Bengals Booth Podcast: Times They Are A Changin'

it comes to Tyler Eifert. Plus, as a former offensive lineman, Lapp will explain how a Frank Pollock coached OH line is likely to be different from a Paul Alexander coached OH line. We'll hit those topics and many more in a thirty minute conversation, and in a new edition of Fun Facts, we'll get to know new middle linebacker and Cincinnati native Preston Brown. Preston, by the way, is his

middle name. His given name is Mike Brown. All of that is coming up at first, 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 on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. It's the greatest invention since the raiding suitcase. That's our ad n. It has a built in battery pack so that you can charge your devices at the airport or anywhere on the road.

I am a big band all right. Time to discuss a highly productive offseason to date with my broadcast partner Dave Lappholm Lap. The Bengals have been uncharacteristically aggressive this offseason, trading for a guy with a big contract like Cordy Glenn, signing free agents like Preston Brown in the prime of his career. Why do you think they're behaving this way? That's a good question, Dan. I guess only they can

answer that. I'm glad to see it, though. You know, when the season ended wrote down some needs left tackle, defensive tackle, linebacker, safety, center, and they've they've addressed, you know, quite a few of them in free agency. So I guess, um, when a guy like Corty Glenn became available, I think

that was a big surprise to even them. You know, I don't think that they anticipated a guy that caliber being being available in a trade because, honestly, you know, looking at him when he's healthy he's he's he's upper crusted. I mean he's he's a good player. Big body guy, long arms, can really move and you know you say, okay, big body guy, longs Cedric awayhy, Well, what this guy has is a lot more ballast. He's got anchorability. You know, he's got the athleticism that you have to have to

play left tackle, but he doesn't have the anchorability. And talk about you know, straight a quarterback throw with accuracy and anticipation. Straight a tackle is athleticism and anchorability, and you got to have both. And you know everybody sees the Cedric's deficient in that anchorability aspect. This guy's not when they guy sits that people don't move him, he's you know, he's a guy that will move people, and people don't move him very easily. So I think I

think it's uh, you know, knock on wood. The health factor. If he's one hundred percent healthy, they got themselves, you know, a special player at the left tackle position. That's big. He's three hundred and forty five pounds, so he's big. Who benefits more? Andy Dalton or Joe Mixon. I think they both do. Really, you know, I think that. I think he's he's a very aggressive, you know, blocker in the running game and athletic can get to the next level. He can pull, he can run, he can do all

the things that you need to have done. You know, he's good in space, uh, you know, and obviously with the Andy Dalton's blind side, you know, being a big deal. And I think sometimes that's even a little overrated now in today's NFL. I mean, you look at the last couple of Super Bowls. The players that were made to determine Super victories came right off the front side of a quarterback, you know, forcing fumbles, pressuring and causing turnovers. So I think you have to be strong across the

board in today's football in terms of protection. But I think they both benefit. And you know, the other thing is, you know you mentioned Joe Mixon. Everybody's looking for the running back now they can not only run the football, but catch it. You know, everybody wants that complete guy. They you know, they want the bell guy, the bell cow.

You know, like Pittsburgh has, well, Bengals have two, they have two, No ten, how many teams in the NFL can have a one show a one two punch like the Bengals due with Joe Mixon and you know Giovanni Bernard. They both are excellent running the football between the tackles and outside. They both run routes like receiver, and they both catch a ball like a receiver. So I mean there's a lot of benefit there. We know the Bengals left tackle Cordy Glenn, we know the left guard Clant Bowling.

Who's going to line up at the other three spots? What's your best guess? That's a great question. You know, the draft obviously hasn't taken place yet. I'm sure they'll they'll address, you know, all those spots in the draft. I know they'll address tackling center in the draft. They have to. Um, you know, they'll they can line up though, you know at the center position. Trey Hopkins could could play that spot. T J. Johnson would be the guy

to line up at it right now. But Trey Hopkins with long arms, I mean, I look at Trey Hopkins. Uh Dwight Stevenson the best center I ever saw play one of the reasons and Tim crum Right, who played against them, said that he was unbelievable. One of the big things. Long arms that that big long leverage at the center position is huge. Something as simple as moving the ball out a little bit further because of those long arms and establishing a neutral zone that's bigger a

short arms center. All of a sudden you crowded the ball. You're right under the right under his face mask. You know, the center can at least gives himself a little bit more space even with the lineman getting over the football. Pouncy the Pouncy brothers are like that, a long arm center. There's some advantages too, and there's advantages you know, in leverage and pass protection, run blocking at the center position too.

Dwight Stevenson was great with, you know, with that leverage, and I see Trey Hawkins is maybe doing you know, some of that sort of thing with some of these centers that are long armed, you know. But and T. J. Johnson is very, very smart. He can make every call there is to make. So and then obviously there's there could be rookie candidates involved there, and personally I'd line Redman up at right guard and see what he can do, because then you talk about another guy that moves people

and doesn't get moved. A big deal now, in today's NFL, as we know, Dan is that interior pass protection keeping giving the quarterback not only time but space. Quarterbacks hate people in their face. I don't care who it is, Tom Brady all the way down to whoever. If you can maintain a pocket that has some depth to it and give the quarterback space and time. And I think Redman's that kind of guy. I don't think they'll bull

rush him, and I think he'll move people inside. I'd i'd kind of like to see how he would do out there. And honestly, I watched a little tape of Heart playing right tackle for the Giants before he got hurt. He's playing pretty darn well. You know, he's another guy that this guy's got some size to him, six five, three hundred and thirty four pounds. I mean, he's he's

he's a big guy. And obviously the Bengals thought a lot of them, and I would think Frank Pollock being in that division, you know, so I him played twice a year, so I'm sure he was probably okay with probably had a lot to do with with signing the kid. Let's talk about Frank Pollock before we move on to other topics from the offensive line. How will a Frank Pollock coached offensive line look different from a Paul Alexander

coached offensive line. I think it'll be a lot more aggressive in terms of capturing the line of scrimmage, you know, with with both attitude and technique. We witnessed it down in Dallas when we went down there, and they just they manhandled the Bengals inside everywhere side outside. I mean there weren't holes, there were canyons, you know to run through. And Ezekiel Elliott, you know, had had a big day, but it all started with what that offensive line was doing.

And um, you know I was interested to watch them. You know, there's horizontal splits and then there's vertical splits. You know, and you take a horizontal split. You'll change your splits depending on what the players trying to influence the defensive player, whether they're split. There's you know traditional two foot split, three foot split garden center two foot three foot between garden tackle. Well, then you can get off the ball, you know, you can crowd the line

of scrimmage, you can get back. You have to have your helmet at the numbers of the center when he's over the football. You can't get too far back or the officials will penalize you when you You'll hear every once in a while seventy seven wasn't on the line of scrimmage, wasn't close enough to line of scrimmage. If the guard, you know, sets too far back and then the tackle sets broke it back from him, you can't set up like an umbrella. But if you all set up,

you know, to the center's number, that's legal. And they would play with those vertical splits when they were double team and to come downhill instead of sidestepping drop stepping, and they would come downhill they take a little bit of a deeper set at the line of scrimmage and even run plays they'd line up off the ball a little bit more so. I mean, I think we're going to see them attacking um you know, that line of scrimmage.

My philosophy is that way. I mean, you can't you can't win the line of scrimmage, you can't capture unless you attack it. I think we're going to see that. I think I think we're gonna see tackles jumping um showing if they have the athleticism to do it, jump defensive ends and not set so deep and catch, you know, jump them in stemium pretty quickly at the line of scrimmage. Anthon Winniels was as good as I ever seen doing that.

He's in the Hall of Fame for a reason. But there are there are guys in this football team, in this locker room that that are capable of jumping people at the line of scrimmage. And I think we're gonna see, you know, hopefully farmer pockets for Andy Dalton and and in that running game be a little bit more aggressive. All right, Let's move on to middle linebacker. Preston Brown signed to a one year deal for about five million bucks. He's twenty five years old, led the NFL and tackles

last year. Played in one thousand and ninety eight of one thousand, one hundred and eight snaps for the Bills on defense, so he never came off the field. Honestly, I'm a little bit shocked he was available for a one year deal. I'm stunned. I mean to me that that has to go into the category of one of the biggest steals a free agency. It really does. I mean, this guy's what fifty pounds plus and can run you know he's on the field in the nickel and dime

sub packages. That's that's a remarkable, uh remarkable thing. I mean you're on the field all those snaps. You're going to have a chance to lead the league in tackles. And he did, you know, one hundred and forty four tackles. You know, sometimes tackles can be a little bit dicey. Some organizations give tackles if within an arm and making them in the in the pile of bodies, there's an assist, there's another assist. But say say twenty of those occurred,

one hundred and twenty four, twenty five tackles. Still amazing, But you're on the field a lot of all those snaps, you can you can rack those up. And he runs the field. I mean he'll run it sideline to sideline, he'll come downhill, stuff the running game. He's you know,

really good with his drops. He's a complete linebacker. And to get him for a one year deal for five million dollars, I think when all of a sudden done, when the season starts, people are going to say wow that and then as it unfolds and see the contribution. I think he's going to make to this defense. I think it's going to be one of the major steals

of free agency. I was stunned a big deal when they made it, and then it got even bigger when we learned the news that Vontz Berfect has his annual beginning of the season suspension PEED related this time around, and unless it's reduced, he's out for the first four games. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see what happens there. I know he's got an appeal, you know that's going on. I know back in the day, and this is way back now, when Lyle Alzado and how he Long we're

playing together with the Raiders in the NFL. I remember how he Long mentioned to me that Zato was trying to talk him into using something to expedite his healing, you know, like between games or even in the off season, particularly after surgery. So it's you know, guys take different

things for different reasons. And you know, I don't I don't know what Vontes did, if anything, but um, you know, sometimes guys think, all right, well, if I'm not playing, my season's over, I might want to try to heal up as fast as I can get into a good workout routine and pattern. Sometimes mistakes can be made. Who knows, who knows what took place, But there's there's stuff that needs to be reviewed by the league, and hopefully, hopefully

Vontes is a strong case. But those peed suspensions aren't overturned regularly. It has to be a very, very strong extenuating circumstance. So we'll see how it unfolds for Vontes. On the Tyler Eiffort next late in the season last year, I said to you, you know what, Lap, he's going to sign with the Rams. His buddy Whitworth is going to talk him to coming out to La the weather. It will be nice. You're a good looking cat. We'll get your TV ads and commercials and stuff like that.

And you said, no, I don't think so. I think Tyler Eiffort's the kind of kid, the way he was raised, that he's going to feel some loyalty for the Bengals for not being able to play very much the last couple of years. That's exactly the way it played out. Yeah, I mean, once the Bengals matched what the Rams and forty nine ers, and you know what was involved in

that Rams deal. You know, he had had an opinion in a voice in it and the forty nine ers, I mean, Jimmy Garoppolo having Tyler Eiffert in the red zone and even as a security blanket, so you knew what they were thinking. Two young quarterbacks that are on the uptick. You know their graph is going up. Both organizations said. Tyler Eiffert is a scoring machine. I mean touchdown makers have value, particularly red zone touchdown makers, to

the level that he is able to produce. So, once all things being equal, Tyler Eifert did stay with the Bengals like I hope he would think, And it's incentive. Leyden could be as much as eight million, but it's going to be a you know, at least five million dollars could creep up to eight eight a little over eight million dollars, and it's gonna my opinion is probably based on playing time alone, you know. I mean, if you get him out there, he's gonna put numbers up.

So the question is you're gonna get him out there, So if he's out there, he's gonna put numbers up. Pam, it's fair. It's a fair, fair deal for everybody else sides involved. And he has a one year show, and he's got a bet on himself and hopefully the football God's cooperator. He stays health and he puts up crazy numbers. I go into it thinking, all right, if he somehow played sixteen games, fantastic. I'm not even gonna hope for that. I'm gonna hope he's healthy enough to play three quarters

be on the field for twelve games. If he does, there'll be a very productive twelve game. I was thinking the same thing, Dan, I was thinking twelve to fourteen. You know, if he misses a couple, I mean they should. Tyler Croft has proven that he's capable. And the thing is now with Tyler Croft development, you have two tight ends that can produce in the red zone. I mean a two tight end package. Everybody. For a while that

was the hot thing. You know, the Patriots had the two tight ends set with Gronk and Hernandez, and you know then Baltimore tried to get a ton two tight ends. It does a lot of things. It makes the defense even things up in terms of how they line up. From a formation standpoint. You balance things, you can be

balanced offensively. You make the defense balance themselves. As a result of that, I mean, there's a lot of a lot of good reasons to have a two tight end, two capable tight ends set available to you to mix into your personnel groupings. And the Bengals have that. Now, the Chris Baker's signing isn't one that has people doing cart wheels, but for a stretch of four years I

guess in Washington, and he was highly productive. Got the big deal last year with Tampa Bay three years on nearly sixteen million dollars, and it didn't go well with the Bucks. So the Bengals get him on the cheap one year, three million bucks. And if the coaches that he played for in Washington, Jim Haslett and Jacob Bernie can get him back to the level that he played for with the Redskins, it could turn out to be

a great move, no question. And I think that's you know, that's a big factor is he's got a relationship and you trust. There's trust both ways, not just player to coach, but coach the player as well. There's trust on all levels. And you know, you hear glowing, effusive praise back and forth when you hear Jim Haslet, Jacob Bernie and Chris Baker all talk about each other, so you hope that that synergy is going to be big. The other thing is a former player you made You worked hard to

get the big deal. You make the big deal, then you're humbled. What do you do it didn't work out? You know you didn't get all the money. Okay? Are you going to assume the fetal position and say you know that's it? Or you're gonna have a bounce back season prove that you know what. It didn't work in Tampa. But that's not me. I'm who you saw in Washington, and I'm not going to assume the fetal position. I'm going to bounce back and show everybody this is Chris Baker.

So hopefully there's some of that going on in his mindset too as he gets ready in the offseason. And I think it's going to be comforting to him as he attempts to have that bounce back year with familiar people that he had success with. I think that all that's up to potential success again. The Bengals signed a

veteran backup quarterback candidate, and Matt Barkley. I remember them having a second round grade on him when he came out of USC turned out to be a fourth round draft pick by the Eagles, but obviously he's the leader in the clubhouse right now to be Andy Dalton's replacement. They're hoping a Jeff Driscoll comes back healthy after breaking his left arm. But the question is, after all of that, how high do they draft a quarterback with eleven picks? Yeah,

that's a that's a great question. Um, you know, are they going to draft a quarterback that that if there's one that they maybe had as a second round grade that's there in the fourth round, they may say, you know what, he's going by their board, this is a guy. How can we not take this guy that's the best player available as this quarterback? Here we are in the fourth round. We had him as a as a two

A in the early part of the second round. What about the third Then they've got two third round picks. Could they even take the plunge that early? They could? They could maybe the second third round pick, um, you know, potentially, Yeah, it all It all depends on how you know. There's

going to be an early run on quarterbacks. There always is, And now they're saying that, you know, in the first five picks could be four quarterbacks who knows, but there it could be Uh, it could be interesting to watch that all unfold. But then how far down will the next tier or slide, you know, um, and will there be one that just falls for no real good reason other than you know, everybody else's needs and just decisions made prior. So yeah, I mean I do think that

they will. They will draft one. It's a question of how high. I think they'll be true to their board. I don't think they're going to reach for anybody at the quarterback position, but I think they'll be true to their board and see how it all pans out. Talk about some guys that aren't back, beginning with Russell Bodai and the Bengals apparently tried to sign him to a long term deal. He elected to take a shorter deal with the Buffalo Bill so he is essentially betting on himself.

What did you make of the Bengals interest. I think it was based on a lot of things that Marvin Lewis talked about. The biggest being the available He never missed a game. You know, he was durable and uh, you know, availability and accountability or two big abilities to have in any position in the National Football League. And he provided that. So, you know, I think that's the one thing that every week, you know, as an offensive line coach or as an offensive coordinator, we don't have

to worry at the center position. We got Russell Bodine, and I gave him a certain level of comfort for sure. So, Uh, there's you know, there's there's that question, whoever takes over the center position, will that guy take every snap for four years? Russell Bodine? You know, it's everybody has opinions on player's level of play, no matter who the player is.

They're Russell Bodine fans, Russell Bodine. Uh. People that weren't as happy with his play, But the one thing they all had to agree on he played hurt, he played hard, he played every snap, and there's something to be said for that. I think that's why they were thinking the way they were thinking. The Bengals did not pick up Adam Jones's option of five point three million bucks. They have publicly said they're interested in bringing him back for a cheaper price. What do you think the odds are

of him being back again? Um, we'll see how you know, the draft goes. You know, it's it's Uh, I do think obviously they've got a role in mind for him as a returner and is a sub package corner. If in fact, he feels like he's capable of more than that and there's a team out there other degrees, you know, that's probably where he'll go. I'm not sure what the

market is showing him right now. Obviously he hasn't signed anywhere as of the time we're doing this podcast, so I would think that if he were still available, it would have to be the right kind of a price. I mean, obviously it's going to be dramatically reduced. I don't know if it's going to be NFL veteran minimum, but it's going to be dramatically reduced from where he was, and at that point in time, you know, decisions are going to have to be made on both sides. All right,

let's move on to the draft. With the Cordy Glenn deal, the Bengals moved from having the twelfth pick in the first round down to the twenty first pick in the first round. Do you think that that drastically changes what they are likely to do? I guess by having Cordy Glenn, they're no longer really focused in on Okay, we've got to find ourselves a left tackle. Right if they you know, if they they feel like a kid from Notre Dame who's everybody feels like it could be a decade long starter.

Clinchy that if Nelson's there, they jump on a hard beat, they'll do cartwheels. Yeah, if they he should be long gone. If he's there, I mean they better take him. Um. But if mcclenchy's there, you know, now you got to think, okay, well, would he I think he's a right tackle. I don't think he's a left tackle, but I do I do think he could play probably a decade at right tackle. Do you say, all right, well, at twenty one, let's let's draft him. Because this draft supposedly is you better

go early in the tackle position. There's other options available in the interior alignment. Uh, it's it's deeper from more rounds than it is in terms of excellence at the offensive tackle position, which is kind of the reverse of the norm a little bit. So you know, they make a decision there. If mcglinchey's on the board, Um, if if one of the one of the three centers, there's three centers that everybody likes if one of them is gone, Is that center a better Is he rated higher on

the Bengals board that McGlinchey is as a tackle? Where is there a bigger need? Is there a big gonna need a right tackler at center? You've got your left tackle, You've got your backup left tackle, which I think that's what cedrical Way is going to be as a backup left tackle. I don't think they're gonna mess with him at right tackle anymore. I think they're gonna say you're going to one position, You're gonna work at that one position,

and then let's see what happens. Maybe Frank Pollack can bring something out of him that Paul Alexander wasn't able to. And I'm thinking from a technique standpoint, he's a guy, he's he's a jump candidate. In my mind, he's a guy that's athletic enough to go jump people and separate and not give him a running start and try to catch him and absorb him as body. You know, he can't take that that bullrush. So yeah, I mean center. You know, if the Hernandez kid is there, people say

maybe he could even play center or guard. So you know there's some options there at twenty one. They could go offensive line, they might go safety. You know, they had some serious conversations with Coleman before he signed with the Saints. I think it was he took a big deal with the Saints. So they're obviously not real happy at this point. You know, with the ability to turn people over at the safety position, they want a playmaker

back there. So is there a playmaker If one of the safeties that they have rated on their board as a top ten is there at twenty one, they may jump at that safety. If one of the corners that they've got rated highly for some reason slides because of the quarterbacks or whatever the case may be, you know, they may go there again. Maybe there's a maybe there's a corner slash safety that will play more safety than he does corner that they currently have on the roster. Um,

you know, defensive tackle. Do they go defensive tackle at twenty one? All depends on who it is, you know, if it's a guy again, it's it's a guy. At twenty one, they're in a spot to They're in a position that they can wait and see if somebody slides, you know, they may have more options available to them. They've traded down from twenty one to twenty seven before to pick up additional picks they already have eleven. I'm not really sure they do that. How many do you need?

But I think the fact is they're really really wide open at twenty one, even more wide open than they were at twelve. Get an extra third for losing Kevin Zeitler, an extra fifth for losing Andrew Whitworth. They pick up a fifth in the Corty Glenn deal and he's a sixth. They get a couple of extra sevenths. As we said, a total of eleven picks. Hard to keep them all, but in any case, you get a bunch of potential talent, and with between the roster and the practice squad, you've

got a chance to add some good, young potential stars. Yeah, you do. I mean I think I think, you know, everybody's like, you know, fifth round, having three fifth round picks. There's value there, you know, And who's to say that they may not bunch some of those and move up, you know. I think I think there's more potential for that this year than trading back. I think that we're

there a pixel positioned. I think they can they can package and make a move up if they feel like, well, this guy has slid to this point, I don't know how much more he's going to slide. We really like them, let's go get them kind of thing, no matter what round it is. I mean, they've talked about doing that even in the fourth round. The last two drafts, they've talked about trading up for Bodine. They talked about trading

up for Shaw. You know, Shaw's a guy that might play safety rather than you may play more safety than the corner this year. So there's there's always guys that there's there's good value in the fourth, fifth, in the sixth round, and the Bengals have put their bat on the ball and those rounds very very well as an organization led by Duke Tobin. All Right, a couple more topics before we wrap this up. The next thing is the catch rule, which is being fixed, I guess is

the best way to describe it by the NFL. Now, it sounds like if you catch the ball what we have historically thought of as a catch, and take a couple of runnings strides and then go to the ground and it trickles loose, that's a catch, as it should be. Yeah, I think I think now we're back to the old. If you're sitting in a bar and you're watching the game on a big screen TV and everybody looks at each other, that's a catch. I think the NFL is

going to agree that it's a catch. The interesting thing to me is going to be, you know, I can remember in Baltimore in two occasions that Jermaine Gresham catch was overturned. That Tyler Effort catch was overturned, both in Baltimore. I understanding is what this new rule. They're both catchers, and it sounds like that it's going to be closer to the same. If a running back crosses the plane, it's a touchdown, and if he gets hit and loses control of the football after he breaks the plane, it's

a touchdown. Sounds like that's going to be the same way in football. If he breaks the plane with control of the football, it's a catch. If he goes to the ground loses or whatever, or even if he gets hit after taking a step, we're making a football move, you know, it's going to be a touchdown. I think that was one of the biggest inequities or whatever in the rule book is for a run and a touchdown catch, the goal line was two different things. For a run,

the goal line basically ended it all. You had to do the point of the football, the front tip of the football. It's crossed the front tip of the goal line, touchdown, no matter what not. So for a catch a touchdown catch, well, now it's back to the way it was. It sounds like Which Johnson the crazy catch he made for the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. He catches the ball and as he's doing a somersault, loses control of it and it was a catch. Then went in and catching today.

So now it sounds like it might be a catch again. So they're going back to. Honestly, Dan, everything they've done in the past decade plus has been to spur more offense. People want to see thirty eight, thirty five. They don't want to see ten seven. Well, the catch rule started making it tougher to goal points, started to affect the outcome of offenses. Fans want to see the big play, Fans want to see the big score. So I think that's why the NFL realizes we better go back to

the old way of the catch rule. Final question, who has a bigger year next year, Buffalo Bill's quarterback AJ McCarron or in New England Patriots running back Jeremy Hill. Oh man, you know, I think that I really think that a J mccaren is gonna grab hold of an opportunity here and they'll probably Buffalo take a quarterback very high,

there's no question about that. But I do think that that I think they're looking at AJ McCarron as as being the guy this year, you know, you know, on all probability, and I think that he'll he'll take a strangle hold of it. I really do. I think Jeremy is going to be in a rotation of It's interesting now Jeremy Hill goes to the New England Patriots, they just resigned Rex Burke had do a big contract and Jeremy goes there for a bargain basement price of a

million bucks for a year. So now they've flipped roles basically. And I know, I know that that the coach Belichick loves him some Rex burkhead, and it'll be interesting to see what he thinks of Jeremy Hill. So you've got to think that Jeremy will be just he won't be the bell cow. There's never really any bell cow in New England. It's usually a since Corey Dillon, right, So it's a combined effort, you know, and everybody's got their role, and be interesting what the role Jeremy Hill takes on.

I think a j has a much bigger role this year in Buffalo than than Jeremy may have in New England. Lap excellent stuff. You are now free to resume playing with your grandkids. Thanks, Dan, appreciate that. And it's there's nothing like being a grand dad. You just wait and see, Dan, just wait and see. I hope I'm waiting a long time.

Since Sam Horde is eleven. Now time for a new fun facts segment as we get to know the person under the pads, in this case, a recently signed free agent who was born in Cincinnati and is fired up to play for his hometown team. Time for some fun facts with Bengals linebacker Preston Brown, a Cincinnati native and somebody who was almost destined to be a Bengal in my opinion, because your initials are PB, as in Paul Brown, Paul Brown Stadium, your dad's name is Mike Mike Brown,

and furthermore, you were a die hard Bengals fan growing up. Correct, Yes, sir, And technically my real name is Mike Brown as well, but my middle name is Preston, so that's what I go by, all right. So if I'm doing the math correct, you would have been about thirteen years old when Carson Palmer blew out his knee in that playoff game against the Steelers. How devastated was young Preston Brown? Pretty mad?

I mean throwing stuff at the TV. Everybody down in the basement going crazy because that was the year we were supposed to win a Super Bowl. I mean, everybody was feeling it. First play, long long pass, We're like, oh yeah, here we go. Then you look back at the line of Scrimmas and he's laying there, rolling around him. I still can see it pretty vividly, and it's not good. So you got the details down so I know you're legit. Yeah,

I remember that one. That one was tough. There's a Chad Brown or Chad Johnson fathead in your basement still, Yeah, it's still down there. It's still down there next to the Marvin Lewis bobbleheads and the t J. Husmin's out of all of them up there all right, Preston, you come from a football background. Your dad played college football at Ball State. He was in training camp with the Denver Broncos. How early did the football bug bite? You think when I was like four, I wanted to start playing,

but he wouldn't let me. So I started playing when I was six with Hilltop in the College Shield. Then I think I try to retire at age ten, but they taught me out of retirement. Your dad told me that he had to carry your birth certificate around when you played games out of town because, you know, fans from other communities thought you were too old. Oh yeah, I mean every time we went down to Avondale or somewhere there, saying where's his birth certificated? Get the girl

man off the field. I mean everywhere we went. That's how it was. And I was just I was younger than most of them, but they always like like I was an old guy. We're doing fun facts with Preston. I read at age six that you actually studied game film or video of your peewee games with your dad. He had you great in tape at age six. Yeah, I mean my mom would record it and then we would sit down in the basement and just critique what I was doing wrong and what I did right. I

mean it was for real film study with him. I mean it was he just wanted me to get used to it. So after that I would watch what he was coaching an aken or what word or with or I would sit down and watch his tape, just trying to find any tendencies that I thought was something that was going on and somebody's stands like a little weird. I would tell him something. I don't know if he was paying attention, but I definitely picked up some stuff

to help me out. Today we talked to some guys that really don't learn how to study the tape until they get to the NFL. It sounds like that's something that you had a pretty early grasp of. Oh yeah, I mean I just love learning about the opponent. I mean I know everything. And we played the Bengals. I had everything written down about those guys. I mean I had anything you can think of, the Instagram name, how

many kids they got, what they what they major. I mean I knew I wanted to know more just the player. I also read that when you were young, you and your dad would get out at like five to thirty in the morning and go for runs in the neighborhood. Is that true? And what were some of the other things that he had you do to develop your athleticism. Yeah. We would definitely run through those college neighborhoods that five six in the morning, people honking at us and stuff

like that. I mean, it was just fun for me. It was never something that he was forcing me to do. I always say, hey, Dad, can we go for a run? And he was like, all right, I'll be up at five And we just went for runs and we would do drills after practice or just anything I felt I could get better by doing a little bit extra. So he went to Northwest High School, had a great career there. When you're a junior in high school, UC goes to the Orange Bowl. When you're a senior in high school,

UC goes to the Sugar Bowl. You were all set to go to UC and then Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame. Yah. Yeah, Brian Kelly left me. Never heard from again at Notre Dame Bush Joees came in. I went on to visit. It just didn't feel the same anymore. And then I remember Solomon, ten of them from Roger Bakers said, I was scared of competition, so I was scared to go there. So I ended up going to Louisville and tried to beat them every time. But it was definitely it was well, you had a great career

at Louisville. You went there at the same time as Teddy Bridgewater. He guys went to the Sugar Bowl and beat Florida. Sounds like, you know that decision worked out as well as it possibly could have. Yeah, I think it was a good decision for me. I just saw the defense what they had. I saw Brandon Spikes in the way they had linebackers at Florida and what they did to Cincinnati that game. I was like, well, I want to be a part of that. One more dad

related questions. So you're at Louisville, he's teaching up in Cincinnati, and I understand you guys would meet halfway between in a Burger King parking lot to do drills. Yeah, I mean that was the only place where it was like a little grass area. We would go over there and do some drills or put cones on the asphalt and just find a way to get better. Because that was a year I switched to mic linebacker, and he thought it was gonna be differ from the playing outside on

the line of scrimmage and things like that. So we did a lot of things, just trying to make sure I come downhill and take on blogs so get out of the play action pass and just things that he felt I needed to do at the middle linebacker spot. So after a great career at Louisville, you were a third round draft picked by the Buffalo Bills. Describe your draft experience. It was fun. I mean I went around telling everybody I was going in the third round. Before

I even was projected third round. I spoke it into existence. I think should have said first round, but I mean I said a third round, and I was just happy. When I got the call, I saw it was a New York number. I didn't know which New York team it was, but then I realized there's only really one team in New York, so it was Buffalo. I mean it. We was excited. We ran up and down the street and had a good time. You spend four years in Buffalo. Bills fans are crazy. They call it the Bills Mafia.

Do you have a good Bills Mafia story? Oh? Shoot? I don't know. I mean I've seen videos, but I haven't seen it in person. I'm seeing them jumping off a table, tables lit on fire tables, and throwing girls on tables. I mean they all really involved something with a table breaking them in parking lots. So last year, you're part of that Buffalo team that ends the longest playoff droute in the four major sports. They hadn't gone for seventeen years, and people they reacted like they had

won the Super Bowl. Right, Yeah, it was. It was crazy. I mean you could hear a big roar from the fans down in Miami and everybody was going crazy. It was the locker room was going crazy, throwing water and everybody crying and stuff, and it was it was a big moment for that city. A few more fun facts with Preston Brown. So you've signed with your hometown team as a free agent. Is it true that you could

have taken more money elsewhere? Um, technically, I mean longer deals and stuff like that would have been more money. But I mean I felt like this was the best situation for me, So it wasn't really about the money. I mean, no matter where I signed, it was gonna be more money I've ever seen in my life. So I still get excited when we get pretty m on the plane. So I'm not leends and spending all type of money like that. I just wanted to be where I could be happy, So this was the best spot

for me. You live in downtown Cincinnati. You'll be within walking distance of Paul Brown Stadium. How do you like city life? It's fun, I mean now that I worked down here, it's even cooler. I mean so, but I would just walking around different spots, just finding different things because there's so many different things in Cincinnati that people don't know are down here. I mean I just showed my mom the Abraham Lincoln Statute that she didn't know was down there. So there's a lot of stuff down

here that people don't know about. Have you been on the street car? Yeah, I've been on there a couple of times. I wrote it around. I don't know if I paid for a ticket, but I was. I was on there. Your secrets safe with me and everybody else listening to this interview. I've asked you several questions about

your dad. But your mom's interesting too. A certified NFL agent. Correct, Yeah, she's she gets one point five percent, So everybody, I got my dad a big TV just a couple of days ago, and it's like, what did you get your mom? I was like, she got one point five percent, so she could get whatever she wants. That's a very good answer. It's great to have you in Cincinnati, look forward to watching you play. Best of luck, and thanks for the time.

Thank you. That's Preston Brown. Published reports say that Brown's one year contract with the Bengals was for four million dollars. If my math is correct, one point five percent of four million is sixty thousand bucks. Not too shabby. That's going to do it for this episode of the podcast. If you haven't done so already, don't forget to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and give it a

rating or leave a comment. Your feedback has been very helpful and five star ratings help more Bengals fans find this podcast. I'm Dan Horde. Thanks for listening to the Bengals Booth podcast.