Bengals Booth Podcast: We've Only Just Begun

will join me for postgame analysis. Plus in this week's Fun Facts Conversation, it's cornerback Dray Kirkpatrick on a wide variety of topics ranging from growing up a preacher's kid in Alabama to what would surprise us about his college coach Nick Saban. All of that is straight ahead, but 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, Google Play, Spotify,

or pod Bean. It's the greatest convention since refrigerated kit Cats. One of the many perks of traveling with the Bengals is that our awesome flight attendants pass out candy bars on the flight home. For me, that means grabbing a king sized kit cat, placing it in the freezer when I get home, and then enjoying the refrigerated goodness in the days that follow. But here's a key warning. Don't put a Snickers in the freezer. You might lose a tooth. Now,

let's get to football. Many of the bengals best players didn't take the field in the preseason opener at Kansas City, including aj Green, Joe Mixon, Giovanni, Bernard Tyler, Reifer, Geno Atkins, Karl Lawson, and Will Jackson, either due to injury or to make sure they don't get hurt in a game that doesn't count. But Andy Dalton did take the field. It's important for him to get at least some live varience with Zach Taylor calling the plays, and things could

not have gone better. On the Bengals opening drive, third down and eleven at the Kansas City forty yard line, Autum Tate goes in motion out to the right, just outside the numerals shotgun snap. Dalton, looking left now dumps it off to a running back for a screen tray ViOn Williams charging up the numerals, he'll pick up a first down. On third and eleven, he gets tackled at the Kansas City twenty seven. Dalton floats one four tight. He high points the ball and he pulls it in.

He's tackled inside the one. It will be first in goal as autum Tate used his height to pull it in over chart various ward. Trevion Williams remains the running back. Dalton gives it to him again and Williams goes low and takes it into the end zone for an opening touchdown for Cincinnati. We are in the locker room with rookie running back trey ViOn Williams. Let the records show the Bengals scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the preseason, and you scored it in your first NFL

preseason game. You've got an ear to ear grin. It's a great moment, man. It's crazy. You know, growing up you have wishes of planning in NFL and just like just walking on the field before the game, you know, just thinking like wow, this is this is actually happened. You know, me being in my first NFL game and then being able to escort at NFL touchdown and my debut. You know, it's a blessing. So I thank God and thank my teammates. And thank his organization for giving me

an opportunity. It was a fourteen play, seventy five yard touchdown drive that chewed up nearly half of the first quarter. Dalton went seven for nine for eighty yards and only made one bad throw slightly under throwing Josh Malone and what would have been a thirty nine yard touchdown. Yeah, it just surprised me a little bit. I wasn't ready to really get it out there, and so I left it short. Unfortunately that the drive shouldn't have been a

fifteen play drive. It should have been a ten play drive. But I mean for us to overcome overcome that too. But yeah, it was close. Considering that it Zach's debut. Was it cool to go back to the sideline after the opening drive and essentially say, okay, how's that? Yeah? I thought it was good. Now obviously happy for him. You know, to to get the ball, get the kickoff and drive down, score touchdown. I think that's that's what

you want to do. I mean, the first time being the head coach, first time out there, you know, call and plays for us, it's you want to score every time you got the ball, and so for us to do in the first one was big. Dalton was done after one drive, and then the NFL's reigning MVP took his turn. Twenty three year old Patrick Mahomes started the Chiefs first drive with a thirty seven yard laser to

Travis Kelcey. That was the big strike. On a seven play eighty three yard touchdown drive second and goal from the one for KC. Mahomes takes a shotgun snap. It's a handoff to hide Andy thunders into the end zone for a Kansas City touchdown. Mahomes was four for four for sixty six yards. It also had a ten yard run. Here's Bengals linebacker Hardy Nickerson on why the Chiefs are so darn hard to defend. They come out in all type of formations, all type of different plays, different runs

with passes, combos off of it. So it was a lot of It was a lot of plays on the perimeter, you know, chasing sideline the sideline definitely we see a lot kind of in our offense. So it was it's one of those games where you're running a lot, you get a little tired. I would think more like exhausted from chasing the fastest team on offense in the NFL.

The Chiefs already had Tyree Hill and Sammy Watkins. In the second round of the draft this year, they selected wide receiver me Cole Hardman out of Georgia, who ran a four three three forty at the combine. Here's a jet suite Hardman to the ten, the five and into the end zone for Kansas City touchdown that gave the Chiefs of fourteen seven lead, and a field goal in the final minute of the second quarter made it seventeen

seven KC. The Chiefs were the highest scoring team in the nf FELL last year, and when the Bengals faced them in Week seven, Cincinnati didn't force a single punt. The Bengals forced four of them on Saturday Night, but since it was a preseason game, the sure handed Alex Ericsson was not. The Bengals punt returner Phillips waits for this punt back at the twenty five. This one much better. Phillips back pedaling, good hang time. He tops it at the nineteen. This time it does not bounce right back

into his stomach. There's a pile at the nineteen yard line Kansas City and the Chiefs recover. It's a killer. Two plays after the second muffed punt of the night by Darius Phillips. Chase Litton threw a touchdown pass to Darwin Thompson, giving the Chiefs at twenty four to seven lead. The Bengals got three points back on a forty seven yard field goal by Tristan Viscano in his NFL preseason debut. The next time the Chiefs punted, Quinton Flowers went back

to return it. Call quit launches it, Flowers, that's it bounced. There are a couple of Bengals right there. It might have hit a Cincinnati player on the leg. Yeah it did, and the Chiefs recover. Unbelievable. Chiefs will take over at the Bengals thirty five yard line, and that led to a fourteen yard touchdown pass from Lytton to Dion Yelder that made it thirty one ten going to the fourth quarter.

The biggest bright spot in the second half of the Bengals was the play of rookie quarterback Ryan Finley, the fourth round draft pick out of nc STAY directed a nine play, sixty seven yard drive that ended with the bengals second touchdown of the night. From the ten yard line. Ryan Finley catches the shotgun snaps scanning the defense. Now he frows it has caught at the seven at Ellis, We'll run it into the end zone for a Bengals touchdown. Blue coverage that time, nobody picked up back out of

the backfield. Finley stepped up in the pocket and he surveyed everything through right, never came back to the left, stepped up and said, oh my gosh, nobody's got my running back, No linebacker, no safety's got my back out of the backfield. Little pitch and catch for a touchdown. We're in the locker room with rookie running back Jordan Ellis, who found the end zone in his first NFL preseason

game on that touchdown pass from Ryan Finlay. It's got to be a nice feeling to catch the ball, turn around and don't see anybody standing in your way from the goal line. It's definitely crazy my first touchdown, you know, be untouched, but man, it's definitely it definitely still feels surreal. Doesn't even feel like it really happened. But just bless my God to behind my first touchdown my first game. I mean, that's that's just a blessing and I'm just

looking forward to many more in the NFL. Finlay finished thirteen for eighteen for one hundred nine yards and had a passer rating above one hundred before his final throw of the night was intercepted. I felt really comfortable. It was, you know, just watching Andy and Jeff go before me. I just felt like, uh, you know, going there and just you know, keep trying to move the ball down

the field. And I felt really good. As far as assimilating the offense as it's come on a day to day basis everything for you there, absolutely, that's that's part of the fun for me and this offense is it's a pretty it's pretty ingenious offense, and um, you know, excited obviously it was very base tonight, but excited for um, you know, for Andy to have just all all those stuff at his disposal, so that'd be fun. The Chiefs scored the game's final touchdown with one fifty six to

go to win thirty eight to seventeen. Like most preseason openers, it was ugly at times. Each team had eleven penalties, The Bengals only managed to cleanly catch one out of four punts, and the Bengals defense allowed four hundred yards to eighty five passing and one fifteen rushing Dave Lapham spoke to Zach Taylor in the locker room a few minutes after his first ever game as a head coach. Defensively, you know, I thought, initially the guys were in position

to make some plays. We're just gonna step up and make them. And then overall the physicality and the tacklings got improved. A lot of guys were in position just look like they're excited. And then and so that excitement leted them wearing down a little bit as that game got on, and guys got to step up and rack up and make some tackles. And you know, we had a minded sticks a few times and let him back in it with some depis and so they'd score on

the next play. And then special teams, I thought that the depth has got to step up. You know, I thought the first units played well on special teams. We got to be better on the partment returns. You know, two tournaments there. That's gonna lose you a lot of games. And so those guys got to be a little more disciplined. Thinking back to when we met this morning, you said, you know, I want and you get the ball out of his hand. Quickly, and I want him take a deep shot. I'll be a son of a gun man.

He's getting the ball out of his hand, moving it and like you said, overcoming first and twenty you know, with a holding penalty. And then he took the shot and just that ball was a little bit under throne obviously, but it was there for him. So I mean, the thing unfolded just the way you said it would. Sometimes those deep balls, the easiest ones are the hardest ones, you know, because you think it's such a layup that you don't quite you don't quite throw like you normally would.

And it was good. He got another opportunity there, just just real quick after that, and it threw nice ball over there to Audum tay and aud made the play. So and he's poise is something that has always really excited me. He's always a very calming influence on the group and doesn't panic. And that show tonight. So what what's your message to your team? You know after a game like this, is it to you know, um, you know, move on, or is it let's learn from mistakes or

is it a combination of all that? What do you do? This is the NFL that that should have been a game that came out of the wire and we'd have a chance to win. But the turnovers and the penalties are going to lose you games the NFL against really good football teams like the Chiefs, and so fortunately for us,

this one doesn't count. We get to turn around in five games and and uh, you know, correct those mistakes that we made and give our guys the second opportunity, and so excited that we had to quick turnaround and get a chance to go redeem ourselves. Finley went thirteen sixteen hundred and nine yards and a touchdown pass um what do you think his play? Just you know, I know you haven't had a chance obviously to study it, but just eyeball very poised, had confidence in him. You know,

he was a clear communicating in the huddle. His helmet didn't work the very first series and so he had to run back and forth kind of like he was back in seventh Great, I would imagine, you know, and it didn't affect him in any way. He was poised, got back in the huddle and made good decisions, found the backs when he needed to. We called a couple of shots that weren't there, and he just checked it down and so impressed with his first day running the football.

I think the longest run from scrimmage, if ever, calls like five yards, and I know you gotta, you know, you want, you want more than that out of your running game. Obviously, that's that's a point of emphasis coming up. Yeah, you know, and we're not gonna ask them to do too much up front and the run game in these preseason games. But it's still the plays we gotta be called, we gotta be targeted correctly and help those backs out

a little bit. So it could have been better in the run game, you know, And we looked improve that next week against Washington. And now the weird stat of the night, Kansas City is ten and oh all time in preseason games against the Bengals. When the games count, Cincinnati leads the series fifteen to fourteen. Now time for postgame analysis with LAB. Let's start with the obvious positive LAB and that was the Bengals first drive of the Zach Taylor era. They marked seventy five yards and score

a touchdown. Andy Dalton very sharp on the drive, although he did just miss a long touchdown pass to Josh Malone. There was a little bit underthrown, but he bounced right back, led the Bengals into the end zone and had the pleasure of going back to the sideline and basically saying to Zach Taylor, hey, is that good enough for you? Right? Good start? Fourteen plays, seventy five yards. You know you're right.

Sometimes the toughest throw for the quarterback to make is when the wide receivers wide open and you're just trying to hit a layup, you know, and you missed the bunny, you missed the chippy. So but he did come right back, throws the ball out and Tape makes a great play for him, gets him down to the one yard line, and then they scored the touchdown, so that that definitely

was a positive. And it unfolded just like Zach Taylor had said in the production meeting, and he wanted to end to get the ball out of his hand quickly, didn't want to put him at risk for injury. And then at some point earned the drive, take a shot, and it all unfolded exactly that win ends up fourteen

play touchdown drive. I thought another positive was Ryan Finley thirteen sixteen, you know, well over one hundred yards and had a touchdown pass and I thought that, you know, I think he's getting more and more familiar, you know, with the offense. The Kansas Chiefs weren't doing anything real exotic. You know, he got a chance to watch it in the first half, and you know, he said they didn't do anything differently when he got in the football game, so he was he was kind of ready to perform.

I thought he performed pretty well. The biggest negative giveaways the Bengals had four turnovers in the game, two interceptions, including one on a hail mary, so you almost don't count that. But they had two opportunities to get the ball after stopping Kansas City, which is hard to do. And when you forced the Chiefs to punt, you better be able to field the punt. Absolutely put it on

the ground three times, lost two of them. And then you know, had the two interceptions, one of hail mary, like you said, but they scored fourteen points off of those, you know, giveaways that the Bengals had. The Bengals got no points off the one takeaway, but Hardy Nickerson had he had the interception in the red zone. So turnovers played a big part in the game. Um not only turning it over but leading to points that you know, fourteen of the twenty one points you lose by or

something that could have been avoided. So you know, you look at that, you look at double digit penalties for well over one hundred yards. I mean, you know, even in the first drive they had to overcome a first and twenty you know, and they did so, so you know, those kind of things that self destructure will interrupt momentum and you know, get you just out of your rhythm of play calling and execution. So that that's that's all going to get cleaned up. You know, the Bengals defense

had penalties, They missed a bunch of tackles. There's no way that they didn't have double digit mis tackles. So you know a lot of times they were in position to make plays and they'd make the initial hit, but you know, instead of taking the ground to just be dragging and getting dragged for you know, for extra yarded So U that has to change and I think it will. Last year, in the Bengals lost in the regular season here at Kansas City, those miss tackles were a huge

problem in that game. They had eighteen according to Pro Football Focus, the most that they have ever measured in a regular season game. How much is that is? How much of that is Kansas City's speed. I think it's a factor, you know. I think that you know, you get in practice and you're playing at as fast at Temple as you can in practice. But then there's game speed, and then there's warp speed because these guys run. You know, there's a bunch of them that run sub four fours,

I mean half a dozen guys. It is. It's like an Olympic relay team instead of a batonic's of football that they're playing with out there. And these guys can flat scoot. So if you take a poor angle or you know you're you're half a gap out of position, they can make you look bad in a hurry and they square those shoulder pads up and head to the end zone. It's like wow, I mean that's some acceleration there. So I think when you make mistakes against the Chiefs,

you know you don't get away with them. You know they hit you right in the face, and the mistakes compounded because of that speed, a little mistake becomes a massive, you know, big play mistake. Forty five years ago, a young twenty two year old Dave Lappa made his NFL preseason debut. I know how special that is for you against the two time defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins at the time. Well, a bunch of Bengals obviously made

their debuts tonight. Trevion Williams scored a touchdown in his first game. Jordan Ellis scored a touchdown in his first game. Stanley Morgan had several catches. I believe he finished with three. That's a night they'll never forget, no question, it is a night they'll never forget. And I guess the final thing that we have to worry about is injury, you know.

I mean Clayton Federlum felt a little bit of a pop, you know, and a little bit of a numbness, and it's like, oh man, how bad is this ankle sprain? And I don't think he'll make the dance on a short week, you know against the Redskins, and Travon Williams had you know, he's got to hit a bruise rib.

So there's some some bumps and bruises that guys are gonna have to lick their wounds to get over pretty early because this is the short week that they've got in training camp and every week after this is at least a full week, and then obviously that fourth preseason game and of the the ragulsas they have extra days with that Thursday game. So get through this one, lick their wounds, get ready to play, and go to Washington and unfolded a little bit better. Up next the Thursday night game

in our nation's capital against the Redskins. Kickoff is at seven thirty. Now time for this week's fun facts interview is we get to know the person under the pads. In this case, it's an interview out of the archives. Shortly after the Bengals made a cornerback out of the University of Alabama the seventeenth overall pick in the two and twelve NFL Draft, time for some fantastic fun facts with rookie cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. You are from Gadsden, Alabama,

which has the motto City of Champions. What does a young man do for fun in Gadsden, Alabama? Just hang out my friends. You know, sometime we'll go dirt bike ride, a lot of outdoor type activities and you know, I just basically played my son most of the time when I'm out. Yeah, you're obviously a star football player in high school, but how about other sports? Did you do

other things as well? I played basketball a look to my senior year, so I missed my should up and had to have service, so, you know, it kind of took away from the fun a little bit, but it was all right though. All Right, we're doing fun facts with Drake Kirkpatrick. You're and your dad both work on Sundays. You're in the NFL, and he's a pastor. Did he have a lot Have you do a lot of things

in the church when you were young? Yeah, I saw in a choir, I did usher, I played at the drums mostly though, you know, so I was very active in the church, and that's one of the things that I'm grateful for. Are you a skilled drummer. I'm a skilled drummer. Yes, I've been playing ever since I was three years old. How about that? All right? Have you had any other jobs aside from things that your dad had you do in the church. Not really, you know.

I probably had some side jobs maybe you know younger, but I never just actually had an active job. All right, Dre there was a story about you where your dad had this quote. Once the task has begun, be it great or be it small, do it well, or do it not at all. Yeah, it's that kind of the way that he brought you up to do things to the best of your ability. Yeah, that's the way I

am right now. And you know, there was someone the reason that played a part of where I went to school at and you know, because every time I did something I had to I had I finished first off, and I did it to the best ability, you know, no slacking, no no days off, just going at one. All right, you mentioned going to school, you went to Alabama, and I've seen the footage of your announcement on the internet. It's pretty hysterical because you pull out a gym bag.

Inside of that, there's a plastic bag. Inside of that, there's a gift box. Inside of that, there's a gift bag, and then the Alabama hat comes out. It looked like he had a lot of fun with that ceremony. Yeah, what we want to do. Wanted to make it fun and just be over creative things. So you know, it worked out great, you know, but I was happy that I told us at Universe of Alabama. That was a

big deal. I mean that was on TV and everything, your announcement of where you're going to college, and so it was great, you know, just even to be in that position that had an opportunity to even be able to present yourself out to the world like that. So it was just it was just an honor. We're doing fun facts with Trey Kirkpatrick. He won two national championships in three years at Alabama. Where are the rings? Uh?

My mom got him put them in a safe back home so you know they can stay safe and you know a lot of people be in and out the house, so we don't want to know about the tip away with him. He played for next Sabe and I find it hard to believe the dude is in his sixties. He seems so young to make. Yeah, you know, he's very energetic, very focused and serious about what he'd do. Um, always ready to come to work, and you know he's just a great man, you know, and I look up

to him still to this day. Is there anything about him that we would be surprised to now? Uh? He has a personality. M he don't show it a lot, you know, especially when he's at work and when he's in his workplace, but outside of that. He's very fun to be around. He cracked jokes in the meeting rooms all the time, and you know, he always made it fun for us. You know, he didn't put a lot of stress on us. Draft read that your hero growing up puts Dion Sanders. What was it about Dan that

you admired somebody? Uh? Just the way he presented itself. You know, he didn't change the fact of him going to the NFL make him a different person. He always stayed the same person. And that's where I can tries to be. You know, I don't I don't let money

of fame change me. I just want to be the same more draping gass and m how many times if you met Dion ever or the conversations like I'm in at one time that was at the combine and um, I mean well the draft actually, and you know he was joking about me about what I had on and you know, you know, it was just fun just to be able to be around and see some of the people that I grew up looking at and modify my game. I fuck, So he admired the way that you drafted

to the NFL draft, Yeah, he did. I was pretty stylished as I readycall who put together that? Luck? Uh? I did you know? I'm very into dressing and style type type things, so you know, me and some of my friends just thought about some things. Yeah, all right, it's the seventeenth overall picking the draft this year. Naturally, you're you're well compensated. You get nice bonus when you're drafted that high. What do you splurge on? Is it closed or something else? First I had to do it.

I had to get my mom place to live. You know, we've been standing in the same house basically twenty two years, so you know, it was time for a chain. So we had to get out of here. That's pretty exciting. Guy who picked that out? That was it a surprise or that they know it's coming. No, I let him pick it. You know, I want her to be comfortable and I want her to feel safe, so I didn't want to surprise her with anything and she not be one satisfied. So I feel like the best way it

was just to let her choose. All right, Now, you had to get something for yourself as well. Did you splurge on yourself at all? Not really, you know, I really ain't no big splinder like that. You know, you know, I'm just happy guy put me in Cincinnati because I would have been anywhere else. You know, a lot of party, a lot of supposed to a lot of different things. So you know, here it just keep me ground, to keep me focused on what I have a task. As

you mentioned, you have a dad, Drey Junior. How old is he? And then tell me a little bit about your boy. Uh he seeks h June first, he would be seven. You know, he's just very fun to be around. He look ups to me. I have to watch the way I move certain words that I say, you know, just actually just being a father, you know, stepping up to the playbook costs. I had to still it to the place so young. But you know, I feel like I did a great job, and you did a great

job with fun facts. Thanks for the time, best a lot of apprestated things. The Bengals final two open to the public practices are coming up on Monday and Tuesday from three to five at the practice fields adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium. Hope to see you there. That's going to do it for this week's podcast. If you haven't done so already, don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and if you have a minute, please

give it a rating or leave a comment. Your feedback has been great and those five star ratings help Moore Bengals fans find this podcast. I'm Dan Horde. Thanks for listening to the Bengals Boot podcast.