Bengals Booth Podcast: Whatever It Takes

and the biggest keys to Sunday's game. Then I'll be joined by my broadcast partner, Dave Lapham to discuss a variety of topics, including one of the biggest challenges on Sunday, trying to block Aaron Donald. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play Next Level Fantasy Football game, downloaded now from the app Store and Google Play, and by on Location, the official hospitality partner

of the NFL. Visit on Location exp dot com or exclusive access to the biggest events in the NFL all season long, including Sunday Super Bowl. 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

getting a police escort. I called a UC basketball game on Wednesday night in Tampa and the team got a police escort from the hotel to the arena before the game. The rush hour traffic was brutal, but the team bus was able to swerve and slalom down the interstate like a Formula One race car. In fact, when we got to the arena, one member of the traveling party said

he needed dramamine for motion sickness. It's easy to get spoiled when you travel with a professional or major college sports team, and the police escort is one of the nicest perks. Now, let's get to my guests, beginning with the premier TV analyst in the NFL, has evidenced by his sixteen Sports Emmy Awards. He played in both of the Bengals previous Super Bowls, and he'll be on the broadcast team this Sunday for NBC. It is great to visit with Chris Collinsworth. Chris, you are fond of calling

Joe Burrow that cigar smoking son of a gun. What are some of the things you like most about the Bengals quarterback. I wish I were as cool as he is, you know, don't you. I Mean, every once in a while you meet somebody and you go, I've been living for sixty three years. That kids twinever twenty five years old, and he is a hundred times cooler. But I am like, how do you get that way after twenty five years

of your life? You know? And the first time I saw him wearing some of those outfits and the rose colored glasses and all, and now I'm like, I want to go buy a pair of If he wins this game, I'm taking off my by NBC blazer and I'm going to go down and grab that jacket and wear it off the air and say see you guys next season.

He's special, right, he is? And I think that I'm trying to make a comparison and maybe Pete Rose, you know, some home browne talent that comes in here and is the superstar of the favorite franchise, And there just isn't a comparison that I can And it's hard to describe what he means to Cincinnati. But I don't know that there's been a football player on the Cincinnati Bengals team in its history maybe Greg Cook. I wasn't around for that, but in its history that would mean more than what

Joe Burrow means to this community. When did you start to think this team could compete with the elite teams in the NFL. Yeah, right after Evan McPherson made that kick against Kansas Fitting. You know, I think that all along there was is this really happening thing, right And when they played the Chiefs. I think the first time I really felt that was when they beat Baltimore in Baltimore. You know that I went, hey, hey, this is this is a little different, because that is a team that

could torment the Bengals. I know the Bengals involved also tormented them some in the past, but I think some of those plays that Chase made, the catch and run plays when they were down fourteen to nothing and looked like they could be out of games against Kansas City and against Baltimore, that slant that he caught and broke three tackles and spun out of there, and I was like,

and these guys are just different. They're good. And I thought te Higgins stepping up in the in the championship game when they really kind of took away Jamar and really one of my favorite players on this team is Tyler Boyd. I think Tyler Boyd is a street fighter from some other lifetime somewhere that just always has a knack for the biggest moments and those big third downs when it's third and four and everybody in the building knows where the ball is going to go, and yet

he still makes that play and converts it. There's just a lot to really like about this football team. Taking Chase instead of pinas Sewell was obviously somewhat controversial at the time. Did we learn something from the success the Bengals have had in that pick? I do think that's true. And as you look around, the game of football is evolving, and you know that it's what is it now? Well, right now, offensive linemen are allowed to legally hold like

you would have been arrested. Anthony Munos would have been arrested when I played if he wrapped both arms around the shoulder pad. So these guys and yet it's okay now, And I think that's a decent rule because what's the most important thing in the world. I gotta let's protect these quarterbacks because football is not nearly as much fun when those guys are out of the game at the end of the year and all that sort of stuff.

So but if you're going to do it that way, then those receivers are you know, you've got to have those next, and then you have to have people that can block for him and pass Russian. But I think the three of these receivers are so complimentary. You know, the big body outside with te Higgins, the shiftiness of Tyler Boyd inside and the clutch play. And then this

is the greatness of Jamar Chase. And I'm hoping that c j Uzama can play in this game because so many times that he baked those sort of breakout plays during the course of the season. So yeah, I'm very exciting. But maybe the thing I'm most excited about is the way this defense seems to be coming together too. I Mean,

these guys came. They were basically kicked out of a lot of different places, right, I mean they were they were unwanted where they were, or at least unwanted at the price that they the Bengals were willing to pay. And to see the second half that they put together against the Chiefs pretty remarkable. Chris, you became the first person to ever use Anthony Munos and arrested in the same sentence. By the way, I should just just point

that out. So let's talk about the current Bengals offensive line trying to block Aaron Donald, Von Miller, etc. Is that the key matchup of this Super Bowl? Yeah, no question about it, it really is. And um, you know, we've seen other defenses have weak spots on them, and when you get that, you're gonna see Aaron Donald over you a lot. Um. And so I think that Aaron Donald one of two things. I mean, they love that

overload rush. They're gonna put Greg Gaines and Von Miller and Aaron Donald all on the same side, which is going to force you to block Aaron Donald one on one. It's going to be literally impossible to bring that far side guard across to help because if you do, then you still have to deal with Leonard Floyd or a blitzing Troy Reader coming down that line. So it's a

very difficult thing. You'll see them lined up extremely why bond Miller maybe five yards outside the tackle, Aaron Donald maybe a yard outside the tackle, and Greg Gaines in there on the center to keep the center from going out and helping, And then here comes Aaron Donald with about a five yard running start at either Quentin Spain or Achemandenagy or Jackson Carmen or whoever it may be

inside and von Miller the same on your tackle. And so Joe Burrow has to either get it out or rely on those angels that seem to tell him when danger's coming in some ways, try and make another one of those magical escapes other side of the ball. What are some key things the Bengals have to do to slow down Stafford and company. I've got to tell you, I really enjoyed watching this secondary play. You know, chitabey Auge was supposed to be the answer when in Dallas

when he was drafted. Eli Apple was supposed to be the answer. In New York. Mike Hilton made plays forever with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Von Bell with the Saints. And yet somehow, when they put this whole thing together with the homegrown Jesse Bates, the hole has been better than the sum of the parts, you know, or better than the parts, I should say. And and that's fun to see in football because it does happen. Trey Hendrickson with

New Orleans basically as a phenomenal year. It always the a thirteen sacks something like that down there, you know, we really we're okay. If you leave, we're okay. And and he's wearing that. Sam Hubbard out of Mueller High School comes into this thing. Logan Wilson, the green dot, the guy who's running the show. And you think of all these teams, and every game has come down to an interception to turn the tide, you know, every single one of them. Logan whistling off the tip ball by

Eli Apple. You know, in the last game, you've got Jesse Bates and Von Bell with that one, just every single one of these, and then the one before that, of course, Jermaine Pratt with the interception on the goal line against the Raiders. And it's been a defensive phenomenal play that has turned the tide. And it's unexpected, you know. I think that's the unexpected part of what Lowe has been able to do with this defense is they've just

galvanized together and made it work. The city has gone crazy for this team, as you might expect for a team going to the Super Bowl. Does it bring back memories of the Super Bowl trips in the eighties. Oh my gosh, you know, probably for me, especially eighty one, because I was their age. I was younger than Joe Burrow and Jamaar Chase. I was twenty two and had no idea I had. I think the most number of football games I'd ever played my life in one season

was twelve, and I played twenty four that year. But it seemed so easy, you know, we got we were the number one seed. We were we had to win two home playoff games, one of them in the coldest temperature I've ever been experienced in my entire life. But we were in the Super Bowl. We won two home games, and we're in the Super Bowl. Whereas this team is different. You know, both the Super Bowl teams that I was on, an eighty one and eighty eight, were both number one seeds.

This was a number four seed. This was a team that had to beat the Raiders to win their first playoff game in thirty one years. They had to go to the home of the number one seed Tennessee Titans and knocked them all, and to go to the home of the Kansas City Chiefs, the presumptive Super Bowl favorite. Going into this whole thing despite their seed and now they've got to go to the home of the La Rams and try and do it one more time. And every part of you wants to say that's asking too much.

I don't know, but you look at these guys and Joe Burrow and he's gonna go why not. Why isn't it gonna have? You know? And so why not? I don't know, Maybe it will. You obviously have to be neutral. I'm the telecast. That's understood. But have you thought about what it would mean to see Mike Brown next to

Roger Goodell holding the Lombardi Trophy. It was bizarre enough for me to watch him in the championship game, and he did a great job with the speech, always gracious as always, but for me it would be really special. I mean, Mike Brown. I signed a contract with the USFL and that didn't go so well. The league was sort of falling apart by the time I left, and he welcomed me back with open arms and eighty eight.

Mike Brown allowed me to at the end of my career, clearly at the end of my career, allowed me to go to law school classes instead of meetings, which was unheard of. I'm guessing still nobody's ever been allowed to do that. And then I go down to practice the other day, could not be more gracious and his whole family, and I'm thrilled for them, regardless of what the outcome of this game is, I really am. But I'm mostly thrilled for Cincinnati, you know, to get that galvanizing force

going one more time again in this city. And now, yes, everything politically is nuts these days, but for at least a little while, we get a chance to come together behind the Cincinnati Bengals, and it's really a special time to be here. Nothing galvanize is a city like a contending NFL team. Chris, I really appreciate your time. Have a great call on Super Bowl Sunday, and we look forward to hopefully seeing you at a Bengal celebration. Thank

to you, Dan, good luck. Chris, by the way, has never gone back and watched the two Super Bowls he played in those losses to the forty nine Ers, still sting. The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play fantasy football game. This year, Ultimate Bengals awarded a weekly winner during the course of the season with tickets, autograph merchandise and money can't buy experiences all

up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals in the App Store and Google Play and buy on Location, the official hospitality partner of the NFL. Visit on location exp dot com for exclusive access to the biggest events in the NFL, including Sunday Super Bowl. Like Chris Collinsworth, Dave Lapham was involved in both of the bengals previous Super Bowl appearances, as a player in Super Bowl sixty and as a broadcaster in Super Bowl twenty three. We discussed Super Bowl

fifty six on Wednesday. Lap You are a contemporary of Joe Namaths. He played against him in his final game in a Jets uniform. People have been comparing Joe Burrow to Joe Montana, but with Burrows fashion sense and swag and effortless cool. I'm wondering if they've been comparing him to the wrong jel. What do you think? I think that's a that's a very valid point. I mean, he does have the fashion sense and Joe Namath people Joe namis cockey. No, Joe Namath was a great dude. It

is a great dude. I mean he's he's incredible, He's got an earned confidence obviously because he's so physically gifted at and played quarterback at the highest level. So well, I mean he just when he guaranteed the win, he was confident. He edit an earned confidence about him as team makes everybody else that that's Joe Barrow, you know. And then yeah, some of the some of the fashion statements are pretty impressive. So yeah, he's a blend of Joe's.

Joe's a bunch of other Jews, isn't he. It's it's it's pretty interesting. And the one, the one common denominator is man, these guys were all sharp, you know. I mean the memory of Joe Burrow to take in all the information he takes in during the week from you know, Dan Pitcher, Brian Callahan, Zach Taylor, and then all the

tape he watches, he just stores all that stuff. He doesn't really take notes, you know, just stores it and then can pull it out, you know, just when he needs to to diagnose and to solve the problem with defense has given him. It's really astounding. In a quick Joe name a story. I know I've shared this with you before, Dan, but he came, he came to do a game, um and we've gotten to be decent friends. I did some NBC NFL work and Joe just for some reason, you know, took me around in New York

and introduced me to some of his fans. Everywhere we went, it took like half an hour to walk five because Joe nameth, you know, all over the streets. But this guy knew everybody's name, everybody's name. He put names with faces, you know, and uh, and he just it was amazing. So um, I take him. He comes to Cincinnati to do a preseason game and I take him around and then we get something to eat in the cafeteria. There were a sertain food up in the cafeteria and this

lady named Leslie was the server. And I said, Joe, this is Leslie, you know, and she's all God, God because it's joe name. He comes back two years later for a regular season game. Two years later, we're going to get something to eat again. Say gal, Leslie, how you've been. I haven't seen you in a while. She almost dropped her teeth, so did I. I'm like, we sit down and said, Joe, how the heck did you remember her name? Because I just have a gift for that man. And you know, the memories on some of

these guys is just unbelievable. Their mind is, their brain is just constructed differently. Man. That's a great anecdote. And I wonder if that's true with Joe Burrow. I wonder if he's one of those people that if he sees you, meets you, learns your name, if he could go a couple of years without seeing you and remember it, it could very well be. It could very well be the case. And that's the thing about Joe Namath two and asked

him about certain games that he played. He could go through an entire play by play off every single snap. They did this. Yeah, then they thought they'd be cute and we you back my head coach said, Joe, what are you gonna do? Damas says, well, here's what I'm thinking. That's a good idea. Joe wanted to do that unbelievable, could remember every single detail of almost every game the guy played in it. I mean, that's a gift. Boys, that's a tremendous gift that'll serve you well in any

walk of life you get into. And I bet that's true with Joe Burrow. I bet he could go back to his junior year at LSU Week five and do the play by play. Agreed, Agreed. I mean things just they burn into his memory bank. I mean they're just they're there. And uh, it's incredible the amount of information that that guy can digest and comprehend, digest, and then regurgitate when need be. It's unreal total recall. So Rob

Gronkowski did an interview this week. He got asked the following question, now that Tom Brady has retired, who would you want to be your quarterback right now? And he laughed and he said, I kind of like this young buck. Joe Burrow Grock is going to be a free agent at the end of this year. I don't see the Bengals signing him. But is this the proof of something you've been talking about that free agents are going to want to flock to Cincinnati because of the Borough factor?

I think so, Dan, I mean, you know that wasn't the case there. There wasn't total free agency. There wasn't movement of players like there is now. When Joe Montana, you know, particularly when he in the early stages when he beat us in Super Bowl sixteen, but you could se that he was special and that they were going to be really good for a long time. Um plus you know San Francisco. Who doesn't want to go to San Francisco. But I do think the first there are

two elements. Number one is money talks. You know it's gonna the finance just have to be there. But with all all things being equal, there Joe burrow Is is about a big, bigger tipebreaker has risen the national football He's right there. He's right there with every other you know, big time quarterback. Because of his youth. You know, it's like if I go there, it's not you know, we're just not going to be a contender for next year.

We're going to be a contender for a while. I mean this this kid's just he's just starting his path, man, and uh and he's still and he's playing at such a high level. So I think I think that there are going to be the Bengals are going to be on Big Time Free Agent's top five list that two years ago it would there wouldn't even be consideration. I mean it'd be a they'd be laughing if people said, what are the Bengals on your list? No, now they're

right there, They are right there. And again, you know, economics are a big factor. But when you're in the place the franchise was in the early stage, is that rebuild process. There's not enough money in the entire world, probably to entice certain guys to go come to Cincinnati. So all of the assistant coaches from the two teams that news conferences on Tuesday, including Bengals offensive line coach

Frank Pollack, and he knew what was coming. Essentially, how the heck is your line, which has struggled mightily at times going to block Aaron Donald and Von Miller? Is the challenge mostly the greatness of the individuals for the Rams or is it hard to handle their scheme? You know, Dan, I think, like with a lot of great defenses, it is a combination, you know, I think I think that they've done a great job. Raheem Morris has done a great job of taking We've talked about earlier in the week.

It's the Vic Fangio print Spals. You know, because Staley was there before you got the head coaching job with the Chargers and they led the league in defense. You know, that's why you got the head coaching job. They were number one, and so the organization, and the MCVAS said the Raheem Morris, look, you know you can. We'd love you to be our coordinate, but we want to run what we're running here. So I think I think they built the personnel and schematic to kind of lay hands.

Fit's the glove deal, you know. I mean, it's a it's one of those sorts of situations. And and they're they're they're impressive. I mean, you know, the talent level is unquestioned. Von Miller has more sacks than any active player in the National Football League. Aaron Donald is maybe the best player in the National Football League. Floyd has

got nine and a half sacks himself. I mean, you look at Jalen Ramsey in the back end, but honestly, Dan, besides Jalen Ramsey, I think the Bengals match up favorably. I think there's mismatches on the back end the Bengals could take advantage of if they can somehow find a way to give Joe Barrow an opportunity. And I'm maintaining all week long that we've been talking about since a couple of weeks. I guess if you have to use

six in protection, use six. If you have to use seven U seven, keep a tight end in if you need to ship with a back, that would be the seventh and give him out in the route. And also not just a regular tight end. But Jackson Carman in there, I mean the guards are they're they're splitting time. So when I d energy is in the football game of guard, Jackson Carmen go out there. You know, if you've got to play, he has to check in ineligible. He has to be he's wearing an ineligible number and he has

to check in as eligible. But I mean back in the day, I don't check the rule book. I don't even know. If he put on like an eighties number, you know, over his jersey and went running out there as a tight end and they used him in past protection, he wouldn't have to check ineligible. I think I think they've kind of moved on from that. But back in the day they had that vest. You know that you can pull on and and and go out there and have an eligible number on your on your chest. But

I mean if you if you can, haven't. I mean, he's done short yardage goal line stuff like that. Isaiah Prince did it before he kicked in there at the starting tackle position. Um Deante could do it. Deante Smith could do it. I mean, there's there's multiple guys they could use as a sixth offensive lineman at a couple of them. Report else books, you can put seven offensive linemen out there. Whatever it takes to get those guys

blocked up is definitely a prerequisite. There's no doubt. Do you have to use two guys on Aaron Donald on almost every play? I think so. Two helmets and four hands, that's my model. You know, you gotta have two people on them. Man. Uh, you know it's good to have four eyeballs and four hands working against this guy because his talent, his physical talent is so stream it's equivalent to two people. I mean, it's the thing about him, damn. That's most impressive to me is you know he can run.

He runs UB four seven at his size. But he's also got the burst, the first step quickness. I mean, his first move off the line of scrimmage is lightening quick. I mean it is unbelievable, the explosiveness. And he gets

to your shoulder so quickly. You know, he lines up and then way outside of your shoulder or even in just on the inside of the offensive tackle, so he's like almost on the other side of the gap close to the tackle than he used to you at guard and me I would I was always big with Jim McNally. I would always do horizontal and vertical splits. Horizontal splits from you know, center to guard, you know, two feet

or whatever. But then you can you can go all the way up on the line of scrimmage is closer you can get, or you can move back vertically from the line of scrimmage, move up or move back, and you can move back to where if you get into three point stanch, your helmet has to be at the number at the center. You can't, you know, go way back or they'll flag you for illegal formation. But I would get back as far as I could against this guy because he is so explosive, gets on that shoulder

so quickly. Man. I would make sure that I would buy as much space as possibly put. I'd even get in a two point stance and not give him a closer target. I get in a two point stance, stay back and make him beat up as much space with that explosive explosive as possible, and give myself a chance in the freezer ball against big hands Johnson, I did just the opposite. Jim McNally said, this guy's got you know, massive hands and all that, but he's got some quick moves,

but everything's in place. You know, he's not advancing to the quarterback. So he said, get up on the line of scrimmage and jam them. Get your hands on him before you can get his hands on you. Do it, you know, right away. So I literally I was on the line of scrimmage to the point where I was almost off size. I had to lean back to make sure my face masks wasn't hanging over the back edge of the ball, you know, because you're you're in the

neutral zone. And I took every centimeter I could of space to get us close to the line of scrimmage and on our first pass protection, I was in that two point stance and waiting my phone. Jam them and shock him. I mean, he's totally stunned him. And I remember going to the sideline and saying, Jimmy, he's stunned me. I don't think nobody's ever done this to him before he goes, well, keep doing it, let's do it, let's do it. It was great, but I play when you're

going against really good players like that. Play with the splits, horizontal verticals, play with everything you possibly can play with your technique. You know, maybe you want to instead of kickstep, maybe you want to attack him with a step and jam them to get him off. You know, if you can get him to stop and restart a guy like him, I think that's the biggest thing, because if you let him come off and you don't, it's almost like jam

and a tight end off the line of scrimage. You don't give him a free release, let him run into his route. Don't let this guy get a free release off the line of scrimmage on you as a pass rusher. Try to try to reroute him, try to jam him. In my opinion, you know, almost as quickly as it can with a good angle. And that's where the horizontal, you know, split comes into play. He's he's an interesting guy, though, I'd almost like say, all right, if it's not von

Miller offensive tackle. Whoever, if you're working against somebody that if you could jam, if he's weighing outside to the point he's just inside of you, you try to hit him with one arm as you're setting to the other other player, you know, almost try to be busier than a one armed paper hanger. You know, you use both your hands on both linemen. I try to come up with as many as many ways as I possibly can to slow that pass rush down because, as we know, Dan,

that's the key to the game. It really is. Well, one more thought on that topic. So in the Tennessee game, the Bengals gave up nine sacks and three additional quarterback hits plus two sacks that didn't count. Then against the Chiefs, one sack, three quarterback hits. So obviously they bounce back after being lamb basted for a week following the Tennessee game, did nice job up against Kansas City. Does that bode well the fact that they were resilient and bounce back

strong against the Chiefs. Yeah, My only My only thought on that is the Titans had three really good pass rushers, and so did the sort of the Rams. In my mind, the only guy that was at the level of these other pass rushers for the Chiefs was Jones. The others were good, but not to the level I mean. I think I think the Rams are number one and they've shown it their number one in UH win rate. As pass rushers by Pro Football focused and the Bengals thirtieth

in the NFL and and pass protection win rate. So the Bengals are, you know, a couple from the bottom and the Rams are right at the top, so that that you know, matchup just comes blaring at you, and that that's the problem is having multiple guys. So I think I think the one thing is that the Chiefs pass rush was good, but not quite as good as as ten season, not quite as good as the Rams. And I think the Bengals made some adjustments. They got the ball out of Joe's hand faster. They utilize the

screen pass very well. P Ryan forty one yard touched down on a screen. They get the ball out to Joe Mixon either on the perimeter in space or he would check down over the middle for short pass squares, pads up and run for yards after catch. They did a lot of good things. And you know, I'm thinking too, another way to slow a pass rush down screens draws, draw play and you know, intentionally get Joe Barrow out

of pocket. You know, I would if Aaron Donald and Von Miller line up over the left guard and left tackle roll Joe by design to the right, roll them away from that stuff, you know, get him out of pocket by design, not improvisationally like he can do, which he's going to do anyway, but by design. Now that you know, the downside to that is you're taking away

a third of the football field. You know, he's not going to be throwing to that backside, and defensive players can shrink you know, that field down from a coverage standpoint to two thirds instead of the entire football field the width of it. But you know, there's there's pros and times, give and take to everything. But I think you know, there's a bunch of ways you can, um, you know, slow down. You're not going to defeat the

pass rush. They're too damn good, but you can slow it down and control it a little bit um by adopting a lot of things. And I think I think we're going to see a lot of that in the Bengals game plan, a lot of different things. The one thing that whenever we played a group that we're really significant pass rushes, particularly on the edge, hit them as

many different ways as you can. If your tackle setting on them, slam the tight end into his side, nothing aggravates the defensive end more than that as the tight ends going out past, slam them in release and h and then if you're uncovered as a guard, slam them from the inside, you know, and then and then check your line responsibility. They hate that. They hate that. So now it's like which way, which way are they going to attack me? From them? And it slows them down?

You know, it's they're not going to just pin their ears back and pass rush with reckless abandon. So I think with these really a good pass rushers, if you can figure out ways to attack them, is it going to be from my outside? Is going to be from my inside? Where's the hell coming from? Man? These suckers are everywhere. How many guys are on the field, They're

attacking me from everywhere. I mean, that's that's something that can be a fact from the football game as well, because Dan, like you said, man, if you just pass that and take on Aaron Donald and Von Miller one on one and yeah, I'm better than you, You're not better than me, that's not going to work out. Let's talk about the Aaron Donald on the other side of the ball for the Rams, and that is Cooper Cup.

So looking over his season, the Rams have played twenty games, including the playoffs, He's had one hundred plus receiving yards in thirteen out of twenty. So that's amazing. But here's what amazed me even more. He has five other games where he had between ninety two and ninety nine yards. So in eighteen out of twenty games he has had at least ninety two yards. The only other time he's ever faced the Bengals, he had two twenty in London.

How did the Bengals cover Cooper Cup again? You know, you have to have four eyes and four hands on him. I think too. I mean he's worthy of definitely double team. And like the great Bill Belichick does, he makes you play left handed. I mean they go to Cooper Cups so much. Higbee's second leading receiver. He may not be in the football game. I mean, it's Cooper Cup, Cooper Cup, Cooper Cup, and you know staff It will say, oh, you know, I throw where coverage takes. It doesn't seem

like I get you know. I mean, it appears that you're gonna find Cooper Cup, and rightfully so. And the thing about Cooper Cup is he is so slick, he is so clever. He'll give you five moves in a three yard space. That's like, which what is he What's he going to do? I mean, he has got all kinds of short space quickness, and all he's doing is trying to make you declare your leverage. That's this whole deal.

This whole deal is I'm working off leverage and I'm going to make you declare what you're going to commit from a leverage standpoint to me. And it's like he's playing cat and mouse with and he wins every damn time. He's patient and he's a tremendous route runner and he always figures out the leverage at a very opportune time, get separation and boom, Stafford's waiting for it and puts it right on him. Those two guys have a have a nice chemistry. And the other thing about Cooper Cup

is he's fearless. He won't he won't run out of bounds. You know, He's like the Bengals played some great tight ends this season, and the one characteristic they all had, you know, Kelsey Andrews. The list goes on, I'm not just going to catch the football. I'm going to score on you. I'm taking this to the house. I want to make a not just an explosive play. I want to break your back and put points on the board. That's him. He won't run out of bounds. Cooper Cup

wants to score every time he catches the football. So his run after catch, you know he's got. When you look at him, you think, oh man, you know what, how can he run like? He doesn't look that strong, but he is a strong runner after catch of the football. I'm not saying he's got Jamar Chases type of lower body strength and all that, but he has definitely got some strength to him. And if you're one on one with them, God, God bless your good luck. You know.

I mean, he's not gonna let you take him down one. You got have to run some bodies to him. People have to run to the football and they're gonna have to rally around Cooper Cup and get him on the ground. We are recording this conversation on Wednesday. On Monday, we witnessed a pro wrestling move by c j Uzama where he theatrically ripped off the kneebres and tossed it away in front of thirty thousand fans at the Pepper Rally

at Paul Brown Stadium at this point. What you think do you think c j Uzama will be able to answer to answer the bell after hurting his MCL in the AFC Championship game. I really do. I think that WWE move like he described that was that was his statement, like I'm done with the albatross around my knee. I'm gonna play. I think that was his uh, his visual statement, you know. And uh he said in the pressor in the zoom during the day that I'm not going to

miss the most important game in my life. I'm going to participate. I'm gonna I'm gonna be there, I'm gonna get it done. Um it's gonna be interesting to see today how much he practices it at all. But they're gonna have to find out. If he doesn't practice today, you'd think he would have to practice tomorrow at some point.

They're gonna have to test it. And I mean watching him when he came out with the brace and jogging out there doing three sixties, you know, doing all this all this movement stuff, and um, yeah, it would not surprise me. I think that he is rehab maniac. I think he's driven. He knows what rehabs about after having the Achilles experience and he rehabed the heck out of an honesty, Dan, I think he was very fortunate in that his MCL sprain. There's first, second, third degree, and

then total tear. But I think he was somewhere between one and two, you know, and a first degree sprain you can almost play the following the week. If he's just a slight tick over that. It would not shock me in a two week time frame for him to go out and give them some snaps in the Super Bowl. Like we talked about Dan, the Swiss army knife aspect of him. He is an answer for if people are trying to substitute here. You know, if they run their Niel and Dime, their sub packages in there and CJ

zamas in the game. Okay, get the end of the line, screaming front of your big boy pads. We're running at these little bodies. We're gonna pound him. If they play their bass defense and he's got a linebacker matchup, it's detached CJ. And that's okay, linebacker, you take the one on one, so you know, it's like you're punching and making them count a punch instead of the other way around. And that's an interesting thing about the Rams too, dan Is. They go up temple a lot and they try to

it's it's it's interesting. It's going to be against the Bengals in the super Bowl. It's like sam Weiss with the no huddle in eighty eight, and here it is. You know, all these years later, the La Rams are doing exactly what what sam Weiss did, going up tempo, making you hesitant to substitute. They'll quick snap you. They're

trying to get favorable matchups on the football field. And it's interesting how then all these years later, the late rates sam Weiss's concept is still being utilized in the National Football League and you knew it was going to be a revolutionary thing, and it's it has stood the test of time very interestingly. Um and it's going to be interesting to see the position versatility that the sense

Bengals have that lou Aroumo has been looking for. It helps when you're in that situation and you have guys that can do different things. If you get caught with a defensive personnel group you really would prefer not to have on the field. If you've got some guys that can do multiple things that makes the pain more tolerable, that's for sure. If I run into c. J Uzama before kickoff on Sunday, I'm going to remind him that Jack Youngblood played in Super Bowl fourteen with a broken leg.

Remember that exactly, No doubt, no doubt. Man, you talked about a tough dude. Now that's that's pure toughness right there. Boy. So I've been to five Super Bowls, You've been to twenty plus. It is a corporate event. Maybe one third of the fans on Sunday are going to be Avid Bengals and Rams fans. Does that negate the home field advantage for the Rams? Yeah? I mean my understanding was in the in the championshi Ship Game, the forty nine

are fans outnumber the Rams fans, buy a bunch. The Rams had to go silent count in their own place because there were more you know, Scarlet and Gold. You know, the Rams fans weren't there. The forty nine er fans showed up in big numbers. So yeah, I think I think that it's going to be a plus for the Bengals that they're not going to have to deal with the crowd noise. They dealt with in Tennessee in Kansas City. That's for sure. They're going to be able to operate normally.

I think I don't think it's going to be an issue whatsoever. You know. The issue is the Rams have the players who stayed in their homes all week. They've had home cooking from their wife all week long. They slept in the bed that they sleep in there on a day to day basis all week long. They're going to go to a hotel the night before the game Saturday night. They've gone to it every home game during

the course of the season. It's business as usual, you know, for the Rams having that having the Super Bowl in their place, and it was for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, and you want it, and I think I think it's a big advantage. And I think the commissioner asked to think about that one a little bit long and hard, um, you know. And then you don't have to worry about the logistics of you know, flying your family. You know, some some family members. You know, you're still

gonna have to worry about flights. But they come to LA It's like, yeah, I can put you and you and you up. My neighbor can put you up. My good friend over here can put you up. You don't have to worry about all that hotel craft. You know, it's it's just it alleviates all of those issues that the Bengals have to deal with. All the logistic problems are much much diminished, obviously to the L A. Rams as opposed to what the Bengals players and organization are

going through. One more question, I'll let you go. You asked Tony Dungee a question when we talk to him the other day that I'm going to paraphrase and ask you if you had the opportunity to talk to these guys the night before the game, what would your message be? And boy, wasn't he great? Dan, He was great. Oh my god, that was awesome. Man. That is just Hall

of Famer for a reason, multiple reasons. But man, here is something I would basically, I would say, look, guys, relax r E l a X take on the Aaron Rodgers mentality. Relaxed because it's when the ball is in the air, it's just a football game like you played in high school and college and in the NFL. But all of that fanfare and everything leading up to it has just kind of puts your mind in a place where maybe it shouldn't be. It's just it's about football.

It's all about football. Relax, have fun, go out and enjoy it. Enjoy it, you know. And and honestly, Dan, I remember there was a there was a stat and playing in super Bowl sixteen because you know, I'm kind of nerdy about doing prap even when I was playing,

and I'm watching all these shows and everything. It's like, oh, the team that turns the ball over first has lost fourteen out of the fifteen super Bow And I'll be a son of a gun if when that first turnover happened for us, I thought, oh, get that out of your mind. You know, you don't want to be thinking about those kind of things. But then another turnover, another turn another turn So bottom line is, guys, take care of the football. Go out and have fun, play play loose,

enjoy it, but secure the football. I mean turnovers they know. I mean they were even during the season, but shoot, they're like plus five now in three in three playoff games. That's that's been a huge deal. They have six interceptions and buy six different players in three football games. That's unbelievable, unbelievable. If they can continue along those lines, they got a great chance to win the football game. I mean takeaways.

Against Tennessee Titans negated nine sacks. First time in the NFL history a team gave up nine sacks and won the game. Why they won the turnover battle. Turnover battle erases a lot of bad blemishes. Man. You know, it puts puts the makeup on and is up. So you win that battle, you know you're you're in You're in much better shape. So. Um. But and then the thing about the Super Bowl, guys, Um, when you go out

there to warm up. I remember sitting there on the bench with some of my offensive line buddies and everything, and looking around and the stadium was already full. It's like an hour and a half foot kickoff. I'm like, oh my god. They were going nuts chairing about warm up stuff. Guys. How how guys were stretching they go. I'm like, oh my god. So you start to get this adrenaline rush way too early, you know. So it's like handle warm ups. Don't do too much in warmups.

Do exactly what you've done all season long. You are now you have a protocol as such, do you go through to get ready for the football game. Do not change it. Don't do anything differently for the Super Bowl, even if it's a longer period of time, you know, pregames longer, more commercials, all that kind of stuff. Just do what you do. Don't do more, you know, and handle the long pree halftime ban forever. Oh the halftime when do we broadcast Super Bowl? The halftime show is ridiculous.

Look as we all the commercials they need to get in, so we have to adjust to it too, But the players have to adjust a lot more. I mean, it's it's like it seems like you're in there forever compared to a regular season game or even a playoff game leading up to it. So there's just things like that that maybe, you know, guys need to be aware of and just don't don't don't don't let it affect you, you know, just handle it, move on, get through it. Whatever it is, what it is, there's nothing you can

do about it. I'll do one more podcast to preview the Super Bowl, and my guests will include Bengals president Mike Brown. If you are heading to Los Angeles for the game, here's an invitation to join lapping me for the Bengals Pepper Rally Show on location this Friday at Barney's Beanery in Santa Monica. We'll do the show from one to four local time, meaning you can listen in

Cincinnati from four to seven on ESPN fifteen thirty. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by Ultimate Bengals, the Freedom Play Next Level Fantasy Football Game, and by on Location, the official hospitality partner of the NFL. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and if you have a minute, give it a rating or share

a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm Dan Horde, and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast