Hi, get everybody.

I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast.

The Whoa I'm a Love addition.

As Joe Flacco looks to lead the Bengals to their second straight win and even their record at four and four.

As they host the New York Jets Coming Up, Kay Adams explains why she's convinced that the Bengals are going to the playoffs.

Amrius Mims joins me to discuss his quest to dominate and trying to find a pair of gloves that fit.

And in this week's Know the Faux Segment, beat writer Rich Sumini tells us if the Jets are better than their zero to seven record.

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It's the greatest thing since parabolic microphones.

When you watch an NFL game on TV, do you marvel at how well you can hear the quarterback bark out signals.

There are a couple of reasons why the audio is crystal clear.

One, they put microphones in some of the linemen's pads.

Those are the only micd up players that are heard live during a game.

And two, there are people standing on the sideline holding parabolic mics.

Those are the ones that look like little satellite dishes.

I bring this up after making a cool discovery last week after the Thursday Night Went Over Pittsburgh.

Zach Taylor was praising Joe Flacco for how quickly he's picked things up despite some communication issues.

I have to nunciate my formations better because some of them we're hearing him for the first time, and so I got to do a better job nunciating.

Thanks my Olcahoma accent got him a couple of times, but I thought he did a great job manager.

In the game.

Zach wasn't kidding.

I always listened back to part of the game broadcast to critique my work and I picked up on something that I didn't catch during the live broadcast.

And now we've got a time out called by Cincinnati when it was first intent at the Pittsburgh forty six.

Did you catch that at the end?

I'm going to play it again but tweak the audio a little bit.

And now we've got a time out called by Cincinnati when it was first intent at the Pittsburgh forty six.

Thanks to one of those parabolic microphones, you could clearly hear Flacco tell Zach to enunciate the formation.

I don't think it really had anything to do with the Oklahoma accent, just the difficulty of trying to repeat wordy play calls that he's still in the process of learning.

There's certain things with formations and things like that that you're hearing for the first couple times, and even though you've read the play a million times, like when you hear it, it just wasn't hitting my brain right.

So there was a few of those, and we were joking on the sideline like any time that happened, and we broke the play and we broke the huddle, and it was like, I don't know if we're right here.

I mean, that play hit so we got lucky tonight in that says.

And we got lucky that a parabolic mic picked up a little bit of audio that helped us understand what the coach at his quarterback we're talking about.

Now, let's get to my first guest.

She is the host of up In Adams and not shy about expressing her fondness for our Cincinnati Bengal.

She has a Bengals fan favorite, our friend Kay Adams k Last Friday morning, after the exciting win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, you said on your show and I quote the Bengals are going to the playoffs cemented.

Were you caught up in the excitement or are you still just as confident?

I am just as if not more confident.

I like their schedule coming up.

I loved that game.

I loved the second half with Flaco and his debut with an Inner Division rival from his former stop the week before.

I'm very confident.

I still really am.

I think with the division looking like what it looks like, with the landscape of the AFC as a whole, Dan, and great to see you and thanks for having me.

I believe in the opportunity ahead of the squad if they beat the Jets and the Steelers lose to Green Bay in Week eight, which is a fun little Sunday night cap on Week eight, the Aaron Rodgers revenge game against his former squad.

If the Chargers lose to kick off Week eight against the Vikings at home at so Far, then these Bengals are Bengals dan Or suddenly a half game back of both the AFC North lead, I believe, and a wildcard spot.

So all of these teams fighting for playoff positioning right now, they all have problems.

You know, do we miss Joe Burrow?

Yes, but we're holding.

It down all right.

Let's turn the clock back about two weeks.

You get the notification that the Bengals have traded for Joe Flacco.

What was your initial reaction.

If I'm being totally honest and I wanted Jamis.

I was campaigning for Jamis as even in that, you know, I was putting up the phone gifts and posting those on Twitter.

I wanted that.

I wasn't loving what I was seeing from Flaco in Cleveland, but him coming here clearly a perfect fit.

Clearly it's ignited something in him getting to throw to Jamar and te has done something to him.

I like how he was talking I believe to Ruler of the Jungle, Andrew Whitworth and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

But he really cares what these young, thriving, amazing receivers think of him.

I liked watching like he still got something he wants him to think.

He's cool, that he's viable, that he's the guy, and everybody, I can just tell from outside looking at it.

I'm very far in LA, but everyone's buying into the Flacco experience right now.

And what more could you ask for to keep your hopes alive?

So Burrow gets back.

The last six quarters that he's played have been remarkable.

I don't think anybody could have anticipated he would play this Well.

What do you find most remarkable about what he's doing?

Dan, He's just letting it rip, you know, like there's this looseness to him, which I appreciate very much.

I feel like, you know, just look at that zone read right, he's doing it.

I think the other sort of remarkable thing, and this is respectfully saying this, like he's not turning the ball over, and I really do think that's the biggest thing.

And we're watching him get the ball out really fast.

Which is nice.

He did a great job.

The O line did a great job on Thursday Night as well.

He didn't really give the Steelers tons of chances to get to him, which I thought was remarkable.

So I would say I would say that, but I think more than anything, just like the looseness that he's playing with, I think has been really fun to watch and meaningful.

So the dream scenario is that Flacco wins his share of games and then in mid December, Joe Burrow comes back and he looks great and he leads the Bengals to the postseason.

And once he's in the playoffs, we all know what can happen.

Under what circumstances should Joe Burrow return?

Gosh, it's a great question, and I'm glad that I'm not the one that has to decide these things.

I'm sure Borrow is the kind of quarterback you're going to have to like rein in and have a negotiation with and talk about it and protect him, of course.

But I would say, and I'll say it quite plainly, oh my gosh, de summer, if they're within like even two games of a playoff spot, Bengals fans, right.

You have to go for it.

So a few days after the Pittsburgh game on your show, you said, this is sustainable if the offensive line plays like that.

Is that the biggest key or is there anything else for the Bengals to keep I think it.

Is the O line.

I believe that not just protecting Joe of course when he's out there, Flacco until he's out there, but really just getting a run game going was massive.

I don't break down the All twenty two, and I don't understand why all of a sudden we were able to get it going right.

I haven't really looked into it, but like the best rushing performance I've seen out of this team in a couple of seasons.

Right.

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that we know how great of a player and a talent Orlando Brown can be.

He looked like the optimal version of himself on Thursday.

I don't know why.

I don't know why.

Amarus Mims looked like the full expression of the first round talent that he know he is up against the best in the game, potentially right in TJ.

Watt.

I don't know if it was just the experience, maybe the being, Maybe it was Andrew Ruitworth.

I don't know, maybe it was him coming back rallying this offensive line to sort of looking like what we know they can be.

And it's been frustrating about the O line at points to not see that, you know, but Ted bringing it everybody.

It's not that this team doesn't have the talent.

So yes, that's what the key is and we know that they can do it.

We saw it on Thursday.

They've got to do it against the Jets.

The defense has been opportunistic.

They got a couple of key interceptions in the game off Aaron Rodgers last Thursday night, but they are giving up thirty point six a game.

Is the reason to believe that this defense can significantly improve.

Up in Adams today, I did my every week I do on Wednesdays under reactions.

What are the little stories we aren't maybe talking about enough?

And I talked a lot about DJ Turner and he's not being talked about.

And I think it's a very like you know, sports media loves a lazy narrative.

We don't want something gets labeled on someone.

It's like a tattoo instead of a week two week evolution or ability to sort of progress beyond what that is and everyone just says, Oh, the Bengals defense sucks, just sucks.

They can't do it.

No, Like DJ Turner sort of gives me confidence in this.

I think he's he stands in the face of that because he's been a top three corner this year really by every metric.

And I'll put you know, you can go look at up and down as I had.

I have all the numbers up earlier this morning, and there have been signs of improvement that we should have our hats on over the past couple of weeks.

Right, the Packers is dealers and that's without Trey in the lineup.

So I'm in.

I'm interested to see what it looks like when trade does get back, which I hope is someday.

You tell me him, is it coming back some day?

I think so.

I'm optimistic.

So, speaking of Trey, you had boomeris I Sin on your show recently.

You two discussed the possibility of trading Trey Hendrickson and we're less than two weeks away from the trade deadline.

Where do you stand on trading trade?

Bengals fan's really upset with me on this one because and I was the one I was very much pushing the agenda of get him back in here, signed him.

He's a game breaker game and he is, he's wor you know, he's worth a long term deal.

That's what my opinion has been.

But you also have to be able to and this is what makes being a front office so tough.

You know, these decisions that you have to make for right now, given the opportunity ahead of you, and what the complexion of the AFC looks like, and then also building for your future and what that might look like.

So I would say this, if the Bengals had lost to the Steelers last Friday night, I would be talking about trading, not campaigning for it.

But I'd be open to the discussion, which is, any responsible fan should be able to think at a first round or back like you have to have from the Colts or the Niners, like you know, given the fact that he doesn't have a long term deal done, that's a conversation and a phone call that the Bengals would have to pick up the phone for that.

I would expect them to do their due diligence.

So if they had lost, I would have been barking up that tree of what does that look like?

How interesting that might be.

And I will say this if they lose somehow, which they won't, if they were to lose to the Jets this week, if they were to lose next week, which I also again want to say, like I don't think that will happen, Yeah, then I will be engaging in that those hypotheticals yet again.

But if they beat the Jets, I think it's dead.

I think that that idea is dead.

You just said they're not going to lose this week, but the Jets come to town winless.

They have the desperation factor on their side.

What must the Bengals do to avoid losing to a team that's struggling and looking for its first win.

It is scary, right, like there's nothing I always say, there's nothing scared, and like somebody has nothing to lose.

They just want to grec shop and be a pain in the butt.

I think for this one, I was so impressed by, Like Chase, we find you know when I was there, when I last saw you, it was he's about to have like a breakout breakout, You're like national level breakout here, and then we saw that on Thursday night.

Can we do that again?

Can we keep this run game going.

You can't put it all on Flacco, as fun as he is, and it's fun as great as these wide receivers are.

I don't think that the Bengals or any team can win consistently with that kind of a recipe.

Right.

The Jets offense, they.

Don't have a lot of juice, but you know you can't give them short fields and turnovers and mistakes.

So I would say, run the ball as much as possible.

All right, A couple more things for our friend k Adams.

You're a native of Chicago, and you broke news of sorts on your show recently when Chris Collins Earth was your guest.

I was stunned.

Chris told you that Michael Jordan, the Michael Jordan grew up a Cincinnati Bengals fan.

As a Chicago person, what was your reaction.

I mean, I felt bad for Bears fans.

I felt bad for Panthers fans like you could you know where he's from, Look, you could use like some love for Michael Jordan and those as.

I was just as stunned as everyone, And I don't know if I believe it right.

I don't think we can believe it until we hear it from the goat himself, So like I can text Mike Turco and say, next time you have a little fireside chat, you should ask him about it.

It's very interesting until I hear Michael Jordan himself help say it.

Then who knows?

If I think they're on the golf course like Dan, was he just trolling Collinsworth?

I don't know.

But Chris isn't one to just conjure these things up.

I'm not.

I don't doubt that.

Yeah that Michael said it to Chris well.

Like so, but have you ever seen an Icky Woods shuffle?

Have you ever seen the shuffle on the in the nineties.

I didn't see Michael ever do that?

Do I think that like Michael had a boomers ice and poster in the like, I don't know.

I've never heard of such a thing.

There's nothing that correlates it.

So I think we can get the answer, hopefully from Tarico.

But yeah, Panthers and Bears fans and shambles over.

That for sure.

Trico's a college buddy of mine, so I am texting him immediately to try to get to the bottom of this final thing.

For Kay Adams you mentioned recently, that there's at least a thought in your mind of coming to town for Bengals Bears.

Is that a realistic possibility?

Dan?

When is that date?

What is the date on that game?

That is a week from Sunday?

So that is the next home game after they beat the Jets this week, a.

Week from Sunday, let's see, So that would be the twenty that would be the second.

I'm going to be in Chicago.

It is not a far drove.

Right, five four four five five flights into Cincinnati are brutal.

Let's just call it what it is there, but maybe not from Chicago.

I'm not putting.

Was it an early afternoon.

Game, one o'clock game.

I'm just going to say seventy five percent chance tonight.

That I ah.

But if I go, I want the red carpet rolled out.

That's I can guarantee red carpet.

I don't know if they're up.

For that, but if they, if the Bengals want to invite me, I would go.

Let's just put it like that.

I about that Bengals dot Com because want.

Me to come.

I'm there, all right.

The challenge has been issued to Bengals dot Com.

I think we'll roll out the red carpet.

I know I will participate in a red carpet rollout in hopes of seeing you at pay Course Stadium.

This is always a treat.

Appreciate this so much.

Hope to see you a week from Sunday.

Dan, you were such a professional.

Thank you for having me an honor as always Gooday.

I have reached out to my buddy Mike Turko, who is doing segments with Michael Jordan for NBC's coverage of the NBA, and maybe when Mike and Chris Collinsworth broadcast the Thanksgiving Night Bengals Ravens game, we'll see a SoundBite from Michael Jordan confirming that he was a Bengals fan growing up.

In last week's went over Pittsburgh, the offense finished with a season high four hundred and seventy yards, one twenty more than any previous game, and there was balance three hundred twenty eight passing yards and one forty two on the ground.

The offensive line deserves a big pat on the back, and I caught up this week with right tackle a Marius Mims Amrius.

You faced MICHAEH Parsons a couple of weeks ago.

He had no saxon, no quarterback hit, sending a streak of eleven straight games where he had one or the other.

He faced TJ.

Watt last week.

You were on the verge of holding him without a sack, and then with about four minutes to go, he and Cam Hayward combined to get one where you ticked off that you almost made it through the game without allowing him to get to the QB.

Yes, sir, but then again, like I said, man playing as a guy who's like I said, who's experience, who's been around the league a long time.

You know, all you can do is, like I said, do your best to try to limit him as much as possible.

And I feel like we did a good job of doing that.

But also too, I'll try to be perfect.

I have a perfect game.

That's kind of impossible, Like no one's gonna have a perfect game.

He's a great player, So credit to him for you know, him and Cam getting to get that sack.

But and like reality, yes, I would love to have shut him out and not get like giving up a sack.

Like I said, no pressures and stuff happened just because, like I said, he's a ball player.

You know, he has he has a great game, and you know, things happen.

But yeah, man, like it's hot in me like thinking about it still, but also too, I know I got to move on and just learn from those mistakes.

I know I'll see him again, and like I said, I'm in a division where I play them twice, so we'll see each other a lot.

And yeah, I think about it as still like dang, what if?

What if?

What if?

But it happened, something I can learn from, something I can move past, and you know, try to get better from.

Dan Pitture said he thought it was your best game.

Did you feel that way in certain areas?

Like I said, I do feel like each week as it continues, I feel like I might like my game's evolving just because like I'm just on another level of just like like locked in and just you know, I'm figuring out what I'm doing wrong very fast and like two Instead of like getting to the point where coaches are telling me what I'm doing wrong, I'm going to them with information that I would like what I know I did wrong and like how to fix it.

So, like I said, I'm just taking the next step of just like being you know, being a pro and just like diagnosing my film and just realizing, you know, like I can do better on this play right here, and I can go talk to coach of like what should I do right here in the situation or how can I do that better?

So that's just me becoming a you know, like I said, a better pro and just to you know, learn from mistakes faster than you know last year self correction.

It's a huge step, I.

Would think, like I said, just knowing what you did wrong first and just being accountable and just be like, yeah, coach, that's on me, and just you know, taking that on the chin and just you know, how can I keep getting better?

For this is a long season count preseason and regular season, that's twenty games each week, you just have to die.

You just have to basically dive in and just be honest with yourself.

And I've been honest with myself and just realizing that though you know, although I may have had a good game, but I know there's more left than I know I can play better.

So that's a natural segue to this because in training camp, your offensive line coach Scott Peters said the following he was talking about your great physical gifts and he said, you have to be greedy about how good you want to be.

It's not good enough to block people.

You have to dominate them.

Is that the approach you're taking?

What you just said, Man, Scott talk about it all the time, and it's just you know, I can win a rep easy, I feel like, but can I dominate that rep?

Can that be teach tape like a teach tape rep?

And That's what I'm working towards.

You know, I see a lot of guys who who we show a lot of, just like around the league, just the Pinasus, the Lane Johnson's and the Trent Williams.

You know how they have those big splash plays and all that good stuff.

And those guys have been around the league for a minute, and you know, I want to get to that point when they around you're four or five and just like trying to build those habits now, so you know, it just comes natural.

We're chatting with the Marius Mems.

I'm no expert in offensive line play, but when I hear Scott Peters talk, it sounds a little bit different to me.

Is it different from the way you've been coached before?

Yes, it's different in the whole scheme and just the whole body movements and the whole basically technique technique stuff.

I think it's a good thing, just like learning new stuff, because now you have a bigger toolbox to you know, like to basically to use and you know, out there with guys who are great athletes themselves.

So I feel like the more you like, the more you expand your toolbox, the more you can like you know, dive into the game and get like a deeper understanding.

And then he's done a great job and just explain those new techniques to us, because like I said, it's a whole new technique from what we were doing last year.

So I feel like he's done a good job and just harping on just like getting better at those techniques, so we can you know, build our basically way we call the toolbox, So we can build our toolbox and just go out there and you know, play more free, but also play with more technique and play more technically sound.

Ted Carris was miked up during the game last week, and we could hear him say over and over again, me and you mimsy, me and you mimsy.

Describe your relationship with Ted and what you respect about him.

I just respect like the man he is and how he comes to work every day being the same guy I get.

I'm gonna know, I'm gonna get the same ted every day.

And then too, I feel like he's a great leader.

He leads our team.

I don't care what anybody say.

He's one of the best.

Like I said, best humans and best leaders I've been around my whole life.

And like I said, as if you see how hard he practices through pain and all, and just like I've never seen him like really take a rep off.

It's just it's just like doesn't happen.

And that's something you like, you want him the leader, and like it's something I respect honestly, and I would want to one to throw a wall for that guy.

So it's like he leaves us in the in the meeting rooms, he leaves us in the walkthroughs, he leaves us out the tunnel, he leaves us in everything.

So I mean, I respect him, I respect him as a man.

As a teammate, you know, I'm just glad to be his team.

Like I said, I always got your back when he was on pat the last one was gonna go win the game.

And feeling like you got my back.

I was like, kind of question is that you know that?

Come on now, imri issue recently turned twenty three.

You're in your second NFL season, and yet on this offensive line right now, you're something of a vet.

The guards are both rookies or at least in some games still Unfairchild and Jalen Rivers have both started.

Do you feel like the three of you can be the nucleus of this offensive line for years to come?

I do.

I do feel that way, and I know I try.

I trusted the like I said Zach, I trusted coach Pitch.

I trust trusting MO line coach, and I trusted everybody like putting a good play together to develop that like I said, we have.

I feel like we have a good old line from left to right tackle.

And it's just a matter of, like, you know, can those young guys step up and be what they are?

You know?

And like I said, I'm one of those young guys.

And it's just we just have to just basically put in our mind every day that like we want to get better and continue to get better so we can like earn the respect of our peers who who who've like been there and done that, and they like, Okay, those guys are ready.

Those guys could be the next guys to come over and take over the Bengals for the next five to ten years, however long it is.

So you know, that's something I continue to work on every day and I continue to ask myself like that I do enough today, and then you know that I like, do I do enough to you know, like, Okay, I know MAM's gonna give us one hundred percent, you know, this game or this play, however it is.

And I want to be, you know, known for that.

I really, I really do believe, like I said me Dylan and Jalen, can you know, be the future of this whole line.

I really do believe that.

What's impressed you about your new old quarterback everything?

Man, he's just a pro.

He's been around the block, He's done it.

It's just crazy how patient, how calm is.

Nothing seems to overwhelm him.

It's just like when I just I just look at it like this one and walkthroughs and wearing wear in a huddle, it's almost like you know, Coach Jack is giving him the play call, but it's almost like I know it already, like before he gets done with it, he spits it out before he can get done, and just like like I look at it as a big deal.

Some people like just whatever, but I look at it like this dude are bad.

He cares.

He like he studies, and he like he's a he's like he's trying to master the game.

And he's the one that has probably mastered the game because he's seen everything.

He's seen every look possible.

I feel like eighteen years in the league, there's nothing you haven't seen.

There's not a formation you haven't been in, There's not a play you haven't ran.

So he came in the league when I was four years old, so I grew I grew up watching him, so like that was like Ravens in the I'm just being honest with I grew up watching him in Big Ben go at It and that was like the game, always like watching.

So it's just crazy being in the Hoddle like you know him, like him being my quarterback, and it's like, you know, it's like almost like I'm living in the dream still.

So we like, like I said, we're rolling with him, and you know, I'm just I'm just glad to be a part of it.

Man, I'm just glad to you know, I can go out here and take them on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays whatever we play.

So you know, all right, it Sunday this week the Jets are oh and seven.

That the only winless team in the league.

It's human nature to assume that the Bengals are going to win the game.

How do you ensure that you and everybody else in that locker room does not take the opponent lightly?

Man, Never take an opponent of the NFL likely.

Man, I know that.

I know from just being an office alnement.

Just like knowing the guys they have on defense.

Man, they have one of the best, if not the best d tackling the NFL.

Quinn Williams.

Everybody know that name.

They got will McDonald, Jermaine Johnson, all those guys on there.

Those are three or their four guys on the starting the D line or for a first round picks for a reason.

So, like I said, I respect them, I respect the old defense.

I respect the team.

Like I said, they may have came up short some games, but like I said, that's that's a that's a dang good football team.

I don't care if you if you're if you're an NFL, I don't care who you're playing, no matter what the record is.

Never take a team likely.

Man.

That's the That's how you go out there and your beat and our approach is the same every week.

Go out there with the same mentality to win mentality.

And that's what we're gonna do.

Man, We're gonna go out there with the same mentality.

And you know, like I said, hopefully, well play clean, clean four quarter game and you know, hopefully we can get to win.

But you know we're we're treating this like we treated it last week and just going out their head down, you know, practicing hard and just no matter the record, just go out there and play winning football.

I'm Marius.

I noticed something in the Thursday night game.

You were wearing gloves.

Did you finally find gloves that are big enough for those massive hands?

Say this, they're not big enough.

But they're five X gloves.

They're not big enough.

But if I take the edges of where they're like the crack of my hand is, you can't tell.

So but yes, I am wearing gloves now, but no, they're not big enough.

So if somebody makes some six gloves some six X gloves out there.

Please let me know because five exes are not working.

You weren't wearing gloves the week before against Green Day.

Was this the first time?

Yes, the first time I wore gloves really since it got like last year I wore one of them broke my hand.

But other than that, yeah, that's the first time I wore glove.

Appreciate your time.

Enjoy those almost big enough.

Gloves, Yes, sir, I appreciate it.

In case you're wondering, MIM's hands were measured at eleven and a quarter inches at last year's combine, the largest of Eddie offensive lineman in the class.

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The Bengals faced the New York Jets on Sunday, a team that's still looking for its first win under new head coach Aaron Glenn.

Earlier this week, Jets owner Woody Johnson defended his coach and ripped his quarterback justin Fields, what's.

Your confidence level?

And Aaron to turn it around?

It looks like he's turning around parts of it.

You know.

It's hard when you have a quarterback with you know, okay, with a rating that we've got, you know is I mean he has stability, but something just.

Is not jibing.

But if you look at any head coach of the quarterback like that, you're going to see similar results if you will across the league.

You have to play.

Consistently at that position, and that's what we're going to try to do.

In the remainder of the season.

So someone gives you hope, then send you a home.

I just think defense special teams are doing better.

Defense is pretty good.

But we can just complete a pass, it would look good.

Yikes.

Fields was benched at halftime last week in favor of thirty six year old Tyrod Taylor, and neither QB was able to lead the team to a touchdown and a thirteen to six loss to Carolina.

So who will start on Sunday again, Cincinnati?

We put that question to my former Syracuse University classmate Rich Semini, who covers the Jets for ESPN, when he joined Dave Lapham and me on the Bengals Game Plan show.

I think it'll be Tyrod Taylor.

You know that was the indications I was getting yesterday.

I think I'm sure you guys know Aeron Glenn did not announce that today.

He's playing the coach game.

You know, he's doing the old competitive advantage, trying to keep the Bengals in the dark as long as possible.

They split the practice reps today from what I've been told, But I'd be shocked if on Sunday Tyrod Taylor is not the quarterback.

I think they're trending in that direction.

So is it all quarterback play?

I mean, the reason that Jets have not won a football game yet and staring at an oh and seven record, has it been the quarterback play has been that ineffective?

Or is it a combination of man we have not supported the quarterback either.

I mean, there's no position group on the football team that can raise their hand and say we're doing our job.

We're playing as effectively and efficiently as we as we could and should.

Is it a group effort in terms of do you own seven mark or is it more or on the quarterback play?

Well, if you ask the owner, Woody Johnson, he would say it's the quarterback play.

He basically threw Justin Fields under the bus yesterday when we approached him at the league meetings, and he, you know, he just really dumped on Fields, which I mean what he said was not untrue.

I mean, Fields is not having a good year.

This team has gone They've only scored six touchdowns in the last six games, and so they are really really struggling offensively.

So yeah, I would say quarterback plays a big part of it.

But early in the year, for the first five games, the defense was horrible.

I mean they were given up over thirty points a game.

So they've been taking turns, which I think bad teams usually do.

And now the defense has settled down.

The defense has actually played two good games in a row against Carolina and Denver, but now the offense can't get it out of its own way, two streat games without a touchdown.

But I would say quarterback play is a big part of the issue, which is why I believe Justin Fields is probably going to the bench.

Rich Simani covers the Jets for ESPN talking to some of the Bengals offensive linemen this week.

They all rave about the Jets defensive front featuring three first round draft picks and Quinn Williams, Well McDonald and Jermaine Johnson.

How well have those three guys been playing.

Well?

They don't really have the stats dan to back it up.

Quinn Williams is their best defensive player, and I think he's only at one stack so far.

He gets double teamed a lot, but he's still a good player even though he's not going to jump off the stat sheet.

The other guys.

Jermaine Johnson's really helped them the last two games he missed through I think it was three games with a high ankle spring.

He comes back two weeks ago, and it's not a coincidence that the defense started playing better when he came back two weeks ago.

And Will McDonald's purely like a pass rushing guy, an edge player, an undersized guy who can definitely be floyded against the run, but can bring pressure off the edge.

I would say as a group, they're probably underachieving so far.

The talent is certainly there, but I just think they have not been able to generate consistent pressure on the quarterback.

Watching tape and talking to people in the Cincinnati Bengals organization, they've watched a hell of a lot more tape than I have watching games.

They say that defensively, the stud is Quentin Williams.

Offensively, it's Garrett Wilson.

Do you agree with that assessment?

I do.

I think pound for pound, Quinnin Williams is their best defensive player.

You know, he's a former first team off ro.

Now Sauce Gardner gets a lot of the accolades, but I do not believe Sauce Gardner will play in this game on Soday, he's in the concussion protocol, and so offensively, Garrett Wilson, I do believe is probably their best offensive player.

Now, there's a good chance he may not play in this game.

He did not practice again today.

He's dealing with the knee injury that kept him out on Sunday.

They're saying day to day.

However, I am a little skeptical about his chances.

The Jets have the bye week right after Cincinnati, so I think there's a sense in the organization that, hey, we'll just let him sit out this game and then have him come out of the bye week feeling one hundred percent.

So yeah, that's you know, a soft Gardner and Garrett Wilson, of two of their best players aren't there.

It's going to be tough for them on Sunday.

Yeah, Rich, when Jamar Chase or T Higgins has to miss a game, the Bengals have the other guy, plus some other pretty good weapons.

When Garrett Wilson is out.

How's that receiving core for the Jets.

They're receiving core for the Jets looks like a maybe, like what does Syracuse University receiving corps look like in nineteen eighty five?

You know, it's just.

Not good, Dan, it's you know, it's Garrett is a sensational player.

I mean, he's clearly their their wide receiver one, but after that there is a steep drop off.

Josh Reynolds would be their number two.

I guess he is really more of a probably a four or five.

They have Alan Lazard, He's probably a four or five.

What I'm saying is they really do not have a perimeter threat.

They have a young guy, Arian Smith, a draft pick from Georgia who's probably the fastest guy on the team.

I mean just he's a blur out there.

But they never throw him the ball because he's never opened and you know when they do, he drops it.

So yeah, long, long answer to a question is that, Yeah, when alt Garrett Wilson, they are probably the worst receiving core in the league.

What about the running game, I've always been a fan of Breise Hall.

The coaches again, in talking to them a little bit, and players as well, defensive players that have studied the Jets, like we talked about earlier, they they're a fan of Breess Hall.

They think he's a pretty damn good running back.

They think he can do everything.

They think that, you know, he can make people miss, great lateral quickness, he can catch the ball out of the backfield, you know again, make you miss there, get yards after catch.

And then interestingly and importantly, he sticks his nose right in there in the chest of linebackers and is an excellent blitz pickup guy.

Is their assessment pretty accurate in your opinion?

Yeah, that actually is a pretty good scouting report on Breese Halts.

He is having a good year.

I mean, if you look at his numbers, you know he's having a good year.

They don't use him enough in the passing game.

It's kind of been one of the mysteries here.

I think he's such a good receiver.

A couple of years ago he had seventy five catches and he let all running backs, and now they don't really use him that much.

The Jets do not throw screen passes to the running backs, which is always another mystery.

It would be a great way to slow down a good pass rushing team, and yet they don't really do that.

So but they do have a good running game.

Their entire offense is built on being a good running team.

Now when they have justin Fields in there.

In Week one, they look dynamic against Pittsburgh with Fields running some zone reads and some RPOs and Breeze Hall running out of the backfield and Brayln Allen.

It's like, my gosh, this looks like a pretty good offense.

But they've never been able to recapture what they had in Week one.

I think teams adjusted to what they've been doing and stopping them on first and second down, and when you get them in third and long, they're just not equipped to be a third and long type passing team.

For all the reasons we discussed a moment Ago Rich.

My final question has to do with the quarterback the Jets will be facing this Sunday, former Jet Joe Flacco, who spent three years with New York when he was still a youngster between the ages of thirty five and thirty seven.

Having covered him for three years, what do you think of this renaissance and the fact that suddenly Bengals fans are have their chests out with pride and optimism that Joe Flacco is their quarterback.

Yeah.

I watched the game last week and it was it was fun watching two ex Jet forty year old quarterbacks go at each other with Rogers and Blacko and Flacco is he's the guy with nine lives.

You know, it's unbelievable how he's been able to last in this league.

His arm is obviously still really good.

You know, he doesn't move, but you know he never really could, even in his hey day with Baltimore.

But I think it's great he's doing what he did in Cleveland.

You know, as you recall a couple of years ago, what he did for Cleveland, he injected hope and to that team.

He looks like he's doing the same in Cincinnati, and I think the Jets are going to be I don't know.

I'll have to get our stat people to look this up.

When's the last time a team lost to two forty year old quarterbacks in the same year, because I think that'll probably happen on Sunday.

The Jets lost to Aaron Rodgers in Week one, and I think they'll probably lose to Flacco on Sunday.

But he had no when he was with the Jets, Dan he didn't really have much success because the team around him was just so poor and they were so poorly coached, so he never really had He had one moment against Cleveland when he led him back on a miraculous comeback in the last couple of minutes, and that was really about it, and it didn't look great.

But you know, he's a guy who's persevered, and I'm really happy for Joe.

He's a good guy boy.

Back in the day, Paul Brown used to say, beware, this football team has an own seven record, but they are not an own seven football team.

Do you think that the New York Jets are better than their own seven record?

You know, that's a that's a fascinating question, because if you look at their roster they do have some very good players.

I mean, we've talked about them, Garrett Wilson and Breise Hall.

And their offensive line has a couple of good players, and Sauce Gardner and Quinn Williams and Jamie Sure what's a good linebacker.

The two edge rushers Johnson and McDonald.

So they have good players.

They just haven't put it together, which is just the sign of a bad team.

Like I said, the defense has played well the last two weeks.

The special teams have played well the last couple of weeks.

Their punter a guy who was in Cincinnati, Austin McNamara.

He's one of the best punters in the league right now.

And Nick Folk is a terrific kicker.

So they have some components of a winning team.

But it just never shows up on the same Sunday.

And they might go out Sunday and their offense might put up like twenty eight points and the defense will just.

Have a bad day.

It's been that kind of year for the Jets, So I understand what the Bengals are coming from.

Zach Taylor's probably like selling the Jets.

This is not an O and seventeen, but they are to seven for a reason they just self destruct and too many self inflicted bolls.

Our thanks to rich Smani and here's a quick invitation to join lapp in me for the Bengals pep Rally show this week.

We'll be at the on the Rhine Eatery on the second floor above the downtown Kroger on Friday from three to six and our special guest in the final hour will be running back Chase Brown.

That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by pay Core, Proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet design to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans.

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I'm Dan Hord and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast.