December 29, 2024 • 45 mins
Dan Hoard reviews Saturday’s thrilling overtime win over Denver with radio replays, locker room comments, and postgame analysis from Dave Lapham. Then, in this week’s Fun Facts conversation, you’ll get to know rookie Cam Grandy.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi, get everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
The Dream.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Dream Dream Dream addition, as the Bengals still have a
shot at going to the playoffs after a wild and
wacky overtime win over the Denver Broncos thirty to twenty four.
Coming up radio replays, locker room comments and postgame analysis
from Dave Lapham. Then, in this week's fun Facts Conversation,
(00:32):
you'll get to know rookie tight end Cam Grandy. The
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(00:53):
is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now 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 Big Willie being named a Hall of
Fame finalist again. The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced
(01:15):
this year's fifteen Modern Era finalists on Saturday, and for
the fourth straight year, the list includes former Bengals offensive
lineman Willie Anderson. The selection committee may elect up to
five Modern Era players in Willie is among three offensive
linemen on the list. Here's hoping this is the year
(01:37):
he joins Bengals legends Anthony Munoz and Ken Riley in Canton.
This year's class will be announced during Super Bowl Week
in early February. Now time for the radio replays from
Saturday's thrilling win over Denver. It is three days after
Christmas and Bengals fans find themselves. Quote Lloyd Christmas from
(02:02):
the cinema classic Dumb and Dumber, who could have been
talking about the Bengals playoff hopes when he said, so,
you're telling me there's a chance this will be a
thirty yard field goal try from straight away. Will Lutts
having an excellent year. He's twenty nine out of thirty
two ninety percent.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
The punter Dixon is the holder.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
The right footed Gick splits the uprights and the Broncos
take of three nothing leads. Now Higgins motions to the left.
Burrow catches a shoulder high snap throws by T Higgins
touchdown Bengals, and that is the Big four to roh
for Joe Burrow as he becomes the eleventh quarterback in
(02:44):
NFL history to throw forty touchdown passes in a single season.
This will be a twenty two yard field goal attempt
for cade York from the left hash mark.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
He is four for five.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
As a Bengal, including a fifty nine yarder last week.
The placement the right kick, yes, Sir kde York drills
it and the Bengals have taken a ten to three lead.
Second down in goal from the six, Nicks in the gun.
St May has checked in and running back three receivers left,
Sutton out to the right. S Tome goes in motion
(03:16):
out to the right. Nicks has the ball, floats it
into the end zone. Sutton wide open, touchdown. Denver third
down and thirteen. The Bengals at their own forty five.
Bur with a deep drop, moves up in the pocket,
takes off and runs.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
He's at the fifty forty five forty He's.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Got the first down, doesn't go into a feet first
slide and runs to the Denver thirty six before PJ.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Locke brings him down fourth down and two.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
The Bengals have been stopped on fourth down on two occasions,
including in the red zone. Burrow catches the shotgun snap
his pass cop of the middle. Chase Brown runs for
the first down inside the twenty hand down to the
seventeen of Denver. Burrow catches the shotgun snap looking floating
into the end zone in Higgins come the back right corner.
(04:03):
T Higgins has it for the Bengals. Touchdown.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Man.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
I want a throw from Joe Burrow, perfect trajectory and
precision into the hands of t Higgins.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Have the back right pylon and moss.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
You just got mossed.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
J two Fella will check in as the Bengals will
go with five defensive linemen to try to shut down
this run game. Es to May is the tailback for Denver.
First and ten at the forty nine for the Broncos.
Nicks fakes a handoff, begins rolling right, sets up to
throw deep fires down the middle of the field. Mims
has the Bengals beat and catches it in the end
(04:43):
zone for the long touchdown fifty one yards. As he
gets behind Battle and Stone for the TV three receivers
out to the right one out to the left. Nicks
catches the shotgun snap begins rolling right, throws down field,
intercept it at.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
The four yard line.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Germaine Pratt back on his feet, he gets tackled.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
At the forty one.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Germaine Pratt with a takeaway and the Bengals have the
ball with two thirty to go.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Jermaine Pratt. It's all about the.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Ball and Jermaine Pratt comes up with a monster play
right there too.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Thirty to go in a seventeen all tie.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Burrow waiting for the shotgun snap he has the ball,
drops back, begins.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Moving up the middle of the field.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
He throws caught Tamar Chase is the thirty five thirty
the twenty five and brought down around the twenty two
yard line by McMillan. Just like that, the Bengals rnfield
goal rang Sherbert in a running back second in goal
from the one. Lee is in as a sixth offensive lineman.
(05:48):
The game is tied. The Bengals line up in a
push push. Burrow holds onto the ball gets shoved from behind.
No touchdown indication yet there It is a touchdown for
Cincinnati with one twenty four to go, Choe Burrow heading
toward the back of the end zone to celebrate with
his offensive line teammates.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Joe Burrow doing the gritty.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Oh that's great, that is great.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
And it was good. What can't the guy do? He
even does a perfect gritty. The ball is at the
twenty five yard line, fourteen seconds left. Cincinnati leads twenty
four to seventeen.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
The Broncos are out of timeouts.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Rookie cornerback bow Nicks will line up in the shotgun
to two y two formation. His full back is in
the backfield with him in all likelihood to block. Nicks
catches the shotgun snap, retreats, being.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Chased, throws it off his back foot.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Get into the end zone, and it is pots for
a Denver touchdown with eight seconds to go, Mims with
the catch as Nicks just floated it up there for
the score. First down and fifteen now at the forty
one of Denver tied in ot Burrow ready for the
shotgun snap.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Joe catches looking.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Throwing, caught him in the middle, t Higgins to the
twenty five and tackled at the twenty two yard line.
The Bengals now well within the field goal range of
cade York with four to oh three left in ot.
This will be a thirty three yard attempt for twenty
three year old cade Yorke trying to be the overtime
hero for Cincinnati.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
He made one from twenty two yards in regulation. How
about finishing it in overtime?
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Adam might as well snap?
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Ryan Rico will hold the snap, the placement, the right
footed kick, It.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Is up and hits the left up right and it's
no good.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Oh, cade York missus in ot and with two forty
three to go, the Broncos get the ball second and
ten from the thirty five of Denver Burroke catches the
shotgun snap, Joe throwing it deep down the sault line.
T Higgins lunging for the ball. He's got it, got
(08:08):
it inside the fives.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Want to throw?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Wanna catch T Higgins at the three yard line, beating
Brandon Jones. An incredible grab by T Higgins.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Boo did he get both feet down?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
One ten left in overtime, the Bengals trying to win
it from the three yard line of Denver Burrow looking
to throw his pass. It is.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
My T Higgins touchdown. It's Bengals.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
And the final playoff spot in the AFC will not
be decided until the final week of the regular season.
The Cincinnati Bengals are still alive as Joe Burrow hits
t Higgins for a game winning touchdown.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Damn, that's three touchdown passes over three hundred yards passing.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
His streak is still alive.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Two hundred and fifty or more yards passing, three touchdowns.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Are more for eight straight games.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
I mean, you already had the NFL record, He's continuing
to build on it. This is a magical season. Joe Burrow,
Jamar Chase and Gee Piggins. What a threesome.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Joe Burrow throws for four hundred and twelve yards, three touchdowns,
no picks in a passer rating of.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
One twenty two.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
He is up to forty two touchdown passes this year.
There's only been twenty instances in NFL history where quarterbacks
have thrown forty or more touchdown passes in a single year,
and Joe's got forty two with at least one game
to go, one game left in the regular season, and
(09:51):
who knows, if everything falls just right, maybe, just maybe,
the Bengals will head to Buffalo for a first round
playoff game. The final score in overtime Cincinnati thirty, Denver
twenty four. So after being zero to three and four
and eight, the Bengals are eight to eight with one
(10:13):
game left and will make the playoffs if the following
things happen. One they beat Pittsburgh on the road next week.
Two the Broncos lose at home to Kansas City. Three
the Dolphins lose at least one of their final two games,
either at Cleveland or at the Jets. And four the
(10:35):
Colts lose at least one of their final two games,
either at the Giants or at home against Jacksonville. Keep
in mind the Dolphins and Colts both have injured starting quarterbacks.
Now let's go inside the Bengals locker room and start
with Joe Burrow, who spoke to Dave Lapham after the game.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Joe Burrow, all right for the game, thirty twelve yards,
three tds, all the t Higgins. Your streak's alive during
fifty yards and more, three touchdowns, more eight games in
a row. Now you know over time you're a cool
seven for eight for ninety seven yards in the touchdown.
What the hell? What what did you see? What were
you doing out there?
Speaker 3 (11:15):
What were you looking at I thought I was in
a groove.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
You know.
Speaker 6 (11:18):
I started slow, missed a couple throws early. I was
disappointed in that. But we found our groove late second,
late first half. We had tea is unbelievable. All my
weapons stepped up big in every single one on one situation.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
It was.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
That was a master class there for about two quarters,
two and a half quarters there. So that was fun.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
What does you say about the grid of this football team?
The field goal hits the left up right, defense says, ah, yeah,
we got you. We're gonna get you. The football back
they played it really, I mean it was a good
football game by the defense stepped up multiple times. But
when the defense stepped up, you guys delivered. Man.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
It was deep definition of comparity football.
Speaker 6 (12:01):
Yeah, that's that's what we've been missing this year. You know,
we were started slow, defense picked us up, defense needed us,
and we stepped up big. That's that's what good teams do.
You know, we got one week to put ourselves in
position to get in and you know, I'm focused on that.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Sir Tan, you know he was he was basically he
he kind of traveled with with Jamar Sum. They were
traveling with ge some to a little bit. So you're
in a lot of travelers out there. Uh did you
expect that? I mean, did you have to go to
like a plan D or a C in your head.
Speaker 6 (12:33):
They threw a lot of different defenses at us. They
pressured us, they played coverage, they they showed pressure looks.
I thought they had a good plan on defense and
made it tough on us. But uh, you know that's
how we like to play. You throw a bunch of
defense at us, we're gonna We're gonna make you pay.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
I was a fun woman this game. If they win,
they're in. Well they didn't win, but they still make
it in. If you lose, though, it's over. Now you
get to go to Pittsburgh and play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Who knows, I mean tomorrow. I know everybody's gonna be
glued to a bunch of different games. See how things
unfold there. But what what is it going to be
like to go to Pittsburgh and play the Pittsburgh Steelers
(13:12):
there with potentially an opportunity still.
Speaker 6 (13:15):
Yeah, we'll be ready for it. You know, we know them,
they know us. We know what kind of game it
was last time. So you know, I'm gonna prepare myself.
I'm gonna pair our guys to get in a shootout
and go win it.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Now, let's talk about Joe's targets. Jamar Chase had nine
catches for one hundred and two yards, strengthening his bid
to win the wide receiver's triple crown with games still
to be played in Week seventeen. Jamar's one hundred and
seventeen catches, a new Bengals record, leads the pack by thirteen.
His oney six hundred and twelve yards, another Bengals record,
(13:50):
leads by two hundred and twenty five, and his sixteen
touchdown catches that's one short of a Bengals record, leads
the league by four. But Jamar's nine catches against the Broncos,
we're only third best on the team. Mikeasicki had ten
to tie his career high for eighty six yards, and
(14:11):
t Higgins had eleven catches on twelve targets for one
hundred and thirty one yards and three touchdowns the first
three TD game of his career. Here's three TDT with
Lap After the game.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
What are your first thoughts, I mean, as you try
to collect yourself here in the locker room.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
What a hell of a day. What are your thoughts? Man?
Speaker 7 (14:33):
It was just, you know, obviously a good game. No
shout out to Joe. I have none of that without
him in old line, you know what I mean. But man,
as a you know, it's a great game by me,
But you know, as a collective hole we all played.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Got a hell of a game.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
So Joe Streak is alive. Two hundred and fifty yards
passing more, three touchdowns more, eight straight games.
Speaker 8 (14:53):
He's done that.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
You're the guy though, you have all three of the
touchdown catcher. Take us through the touchdown catcher. What do
you remember about each one of those?
Speaker 7 (15:00):
The first one, you know, we knew the levers they
was gonna give us.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
It was easy slant.
Speaker 7 (15:05):
Second one was you know, he gave me a chance
to jump ball, you know, lay hands right there.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
And then the last one, man, we just put the ball.
He put the ball in the right place for me.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
All the way.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
I can catch youself, eleven catchers. When you when you
went into this football game, when you were seeing how
they were covering on the back end, what they had
decided to do, did you think, man, this could be
a this could be a night for me. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (15:27):
Man, you know we've seen the type of covers that
was giving us. It was a lot of one high,
a lot of man, old man. So that's where we
shove at, you know what I'm saying. And you know,
Joe was able to, you know, put the ball in
perfect placements for me and I was able to make
a play on it.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
Thirty nine or forty nine, four hundred and twelve yards
and three touchdowns. In overtime he was seven for eight
ninety seven yards and a touchdown pass to you. I mean,
what's like playing with number nine?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Man, It's amazing. You don't get no better than that.
Speaker 7 (15:53):
You know, he's a he's an MVP quarterback. He's he's
one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And you
know it shows, man, Eve been showing it all year
and you know you're gonna keep it going.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
So we talk about complimentary football, you know, uh, the
offense drives field goal hits, the upright, defense gets the
ball right back to the offense, the offense takes the end.
What kind of what did the show about? This football
team that never quit in this football game?
Speaker 3 (16:17):
It's the grit. We got grit.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 7 (16:19):
And I was tough with mister field goal defense. Thought
we was you know, they thought they were the game
was over, always gonna win it. But man, they came
back out there, stepped up big, you know, like they've
been doing a whole game.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
They stepped up big, and you.
Speaker 7 (16:29):
Know, I got to stop for us, and we was
able to go back down there and finish it.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
A lot of people think that that secondary is maybe
the best in football. Uh And you guys, you guys
sliced them and diced them and you ripped them up.
How good is this offense?
Speaker 7 (16:41):
We are who we are, We've been who we are
all year.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
And we're gonna continue to do that.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
Mike is shicky. How big is a factories He's supporting you.
Mike is a baller man.
Speaker 7 (16:49):
You know, he come up big for us a lot,
a lot then more people, a lot than most people think.
And you know, shout out to Mike Man, Proud of him,
you know, great teammate, great, great great man.
Speaker 9 (17:02):
Man.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
Just glad he's on our team.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
A thirty to twenty four win mark the eighth time
the Bengals have scored thirty or more points in a
game this season. That's half of their games. They're averaging
twenty eight point three, and if the Bengals score twenty
four or more points next week, they'll set a new
team record for highest scoring average in a season. The
(17:25):
eighty eight Super Bowl team averaged exactly twenty eight a game. Now,
let's head back inside the locker room, cause I spent
a few minutes with Orlando Brown Junior. Orlando, was that
the craziest game you've played in in your life?
Speaker 5 (17:41):
I mean, that's up there for me, man, I've been
a part of a lot of crazy football games. To
be honest with you, I mean, that's that's in my
top three just in terms of off the top of
my doing what I can remember. Man, I mean, so
special to be able to sit out with these group
of men, this organization, this whole building, man, and go
out there and literally fight for our lives, you know.
I mean it's one of the better parts about football.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Man.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
You don't earn any stripes in this from pretending.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
And you know, I think every single day, Man, we
got guys that come in here that work the tail off,
that focus on the task at hand, and most importantly,
live in the moment. And when you got guys that
live in the moment. You can score a touchdown and
think you won the game, come to the sideline, miss
a field goal, go to overtime and whatever happened, miss
a field goal, and go still go win the game, man.
And that's the character of our locker room, the resiliency,
(18:28):
the type of man that we've got in here. Man,
I mean, this is what makes it special. So hopefully
everything takes care of itself. We handle business. Next week
we get opportunity in a dance that this field.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Goal could have been very deflating, but the defense rows up,
got to three and out, got you the ball right
back and obviously we know what happened after that. I
think that shows a lot of resiliency from everybody on the.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Team for sure.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Man.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
We got guys that want to win and guys that
love the game of football. I mean everything, man, it's
just God's grace, you know. That's care of himself, man,
and we handle business.
Speaker 8 (19:02):
It's very special.
Speaker 5 (19:03):
I'm very thankful to be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
You needed to win all four to get into this
position where the final game of the regular season is
now extremely meaningful. Does the playoff possibility seem more realistic now.
Speaker 5 (19:16):
Yeah, man, I mean honestly, for us, even when we
were down, even when we didn't have a I guess
a so called winning record. I don't even know who
we are, to be real with you, but you know,
we got a ton of faith in this locker room man,
in each other most importantly, and everything else is gonna
take care of itself.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Joe Burrows up to forty two touchdown passes. Jamar Chase
is still on track to win the wide receiver triple crown.
T Higgins was incredible today. What's it been like for
you to be their teammate and part of an offense
that's doing those kinds of things.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
It's been a special man, It's been really special man.
I'm just it's crazy to see him come in on
a daily and take care of business. I mean, this
is who he is. This is who he's always been, man.
So I got a ton of respect for him.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Now, let's hear Zach Taylor had to say as he
talked to Dave Lapham after the game.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
All right, coach, what's your heart rate like right now?
Do you think it's pretty calm?
Speaker 9 (20:10):
You know, you get through it and there's a lot
to digest. Just proud of our guys. They stepped up
at key moments and made plays for us, and and
allwed us to finish that game the right way.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
So, I mean, this game basically was a playoff game.
They win, they're in. You lose, you're not. I mean
you're out. They could still be in the sokult you guys,
I mean to win that football game the way you did.
Ball hits the upright on a very makeable field goal.
The defense they don't have their dobbers down. I mean
that we're going to get the ball back to the offense.
What about the continenty football that took place after that adversity.
Speaker 9 (20:40):
I was saying it, different units picked each other up,
you know, and and in over time we need the
defense to pick up the offense after two drives where
we came up short, and I was really proud of
them doing that, and then of offense finished the job.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
Great to see. So Joe's thirty nine for forty nine.
He had a few drops. I mean, I think you
could have even had a four hundred and twelve yard
street touchdowns. His streaks alive two hundred and fifty yards
and more, three touchdowns and more he's building on his
own record. He's got eight games now, he's the only
guy in the Herestony NFL that did it seven games
in a row. Now he's got eight. What can you
(21:14):
say about this guy in his effort?
Speaker 9 (21:16):
He's special. He's special, and the guys around him are special,
you know. And I think he'd be the first to
tell you that he's got a great supporting cast that
helps him. But to do it that many games in
a row means you're you're the top, You're you're the best.
And proud of the way he played, probably the way
hung in there. It took some hits today and that's
that's the price to do a business the way we're
going to play football today, and he stepped up and
toughed it out.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
They had a traveler on Jamar, they had a traveler
on Tea. I mean they were traveling everybody out there
a little bit. Did they do anything different in terms
of coverage or pressure packages or what's the stuff you'd seen?
Speaker 9 (21:49):
There's not a whole lot of different we haven't seen
at this point. You know, we've seen everybody try everything
to slow us down and still able to four hundred.
Proud of where our guys handle that.
Speaker 8 (21:58):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (21:58):
They got a tough, low red zone defense that makes
it challenging, but our guys stepped up when it matter.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
You know, you're going into Pittsburgh. That's a tough place
to play, but you're Joe's within I don't know, three
hundred and odd yards is getting five thousand yards passing,
and he's looking at between forty five and fifty touchdowns.
I mean, those kind of numbers are mind boggling in
the National Football League.
Speaker 9 (22:21):
We're probably gonna need them all next week, you know.
So we got to play great, great in all three
phases and we go up there, I'm just gonna be
bad weather. You know, they're gonna they're gonna be pissed off.
We're gonna be ready to roll and it'll be a
great game.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
So first thing that comes to mind as you're thinking
about the Pittsburgh stw is I mean you have a
short week and you respond, You have extra time to
try to respond and get ready get ready for the
for the Steelers. What are your first thoughts?
Speaker 9 (22:48):
Take a deep breath, and then put a great plan together.
You know, that's it. We get to potentially an extra day,
which we'll utilize. Our guys will be ready, you know,
so we're excited for the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Since Lap mentioned it, Joe Burrow needs three hundred and
fifty nine passing yards against the Steelers to become the
tenth quarterback in NFL history to throw for five thousand
or more yards in a season. His four six hundred
and forty one is a new Bengals record. The Bengals
Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud
(23:20):
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Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business,
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the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now time for
the radio guys recap Lap for all intents and purposes.
(23:43):
The Bengals have been in playoff mode now for four weeks.
They've needed to win each of their last four to
make next week important.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
They've done it.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
They've even their record at eight and eight, and we've
got a very exciting final week of the season to
look forward to.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
I get a lot of respect for him. I mean,
they showed a lot of grit, a lot of determination.
When the ball hit the upright on the field goal
attempt to left upright, the defense could have very easily said, man,
you know, chin on chest, Arburt down. They hit the
ball right back to the offense, and the offense said, hey,
thank you, we're going to do something with this. That
complementary football at the most opportune time to have complementary
(24:20):
football was extraordinary in that football game. And I mean
the Denver Broncos fourth in the NFL and points allowed,
the Bengals hang thirty on anybody, you know, I know
it's overtime. You know they had twenty three in regulation.
Denver doesn't give up those kind of points. They they
allow less than eighteen points a game. Coming in. This
offensive football team is a juggernaut. I don't care what
(24:44):
defense you're playing against. Number nine, number one, number five,
and number thirty, they're all going to hurt you. And
you can't take them all away. And you know they
they pay a lot of attention to Jamar and te
goes off for eleven catches over on hundred thirty yards
and three touchdowns. Joe Burrow stays keeps his one and
only ever to do it turn in fifty yards, passing
(25:06):
them more now in eight straight games, three touchdowns and
more in eight straight games, and he had one taken
back that Yosi had. I mean, this football team, it
is an offensive machine.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
It really is.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
I just can't say enough about it.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Dan.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
They ran twenty four more snaffs than Denver did. They
had the ball for basically fifteen minutes more. They had
the ball for a quarter. They had the ball forty
minutes fifty six seconds counting overtime to twenty six minutes
and fifty seven seconds. I mean, it was unbelievable. And
the reason that they didn't win in regulation, of course,
(25:44):
the two forced downstaffs were they were brutal.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
I want to pick up on one of the first
points you just made. If you go back to the
overtime game against Baltimore, Evan McPherson misses the fifty plus
field goal that would have won the game. On the
very next play, Rick Henry runs at fifty plus and
sets up Baltimore's game winning field goal. That was an
instance where it felt like they were so deflated that
(26:09):
you know, just that split second difference between getting a
guy down and letting him go for a big run
occurred in this case, as you pointed out, no Chin's down,
all right, you missed the field goal.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
We still got a chance to win if we can
get the ball back for.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
Joe and nothing against York. But fortunately didn't have to
go back to him. You know, they just they end up.
I mean, the plays that Tea was making, I mean
it's you know, Joe's like, I'm just going to give
give him an opportunity. He's six 'y four. You know,
he makes contested catches all the time. You know in
(26:43):
some plays he was limping and gimping a little bit
coming off the football field, went right back in the
football game and gave everything he had. It's just, you know,
these guys have a real tight bond. It's obvious they
think a lot of each other. The coaches have done
a great job of not getting gving up on the
football team. The football team's done a good job and
not giving up on the coaches. And you know who knows.
(27:05):
I mean, stranger things have happened. Has to be very strange,
but they've put themselves in position to win four in
a row. You know, at this juncture is you know,
it's pretty special.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
As you know, I grew up near Buffalo when I
was a kid. OJ Simpson ran for two thousand and
three yards in a fourteen game season, and I'll never
forget what the Buffalo announcer said in the final game
of that year. He said, it's been our privilege to
watch Oj Simpson run this year. That's how I feel
for us in describing Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase T. Higgins
(27:36):
and others in this incredible offensive season.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
This is a defensive football team that you know on
the back end has got really good players and they
can put pressure on you up front. I mean they've
they've got multiple guys. They came into this football game
with five different guys with five saxomore Nobody in the
NFL had that. I mean, they can they can win
from all different spots. And Joe so the defensive coordinator,
(28:01):
brings a lot of people from all kinds of spots.
He gets a lot of people involved. And even with
all that said, and Joe said, I talked to him
after the game a little bit in the locker room
and he said, they're running a lot of different stuff.
We had answers for it.
Speaker 8 (28:15):
He is just so.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
Intelligent man, and he never's rattled, you know, he just
it is incredible, incredible to watch this guy. You know,
it's like watching a Formula one racer, you know, going
gazillion miles an hour and he's just like his blood
pressure is like way down, you know. And those kind
of people, I mean, when the pressure's on to have
(28:38):
their heart rate go down like it seems to with Joe,
that's rare. That's the ability that doesn't happen very often.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
So several weeks ago, kind of out of nowhere, Joe
Burrow in a postgame news conference, expressed confidence that t
Higgins would be back next year, and the following week,
when asked about it, he's described it as a need
for the Bengals to try to bring Tea back next year.
Tea's performance today certainly illustrated how valuable he is to
(29:07):
this team.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
I don't know if it'll happen or not.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
You know, another team might make a crazy offer that
the Bengals just can't match. But when he is on
this team and makes it difficult for the opposing team
to devote all of their energy to Jamar Chase, it's
an unbelievable combo.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
It really is and you know, when Jamorrow goes in motion,
he's gonna shadow and te goes in motion, he has
a shadow. It's like, these two guys are we have
to figure out a way to try to eliminate him.
You know, we're gonna shadow you, me and my shadow
every step of the way. And if we can, we're
gonna put more resources over the top, you know, with safeties.
(29:43):
But it's like at some point Joe Burrow is gonna
he's going to figure out very quickly. A lot of
times it's pre snap and I can't go to Jamarrow
this time, but I can go to Tea. I can't
go to either of them, but I can go to Yosi.
I can't Tee. You know, you gotsiki in the middle
of the foot ball field. I hope Chase Brown's injury
is not too severe because I mean, he's been playing
(30:04):
at such a high level. But you know the thing
is everybody, everybody's ready to come into the football game.
You lose a tackle, incomes one off the bench. You
lose a running back, incomes one off the bench that
is totally prepared. That's a tribute to the players, the coaches,
everybody involved. I mean that's a sign that this football
team is still together and everything is very important to him.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
So one of the most obscure stats in Bengals history
has now been erased. Prior to today, they had never scored
an offensive touchdown in overtime. The only TD they had
ever scored in overtime and franchise history was on a
pick six by Corey Sawyer. They've now got one on
offense borrow to t Higgins from three yards away to
(30:50):
win the game. We can eliminate that stat.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
And I remember when we were going to overtime games,
you know, back in the day field goal ended it.
You know, it was like so if you got in
field goal range, it's like, all right, let's go get
this thing over with. We don't want to risk a
turnover winning, to risk a stupid penalty win or risk
and we're in field goal range. We feel comfortable about it.
Let's go end it. And that's how it really went
(31:13):
most of the time. I bet in a lot of cases,
games that were decided by touchdown in those years probably
was a defensive play, you know, crazily enough, or you know,
you make a play inside the five yard line. You
just want to finish it, you know, so, but yeah,
it's it is. It's amazing that it's amazing that they
(31:36):
got done what they got done in that overtime. You
talk about an emotional roller coaster during the entire course
of that football game. Really it was any team up
by more than a score at any point in the
football game. I can't remember double digit lead for either
football team in that game. They did didn't they go up?
Did they go up thirteen to three a touchdown? No,
(31:59):
so it was ten to three. Yeah, I don't think.
I don't think there was ever a two score advantage
for either football team. So you talk about yo yo,
back and forth we go, an emotional roller coaster, and
for that thing to finish the way it did, it
was truly remarkable. I mean, it was extremely well played.
There weren't a whole lot of penalties. I mean Denver
(32:21):
had seven for only thirty five yards. The Bengals had
three for fifteen yards, but man, a couple of them.
One of them took away a touchdown, took a Yosavash
touchdown off the board. So, you know, just three penalties
fifteen yards, but there was an impact on those penalties.
But to have just ten penalties in an overtime game
(32:44):
that almost went the full overtime.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
It's pretty well played.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Not a whole lot of turnovers to fourth down stops
or you know, the same thing as turnovers in my mind.
But man, when you have three possessions that don end
was some kind of a kick and stay within a
score of a football team and have a score lead
at times on the football team, that's pretty impressive. I mean,
your offense is getting some things done.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
All right, let's look ahead. It's off to Pittsburgh. The
Steelers have lost three in a row. The Bengals have
won four in a row. The Steelers won Game one.
Russell Wilson threw for more than four hundred yards. The
Bengals really had trouble defensively in that game. The offense
performed pretty well, but they couldn't shut down Pittsburgh the
first time around.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
That's gonna be the key, Dan, because you know, in
speaking with Joe again in the post game, you know,
he said, yeah, we know them, they know us, we
know what we're looking at, and he felt looked, the
look in his eye was pretty confident that he's gonna
be able to move the football and score some points.
Will the Bengals defense, you know, be able to step
up and the way Denver ran the football between the tackles,
(33:50):
the Pittsburgh Steelers are drooling. I mean they have a
good offensive line, that's a good run blocking offensive line.
The Bengals are going to have to bow up between
the tackles. I mean, they're gonna have to. If they don't,
Pittsburgh's gonna run the ball down their throat play action pass.
Russell Wilson's very good with play action pass. You know,
that's when he seems to have the best protection, the
(34:10):
most separation. He's not very tall, and he throws that
deep ball, you know, off a play action pass. So
it's all going to start with controlling the running game.
I mean, I don't think you're going to be able
to stop it necessarily in Pittsburgh, where you know, they
don't have some snaps that are that are you know, positive,
But you can't let them own you between the tackles
(34:30):
like Denver was starting to do. So I think that's
that's number one priority on that defensive side of the football.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
So next week is going to be exciting, and it
can really be exciting if Cleveland can beat Miami on
Sunday and the Giants can beat the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis
will not have it starting quarterback Anthony Richardson and Tua
Tungo Via Looo is downgraded to doubtful for Miami against Cleveland.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
I didn't think I'd ever be rooting for the Cleveland Browns,
but damn it, I'm rooting for the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Let's go Browns. Let's go Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
That puts a rap on the Denver win. Now it's
time for this week's fun Fact segment, where you get
to know the person under the pads. Time for some
fun facts with tight end Cam Grandy from Benson, Illinois,
in the central part of the state, not too far
from Peoria.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Cam.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
When I looked up Benson, there's a word that always
seems to proceed it tiny. The population is in the
four hundreds. Give us a little description of your hometown.
Speaker 10 (35:32):
Oh yeah, Benson, Illinois. Like you said, it's a small town,
central Illinois. It's it's one of those towns where everyone
knows everybody and it's really supportive. I mean, I wouldn't
be where I'm at now without the support of my
town and Benson and the family I have there.
Speaker 8 (35:47):
I'm grateful for Benson, Illinois. I always will be.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
I suspect the people of Benson are extremely proud to
have a hometown kid now on an NFL roster. Have
they shown that?
Speaker 10 (35:57):
Oh yeah, I mean my mom sent me pictures of
people on Facebook buying jerseys and asking for autographs.
Speaker 8 (36:02):
But yeah, a lot of support.
Speaker 10 (36:04):
Comes from Vincent Illinois, and I'm grateful to have them
next to me.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
We're visiting the tight end, Cam Grandy. You're six five,
two fifty now, but you are a quarterback in high school,
roughly the same height, but much skinnier.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
Is that accurate?
Speaker 8 (36:18):
Oh yeah, I was.
Speaker 10 (36:19):
I would say it was probably the same like heigh wise,
but yeah, I think I graduated high school at woin't
eighty five, I believe, So yeah, putting on the weight
was definitely a struggle in the beginning of college.
Speaker 8 (36:28):
But getting to two fifty five now I feel pretty good.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
So how'd you put it on?
Speaker 8 (36:32):
A lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
Speaker 10 (36:35):
Pretty much, just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, protein shakes
and just drinking a lot of water and working out obviously,
and Uh, it took me a solid year and a
half probably or more to really get used to carrying
that much weight and getting used to how my body
would move and react to carrying that much weight. But
over the years it just slowly and surely just got
easier and easier.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
Back to high school for a moment, you were named
the small school player of the Year. How much recruiting
in did you get.
Speaker 10 (37:01):
Yeah, I mean I went to a two way school
in Illinois, so I really didn't get too much recruit
And actually, I mean I went to obviously a bunch
of camp senior year, but really nothing shook out. I
got a bunch of NAI D three stuff to play quarterback.
Speaker 8 (37:14):
But I knew that.
Speaker 10 (37:15):
If I wanted to play in the NFL and anything like that,
new quarterback wasn't wasn't the position for me.
Speaker 8 (37:20):
So one day I just got a phone call from.
Speaker 10 (37:22):
Missouri Western State, a D two school in Saint Joseph, Missouri,
and they said they wanted to offer me to play
tight end. And I like the sound of that, and
I always kind of envisioned myself being like a receiver
tight end kind of guy, and I just took that
opportunity and I ran with it.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
That school, which is about an hour from Kansas City,
is where the Chiefs hold training camp. Do they have
great facilities as a result.
Speaker 8 (37:45):
Oh yeah, I mean if you look it up, they
probably have.
Speaker 10 (37:48):
They're probably top five in terms of a Division two
facilities just with the indoor, the training room, the field itself,
and the practice fields. They're definitely top two when it
comes to Division two facilities.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Did you have any brush is with greatness when the
Chiefs were there for training camp?
Speaker 10 (38:03):
Oh yeah, I mean they didn't really pay too much
attention to us and mostly just would they kicked us
out of the facilities.
Speaker 8 (38:08):
And stuff, and they're in camp so they could use
it all.
Speaker 10 (38:10):
But yeah, I mean you would be walking to practice
and you would see Travis Kels here.
Speaker 8 (38:14):
Or Patrick Mahomes drifting on a golf cart to practice.
Speaker 10 (38:16):
So that was that was always cool to see them
for a month or two when they were there. But
other than that, I mean they kind of just went
their own way.
Speaker 8 (38:22):
And we went on.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
We're chatting with Cam Grandy. After four and a half
years there, you transferred to Illinois State for your final
college season and became a first team FCS All American
you had sixty three catches more than six hundred yards.
What did that do for your confidence?
Speaker 10 (38:37):
Yeah, I mean I knew once I transferred, I wanted
to go up to the Division Division one level just
to show scouts and that I could play with that
kind of competition and a lot of people I'm thankful
for it, Elinois State as well, coaches and players, especially
Zach Annix said the one the quarterback when I was there,
just pushing me and always asking more of me. And Yeah,
(38:59):
doing that and being out a compete at that level
definitely put a chip on my shoulder.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
When did the NFL begin to seem like a realistic possibility.
Speaker 8 (39:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (39:07):
When I was at Missouri Western, we'd have scouts come
in every once in a while and they would talk
to my position coach and me sometimes. But so I
was always kind of in the back of my head.
But then when I went to Illinois State and I
started putting stuff on the film and showing that I
could compete at the Division one level, it definitely increased
a lot in terms of in terms of scouts in
that But and then obviously the Hula Bowl and Shrinebile
(39:31):
helped with that as well.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
You signed with the Bengals as a college free agent
right after the draft.
Speaker 10 (39:35):
Why Cincinnati, Really, it was a coach case He had
a lot to do with that. I mean Coach Casey,
especially now and working with him for as long as
I have.
Speaker 8 (39:44):
I mean, there's no place I'd rather be.
Speaker 10 (39:46):
And also just the skill and the guys they have
in this locker room with Joe Jamar and really everyone,
I mean everyone in this locker room is a good
teammate and they always want the best and want more
out of you as a player. So I find that
to be big And Cincinnati, I mean, it just felt
like it was a good situation to come into and
ended up working out for me.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
Coach Casey is James Casey, the tight ends coach. He's
such an interesting guy. He failed at minor league baseball,
went back to college, played a bunch of positions, had
a long NFL career. How do you describe James Casey.
Speaker 8 (40:19):
Man, that's tough.
Speaker 10 (40:21):
I would probably just describe him as a just a
real stand up dude, really, I mean, like he pushes
me every day, pushes everyone in our room to be
the best that we can. And he's a real technician too.
When it comes to just technique and stuff. That's that's
one thing that I think really has helped me grow
in these last couple of months is just my technique
and him just critique and every little thing just so
that we can try to be perfect every day.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
You started on the practice squad, as many college free
agents do, but you have risen to the fifty three
man roster. You made your NFL debut on Thursday night
in Baltimore. You had to catch in that game. What
emotions went through your mind?
Speaker 8 (40:56):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (40:56):
Yeah, I mean this is obviously something I've I've always
dreamed of my who life is to play in an
NFL game and to do it with these guys, it
means a lot to me.
Speaker 8 (41:06):
But just being out there for.
Speaker 10 (41:07):
The first time, running out of the tunnel here in
the crowd, roar and stuff like that, I mean, it
took it took a while to finally sink in, but
once it did, was just grateful for the opportunity to
be there and I'm looking forward to continue the season.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
All right, A few wild card topics now for rookie
Cam Grandy. Who is your all time favorite athlete in
any sport.
Speaker 10 (41:27):
And why any sport I'm gonna go football. I'm gonna
go uh probably probably Jason Witten tight end.
Speaker 8 (41:35):
Jason Winn.
Speaker 10 (41:35):
I grew up I'm originally from from Texas, so grew
up always a Dallas Cowboy fan. My dad put me
on the Dallas Cowboys early and just always watching, uh,
Jason Winn and just how he can. He's not the
best athlete in the world, but just how you always
find a way to get open.
Speaker 8 (41:49):
And the motor he has to play tight end.
Speaker 10 (41:51):
I mean, you have to have a high motor to
play this position, and he had that and just watching
him and I think that's what made me want to
maybe potentially be a tight end at the next level.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
So was playing in Dallas cool for you?
Speaker 8 (42:03):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (42:03):
Man, It's That's something I've always dreamed of too. Man,
always dreamed of playing at and T I've always wanted
to go to game there.
Speaker 8 (42:09):
Never got the opportunity to do that.
Speaker 10 (42:10):
So actually being being there and being on the field
and playing against the Dallas Cowby was awesome. And being
able to have some family from Texas to be there
as well and watch and support me, it was really cool.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
I watched an interview that you did before the draft
When you were asked what NFL quarterback you would most
like to catch a pass from, you said, Joe Burrow.
So does your perception of him compare to the real thing.
Speaker 8 (42:34):
He speaks for himself.
Speaker 10 (42:36):
I mean, he's obviously one of the best, if not
the best quarterback in the NFL. And to be able
to have the opportunity to play next to him and
even get into the huddle with him, I'm truly grateful.
And yeah, I did say that that's funny that you
found that, But yeah, but catching the ball from him,
like you said, I mean, it's something I've dreamed of.
I've always been a fan of Joe. You've not LISHU
(42:56):
and to be able to to play with him on
Sundays is awesome.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
He's pretty good. Have you been recognized as an NFL
player yet?
Speaker 10 (43:04):
No, I don't think that will happen for a while.
Just like obviously like local town stuff when I go home.
I went home during the BIE for a little bit
and people saw me and asked what was up and stuff.
But now I have not been recognized you as an
NFL player.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
What do you like to spend your money on?
Speaker 10 (43:20):
Honestly, I'm big into saving, right now, I haven't really
bought anything. The only thing, the biggest perch I probably
had was one of them Sleep Number beds. That that
was probably the biggest thing I've purchased. But I'm really
just trying to save up and make it last and
invest it.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
So is the sleep Number bed as good as the
ads look better?
Speaker 8 (43:38):
I mean it's hard to get up in the morning.
Speaker 10 (43:40):
They got to set multiple alarms just to make sure
him up, and the more I got my phone on alarm,
and then I have an alarm clock next to it,
so I always have that just to make sure I
get up.
Speaker 8 (43:47):
But you know it's it's well advertised. Let's say that
that's good.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
What unhealthy food? Do you have a hard time saying
no to nutter butters?
Speaker 10 (43:57):
Love nutter butters. I pretty much love anything peanut butter.
But a good nutter butter in the freezer, it's like, oh,
that's nutter butter easy.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
I might have to stick one in the freezer to
see how that tastes. That sounds pretty good, all right.
Final fun fact for cam Grandy. This one is kind
of deep. If you could meet anyone in history, living
or deceased, who would that person be?
Speaker 8 (44:19):
Uh?
Speaker 10 (44:19):
I'm gonna go music industry. I'm a big, big country
music guy. I love country music, always have and I
probably just say George Strait.
Speaker 8 (44:27):
I think that would be a good one.
Speaker 10 (44:28):
I I mean, I've been listening to his music since
as long as I can remember, so for sure.
Speaker 2 (44:32):
Kind of an old school answer.
Speaker 10 (44:33):
Oh yeah, I mean my dad grew me up on
listening to Moro Haggard, Wayale and Jenny and Swilly Nelson
stuff like that.
Speaker 8 (44:39):
So that's all I've known is country music and I
love it.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
So this has been fun. Appreciate your time. Best of
Locked the rest of the year.
Speaker 8 (44:46):
Thank you, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
That's going to do it for this episode of the
Bengals Booth podcast, brought to you by pay Corps, Proud
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(45:09):
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 thank you for listening to the
Bengals Booth podcast
Hi, get everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
The Dream.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Dream Dream Dream addition, as the Bengals still have a
shot at going to the playoffs after a wild and
wacky overtime win over the Denver Broncos thirty to twenty four.
Coming up radio replays, locker room comments and postgame analysis
from Dave Lapham. Then, in this week's fun Facts Conversation,
(00:32):
you'll get to know rookie tight end Cam Grandy. The
Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps,
proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by
Alta Fiber, future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home,
business and community to a new level, and by Kettering
Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health
(00:53):
is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now 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 Big Willie being named a Hall of
Fame finalist again. The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced
(01:15):
this year's fifteen Modern Era finalists on Saturday, and for
the fourth straight year, the list includes former Bengals offensive
lineman Willie Anderson. The selection committee may elect up to
five Modern Era players in Willie is among three offensive
linemen on the list. Here's hoping this is the year
(01:37):
he joins Bengals legends Anthony Munoz and Ken Riley in Canton.
This year's class will be announced during Super Bowl Week
in early February. Now time for the radio replays from
Saturday's thrilling win over Denver. It is three days after
Christmas and Bengals fans find themselves. Quote Lloyd Christmas from
(02:02):
the cinema classic Dumb and Dumber, who could have been
talking about the Bengals playoff hopes when he said, so,
you're telling me there's a chance this will be a
thirty yard field goal try from straight away. Will Lutts
having an excellent year. He's twenty nine out of thirty
two ninety percent.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
The punter Dixon is the holder.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
The right footed Gick splits the uprights and the Broncos
take of three nothing leads. Now Higgins motions to the left.
Burrow catches a shoulder high snap throws by T Higgins
touchdown Bengals, and that is the Big four to roh
for Joe Burrow as he becomes the eleventh quarterback in
(02:44):
NFL history to throw forty touchdown passes in a single season.
This will be a twenty two yard field goal attempt
for cade York from the left hash mark.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
He is four for five.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
As a Bengal, including a fifty nine yarder last week.
The placement the right kick, yes, Sir kde York drills
it and the Bengals have taken a ten to three lead.
Second down in goal from the six, Nicks in the gun.
St May has checked in and running back three receivers left,
Sutton out to the right. S Tome goes in motion
(03:16):
out to the right. Nicks has the ball, floats it
into the end zone. Sutton wide open, touchdown. Denver third
down and thirteen. The Bengals at their own forty five.
Bur with a deep drop, moves up in the pocket,
takes off and runs.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
He's at the fifty forty five forty He's.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Got the first down, doesn't go into a feet first
slide and runs to the Denver thirty six before PJ.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Locke brings him down fourth down and two.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
The Bengals have been stopped on fourth down on two occasions,
including in the red zone. Burrow catches the shotgun snap
his pass cop of the middle. Chase Brown runs for
the first down inside the twenty hand down to the
seventeen of Denver. Burrow catches the shotgun snap looking floating
into the end zone in Higgins come the back right corner.
(04:03):
T Higgins has it for the Bengals. Touchdown.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Man.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
I want a throw from Joe Burrow, perfect trajectory and
precision into the hands of t Higgins.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Have the back right pylon and moss.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
You just got mossed.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
J two Fella will check in as the Bengals will
go with five defensive linemen to try to shut down
this run game. Es to May is the tailback for Denver.
First and ten at the forty nine for the Broncos.
Nicks fakes a handoff, begins rolling right, sets up to
throw deep fires down the middle of the field. Mims
has the Bengals beat and catches it in the end
(04:43):
zone for the long touchdown fifty one yards. As he
gets behind Battle and Stone for the TV three receivers
out to the right one out to the left. Nicks
catches the shotgun snap begins rolling right, throws down field,
intercept it at.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
The four yard line.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Germaine Pratt back on his feet, he gets tackled.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
At the forty one.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Germaine Pratt with a takeaway and the Bengals have the
ball with two thirty to go.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Jermaine Pratt. It's all about the.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Ball and Jermaine Pratt comes up with a monster play
right there too.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Thirty to go in a seventeen all tie.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Burrow waiting for the shotgun snap he has the ball,
drops back, begins.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Moving up the middle of the field.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
He throws caught Tamar Chase is the thirty five thirty
the twenty five and brought down around the twenty two
yard line by McMillan. Just like that, the Bengals rnfield
goal rang Sherbert in a running back second in goal
from the one. Lee is in as a sixth offensive lineman.
(05:48):
The game is tied. The Bengals line up in a
push push. Burrow holds onto the ball gets shoved from behind.
No touchdown indication yet there It is a touchdown for
Cincinnati with one twenty four to go, Choe Burrow heading
toward the back of the end zone to celebrate with
his offensive line teammates.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Joe Burrow doing the gritty.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Oh that's great, that is great.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
And it was good. What can't the guy do? He
even does a perfect gritty. The ball is at the
twenty five yard line, fourteen seconds left. Cincinnati leads twenty
four to seventeen.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
The Broncos are out of timeouts.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Rookie cornerback bow Nicks will line up in the shotgun
to two y two formation. His full back is in
the backfield with him in all likelihood to block. Nicks
catches the shotgun snap, retreats, being.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Chased, throws it off his back foot.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Get into the end zone, and it is pots for
a Denver touchdown with eight seconds to go, Mims with
the catch as Nicks just floated it up there for
the score. First down and fifteen now at the forty
one of Denver tied in ot Burrow ready for the
shotgun snap.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Joe catches looking.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Throwing, caught him in the middle, t Higgins to the
twenty five and tackled at the twenty two yard line.
The Bengals now well within the field goal range of
cade York with four to oh three left in ot.
This will be a thirty three yard attempt for twenty
three year old cade Yorke trying to be the overtime
hero for Cincinnati.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
He made one from twenty two yards in regulation. How
about finishing it in overtime?
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Adam might as well snap?
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Ryan Rico will hold the snap, the placement, the right
footed kick, It.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Is up and hits the left up right and it's
no good.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Oh, cade York missus in ot and with two forty
three to go, the Broncos get the ball second and
ten from the thirty five of Denver Burroke catches the
shotgun snap, Joe throwing it deep down the sault line.
T Higgins lunging for the ball. He's got it, got
(08:08):
it inside the fives.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Want to throw?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Wanna catch T Higgins at the three yard line, beating
Brandon Jones. An incredible grab by T Higgins.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Boo did he get both feet down?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
One ten left in overtime, the Bengals trying to win
it from the three yard line of Denver Burrow looking
to throw his pass. It is.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
My T Higgins touchdown. It's Bengals.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
And the final playoff spot in the AFC will not
be decided until the final week of the regular season.
The Cincinnati Bengals are still alive as Joe Burrow hits
t Higgins for a game winning touchdown.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Damn, that's three touchdown passes over three hundred yards passing.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
His streak is still alive.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Two hundred and fifty or more yards passing, three touchdowns.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Are more for eight straight games.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
I mean, you already had the NFL record, He's continuing
to build on it. This is a magical season. Joe Burrow,
Jamar Chase and Gee Piggins. What a threesome.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Joe Burrow throws for four hundred and twelve yards, three touchdowns,
no picks in a passer rating of.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
One twenty two.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
He is up to forty two touchdown passes this year.
There's only been twenty instances in NFL history where quarterbacks
have thrown forty or more touchdown passes in a single year,
and Joe's got forty two with at least one game
to go, one game left in the regular season, and
(09:51):
who knows, if everything falls just right, maybe, just maybe,
the Bengals will head to Buffalo for a first round
playoff game. The final score in overtime Cincinnati thirty, Denver
twenty four. So after being zero to three and four
and eight, the Bengals are eight to eight with one
(10:13):
game left and will make the playoffs if the following
things happen. One they beat Pittsburgh on the road next week.
Two the Broncos lose at home to Kansas City. Three
the Dolphins lose at least one of their final two games,
either at Cleveland or at the Jets. And four the
(10:35):
Colts lose at least one of their final two games,
either at the Giants or at home against Jacksonville. Keep
in mind the Dolphins and Colts both have injured starting quarterbacks.
Now let's go inside the Bengals locker room and start
with Joe Burrow, who spoke to Dave Lapham after the game.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Joe Burrow, all right for the game, thirty twelve yards,
three tds, all the t Higgins. Your streak's alive during
fifty yards and more, three touchdowns, more eight games in
a row. Now you know over time you're a cool
seven for eight for ninety seven yards in the touchdown.
What the hell? What what did you see? What were
you doing out there?
Speaker 3 (11:15):
What were you looking at I thought I was in
a groove.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
You know.
Speaker 6 (11:18):
I started slow, missed a couple throws early. I was
disappointed in that. But we found our groove late second,
late first half. We had tea is unbelievable. All my
weapons stepped up big in every single one on one situation.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
It was.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
That was a master class there for about two quarters,
two and a half quarters there. So that was fun.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
What does you say about the grid of this football team?
The field goal hits the left up right, defense says, ah, yeah,
we got you. We're gonna get you. The football back
they played it really, I mean it was a good
football game by the defense stepped up multiple times. But
when the defense stepped up, you guys delivered. Man.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
It was deep definition of comparity football.
Speaker 6 (12:01):
Yeah, that's that's what we've been missing this year. You know,
we were started slow, defense picked us up, defense needed us,
and we stepped up big. That's that's what good teams do.
You know, we got one week to put ourselves in
position to get in and you know, I'm focused on that.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Sir Tan, you know he was he was basically he
he kind of traveled with with Jamar Sum. They were
traveling with ge some to a little bit. So you're
in a lot of travelers out there. Uh did you
expect that? I mean, did you have to go to
like a plan D or a C in your head.
Speaker 6 (12:33):
They threw a lot of different defenses at us. They
pressured us, they played coverage, they they showed pressure looks.
I thought they had a good plan on defense and
made it tough on us. But uh, you know that's
how we like to play. You throw a bunch of
defense at us, we're gonna We're gonna make you pay.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
I was a fun woman this game. If they win,
they're in. Well they didn't win, but they still make
it in. If you lose, though, it's over. Now you
get to go to Pittsburgh and play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Who knows, I mean tomorrow. I know everybody's gonna be
glued to a bunch of different games. See how things
unfold there. But what what is it going to be
like to go to Pittsburgh and play the Pittsburgh Steelers
(13:12):
there with potentially an opportunity still.
Speaker 6 (13:15):
Yeah, we'll be ready for it. You know, we know them,
they know us. We know what kind of game it
was last time. So you know, I'm gonna prepare myself.
I'm gonna pair our guys to get in a shootout
and go win it.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Now, let's talk about Joe's targets. Jamar Chase had nine
catches for one hundred and two yards, strengthening his bid
to win the wide receiver's triple crown with games still
to be played in Week seventeen. Jamar's one hundred and
seventeen catches, a new Bengals record, leads the pack by thirteen.
His oney six hundred and twelve yards, another Bengals record,
(13:50):
leads by two hundred and twenty five, and his sixteen
touchdown catches that's one short of a Bengals record, leads
the league by four. But Jamar's nine catches against the Broncos,
we're only third best on the team. Mikeasicki had ten
to tie his career high for eighty six yards, and
(14:11):
t Higgins had eleven catches on twelve targets for one
hundred and thirty one yards and three touchdowns the first
three TD game of his career. Here's three TDT with
Lap After the game.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
What are your first thoughts, I mean, as you try
to collect yourself here in the locker room.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
What a hell of a day. What are your thoughts? Man?
Speaker 7 (14:33):
It was just, you know, obviously a good game. No
shout out to Joe. I have none of that without
him in old line, you know what I mean. But man,
as a you know, it's a great game by me,
But you know, as a collective hole we all played.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Got a hell of a game.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
So Joe Streak is alive. Two hundred and fifty yards
passing more, three touchdowns more, eight straight games.
Speaker 8 (14:53):
He's done that.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
You're the guy though, you have all three of the
touchdown catcher. Take us through the touchdown catcher. What do
you remember about each one of those?
Speaker 7 (15:00):
The first one, you know, we knew the levers they
was gonna give us.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
It was easy slant.
Speaker 7 (15:05):
Second one was you know, he gave me a chance
to jump ball, you know, lay hands right there.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
And then the last one, man, we just put the ball.
He put the ball in the right place for me.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
All the way.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
I can catch youself, eleven catchers. When you when you
went into this football game, when you were seeing how
they were covering on the back end, what they had
decided to do, did you think, man, this could be
a this could be a night for me. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (15:27):
Man, you know we've seen the type of covers that
was giving us. It was a lot of one high,
a lot of man, old man. So that's where we
shove at, you know what I'm saying. And you know,
Joe was able to, you know, put the ball in
perfect placements for me and I was able to make
a play on it.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
Thirty nine or forty nine, four hundred and twelve yards
and three touchdowns. In overtime he was seven for eight
ninety seven yards and a touchdown pass to you. I mean,
what's like playing with number nine?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Man, It's amazing. You don't get no better than that.
Speaker 7 (15:53):
You know, he's a he's an MVP quarterback. He's he's
one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And you
know it shows, man, Eve been showing it all year
and you know you're gonna keep it going.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
So we talk about complimentary football, you know, uh, the
offense drives field goal hits, the upright, defense gets the
ball right back to the offense, the offense takes the end.
What kind of what did the show about? This football
team that never quit in this football game?
Speaker 3 (16:17):
It's the grit. We got grit.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 7 (16:19):
And I was tough with mister field goal defense. Thought
we was you know, they thought they were the game
was over, always gonna win it. But man, they came
back out there, stepped up big, you know, like they've
been doing a whole game.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
They stepped up big, and you.
Speaker 7 (16:29):
Know, I got to stop for us, and we was
able to go back down there and finish it.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
A lot of people think that that secondary is maybe
the best in football. Uh And you guys, you guys
sliced them and diced them and you ripped them up.
How good is this offense?
Speaker 7 (16:41):
We are who we are, We've been who we are
all year.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
And we're gonna continue to do that.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
Mike is shicky. How big is a factories He's supporting you.
Mike is a baller man.
Speaker 7 (16:49):
You know, he come up big for us a lot,
a lot then more people, a lot than most people think.
And you know, shout out to Mike Man, Proud of him,
you know, great teammate, great, great great man.
Speaker 9 (17:02):
Man.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
Just glad he's on our team.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
A thirty to twenty four win mark the eighth time
the Bengals have scored thirty or more points in a
game this season. That's half of their games. They're averaging
twenty eight point three, and if the Bengals score twenty
four or more points next week, they'll set a new
team record for highest scoring average in a season. The
(17:25):
eighty eight Super Bowl team averaged exactly twenty eight a game. Now,
let's head back inside the locker room, cause I spent
a few minutes with Orlando Brown Junior. Orlando, was that
the craziest game you've played in in your life?
Speaker 5 (17:41):
I mean, that's up there for me, man, I've been
a part of a lot of crazy football games. To
be honest with you, I mean, that's that's in my
top three just in terms of off the top of
my doing what I can remember. Man, I mean, so
special to be able to sit out with these group
of men, this organization, this whole building, man, and go
out there and literally fight for our lives, you know.
I mean it's one of the better parts about football.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Man.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
You don't earn any stripes in this from pretending.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
And you know, I think every single day, Man, we
got guys that come in here that work the tail off,
that focus on the task at hand, and most importantly,
live in the moment. And when you got guys that
live in the moment. You can score a touchdown and
think you won the game, come to the sideline, miss
a field goal, go to overtime and whatever happened, miss
a field goal, and go still go win the game, man.
And that's the character of our locker room, the resiliency,
(18:28):
the type of man that we've got in here. Man,
I mean, this is what makes it special. So hopefully
everything takes care of itself. We handle business. Next week
we get opportunity in a dance that this field.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Goal could have been very deflating, but the defense rows up,
got to three and out, got you the ball right
back and obviously we know what happened after that. I
think that shows a lot of resiliency from everybody on the.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Team for sure.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Man.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
We got guys that want to win and guys that
love the game of football. I mean everything, man, it's
just God's grace, you know. That's care of himself, man,
and we handle business.
Speaker 8 (19:02):
It's very special.
Speaker 5 (19:03):
I'm very thankful to be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
You needed to win all four to get into this
position where the final game of the regular season is
now extremely meaningful. Does the playoff possibility seem more realistic now.
Speaker 5 (19:16):
Yeah, man, I mean honestly, for us, even when we
were down, even when we didn't have a I guess
a so called winning record. I don't even know who
we are, to be real with you, but you know,
we got a ton of faith in this locker room man,
in each other most importantly, and everything else is gonna
take care of itself.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Joe Burrows up to forty two touchdown passes. Jamar Chase
is still on track to win the wide receiver triple crown.
T Higgins was incredible today. What's it been like for
you to be their teammate and part of an offense
that's doing those kinds of things.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
It's been a special man, It's been really special man.
I'm just it's crazy to see him come in on
a daily and take care of business. I mean, this
is who he is. This is who he's always been, man.
So I got a ton of respect for him.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Now, let's hear Zach Taylor had to say as he
talked to Dave Lapham after the game.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
All right, coach, what's your heart rate like right now?
Do you think it's pretty calm?
Speaker 9 (20:10):
You know, you get through it and there's a lot
to digest. Just proud of our guys. They stepped up
at key moments and made plays for us, and and
allwed us to finish that game the right way.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
So, I mean, this game basically was a playoff game.
They win, they're in. You lose, you're not. I mean
you're out. They could still be in the sokult you guys,
I mean to win that football game the way you did.
Ball hits the upright on a very makeable field goal.
The defense they don't have their dobbers down. I mean
that we're going to get the ball back to the offense.
What about the continenty football that took place after that adversity.
Speaker 9 (20:40):
I was saying it, different units picked each other up,
you know, and and in over time we need the
defense to pick up the offense after two drives where
we came up short, and I was really proud of
them doing that, and then of offense finished the job.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
Great to see. So Joe's thirty nine for forty nine.
He had a few drops. I mean, I think you
could have even had a four hundred and twelve yard
street touchdowns. His streaks alive two hundred and fifty yards
and more, three touchdowns and more he's building on his
own record. He's got eight games now, he's the only
guy in the Herestony NFL that did it seven games
in a row. Now he's got eight. What can you
(21:14):
say about this guy in his effort?
Speaker 9 (21:16):
He's special. He's special, and the guys around him are special,
you know. And I think he'd be the first to
tell you that he's got a great supporting cast that
helps him. But to do it that many games in
a row means you're you're the top, You're you're the best.
And proud of the way he played, probably the way
hung in there. It took some hits today and that's
that's the price to do a business the way we're
going to play football today, and he stepped up and
toughed it out.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
They had a traveler on Jamar, they had a traveler
on Tea. I mean they were traveling everybody out there
a little bit. Did they do anything different in terms
of coverage or pressure packages or what's the stuff you'd seen?
Speaker 9 (21:49):
There's not a whole lot of different we haven't seen
at this point. You know, we've seen everybody try everything
to slow us down and still able to four hundred.
Proud of where our guys handle that.
Speaker 8 (21:58):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (21:58):
They got a tough, low red zone defense that makes
it challenging, but our guys stepped up when it matter.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
You know, you're going into Pittsburgh. That's a tough place
to play, but you're Joe's within I don't know, three
hundred and odd yards is getting five thousand yards passing,
and he's looking at between forty five and fifty touchdowns.
I mean, those kind of numbers are mind boggling in
the National Football League.
Speaker 9 (22:21):
We're probably gonna need them all next week, you know.
So we got to play great, great in all three
phases and we go up there, I'm just gonna be
bad weather. You know, they're gonna they're gonna be pissed off.
We're gonna be ready to roll and it'll be a
great game.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
So first thing that comes to mind as you're thinking
about the Pittsburgh stw is I mean you have a
short week and you respond, You have extra time to
try to respond and get ready get ready for the
for the Steelers. What are your first thoughts?
Speaker 9 (22:48):
Take a deep breath, and then put a great plan together.
You know, that's it. We get to potentially an extra day,
which we'll utilize. Our guys will be ready, you know,
so we're excited for the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Since Lap mentioned it, Joe Burrow needs three hundred and
fifty nine passing yards against the Steelers to become the
tenth quarterback in NFL history to throw for five thousand
or more yards in a season. His four six hundred
and forty one is a new Bengals record. The Bengals
Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud
(23:20):
to be the Bengals Official HR software provider, by Alta
Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business,
and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health
the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is
the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now time for
the radio guys recap Lap for all intents and purposes.
(23:43):
The Bengals have been in playoff mode now for four weeks.
They've needed to win each of their last four to
make next week important.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
They've done it.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
They've even their record at eight and eight, and we've
got a very exciting final week of the season to
look forward to.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
I get a lot of respect for him. I mean,
they showed a lot of grit, a lot of determination.
When the ball hit the upright on the field goal
attempt to left upright, the defense could have very easily said, man,
you know, chin on chest, Arburt down. They hit the
ball right back to the offense, and the offense said, hey,
thank you, we're going to do something with this. That
complementary football at the most opportune time to have complementary
(24:20):
football was extraordinary in that football game. And I mean
the Denver Broncos fourth in the NFL and points allowed,
the Bengals hang thirty on anybody, you know, I know
it's overtime. You know they had twenty three in regulation.
Denver doesn't give up those kind of points. They they
allow less than eighteen points a game. Coming in. This
offensive football team is a juggernaut. I don't care what
(24:44):
defense you're playing against. Number nine, number one, number five,
and number thirty, they're all going to hurt you. And
you can't take them all away. And you know they
they pay a lot of attention to Jamar and te
goes off for eleven catches over on hundred thirty yards
and three touchdowns. Joe Burrow stays keeps his one and
only ever to do it turn in fifty yards, passing
(25:06):
them more now in eight straight games, three touchdowns and
more in eight straight games, and he had one taken
back that Yosi had. I mean, this football team, it
is an offensive machine.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
It really is.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
I just can't say enough about it.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Dan.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
They ran twenty four more snaffs than Denver did. They
had the ball for basically fifteen minutes more. They had
the ball for a quarter. They had the ball forty
minutes fifty six seconds counting overtime to twenty six minutes
and fifty seven seconds. I mean, it was unbelievable. And
the reason that they didn't win in regulation, of course,
(25:44):
the two forced downstaffs were they were brutal.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
I want to pick up on one of the first
points you just made. If you go back to the
overtime game against Baltimore, Evan McPherson misses the fifty plus
field goal that would have won the game. On the
very next play, Rick Henry runs at fifty plus and
sets up Baltimore's game winning field goal. That was an
instance where it felt like they were so deflated that
(26:09):
you know, just that split second difference between getting a
guy down and letting him go for a big run
occurred in this case, as you pointed out, no Chin's down,
all right, you missed the field goal.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
We still got a chance to win if we can
get the ball back for.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
Joe and nothing against York. But fortunately didn't have to
go back to him. You know, they just they end up.
I mean, the plays that Tea was making, I mean
it's you know, Joe's like, I'm just going to give
give him an opportunity. He's six 'y four. You know,
he makes contested catches all the time. You know in
(26:43):
some plays he was limping and gimping a little bit
coming off the football field, went right back in the
football game and gave everything he had. It's just, you know,
these guys have a real tight bond. It's obvious they
think a lot of each other. The coaches have done
a great job of not getting gving up on the
football team. The football team's done a good job and
not giving up on the coaches. And you know who knows.
(27:05):
I mean, stranger things have happened. Has to be very strange,
but they've put themselves in position to win four in
a row. You know, at this juncture is you know,
it's pretty special.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
As you know, I grew up near Buffalo when I
was a kid. OJ Simpson ran for two thousand and
three yards in a fourteen game season, and I'll never
forget what the Buffalo announcer said in the final game
of that year. He said, it's been our privilege to
watch Oj Simpson run this year. That's how I feel
for us in describing Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase T. Higgins
(27:36):
and others in this incredible offensive season.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
This is a defensive football team that you know on
the back end has got really good players and they
can put pressure on you up front. I mean they've
they've got multiple guys. They came into this football game
with five different guys with five saxomore Nobody in the
NFL had that. I mean, they can they can win
from all different spots. And Joe so the defensive coordinator,
(28:01):
brings a lot of people from all kinds of spots.
He gets a lot of people involved. And even with
all that said, and Joe said, I talked to him
after the game a little bit in the locker room
and he said, they're running a lot of different stuff.
We had answers for it.
Speaker 8 (28:15):
He is just so.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
Intelligent man, and he never's rattled, you know, he just
it is incredible, incredible to watch this guy. You know,
it's like watching a Formula one racer, you know, going
gazillion miles an hour and he's just like his blood
pressure is like way down, you know. And those kind
of people, I mean, when the pressure's on to have
(28:38):
their heart rate go down like it seems to with Joe,
that's rare. That's the ability that doesn't happen very often.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
So several weeks ago, kind of out of nowhere, Joe
Burrow in a postgame news conference, expressed confidence that t
Higgins would be back next year, and the following week,
when asked about it, he's described it as a need
for the Bengals to try to bring Tea back next year.
Tea's performance today certainly illustrated how valuable he is to
(29:07):
this team.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
I don't know if it'll happen or not.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
You know, another team might make a crazy offer that
the Bengals just can't match. But when he is on
this team and makes it difficult for the opposing team
to devote all of their energy to Jamar Chase, it's
an unbelievable combo.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
It really is and you know, when Jamorrow goes in motion,
he's gonna shadow and te goes in motion, he has
a shadow. It's like, these two guys are we have
to figure out a way to try to eliminate him.
You know, we're gonna shadow you, me and my shadow
every step of the way. And if we can, we're
gonna put more resources over the top, you know, with safeties.
(29:43):
But it's like at some point Joe Burrow is gonna
he's going to figure out very quickly. A lot of
times it's pre snap and I can't go to Jamarrow
this time, but I can go to Tea. I can't
go to either of them, but I can go to Yosi.
I can't Tee. You know, you gotsiki in the middle
of the foot ball field. I hope Chase Brown's injury
is not too severe because I mean, he's been playing
(30:04):
at such a high level. But you know the thing
is everybody, everybody's ready to come into the football game.
You lose a tackle, incomes one off the bench. You
lose a running back, incomes one off the bench that
is totally prepared. That's a tribute to the players, the coaches,
everybody involved. I mean that's a sign that this football
team is still together and everything is very important to him.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
So one of the most obscure stats in Bengals history
has now been erased. Prior to today, they had never scored
an offensive touchdown in overtime. The only TD they had
ever scored in overtime and franchise history was on a
pick six by Corey Sawyer. They've now got one on
offense borrow to t Higgins from three yards away to
(30:50):
win the game. We can eliminate that stat.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
And I remember when we were going to overtime games,
you know, back in the day field goal ended it.
You know, it was like so if you got in
field goal range, it's like, all right, let's go get
this thing over with. We don't want to risk a
turnover winning, to risk a stupid penalty win or risk
and we're in field goal range. We feel comfortable about it.
Let's go end it. And that's how it really went
(31:13):
most of the time. I bet in a lot of cases,
games that were decided by touchdown in those years probably
was a defensive play, you know, crazily enough, or you know,
you make a play inside the five yard line. You
just want to finish it, you know, so, but yeah,
it's it is. It's amazing that it's amazing that they
(31:36):
got done what they got done in that overtime. You
talk about an emotional roller coaster during the entire course
of that football game. Really it was any team up
by more than a score at any point in the
football game. I can't remember double digit lead for either
football team in that game. They did didn't they go up?
Did they go up thirteen to three a touchdown? No,
(31:59):
so it was ten to three. Yeah, I don't think.
I don't think there was ever a two score advantage
for either football team. So you talk about yo yo,
back and forth we go, an emotional roller coaster, and
for that thing to finish the way it did, it
was truly remarkable. I mean, it was extremely well played.
There weren't a whole lot of penalties. I mean Denver
(32:21):
had seven for only thirty five yards. The Bengals had
three for fifteen yards, but man, a couple of them.
One of them took away a touchdown, took a Yosavash
touchdown off the board. So, you know, just three penalties
fifteen yards, but there was an impact on those penalties.
But to have just ten penalties in an overtime game
(32:44):
that almost went the full overtime.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
It's pretty well played.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Not a whole lot of turnovers to fourth down stops
or you know, the same thing as turnovers in my mind.
But man, when you have three possessions that don end
was some kind of a kick and stay within a
score of a football team and have a score lead
at times on the football team, that's pretty impressive. I mean,
your offense is getting some things done.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
All right, let's look ahead. It's off to Pittsburgh. The
Steelers have lost three in a row. The Bengals have
won four in a row. The Steelers won Game one.
Russell Wilson threw for more than four hundred yards. The
Bengals really had trouble defensively in that game. The offense
performed pretty well, but they couldn't shut down Pittsburgh the
first time around.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
That's gonna be the key, Dan, because you know, in
speaking with Joe again in the post game, you know,
he said, yeah, we know them, they know us, we
know what we're looking at, and he felt looked, the
look in his eye was pretty confident that he's gonna
be able to move the football and score some points.
Will the Bengals defense, you know, be able to step
up and the way Denver ran the football between the tackles,
(33:50):
the Pittsburgh Steelers are drooling. I mean they have a
good offensive line, that's a good run blocking offensive line.
The Bengals are going to have to bow up between
the tackles. I mean, they're gonna have to. If they don't,
Pittsburgh's gonna run the ball down their throat play action pass.
Russell Wilson's very good with play action pass. You know,
that's when he seems to have the best protection, the
(34:10):
most separation. He's not very tall, and he throws that
deep ball, you know, off a play action pass. So
it's all going to start with controlling the running game.
I mean, I don't think you're going to be able
to stop it necessarily in Pittsburgh, where you know, they
don't have some snaps that are that are you know, positive,
But you can't let them own you between the tackles
(34:30):
like Denver was starting to do. So I think that's
that's number one priority on that defensive side of the football.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
So next week is going to be exciting, and it
can really be exciting if Cleveland can beat Miami on
Sunday and the Giants can beat the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis
will not have it starting quarterback Anthony Richardson and Tua
Tungo Via Looo is downgraded to doubtful for Miami against Cleveland.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
I didn't think I'd ever be rooting for the Cleveland Browns,
but damn it, I'm rooting for the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Let's go Browns. Let's go Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
That puts a rap on the Denver win. Now it's
time for this week's fun Fact segment, where you get
to know the person under the pads. Time for some
fun facts with tight end Cam Grandy from Benson, Illinois,
in the central part of the state, not too far
from Peoria.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Cam.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
When I looked up Benson, there's a word that always
seems to proceed it tiny. The population is in the
four hundreds. Give us a little description of your hometown.
Speaker 10 (35:32):
Oh yeah, Benson, Illinois. Like you said, it's a small town,
central Illinois. It's it's one of those towns where everyone
knows everybody and it's really supportive. I mean, I wouldn't
be where I'm at now without the support of my
town and Benson and the family I have there.
Speaker 8 (35:47):
I'm grateful for Benson, Illinois. I always will be.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
I suspect the people of Benson are extremely proud to
have a hometown kid now on an NFL roster. Have
they shown that?
Speaker 10 (35:57):
Oh yeah, I mean my mom sent me pictures of
people on Facebook buying jerseys and asking for autographs.
Speaker 8 (36:02):
But yeah, a lot of support.
Speaker 10 (36:04):
Comes from Vincent Illinois, and I'm grateful to have them
next to me.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
We're visiting the tight end, Cam Grandy. You're six five,
two fifty now, but you are a quarterback in high school,
roughly the same height, but much skinnier.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
Is that accurate?
Speaker 8 (36:18):
Oh yeah, I was.
Speaker 10 (36:19):
I would say it was probably the same like heigh wise,
but yeah, I think I graduated high school at woin't
eighty five, I believe, So yeah, putting on the weight
was definitely a struggle in the beginning of college.
Speaker 8 (36:28):
But getting to two fifty five now I feel pretty good.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
So how'd you put it on?
Speaker 8 (36:32):
A lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
Speaker 10 (36:35):
Pretty much, just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, protein shakes
and just drinking a lot of water and working out obviously,
and Uh, it took me a solid year and a
half probably or more to really get used to carrying
that much weight and getting used to how my body
would move and react to carrying that much weight. But
over the years it just slowly and surely just got
easier and easier.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
Back to high school for a moment, you were named
the small school player of the Year. How much recruiting
in did you get.
Speaker 10 (37:01):
Yeah, I mean I went to a two way school
in Illinois, so I really didn't get too much recruit
And actually, I mean I went to obviously a bunch
of camp senior year, but really nothing shook out. I
got a bunch of NAI D three stuff to play quarterback.
Speaker 8 (37:14):
But I knew that.
Speaker 10 (37:15):
If I wanted to play in the NFL and anything like that,
new quarterback wasn't wasn't the position for me.
Speaker 8 (37:20):
So one day I just got a phone call from.
Speaker 10 (37:22):
Missouri Western State, a D two school in Saint Joseph, Missouri,
and they said they wanted to offer me to play
tight end. And I like the sound of that, and
I always kind of envisioned myself being like a receiver
tight end kind of guy, and I just took that
opportunity and I ran with it.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
That school, which is about an hour from Kansas City,
is where the Chiefs hold training camp. Do they have
great facilities as a result.
Speaker 8 (37:45):
Oh yeah, I mean if you look it up, they
probably have.
Speaker 10 (37:48):
They're probably top five in terms of a Division two
facilities just with the indoor, the training room, the field itself,
and the practice fields. They're definitely top two when it
comes to Division two facilities.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Did you have any brush is with greatness when the
Chiefs were there for training camp?
Speaker 10 (38:03):
Oh yeah, I mean they didn't really pay too much
attention to us and mostly just would they kicked us
out of the facilities.
Speaker 8 (38:08):
And stuff, and they're in camp so they could use
it all.
Speaker 10 (38:10):
But yeah, I mean you would be walking to practice
and you would see Travis Kels here.
Speaker 8 (38:14):
Or Patrick Mahomes drifting on a golf cart to practice.
Speaker 10 (38:16):
So that was that was always cool to see them
for a month or two when they were there. But
other than that, I mean they kind of just went
their own way.
Speaker 8 (38:22):
And we went on.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
We're chatting with Cam Grandy. After four and a half
years there, you transferred to Illinois State for your final
college season and became a first team FCS All American
you had sixty three catches more than six hundred yards.
What did that do for your confidence?
Speaker 10 (38:37):
Yeah, I mean I knew once I transferred, I wanted
to go up to the Division Division one level just
to show scouts and that I could play with that
kind of competition and a lot of people I'm thankful
for it, Elinois State as well, coaches and players, especially
Zach Annix said the one the quarterback when I was there,
just pushing me and always asking more of me. And Yeah,
(38:59):
doing that and being out a compete at that level
definitely put a chip on my shoulder.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
When did the NFL begin to seem like a realistic possibility.
Speaker 8 (39:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (39:07):
When I was at Missouri Western, we'd have scouts come
in every once in a while and they would talk
to my position coach and me sometimes. But so I
was always kind of in the back of my head.
But then when I went to Illinois State and I
started putting stuff on the film and showing that I
could compete at the Division one level, it definitely increased
a lot in terms of in terms of scouts in
that But and then obviously the Hula Bowl and Shrinebile
(39:31):
helped with that as well.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
You signed with the Bengals as a college free agent
right after the draft.
Speaker 10 (39:35):
Why Cincinnati, Really, it was a coach case He had
a lot to do with that. I mean Coach Casey,
especially now and working with him for as long as
I have.
Speaker 8 (39:44):
I mean, there's no place I'd rather be.
Speaker 10 (39:46):
And also just the skill and the guys they have
in this locker room with Joe Jamar and really everyone,
I mean everyone in this locker room is a good
teammate and they always want the best and want more
out of you as a player. So I find that
to be big And Cincinnati, I mean, it just felt
like it was a good situation to come into and
ended up working out for me.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
Coach Casey is James Casey, the tight ends coach. He's
such an interesting guy. He failed at minor league baseball,
went back to college, played a bunch of positions, had
a long NFL career. How do you describe James Casey.
Speaker 8 (40:19):
Man, that's tough.
Speaker 10 (40:21):
I would probably just describe him as a just a
real stand up dude, really, I mean, like he pushes
me every day, pushes everyone in our room to be
the best that we can. And he's a real technician too.
When it comes to just technique and stuff. That's that's
one thing that I think really has helped me grow
in these last couple of months is just my technique
and him just critique and every little thing just so
that we can try to be perfect every day.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
You started on the practice squad, as many college free
agents do, but you have risen to the fifty three
man roster. You made your NFL debut on Thursday night
in Baltimore. You had to catch in that game. What
emotions went through your mind?
Speaker 8 (40:56):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (40:56):
Yeah, I mean this is obviously something I've I've always
dreamed of my who life is to play in an
NFL game and to do it with these guys, it
means a lot to me.
Speaker 8 (41:06):
But just being out there for.
Speaker 10 (41:07):
The first time, running out of the tunnel here in
the crowd, roar and stuff like that, I mean, it
took it took a while to finally sink in, but
once it did, was just grateful for the opportunity to
be there and I'm looking forward to continue the season.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
All right, A few wild card topics now for rookie
Cam Grandy. Who is your all time favorite athlete in
any sport.
Speaker 10 (41:27):
And why any sport I'm gonna go football. I'm gonna
go uh probably probably Jason Witten tight end.
Speaker 8 (41:35):
Jason Winn.
Speaker 10 (41:35):
I grew up I'm originally from from Texas, so grew
up always a Dallas Cowboy fan. My dad put me
on the Dallas Cowboys early and just always watching, uh,
Jason Winn and just how he can. He's not the
best athlete in the world, but just how you always
find a way to get open.
Speaker 8 (41:49):
And the motor he has to play tight end.
Speaker 10 (41:51):
I mean, you have to have a high motor to
play this position, and he had that and just watching
him and I think that's what made me want to
maybe potentially be a tight end at the next level.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
So was playing in Dallas cool for you?
Speaker 8 (42:03):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (42:03):
Man, It's That's something I've always dreamed of too. Man,
always dreamed of playing at and T I've always wanted
to go to game there.
Speaker 8 (42:09):
Never got the opportunity to do that.
Speaker 10 (42:10):
So actually being being there and being on the field
and playing against the Dallas Cowby was awesome. And being
able to have some family from Texas to be there
as well and watch and support me, it was really cool.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
I watched an interview that you did before the draft
When you were asked what NFL quarterback you would most
like to catch a pass from, you said, Joe Burrow.
So does your perception of him compare to the real thing.
Speaker 8 (42:34):
He speaks for himself.
Speaker 10 (42:36):
I mean, he's obviously one of the best, if not
the best quarterback in the NFL. And to be able
to have the opportunity to play next to him and
even get into the huddle with him, I'm truly grateful.
And yeah, I did say that that's funny that you
found that, But yeah, but catching the ball from him,
like you said, I mean, it's something I've dreamed of.
I've always been a fan of Joe. You've not LISHU
(42:56):
and to be able to to play with him on
Sundays is awesome.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
He's pretty good. Have you been recognized as an NFL
player yet?
Speaker 10 (43:04):
No, I don't think that will happen for a while.
Just like obviously like local town stuff when I go home.
I went home during the BIE for a little bit
and people saw me and asked what was up and stuff.
But now I have not been recognized you as an
NFL player.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
What do you like to spend your money on?
Speaker 10 (43:20):
Honestly, I'm big into saving, right now, I haven't really
bought anything. The only thing, the biggest perch I probably
had was one of them Sleep Number beds. That that
was probably the biggest thing I've purchased. But I'm really
just trying to save up and make it last and
invest it.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
So is the sleep Number bed as good as the
ads look better?
Speaker 8 (43:38):
I mean it's hard to get up in the morning.
Speaker 10 (43:40):
They got to set multiple alarms just to make sure
him up, and the more I got my phone on alarm,
and then I have an alarm clock next to it,
so I always have that just to make sure I
get up.
Speaker 8 (43:47):
But you know it's it's well advertised. Let's say that
that's good.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
What unhealthy food? Do you have a hard time saying
no to nutter butters?
Speaker 10 (43:57):
Love nutter butters. I pretty much love anything peanut butter.
But a good nutter butter in the freezer, it's like, oh,
that's nutter butter easy.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
I might have to stick one in the freezer to
see how that tastes. That sounds pretty good, all right.
Final fun fact for cam Grandy. This one is kind
of deep. If you could meet anyone in history, living
or deceased, who would that person be?
Speaker 8 (44:19):
Uh?
Speaker 10 (44:19):
I'm gonna go music industry. I'm a big, big country
music guy. I love country music, always have and I
probably just say George Strait.
Speaker 8 (44:27):
I think that would be a good one.
Speaker 10 (44:28):
I I mean, I've been listening to his music since
as long as I can remember, so for sure.
Speaker 2 (44:32):
Kind of an old school answer.
Speaker 10 (44:33):
Oh yeah, I mean my dad grew me up on
listening to Moro Haggard, Wayale and Jenny and Swilly Nelson
stuff like that.
Speaker 8 (44:39):
So that's all I've known is country music and I
love it.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
So this has been fun. Appreciate your time. Best of
Locked the rest of the year.
Speaker 8 (44:46):
Thank you, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
That's going to do it for this episode of the
Bengals Booth podcast, brought to you by pay Corps, Proud
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(45:09):
haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and
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I'm Dan Horde and thank you for listening to the
Bengals Booth podcast
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