Billy Cunningham, the Great American, Welcome this Lauries Friday afternoon of the tries, papers, chance of rain. Later on Reneath Badley Red Spaceball kicks off about six ten the night the Reds are in mets Land and let's face it, maybe there's life this res resuscitation going on. Possibly the paddles digitalis, whatever it might be. There's a slight heartbeat
with the Reds. They are only about fourteen and a half games out of the wild Card, twenty eight games out of first We'll see what happens, keep hope alive. But of course what's happening on Sunday takes presidents over all things earthly, that is the Bengals. Bengals are going to tee it up on Sunday. It's going to be exciting and it's unbelievable. First kick about one oh five or so. Dave Lapham has all the information. And Dave Lapham, the great number sixty two, welcome again to the Bill
Cunningham Show. And Dave, this is about your fiftieth year is involved with the Cincinnati Bengals. How high is the anticipation, how high is the perspiration? And the weather is going to be great. People are going nuts. Max Montoya has the connection with Dan Hurley and Moore. Give me a full report. I have very specific questions, though, give me a full report. Where is the excitement meter?
Yeah, it's it's up there, Willie. There's there's no question about it. The they think that it's going to be a really, really solid football team, and the weather is going to be almost like fall. It's going to be beautiful, be in the seventies, low seventies for the game. But uh, that morning when you wake up, man, it's going to feel like in October or November morning. There's there's no questions. So, yeah, guys are geared up. There's no no question about it.
The the opening weekend the National Football League is always always a big deal, and man was it kicked off by a pull of football game last night. It was unbelievable.
How about Kansas City's first two games at home against the Ravens then the Bengals. Uh many. I've read some Kansas City stuff from the Star Ledger, et cetera, and it looks to me as if they're they're higher than a kite and they be the Ravens. I don't know. I think that the Ravens are, shall we say, it's
just a NACHA two below the Chiefs. When you examined that game last night, ken Ken, the Bengals compete against the Chiefs with that team, but Patrick mahomes exciting, unbelievable defense was good and I never saw most of those wide receivers. They made Tyreek Hill look like it was slow. What did you see in that game?
Yeah, I saw the rookie from Texas, Xavier Worthy, just his first touch of his NFL career was want of reverse for about a touch on you he was a blur. I mean here he's running through guys like they were standing still. He scores two touchdowns in his first NFL game, one on the ground and one on the air. And Patrick Mahomes won a Super Bowl with more pedestrian corps receivers than he's got. Now, I mean, this kid, he
adds speed to that football team. And then when you have somebody who can stretch the field vertically and horizontally horizontally like he did on that reverse, I mean when he's in motion, he's a blur. You know, guys are trying to catch up to when he goes in motion, across the backfield went to the field. So I mean he makes he makes Kelsey's life easier, He makes all the other receiver's life easier because you know, he stretches
the field both ways, vertically and horizontally. He's he's a weapon.
Man speaking in vertically and horizontally. Did you see Taylor Swift. I mean, I'm looking at this and I'm thinking, what the hell's going on?
Man?
Anyway, let's get back to football. Who runs it. Let's say you line up on the fifty yard line and you got Xavier Worthy on one side and La Dela Cruz on the other. Who wins the race?
I'll tell you what that's That's a good race because Dela Cruz he gets he gets from zero to to fifty quickly. I mean, he's not one of those guys it takes about three or four steps to get get in high gear. Man, he's in high gear right now, and he's got long strides. A fifty yard.
Race, yeah, that wins.
That'd be a good race because you know Worthy's He's run the fastest forty in the history of the National Football.
League, like four to two or four to one or something.
Yeah, like got like got four to one. That's exactly what it was. I mean, it was like nuts, Yeah, it's nuts.
Let's talk about specifics here. I get into the facts. You're you're a great poet, but I tend to deal with facts. And uh, while you're laughing, and they and the five seasons that uh, Zach Taylor has been the head football coach with your Bengals. In the first two games. According to Jason Williams, the Bengals are one and nine in the first two games in the last five seasons. Why would this be different this year? One and nine? They're terrible? Why first of all, why have they been terrible?
And secondly, why is this year different?
Yeah? Sometimes it's been opponent driven. I mean, when you play the Kansas City Chiefs or the Baltimore Ravens or any bigger like that in your first couple of games at the start a season, it's you know, it's it makes a dicey uh. And they got bigger in Kansas City. They go to Kansas City week two, and that's going to be a hell of a hell of a challenge out there when you play them in Kansas City, that place is I mean, you can't even hear yourself think
out there, it is. It's absolutely nuts out there. So that that's going to be very interesting. First and foremost, they're going to get off to a good start against the Patriots. They're favored by I think more than anybody else in the National Football League. I think eight and a half point favorite something like that, and I think
that's the highest in Week one. So I can't look at that, and they just got to say, let's let's take care of business to get down to brass tax here and get after the New England Patriots, who, by the way, willie for out of the last five years to top ten defense in the National Football League. They were seventh last year. So this is this is a football team that prides itself on its defensive performance. They trut their disguise, they try to they try to create
chaos and confusion and take cash. In my mind, take Caresh in my mind, is going to be hugely important because he's the guy that's got to sort it all out, recognize it, communicate it quickly, bring some calm to that chaotic storm that the Patriots are trying to bring. So it's going to be interesting. Man.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Number one, Dela Cruz, not Dela Cruz. Number two. Let's talk about the man. Let's talk about Jamar Chase. Jamar Chase, the Great Number one. The speculation was earlier in the week They're going announce it during the Thursday night game like they did with JB. That didn't happen. Here we sit Friday afternoon, all hell's breaking loose. I look at according to Austin and some others, Tony Benders looked at the next thing.
I think he has spies everywhere and also cameras. It appears it appears that these secondary receivers are not running with the first team and that it is the Great Jamar Chases the guy out there. I mean, do you have a sense by Sunday? Number one? Is he going to play? Number two? Is he going to sign? I don't care if he signs or not. He's a multi billionaire anyway, at some point he's going to make all the doe in the world. But is he going to play on Sunday?
I think he'll play, And honestly, think about it, what's the difference between Jamar Chase playing and Sam Hubbard playing. Sam Hubbard very early in training camp, had an injury to his knee that you know, he basically couldn't do anything. I mean, he couldn't even do what Jamar Chase is doing. He had to go back and square one and rehab and come along and basically learn how to walk right again. And now he's he's going to play and how many snaps?
And I think they're going to have to, you know, monitor it with him as he comes out the football field. How you feeling the same thing with Jamar Chase. Jamar Chase missed all the time, but he and Sam Hubbard are doing the same thing. They're both coming to practice, they're both supporting their teammates, answering questions, trying to pass on some veteran knowledge and experience working out and and Sam workouts. You know, he had to ramp up. He
had start from square one. Like I said, Jamar has been freakishly crazy in his workouts. Strength coaches tell me that man, he's he is like ridiculously strong. I mean, his lower body is crazy. And he's been running frints in the in the I E. L. Bubble over there, and he's got himself in good shape. Now was a football shape and That's what Sam's going to be working through too. You have to get back into functional football shape and that's gonna that's gonna take some refs out
there on the field. But you know there's the reason that everybody, Oh, is jarp mare going to be able to play? He's not hurt. You know, he's he's in great shape and he's a freak. I mean, both he and Hubbard are keep themselves in premium condition. I mean like I finally tuned Mercedes man. I mean that's the way that they they look at it and they approach their uh, you know, their profession. So I don't have any hesitation about Jamar Chase being out there and being
able to perform. And I know the New England Patriots are going to be concerned when he's out there. It'll be interesting to see how many times they killed coverage over there to Jamar Chase.
Oh, your credibility is on the line. Number one. Will he play or not? Put it out there, Dave Lapham, Will the great Number one Jamar Chase play on Sunday? Yay or nay?
I say yay. I'd be very very surprised if he does. I think he plays, and I think he plays well. I think he's a factor in the football game.
Let's talk about the trenches. Everything happens. You're a good friend. The great Paul Brown said, it's all beginning up front. Is the offensive line better or worse than last year? You know the position? Well, we have Max Montoya coming up in about forty five minutes to talk about he and Dan Hurley. Great story there about the hat and why Dan Hurley, the great Connecticut basketball coaches as a Bengals fan, have that in about forty five minutes or so.
But talk about the offensive line better or worse than last year.
I think it's one of the better offensive lines that they've had in franchise history, chance to be one of one of the best in the National Football League. I mean it's a massive unit. Will he you know the average size, I mean they get their offensive tackle position, they're all six to eight and they all ways turn the fifty pounds more. I mean, it's a massive humanity up there. It really is crazy. And you know, you go over with Trent Brown and I think he's going
to be the starter or right tackle. Would not surprise me if Mims is deactivated this week, if he's up, he's going to be in an emergency situation. I think Trent Brown goes. So that means that four of the five offensive linemen have been to the Pro Bowl from an individual hon a standpoint, and all four of them have won a Super Bowl. So four different guys in the starting five of the offensive line have reached the
pinnacle individually and team wise. And that that's good. I mean that tells you that you know how to get it done, you know what to do, you know how to do it. And I'm looking forward to seeing them play. I think they're they're they're big, they're mobile, they're cohesive. I think it's gonna be fun to watch.
Yeah, And when when Munoz was drafted, he was perceived as a large offensive lineman. Now at he's like a shrimp. Talk about the defensive line, the defensive line. Tony Bender is concerned about the defensive line and how poorous it might be because the Patriots are going to take the air out of the ball, They're gonna run, they're going to get the clock running. It's going to I think a low scoring game. That's against the predilections of many.
But Tony Benner's concerned about the defensive line should he be.
Well, I agree with what you're saying about the Patriots trying to run the football. They want to play keep away, they want to try to keep number nine on the sideline. They don't want to give him the football. So they're going to try to control that clock, play play that type of possession football. And they've got a couple of very very solid running backs to do that with. I
mean Stevenson and Gibson. They're both you know, two hundred and twenty five tore and thirty pound type guys that you know, are very very physical, hard to bring to the ground. And when Brissette decides to run the football, he's he's six four to two thirty five. I mean, he's a full grown man. He's hard to get to the ground as well. I'm not saying there's going to be a quarterback run package. When he extends and creates right, he's going to try to run for you know, very
significant yardage to move the change. Yeah, I think that's going to be a big factor. And I think that that's going to be key. You know, get that second and third and long situations and let a guy named Tree Hendrickson, Willie he is freakish man.
He's a man. He's a man. Harry asked, man, he's a man.
The dude has unbelievable first step quicknesses. Get off is incredible. He's a he's got quick twitch. He's got the quick twitch from the running back or defensive back in that body. I mean, it's like, it's like, man, what how did he get there?
He's he's got to He's a Tourett's kind of guy. Just twitch, just twitch and all of that. Unbelieved he gets from there to hear. I don't know so quickly. I know I didn't close my eyes. I know I didn't.
I didn't.
I got I have two big questions for you, Dave Lapping, Why are you prepared? Yes, who's a better wide receiver Isaac Curtis, o Cho Cinko or Jamar Chase. You have to pick one. You got Isaac Curtis, o Cho Cinco in their prime or Jamar Chase number one? Give me a quick answer.
Totally different receivers. I mean, uh, you know, it's it's what he works. Flavor ice cream do you want? They're they're all tremendous, and it's what flavor ice cream you want? They've got different skill sets, different types of receivers. But I played with Isaac Curtis and and he was awe inspiring man. He he made such an impression on me with his athleticism and and his his ability to catch the football and then just all round hell of a guy.
I love Isaac Curtis. Man hard hard to de throw on him.
In my opinion, Kenny Anderson, Boomer Sison, Joe Burrow. You have one quarterback who's behind the center with his hands between his legs. Which are those three?
Boy? They Probably the greatest leader of all time is Boomer Sis And I think Joe Burrow and Kenny Anderson are more similar in terms of their their style of playing, their football, intelligence, and their accuracy. I remember my first my rookie with the team. I'm out there watching, uh, you know, Kenny Anderson throwing the football and uh, the balls never hitting the ground. I'm like, man, the NFL, this is this NFL is kind of crazy. Man. They'll
be able to throw some incompletion. Must Borrow does the same thing.
You're not giving me an answer, Burrow, number seven or number fourteen? Which are those three?
The best? That would be number nine for borrow, oh, number nine, number seven or number fourteen? It I'll go with I'll go with fourteen.
All right, thank you, Pete Rose under center. Now, lastly, give me the final score. Let's cut the crap. We don't have to play the game. Dave Lapham says, final score is.
Final scores Bengals by a touchdown.
Willie about twenty one fourteen? You like that one.
I'm thinking. I'm thinking twenty four to seventeen.
I'm writing that down right now. All right, Thank you Dave Lapham, You're the best. This is almost year fifty one connected to the Bengals, one way or another. No one is a record like that, not even not even Dan Horde, Phil Sam, none of them have that. And thank you for sharing your thoughts. On the eve of a battle a great bat the Gladiators are about to enter the arena, muddy, bloodied everywhere, fighting like crazy, and see who comes out. Will be Maximus or it'll be Lithium.
Maximus or Lithium is going to win the battle. Dave Lapham, give my best to Dan Horde and may God bless you and God bless the Bengals. Thank you.
I'm going with Maximus because You've got Maximus Montoya coming up here, so I'm going with Maximus. Really as a pleasure, as always agreed the best. Appreciate the opportunity to catch up with the legend.
Great number sixty five. All right, thank you very much, Dave Lappham. You're the man. If you can't do it, nobody can. Thank you, Dave, God bless America. Let's continue with more of your comments. Are next. I don't know why why these interviews go those route, but it's kind of fun. On news Radio seven hundred WLW