Bengals Booth Podcast: Vacation

and Mike Brown. 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 preseason

football magazines. I love magazines and find it sad that so much of that content is now only available online. Thankfully, you can still get thick preseason guides for NFL and college football, and I always buy a couple of each. So here's to you Lyndy's Athlon, etc. As long as you're still publishing, I'm buying Now. Time for the first of my favorite fun facts interviews from this past season, where you get to know the person under the pads.

Time for some fun facts with Bengals cornerback chitabey A Woogie. I read that when you were a kid, you were so rough and tough that you weren't allowed to play certain things with other kids. Was that true and what happened? Yes? True. I think it wasn't really a rule up by a school or by a teacher or a parent. It was kind of you know, the kids that I was playing with didn't want me to play with them because I was everything. Home i played, someone was getting hurt or

injury was happening. So h yeah, you know, I think that definitely led me into football. It seems like the perfect outlat to take out that aggression. Your parents are Nigerian immigrants who earned college degrees in the US. How did their values in their work ethic impact you? Oh, it impacted me so heavily. I definitely grew up with the duality of being Nigerian American to the tea. When I was home raising a Nigerian home, my auntie's uncles, cousins.

We go to parties on the weekend, whether it be a meeting or a celebration. The Nigerian culture definitely was in me. And then when I would go into school and I'd get a very good taste of the American culture. So definitely that duality has raised me to understand others, to be heavy on family, to have faith in God, and you know, just to always work hard. Have you made it to Nigeria to see where your family's from? I have. I have. The first time I went was

my sophomore year in high school. I was sixteen or fifteen or something like that, and you know, it was beautiful just to see cousins who I've never met before, family members, see where my parents grew up, and see where my grandparents and my lineage basically started. You know, we have a village house in the village of Football here and that's where everybody congregated, and it was just

a beautiful, beautiful time in my life. We're visiting with chittabe A Wugier many stories about you say that your first name means God will guide me. Do you take that to heart? Oh? I definitely do. And my culture, the Ebo culture this our names mean everything. And you know, my brother has a similar name, my mom, dad, sister, all of it usually resonates with something to do with God. You know, we're very spiritual people. So yeah, I think my name praised for me every day and they able

to live comfortably. Because you grew up near San Jose, California, what were some of the things you were interested in as a kid. As a kid, I was very impressionable. I love watching things on YouTube and just learning about different things, especially dance. You know, where I grew up, I had a dance called turfing, and they had this thing called the Hype movement, and the LA had crump and the South had crump, and I was interested in just like all the cultures, just everything you know that

was happening. So I think when I was a kid, I was just very impressionable when it came to hip hop culture, dance culture. Yeah. So, so if you have a pick six, is there a dance in mind for the celebration. I've been thinking, man, I've been trying to plan it out already. I got a lot. I gotta I gotta do something honor the African people, so I gotta dance there. I gotta do something under the area people to dance there. So yeah, I'm a planet. I'm

playing something out for sure. We're chatting to Chitabey Wouje. You attended Oak Grove High School, where you ran for more than a thousand yards your senior year, but you also blocked ten kicks. How do you block ten kicks? I mean, honestly, just being an athlete and then having a good get off, And I don't know. I think it was just something I found out I was good at thinking my sophomore year in high school. I would just rush off the ball real fast and then block

block punts, kicks, field goals. And yeah, I wonder why they have me do that more in college or NFL. But it's all good. I think I sell it in that corner pretty good. So I'm playing this for Darren Simmons to make sure that he's aware of that you chose to attend the University of Colorado. What did you enjoy most about college? The thing I enjoyed most about college was the camaraderie I got to see and be

a part of something real special. Came into a program that was rebuilding, and by the time my senior year happened, you know, we started to win, ended up being seventh in the ranked seventh in the country at one point. And those guys, you know, that's something that I think will always hold on too, just how we had all those experiences that led to that point, and that's led us to be great friends even now to this day. Um, that sior class, I'm blessed to play with Josh Tupo

who was on that team. We still have that connection and you know, all those guys have that connection. So that camaraderie was very something that that taught me a lot how to be a team. And you know when I got to the NFL in your sophomore year, you lacerated your kidney. That's serious stuff. How bad was it? It was bad, man, It was bad because I didn't understand what it was or the severity of it. I

guess when I fail, and it happened. You know, I just went to the bathroom in the locker room, and you know, I started to see blood in my us. You know, in my in my pee and H went back up and I was like, Yo, this is happening. Took me to the hospital and thank God that they took it serious enough to where I was able to we're able to diagnose it properly, and you know, that helped me out for the last three games with my

sophomore year. And it was just a real interesting time, first time that I really had an injury that kept me out of football and I could walk. I mean, I could think I could do everything. I just couldn't. I had to be careful, you know, and I just want I realized that, you know, football is such a precious sport to me. I don't want to not play. So from that time I started to be real conscious of, you know, every step I took. We're doing fun facts

with chitube a Wouge. You were a second round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys in twenty seventeen and it was a memorable moment in NFL draft history because it was in Philadelphia. Cowboys legend Drew Pearson announced the pick and he took the occasion to troll Eagles fans. Were you amused or did it kind of detract from your moment. No, No, I'm all for the splendor and the and the joy and the hate that he got for that too. I know Drew from that moment, I got to know Drew Pearson.

You know, it's a great guy, great energy, obviously a Hall of Fame player now who Thank God that he was able to make it in this year. I know it meant a lot to him, and it means a lot to me and my family, you know, because we're forever tied with that momentum. I think they also, you know, put people on notice that they Drew's not in the Hall of Fame yet, like let's you know what I'm saying, Like,

let's get him in the Hall of Fame. I think, um that that that that just a lot of good came from that moment, and I'm glad that I was part of it. The Dallas Cowboys are known as America's team. Their fan base is really worldwide, not the US wide. What was it like to be a Cowboy for four years? Oh? It was a blessing. Um. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Um that picked me obviously from UH College and that moment will always hold hold dirt in me and those moments that I shared with that team will always hold dirt to me. So I'm always thankful for the Dallas Cowboys. A lot of my friends still on that team, so I'm a fan of those guys and you know, ruin for them for the best. So you became a free agent, and it sounds like the Bengals really came after you

with a lot of passion. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's one thing that stuck out to me was how much they wanted me here and everything that coach Zack, coach Lou, coach Jackson, all the guys who I talked to, even the front office people, was about the culture here that they're starting to get the coachure right, the locker rooms good, all this kind of stuff. And when I was able to visit here and be here now, it all holds true.

You know, I really believe that I'm in the perfect place right now to be my best and hopefully to help this team be their best. So I'm real excited for things to come. I'm real comfortable here already. You know, the guys are real cool, the coaches are cool. So just excited to get this stand Roland all Right, a few non football topics. To wrap things up with, Chitabe wouje. You are an avid chess player. How did that start

and what you enjoy by chess? So, chess started in college when me and my teammates slash peers in my class. It used to be kind of bored in class. We had our laptops out, and you know, during a subject that maybe we knew about already, we would play some chess, you know, virtually on our laptops and it is real competitive, and you didn't want to lose, because if you lose, chess kind of makes you feel like something smarter than you, and that that doesn't really feel going when you know

that something smarter than you. So we would compete there and then it kind of died down. And then when I got to the Cowboys, there was a couple of chess players and again real competitive, don't want to lose. And I think I fostered a lot of relationships through chess. Um I've learned a lot about life, how to put things in order. You don't want to lose your queen, you know, obviously, don't want to lose the game by losing your king. You know, the rook's more worth more

than the pond and the bishop in the night. But each peace moves, you know, in great symmetry. To have a full team basically, so um, I think it's helped me articulate and put things in order very well. Are you the grand Master of the Bengals locker room. I wouldn't disrespect the name grand Master up I put in my name next to it, but I will say that I don't think anyone can beat me on this team. So yeah, all right. If you could meet anyone in history, athlete, actor, statesman, politician,

whatever it might be, who would that be. That's a very deep question, to be honest. The first name of popt to my mind was Muhammad Ali. But as you finished the question, I think my real answer would probably Jesus. I think that would mean that I made it to heaven. It should be a good thing, so I think, uh, yeah, those would be. That was my first reaction, and when I got my thoughts together, it was like, yeah, Jesus, two great answers. Last thing, what's the all time worst

mispronunciation of chittabay wuje? Dang? It's been a lot, man, I'll say this. One time someone couldn't send my name elementary school that instead of calling me Chuddle Bay, they called me cheddar Bay Biscuits. So that was my nickname for that guy called Cheddar Bay Biscuits from d Lobster. So, hey, you should get an endorsement dealt Hey, man, I enjoyed them. They are good. Yeah, yeah, they are really good. They're really good. So is this. I appreciate your time, have

a great season. Appreciate it. Chittaby, of course, was not the only free agent defensive back that the Bengals signed prior to last season. They also helped themselves and hurt the dreaded, hated but grudgingly respected Pittsburgh Steelers by signing one of the league's top slot cornerbacks. Time for some fun facts with cornerback Mike Hilton from Fayetteville, Georgia, about twenty miles away from Atlanta. What were some of the things that young Mike Hilton liked to do as a

kid growing up in Georgia. Man, one, I used to go to six Flags all the time. You know, if you heard about six Flags over George, you know they have some of the best roller coasters. So if I did that a lot. Of course, play football and you know just enjoyed enjoying my time as a queue. We have King's Island nearby. Do you still like roller coasters? I've heard about King's Island. Everybody said, definitely someplace I have to visit. So I'm gonna take my daughter there

and I'm gonna have some fun. We're doing fun facts with Mike Hilton. You attended Sandy Creek High School. You were more of a running back than a cornerback back then, right, Yes, I was. I got recruited mainly to play running back, and when I got to college, when I really flipped over to play corner Were you okay with that? I wasn't at first, but I knew, especially in the SEC in my size, running back was kind of a ife situation. So I know if I made that switch, you know,

you'll put me in a position to be here. So you're in the process of having a great NFL career, But you are not the most famous football player from your high school. Recently inducted Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson Megatron went to Sandy Creek. Did you see him when you were a kid. Did you get to see him? Player? Get to know him? Now? I've never actually seen him play when I was growing up, but during my high

school games he would come. So I've had chances to talk to him and you know, just ask him about the NFL life, and you know, we had some good conversations, and you know, I just want to say congrats to him for being inducted. Was that pretty exciting for folks back home to see him getting the all of fame? Oh? Absolutely, especially for our town, which you know isn't really the

biggest town. So you know, everybody knows everybody, and when you have a guy like Calvin Johnson that's inducted, you know, we take pride in then. So you are an outstanding player at one of Georgia's top high school football programs, but the University of Georgia wasn't interested. What did head coach Mark Richt say to you? I remember my high

school coach pulled me out. You know, during recruiting time, you get pulled out the type to college coaches, and you know, my high school coach was hyped me up and everything, and I met Rick and the first thing he said to him, he was like, You're just not just not big enough for me. So that's kind of been sticking with me throughout my whole career. You know, I don't look at it as a bad thing. You know, he's just him being honest. But it definitely pushed me to help me get to where I am, and it

still motivates you. Absolutely. I absolutely I still here to this day, whether it's from other people or the fans of the coaches that I'm not small, but I know what I'm capable of. So Mark Wrecht made a terrible mistake and not recruiting you, but All Mess was smart enough to recruit you. What was the best part of your college experience, man? Really just being around everybody, getting though my college teammates and getting that true college field.

You know, just when they say that's the best years of your life, that's honest truth. And I enjoyed all four. As a senior at All Mess, you received one of the highest honors a player can receive at that school. You were chosen to wear the number thirty eight in honor of the late Chucky Mullen's a great player who has paralyzed in the game. Can you articulate what that honor means? Number One, it goes to a senior defensive

player every year. It shows leadership qualities owning off the field most importantly, especially off the field, you know, just being in the community, doing right in the classroom, and then when it comes to own the field, being a playmaker, being a voice, being a leader. I really I really took to he to it my freshman year when I started to learn who he was and why they were passing the water down every year, and it was one

of my goals to become the winner. And you know, I was blessed a winning We're doing fun facts with Mike Hilton. Following your senior year at All Mess, you signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent. Things didn't work out there. You signed to the Patriots for their practice squad. They let you go. Did the thought of moving on from football even enter your mind? Oh? Absolutely.

After I got cut by New England, which I was only up there for a week, so that was like a true experience, like this game is cut through, it's a business. I was at home from like week twelve, I mean week two. It's about week twelve, week thirteen. So during that whole span I had stopped working out, started applying for jobs. I kind of just started to accept that you know my opportunity wasn't was going away, but you know I got that call from Pittsburgh and

everything took off. Sense, that's for sure. They gave you a chance. You capitalized with four great seasons in the Steelers uniform. When did you know you made it? I kind of had a feeling through it through that preseason, you know. Then it was four preseason games after the second and third when I was just making a lot of plays and I just had my ears around the locker room that like everybody like Mikey, you're good man.

You have nothing to worry about because you know, being undrafted, you're always worried, like today's the day I'm probably getting cut. But all those guys kind of kept me, kem me confident and kem me rolling. We're talking to Mike Hilton. So, as we've referenced, you're not a big guy, five nine eighty four according to the roster, but you're one of the best blitzing defensive backs in the NFL. What's the secret. I don't want to give away too much, but you know,

it's just learning the tendencies of the quarterback. You know when they're going to snap it, if they're gonna possibly have a motion before just you know, watching field and just picking out those bits and pieces I can use to time up listening up better. Do you have a favorite sack one? If we go one, I would say when I actually tied the record in Pittsburgh in twenty seventeen where I had three, So it was that third one when I obviously tied the record is my favorite one.

Now what was that record for three in a game or three three in a game? It was I say Troy Polamalus on that list and Carneal Lakes on that list and myself. So just knowing Pittsburgh history and being up there with those guys, it's a great on. I have to find out what records you're gonna break. Here we're talking to Mike Hilton. You became a free agent. You signed a four year, twenty four million dollars deal

with the Bengals. That's generational, changing wealth potentially. When you go from undrafted free agent who had been let go a couple of times to highly coveted free agent signing

a big deal, is it a little bit overwhelming? I wouldn't say so, because I know how hard I've worded to get in this position from our early experiences being cut that kind of just got my mentality rolling, you know, being at home and seeing other guys who, honestly, I felt like I was bettering, you know, out there competing

on Sundays. I didn't let it get me down. And you know, over the four years I was able to perform, and I'm ready to perform here and since it so since joining the Bengals, you have brought an accountability chart essentially to the defensive backs room. Tell us about that one. It's something I learned from the learning from Joe Hayden.

So shout out Joe, our appreciation man. But you know, it's just something especially in the secondary, we're all about getting getting our hands on the ball, being in great coverage and just making plays. And when I brought it here, you know, guys really really embraced it because they know if we're doing these things correctly, it's going to pay off on Sunday. So I'm excited to see see how we fair Sunday. One of the categories is apparently loafs.

You get punished for loafing, and as a defender of the worst thing you can do is loaf to the ball. If all other teen is running to the ball and you're that one that's have a jog and sticking out, it's gonna be seen. You're gonna get called out. So I kind of put that not just on the secondarybody as a defense, as a whole, like, we want to be fast, we want to be physical, and we can't have no loafs. All right, let's get to some wildcard categories for Mike Hilton. Who is your all time favorite

athlete in any sport? Any sport? Man? I have to go with the King, Lebron James Man. He's the goat. He's the best to ever do it. And I'm kind of saying his career slowly coming to an end, but you know, I've enjoyed watching him my whole lifetime. Have the other chance to meet him, I haven't, but you know, hopefully one day, whether he's still playing or not, I have that opportunity. All right, what do you like to spend your money on? Oh? Man, we're getting personal. I'm

gonna give a husband answer. I have a wife and a daughter, so all my money goes to them too, and you know, especially my daughter or whatever she wants, it's hard to say no. So really them too. How old is your daughter? And what's your favorite part about being a dad? She she turned to on the nineteen so she just turned to and favorite part just just seeing them grow up. You know, every day is like they learned something new, and you know, it just puts a smile on my face. And when every time I

come home or first d daddy, daddy. So it's a great feeling. Now we're gonna get really deep. If you could meet anybody in history, athlete, entertainer, statesman, for whatever it might be, who would that person be? Hint anybody to meet, I would say Michael Jackson. It's kind of an old school answer. I like it. Yeah, man, I kind of got an old school So then you know, I've raised around a lot of older people, so that s what I know. Do you have any hidden talents?

I don't. That's what we're gonna think about it. I don't. I don't play any instruments, can't see or nothing. So you know, God bless me. Play football. So that's what I'm doing. Last thing, is there anything that you are really bad at? Really bad it? I'll be honest, I'm not the best mathematician like easy math. Yes, but if we go in you know, equations, fractions, dancing, where things get a little hectic for me. As long as you know the value of a pick six, that's the only

Matthew you need to know. Absolutely, this has been fun. I appreciate your time. Welcome to US Cincinnati investal luck this year. Thank you. I'm excited to be a next a baby faced kid who arguably had the best rookie season of any kicker in NFL history. Go for some fun facts with kicker Evan McPherson from Fort Payne, Alabama, population roughly fifteen thousand in the northeast part of the state. Describe Fort Payne and some of the things you like

about your hometown. It's a small town where how I'll explain it is everybody kind of knows everybody. It was a lot of fun growing up. There not much going on, and so all you're all you had to really focus on was you know, your your sports and then uh and then really church was a big thing in our community too, and so you go church on Sunday and then pretty much sports, um, every day of the week. Um. But small town feel, um. You know, there's only one

school really in the city. And so everybody goes to that one school and um, you pretty much know almost everybody in the in the city. Sounds like Lakewood, New York, where I grew up. Fort Payne is the home of the band Alabama, one of the biggest selling country music bands of all time. In fact, there is a museum dedicated to the band in Fort Payne. Are you a country music guy and have you ever gone into the museum? Yeah,

I'm one hundred percent a country music guy. If you were to get in my car with me right now, that's what would be on the radio. Um. Yeah, I just grew up listening to it. Um, you know, being for Fort paynees. Like you said, it's probably a big part of our culture with the band Alabama being from Fort Payne, and it's super cool just to um, you know, I have them represent FOURT Payne in a great way and you know, on the national country music stage. But

I've never been in the museum. I drive past it every single day, but I've never actually been in it. Something to look forward to on your next visit home. We are chatting with Evan McPherson. You're from a family of kickers. Your older brother was a college punter. Your younger brother is headed to Auburn. He's considered to be the top high school kicker in the country. How did

the McPherson boys become such good kickers? I mean, I think it just comes down to us just playing a lot of sports grown up, and the main one being soccer. You know, we were out in the yard every day shooting at a goal, just kind of working on our legs strength then even though we didn't really realize how we were going to use it, you know later down the road. I think it just all started. You go, playing soccer to young age and just continuing to play

it as we grew up. And then you know, when my older brother got in the ninth grade, he went out and tried out and just saw the kicker at the time at the other field, at the other end of the field kicking and he thought it was pretty cool, and so he just went over and tried it out, came home and told the family that he was going to be the kicker, and he kind of went from there.

I mean, I probably went outside that day and I was like, I've never seen this before, and I probably went out and tried it, and you know, the rest is history. I mean ever since then, we turned our soccer goal into uprights, and so that's kind of how it's been since since then. I am the least handy person in the world. I can barely change a light bulb. How did you guys turn a soccer goal into basically

a makeshift goal post. Yeah, so we just had some extra PVC pie laying around the house or around the garage or something, and then we just grabbed him. UM took some bungee cord and wrapped it tied around the soccer goal post, and UM just tied it to the soccer goal and that's kind of how we made it work. Described the history of the high school state record for longest field goal in Alabama, because it seems like it's gone from brother to brother to brother. It has UM.

I know, when my older brother was in in high school, I think the record might have been fifty six fifty six, and for him to get the fifty seven was huge at the time. You know, we're all excited for him, and you know, it's really cool to have your name in a record book, especially for for it to be for the longest field goal UM in state history. And so you know, after you hit that, obviously, then my

goal is to beat him. And you know, I really got fortunate with you know, my coach give me the opportunity to attempt long ones, and my senior year, I broke his record, said it with a sixty yard field goal. And then obviously from there, my little brother now his goal is to break my record. And he's had so many attempts over the course of his career. I mean, his coaches out there letting him attempt seventy yard field goals,

which is which is pretty crazy. And he almost made the seven yard field goal he attempted, but he came up a little short. And then last week he hits a sixty one yard field goal in the first quarter, but his teammate false starts, so back him up to sixty six, came up short, and then later in the game he came back and hit another sixty one with no false start. And so he broke my record last last week, and so took my name out of the

record book, but same last name. And you know, I'm super super excited for him, and you know, it just shows it as a good coach. So that's awesome. We're doing fun facts with Havan McPherson kicker's dream of walk off kicks that win games. But your first walkoff moment in sports was actually in soccer state championship. You're a ninth grader. Tell me about the game winning goal and what that moment meant to you. And that moment was

super special. We had five freshman starting on that team and just growing up with those those guys and playing with them ever since we were probably seven years old. It was just super special to to honestly win a state championship with the team, but and then on top of that, to score the game winning goal. It was super special, a lot of fun. I mean, I gotta give credit where credits to do. I mean, my teammates did a great job putting me in the position to

score that goal. I had a great pass and all I had to do is kind of go put my head on it and flip it over the goal. But yeah, that was such a special moment for me and I guess for my sports career. People can watch the video on YouTube, and I recommend listening to the commentators as well. They got very excited about that double overtime state championship winning goal. We're talking to Vin McPherson, when it came time to go to college, you chose to leave the

state of Alabama and become a Florida Gator. Why. You know, I really trusted in everything that coach Mullen was doing. You know, I was committed to Mississippi State for over a year, and that just kind of came down to I mean, one, I really enjoyed Startville. I'll talk a little bit about Mississippi State, but I really liked Starvilling, the town that it was in, and but too like

the coaching staff, the strength staff. You know, I really blended well with those guys and really liked what they were doing, and I felt really confident in them, and you know they felt confident in me. And so that's really why I decide to go there. And then whenever coach Mullen got the job at Florida, he calls me

the day landed and offered me a scholarship there. Um. You know, I sat there and thought about it for a couple of days, and then I was like, you know, um, where my heart lies was kind of with the coaching staff that went to Florida, and you know, I really wanted to play in big games, and I thought, um that Florida would give me the opportunity to play in a lot bigger games than if I had gone to Mississippi State. And you know, that's what it kind of

came down to. And you know, I felt, I guess a little more comfortable at Florida just because I had that that bond with the whole the whole staff that was down there. You had a great career for Florida, and then the Bengal selected you in the fifth round of the draft, the only kicker selected in this year's draft. Describe your draft day experience. Draft day was was awesome.

We had some people get together at the house to watch because I had a pretty good idea that I was going to get drafted, and you know, I was hoping I would just didn't know where. It's kind of a mystery. And the whole day it was pretty special. I mean, we had this Mexican restaurant in town where I pretty much called my second home. I'm there whenever

I'm back home, I'm there all the time. And you know, they were kind enough to to cater food to the house for everybody that was there, and I think, shoot, we probably started sitting around the TV, probably fourth round and just sitting around, sitting around the TV, just sitting there with all my friends and family that I've all supported me throughout my career was super special. And then you know, the fifth round, whenever it came around and I got the phone call, whole place kind of erupted

and a super special moment for me. Um. Obviously my fiance sitting a round by my side, and she's been with me since my freshman year of high school, and so she's she's watched me grow and help me grow, you know, into what I am today, And it was honestly just a super special moment for everyone involved. Your NFL career began with a bang as you kicked an overtime game winning field goal to beat the Minnesota Vikings at Paul Brown Stadium. Who was the most nervous you,

your parents or your fiance. I would probably say my parents are a fiance for sure. I can't tell you which one was probably more nervous, But I think I was super confident in myself, so once I was really nervous at all, I know they panned over to me after they called the time out, and I was kind of smiling. You know, I'm all super confident and my abilities to make that kick. It's a pat in my mind and on you. I was gonna do everything in

my power to put it through. You had a walkoff game winner in your first home game, a walkoff game winner in your second home game, and you thought you had a walkoff game winner in your third home game for a gust of wind led to a miss against Green Bay. Do you cringe when you see footage of the postgame celebration. I don't think I cringe. I laugh more than everything, because you know, you can't really do

anything about it now. It's it's it's in the past, and so I kind of it's honestly more funny than it is cringey to me, just based off of what I felt in the moment. Thought it hit it well, and I thought it was just gonna stay its course and you know, split the uprights, but the wind had different plants, and so that's definitely something I learned from. And I don't think you'll see me celebrate early on

a field goal again. I do think we will be seeing you celebrate game winning field goals again, though, that's for sure. A few wildcard categories. To wrap up fun Facts with Evan McPherson. You have a very youthful appearance. Do you have any amusing stories about people not buying that you are a professional football player? I got a couple,

I guess too. Um, since I've been here, it's funny because, um, outside the facility, UM, Kevin Hubert, he's really you know, taking me under his wing and you know, we'll go golf a little. Or we went to the Friday night you UC game and at the golf course, Um, we were checking in getting our golf cart, and the guy that was checking us in was like, UM, what he's like, is this your son or something? And he's like he's like no, he's just a guest. He's with me, all right.

That was my first experience hearing somebody say something like that about me and Kevin. And then at the UC game, the Friday night UC game, we go down and um, we're talking to Kevin's X neighbor and she asked about it was Kevin's nephew. Kevin was like, no, we're He was like no, we're co workers. And so we go on talking whatever, and she didn't believe it. Ever, he said it and so Kevin's other friends knew who I was and you as a kicker, and later on she

was like, so who are you really? Still wasn't still wasn't buying it, and his other friends were like, he's the kicker for the Bengals. And she's like what. She's like, I don't believe you. She's like, you looked like you're seventeen. Like yeah, I mean he looked like I'm seventeen, but I'm twenty two. And then the last one I'll give you it was when we were at Detroit and I'll walk out of the out of the locker room and the security lady is sating right there and she's like,

do you have credentials? And I'm like, no, I'm a player, she said. She said nah. She's like, I don't believe you. I need to see credentials. And I was like, well, I'm a picture on myself. I could show you because I had my phone, and so I'll show her a picture. He's like that's not enough, like I need to see credentials. And luckily at that time Al Golden was walking out and the lady said, hey, sirs, is he a player? And he's like yeah, and so she'll let me go.

And finally got onto the field, and what it was funny? And when I got to the field, they were giving me a hard time. They wouldn't let me onto the field. So those just a couple of instances. But um, you know, hopefully, like you said, we'll be celebrating a lot of more game winners and maybe people start to recognize me a little more. Trust me, someday you'll be very happy you have this youthful appearance. Who is your all time favorite athlete in any sport? So I grew up really liking

it's gonna be funny Tom Brady. I was a Patriots fan growing up. I really liked how he competed and what he brought to the team and obviously how much he won. And so he's probably one of my favorite athletes growing up. But um, other than him, a wild card that nobody really think of. His name is Ronald Dino and he played for Barcelona AC Milan and I

appreciate you played for Brazil national team. He was my favorite soccer player, I'd say, and whenever I was growing up playing soccer, he was the guy that I really looked at to I guess you could say, emulate last thing. If you could meet anybody in history, athlete, actor, statesman, historical figure, whoever that might be, who would be at the top of your list. Probably God. I think that would be pretty cool. You can ask about that gust of wind. Yeah, I'll ask him what was up with

that gust of wind against Green Bay? Because I was like, I knew what my mind and what my body was telling which way the wind was blown. But I was like, I guess he had a different, different plan. So I'll definitely ask him about that. This has been great. I really appreciate your time. Congratulations on a great start and best of like this year. Thank you. Before we get to our next fun facts interview, here's a reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast just presented by Ultimate Bengals, the

free to play fantasy football game. This past season, Ultimate Bengals awarded a weekly winner during the course of the year with tickets, autographed merchandise, and money can't buy experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals in the app Store and Google Play. Up next, the man who made the term glass eaters famous. This offseason, time for some fun facts with offensive line coach Frank Pollock born in Camp Springs, Maryland, near Washington, DC, before attending high school

in Phoenix, Arizona. Frank, where did you spend the bulk of your childhood and what did you like to do as a kid? A group in Phoenix. I moved out there when I was two. My parents were in the Navy and when they met and got married and had me and we moved out to Phoenix. So our group Phoenix seventies and eighties and love sports, love football right from the get go, and just did all the sports growing up as a kid, like probably every other kid,

and just blast. I always assume and maybe it's stereotypical that the child of military parents has a very disciplined life as a kid. Was that the case for you? Yeah, I wouldn't say they were military parents because they got out like right after I was born, within two years, because then my younger sister was born in the same DC area and then we left, so I know, we really remember my dad ever being in the military. I was like two, so but yeah, I mean I was disciplined.

My dad grew up in Cleveland and then went to Benedict in high school and so kind of a you know, midwestern upbringing out there in the West Coast. You know, discipline was big in our house, and you know, so he kept me in line off every got a little squirrelly. We're doing fun facts with Frank Pollock. You're a big man. You're a former NFL offensive lineman. Were you always the big kid in the neighborhood? No, Actually, I was a

late bloomer. I was decent sized young with then by the time I got the high school, everyone was taller, bigger than me. It's funny to see someone my high school JV team pictures and some of my good buddies that they were all taller and bigger than me, and now I tower over them. So I was a late bloomer and grew a ton right before my senior year and then obviously throughout college. When it came time for college, he became a lumberjack at Northern Arizona University y NAU.

It was the only scholarship offer I had outside of a couple of local junior colleges, so I took it and ran with it. Northern Arizona has a remarkable record of sending coaches to the NFL. Who did you overlap with as a player and then as a young assistant coach. Yeah, I was very fortunate to be coached by some incredible

coaches early on in college. Are my office a line coach my sophomore junior years was Bill Callahan and then before him, actually for one year really my true sophomore year, I had a late redshirt hardship there, but was Andy Reid was my line coach before coach Callahan came in. And then the see for most of those years. Four out of the five was Brad childress Um Marty morney Wig was a young GA running back coach on that staff. Steve Hagen, who coached a long time in the league

tight ends and receivers, was our was our receivers coach. Um. I was very fortunate. And then uh, they had a few good coaches kind of came in after me when I had left on a different staff. And actually Brad Craigthorpe's dad was on that staff. Uh, the younger Zampez Ken Zampez was on that staff. I'm drawing a blank. The head coach Carl Darelle at Colorado was on that staff. All these young guys that have gone and have great career, so um and hes had a lot. Mike Shanahan coach

there early in his career. Um, I'm drawing a blank. Now I'm the old New England old line coach's Karnekia He's he coached there early in his career. So it's kind of one of those unique, weird places. I always call it the cradle to coaches on the West coast. I know Miami of Ohio's got that title on the east the Mississippi. I'm I'm gonna claim it on the West Mississippi rightfully. So we're visiting the Frank Pollock. You mentioned Bill Callaghan, who is the brother the dad I

should say of offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. He was Zach Taylor's head coach at Nebraska. He is a big reason why you became a coach. Correct, Yeah, he's He's He's been huge impact on my life from a player in coaching. I'm a member writing him a letter when I was playing that I wanted to come in GA for him at Wisconsin and then and he wrote me back a nice letter saying that love to have you GA for me.

In fact, I saved that letter and years later when I ended up coaching with him form in Dallas as his assistant. I showed him that letter. He was flabbergast that I still kept it. So he's been huge for me. Learned a ton and still learning a ton from him. He's been been very fortunate in that regards. He learned a degree in advertising. If you didn't get into coaching, is that what you would have done? No, it was the classic. I didn't want to I didn't want to

go down to the pe route. I wanted something a little bit different. So I just decided advertising didn't have a lot of math in it, like, yeah, I'll do that. But yeah, I kind of always knew I wanted to coach. I tried to stay away from it later in my life and then got back into it. That's where my badgion is. After being named an All American in Northern Arizona, you were a sixth round draft pick by the forty nine ers in nineteen ninety. Describe your draft experience. It

was funny you ask. It was a little different than how they do things now, but it was kind of a drawn out process over three days, and in fact, it went like Saturday, Sunday, and Monday was kind of like the last day. So my agent at the time in Phoenix had a you know, a big to do party and whatnot during the first day of the draft, and he had a bunch of you know, high first round draft guys. I knew I clearly was not going to be taken that day, but just enjoyed the festivities.

But I was under the impression that maybe the next day I might go. And then I didn't get any information, and so I had to get up early on Monday morning go to his office. He was a little kid in Phoenix, and I was just a wreck. I mean, we're getting into the later rounds. The sixth rounds gone, the seventh rounds gone. This is about me. Had twelve rounds. We're in like the ninth and tenth round. My agents calling around teams. He calls the Washington Redskins and hits

up Charlie Castle. I guess he showed interest in me pre draft draft and he goes, what do you mean the Niners took him way back in the sixth round. And he goes, what, they haven't even called him. And he tells me that. I go, I'm not believing I get a phone call. So he calls the Niners and he said, yeah, yeah, we're gonna call him. We were just we just worked out a draft a trade, and we haven't a chance to call him yet. So that's sums up in a nutshell. It's like, you know, there's

some sixth round old line guy. We'll get back. We'll get to him whenever we can get to him. So that was kind of my draft experience, but nonetheless I got my foot in the door. That might be the greatest example of how the draft has changed that I have ever heard. You were an NFL player for nine years, seven in San Franz, two in Denver. You won a Super Bowl ring with the ninety four San Francisco forty

nine Ers when they beat the Chargers. What do you cherish the most about your experience as an NFL player? The great teammates, the camaraderie with all my teammates. I told the guys all the time, that's what you're gonna miss. Number one, the great experiences and that we had. We

wanted a lot of football games. Loved my experiences with all the different coaches that came through the Niners years that I was there and in Denver, and then just just those great experiences and being part of being able to you know, play pro football. This is a dream come true. And being able to be on such a great winning organization again a championship there with the Niners was tremendous. Something always uh, we're relish, we're doing fun facts with Frank Pollock. The list of Hall of Fame

players that were your teammates is remarkable. I'm going to name a few and I would like you to just share a memory or a description, whatever comes to mind. Joe Montana prankster. First thing it comes to my training camp, you'd take guys bikes and throw them up into the trees. He had at Rockland Community Sieri Community College in rock And, California, because he didn't have to stay in late meetings. He knew the skiss system so kind of an old veteran.

They led him out of the meetings early and you'd find it was on the campus as like. He'd ride bikes to the meetings back to the dorms and he would put guys bikes in the trees. Great guy loved to go out with the old line especially and take him out, treat him out for some drinks and dinners. And it was a lot of fun. Great guy. Did he prank you, No, he never pranked me, but he did save me from getting just abused as a rookie from Charles Haley. But he was a guy was constantly

liked to pick on rookies. One day in the locker room, we would sign his autograph footballs in front of the equipment room every day. It was part of our deal. And then Charles Haley sees me over there, so he's just you know, taking his ribbings, getting his opportunities at me as a rookie. And Joe lockers right there and he said, hey, hey, Charles, leave him alone. And then I was like, oh, this is a great guy. And so Charles never messed me again because Joe told him

not to mess with the man. It's like, okay, I'll take it. I have newfound respect for Joe. Montana. John Elway. John el was another guy loved hanging out with the old line. Good time guy loves loves to hang out with the fellows. He was rehabbing his shoulder hit an injury and then I was on an ir with the back surgery that year, so at some point doing rehab

together like they have you off to the side. He was gonna start throwing some balls, So they asked if I would just go stand over there and he's gonna throw these deep out routes to him. I just had to stand there. Oh my god. I mean he must have been like thirty forty yards away, and how hard he through. My hands were hurting in red and hurt afterwards. I mean, I was just trying to protect my face from not getting just I mean, it is ridiculous how

hard that guy throws. That was like, like, wow, it's impressible. They talk about the elway cross, the point on the end of the football where you've got the scenes that come together, and how he used to leave an indentation of that cross on guy's chest and stuff that's legit because he zipped the ball in there. Man, it was crazy. Jerry Rice, unbelievable work ethic. I shared stuff like this with my guys all the time. This guy was so talented, but you were never ever going to outwork him. He

was just my niacole over it. Just relentless prepractice, post practice. It was it got He's just an animal. On how he would work out in his conditioning, his work ethic was unbelievable. Unbelievable. Ronnie Lott. Ronnie Lott is one of my most favorite individuals. I got the utmost respect for that guy for how he was on the field and in the locker room, but him afterwards, years later before I got on the coach and I got to do some business stuff with him and got to learn just

get to know him little bit better. Such a class to act and just a man, a man's man, a gentleman. He does a lot for the community with his all star helping kids charity. He's genuine, he's He taught me as an early player leadership from the locker room and chemistry matters more than anything on a football team. I played with him for two years and when he left to the Raiders, we had a slow start the next year and we had a team only players meeting and

I'm a young guy. I'm as when they're listening, and all the old guys our leaderships then got up in every one of them to a man reference where Ronnie would say this, Ronnie would do that. He wasn't on our team anymore. I'm like, when I coach someday, never forget that. So it's all about leadership got come from the players, and chemistry matters more than anything. Line one, culture matters. Gan Sanders he was. He came in with all the hype right primetime. You're like, what's this guy

gonna be like? You know? And then when he came in, he was just like one of the guys that all that was just his persona off the field to get himself endorsements. He was just a regular guy, worked his butt off. His work ethic was right up there with the rest of the fellas and how we ran things there, and his talent and speed were incredible. We had a pretty good player. Dexter Carter was our kick returner, first round draft pick out of Florida State, same year as me.

Fast and he was good. And then Dion got there, well he's gonna start returning kicks, and then you could literally see the difference of speed and I'm like, oh my god, That's when I ever realized how fast he was, and some of these players in this league was We could literally see the difference where Dexter Carter is not slow, he's fast, and you're like, holy cow, up close and seeing that, and he would lay out his whole uniform, pregame ritual, his shoes, his socks, like it was like

one of them chalk lines of a dead body. His pants, his band dans, his sweet towels, all that laid out, his wrist bands on his elbows and wrist whatever it was, his gloves, his helmet, That's how he would he would lay it out and he would walk around the locker room and dollars signed boxer shorts to get getting ready for a game. And it was kind of like where I learned. Also, is like every players got their own

unique way to get themselves ready. They're all professionals. You just have their own unique way getting So I was ready to play a fantastic player. You don't do that with your clothes. Now, I don't. I don't have the physique or a skill set he had. I keep my IKEA clever it up there all right. A couple of wild card categories to wrap things up. Who is your all time favorite athlete in any sport? Jeez, that's a great question. I was a big Cowboy fan growing up,

so I love twenty doors set Roger stall Back. We didn't have any professional sports teams set the Suns, so at the time that the Sons. Is a big Walter Davis fan, and then I was a Dodgers fan, so Dusty Baker was my favorite player growing up in the seventies. Those are really the guys I idolized at the time growing up as a kid. Do you have any hidden talents or off field interests that might surprise us? My wife would definitely say, I have no hidden talents whatsoever.

I'm worthless at home. I got I can't do anything, So I would say probably not, except I do like to golf a little bit on my time off in the summer. But I'm horrible, but I love it. It's fun to get outside and a beautiful setting on a golf course and drink and eat while you play. It's always fun to do that. If you're horrible but you love it, we'll play. We'd be a good match. Last thing.

And this is kind of deep. If you could meet anybody in history, athlete, actor, statesman, politician, religious figure, whatever it might be, who would that person be. That's a great question, and I've always I have pondered that if I could go back in time, and I'd always want to go back in time to meet some of the

legendary athletes and coaches. And then so with my position right now, I have to say Vince Lombardi and just pick his brain on his approach to the game and practice and just experience and meet a guy like him what he's done so much to the sport and person. But really anybody. I'm a real big sports historian, h I love that stuff. So I'd love to meet any of those guys. I mean, Babe Ruth, who would not want to go back in time and just just to be able to be around Babe Ruth. I mean, he

was heard he's pretty fun too to be around. But Vincent Brie is the first guy that comes to mind. Just would love to pick his brain on everything that he'd done, And I can't. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Paul Brown, all right, So he would. He's incredible how much he's invented for this game. Um, and since since I come to the Bengals and learn a little bit more about him, already knew some of the stuff that he's done and created invented. But he'd be

another guy to be really cool. We have a I guess mister Brown upstairs has got a lot of his artifacts and memorabilia upstairs, and my first time I was here, I got to go check out some of that stuff. I know some of those things. I'm his writings are up there. I'd love to go up there one of these days in the off season and read some of his notes on plays and whatnot. This has been great. It's awesome to have you back on the Bengals coaching staff.

Continued success and thanks for the time. Thank you very Much's awesome to beback. Appreciate it. My final favorite interview from this past season was with Bengals president Mike Brown. We sat down in his office shortly before the Bengals headed to Los Angeles for Super Bowl fifty six. Mike, football has been your life personally and professionally. Can you articulate what this Super Bowl trip means to you? What's very satisfying. Our team came together and we've had a

string of amazingly close games. They were exciting. We prevailed in four of them, really to get to this point. Twice against Kansas City, the first one here and we had to win that one to win the division and get into the playoffs. And just as pleased as it's possible to be. If you're in my position, this is what your goal is in life. And here we are. We have a chance to win a big winning That would be great if we could pull it off. But it's an exciting time for me and for all the

people here with the Bengals. At what point did you think that this team could be a contender. Well, Joe Burrow makes you think you can win any game that you go into, and we have amazing white outs. We've got three guys that are just tremendous. That gives us a live offense. These days in the NFL, the goal is to score thirty points or more. That's what you need to win it. You can even lose it that figure, but if you can get there with enough defense to

go with it, you prevail. And we did Noise get there. We did Noise prevail. But as we went along, our confidence built because you could see we could play with anybody. And then we got to the point where we were winning these close games. And here we are. We'll see what happens next, but this is a good group of players, a good group of people, and they look forward to see what happens out in La Mike. When your father's Cleveland Browns are winning championships. His quarterback was Autogram, the

Tom Brady of his era winning seven championships. Does Joe Burrow remind you of Autogram in any way they compete? They just performed best when the pressure is greatest. And remember having utter confidence and Auto grammart somehow, some way he would get us where we needed to go. And the same as true with Joe. Joe finds the way and the players believe in him here, just as the old Browns players believed in Otto. They thought that they

were going to do it. They had confidence, and Otto was the one that instilled that, just as Joe does with our guys these days. I don't know if you've ever seen the movie Jerry McGuire, but there's a cheesy line in it where the female character says to Tom Cruise, the sports agent, you had me at hello when you met with Joe Burrow at the NFL scouting combine? Did he have you at hello? He was focused, and he

wasn't very interested in small talk. Zach did some football discuss with him then and at another time as well, I think, and you perked up when you saw him, and how he conducted him, so he has a air about him that calls for respect. When he came here, he earned that. Everyone believes in him here. That's what

you want from your quarterback. After clinching the AFC North, Zach Taylor gave you and your wife Nancy a game ball and said if he was working for a different owner, he probably would not have had a third year as the head coach. What did you see that gave you confidence that Zach ultimately would be successful. He's organized, he's a good person, He's knowledgeable about football. He was young

and went through some things. But quite honestly, we were injured the year with Joe and the team was injured, and that was what set us back more than anything. But you could see the basic structure was what I hope for. He knows the passing game and that's where the NFL is these days, and he teams well with Joe. They both believe in each other. I never thought that there was any question that he was capable of doing this. So it's off to Super Bowl fifty six in Los Angeles.

Do you typically attend the Super Bowl? I used to. I'm old now and so I don't. I have in recent years, had get together with a group of friends and we sit and watch and have a nice time at home. Here Katie has taken over. She goes to the Super Bowl. I've seen that stick and it's quite amazing. It's fun, but I've done it enough times that I'm

ready to hand it off to Katie. I covered a Super Bowl years ago where Marv Levy, the Buffalo Bills coach, refused to pose for a picture with the Lombardi Trophy before the game. He thought it was bad luck. Have you ever held the Lombardi Trophy? No? Have you dreamed of that moment where the commissioner hands you the Lombardi Trophy after a Bengal Super Bowl win? Oh? I don't dream of such things. Yes, I know that's what you would like to have happened, But I don't have night

thoughts along those slides. I didn't live here in nineteen eighty one or nineteen eighty eight, but Dave Lappham has dis gribe for me what the city was like when the Bengals were going to those two Super Bowls. What does it meant to you to see the city of Cincinnati and this area gets so excited about this team. This is a wonderful moment for me. What our goal

is beyond winning on the field. That's how you get to the next goal, which is to excite the city and get our supporters feeling happy about how it's going and enjoying it. Getting involved in the ways they do that for me is a real treat and enjoying that part of it as much as anything. Tyler Boyd recently described how much he appreciates you attending every practice, regardless

of the weather, regardless of the circumstances. You are always there, and he went on to say he enjoys going over and as he put it, chopping it up with you, having brief conversations with you. What did those interactions with the mean to you. Well, as I've gotten older, I know our players less well. I watched them. Tyler's one I still get to talk to occasionally, and I appreciate the fact that he comes over and treats me as buddy if you will for a moment or two. It's fun.

And once upon a time I knew all the guys I had. I signed them all every year I did that, and they were on a first name basis with me from those days. These days a lot of them want to call me mister Brown, and that's that puts me a notice of where I am in life. But it's fun to watch them. I have nothing that I would prefer to do more than sit and watch the team practice. They're remarkable athletes. Enjoy the passing game. I enjoy watching

the offensive line and the defensive line when they get together. Oh, it's just for me. What is the thing I like to do best? Some people rather play golf, some people rather collect stamps. I don't know that. This for me is all that and more, and it's what I want to do and I'm lucky to have it. You'd rather be on a golf cart next to the practice field than on a beach in Acapulco. Well, I'd rather be out with the players. I would. I don't have anything any desire and be to be an Alcapulco. But I

believe I'm very happy with what my lot is. I feel fortunate, and the weather is the weather. I just accept that part of it. In some ways makes it more interesting because it presents challenges, and that's sort of fun to see how that can be handled. The NFL is big business, but it remains family business. In Cincinnati. You are experiencing this with your son, your daughter, your son in law, two of your granddaughters. Does that add to how meaningful this whole experience is? Oh, it was

my goal to be able to do this. My father didn't. I've been involved with this as his assistant and then really for a while with him in his older days. I had a big role in it really that wasn't recognized outside of here. And now it's gone to where I ran it to where now I am passing it on to Katie and Paul and Troy and the girls Elizabeth and Caroline. They're smart, they work hard, they like it, and it's the point now where I have to learn to shut up more. What do you think your father

would think of the twenty twenty one Cincinnati Bengals. He would have liked this team. This was his kind of team, and we're wide open. We get some remarkable plays on offense, we have a defense that is solid, we have a lot of pieces. Maybe we won't prevail every time out, but believe me, they'll know they had to go and this team can play with anybody. This was his dream fifty four years ago when he bought professional football to Cincinnati for the Bengals to be Super Bowl champions? Is

that part of the motivation for you to realize his vision? Honestly, I don't think of it in those terms. I think of it as to what it means for the people here. That's what pleases me. I enjoy seeing them celebrate and have fun. One of the things that was just first straight for me. After the game in Kansas City where we won the way we did, I was out in

the parking lot on the bus. I go with the players on the bus and I'm sitting there watching and they're interacting with their families and their children, And for me, that was about as good a time as I could have. I didn't do anything except watch to see them feeling good about themselves and how it had gone. That was

what made me happy. Well, I share your happiness over the excitement of Bengals fans, but I'm really happy for you and I truly hope that we all get to see you holding that Lombardi Trophy after a Bean Super Bowl win over the Rams. Thank you so much for your time, Congratulations on this great season, best of luck on Super Bowl Sunday. Thanks Unfortunately, Mike didn't get to hold up the Lombardi Trophy this past February, but I think we all like his chances within the next few years.

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 boot Podcast.