outside stuff that drives me a whole lot. But there's any more fuel to my fire that I needed, I definitely have it. I was a minor league baseball announcer for several years, so we have minor league baseball in common. How did that experience, and I know it was tough for you, How did that shape you and help you reach the point you preach? It's made me a hell of a resilient athlete because in high school I just

showed up and I was better than everybody. You know. I was like, I don't have to work hard, I don't have to do this. And then I get into pro baseball and I get my ass kicked a little bit, and I was able to kind of, you know, go back to who I am and work myself out of it and get to the NFL. But it's just I'm pretty resilient, you know. You know when I get kicked, you know, I scratch and clawback. There's not a whole

lot of people that can keep me down. I'm gonna try to scratch and claw my way to the top. And you know, luckily I was given this opportunity, and I'm sure it's all going to scratch and claw. If you're not familiar with Hayden hurst pro baseball career, he was a highly touted pitching prospect in the Pirates organization with a ninety five mile an hour fastball when he came down with a yips much like former Big leaguer Steve Blasts and rick An Keel, where he completely lost

the ability to throw strikes. It was even hard for him to play catch, so he quit baseball, walked on to the football team at South Carolina, and eventually became a first round draft pick by the Ravens. Here's an invitation to grab your yoga matt and join WHO Day On Saturday, June twenty fifth at nine am for Namas Day Yoga on the field at Paul Brown Stadium. Register now at Bengals dot com Slash Yoga. It's presented by

Cottonell in partnership with Kroger and Title Babe Period Supply Bank. Finally, time for something a little different with Dave Lapham. You're probably familiar with the concept of sports mount rushmoors basically the top four in any given category. For example, the mount Rushmoor's of NFL quarterbacks might be Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, and Johnny Unitis. Well, this week, Lap and

I decided to go mountain climbing. All right, Lap, we are going to cover a wide variety of Bengals related Mount rushmoors. These are the top four things in any given category. Let's start with a really obvious one, basically the Mount Rushmore of Bengals. These are the four most impactful individuals in franchise history. Who is on your Mount Rushmore of Bengals. I think the Fans did a good job with the Ring of Honor, you know, I mean, I think all four of those people that were selected

for the Ring of Honor huge impacts. Obviously, Paul Brown, not just on the Cincinnati Bengals founded the franchise, but in National Football League in general. When you think about inventing the face mask team meetings during the course of the week, going and staying at a hotel even for home games, you know, to stay together as a group and meet as a group before the game. I mean, he had so many innovations way back that to this day are part of the normal you know, day to day,

week to week occurrences in the National Football League. And a guy like Bill Belichick always talks about this is the way Paul Brown did it, and it's still happening in the year, you know, in a decade of twenty twenty. I mean, that's crazy when you think about it. So I'd have to say he be one of the most impactful people in the National Football League in general, in the history of the league. So he's, uh, he's obviously,

you know, a huge factor there. Um Ken Amerson called the most important player in franchise history by Mike Brown agreed, you know, and and that that speaks volumes so huge

impact on the on the organization. For a guy to come out of tiny Augustana in the third round, I think he's like sixty fourth pick of the draft or whatever it was to play like he played for as long as he played, UM and and the way he played, and the type of person you know that that he was for all those years as a leader and on and off the football field for the organization. Huge impact on what happened with the Cincinnati Bengals. Um. You know,

Boomris Hiasin has made a massive impact. Not not yet in the Ring of Honor, but a strong candidate to be there very very quickly. But his impact was incredible. I think from a just one guy rallying other guys standpoint, he's as good as I've ever seen. Everybody just gravitated to that guy. He just had the IT factor CAPITALI, capital T. You know, he was dripping in it whatever. It is, hard to define describe it, but he had it. There's there's no question. You know, so very very very

impactful guy there. And you know, obviously you can go through all the Super Bowl quarterbacks Joel Burrow. Look at the impact he's having on this franchise right now. Man, I mean at Super Bowl fifty six, it's only the beginning. He's just he's in the infancy stages, and his impact was felt on just about every level of the organization

anyway that it can be felt. He's he's a football savant and he has the factor as well, that that very intangible thing that it's hard too hard to put your arms around, hard to define, how to how to grasp. But you know when guys have it and when they don't, and when you have it, you don't want to lose it. Whatever it is you got. Munio's out there right absolutely, I mean, Anthony Munos is uh, you know, the impact that he had on the organization is just, you know,

absolutely mind boggling. He and Max Montoya, the Mexican connection with the common thread between the Super Bowls really Um, there were other players that played in both Super Bowls, but up front, those guys set the standards, set the tempo, set everything. Um and huge impact and obviously Anthony Munos maybe the best human being I've ever known, so in terms of on the field off the field, he is, uh,

He's the epitome of greatness. UM. Goat is an understatement I think for what Anthony Muneos brought to the franchise, brought to the city. Um, it's it's just you know, pretty very impressive, to say the least. And and Kenny Riley, who was another guy played sixteen years in the National Football League at the level that he played at um and his he may have been as quiet and as um uh non, Hey look at me, look at me,

leader I've ever seen in my life. This guy man just led by how he lived his life, led by example, led by what he was doing. He wasn't a real vocal guy. He was one of those guys that showed you, you know, here's here's how it's supposed to be done, here's how you go about it, here's what you do, here's what you stay away from, here's what you don't do. He was He was unbelievable, not just for defensive backs

but for everybody. Just look at Kenny Riley and get a great example of how to prepare in the classroom, how to practice, how to take care of yourself, all the things you need to do to be a pro, on top of being a phenomenal human being himself. All right, you can only have four heads. So the Lapham Bengals mount Rushmore as of now, because you know, Joe Burrow obviously could change things very soon. But Brown, Munio's Anderson, and Boomer is that if you've got to pick the fourth,

it's Boomer. I'd probably yeah, I'd probably do that. The two quarterbacks, you know, just by the nature of the position and what they when they when it works out, when it's successful, what they've done to make it that way. It's almost like when you have a special quarterback, you're gonna have specials, no doubt. All Right, the Dan Horde, Bengals, Mount Rushmore, I think the first three or no brainers. I think Paul Brown, Anthony Munio's, Ken Anderson are those

heads are definitely carved in that granite. My fourth, I'd give strong consideration to you, honestly, playing career and broadcasting career, you're probably my fifth head right now. But my fourth, believe it or not, is Chad Johnson for kind of cultural impact. I mean, obviously a great career ten years with the Bengals, six time Pro Bowl are still the all time leader in franchise history in catches and yards.

But he made Cincinnattie cool. He was charismatic. You know, it's interesting now, how often when we ask these newcomers, what did you know about the Bengals as a kid or whatever. What are your memories of the Bengals growing up? They always say, Oh, I love Chad Johnson. Chad Johnson was my guy. So for now Chad gets my fourth

head and my Bengals. Mount Rushmore knowing that Joe Burrow, if he keeps this up, could and probably hopefully will be eventually the fourth had But at the moment, I've got Chad Johnson, slash Ojo Sinko's handsome face up by Matt mount Rushmore can't argue. I mean, that's that's obviously a huge, huge image in persona in Bengals history, There's

no question about it. I guess I'm old school in that. Um. You know, Paul was part of championships in Cleveland, championships in Cincinnati, and Kenny Anderson Boomer, they were part of championships, not winning the Super Bowl, but AFC championships and Anthony as well, So that that that was a that's a factor in uh in my decision making there, and Chad wasn't not due to Chad's performance, but just didn't work out for him during his career for the football team,

and a lot of people thought that it could have and should have and they had they had the goods to get it done, but it just didn't didn't work out. Very very worthy Mount Rushmore pick. All right, we move on to another category, our Mount Rushmore of Bengals play. These are individual plays en franchise history that we are carving into that granite. What are your Mount Rushmore Bengals

plays I'll never forget as a rookie. In October sixth of nineteen seventy four, my rookie year, Lamar Parish jaw dropping. We're playing the Washington Redskins at Riverfront Stadium. We end up beating him twenty eight to seventeen, and Lamar Parish scored two touchdowns, one on special teams, a ninety yard punt return which that dazzled me and everybody in the stadium, and then forced fumble. He picks it up and returns of forty seven yards. Another couple moves for another touchdown.

So he scores two non conventional scores by the same individual and the other two phases of football besides offense, defense and special teams. I'm like, oh my god, this dude is unbelievable. And that left a huge impression on me watching Lamar Parish early in my rookie year. Just I mean I was dumbfounded by the guy's physical presence and his ability, um you know. Another one was Kenny Riley had a pick six against the Cleveland Browns that

won the game late. We're you know, t tie football game. Late in the game nineteen eighty three, my last year with the Bengals. I guess that's why has an impression on me as well as my final year with the Bengals and Rattler, who, like I said, I idolized Kenny Riley. I mean he was. He was like if there was pillars of the franchise and people that you know, you want to try to emulate how they lived their life

and played the game of football. Kenny Riley was one of the ones that I had definitely as a as a foundational building block. And he had that interception off Brian Side took it to the house beat the hated Cleveland Browns. I mean I remember I remember that play extremely vividly. Another one that comes to mind Corey Dillon a forty one yard touchdown to break Walter Payton's two in seventy five yards a single rushing record, got Corey

two seventy eight. It happened on that forty one yard touchdown against the Denver Broncos, and the Bengals were I don't think they'd won a game up until that matchup against Denver. They're like, oh, in six or something like that, I think. And I remember being down on the field before the game and John Tilink, their defensive line coach, was out there and Corey came running by, and really you could feel the earth move. Corey Dillon was one of those guys where you could just you could just

feel it. You could just feel it happening. And so John Tilling's like his players are just a little bit away from him warming up, and he was talking to a couple of other coaches and Corey runs by, and I was standing a little bit away from everybody watching. He's like, looks at Corey, looks at the beginning, goes, hight, boys, let's go. We gotta get ready to play. He's like he could he could not believe the force, the power

that he felt when Corey Dylan came thundering by him. Uh, down on the down on the football field, and I remember feeling that exact same thing. And I remember talking to dick Lebaul about that, and he said, Jimmy Brown, our Syracuse guy. He said that you could feel the

earth move when when Jimmy Brown ran the football. So I guess those are the four players that kind of stick to my mind, umu, and two of them are Lamar Parish in the same game obviously, but that that that game was like at that point I realized these guys are good. I mean, this is another level to watch. To watch that and uh, they remember the two old quarterbacks, scraggy quarterbacks, Billy Kilmers Sonny Jourgensen. You know, it's like and I'm a snot nos twenty two year old, twenty

three year old kid just taking it all in. I mean, I can remember everything about that that game because of the excellence Lamar. All right, So this is good because my mount rushmore of Bengal's plays four different plays, two for like impact and two for just how spectacular the individual plays were. So the individual spectacular ones Number one Jerome Simpson flying somersaults in two eleven as you nailed it, you know, at the moment on the broadcast, the Russian

judge gives him a ten for the forward somersault. So that was awesome. Second one, Giovanni Bernard's Halloween touchdown Thursday night run against Miami. It was thirty five yards technically, but on Sports Center later that night they measured it one hundred one point nine yards because he went sidelined to sideline, he went backward, he went forward. It was a thirty five yard run that lasted sixteen seconds. Typically a thirty five yard run lasts about seven seconds. Just

an incredible individual play by Giovanni Bernard. Then for impact Stanford Jennings kickoff return touchdown and Super Bowl twenty three. It gave the Bengals a Super Bowl lead for the first time ever, ninety three yards, one of the great kick returns in pro football history. And then my final one, very recent Germaine Pratt's clinching interception against the Raiders in the playoffs last year, thirty one years of playoff frustration

over biggest crowd in Paul Brown Stadium history. That feeling of you know, Catharsis was awesome. So that that right now is at the top of my list for Bengals Mount Rushmore plays. Yeah, I mean that all all huge plays.

Um It's funny though, I mean all of those plays impactful through the broadcast part of it, you know, experience, But I'll tell you there's something about being involved, you know, on the field in the game when a guy does something that's like what it just man, it just puts a sledgehammer in print on your mind, you know, it really does. All. Fortunately, over the fifty plus years, the Bengals have had a lot of a lot of big plays as you would expect offense, defense, and special teams,

no doubt. All right, next category our mount Rushmore of most painful Bengals moments. Unfortunately, there have been a few. But what is your mount rushmore in that category? Okay, well, I'll have to go to the two Super Bowls. Well, actually you can go. I'm gonna go to all three Super Bowls, I guess for three of them. Super Bowl sixteen, the goal line stand, I mean, just good. God makes

me vomit every time I think about it. And it wasn't just because of the excellence of the forty nine Ers defense and they which they were very stout and very good, but God dang it, we made it so easy on them by making mistakes, you know, on three out of the four snaps. And when you do that in that big a game, that big of a moment, you can't put yourself on your schedule. I mean, they're good enough to to whip you, and they whipped us because they were good enough to do it, and we

helped him. So that ineptitude of not being able to score at the start, you know, cut cut into a twenty point episode at halftime by a touchdown that would have made it twenty to fourteen with oodles of time to go in the game would have been a different football game. But we didn't get it done. So that was still to this day extremely painful, There's no doubt

about it. Super Bowl twenty three man Tim Crumry shattering his leg, I mean, Stanley Wilson lapsing into, you know, a problem with his addiction issues, Lewis Billips dropping a sure interception pick, any of those all painful moments, you know. I mean, David Grant played played very good or very fine football game, played very well, I should say, um. But Tim Crombry was the glue, you know, he was.

He was such a such an integral part of the the being of that football team, not just defense, but just the being of the Cincinnati Bengals in that Super Bowl season. To have him go down as early as he did, it was almost like the indestructible Ultimate Warrior went down. Oh my god, that's impossible. And they overcame it pretty well. Um, but that was a very painful moment. And then the painful moment of Super Bowl twenty three,

Joe barrogetting spun around. And there's an operty six Super Bowl fifty six, the most recent one, Um, Joe Barrow getting spun around by Aaron Donald and there were opportunities there to extend to play and maybe win the game. Um, and it's you know that that was very painful. It was one of six sacks that were allowed in the second half of that football game. Extremely painful. So I guess, I guess those would be painful moments for me in

Bengal's history that occurred in super big uber games. For sure, you got a fourth. You got those three Super Bowls, a fourth a fourth painful moment, of course, you had several from Super Bowl twenty times. There's there's a laundry list. Yeah, there's a laundry list of them. I'll hate you with mine. And then maybe you agree with one of these or a jogs your you know thought process for another one. So I had the goal line stand that was number one on my list I had from Super Bowl twenty three.

I wrote down Montana to Taylor because that was the final nail in the coffin. That was John Taylor's only catch of that Super Bowl. The game weather with thirty four seconds to go. And again, you know, it was a mistake in the secondary. And that's how a lot of big plays happened, you know, due to the other team making a mistake and credit the team that wins by capitalizing on no question, I wrote down the Jeremy Hill umble in the infamous fifteen playoff meltdown at Paul

Brown Stadium. AJ mcgarreon hits Aj Green for the touchdown pass with one fifty to go. On the next play from scrimmage, Perfect intercepts Landry Jones with one thirty six to go. The Bengals have a one point lead with the ball at the Pittsburgh twenty six and on the very next play from scrimmage, Jeremy Hill gets stripped by Ryan Shazier. Ross Cockrell recovers. We know what happened after that.

So those are three and then my fourth painful Mount Rushmore Bengals moment Greg Cook's injury third game of his rookie year, fifth pick in the draft, the Bengals are off to a three and oz start. He tears his rotator cuff, misses three games, the Bengals lose them all. He does come back, wins offensive Rookie of the Year, has a great year, and never significantly plays again because at that point a rotator cuff injury wasn't easily repaired exactly.

And Buck Buchanan, you know'll fill on his arm as it was extended and ripped his shoulder up and to the this day, I remember talking to Paul Brown, God rest his soul, about the excellence of Greg Cook, and he just couldn't say enough. Superlatos and Mike Brown the same way I mean Greg Cook was. I did uh play in a couple of charity basketball games scenarios with an unbelievable athlete, I mean, just really gifted, really good

basketball player. But I can imagine what he was like out in the football field as a as a quarterback, and all of his teammates and coaches that were what we're part of that time. You know that lightning bolt of time with Greg Cook, say man just cursed if he'd been able to avoid injury and sustain it. Who knows? Who know? All Right, our mount rushmore of Bengals good guys. Fortunately, this is another category where we could pick dozens really, but we've got to have four heads on the mountain

of Bengals good guys. Yeah, I mean there's there's so many obviously, you know in my mind Anthony, when you knows goes, yeah, he goes, he goes to the leadership. He's he's carrying the banner as uh as you look at look at the good guys on on the football team. You know, guys that that stood up, uh you know, to to the mass media in in difficult times as well as the good times and and handled both with ease and both with uh with applauma as such. Boomerisias

and Chris Collinsworth, you know. Uh, those those kind of guys come to mind. The Swat team Fulture, uh Sally Et. Those guys were really good guys you know as well, and had an influence on their uh you know, on their football teams in a in a very positive way. Like you said, I mean, you can you can name so so many. Giovanni Bernard, who you talked about, Um with that run against the Miami Dolphins, zig zagging all

over the football field. Just just an unbelievable human being. Um. The list, the list is so long, you feel like I don't know if I you know, I don't want to leave anybody out because there are there are a ton of guys that I mean. You look at guys like Bruce Kazerski, you know, a great guy in a in a stand up guy. I've been very fortunate to be around a lot of offensive lineman as a as a player, a teammate, and as from a broadcast position.

That's my go to group. You know, when it's when when that's uh dicey on, when it's a tough sledding as touch, I go to get some lubricant to make that a little bit easier from the offensive line. And they're always they're always they'll always stand up to it and handle it in the right way. So there's Kenny Emerson, you know, my roommate for so many years, just a just a great guy, just a you know, assault of the earth type guy. UM, great father, great family man,

you know, just a just a phenomenal human being. The list goes on and on, and that we're very fortunate, I think to be blessed that way. I think that's part of when the Bengals have had good teams. That has been part of the reason why the chemistry factor and chemistry is easy to established, easily established when you have good guy Joe Burrows, a great guy, really good guy Jamar Chase, great guy, um you know, Sam Hubbard. There's leaders. There's great guys and leaders on every phase

of this current Cincinnati Bengal football team. And that's where chemistry comes from. That's where culture comes from. It starts with guys that are all in, you know, and all about each other. It's it's it's we us, It's not I me, and you have to have That's what it's all about. All right. Here are the four guys on my Bengals. Good guy Mount Rushmore, Anthony Munyo's finest human being I've ever met, the most impressive person in any walk of life I've ever met. So he's an obvious guy.

Bloomer Asiasin not only a great player, but really for his big heart. Think of what he's done with his foundation for cystic fibrosis. They've raised more than one hundred and fifteen million dollars to extend lives. Just incredible. I'm putting Andy Dalton on the list for Andy and JJ Foundation. Think of all they've done for six children and their families, those hubs and hospitals, the date nights, the Christmas gifts, all of that stuff. And then I'm putting Andrew Whitworth

on the list. The NFL Man of the Year last year. Just phenomenal the years he was in Cincinnati. On a personal note, my wife took me out for my birthday one year. We're at a fancy restaurant in Cincinnati. It's like a Tuesday night or something like that. While we're in the restaurant, it happened to be there, came by with his wife, said hello, exchange pleasantries. Didn't think much of it. At the end of the night when we went to pay, he had picked up the tables. Yeah,

and this was an expensive meal. So that was very kind of him. You know, I'm not putting him on the Mount Rushmore for that reason, but what a good man he is. Yeah, he is. I mean and Anthony Muniels and Andrew were Worth have a very very close relationship and type bond. Cut from the same cloth. You know, it's it's um and it's it's about as uh as good a piece of cloth as you can find. You know, there's there's no imperfections in that cloth, and they're both

cut from it. Um major major impacts on their organizations. In what's case, two organizations and Anthony's he was briefly in Tampa Bay, but obviously the biggest part of his Hall of Fame career was with the Cincinnati Bengals and

ironic two left tackles. You know, so they Bengals had a nice run for a lot of years by somebody that mean that left hackle position, the blind side of the right hand quarterback, that not only was made of the right stuff physically, but mentally and spiritually and everything to be able to play at a high level for a very long time. We moved to our Mount Rushmore of Bengals nicknames. Top four Bengals nicknames en franchise history. Okay, well I'm gonna go. My number one UM is Ben

Jarvis green ellis the law firm. I mean when they when named Ben Jarvis green Ellis Law Firm, it was like it was so perfect. I'm like that that's classic. That really is. I mean, that's just that's just a classic plastic nickname law firm. Um. I like positional nicknames more so than individual nicknames. The Web Wilson Whitley, Eddie Edwards, Ross Browner, Gary Burley, names w EBB, the web super Bowl sixteen that it has, you know, the double meanings

and all that. Uh, those guys did a great job up front, and they formed a web that people had to deal with and and uh couldn't couldn't quite solve. I like, uh, I like Swat Team as well. You know, I liked I like that nickname for that that group of guys, uh, for obvious reasons, and it caught on. I mean they literally were posterized and uh and to this day, Uh, every every Bengal fan you know knows knows all about the Swat Team. Um. So, I guess I guess those would be those would be the four.

I guess I've used up my four there? Or is that only three? That's three? That's three? Yeah? Um another nickname, Um, I guess. I mean there's there's there's plenty of uh like Ikey Woods. I mean that's that's that's kind of a classic classic nickname. The Mexican Connection is another nickname from more than one guy Monels in Montoya, but you know Elbert Woods, I guess I'd probably go by Yaki as well. I think that's that's one of the classic nicknames,

probably in in franchise history. All right, My Mount Rushmore Bengals nicknames. The Rattler. I thought that was great for Ken Riley because you know, he got it from his alma mater, but it also was descriptive of his, you know, style of play, like a rattlesnake attacking getting all those sixty five interceptions. The throwing Samoan for Jack Thompson, it's a great nickname. Now, he didn't do well in the NFL, and people, you know, jokingly changed it to the overthrown Samoan,

but it was still a great nickname. Ocho Cinco. For this reason, the fact that Chad would legally change his name in order to be able to put it on the back of his uniform, I thought would say exactly only Chad Genius. I got to throw the red rifle on there because I came up with it. But it's stuck for whatever reason, it's stuck. So are my four mount Rushmore Bengal nicknames are mount Rushmore of best Bengals

draft picks. Now this can take into account, you know where they were selected, the value, uh so top four Mount Rushmore Bengals draft picks for Dave Lappom, Yeah, I'm gonna go uh into this for that reason. Um, that these these guys drafted, you know where they were drafted for them to pan out to the level that they panned out, Um, Bob Trumpy with a twelfth round pick in the three hundreds, you know, Uh, that's that's pretty

good value there. Multiple time Pro bowler Charles Booby Clark was drafted I think the seventeenth round Paul Brown, as only Paul Brown could goes down to Bethune Cookman. He sees this tight end named Charles Clark. That's another great nickname though, Booby, That's that's a nickname candidate right there,

U Booby Clark. He says, this is my big back, this is my Marion Motley, this is my you know, later on Pete Johnson, Booby Clark was a talented guy, and uh and they they got a lot of production with a very late pick in in in Booby Clark. Tim Crumry the tenth pick of the draft. I think it's two hundred and seventy six pick. I think he was in the in the draft. Tim crum rye uh to to play at the level that he played at.

And I can tell you my last year was his rookie year, and he was not happy about being a tenth round pick. And Dave Remington was the first round pick, and every time we did one on one Nutcracker drill, he jumped in there no matter what they had arranged by script. So he wanted to go against that first round pick in the draft and try to, you know, show him that he guys I belong Well, he showed

he belonged very very early and very very often. So I'd say, I'd say he's another one of mine that you know that obviously panned out and panned out very very well. And then I'm just gonna go with the three headed monster of three offensive linemen in the nineteen eighty eight Super Bowl team, Max Montoya seventh round pick, Joel Walter seventh round pick, Bruce Kazerski ninth round pick. Three starters. You know you got the Hall of Famer and the you know, the early pick of his draft,

Anthony Munios. But three of the other four guys you know picked in the late one hundreds and into the two hundreds and formed U formed a pretty formidable group up front there in the offensive line. And that just speaks to the genius I think of Jim McNally as the offensive land coach. All right. My Mount Rushmore of Bengals draft picks also includes Tim cump Crimry for the value number two seventy six overall, as you mentioned, arguably

the best defensive player in franchise history. Similarly, I have Geno Atkins on my Mount Rushmore fourth round pick number one twenty overall, eight time Pro bowler, most of any Bengals defensive player All Decade team in the twenty tens. So I've got Gino on there. I've got T. J. Hushman Zada on my all draft pick Mount Rushmore seventh round pick number two oh four overall twenty five wide receivers taken before him still holds the franchise record for

most catches in a season. And then this is not a late pick, but I'm putting Anthony Munio's on the list. Number three overall only because so many teams took him off their board because of his injuries. Only played one game a senior year at USC. The Bengals watched him in the Rose Bowl. Mike Brown famously said that he and Paul laughed watching the game because they knew his knee was one hundred percent. And they took the plunge at number three overall and wound up with the best

player in team history. And I remember Forest Greg went out there to work him out, and Forrest Greg lined up as a defensive end and a wide technique to pass rush, and Anthony moved out there effortlessly and flewidly and flawlessly and put two hands into Forrest chest and jammed him to the ground. Forrest Greg went and Anthony's like, oh no, you know, he's like helping him up, and Forest, it's good. You're good. We're good. He came back, he said,

we're drafting him. No fens or butts, We're drafting this guy. So what a great move by the Cincinnati Bengals to draft Anthony Windows. All right, our next category, the mount rushmore of assistant coaches in Bengals history. Well, we talked about Kenny Anderson being the most important player in franchise history. The guy that tutored him, Bill Walsh. Bill Walsh was an unbelievable mind football mind and an unbelievable football coach, and obviously he went on to great success after after

leaving this Cincinnati Bengals. But Paul Brown knew what he was doing there. Bill Walsh was on that original staff and just a dynamic football coach. And I remember Kenny talking about how Bill Walsh got him ready to play at the National Football League level, you know, over and over and over again. The repetition started with defeat, and Kenny said, they did footwork for like twice a day for a week before they even put a football in

his hand. And then they started, you know, working through the other body mechanics and then ultimately throwing the football. And it was a month for he threw the football. So he basically took him apart and put him back together again. The player from tiny Augustana was draft in the third round, and that's a spectacular draft pick as well as it turned out to take Kenny Anderson in the sixties in the third round, sixty fourth or whatever

it was. I think that in that particular draft and then have Bill Waltz to tutor him and to guide him and to mold him into the player that he became. And Kenny Will talked freely about it. I mean a lot of it's right place, right time, luck Bill Walsh. How can you ask for anything better than Paul Brown and Bill Walsh as you're a young player coming into the league. I feel the same way about another assistant coach,

my first offensive line coach, Bill Tiger Johnson. Paul Brown is the head coach, Bill Tiger john Bill Tiger Johnson's my offensive line coach and just an unbelievable teacher the game of football, great player himself, Pro Bowl player with the forty nine ers at center, snapping the ball to y A Tittle. So I'm like, I'm gonna listen to what this guy says. And he was great. Just a great, unbelievable coach to have for your first to experience in

the National Football League. To have a teacher like that, and then another line coach is a great assistant in my mind. Jim McNally. You know, Jimmy, Jimmy was, he's still He's a guy that's just walking Encyclopedia technique and he's always trying to refine and UH and to improve and H and rebuild. And then on the defensive side, Dick Lebau he's you know, the zone blitz he was doing here with the Cincinnati Bengals with David Fulcher before

Troy Paalamalo in the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was doing a lot of the same things and we're getting the same type of results. Dick Lebou was a phenomenal you know, defensive back in his day. Hall of Famer and two categories player and coach, you know, um, and just as good a defensive coordinator. He was probably the premier guy his time. UM. Hank Bulla, the doctor of defense that we had in Super Bowl sixteen, another unbelievable football mind.

He was doing blitzes and doing things defensively that were ahead of his time, you know, So offensively and defensively. There's been some outstanding, outstanding coaches. There's no question I'll throw Darren Simmons in there as far as special teams coaches. He's as good as I've seen and he's been doing

it here for a long time. And Mike Brown is a football man, and Mike Brown realizes that he's got something unique and significant in Darren Simmons, and he's kept them and made sure that he's kept them, and that that phase, that third phase has always taken care of and take care of at a very very high level, as high level as you can get. With Darren Simmons. Again, another unbelievable teacher. And that's that's what a football coach is. They'll tell you. You know, I look at myself as

a teacher, and these guys are all great teachers. All right, You've got my mount rushmore of assistant coaches covered. I've got Bill Walsh, Dick Lebou, Jim McNally, and also Darren Simmons. I agree with Darren nineteenth year with the team, certainly one of the best special teams coordinators in the end.

I will give you my honorable mentions. Mike Zimmer, Frank Ganz, who was a you know, special team's trend setter, certainly helped establish the importance of that coaching position on the staff. Jim Anderson tremendous running backs coach for three decades, and I'm throwing Hugh Jackson in there. It obviously did not work out as an NFL head coach, but he was a great assistant coach no matter where Marvin Lewis put him.

And the same thing with Dick Lebau. You know, it didn't work out as a head coach, but does not diminish you know, the achievements and accolades that should be given to those achievements as an unbelievable assistant coach, no question about it. We moved to the Mount Rushmore of Bengals villains. These are opponents that either starred against the Bengals or God under our skin or God under Bengals

fans skin. The Mount Rushmore of Bengals villains. Yeah, I mean, uh, in my mind, I'm going to go back to playing days. I mean Pittsburgh Steelers, you know the Steel Curtain. I mean that defense. Uh, Joe green Ernie Holmes, Dwight White. Elsie Greenwood wasn't quite like those guys from a personality standpoint, but he you know, he kind of followed the back. But they just soon spit on you, look at you and literally they would spit on you and kick you in the in the below the waste regions. I mean

literally that that would that occurred, all of it. I mean that that that football team. And then you know, in the next level he had Jack Lambert, toothless Jack back there who would just he would a lot of spittle would come between those teeth that would be taken out to play the game. He was, he was, he was something else they had. They had big time intimidating type players, Mel Blunt on the back end, Donnie Shell

at safety. I mean that was basically a defense full of guys that would would bend the rules as far as they could be bent. But they were great players too, I mean just phenomenal, phenomenal athletes. They were so well put together. George Parlos, their defensive coach that put it together, came up with you know, adjustments and and schematic you know, techniques that were just you know, just outstanding. This phenomenal um. And then I'd have to go with the Cleveland Browns.

You know, I'm stuck in my playing days again. Battle of Ohio. Um, you know Joe Turkey Jones, who monk Terry Bradshaw was on his head. Uh, you know that they were. They were something to deal with as a defensive football team as well. Um, Jerry Shark was a was a great player at the defensive defensive tackle position, and Walter Johnson. The guy played against was Man Mountain Dean. I mean he was a heavyweight wrestling champion and he just he was a powerful, powerful man. They were really

good up front. They had excellent linebacker corps. Clay Matthews Senior was playing at that particular time, to Ambrose was at the middle linebacker position. They had Tom Darden and guys like that on the back end that would stone you. They definitely hit you. I'd say, you know that, uh that the Cleveland Browns um that Raiders in my era with John Matuzac and otis Sister Drunk and you know from the University of Mars and um and Al Davis famously said, look, um, take it to the limit every

single snap play in the gray area. Take it as far as the gray air as you possibly can. And if you if if the penalties start to be a problem, we'll adjust to it and I'll pay the fines. So that that was open season for the for the Raiders to be the Raiders, and they were. They were a defensive team that would would definitely would definitely try to dominate you, and uh uh they back it up. Jack Tatum.

When Jack Tatum hits you as a safety, felt like a two hundred and fifty pound linebacker was putting the hammer down on you. He was you know, he was a son of a gun boy. He could play. There's no question about it though. Those are some of the teams and guys that you know that that that come to my mind. Those three, um you know, obviously the

Cleveland moved to Baltimore and the Baltimore Ravens. Think of all the all the punishing players that Baltimore Raven defensive football teams have had, you know, from it starts with the Goose up front, Tony Siragusa, Ray Lewis at the linebacker position, all the great linebackers they had, they had tremendous players in the back end. I mean that, that's that's franchise. Baltimore has a history of of mean minded

defensive football player. There's no doubt about it. All right, this is good because your Mount Rushmore has four teams featuring guys that went beyond the line of what you're supposed to do. I picked out four individuals that stand

out as my villains, my hated opponents. Big Ben Roethlisberger dominated the Bengals for eighteen years, twenty six and ten against Cincinnati, including two playoff wins at Paul Brown Stadium fifteen and four at Paul Brown Stadium, despite the fact that the Bengals beat him his last three times, so he was twenty six and seven before losing his last three head to head games against Cincinnati. I've got Chemo von Olhoffen. I don't think it was a cheap shot

to Carson Palmer. I think he just got rolled into his lower leg unfortunately, but that injury changed the trajectory of the franchise, as Paul Docherty from The Enquirer often refers to him, Chemo von axe Murderer, just because of the result of that hit. I've got another Steeler. Joey Porter came on onto the field and the twenty fifteen playoff game that led to the Adam Jones penalty and the Joey Porter rule where assistant coaches can no longer

come onto the field when players are injured. He also jumped Leavy Jones at a casino in Las Vegas before that, so I've got him on the list. And then I've got a guy that I like personally, but I put him on Mount Rushmore just because of what his success meant to Bengal's history. And that's Joe Montana one of the two Super Bowls six and Ozho and the six games he started against Cincinnati. So those four guys make up my Mount Rushmore of villain slash hated opponents. Next

Mount Rushmore category interview subjects. These are guys that we've enjoyed interviewing or think we're great interviews over the years. Who comes to mind for you? Yeah, I mean, I think Andrew Worth, you know, is a guy that is very, very high on that list for all the reasons we've he talked about, um, you know, not only his football acumen in his in his football understanding of the game and opponents and all that sort of things the XS knows,

but everything else in life. You know, he's one of those guys that just has um a lot to say and says it extremely well. You know. I think, uh, probably Boomersiasen is as good an interview as a player as you could possibly hope to have, and that led to a career in the broadcast world. It's been dynamic, to say the least. You could always kind of Boomers sias and never shirked his responsibility, and I think that's

what made him a great leader as well. It's like, you know, boy, that game didn't go well and I didn't play well, but I'm not going to adduct the media. I'm gonna get up and face the music and I'm gonna answer questions. And he always did. And I think he garnered a tremendous amount of respect from everybody, not just as teammates, but the media, the city, the region, every everybody. UM. And uh, you know, I think that's I think that's big Chris Collinsworth same way. I mean,

you know, obviously great stories, funny guy. Um. And another one who understood the role of the media had in the success and popularity of the National Football League. As a player, understood the significance of of of adding two instead of you know, subtracting from or minimizing coverage, always added two coverage, always gave something more to the media than the than the average player would you know, would

go a little bit deeper. So and again that led to a phenomenal career in the broadcast world as well. So I think I think, uh, those three guys are you know, probably my my first three, Um, a fourth boy, I probably probably have to go with a defensive player, because everybody, I think I just had offensive players at this point, huh, A defensive player From a from a media standpoint, I'd have to say Solomon Wilcot's for the

same reason. I mean, Sally. You go to Sally after a game and he could tell you the wise and wherefores of everything, Why things worked, why they didn't, adjustments that were made, adjustments that should have been made. Um, same plays that were made, plays that shouldn't have been

that shouldn't have been made. So Solomon Wilcot's keen understanding of the game of football, but not just again, not just x's and os, but applying it to all right, I understand that the game of football and the National Football League is extremely popular for a reason, and so he added to that and he still does to this day. So he understood that dynamic as a player, and he understands that dynamic as a you know, in the broadcast

world as well. And it is quite remarkable how many guys have gone from player to broadcast in from the Cincinnati Banals, it really is. And Bob Trumpy, you know, was the original and another great example of a guy that's I mean, Trump was the media battled to get in front of his locker, you know, after a game back in the day because Trump was drunk. He pulled

no punches, no holds barred man. He put it out there and it led to sports talk, the godfather of sports talk here in the city of Cincinnati, into a Hall of Fame broadcast career covering the National Football League. And of that list that you just gave with Boomer Collinsworth, Wilcots, and Andrew Whitworth. If whit wants to get into broadcasting, he'll be a superstar too. My interview list includes two of the four that you mentioned. I've got wit on

the list. Articulate, thoughtful, he always tautes something. I mean, he's one of those guys you talk in for five minutes and at the end of it you're like, huh, I didn't realize that. That's great. I've got Chris Collinsworth on there again, smart, colorful, honest, just great as a player and great. Now I've got Frank Pollock on my list. I really enjoy his news conferences. They're colorful, they're interesting. I've enjoyed the one on one conversations that I've had

with him. I did that fun Facts last year where I just gave him like former teammates that he played, and he had a great story about everybody really good. And then my fourth, which might surprise some people, is Adam Jones because totally unfiltered, impossible of BS sometimes got himself into trouble with some of the things he said, but I've always said that I thought that Andrew Adam Jones brother was a tremendous interview subject. Final Mount Rushmore category,

our Mount Rushmore of what ifs in Bengals history. You're nodding your head. These are probably going to be some wistful moments of things that, had they gone slightly differently, Bengals history would have changed for the better. Well, I guess you know, I'm going to reverse a lot of the painful moments, you know, I mean, you know, what if what if? What if one mental error didn't occur in the four play sequence of the goal line stand in Super Bowl sixteen up in Pontiac, Michigan, and Bengals

had scored a touchdown? What if? I mean, would that football game have ultimately changed? Would the outcome have been different? Don't know, but would have had a hell of a lot better chance. There's no question about it. What if Lewis Billips had squeezed the interception in Super Bowl twenty three. I mean, I think it's game over, you know at that point if he holds onto that football, God rest

his soul. He didn't, Um, you know that. I think that, Uh, you know that that might have had a different outcome. If Tim Crumbright doesn't shatter his leg, you know, in that football game, might have had a different outcome. Um. What if the Bengals offensive line were capable of providing better protection for Joe Burrow in Super Bowl fifty six,

particularly in the second half of that football game. Um that that that last game, of that last play, It's just mind boggling to me when I look back on it, because they had the perfect call, the slide protection double team. Aaron Donald was handled improperly from a technique standpoint, allowed him to win outside and uh and he affected the game. And he affected the second half of that football game way way too much. There's there's uh, there's no question

about it. So I'd say that, uh, you know, reversing reversing some of the uh, the order of the Super Bowl outcomes. I think I think would be a would be a good starting point, all right, my Bengals mount rushmore of what ifs. I'll go back to something that I covered earlier. What if Greg Cook didn't get hurt or if rotator cuffs were repaired then like they are now, you would probably have a couple of Super Bowl rings. And what where would Kenny Anderson have been? Where would

his NFL career have been? If Greg Cook had not been injured, there would have been no Kan Anderson here in Cincinnatis. That would have been a huge what if because it would have changed the history of the franchise dramatically, you know, from a player perspective, a player standpoint, I also have what if Jeremy Hill didn't fumble? Marvin Lewis doesn't have that stigma of no playoff wins? He would have had his first. Could the Bengals have gone to New England the next week with a J. McCarron at

quarterback and defeated the Patriots. Probably not. It probably just would have been one playoff win. But still it'd be nice for Marvin dab One. Yeah, would it? Would? It would have you know, gotten that just on a monkey that's a five hundred pound gorilla, you know, on the back. And with Bill Belichick coaching a J. McCarron would have been challenged, There's no question about it. The entire football

team offense would have been challenged. Bill Belichick's as good as there is when you get to the playoffs and changing game plans and adjustments, and he's the wizard, no doubt. Here's one that you can speak to. What if Paul Brown did not retire in nineteen seventy five Bengals were eleven and three. You were on the team his final year. That's the best winning percentage they've ever had in a season. He was sixty seven years old, so he was getting

up there. But Bill Belichick is sixty nine right now, Pete Carroll is seventy. Guys are doing it nowadays at that age. What would have happened if Paul decided to stick it out for a few more years. Yeah, I mean, that's that's a really good what if because back then coaches didn't coach, you know, into their seventies and and you know Paul, I think Paul was a believer in you get to a certain age it's time to move on.

A player gets to a certain stage of his career, it's time to think about that player, you know, moving on or retiring or trading or whatever. It wasn't that he was incapable. He was still sharp his attack mentally. I mean, nothing had slipped in that regard. And uh and I was pretty surprised because we were pretty good, you know, eleven and three record, and two of the losses to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, both of them within range, I mean within a touchdown each

time one score games. It's not like we were being man handled and lost to the Raiders. I think it was that year as well, who were pretty good football team. So yeah, that's a that's a great what if. There's there's no doubt about it. I think part of it too was Bill Johnson had already turned down coach head coaching opportunit unities. I noted the forty nine Ers for one opportunity that came up as the great former All Pro center there. They wanted him to come back and

be the head coach. He'd proven himself as an assistant. Need he said no, Paul's told me I'm the guy when he steps down. I liked the potential opportunity here, So yeah, because I mean the following year we went ten and four, still had a really good football team, ten and four and didn't make the playoffs. Ten and four record the Oilers, you know, we got the additional wild card spot. Steelers won the division. Oilers got the wild card. With the ten and four mark, we sat brutal.

All right, my final, my fourth and final what if on my Mount rushmore of what ifs? What if? In the nineteen ninety nine draft, Brown select him Couch number one.

Eagles take Donovan McNabb number two. Now the Bengals around the clock, Mike Ditka calls from the Saints offers all of their nineteen ninety nine draft picks, six picks, including number twelve overall, plus their first round pick in two thousand and their third round pick in two thousands, So that's eight draft picks for the number three overall spot. The Bengals say thanks, but no thanks, and take Achille

Smith instead. Now, the Redskins eventually took the Saints offer, and they didn't become a powerhouse as a result, So you still got to nail the draft picks. But Achille Smith was, you know, such a disaster unfortunately that he can't help. But wonder what would have happened if the Bengals had taken that offer from the Saints. Absolutely, and Bruce,

Bruce Costlet. I wonder what Bruce Costlet's thinking these days if they he was the head coach at the time, and you know, I know that he would have made the trade. There's no old question about it. He would have made that trade. You definitely, it's it's a quarterback driver the league, even more so now than then, but it was then as well. Um, But man, that's a

lot of capital. That's a ton of capital. At some point in time, the odds dictate that you're you're gonna you're gonna find a quarterback or enough people around a quarterback that is capable to make me even play at a higher level. I mean, that's one that if history, if you could go back in history and change it, I think you might want to think about that possibility. I'm going to give you an unbelievable nugget that occurred to me as I was coming up with my what

ifs in Bengal's history. That draft was one draft before the Patriots selected Tom Brady. A Keiley Smith is only two years older than Tom Brady. How about that? That crazy? That is crazy? That is crazy. The one thing that every time I start thinking about drafts. The nineteen seventy four Pittsburgh Steel the drafts five Hall of famers and one of them wasn't even drafted. Donnie Shell seventeen rounds in the draft in nineteen seventy four. Donnie Shell didn't

even get drafted in seventeen rounds. Science is a college free agent and goes to the Hall of Fame. But they drafted Lin Swan in the first round, Jack Jack Lambert in the second round. Let's see, Mike Webster was drafted in the in the fifth round. I think Stalworth was drafting the fourth I believe. So four Hall of famers in the first five rounds of the draft. Talk about putting the bat in the ball in a draft?

Are you kidding me? And then to get all time great safety in the history of the National Football League is a college free agent out of South Carolina State. Crazy. You know, Cincinnati is the city of seven Hills. We got a lot of room for these mount Rashmars. We can carve them into hill sides in the Cincinnati area will be good. Yeah. Really, there's a lot of a lot of hills, a lot of hills that could could support Mount Rushmore's Absolutely yeah, and it would. It would

keep a lot of sculptors busy for a while. That's going to do it for this episode of The Bengals Booth Podcast, presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download Ultimate Bengals ahead of the twenty twenty two season. It's free to play next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get it now on the App Store and Google Play. And 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