TNF Recap: Bengals Jaguars with Spice Rack (Super Bowl Halftime announced!)

rookie is hoisted for the second time. There was a moment in the middle of the fourth quarter on Thursday Night Football where Troy Aikman try to put it all into perspective what he was watching between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals, and he made this comment, which on the surface was you know, tossed off, but if you

really thought about it, it said a lot. Troy Aikman, three time Super Bowl Champion, Hall of Famer, instead of Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence, they're going to be the faces of the NFL for a long time. That is the quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Rs, respectively. And that is not to be slept on. And that was what I was thinking. After the Cincinnati Bengals got the field goal straight through the uprights. By the way, you know, I love the kicker club around here, Ricky.

This kid, Evan McPherson can play, and I know he missed early, but he drilled one in a big spot. That's the second game winning, kicking three and four weeks to start his career. One Bengals outlast the Jaguars in a very loud Cincinnati building, a building that was lousy with Westlings, who, by the way, Ricky locked it up in a big spot. Even though Nick Westling halfway, you know, halfway through the first quarter, sending out texts and tweets burying his own brothers. I love it. I love it.

I love it because Chris Westling. I don't know if he can hear it or see it. We don't know how all that works. But Chris Westling would get such a kick out of the Westling brothers, his brothers turning on each other week after week with this lock game. It's so perfect, it's so Westling brother It's so Cincinnati. And speaking of Cincinnati, a little bit later, one of the shining Suns of the Queen City is going to join us. This was a game that the Jaguars were

in control of. This was a game that the Jaguars. We're up fourteen nothing in the second quarter and driving. It was a mausoleum Paul Brown Stadium. At that point, the Jacksonville Jaguars were at the goal line. Trevor Lawrence,

who really I thought was impressive in this game. Joe Burrow is going to get the headlines, but I really thought Lawrence made big strides in his fourth start, pushes forward, just just comes short of the goal line, turnover on downs, so it could have been twenty one nothing with a minute to play in the second quarter. Instead, Cincinnati takes over. They essentially run out the clock and then a third

quarter begins and the game switches. It flips and it's because Burrow got hot, and they go down the field. They make it fourteen seven, They get a stop, they go down the field again, Joe mix in one year touchdown run after Burrows QB sneak TV got called back correctly. C G O C J Wasama making play after play

after play. My goodness, it's fourteen fourteen. But to Trevor Lawrence's credit, to the Jacksonville Jaguars credit, this was not gonna be like last week where they got the big Jamal Agnew kickoff return or the field goal attempt that was gathering in the back of the end zone and then rushed a hundred and nine yards back the other way. And you're thinking, oh, maybe the Jacks have a chance to ups at Arizona and then they get blown blown out of the building for the rest of that game. No,

this time again progress for Urban Myers team. They go down the field, they march eleven place seventy seven yards in five minutes and forty three seconds, capped by James Robinson's four year touchdown run. A lot of big conversions um by Trevor Lawrence. There. Uh, but the Cincinnati Bengals come right back. A really good game, a lot of good prime prime time games so far this season. And

again it's Burrow leading the charge. Ten place, seventy five yards. Now, Joe Mixon's on the sideline with a minor angle ankle injury, we're told by Zach Taylor, who all of a sudden doesn't look so bad because his teams three and one. Zach Taylor maybe has a face. Now. C j Uzama again catches the ball in the flat and at all outlets by the Jaguars and takes it to the house touchdown. Jack's get the stop or the Bengals get to stop and again another big Uzama catch sets them up for

the field goal. McPherson puts it through. Uh and yes, just a big win for the Cincinnati Bengals who are

are three and one. That is noble, that is that's a big deal in Cincinnati because you think about what happened with Joe Burrow in his rookie year when you saw the flashes there for the number one overall pick, but he couldn't get protected and he took too many hits and then he got his knee absolutely shredded, and I believe it was November, and then a very difficult rehab for not Just as Aikman said during the tellcast, this was not just a pop d a c L.

This was a shredded knee. No one knew if he was gonna be ready. A lot of bad camp reports about him and Jamaar Chase and everybody else connected to Cincinnati, but none of that matters because the summer doesn't matter in the NFL. And I don't know why, Ricky, I don't even know why we do a podcast. I really don't know why we do it in the summer because we got to see what happens when it counts, and the Cincinnati Bengals are going to enter October in first

place in the north. Well, this feels like a good time to bring in our guest. What's that sound? By the way? M wait, wait a second, Is it time to head to the desert? Is it time to welcome in the Consigliari? And I know that he's not actually in the desert right now, but that doesn't mean he's not the Westling Brothers Desert Consigliari and proud Queen City native Spice Rack. Welcome buddy, buddy boy happened to be

a board. I see you got the uh no Greg, by the way, obviously we know what's going on with Mark right, No, Greg, you don't get Greg. You got me and Ricky and I hope that's okay, Spicyally, it's it's fine by me. You know who? Who am I to turn down any of these options? But Spice can you can you hear me? Well? What's going on? We hear You're great, Spicy, Tell me about tell me about where you watch this game, tell me everything about it.

Let's start there. We're with Spice Rack watching the Bengals, not the Bungles. I don't do. I got too much gray hair to be cool, and I'm way too much of a maniac to like what really watched sports almost with anybody else. So so you're solo soaking it in. How did it feel? What are you thinking right now? Take me through it? Well, I mean, listen, there's not a lot of feelings. And you know, as far as being a sports fan and uh, knowing you landed a

stud at quarterback, there's a different feeling about it. If you think back eight ten years ago, the Bengals had as deeper roster as anyone in the NFL. They had a Super Bowl roster with a wild card quarterback. And that's how I always viewed. Um, I never even took them that seriously, but I mean just studs in their prime for days with a J. Green and Whitworth and um, you know, the secondary was loaded Geno Atkins and Dune Law. They were stacked, but they had a quarterback who you

knew had a ceiling and everything. Yeah, and everything would have had to be perfect to to just get there. And uh, it's just different with with Joe Burrow, for sure. And that's how spicy, That's how it opened up the show just kind of an off handed remark by Aikman midway through the fourth quarter. Troy Troy, Troy Aikman. Yes, the number one overall pick out of U C. L A and the Hall of Famer, they're gonna be the

faces of the NFL for a long time. And it was he was referring to a Cincinnati and then Jacksonville quarterback. And I think that's notable because Jacksonville has a even though they've only been around since ninety five, and they came in, they came out of the gates hot with Brunel and they had a nice round with Brunell. It's been pretty rough since then. And we know the history of Cincinnati QB's Carson Palmer. And you know, Spicy, just like West knew it was special, but fate intervened there

now brutal. Now you have Burrow and faith intervening potentially last season two when you're thinking to yourself when that knee literally explodes within his body, oh my god, it's happening again. But now now, Spicy, you're thinking to yourself, we we survived that, We that that gut punch, and this guy is the real deal, you know, Uh yeah, definitely seems like we survived it. Uh, there's not. There's not a you know that that year after the injury,

that just makes things dicey moving forward. I mean it's it's pretty clear he's a keeper on all fronts, um, but it's still you know, we're looking at uh, last year was wasted. This year. Uh, I still feel like there's a ceiling on the team. And when you talk about modern NFL, those teams that really hit, or when you know, like what the Bills have now with the the Seahawks had with Russell Wilson, you know, you got

that roster that stacked the quarter. I realized Alan is now you know, he's signed a big contract, but still that roster was built when he was still in that rookie contract with that rookie clock, right. Yeah, and so you know, already looking at obviously this isn't a wasted year by any stress, but I'm not a big fan of Zach Taylor. The roster is very limited and uh regardless, I just look at this as a year of is as long as Burrow gets through it, you know, that's all.

I could ask for a wild card appearance something like that would be great, but just watching this guy play is you know, it offers hope. I mean that's what sports are all about, especially as fall small market, which being in New Yorker, you understand. Yeah, well I understand what it's like the Joe decades looking for a quarterback. But you have you. You are in the hope business again. Uh, and I want you are college guy. We lean on you, Spicy,

You're the expert. You are peerless in that well peerless within the structure of our podcast here. This is right, I don't know worldwide. But what did you think about Trevor Lawrence as well? Because uh, you know, I remember probing what your thoughts on Lawrence ahead of the draft, and I think you spoke very hot highly of him as well asolutely I felt they I felt like they both really showed a lot in this game. I mean, uh, Trevor Lawrence is uh. I mean, his his talent jumps

off the chart. I'm sure for the coaches who have done all the individual workouts of every big guy going back, I mean, he's probably stands out, you know, above almost any other guy. You saw his athleticism today, You saw that great throw to the you know, left sideline. You know yards about triple covered. Um, I mean, he's he's spectacular, He's a can't miss. I really am trying to get a feel for his personality. He seems pretty much like

a robot. Obviously he's done nothing but win his whole career and all that, and uh, you know, the measurables it they speak for themselves. I gotta tell you regarding his athleticism and his you know, his ability as talent and urban Meyer, what were we talking about here? Zeus? He got fourth and golf from the inch line. Trevor Lawrence is already probably run for thirty or forty, you know, impressive type yards already in the game, showing his athletica.

And me he's six five is strong guy. You can't just fall forward an inch. You have to run the triple option. That's from the whole game tonight. That's from the whole game. But overall, I'm a big fan of Lawrence personality wise. He actually kind of reminds me of Carson Palmer. Talent undeniable, but kind of wouldn't you know.

I mean it's not all not all the way of of a criticism, but Joe Burrow, you know who he is, right, away just with body language, with interaction with teammates and uh not comparing the two just on that front, but overall, give me a guy like Burrow. It's funny that were we Palmer has come up a couple of times here because Lawrence is a good comp in a lot of ways.

Like Palmer and Lawrence both were probably gold and you know, childhad prodigies when they're and um, they aren't going to carry themselves with the type of maybe charisma of a Joe Burrow who has who has a little bit of a chip on the shoulder. His his college path was a little rocky or Baker Mayfield, another transfer type guy that had you know, you see the walk on and you see the way those guys that that kind of

informs their personalities as well. And I and I brought it up on the podcast like a week ago, but

I'll bring it up again. One of my favorite assignments I ever got sent on for NFL Media was to cover the premier of All or Nothing, Um when the Cardinals were the first season of that and I got to go with my buddy j to the green room where all the players and Bruce arians and it was such a star studded team that two thousand fifteen Panthers squad and Carson Palmer just chilling at the bar with a bud heavy and even though he's maybe wooden from

our perspective when you're there the way, there's just there's something about him he just wanted. And I think that Lawrence has that same thing. And it's still young. We have no idea where this is going to go, but he kind of has an aura to him. I think I think that I think Lawrence is really special. And if they're Jaguar fan, listen right now and you're super bumped because you're owing four and this was a stomach punch loss obviously because you felt like you had it.

Better days are ahead of urban Meyer, maybe be nervous about him. But man, you have Trevor Lawrence in the building exactly once you once you land that quarterback, you're good. I mean, you know, for the for the most part, if you get that guy, you're good. And that all it just changes that it changes your view of you know, from around the league, prospective free agents. You know, all of a sudden, you're eight, You're able to get these

vets on a one year deal. That it's still have a lot left in the tank, and uh that Jacksonville is nowhere close to that yet, but they have their guy. There's there's no doubt. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no. I was just gonna say because I because we value your your takes. Anybody else from the game today, that kind of jumped out, jumped off the screen a little bit to you, somebody you're excited to see more of? What about the tight end? Uh? Yeah? Do you think that was? I think that was one

of those prime time like flashes in the pan. Or if this is a guy I really keep an eye on, He's he's he's rock solid. He's always actually been a pretty good receiver of the ball and like a willing blocker from what I understand, I'm not exactly breaking down film, but he he only moved so fast, and he only moved he's. He's he's plenty serviceable. But he's not. Get to of anybody else from the game that you wanted to throw out something on before we say goodbye. I

mean you don't. You don't want my takes on like Colleen Wolf or East Coast Bias or Zach Taylor. I got stuff written down. I mean we won't hear anything critical of Connie, that's what you're getting at. But any other thoughts is good. I mean she didn't return my complimentary d M if you yeah, do you have any idea how many random white men are d M ng Colleen Wolf? I mean, she's got to follow you, d M. This is my this is my friend. We have an

established friends you thought, Okay, Yeah, no, I don't know. No, honestly he should understand that though, right, the spicy has to understand that Colleen's herd d M s I'm a big fast on a plane that none of us can quite grasp. Yeah, yeah, I mean it is, Uh, it is unlike anything you could imagine the Ricky DM. Ricky sent me an absurd DM that involved I can't even say. I don't even kids could be listening. I mean Eric

is getting killed too sometimes. I'm sure. No, it's brutal for for the ladies, I'm sure, I'm sure these this, Uh, what Dan's referring to Ricky is sent from a gentleman, not a gentle lady. Yeah, guys are the worst, and it wasn't killing else but rude, trude whatever, guys, colleens a pro go ahead anything else before we say goodbye? Spicy? How are you a pro? I'm I am well? How

are you good? I threatened? I threatened Ricky before this to not play that Carousel music this time, and she, I gotta tell you, I thought that she was not so cowardly. I thought she'd play it still. But she's living up to it. No, I don't know. Tell me, you have that teat up right now? What what do we do? What are we doing that? Zeus? Let me let me ask you, how ridiculous do you think it is that, five years after his playing career, Nick Mangolds

on bud Light Seltzer commercials. Nick Mangolds, he comes bias in a way that Okay, the center for the New York Jets from five years ago or whatever it is, this is way. This is way worse than win Justin Tuck was on a subway commercial way worse. You're a little bit in your Midwest bubble or your if Nick Well, Nick Mangolds from right up the road here, what are

you talking about? Did you track his college career? Did you try to send a center Hey, he was a critical member of the two thousand two Ohio State buck Eyes. This is a clown take to come after Mangold because you got you got some scratch for a commercially them. I'm happy in the circus. Put a big top over the steak for spicy. Do you think the Mariners are gonna beat out the Yankees for the wild Card minus

fifty and run differential? Uh? Listen, I don't know about that side of it, but I can tell you they just went to Boston and Toronto and took five out of six, so I'm feeling pretty good. I know they're probably in but but Seattle, Seattle is probably gonna come and get Boston and Toronto is pretty much dead. So and informed. They will probably be at the Bronx on Tuesday night when I'm on a plane to London with Ricky. I'm not excited about that. We're off the rails, all right,

we are, we are alright. I see we love you, I really did. I'm happy to hear from you. I am about this lighting. You gotta love this light. It's nice. Look like I don't know what I like. Um, and thank you, and uh say hi to if you run across any Westling brothers. I know that city is lousy with them, Say hi our behalf. We'll do great talk, great, great talking you guys, good Spicer alright, appearance by Spicy. I liked it. I do like that he privately reached

out to you about the Circus music. He let not me let me read the text. If you play the Carousel music again, we're gonna fight you. So good. Oh, let's see. The biggest mistake he made is letting us know that it bothers him. Yeah. I wouldn't even thought of it. But thank you the great brand Spieler. He's a good dude. Uh. And it's a good day if you're a Cincinnati Bengals fan. So that is it. That's where we're That's where we're at. Real quick, Ricky, do you want to do you have any takes on the

Super Bowl fifties six halftime show. It was announced today Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamarlon for Dre's from l A Snoop Long Beach, Come on now, Andrew Lamar South Central, Mary J. I'm not sure we're Mary J. Hills. Eminem's obviously Detroit, but he has the the ties, of course to um from the Bronx Okay, well all right, but she's Mary J. So you want to get that element into it, that that that this is something to have a true hip hop halftime show.

As someone that they used to have me cover this event, I used to go to the press conferences on Thursday of super Bowl week or Friday of super Bowl week. This is something that they were resisent to to go down this path, and that was always to me not not the way to go. Because hip hop is the dominant musical form in popular culture in America and the super Bowl is America's day, uh in terms of pop culture. So I think this is smart and good. I'm looking

forward to it, and all these artists have bangers. That's my take. What's yours? Yeah, exactly. At first, when I was like Rocky member and I was like, Okay, l A, they'll maybe go hip hop because, like you said, it's it's been trending that way for a long time and they've been frankly you know, behind the times, and and they caught up, which was great. Um, but I was like, could Snoop Dog like hold a halftime show? I'm like,

would they really do that? I don't know. And then even Kendrick Lamar, like, is that big big enough name for you know, some of the flyover states and and stuff like that, not not you know, saying you're not gonna win over the flyover states totally. But but I was like, so, what are who's gonna hold? But then when they announced them all together, I was like, oh, yeah,

this is awesome, Like it's gonna be so sick. And during the halftime, if you guys catch it, if you go back and watch, you know, Colleen Tonight on on TNF and she tossed it to Dre and Snoop, who did a little, um, you know, like two minutes sort of interview, really cool checking it out, and it got me hype. Alright, good, alright, so we're both on the same page with us. And I don't even have to ask Greg. I don't have to wait till Tuesday talked

with us because Greg famously likes rap. So that's good. So there you go. Uh And the NFL, they had kind of backed themselves into a bit of a corner where that it seemed like you had to find this huge universal artists and that usually meant older rock band and that's just not where things are right now rock music doesn't have a grip on the culture like it once did, and they've already gotten all the classic rockers.

And besides, a lot of like the classic rock acts are kind of being phased out by father time now. So this makes sense. Just make it if it's make it a pop show, a pop spectacle. And by the way, Ricky, just get Taylor Swift next year. I was just gonna say this. I don't know what I'm thinking. I'm like, Okay, Taylor Swift, she's re recording all of her albums. She just announced today that she's rerecording Red and it's gonna

be coming out soon. She's owning all her own music. Dan, what if all of a sudden, Taylor has her whole collection re recorded that she owned. I mean, this is trending to something huge. You just wait, you got a little too excited that Taylor Swift, who has about seven billion dollars in the bank, now that she owns all her own music, she'll have nine billion dollars in the bank. Well, it's a big deal that she's taking control back, you know from That's good. That's all power to the artist.

Not that there was there was some pepsi Coca cola, you know, but that's off the table now, Taylor, you've got a good feeling. Dan, all right, good, that would be nice. I'll be fun. Where is the Super Bowl next year? I can't remember Arizona. We gotta go to New Orleans perfect. Um all right, good stuff, Thank you everybody for listening. By the way, again again, we will be in London next week and later in the week. We want to see you guys, So head over to

the around the NFL subreddit. It's very easy to find. If you've never been on Reddit, just go. Just type in on the Google machine around the NFL reddit. That should handle it and you'll have some information that might be of interest to you if you live in England and the surrounding territories. That's all. Just keep keep an eye out or um, yeah, just keep an eye out. Play me out with that desert consigiliary. That's what it's known as. Some people say, oh, yeah, that's the Godfather thing. No,

it's the Spice Rack. Come on back Sunday night for the flagship show. Until then, heed the call. That's my brand needs work. Yeah,