10/14/24 - The Tony & Mo Football Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The official home of the Bengals. Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen to thirty.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Now get Afternute M. Moegger. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Thank you for joining us. Thrilled that you are here.
Hopefully you had an awesome weekend. It's The Tonian Mo
Football Show on ESPN fifteen thirty or at Twin Peaks
in Florence, which is where we are every single Monday
during the football season. We'll be back in Westchester next week.

(00:28):
It is a victory Monday edition of The Tony and
Mo Football Show. Bengals win, Bengals cover, Bearcats win is
road Dogs. We are in a great mood. We have
a lot to discuss. There's a lot going on. You've
got Monday Night Football Tonight Bills and Jets. It's actually
a big game in the AFC East, and you have
two League Championship Series baseball games. The Mets trying to

(00:51):
bounce back after losing Game one last night to the Dodgers.
That is the day game, which gets underway here at
the top of the hour, and then the Yankees and
Guardians tonight game won America League Championship Series. If you're
looking for a place to watch whether it's any of
those or anything. This coming weekend. Twin Peaks in Florence,
very close to the interstate. Get off at the Turfway
Road exit. You'll be here in minutes. An awesome staff.

(01:14):
We've both just ordered food. I get the meatball skill
and I cannot wait. We've got cold beer. You can't
beat it.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
You know so much about this place to like so
much about what happens Saturday and Sunday, not just with
the Bearcats and Bengals. We got a ton to get
to in the college football landscape.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
We do.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
We have a ton to get to on the NFL,
which was an awesome day of football yesterday as well.
But as we do oftentimes, b we also have to
talk about the twentieth three Cincinnati Bearcats and the preseason
ap Pole first time since March eighteenth of twenty nineteen,
which is insane to think about because they've had some
good teams in those stretches. His team has not been

(01:50):
ranked in the Apeo Pole since twenty nineteen. And I
know it's preseason poll, and I know you know, but
Ken Palm thinks highly of him, had him seventeen.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Can't wait, I can't wait.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
For Friday. You gotta get an exhibition to gets to
Ohio State, and then you get nip at noon on
Saturday with Arizona State coming in, and then a short
drive north for the Cincinnati Bengals to take on Deshaun
Watson and some unbelievable statistically bad numbers that that offense
has put up. But make no mistake about it, Nick
Chubb will be back and I'm sure that'll be a

(02:21):
dogfight like last night.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, and Miles Garrett's got to be looking his jobs,
even though he's not one hundred percent. You're right about
the barricads. I wish we had I wish we had
a basketball component in the Tony and Mo Football Show
because hoops can't get here soon enough. Bengals win last night.
They go on the road as three and a half
point favorites, they scored just seventeen points, and they figure
out a way to win. Look, let's admit this. The

(02:44):
Giants aren't very good. They're even worse, yeah, without Molik
Neighbors and Devin Singletary. But like, I don't know, man,
there's lots of different ways to look at last night.
Number one, if you didn't buy that the Baltimore game
was must win. This one had to be like you
were only gonna be able to go so long without
winning a game before the losses caught up to you

(03:06):
and you were out of it. So they've got a pulse.
They've got a pulse in the division, they've got a
pulse in the playoff race. Also, they showed last night
that they can win a game in which their offense
doesn't carry the day. Now, say what you want about
the Giants, most of the teams on their schedule between
now and the end of the season look like the
New York Giants offensively. That defense that I saw last

(03:30):
night took a major, major step forward.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
Yeah, going into last night, there's no time you would
have said, Okay, the Bengals will score seventeen and you
think they're gonna win.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
On the road.

Speaker 3 (03:37):
That's just how it is. Yeah, And I think it
helped a little bit during the day scene Pittsburgh and
Baltimore win, knowing that you couldn't go any further back.
But I looked at last night's win a lot like
I looked at the Panthers win. Doesn't do much for
me because of what they've done to this point. It
buys time. It gives you more to look for to
get back into things. Because if you lose last night,

(03:57):
the doors shut. Yeah you win, and it's like, okay,
you needed to win now. It sets you up for
an opportunity against Cleveland and then Philly and Vegas, who's
an absolute mess right now.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
But you know, I was.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
I was talking to Carry Combs after Saturday's win and
you know, oh Man got that one. You know, sometimes
it's not pretty, blah blah blah. He said. If there's
one thing I've learned at this level NFL, you got
to celebrate wins, Yes, especially wins on the road. And
it's odd the way that you see in the Bengals
both did it because their offenses didn't really show up

(04:33):
and the defenses carried the load. And I know there
was no Neighbors. I know there was no Singletary. I
know there was no Thibodeau. A team went to Seattle
and scored twenty nine without Neighbors and without Singletary, And
I thought what the Bengals were able to do last night,
it I think helps the locker room in a big
way because they needed a game for the defense to
kind of bow their chest and say, hey, we got

(04:55):
this one for us offense. I think that's why there's
no panic, Like I don't could last night think all
the offense in trouble going forward. No, I think it
was a bad night mixed with a really good defensive
front from the Giants that caused a lot of problems.
That team reeks havoc on everyone defensively. But for the defense,
we know Trey Hendrickson's good to see what bj Hill

(05:15):
was able to do to a game last night. The
red zone batted ball which Pratt intercepts. Got some help
because New York couldn't make a field goal last night.
But that defense was on the field for seventy four plays,
and they showed up for seventy four plays, And that
is such an improvement of where this team was. That
aligned with what you mentioned in the schedule coming up,

(05:37):
gives you reason to believe that this team does have
some type of run in them.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, you know you combined the two teams last week,
right mirror images of each other, scoring a lot of points.
The Bearcat scored forty one, the Bengals scored thirty eight
seventy nine combined two losses this weekend the two teams
combined for thirty six unreal and they both win. I
view last night as a little bit more than just
something that they can use to buy time. You're right.

(06:02):
I mean it's kind of like the Carolina game in
the sense that.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
Not buying time. But if you knew if you lost
the seasons, over sure you can't get to move it
ahead again.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
But I viewed last night as if the defense was
going to improve substantially at some point, they were gonna
need this sort of performance they could build on and again.
Say what you want about the New York Giants, but
there were a lot of individual heroes last night. Bj
Hill was terrific and got a game Ball after the game.
DJ Turner might have saved the season with that fourth
and two pass breakup. You mentioned Trey Hendrickson and how

(06:31):
good he was. They get the key red zone interception
with Jermaine Pratt picking off a pass after Daniel Jones
was hurried. But what I liked more than anything was
seeing what that defensive line can do when they're all healthy.
Sheldon Rankins was on the field, mckilley Jackson was on
the field, obviously, Chris Jenkins, BJ Hill was awesome last night,
Like that's what it can do. And again, the Giants

(06:53):
have all sorts of offensive issues. Fine, but so to
the Cleveland Browns, and so to the Philadelphia Eagles, and
so do the Las Vegas Raiders. I said last week,
I make this about a four game season. Get me
to the Baltimore game and then we'll see. Well, that
was really gonna happen on the shoulders of the offense.
But when it didn't, the defense had to step up.
And last night it was more positioned to step up

(07:15):
than at any point in the season because of better health.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
I think it goes to show if he just has
an inkling of help, Trey Hendrickson is going to be
even more dominant. Lewis Riddicks said on Twitter last night
he's the most underappreciated elite player in the NFL. Agreed,
He's absolutely dominant. And I know he had I think
two sacks last night, three quarterback hits. He was in
Daniel Jones area the whole night.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
And matched up against a very good roundsive line.

Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yeah, and that's because he just had a little help
next to him on the defensive line. They held New
York to under four yards to carry. They come up
with the red zone interception, a key fourth down stop.
They had two fourth down stops, but a really big
one when it felt like, man, if that goes the
other way, and they were able to handle major change

(07:58):
at times last night. They gave up the one touchdown drive,
but a couple of times they were asked to come
on the field and handle different situations. I thought they
did that. I thought the secondary. I know it's Daniel Jones,
not with his top weapon, but I thought the secondary.
You look at Daniel Jones' stat line. Secondary improved last night.
They played a better game. Logan Wilson led the team
in tackles on all three levels. They were much better.

(08:19):
Can they sustain that? But I think you gain confidence.
And I watched them. I know the Raiders come up
in three games from now. I watched the Steelers do
whatever they wanted against the Raiders. Yeah, and I watched
the next two opponents battle each other and was not
in all of anything that was going on on that
football field between the Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles. So well,

(08:41):
the Eagles coming in present a test with Saquon Barkley
and company. Absolutely, Eagles have a much better threat to
the Bengals than what the Browns do. Sure, but you
know what the next three are and they just won
a game seventeen to seven on the road. That has
to give you some sort of confidence going forward. Now,
my only offensive drawback was did New York figure out

(09:05):
something that other teams can now simulate? I think that
was more last night about New York is really good
up front, and their front four altered a lot of things.
And when that front four and the problem comes and
the interior part of the defensive line and Dexter Lawrence,
that's hard to get around. I didn't I thought the
short passing game would be more prevalent than what it
was last night. But even in a bad offensive performance,

(09:31):
I thought t Higgins shined, not because of the wild plays,
but man, you would talk like from a quarterback standpoint
catch radius hands, I mean, he's exactly what you want.
Jamar Chase won't have another drop like that all season,
a flat out drop. You know, Burrow does enough with
his legs on the touchdown run and on the third
down where he extends to Yosi Vash which if they

(09:53):
don't get that, you feel bad about putting the ball away.
Again they made enough plays last night. The defense was
the star of the game.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
Yeah, and again you can you can tell me all
you want, mo, Here's who the Giants didn't have. Here's
what they're not. If the defense was ever going to improve,
it had to start somewhere. So after a week where
they took a ton of criticism where they did the
whole players only meeting thing, we'll we'll see if this
passes the test of time.

Speaker 3 (10:22):
Does the offense have a player's only meeting this week?

Speaker 2 (10:25):
But on social media last night at halftime they sch
had had a meeting, but it was going to have
to start somewhere. Does last night prove to be the
start of something or at the end of the day,
an outlier in a season of otherwise awful defense.

Speaker 3 (10:38):
First of all, lots last night Zach Taylor at halftime
saying he had to be better call in place. Yeah,
some honesty there, it was.

Speaker 4 (10:45):
It was.

Speaker 3 (10:45):
It was a weird game, yes, because third and eighteen
the Borough touchdown, which watching the breakdown like how he
noticed that that quick and what the safety was doing
is another question. But when that happened, you felt like,
all right, floodgates are going to open. Tonight mm hmm.
And then until the last drive of the game, it
was silent and it was just a weirdly played game

(11:05):
with how well the offense had been functioning, and you
kept waiting for that breakout moment. And then it shifted
from that to are do they putting the defense in
way too many situations? Again? Bengals ran fifty two plays.
The Giants ran seventy four. That's a huge disparity in
an NFL game for a defense who has been drugged
through the mud to be out there that many plays

(11:26):
and to answer the bill that many times, I thought
was a huge positive for this team.

Speaker 2 (11:31):
It's seventeen minutes after three o'clock. He's Tony Pike on Maweger.
We're here till six. If you're wondering, Zach Taylor's Monday
afternoon press conference will air out of contractual obligation at
four o'clock.

Speaker 3 (11:42):
Got to be better than what Stefanskis was today.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
You hear his Yeah, I.

Speaker 3 (11:48):
We'll get to other NFL teams, but.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
I it's hard for me to feel bad for the
coach of the Cleveland Browns. Yeah, I feel bad for
the coach of the Cleveland Browns. It's a seventeen minutes
after three o'clock here at Twin Peaks in Florence, Tony
and Football Show, the day after the Bengals win by
ten on the road. Glad you're with us today on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 5 (12:07):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteenth there, Tony.

Speaker 2 (12:11):
And Football Show. It's Twin Peaks of Florence. For by
the way, we are giving away twenty five dollars. Oh,
gift cards.

Speaker 3 (12:19):
Megan's got all of that.

Speaker 2 (12:20):
Our friend Meghan back there with a gift card box.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
Just see Megan with the gift card.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
So we have just one or two today, Meghan to cards.

Speaker 3 (12:29):
What if people have to do to sign up?

Speaker 2 (12:31):
Walk up to Meghan and get a pen and a
piece of paper from her, put your name on it,
and then put it in that box on Meghan's table.

Speaker 3 (12:39):
And this isn't one of those things like you get
your gift card next. You could use it today. Yeah,
and gift cards are ready to be used.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
We don't need a bunch of personal information. We don't
want a bunch of personal information. No, we're not gonna
come over your house. We're not gonna send you a
bunch of spas and none of that stuff. I mean,
I don't know what Meghan's gonna do with your name.
I mean she might, I don't know, but uh, sign
up for the gift card and we'll give a out.

Speaker 3 (13:01):
Gotta be able to as Mike Mills legible. Yeah, the
excitement that Magan exudes always with the opportunity to win
these gift cards. Well, it's hard for her because she's
a Buckeye fan. Buck Guy's long.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
I know she's a little bit down of the dumbs,
but it's it's hard for her because she wants to
hang on to every word of this show, such a
big fan, and.

Speaker 3 (13:22):
She still has other responsibilities to take care of here.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
She's got a balance giving away the gift cards and
doing other stuff that could interfere with her being able
to listen to.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah, it's not easy for the show.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
It's tough. It's interesting how she balances.

Speaker 3 (13:35):
Well, it's if you're here or coming here, maybe just
sign up during a commercial break sign up that way
she can listen while we're on air, and then during
commercials go sign up for the gift card.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
Absolutely, absolutely so, sign up for the gift card. You
can get buy your dinner, buy your beer whatever, good
to go? All right? Twenty five after three o'clock. You
mentioned this Joe burroley forty seven yard touchdown run on
third and eighteen, which is absurd. It's the longest touchdown
run by a Bengals quarterback in franchise history. Yeah, you

(14:08):
briefly made an allusion to what Joe said he saw
walk us through that.

Speaker 3 (14:11):
Yeah, I mean anytime as a quarterback. What I liked
is that they went quads to the field, so there
was four receivers to Joe Burrow's left, which means the
safety's eyes go there right away. Third and eighteen. I
love the play design because you're emptying one side of
the field and when you see that the defense travels,
it gives you a little man zone indicator. I think
that one play design wise was awesome. I'm thinking, get

(14:34):
a couple of yards and you know, let's call it
a successful first drive. The only one I don't know
is what the safety was doing, because as Joe Burrow's
breaking the line, the safety is turning to the other
side of the field. But it is We talk about
gap responsibilities all the time. If you're off on a
gap responsibility I would assume someone on that Giants defensive
line messed up a gap responsibility there, because you shouldn't

(14:57):
leave that type of openings. Remarkable, but in a man
de man, it's remarkable. But the most amazing thing to
me was how quickly he noticed it. Yeah, I mean
he essentially took a half step on his drop and
just took off. Unbelievable recognition from him. Great play design
to slide four guys into the one side of the
formation and leave that open for him.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
That's the good. The bad would be. He took seven
hits in twenty nine dropbacks. He was sacked four times.
We were just talking off air about the hit that
he took late in the game that required him to
go into the tent. Yeah, and he went into the
league's concussion protocol for just a few minutes. It felt
to me like, specifically in the first half, he was

(15:39):
holding onto the ball too long.

Speaker 3 (15:40):
Yeah, it felt like early in the game, I think
he was trying to go through normal reads and got
hit a couple of times, and I think that just changed.
We talked about with Brendan Soresby on Saturday, his eyes
maybe dropping a little bit, not seeing the full picture.
You know, so much of offense at any levels rhythm,
and for much of the year they've been in rhythm,

(16:01):
felt like they never found their rhythm. Last night, it
just felt like, for whatever reason. And I'm not I
was asked this today. I'm not panicking about the Old line.
The on line didn't play good enough last night. Yeah,
you know, Marius Mems backed up in your own you know,
the shadow of your own end zone can't get beat.
And I don't know how Joe Burrow held onto the
ball let alone kept the play alive. But he took

(16:21):
a couple of hits last night. It's one thing to
take hits you see coming. Taking some of the hits
he took last night, you kind of hold your breath
as that happens, especially the one where he hit his
head going down. But I credit more of that to
New York not allowing them to find any rhythm because
of a dominant front that they were able to have.

Speaker 2 (16:40):
Yeah. I watched that game, and then I thought a
lot about Miles Garrett.

Speaker 3 (16:43):
Yeah did you did you did last night change your
opinion on the Old Line at all? Like I viewed
it as okay, they had a bad game against a.

Speaker 2 (16:50):
Really good front.

Speaker 3 (16:51):
Yeah, Like I never thought like, oh, it's a top
five O line in the league. They've been protecting much better.

Speaker 2 (16:56):
I thought it was going into last night. I thought
it was an average offense line that's playing really well. Yes,
and I still think they're an average offense. That's what
I think as well, an average offensive line that last
night got a bad matchup. But say which one about
the Browns, and they're a mess and their defense has
been complicit. It's not as good as last year, but
that is a front that does concern.

Speaker 3 (17:17):
Yes, anytime Miles Garretts on the front, it's going to
concern anybody to this point. But I didn't walk away
from last night thinking, oh boy, oh line's gonna be Now,
this is gonna be a disaster of the books out
on them. They played some really good guys. Brian Burton's
a good player. They lucky that didn't have to go
against Thebodeau and Dex Lawrence is a good player. And
you chalk that up and you learn from it and

(17:37):
you get better going forward. I don't think that carries
over for the Bengals, but it is something to watch
a little bit, because again, anytime you're exposed over the
length of a game. You got to get that corrected.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, I thought it was when your average, you're more
susceptible to bad than when you're good. Right. So like
if you're an average baseball player, an average hitter, you're
gonna be more susceptible to hitting two hundred in a month. Right.
So the low end for the offensive line is still
pretty low. But I still think it's a unit that
over the first six games, I would describe their play

(18:11):
to this point is slightly above average, but in relation
to the rest of the league, middle of the pack average,
And I think most metrics would suggest that it's a
three thirty on ESPN fifteen thirty, We're at Twin Peaks
and Florence Tony and MO Football Show. Here till six o'clock.
Zach Taylor's press conference live coming up at four pm.
I got a meatball skillet, You've got chicken tenders, but

(18:34):
you can't beat that. We're at Twin Peaks, Tony and
MO Football Show, ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station. Sports
Headlines are a Service. I'm Kelsey Chevrolee, home of Lifetime
Powertrain Protection and Guarantee Credit Approval from their family to
yours for life kelsey chev dot com. Did you eat
all those during that break?

Speaker 3 (18:54):
Chicken tenders?

Speaker 2 (18:55):
Seven?

Speaker 3 (18:56):
Four tenders? Okay, it's always one of my one of
my favorite things to try to do eat during this
I understand.

Speaker 2 (19:03):
I'm with you there. Bengals have been installed as a
four and a half point road favorite on Sunday when
they go to Cleveland and take on the Browns. Cincinnati
improved the two and four with their win over the
Giants last night. Good news is they've won. They've won
two out of three. No major injury news after last night.
Excuse me, it was concerning watching Joe Burrow going to

(19:23):
the I do go into the blue tent. But this
team is pretty healthy right now. One o'clock kickoff on Sunday.
Pregame coverage nine am on ESPN fifteen thirty Monday Night
Football Tonight, Jets are hosting Buffalo College Football. U s's
Jake Golday named the Big twelve's Newcomer of the Week. Texas, Oregon,
Penn State, Ohio State, and Georgia one through five in

(19:46):
the AP Top twenty five College Football Poll. Indiana, who
hosts Nebraska on Saturday, is up to sixteenth. Mark Toombs
radio show tonight at six talking about Kentucky's loss to
Vanderbilt over the weekend college basket. The AP Top twenty
five Men's poll has uc twentieth, Kentucky twenty third, Indiana, seventeenth,

(20:07):
Xavier with enough votes to finish twenty eighth. Bad news
for the Musketeers. Lucina Treori, who is a big man
transfer from Long Beach State, averaged a double double last
season nearly twelve points a game and over twelve rebounds,
is gonna miss the entire season, according to Sean Miller,
because of a knee injury. Tough blow by the way
one through five in the AP Top twenty five Kansas, Alabama, Yukon, Houston,

(20:32):
and Iowa State. Five Big twelve teams the top ten.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
I think there was eight in the Ken Palm Top
twenty one. Yeah, it's gonna be a great conference.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
Baseball Game two National League Championship Series about to get
underway in LA. Dodgers pasted the Mets last night, and
nine zip Game one of the American League Championship Series
this evening between the Guardians and the New York Yankees.
In the Bronx Fun Sports day in New York.

Speaker 3 (20:57):
Very fun.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
Get the Jets with your new interim coach. Both baseball
teams in the postseason.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
Good time the the Xavier, the Xavier big Man loss.
Just kind of reading the the tweet from Sean Miller, Yeah,
seems to be substantial. I mean, Sean Miller's talking me,
he's the best defender, rebounder, shot blocker, presence leader. Feels
like that was a big based on his tweet, that
feels like a huge, huge loss.

Speaker 2 (21:22):
I don't know that I've ever seen and quick plug
for myself. Sean will be on our show tomorrow at
four twenty and we'll talk about this. I have never
seen a coach issue a social media statement like that
about player. Uh.

Speaker 3 (21:38):
I felt like everything he tweeted something like you tell
the team.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah it was. It was pretty telling. Uh And for
a guy, you know, Sean's got an active Twitter presence
like everybody else, but but not one of these you know,
everything's in open book people on social media. So yeah,
a tough loss for the for the Musketeers. It's time
Tony for the sweet Life HVAC stat of the game.
Talk to you, sweet Life, heating and air serving greater Cincinnati,

(22:02):
Northern Kentucky in Southeast Indiana. Service always comes with a
cherry on top at sweet Life Heating and Air. Go
call sweet Life dot com. That's call Sweetlife dot com.
So we acknowledged Joe Burrow's forty seven yard touchdown run,
the longest of his career, also the longest rushing touchdown

(22:24):
by a Cincinnati quarterback in franchise history. You know, the
Giants are celebrating their one hundredth season. Yes, last night,
they had players from the seventeen that won the Super Bowl.
The twenty eleventeen that won the Super Bowl been around
for a long time. The forty seven yard touchdown run
given up by the Giants the longest by a QB
against New York since November one, nineteen forty two, when

(22:46):
Pittsburgh's Bill Dudley scored on a sixty six yard run
in a seventeen to nine Steelers victory November one. World
War Two is a last time a quarterback ran for
a touchdown as long against New York, and Joe, by
the way, one of thirteen qbs since two thousand to
have a rushing touchdown that long, and of those thirteen,
it's basically the suspects you would expect Labar Jackson, Michael Vick,

(23:10):
guys like that. And now Joe Burrow it's his name
to that list.

Speaker 3 (23:13):
Other stats that I thought were telling. Twenty two of
forty one for Daniel Jones. Yeah, secondary got it done.
And if a team is struggling to throw the ball
and they want to run it. The Cincinnati Bengals held
them to three point eight yards per carry last night.

Speaker 2 (23:29):
You know what they were good at last night? This
sounds basic. They're good at tackling. Mike Hilton had a
couple of really nice open field tackles. Cam Taylor Brick
gave him some catches. Bengals's longest pass play giving up
was fifteen yards. Sounds easy, right, But early in the season,
what did this defense not do well? Didn't tackle? Did
what did they not do against Washington? Didn't tackle? What
did they not do well against Baltimore? Didn't tackle? Like

(23:52):
it was they were in the right spots. Again. The
Giants has constructed right now, don't have a lot of
explosive playmakers, but in the secondary in particular, that's what
stood out to me.

Speaker 3 (24:01):
Yeah, you an NFL stat for the weekend, Give it
to me. Eight NFL teams were road favorites yesterday, all
eight one.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
Yeah, it's been a year dominated by underdogs yep, until.

Speaker 3 (24:13):
Y yesterday until eight road teams eight No against the spread?
How about that road or home dogs?

Speaker 2 (24:19):
That not?

Speaker 3 (24:20):
How not howling yesterday? Home Dog's most definitely like those
Cleveland Browns and the dog pounds struggling to how right now.

Speaker 2 (24:27):
We're going to get to the Browns in just a bit.
Anything from a game calling or game planning or play
calling standpoint from the Bengals that you wanted to discuss positive,
we're negative. We talked about the forty seven yard touchdown.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
Yeah, I mean not asking Mike Kasicki to bro block
Brian Burns would be one that I would start with. Yeah,
it's weird because like you see the play happens like,
oh it's a good play and that's not Koseki. And
then it was to block Brian Burns, who's one of
the best in the NFL to do it that, And
I'm just I'm not confident when this team lines up

(25:02):
on third and short right now, I mean I would
it's crazy saying I'd rather be in third and six
than third and two or three at this point, Yeah,
because I want to take the running element out of it.
On third downs unless it's third and one or third inches,
I want the ball in Burrows hands right, and just
too many times it's it's Moss or it's Chase Brown,

(25:23):
and I just I don't trust a lot of what
they do on third and short.

Speaker 2 (25:27):
Chase Brown had a touchdown taken away because of a
holding penalty against Cordell Volson. Now I'm not the kind
of fan, yeah, that constantly complains about officiating a good call.

Speaker 3 (25:40):
No, And it happened so quick. The player is already
like losing his balance. I just I thought that was
a poor He was guilty because the player fell and
his arm was located where it was, but he didn't
pull the player down. The player was already losing his
balance at that point.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
Chase Brown versus Zach Moss is becoming less and less
about him.

Speaker 3 (26:00):
Yeah. I think at this point it's more about Zach
Moss giving them more pass protection, yeah, than what Chase
Brown does.

Speaker 2 (26:06):
We called it earlier in the year one in one A.
I don't think it's I don't think it should be
one in one A actually running the ball not even
close it's not even close.

Speaker 3 (26:12):
Yeah, And those stats were a little skewed last night
to the thirty yard run by Chase Brown. I think
nine for twenty three outside of that from a yard
at standpoint and Joe Burrows that line that skewed a
lot of the Bengal The Bengals did not run the
ball well last night. The Burrough scramble and a cover
zero all out gash where Chase Brown ran up for
thirty there was not much of as sembilance of a

(26:33):
running game last night.

Speaker 2 (26:34):
Chase Brown did have that fumble in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 3 (26:37):
Jack Boss had a fumble.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
Yeah, he did. If the Giants recover that fumble, ball
went out of bounds, so Cincinnati maintained possession. If New
York recovers that fumble, what is the outcome of that game?

Speaker 3 (26:49):
I mean, I think they go down and tie it
at least, and at that point they're probably gonna go
for it because of the inability to make field goals.

Speaker 6 (26:55):
Huh.

Speaker 3 (26:56):
But yeah, I mean, it was that ball rolling out
of bound, especially because of how long it felt like
the defense was already out there. Yeah, you're just asking
so much of them. Yeah, And I even tweeted out
I think the series before, go win the damn game. Yes, offensively,
just go win the game, because you know, if you
went up ten, it was over, it was over. Yeah,
and they failed to do it the first time, and
then luckily they get the other opportunity. Man at the time,

(27:18):
very very nervous for sure.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
Sixteen away from four o'clock, Zach Taylor's press conference is
coming up at the top of the hour, whereas normal
people would say it at four o'clock. We'll have it
for you live. We're here till six Tony and MO football.

Speaker 3 (27:32):
Should we ready to pay t Higgins?

Speaker 2 (27:35):
I mean sure, yes, let's do it.

Speaker 3 (27:38):
Last week we're getting ready to talk about trading him. Well,
now I'm ready to pay him.

Speaker 2 (27:42):
If they play themselves into the thing, right, I said,
I'm just trading T Higgins was all about it's awesome
that the trading T Higgins talk was always about the
team's record. Yeah, we acknowledged that they lost last night. Yes, yeah,
The trading T Higgins conversation is about what is Where
are the Bengals on deadline day, which is the fifth

(28:04):
three weeks from tomorrow. They have three more games, win
all three. Nobody in their right mind is talking about
trading t Higgins lose the next three Well, it should
be something you explore.

Speaker 3 (28:15):
But we've talked on this show about Higgins is gonna
play for a contract and this and that. Can Higgins
play himself into the Bengals not being able to move
on from him?

Speaker 2 (28:23):
Maybe, but it just it feels like that, it feels
like that ship has sailed.

Speaker 3 (28:29):
The more I watch him when he's healthy, he's terrific.
It's hard. It's hard to put into words how much
he means to this offense and to Jamar Chase.

Speaker 2 (28:36):
Yeah, collins Worth kind of touched on that at the
top of the broadcast, like Tea has come back. Look,
Jamar had a monster game the week before, but here's look,
they're just you know this better than I do. They're
just more difficult to defend. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (28:49):
I think a lot of times teams will send their
better corner to Tea and then used two for Jamar.

Speaker 2 (28:56):
Kind of felt like that's what New York did list.

Speaker 3 (28:57):
And now I wonder going forward if he's not there
now the best guy goes to Jamar, and help goes
to Jamar, and that's you're counted on guys to take
another step forward. Jermaine Burton, who was a healthy scratch
last night. Andre Yoshi Vosh had a big catch on
the third down where Joe Burrow extended to play. But
if you're just watching the game and not dialing in
what the defense is doing, he makes life easier for

(29:20):
Jamar Chase. And he's a heck of a heck of
a receiver for Joe Burrow.

Speaker 2 (29:25):
Yeah, no question, he was terrific last night. Seven catches,
seventy seven yards, seven targets, seven targets. Yeah, And like
it's wise sometimes, like you look at the box score
and you go, yeah, he had a good game, right,
But you had to have watched. And I've said this
about Jamar before. Some of his more impressive games have been,
you know, six catches for sixty eight yards.

Speaker 3 (29:45):
Or small window catches or maybe the ball wasn't where
it needed to be. You could just see how strong
his hands are and how big the catch radius is
and yards after the catch and all that.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
It was like I said, I put on Twitter Saturday
about Joe Royer, who I just thought was awesome, and
he had eight catches for eighty six yards, which is
a good game. But you know, you don't look at
those numbers. You know, it's not a one hundred plus
yard game. And I go, that's why I gotta watch
a game sometimes, yep, So I gotta watch actually what
the guy does, the degree of difficulty, where the catches occur,
in the context of the game, how the guy got

(30:15):
himself open, you know, maybe after the quarterback had to
get out of trouble. And te to me had one
of those games last night.

Speaker 3 (30:21):
Year. It's like second ten and you make a hard
catch to set up third and three. Right, that's not
a ton for your person. But they're not gonna show
that three. They're not gonna show a lot different. Yeah,
on the highlight reel. They're not going to show that
third and four gets a six yarder like those things.
He's just so good at. And I said, because he's
so big and long, his catch radius is ridiculous and

(30:42):
you could put it anywhere, and his hands are so
strong that so much of what he does you still
see the flash plays, sure, but so much of what
he's done. It's like second ten and he just got seven.
Third and three you convert. It's a lot different than
third and ten.

Speaker 2 (30:55):
Convert.

Speaker 3 (30:56):
Even though I'm not confident in third and three.

Speaker 2 (30:58):
It is thirteen away from four o'clock. We're at Twin
Peaks and Florence, Tony and Mo Football Show. Meghan is
still here giving away gift cards. Just gonna write your
name on a piece of paper, Yes, slide the piece
of paper in the box.

Speaker 3 (31:09):
Makes At some point, may she just walk around with
you know, some of the forums.

Speaker 2 (31:13):
But she doesn't want to bother people. That's the thing
about Megan. She doesn't want to. She doesn't you know,
people are here and having the beer and they don't
want to be bothered. I get it right, Yeah, So
maybe that's her strategy.

Speaker 3 (31:23):
I don't know, you know, it's probably watching the all
twenty two of Ohio State's loss, still trying to compartmental line.

Speaker 2 (31:29):
Do you understand? Do you know? Can you explain what
Will Howard was doing at the end of that game
on Saturday? No, it is a twelve away from four o'clock.
We're at Twin Peaks on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Tracy here for Joseph Tours.

Speaker 4 (31:46):
I'm Nick de Luka. A couple of important NFL injuries.
Lion Star pass rusher Aiden Hutchinson had successful surgery on
a broken tibbya suffered yesterday and then win over the Cowboys.
Expected to make a full recovery, no timeline on a
possible return. Commander Star defensive tackle Jonathan Allen suffered a
peck injury that his season ending as two sacks and

(32:09):
six games this year. Eagles got to win over the
Browns yesterday. Head coach Nick Sirianni in some hot water
for chirping with fans afterward, says, whose energy should have
been elsewhere?

Speaker 3 (32:20):
I was trying to bring energy yesterday, energy and Tuesdays
and yesterday, and I'm sorry and disappointed on.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
How my energy was directed at the end of the game.
My energy spe all in on coaching, motivating right and
celebrating with our guys.

Speaker 4 (32:37):
Eagles three and two after the win NLCS Game two
this afternoon, Dodger is looking to go up two to
zero on the Mets today going bullpen game Mets starting
Sean Manya La minus one forty five on the money
line on ESPN. BET coverage underway on ESPN Radio.

Speaker 2 (32:53):
Really good.

Speaker 3 (32:53):
The Super Bowl Cheff Christianity coming on Tuesday. Lions, Ravens
or Texans. I'll tell you which team now sits a
top my challenges.

Speaker 7 (33:00):
To the Chiefs at six thirty am Eastern.

Speaker 8 (33:02):
It's unsportsman like six am Eastern right here on ESPN Radio,
ESPN two.

Speaker 3 (33:06):
In ESPN you.

Speaker 2 (33:10):
Zach Taylor's at the podium on the mouthpiece.

Speaker 7 (33:15):
Pull off of that. Going into the division game.

Speaker 9 (33:16):
This week, the obvious preface that that's a really good
defensive line with some of the concerns that you come
away from from the way your offensive line played in
handling everything that they were throwing.

Speaker 8 (33:27):
A yeah, I mean, so you know, there's there's some
sacks that aren't on them.

Speaker 7 (33:34):
There's a quarterback pressure.

Speaker 8 (33:35):
We had a cadence issue, you know, where a Marius
gets looks like he gets beat. And so there's some
things I think that when you really just watch the
tape and drill it down to just some procedural things
that we can be better at, because you do you
kind of walk up field, you know, as somebody associated
with the offense feel like, man, there's a lot of
things we got to improve there. And then you really
drill it down and Okay, there's some easily correctable stuff

(33:58):
that we got to do a better job managing that
allow us to play more efficiently and and so again
very correctable things that that I feel confident we can
be better at moving forward, that we have been really
good at in the past.

Speaker 10 (34:09):
You felt like from a you know, guys in one
on ones perspective, you didn't feel like that ended up
being a big issue.

Speaker 8 (34:15):
Don't get me wrong, there were some one on ones
we didn't win, but just overall, when you just look
at the big scheme of things of pressures and sacks
and all those kind of things, Uh, there's a lot
of things that we can easily clean up.

Speaker 7 (34:26):
But but again they did.

Speaker 8 (34:27):
There was a couple of snaps that got the better
of us, and they got some really good players. And
that's gonna happen in games like that, and we don't
ever want it to happen.

Speaker 7 (34:34):
But things that we can overcome.

Speaker 2 (34:36):
It's a chicken of the question. But does the defense
start playing, you know, at a higher level and then
have some more confidence and energy for they as some
confidence and energy and then they start playing better. What
have you seen?

Speaker 8 (34:46):
I think they've always had that confidence. They've known the
truth of what we're capable of. And so again it's
those are that's the reality we've seen from our guys
throughout the week going into a game. This did not
catch us by surprise to see our defense play like that,
give up seven points and do a good job with
two big fourth down stops and create a turnover in

(35:06):
the red zone. So no surprise to us. We got
to continue to build off of that, and again that's
that's why we always sit appear in sight. It's a
long season. You're always going to face that stretch of diversity.
We hit a pretty big stretch early on the season,
and now we worked through it, and now we've got
to be the best version of ourselves going forward. Hand,

(35:27):
he did a good job, you know. It's it's will
continue to work him in as we see fit. But
it's good to see anybody get an opportunity to get
their snaps and get in there and help us win.
And I think we're going to be count on everybody
at different points in this season. So there's a lot
of guys I think that that are getting a little
bit of a taste of it, and you got to
continue to build off of that.

Speaker 2 (35:47):
Along those lines.

Speaker 6 (35:48):
Low in this defensive stat I played a lot of
different guys and different roles. How much can that be
a strength where you just find a role for a
guy on a snap here, a snap there, multiple snaps
on the defensive front of you.

Speaker 8 (35:59):
But we'll keeps them involved throughout the whole game because
they know, at any moment, even if they're playing three
to ten snaps, my moment could be coming on this
third down or this first down. And then you get
the taste and they get some confidence going and then shoot,
you know, due to injury or opportunity, they get a
bigger role and it doesn't blindside them. They've been in
there in big moments and can play good football for us.

(36:19):
So I think it's a benefit as much as you
can include anybody and everybody, and defensively they do a
good job of that, including his many guys as possible.

Speaker 10 (36:28):
Often see gunners get the game balls. Yeah, what went
into that decision and what you can see from Tyson
that made.

Speaker 7 (36:36):
That feel like he earned that.

Speaker 8 (36:38):
Yeah, it just really pleased with Tyson coming off an injury,
how he's worked himself back and just give himself an
opportunity to make plays for this team. And that's a
jolt of energy. You know, we come off with three
tough plays offensively the first one he gets. We have
a great punt there by Ryan and Tyson's in there
to really flip the field and turn into a fifty

(36:59):
five yard flip and that's so critical and brings a
lot of life. So you go from a situation where
we went three and out, you know that the juice
level is probably down a bit to all of a sudden,
you've re energized the team and the defense can go
out there and get a stop. And so just proud
of Tyson. That's just you know, Tyson's a fan favorite

(37:19):
in the locker room. He's always worked the right way,
He's gone through adversity and just put himself in a
really good position to help this team win. And just
just really proud of him and he was very deserving
of it.

Speaker 2 (37:29):
What makes us to call your reaction?

Speaker 7 (37:31):
Oh boy, I don't know where this is going.

Speaker 3 (37:34):
Get recorder.

Speaker 5 (37:35):
It was by when Mike Siki was lined up on
Brian Burns.

Speaker 2 (37:41):
And it looks like either like it wasn't the call
that you wanted or something because the camera flipped.

Speaker 8 (37:47):
To you and you just have this like shaking your
Oh yeah, I wasn't yelling at our players, Okay, no, no, no,
And I'm assuming I know what you're talking about, But
that wasn't it. What makes just the way he works
his personality, He's got a great personality. Again, he's he's
been on those becichal teams meetings. He's locked in on

(38:08):
defense guys just fighting for roles. He carved out a
great role for himself last year was playing at an
elite level as a special teams player. Going into that
San Francisco game, you know when he towards a c
L And so again, guys respect that when a guy
makes a name for himself like that on special teams
and takes pride in that role, that that's that's a

(38:29):
respected job amongst our coaches, amongst our players, and and
so again, for him to get back there to that
level is big time. That gives us a lot of
confidence in the unit and he can be a leader
in that unit. And uh, just the way he goes
about his work. And so again, I just I can't
say enough positive things about how he approaches the opportunities

(38:49):
that he gets.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
What are the conversations like with Chase Brown as far
as sliding down.

Speaker 8 (38:55):
Versus that's on me one hundred percent on me. You
know that that's something that I can try to the huddle,
very focused on finding the plays to get us that
first down there, and didn't do a great job community.
I didn't do any job communicating that, to be quite
frank with you, something I just addressed with the team.
You know that that's that's an area I've got to
do a better job communicating because we would want to

(39:16):
go down there and kneel the ball and in the game,
you know, they had one time out left, and uh
you don't want to leave it to chance. You know,
there's been examples around the league over ten years where
that's backfired on you. So that's yeah, you like to
win seventeen to seven, you feel better, but I'll take
a ten to seven win, you know, where you don't
leave anything to change there at the end of the game.

(39:38):
And and uh so again that's something I gotta be
better at.

Speaker 7 (39:40):
I want to think or if it's a veteran back,
you just trust.

Speaker 8 (39:44):
No, you got to communicate that. You know, there's a
minute fifty five on the clock or minute fifty seven,
they have a time out. I don't expect our guys
to do math in the huddle, and so they need
to focus on executing the play now. The things Chase
focuses on our ball security, staying in bounds. Those are
the things that we know that we got to do
a great job of ANDH. But in terms of when

(40:06):
to go down with that much time, you know, and
timeouts showing on the clock, I do not expect our
players to control.

Speaker 3 (40:13):
That's Sam.

Speaker 7 (40:14):
How we end up with the offensive gagement. That's been
a long work in process.

Speaker 8 (40:19):
You know, over over years, he's he's asked to be
involved in that and thought that he could do it.
H did in twenty eighteen. You know, there's tape I
remember watching Chargers tape of him playing fullback and bringing
that physicality there. And so again we're open to using
our guys however we think will benefit us. And so
he got out there for a snap.

Speaker 2 (40:36):
Wasn't pretty, but he did his job.

Speaker 8 (40:38):
He did his job. Yeah, he did his job. I
think that was get the first play under his belt.
Was kind of his mindset. He was on the back
side of the run, so just hold down the fort
the fall starts and did a good job and we'll
see if we build on it from there.

Speaker 10 (40:54):
Joseph that Yosha just really has a really nice snack
for those Oscar players. Yeah, and hasn't noticed that for
a long time. How much is that a part of
why you guys have wanted him to be in there
in bigger moments, the red zone package, you know, into
the role he's grown this year. That's specifically a part
of White Wanning.

Speaker 8 (41:12):
Well, scramble not so much. I mean, that's not really
why we give a guy playing time is because of
scramble opportunities. But it is a great awareness level. It's
a conditioning level for him too. You know, he's he's
a guy who does it great obviously being the hetathlete
that he was. I hope I didn't mess that up.
But you know, he's got great endurance and that's difficult.
So in those plays where he's got essentially a low

(41:33):
percentage chance of getting the ball in the normal part
of the progression, it's a it's a clear out route.
Then to realize now I'm in the play and get
back in phase and have the awareness to to toe
tap and keep it in. That's high level, high level
of awareness which he has shown us, you know, over
the last year and a half, and you've seen some

(41:54):
big plays he's made. You know, there's been some one
to two catch performances he's had, but those one to
two catches have been mental on us, you know, scoring
and winning games. And so again, a guy that just
continues to get better and better with every week that passes.

Speaker 10 (42:10):
You said, you know, and no one wants to fumble, right,
but you guys have had a launch open this year
after last year. I'm only happy, yeah, lost to or
is that something that you feel like you need to address.

Speaker 8 (42:19):
This so we address it. I mean, it is something
that gets addressed and we present on it everywhere. Of course,
nobody nobody goes in attending to pull our backs. Have
really done a good job with the exception of the
two times we had yesterday. But again you just got
to look at the last game and say it wasn't
good enough and make sure it continues to be a
point of emphasis. But it's hard to talk about it more.

Speaker 7 (42:41):
Than we do.

Speaker 8 (42:42):
Our guys know, possessing the ball is critical, especially in
a road divisional game coming up. This will be a
big part of that game, is the ball security and
winning the urn of battle, and and so again we'll
continue to highlight it, making a point of emphasis again, it's.

Speaker 2 (42:56):
Burrows run the touchdown around last night, the best you've
seen him since his knee injury. To both your reactions to.

Speaker 8 (43:03):
Them, you know, it's you got to put them in
different categories. Uh, straight line, Yeah, probably the best one.
Showed good speed and and ability to pull away and
give us a big spark there on a third and
long situation that that was a great coverage recognition by
him in front recognition.

Speaker 2 (43:20):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (43:21):
If he had done it any later.

Speaker 8 (43:22):
Probably a quarter second second later, they were going to
get him on the loop, you know, with the d tackle,
So there had been somebody there in that gap. It's
hard not to think about some of the opportunities he's
made in the pocket where he's pulled away from people
in extended plays against Kansas City and the championship game
one year. And so there's kind of two forms of
him using his legs that I'd put him in different categories.

(43:45):
Straight line that's the number one. Yeah, straight line speed,
that's the number one I've seen from him.

Speaker 10 (43:50):
You guys, hammer home the point of not reaching if
the goal line is diving for the bioline a different category.

Speaker 8 (43:55):
Yeah, well, well as just keep that in house. But
there's there's you know, we never want to lose a
ball in a touch back. That's a critical port and
our players are wear of that.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
Okay, thank you Zach Taylor his Monday afternoon press conference
live on ESPN fifteen thirty and reasonably short. Didn't throw
off our clock.

Speaker 3 (44:15):
I'm about to his We've got a few minutes to
play with unbelievable in and out.

Speaker 2 (44:19):
Yeah all right, Thank you so much, Zach Taylor, Bengals,
and thank you to the assembled Pro football media for
wanting to get out of there today. That's good. A
late night last night.

Speaker 3 (44:29):
Yeah, sure, back from Jersey.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
And they win the game. Not a lot of injury
issues to talk about. That defense played well, like twelve
minute press conference and.

Speaker 3 (44:37):
Some of the stuff that you could almost tell in
situations like that that like you're running out of stuff
to be able to ask, like Chase Brown not going
down like yeah, coaching moment. Yeah, nothing past that.

Speaker 2 (44:52):
It doesn't stop him sometimes from just drawing that thing out.

Speaker 3 (44:55):
Man, you know from someone that you know took Bengals
and the poor points. I can't tell you how much
I appreciate, appreciate Chase Brown absolutely did the right thing,
did the right thing, go score the touchdown.

Speaker 2 (45:08):
You were asked off air what your longest run was. Yeah,
so Joe runs for forty seven last night. So, according
to Sports reference dot Com, your last season at the
University of Cincinnati, you finished with a grand total of
six rushing yards.

Speaker 3 (45:21):
That was going to sacks count.

Speaker 2 (45:22):
You had zero point two yards per rushing attempt. The
most amount of yards you ran for in a game
were fifteen against Oregon State.

Speaker 3 (45:31):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
So dared me to run it. Now, you did have
that season two rushing touchdowns. Yeah, you had one against
Southeast Missouri State on a sneak yep, and then you
had State Oregon State. You had one, But it doesn't
look like it went for very long.

Speaker 3 (45:45):
I wasn't out running many people. No, two thousand and eight,
I probably had a couple sneaking. Now, I'm not saying
this to be critical that got I mighta had like
a twelve yard scamper at some point.

Speaker 2 (45:54):
So in two thousand and eight you had you finished
with forty seven rushing hell, yeah, you had fifty six attempts. Yep.
You had a touchdown against West Virginia yep.

Speaker 3 (46:08):
But didn't have one against Virginia Tech No.

Speaker 2 (46:12):
The most amount of rushing yards you had in the game.
You had thirty three twice against Pittsburgh and O way
to get here and then up and putting them down.
You had thirty three against in your first career start
against Miami.

Speaker 3 (46:23):
I wanted to show in that start the dual threat capabilities.

Speaker 2 (46:27):
So actually that season you finished with forty seven rushing yards.
You finished with as many yards in a full season
as Joe ran for last night in that one play.

Speaker 3 (46:36):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
So I'm not saying this to make the guy had
a question you asked, I looked it up.

Speaker 3 (46:41):
That's one of the things if you come to a show,
you can ask those types of questions.

Speaker 2 (46:46):
Do you want to show that gentleman, your your run?
You're called run against VA tech No, which is somewhere
on YouTube. No.

Speaker 3 (46:54):
But I will say that I won't name the coach,
but I did have a coach approached me at the
two thousand and eight reunion. Tell me that had that
blocked properly, been blocked properly, I'd have walked in it.

Speaker 2 (47:04):
Had it been blocked properly.

Speaker 3 (47:05):
It wasn't blocked properly at all.

Speaker 2 (47:06):
They want me to block that play properly would be
had like thirteen guys on the field.

Speaker 3 (47:10):
It wasn't brought blocked properly, nor was it called properly.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
When you got that play call like on YouTube, it's
what is it called on YouTube?

Speaker 3 (47:19):
Come on, I don't know. It's called like worst quarterback
sneak ever? Something, right quarterback draw ever. If it was
two thousand and nine, I had just checked out of it. Yeah,
I didn't really have that came billion o eight.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
Oh, you're also in the middle of the four pick games, like.

Speaker 3 (47:30):
Maybe this will help. But I was told at a
reunion this year that it wasn't my fault, which was crazy.

Speaker 2 (47:37):
What about the picks?

Speaker 3 (47:38):
Three of them were not my fault? Really what I
was told. I'm not gonna name name, and I would
make excuses, but that's just what I was wide receiver.
After all these years. He came up and said, I
just want you to know that I went back and looked.
Is he bored a lot of a lot of times?

Speaker 2 (47:54):
Sixteen minutes after four o'clock, let's go around the AFC North.
When we come back, Tony and Mo Football Show to
Twin Peaks in Florence on Baseball is on, Yes, it is.
That's with a one nothing lead in the top of
the first sitting. After getting shut out last night, sixteen
minutes after four o'clock Tony and Mo Football Show Twin
Peaks and Florence, ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station. Now

(48:16):
your chance to win one thousand dollars. Enter this nationwide
keyword on our website, Bills. That's bills. Enter it now.

Speaker 1 (48:26):
This is football Illnetti brought to you in part by
modern opust methods on the official home of the Bengals,
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
No Football Show at Twin Peaks in Florence on ESPN
fifteen thirty. We are here till six o'clock. We're back
at the Westchester location next Monday, and the Monday after that.
We'll be talking next Monday about Bengals v. Browns. Cleveland
falls to one in five losing in Philadelphia yesterday, while
the Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was like yelling at fans

(48:58):
and using his own fans use his kids as a
shield in the postgame press conference. Nonetheless, Cleveland falls to
one in five. The Browns are the first team in
more than two decades to play the first six games
of a season without exceeding eighteen points once. That's insane.
Deshaun Watson, though, is gonna get the start. According to

(49:19):
Kevin Stefanski, who I watched his press conference, it looked
like a hostage video. Uh, he has There's no way
in hell he wants to start Deshaun Watson. He'd rather
play Jamis Winston. They're gonna play Deshaun Watson, who is
a terrible human being and maybe even a worse quarterback.

Speaker 3 (49:35):
This team was one of the hottest teams in football
down the stretch last year.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
Yeah with without Deshaun Watson.

Speaker 3 (49:41):
With a capable quarterback, not a great court, just a
capable once.

Speaker 2 (49:45):
Fine, Yeah, the.

Speaker 3 (49:46):
Roster they get chubbed back in Joku Judy Cooper. The
roster's there.

Speaker 2 (49:53):
I guess here's what I want.

Speaker 3 (49:54):
I can't believe they're just they're idly sitting by and
just watching a season go to waste because of the
money tied up to a quarterback who's terrible.

Speaker 2 (50:01):
So, Miles Garrett is a terrific player, and I just
I gotta wonder what you think if you're him. He
is playing with feet that he has said. I'm gonna
need surgery on at the end of the year. Ye,
and yet he's out there playing. What is it like
if you're him and you're gutting it out and you're

(50:21):
doing everything you can and you are hurt. Yeah, and
yet they're not willing to make it like Deshaun Watson.
Deshaun Watson hasn't merely been below average. He's been perhaps
historically bad. I get the money he's owed. I get
the inflexibility of the contract. I understand all that. But

(50:42):
if you're if you're on that team, especially on defense
where they're still okay, what are you thinking watching the
organization stick with a guy who has been as bad
as Deshaun Watson.

Speaker 3 (50:54):
This this changed late in the game yesterday. There was
a point yesterday where their inefficiencies on third down they
had gone twenty six third downs with Deshaun Watson under center,
that they had not converted twenty six in a row.
He's so bad, And I actually think it also about
this of today. He played better in the second half yesterday,

(51:14):
but what's better for him? He looks completely lost. He's
a guy that's cashed in as much as you can
possibly cash in. What's the motivation now at this point,
eventually keep playing like this, they'll sit you on the
bench and pay you all that money. It's absolutely unbelievable
how far south that that has gone for this.

Speaker 2 (51:34):
I sort of thought yesterday watching them, I thought like,
all right, one in five. The season is slipping away.
But you know you're gonna play a Bengals team that's
not great defensively, Say which won about last night? Give
your team a chance. Yeah, and let's see if we
can get something going against the Bengals defense that isn't good.

(51:55):
We aren't home.

Speaker 3 (51:56):
Nick Chubb's back.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
Nick Chubb is coming back. Let's see if, even if
it's for a couple of weeks, we can get something
out of Jack.

Speaker 3 (52:02):
I wouldn't feel I would feel so much more uneasy
about the game Sunday. If if Jamis Winston was starting
at quarterback, I would. And I wonder at some point,
if you're the Browns or someone in the Browns, do
you just say, hey, you know this isn't working out,
but let's just say your hamstrings bad. Do something like
that from inside the organization where they have to bench him.

(52:24):
I mean, he doesn't even look like a quarterback that
wants to be out there. No, it's insane collecting collecting checks.

Speaker 2 (52:31):
Doesn't want doesn't look like a guy who wants to
be out there. You see almost no interaction between him
and his teammates. So like his body language. We were watching,
you were on the field before the game on Saturday,
were Central Florida benches kJ Jefferson, and you told us
before the broadcast, like his body lange was terrible. That's
what Deshaun Watson looks like. Yeah, during the game during
an NFL game. Fun game yesterday, entertaining game. Yesterday, the

(52:56):
Baltimore Ravens win at home over the Washington Command. Up
next for Baltimore at four and two. Now are the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a road game for Baltimore. That'd be
a fun game. Tampa Bay hunt fifty one on the
Saints yesterday.

Speaker 3 (53:08):
Four straight wins for the Baltimore rates.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
Derrick Henry looks awesome.

Speaker 3 (53:12):
Derek Henry looks like the best acquisition in the offseason.
Lamar had six lations, did though an interception, but he's
playing at a really high level and they do more
out of two and three tight end sets that throw
defenses all over the field. You get Zay Flowers, who's
a really good receiver, and all three of the tight
ends that they play can all be a factor in
the passing game. Mark Andrews had a good game last week,

(53:33):
got a touchdown yesterday. That is a team that's rounding
into form.

Speaker 2 (53:37):
Pittsburgh bounces back after getting essentially walked off at home
against Dallas. Cowboys were destroyed yesterday by the Detroit Lions.
A home game for the Cowboys, but the Steelers go
on the road. It sounded like a Pittsburgh home game
and they pretty much have their way with the Las
Vegas Raiders. Pittsburgh gets the New York Jets next. Justin
Fields was not great.

Speaker 3 (53:58):
Yesterday wasn't great, but he does make plays that make
up for some bad offensive line play with his legs.
Had two rushing touchdowns. He's not a great passer, no,
but if this team's beating anyone, they're doing it on
the ground anyway. Najie Harris had a good game yesterday.
That's still that same Pittsburgh defense. And we've talked about
for a long time, and it's a Pittsburgh offense that
is doing enough and a team that's doing enough to

(54:21):
have four wins.

Speaker 2 (54:21):
Yeah, good for them.

Speaker 3 (54:24):
I guess everything with Pittsburgh is it's it's slowed because
you know what the schedule becomes.

Speaker 2 (54:30):
Sure, I guess though, like if I'm a Steelers fan,
I'm going, Okay, we're good enough this year to make
the playoffs, we're not good enough to win a championship.
This is kind of what they've been now for a while.
They're good, they're not great, They're hard to play, but
it's been a long time since you've considered the Steelers
bona fide Super Bowl contenders. And so you're maybe gonna

(54:52):
get to ten wins this year with Justin Fields playing
the majority of the season. Are you really gonna go
in the next year with Justin Fields as your guy? Right?

Speaker 3 (54:58):
Right?

Speaker 2 (54:59):
But at the same time, it sound like you stink
you're not gonna get a top five pick. Yeah, they're
sort of in no man's land, which is not that
unlike what the Bengals were with Andy Dalton.

Speaker 3 (55:07):
Speaking of stinking Jaguars, stink was yesterday in London. More
about how bad they are or how much better Kayleb
Williams is getting.

Speaker 2 (55:16):
Kayleb Williams is improving every single week. Yes, I make
it about him, because he's gotten better every single week.

Speaker 3 (55:21):
Jacksonville's awful, packer's solid against Arizona. There's got some good wins.
We talked to the Tennessee Titans. Man, Yeah, I was
expecting more. No, no Anthony Richardson, no Jonathan Taylor. Michael
Pittman was almost going to go on the IR he
catches a touchdown pass and Indy, with so many guys out,
goes in and beats the Titan.

Speaker 2 (55:39):
I was among those who thought will Levis was gonna
be a pretty good pro. Quote.

Speaker 3 (55:42):
I watched some highlights of him last year. Yeah, where's
that guy?

Speaker 2 (55:45):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (55:47):
Texans put up forty one.

Speaker 2 (55:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:48):
And on the other side, I thought Drake may played
pretty well.

Speaker 2 (55:50):
He did, and it makes you wonder what do you
make of their season? I know their offensive line has
had all sorts of issues, which is why they didn't plan.
But what do you make of New England season if
they give him brings Week one?

Speaker 3 (56:01):
Ye, awkward scary situation in Los Angeles with the Chargers, Yes,
with the hardball leaving the game. Yeah, that's absolutely crazy.

Speaker 2 (56:12):
I guess the second time it's happened.

Speaker 3 (56:13):
Yeah, you mentioned the Lions dominating. I'm watching the Falcons
because a week ago Cousins thows for five hundred five touchdowns.
Yesterday he only throws for two and change. But algia
runs for one h five in a touchdown. Robinson runs
for ninety five and two touchdowns. That offense. The more
they play together is gonna become more and more dangerous. Uh,

(56:35):
they still have a strong defense. I look at at
that division. That's a really fun division in the NFC
South with those top two teams in Tampa and Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (56:44):
Yeah, not as fun as the NFC North.

Speaker 3 (56:46):
NFC Norse a lot of fun too.

Speaker 2 (56:48):
Man, looks like last year's ANFC.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
North, it does.

Speaker 2 (56:51):
I tell you who has a sneaky big game time.
It's the Buffalo Bills. Consecutive losses started off great like
the Saints. YEP, looked awesome. Go on the road Jets
with an interim coach. Last year, the Vegas Raiders benefited
from the interim coach bounce with Antonio Piers. Historically, over

(57:11):
the lad give this to Austin twelve last ten twelve years,
underdogs or teams with an interim head coaching game one,
cover and win outright at an insane rate they've shuffled
some things with the coaching staff. Nathaniel Hackett's not calling
plays anymore. It's a Buffalo team that hasn't looked a
part the last couple of weeks. Baltimore blew him out.
Interesting game tonight on Monday Night. Feel time.

Speaker 3 (57:33):
Yeah, I'm more into to see what Aaron Rodgers looks
like because he looked like a disinterested quarterback. Yeah, you know,
we talked about guys that don't look interested. That was Rogers.
They've they've lost Bryce Hall in their offense. Somehow they
can't get Garrett Wilson going. That's an interesting one. McDaniel
today said they're expecting to to play again this year.
Uh huh, and Aidan Hutchinson feel terrible man for that injury.

(57:57):
For just a freak. You're just swinging around. Yeah, guy
having a terrific year, unbelievable year. And they're already talking
about now if you're the Lions, you gotta go get somebody, yes,
because you're you, Like we talked about championship caliber teams.
That's a title contending team. They gotta go get somebody.

Speaker 2 (58:12):
Yeah. Uh, CBS showed it once. Yeah, enough was not pleasant.
They're allowing for the possibility he had surgery. He's still
in Dallas.

Speaker 3 (58:21):
Yeah, I had surgery right away.

Speaker 2 (58:22):
Surgery right away. They're allowing for the possibility that at
the Detroit Lions made the Super Bowl, he could perhaps
play unbelievab which is remarkable, giving what I watched him.

Speaker 3 (58:30):
Do yesterday, I'd be incredible.

Speaker 2 (58:31):
Yeah, you gotta go get somebody which mix Crosby Miles
Garrett there it is not get him now, not Trey Hendrickson.

Speaker 3 (58:38):
Get him now, yeah this week, Yes, go get Miles
Garrett now. Yes, get him out.

Speaker 2 (58:42):
Of click right today. Yes, do it now tomorrow. It's
out four thirty on ESPN fifteen thirty. We're here at
Twin Peaks and Florence, Tony and Mo Football Show till
six on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (58:53):
You've been listening to Football in Minetti on the official
home of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN.

Speaker 2 (59:02):
Cincinnati Fort's headlines are a service of Kelsey Chevali Home
Up lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their
family to yours for life kelseyshev dot Com. Bengals are
four and a half point favorites. On the road against
the Cleveland Browns.

Speaker 3 (59:19):
Would they be favorite if Jamis Winson was the quarterback.

Speaker 2 (59:22):
Yes, four and a half point favorites. They were last
favorite on the road against Cleveland two years ago on Halloween. Lost.
Cincinnati has two and four after last night's went over
the New York Giants. Sunday's game kicks off at one.
You'll hear it live on ESPN fifteen thirty. Pregame coverage
starts at nine a m. Tonight on ESPN fifteen thirty,

(59:45):
we have Monday Night Football Bills Jets. Pregame coverage starts
at seven thirty. You see's Jake Golday named the Big
twelve Newcomer of the week. By the way, if you've
been looking forward to that, U see Colorado game kickoff
time announ ten to fifteen Eastern time. Welcome to the
Big twelve.

Speaker 3 (01:00:04):
You know, here's the thing we often talk about people
coming out to Twin Peaks to see us and be
a part of, you know, the Tony Mo Football Show.
People will be needed on that Monday, you and I will.
We'll call a ten to fifteen start in Colorado. Flyback.
We'll do the Holy Grail Show for the Bengals pre

(01:00:26):
game ahead of the Eagles at noon, and then the
following day will be at Twin Peaks in Westchester. We'll
need folks to come out.

Speaker 2 (01:00:34):
I need someone to do the show. Help us, help
help us, help us do a good show. Texas, Oregon,
Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia one through five AP Top
twenty five College Football poll, Indiana up to sixteenth college
basketball AP Top twenty five Pole released today the preseason poll.
You see twentieth, Kentucky, twenty third, Indiana, seventeenth, Xavier with

(01:00:57):
enough votes to finish twenty eight. Tough break for an
x U. Big man Lacina Treori, who played last year
at Long Beach State averaged nearly twelve points and over
ten rebounds a game, will miss the entire season due
to a knee injury that according to Sean Miller. By
the Way, Kansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Houston, and Iowa State one

(01:01:18):
through five in the Top twenty five Pole. Baseball National
League Championship Series Game two between the Mets and Dodgers.
New York has a two to nothing lead in Game
two in the top of the second inning. Dodgers lead
the series one game to none. Tonight in the Bronx's
Game one of the American League Championship series between the
Yankees and the Cleaders.

Speaker 3 (01:01:38):
Gave Lindor the Bonds treatment, walked him, walked him to
load him.

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
First base is open, two outs. Can't blame him.

Speaker 3 (01:01:46):
You mentioned the Bengals being favored on the road. Bearcats
are favorite at home against Arizona State. Yes, we talked
about this on the flight back a little bit. Arizona
State coming in five and one. Pick to finish last,
stick to finish last. Just beat Utah handled you on
on Friday night. Their one loss on the road at
Texas Tech. Played Texas Tech pretty well by eight points. Yeah,

(01:02:08):
so a huge one for the Bearcats. On Saturday.

Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
Well, let's talk about the Bearcats. So against UCF they
should have won that game by three touchdowns. Now, I'm
gonna bring this up and I'm gonna be laughed at,
But that's okay. That game reminded me of the middle
of the season in twenty twenty one. They go undefeated,

(01:02:33):
but they had a stretch of games Navy, Yeah, two Lane,
the game day game against Tulsa where they won and
in some cases he never felt like they were gonna lose.
I didn't really feel that way on Saturday, but they
didn't win by as many points as they should. You see,
should have won that game going away. They were up
by seven and a half. All five of their drives

(01:02:55):
at least got to the UCF thirty. They were only
up ten to three. They win, They should have won
by three touchdowns. The takeaway for me was very simple.
Underdog wins conference road game, because that's really hard to do.
Is there a bigger takeaway than that?

Speaker 3 (01:03:13):
No, because, as we talked about earlier, it's hard to win.
It's hard. It's hard to go win. Now, I'm with you.
I don't know that I've ever felt worse about a
halftime lead since I can I can remember watching games.
That was the worst I felt at halftime, not only
because they blew multiple chances, but it felt so eerily

(01:03:33):
similar to Pitt because they went into halftime with at
least a chance to get some momentum and they miss
a chip shot field goal and then they come out
and it's like, all right, huge drive to start the
quarter and they're they're off the field within a minute.

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):
Reminded me of Texas Tech.

Speaker 3 (01:03:48):
I would agree, Yeah, they're off the field so quick,
and then UCF scores and it's like, oh this it
just feels now. You know, special teams has a problem,
not especially kicking. Kicking is a problem. Not only do
you do you miss a chip shot, you miss an
extra point, but you also bang a fifty one yarder

(01:04:09):
that at the time of the game was huge, but
the missed extra point. If UCF scores at the end,
they win instead of the tie. It's just they do
more to leave the door open than you would like,
you know, and you know, I think the Arizona State's
coach was talking today about UCASON. Look, they're they're one

(01:04:29):
or two plays and a half quarter away from being
undefeated and probably top fifteen in the country hosting US
this Saturday. So I do take it like that. I
look at both losses. Pitt's undefeated Texas Tech is good
and they had a chance to win both of those.

Speaker 2 (01:04:44):
They lost by a combined four points.

Speaker 3 (01:04:46):
But every time they've been asked, whether in game or
after a game, to answer the bell and not let
things snowball, they've done that. Yes, they did it. After
the Texas Tech in game, they kept coming and then
they go into a buy where no one practices because
they're all banged up. Swarsby's not one hundred percent, players
are one hundred percent. They never found their rhythm offensively

(01:05:08):
and yet found a way to get a win on
the road against a team that average over thirty points
a game. So I see that as a positive of
finding a different way to win, getting more confidence in
the defense.

Speaker 2 (01:05:20):
And did a good job on a running back that
killed him last.

Speaker 3 (01:05:22):
Year, Harvey, No I could, I would question. I talked
about this with Jim Kelly on the way home. Felt
like they went away from Harvey a lot. Yes, I
mean he first carried the game, him and Corey Kiner. Yeah,
the first drive of the game a huge chunk play.
But man, what an opportunity for these teams or for
this team to now come home and what should be

(01:05:46):
I haven't seen Scott Saderfield that amped up after a game. Yeah,
and you could tell in his voice like Saturday's big.
This is a big time deal at Knippert Stadium with
homecoming and a five and one team coming in.

Speaker 2 (01:05:57):
Yeah, and a chance to go to five and two.
For what it's worth, their preseason over under was five
and a half. Yep, So you're on the doorstep of
that if you get to five wins. I'm not sure
how much Scott Sadafield cares about that, but five and
two through seven games. If I would have said to
anybody after the Pittsburgh game, here's what the record's gonna
be through seven games, absolutely tell me that. Am out

(01:06:19):
of my mind. Now, if you lose that one, they're
gonna be underdogs against Colorado and so then you know,
you talked about the UCF game being a swing game,
and I feel like it was. You could apply some
of the same stuff to this game against against Arizona State.
I want to see I want to see the old
Brendan Sorosby. He looked, whether it's because his offhand is

(01:06:40):
bothering him, whatever it was, man, especially in the first half,
he didn't look like himself.

Speaker 3 (01:06:44):
No, and I wonder how much because I think the
thumbs that issue. He's worn a glove now two games
on his non his left hand. He was handing off
runs to the right, which normally you extend your left hand.
He was handing those off with his right hand. So
you know it's a problem. He's in the glove, he's
got it taped up. I wonder how much he was
able to practice. Xavier Henderson limped off the field against

(01:07:06):
Texas Tech. They lost four running backs. I just don't
know how much they got together the last two weeks.
I can't how much good work that they could have
got in. And that looked like a team that couldn't
get their rhythm back.

Speaker 2 (01:07:16):
I couldn't believe how good Corey Kiner was. Yeah, I mean,
you know, we were flying back from the Texas Tech
game and I saw Corey and thought, that's a dude
who might not play for a while. Yeah, And not
only did he play, he had some really big runs
in that game.

Speaker 3 (01:07:29):
By the way, walking Lindor did not pay off Grand Slam.

Speaker 2 (01:07:34):
That'll do it, Viano's mark, Viano's six, nothing New York.
As the Dodgers get sent get set to come to
bad in the bottom of the second inning, do you
want to, since we're doing college football, explained to me
what Will Howard was doing late on Saturday night.

Speaker 3 (01:07:48):
I can't explain what he was doing. I don't know
what he was doing. I uh, I understand why they
did it. Run one play if it's not open to
the side line, throw the ball out of bounds as
soon as he looked at the receiver, and I thought
you could have still thrown it. He didn't. You got

(01:08:09):
to throw the ball away. As soon as he started
to scramble. You knew it was done. Like I've heard
so like I've had to deal with so many friends
or people that well, you know, when he started his slide,
there was still a second left and they should have no.

Speaker 2 (01:08:21):
No, you messed up.

Speaker 3 (01:08:23):
Yeah, Like that's on you and it shouldn't have been
in that situation anyway, you know. And there were calls
each way before we took off. We saw what could
have been an interception. Yeah, given a touchdown to Ohio State.
Those two teams played back and forth. By a lot
of accounts, Oregon out played him. This to me is
more about you're talking about all the time. Ryan Day
is one and seven now against top five teams, and

(01:08:46):
we hear about the Jim Knowles defense all the time
until the Jim Noles defense plays a really good team
and then it gets gashed. Ohio State's gout way too
many five star guys, way too many guys in the
portal to continue to come up short and big game.

Speaker 2 (01:09:00):
Yeah, I do feel like because of how forgiving the
regular season is, especially for teams ranked in the top fifteen,
that there's kind of a shoulder shrug.

Speaker 3 (01:09:11):
Now right, yep, Now what happens for Ohio State? Because
Penn State showed me something Saturday.

Speaker 2 (01:09:17):
Yes, coming back on the road, that's a.

Speaker 3 (01:09:19):
Team that you get down like that. The way they
play Drew Aller was fantastic.

Speaker 2 (01:09:24):
Well, and they overcame the short runway too.

Speaker 3 (01:09:26):
They got yeah, the short runway, but they're down twenty
to six and a half and they're able to throw,
which I haven't been able to do in the past.
Don't get Ohio State at home? What iman if Ohio
State loses to Penn State and they don't make the
Big Ten title game. I mean, they'll still probably limp
into the playoffs. But what's the pressure on Ryan Day? Then, Yeah,

(01:09:51):
you gotta beat Michigan this year else he's in trouble anyway,
and you should beat that Michigan team. But they still
have nebrask after a bye week here at Penn State Indiana.
Who's playing really well offensively is Michigan. So yeah, like
I get that. A lot of High State fans like I,
We'll still make the playoff. You don't really leave yourself
much runway here. Now see what I did with.

Speaker 2 (01:10:13):
Very very very well done?

Speaker 3 (01:10:14):
Yeah, very well, but I don't I don't know what
he was doing. I also I assumed Ohio State would
be out of pressure. Dylan Gabriel Moore and my all
accounts he was not pressured. So it's a college football
weekend that delivered again incredible. It continues to.

Speaker 2 (01:10:30):
It's a sport that this year has been awesome. As
much as everybody complains about everything going on with it.
Right now, every single Saturday is thoroughly entertainment.

Speaker 3 (01:10:39):
And I changed my take. Okay, Texas is the best team.

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
I'm with you.

Speaker 3 (01:10:43):
Last week I thought it was Ohio State. Yeah, now
I think it's Texas.

Speaker 2 (01:10:47):
Now if let's say Ohio State does what Ryan Day
wanted them to do and Will Howard throws the pass,
they bring the kicker out, they win the game by
two points. Do you still feel like Texas.

Speaker 3 (01:11:00):
I probably still think it's Texas just because of what
they did to Oklahoma. Yeah, but it's weird. It's so
weird in college football because three weeks ago I would
tell you I love the Alabama Tennessee at Old misstock
and right now I don't like any of them.

Speaker 2 (01:11:14):
And they get Texas Georgia.

Speaker 3 (01:11:16):
Yep, and now it's Texas Georgia this week. I think
there's another big one this week too.

Speaker 2 (01:11:21):
You see Arizona State, Yes, you.

Speaker 3 (01:11:24):
See Arizona State is another huge one this week, but no,
you get Alabama Tennessee.

Speaker 2 (01:11:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:11:33):
Also this weekend, I like, was it Army Navy both
ranked in the top twenty five, which is awesome, Which
is awesome to see. Yeah, another big week in the
Big twelve. Some good games going on, but yeah, two
monster games and a homecoming matchup for the Bearcats, and
I think Nebraska Indiana it's gonna be a good one.

Speaker 2 (01:11:53):
Indiana hasn't trailed yet this season. Now, they haven't really
played anybody, but they It's one thing to just get
wins over no, it's another thing to blow them out.
And offensively, they've been as good as anyone. Nebraska's push
teams a round up front. Dylan Royola has for the
most part, been as good as advertised, even if he's
creepy doing his old Patrick Mahomes thing. That's a fun game.
That's an interesting game, agreed, all right, It's that it

(01:12:16):
is thirteen away from five o'clock. So is the Tony
and Mo Football Show where it's so much fun in
Florence on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station, earning twenty
five are threatening, kind of bottom of the second inning,
but they trail Mets six. Nothing.

Speaker 3 (01:12:31):
It feels like there's a long way to go in
this one. Yeah, like if they get a couple back here, Well,
this is.

Speaker 2 (01:12:38):
A game New York has to win. Sham mine is
their best picture. Yes, can't fall behind two. Oh, but
you gotta win the game with your best picture. You
do that, you go to New York even up. I
think you feel pretty good.

Speaker 3 (01:12:48):
Like right now it's only the bottom of the second.
You got two on two outs, but you have Otani
on deck, Like you have to face Otani in the third, Yes,
cannot face him in the second?

Speaker 2 (01:12:57):
Won him leading off? Yes, it's time to take a
look at Joe Burrow's passing numbers from yesterday's game. Brought
to you by Jake Sweeney Automotive and Tri County Western Hills,
Lebanon in Florence, Kentucky. Serving the try stayed for over
one hundred years. Joe throwing was nineteen of twenty eight
for two oh eight. He did not throw a touchdown pass.
He did not throw a pick, which is not insignificant

(01:13:18):
because he was under pressure most of the night. His
passer rating last night eighty nine point six percent. He
was sacked four times for twenty five yards. You can't
talk about his night without referencing his rushing totals four
for fifty five, obviously forty seven of him coming on
that long touchdown run. Joe Burrow with a how would

(01:13:39):
you describe his game last night?

Speaker 3 (01:13:41):
Okay?

Speaker 2 (01:13:42):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:13:43):
Pro Football Focus thought it was really good. He was
the second highest graded Bengal last night.

Speaker 2 (01:13:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:13:47):
I just didn't know if the game plan matched. Yeah,
we talked about it earlier, like where was the short,
quick passing attack against a good defensive front. Didn't feel
like anything meshed, like much like we talked about the
Bearcats out of rhythm. It felt like the Bengals right
a rhythm. To me, that's the most interesting part. Now,
were they out of rhythm because they had an off
night against a good defensive front, or did New York

(01:14:08):
expose something that now the Bengals have to figure out.
I think you find more of that out because this
week's a lot of the same. It's not a good
offense in Cleveland, but it's a really good defense. They're
gonna be up a little more excited because you're playing
against the Cincinnati Bengals. So I think it's something to
watch there. But unique in the sense mode not just
Joe Burrow Daniel Jones. Both quarterbacks led their team in

(01:14:31):
rushing last night. Very odd.

Speaker 2 (01:14:34):
With Burrow I mentioned before, I felt like he held
out of the ball a little bit too much. I'll
give him credit because it kind of felt like the
Super Bowl run where the quarterback was under a lot
of duress but didn't make any mistakes. And there, to
me is the difference between the two. Daniel Jones threw
the pick Jermaine Burton near the goal line. Joe, at

(01:14:56):
least last night, did not make any of those mistakes.

Speaker 3 (01:14:58):
Yeah, and I think if you ask him about the
first couple of weeks, that would be the one negative
that he wants to probably work on, especially the fumbling.
And I'm not sure how he didn't fumble on the
ball where he got hit when a mim has missed
the block, not only to not fumble, but to have
the wherewithal to still get that ball out and not
take a sack backed up in your own end zone area.

(01:15:20):
But yeah, I thought he was. He was okay it
outside of the long run.

Speaker 2 (01:15:27):
But you know what if if if throw away the
first game, if that's as bad as he plays all season, Yes, right,
if that's the floor for Joe Burrow, this team's gonna
be terrific.

Speaker 3 (01:15:39):
You don't, but you don't watch that game last night
and say, like we're not talking here today, like man
concerned about this offense going forward.

Speaker 2 (01:15:45):
No, that's the thing about last night's and everybody who's
looking at it sort of from the glass half empty perspective.
I'm not worried about this offense because what I've seen
for most of the season is really good. Last night,
they weren't. It was a good offense that had a
bad night. Now, if they turn one of those this
Sunday and then the following Sunday, okay, it's a problem.
But they won a game mainly because of their defense,

(01:16:06):
which is a step in the right direction. We'll get
some more of that coming up after the top of
the hour. Five away from five o'clock, we're at Twin
Peaks in Florence, for the Tony and Mo Football Show
on ESPN fifteen thirty. Cincinnati Sports Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (01:16:22):
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Speaker 7 (01:16:52):
This report is sponsored by Low and you're listening to
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Speaker 1 (01:17:00):
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Speaker 2 (01:17:38):
A victory Monday edition of the Tony and Mo Football
Show at Twin Peaks in Florence, the day after the
Bengals beat the New York Giants seventeen to seven. He's
Tony PIKEM. Molweger. We're here for the next hour, very
very close to I seventy five. Get off at the
Turfway Road exit. Get off at the Route eighteen exit,
whatever it is. We've got the baseball game on Meds

(01:17:59):
and Don and the top of the third inning, New
York leading that one six nothing. We've got the New
York Jets playing the Buffalo Bills tonight. We've got the
American League Championship Series starting this evening. So lot's going on.
Tons of TVs, ice, cold beer, great food, awesome staff,
and we're here till six o'clock Power hour.

Speaker 1 (01:18:19):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:18:19):
If you're wondering we're back in west Chester next week.
It is the Power Hour and a lot to get to.
Coming off a Bengals victory against the New York Giants
last night, tone Cincinnati has road underdog's winning and covering
road favorites, road favorites, I'm sorry, along.

Speaker 3 (01:18:35):
With along with seven other teams in the NFL eight
no road favorites this weekend. Yeah, look on a on
a year where we have complained about a bad loss
to the Patriots and a bad loss to Washington and
what could have been against Kansas City and Baltimore, I
don't think we're really in a position here to to

(01:18:57):
bemoan wins, right, Like? Was it pretty absolutely not? Did
they go on the road in the National Football League,
not play their best and find a way to win? Yes,
and that is exactly what this team needed. A better
performance defensively, but the offense only scoring seventeen and this
team still found a way to win has to bode

(01:19:17):
well for the confidence. It's one of those wins that
you take and you know you got a ton to
learn from and improve from with. But it's a win
and it keeps this team afloat what.

Speaker 2 (01:19:27):
Was so sobering. A lot of things were sobering about
the one and four start, But to me, what was
so sobering about the one and four start was the
way they played and the way they waste A good
offensive performances would suggest they're not gonna be capable of
winning unless they score thirty plus points. Ye, what's gonna
happen when they don't. What's gonna happen when the offense
has a bad game. What's gonna happen when Joe Burrow struggles.

(01:19:49):
What's gonna happen when there are mistakes? What's gonna happen
when the other team can apply some pressure? Is the
defense gonna answer the bell? And for a night they did.
And so the two things to me that are most
encouraging are Number One, they've gotten healthier. No, they don't
have Dax Hill pretty much have everybody else, especially on
the defensive line, So there's more bodies. You could ask
more guys to contribute. You can ask more guys to

(01:20:11):
not have to play nearly as many snaps. The other
one is this, you can say what you want about
the New York Giants. Most of the offenses the Bengals
will be playing in the coming weeks stink. Yep, Yes,
they do have to go to Baltimore, right, but beyond that,
and by the way, the Giants, admittedly last night didn't
have my league neighbors, didn't have Devin Singletary seventeenth in
the NFL and offensive DVOA. They're not atrocious. Now. The

(01:20:32):
Browns on Sunday metrically are the worst in the league.
But the defense that I saw last night has its
way with Deshaun Watson. The defense that I saw last
night can more than hold its own against Jalen Hurts.
And the defense that I saw last night can do
whatever it wants to Aid and O'Connell or Gardner Minshew
or whoever the Las Vegas Raiders play at quarterback. And
I keep making it about this. I said this often

(01:20:54):
last week. Get me to the Baltimore game, Get me
there at four and five are better yet five and
four defense, I can do that.

Speaker 3 (01:21:01):
Yeah, you know, it's hard not to get caught up.
And you got to win four in a row and
you get the first one. It is such a week
to week league, and that's what the challenge is this week.
Don't take a step back defensively. Now build on what
last night was because, as you mentioned, the last thing
you want to do is go give up twenty eight
or something to this Cleveland offense. That because then all

(01:21:22):
the work that was done last night is immediately taken away.
It was like you see shutting out Houston and then
giving up forty four when the offense scored forty one
and losing the Texas Tech.

Speaker 2 (01:21:33):
Yeah, you kind of.

Speaker 3 (01:21:34):
Lost all the equity you would build up. You build
up some good stuff last night, Now go do it
against an offense that's worse and they're building again, and
a defense that is good, but it's not as dominant
and shutdown as it's been in years past. That's now
the chance not to get the four back right away,
but now get another one, get the three and four.

Speaker 2 (01:21:54):
But you talk about a potentially fun dynamic. So they've
got to be better offensively. They're gonna go to Cleveland.
The Browns haven't been at home since Week three. They're
one in five, the quarterback is deeply unpopular. They're still
playing and it doesn't make any sense, man, Like, that's
a game. We say it every week and it's cliche.

(01:22:14):
Go to Cleveland. Score on the first two, hold them
without any points on the first two and just listen
to that crowd, see what happens on that sideline. Like
that's like if I'm Zach Taylor, if I'm lu An Arumo, uh,
if I'm Dan Pitcher, I'm thinking about dude. Now, not
only do we have a chance to build, we have
a chance to eliminate the Cleveland Browns if they haven't

(01:22:38):
been eliminated already from contention, to exercise some demons against
a team that has been a problem, and I mean,
just take advantage of the toxicity that exists with that franchise,
with the relationship between that the fan base and the franchise,
with the quarterback. Like this is one of those where
you want to build upon it. Do it in the

(01:22:59):
first quarter on Sunday against Cleveland.

Speaker 3 (01:23:01):
Listen to these numbers on the Cleveland Browns. Bill Barnwell
did a whole piece on ESPN dot com rad Yeah
about Deshaun Watson just how bad it's been. So here's
the number. Since two thousand and seven, five hundred and
sixty six passers through six weeks have been ranked Deshaun
Watson QBR five point fifty eight out of five sixty
six incredible yards per dropback five sixty five out of

(01:23:24):
five sixty six, the first down rate five sixty six
out of five sixty six. From a team standpoint, the
Browns offense out of seven hundred and ninety eight teams
through six games since twenty twenty, red zone trips seven
eighty four out of seven ninety eight, offensive penalties seven
to ninety five from seven ninety eight yards to go

(01:23:46):
on third down seven ninety five, and third down conversion
rate seven hundred and ninety seventh out of seven hundred
and ninety eight teams. What they have done has been
historically historically, And I saw this post last week because
there are folks now that say, don't bench Watson, because
let's see how bad this can get. They played against

(01:24:08):
the Cowboys, secondary, the Jaguars, the Giants, good defense, the Raiders,
the Commanders don't have a great defense, and the Eagles.
Those are the defenses they've played. They're going to play
against Ravens, Chargers, Steelers, Broncos, Chiefs. I mean they It's
gonna get much worse before it gets better. And to

(01:24:28):
your point, you get a chance to go just stick
the knife all the way in and completely bring this
franchise down to where you've got a quarter of a
billion dollars tied up into a guy you don't know
what you're gonna do. That sets them back for the
future and probably waste the prime of Miles Garrett, Denzel Ward,
all those Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper. You eliminate that if

(01:24:51):
you're the Cincinnati Bengals and then you start to turn
your eyes to Okay, then the Eagles come in watch
them against the Browns, not in press. No, Eagles got
to go play a physical game against the Giants now
on Sunday. So that's kind of the matchup where you'll
kind of get the wage and engage. You know, you're
going to face the Eagles after back to back weeks

(01:25:11):
of playing your previous opponents. So I just think there's
a lot at stake. I know we want to jump
ahead and the man five and four against Baltimore. Can you
imagine give me to three and four. Yeah, give me
to three and four and let's be in the same
seat next week talking about how he beat the Eagles.

Speaker 2 (01:25:27):
Coming in. No, I just I want to pick some
meat off the carcass, like I as a fan, but
also like just in terms of gaining some confidence showing
that last week was something you can build on. Yep,
that situation in Cleveland could not be worse. I'm glad
you mentioned all those numbers. It's not just that they're
an inefficient offense or a struggling offense. They're historically bad.

Speaker 3 (01:25:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:25:50):
They haven't scored more than eighteen points in the game
this year. They haven't gained more than three hundred yards
offensively in a game this year. And by the way
that Bill Barnwell piece you mentioned it, it goes out
of its way to talk about the offensive line and
yet still flings all the issues back to DeShawn Watson.
It's a terrible offensive team, he said.

Speaker 3 (01:26:08):
Throws in back to back weeks that are so easy
to intercept that opposing defenses have run into each other
in an attempt to intercept passes. He should have two
more interceptions the last two weeks, and guys are just
running into each other because no one can believe, like,
who is that ball to? And if you're a Browns fan,
what is the thought Like I have Amari Cooper and

(01:26:31):
Jerry Judy and David and Joku and now Nick Chubb
and Jerome Ford in this offensive line and these weapons defensively,
and the same team that just ran into a bus
all against the Texans, but Joe Flacco lifted this team, yeah,
and carried all of these offensive weapons. And again you
are literally you're ready to waste the primes of all
of them because you're not willing to say, we messed

(01:26:55):
up worse than anyone's probably ever messed up before. And
we've got to figure out a way out of this
sham Watson other than setting them up for some kind
of crime at this point to get him arrested, and
then you get out of the deal.

Speaker 2 (01:27:06):
You mentioned, by the way, Jerome Ford, who we loved,
did injure his hamstring yesterday. But I don't know that
in the recent history of the NFL that you can
find a worse management decision than trading for and not
just signing to Shaun Watson, but doing it with the guarantees,

(01:27:27):
doing it with the dollar amount, dealing with the reverberations
around the NFL, with other guaranteed contracts and other quarterbacks
being stuck with it, Like I mean, I used to
talk about this with Red's pictures that didn't work out,
Homer Bailey, We use the term sunk cost. And I
know this isn't a Brown show, but like, well, they're

(01:27:49):
paying them, so they got to play them. Like you're
paying them. No matter what you're paying them, whether you
play them or whether you sit them, that is sunk cost.
You might as well light the money on fire. So
if you have to pay him the way and you're
stuck with him, why not try to put the best
possible team on the field. And as much as you
might go, well, Jameis Winston isn't that much better. Deshaun

(01:28:10):
Watson is historically bad, Like I feel bad? Do you
think it has to be?

Speaker 3 (01:28:16):
So if that's the case, is there a scenario where
as a coach where you would go to Deshaan Watson
and say, look, it's not working out, come up with something.
Your knees inflame, your hamstring's tight, Because at this point
I can't imagine Deshaun Watson enjoys being out there.

Speaker 2 (01:28:31):
No. But here's the thing, Like everybody talks about, well,
this is just gonna cost Kevin Stefanski his job. Okay, fine,
I'm not sure he deserves a two time NFL Coach
of the Year. But then is there gonna be a
long line of people lining up to go coach the
Cleveland Browns. If the owner tells me I have to
keep playing Deshaun Watson just because he made the mistake
and paid them all that money, you know, like what

(01:28:52):
like people bang on Mike Brown and bang on different owner.
I've not seen anything like this. And then you're like
any owner, anybody's gonna want to get as much as
they can from their investment. And the more money you're
paying a quarterback, yes, the longer the lisha is gonna be.
But like if I'm I cannot imagine a scenario where
if you're Kevin Stefanski, you don't go in there and go, dude,

(01:29:13):
you have to pay the guy no matter what, whether
he's awesome or awful, he's awful. Let's give somebody else
a chance for the sake of the guys on my
locker room, for the sake of giving me a chance
to show that I can succeed. Yep, it's I mean,
as a Bengals fan, I find it amusing, But from
a human perspective, I'm looking at it going dude, this
is this is ownership malpractice. This is irresponsible, and I

(01:29:37):
hope it continues all through Sunday.

Speaker 3 (01:29:39):
We often talk a lot about, you know, the the
Bears and the Panthers, when they always flashed the graphic
of what the Bears gave up for Bryce Young, Essentially
the Texans in exchange for Deshaun Watson, and then they
go and then Cleveland goes and pays. Cleveland sent a
twenty twenty two first and fourth round pick, a twenty

(01:30:01):
twenty three first and third round pick, and at twenty
twenty four first and fourth round pick. Deshaun Watson went
for three different first round picks, and the Texans so
far have used that for a guard Kenyon Green, running
back Damian Pierce who's been really good for them. They
use that pick to move up and take Will Anderson

(01:30:23):
in the twenty twenty three draft. They got in the
twenty twenty three third round pick Tank Dell, who's been
a stud. Twenty twenty four, they got corner Kamari Lasseter
and linebacker Jamal Hill and tight end Kate Stover in
the fourth round. That is for a guy who was
statistically the worst quarterback like Will Levis is like twelve

(01:30:45):
QBR points better than Deshaun Watson this year, and the
Texans get all of that, and they walk into to C. J.
Stroud and they walk into Stefan det And now the
Texans are five and one. Joe Mixon's playing great.

Speaker 2 (01:31:00):
Most lopside of trade in NFL history, right.

Speaker 3 (01:31:02):
Like people bring up the Bears and the Panthers and
Houston's back like what about this?

Speaker 7 (01:31:07):
Right?

Speaker 3 (01:31:07):
Like every week that goes by, it's it's unfathomable how
not only the Browns botched and giving up that many picks,
but also paying that type of money.

Speaker 2 (01:31:17):
Well, and the thing is like, think of what you
give up, right, you give up the draft capital, you
give up the money, and you you you give up
a part of your integrity because, like I know, Deshaun
Watson has never been charged with a crime, but I'm
allowed to believe as I do, that he leveraged his

(01:31:38):
status on multiple occasions, over two dozens occasions with women.

Speaker 3 (01:31:44):
Do you know that he's do you know that he's
beaten more cases than thrown touchdown passes?

Speaker 2 (01:31:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:31:48):
In Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (01:31:49):
So but you you trade for him and you pay him,
and you go, Okay, we're gonna we're gonna have to
take the criticism that comes with it, but it's gonna
be worth it long term because he's gonna be the
guy he was with the Texans. And now you deal
with all that you have. This absolute scumbag is the
avatar of your organization. You're stuck paying them, and you're

(01:32:11):
jamming him down your coach's throat. You're jamming him down
your fans throat.

Speaker 3 (01:32:16):
It's awful and I can't imagine as.

Speaker 2 (01:32:18):
An outside observer. Like I've been a Bengals fan my
whole life, there have been a lot of times where
it's been really crummy, really crummy, nothing like this.

Speaker 3 (01:32:27):
How do you get out from under it? How does
it not? Again? If I'm a Cleveland fan, I'm thinking
of the prime career of Miles Garrett and so many
of those defenders.

Speaker 2 (01:32:37):
They had an eleven win team last year and.

Speaker 3 (01:32:39):
Amari Cooper and Inn Djoku and Chubb. That's all being wasted. Yeah,
because you're stuck. I love it with Watson.

Speaker 2 (01:32:47):
I love it like you see the big smile on
my face, Like I I can't get enough of it.
I love their misery. But I cannot imagine what it's
like to be a fan of that team. Like again,
I've been a Bengals fan through some really really rough patches.
There's been nothing like this man, And I guess I
just wonder like if you if you're if you're basically

(01:33:07):
waiting for Kevin Stefanski to get fired because you've decided
to attach to Deshaun Watson, and you want to tell
the next coach, well, Deshaun Watson's gonna be our guy.
Good luck getting anybody qualified.

Speaker 3 (01:33:17):
Once that happens. Do we learn the truth from Stefante?
Maybe because if I'm Stefanski and I know that, I've
got to just bite my tongue.

Speaker 2 (01:33:25):
Now.

Speaker 3 (01:33:26):
When eventually you are canned, you can't wait because you're
gonna get another opportunity somewhere. You're'll be like, yeah, what's
the deal with that? I had no choice? Yeah, you
have to tell all. Yeah, that's just un it's it's
unbelievable to think of that deal.

Speaker 2 (01:33:41):
And it's you will you will still find people who say, well,
you have to pay them, you have to play them,
because you're paying them. You don't know. It's just it's
again that the term is sunk cost. You're paying him
no matter what, So why don't you just say screw it,
We've got to pay the guy. But he's not gonna play,
and we're gonna try to find somebody who can give
my team, my coach a chance.

Speaker 3 (01:34:03):
Which last year is Joe Flaccowan, this year could be
Jameis Winston.

Speaker 2 (01:34:05):
Yeah, and again like, I don't think Jameis Winston's gonna
take this team to the postseason.

Speaker 3 (01:34:10):
But is he a capable quarterback?

Speaker 2 (01:34:12):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (01:34:12):
Yes, And Deshaun Watson, I'm telling you right now.

Speaker 2 (01:34:14):
In any management position, you owe your employees a chance.

Speaker 3 (01:34:18):
I feel way different about Sunday if sometime this week
Jamis Winston is named the start.

Speaker 2 (01:34:25):
With Chubb coming back. Yes, well, Plus, it's not just
what he may be able to do that Deshaun Watson can't.
You've got to think, like there's a sense of relief
and excitable locker.

Speaker 3 (01:34:33):
Room that you've lost these guys already.

Speaker 2 (01:34:35):
You energize the team.

Speaker 3 (01:34:36):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:34:37):
So I am begging Jimmy Haslin.

Speaker 3 (01:34:39):
Keep it one more week.

Speaker 2 (01:34:41):
Let Deshaun Watson keep playing, keep paying them, keep aligning
yourself with a scumbag. Run him out there.

Speaker 3 (01:34:48):
Now, that's the worst part about it. It's not like
he's a great dude that's just playing poorly. He's a
trash human being yes, who also stinks at football.

Speaker 2 (01:34:57):
That's the thing, Like you, you've done all of this.
He's a terrible quarterback. You're paying him hundreds of millions
of dollars, you gave up a ton to get him,
and he's a rotten guy. Like it is the worst,
it's the worst trade ever, and it's it's legitimately no
redeeming value to having him on your as a part
of the franchise.

Speaker 3 (01:35:16):
And he gets this loyalty from the franchise. Yeah, he's
got incriminating evidence on Hansling.

Speaker 2 (01:35:22):
Oh man, I want the Bengals to go there, jump
up three scores in the first quarter and then just
listen to the crowd yep.

Speaker 3 (01:35:31):
All the years that they have handled the Bengals. This
could make up for it on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (01:35:35):
Now the flip side, you go there and lose.

Speaker 3 (01:35:38):
They go there and lose, I'm not showing up next Monday.

Speaker 2 (01:35:40):
Then it's it's the worst loss.

Speaker 3 (01:35:42):
It'd be the most football show, the worst.

Speaker 2 (01:35:46):
It would be the worst loss in the Zach Taylor's
time as Bengals head coach. You lose this one on
Sunday to that team as bad as they've been historically bad,
offensively with that trash can quarterback. Yep, like you go
there and lose. I know the Browns have had their number.

Speaker 3 (01:36:01):
This would be awful, which is why if you're the Browns,
how do you not seriously consider benching him? For the
reasons you just labeled of one in five? Things are
dicey at best. Let's revive the fan base. Let's revive
the locker room. Uh huh, you get Nick chubbed back.
Here comes a rivalry in the Bengals. Let's juice it

(01:36:21):
up and bench to Shaun Watson.

Speaker 2 (01:36:24):
It is twenty four minutes after five o'clock. He's Tony
Pike on Maleggar. We're twin Peaks in Florence on ESPN
fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 1 (01:36:31):
Station's Football In Thennetti run to you in Pipe Bye
blood Light and by Skyline Shilly on the official home
of the Bengals, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Good Brown segment.

Speaker 3 (01:36:45):
That was greats Cleveland enjoyed that. Yeah, but our good
friend Tom galare to enjoy that. He's, you know, all fired.

Speaker 7 (01:36:53):
Up for the Guardians.

Speaker 2 (01:36:55):
If you're in Cleveland, what would you would you trade?
Would you say? Okay, We're stuck with Deshaun Watson for
the next five years. But the Guardians win their first
World Series. YEA tough That a deal you make, I
think so, I think I would do. Yep, Deshaun Watson's
gonna be your guys.

Speaker 3 (01:37:12):
You are stuck with Deshaun Watson, but you were gonna
get a World Series parade. You gotta take it.

Speaker 2 (01:37:19):
So twenty twenty one, you know, the Bengals go to
the Super Bowl, and everybody remembers what Leu a Roumo
did in the postseason, right, and what that Bengals defense did.
They were opportunistic, they slowed down opposing offenses, and they
got turnovers at precisely the right time. It's also a

(01:37:40):
defense that that season gave up thirty four points to
Mike White and the New York Jets. They gave up
forty one points at home to the Cleveland Browns, they
gave up forty one points to the LA Chargers. That
for much of the season was not an especially good defense.
Now they got really good, and they needed to be good.

(01:38:01):
Second half against Kansas City in the regular season, second
half against Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game. My
point is this. Defenses do get better. Now, is this
ever gonna be a top ten, top eight unit. No,
they don't have the personnel, but defenses do improve. That's
not just limited to offense. We talk about on an
offense all the time. Build chemistry, get on the same page.

(01:38:24):
With better health, defenses can improve. And there's a track
record of that happening here. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:38:28):
Look, also call it what it is. They weren't healthy.
I played games where you literally had to sign just
a guy off the street.

Speaker 2 (01:38:37):
Lawrence, guy inactive last night, played games.

Speaker 3 (01:38:40):
For this team. So we talked going to the Giants
game their tenth bet. They were going into the game
tenth best against the run one. As bad as it looked,
they just got gashed a couple of games where bj
Hill and Sheldon Rangans weren't in there. Yeah, they had
their full compliment of weapons. It wasn't like the Patriots
dominated them offensively. Now, Chiefs, you could argue, as bad

(01:39:03):
as the defense we want to talk about, Joe Burrow
gave up seven points.

Speaker 2 (01:39:08):
They Mahomes had won fifty one pass right, you.

Speaker 3 (01:39:10):
Pick him off a couple times now, Commanders, Yes, but
lou and Arumo has often struggled the first time he's
seen a quarterback. You know the Mike White game that
you just reference, and they are so much better than
what we thought they would be at the time. Yeah,
Carolina scoring twenty four, Okay, Andy Dalton had success. The

(01:39:31):
Ravens game is the one that hurts. But even in
that game, you held Derreck Henry in check until overtime.
So there are some points that I think, all right,
it gets overblown because I know the secondary hasn't been good,
but the secondary is also really bad because pass rush
winway win rate was terrible. You can't have both. You

(01:39:51):
got to get up to the passion. If you do,
the secondary doesn't have to cover that long. So yeah,
there is a path that them just getting healthier helps
this team get better. Defensively, They're never going to be
a top ten defense. Can they be top twenty? Because
if they can be top twenty with the Bengals offense,
then they become a legitimate problem. Or do you want

(01:40:12):
to go opposite and say, let's say they get the
five and four, do you go get a defensive piece?
Sure that is going to make a not not a
into offensive because he was fantastic last night. Not a
BJ Hill type player, but a Max Crosby type player,
something of that nature. Why not, you know, let's go
for it. So here's the Oven four. You get this,

(01:40:32):
you know, a stretch run here with T Higgins offense
is playing an unbelievable rate. Let's go try to win
a Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (01:40:37):
So they have decided to keep T. Higgins around for
this year, even though they've basically acknowledged we're not keeping
him around one because they're prioritizing with this year. That
should remain the constant. Now, you got to get there.
You gotta get to the deadline. But like there wasn't
a trade in the NFL made today, you don't have
to wait until November fifth, right to make a deal.

Speaker 3 (01:40:58):
But there are there are people all already immediately talking
right now that the Lions have to call the Raiders.
I mean Max Crosby's shoving as coach yesterday. Obviously not
happy there. But I'm not say it doesn't have to
be Crosby. But we've said this so long now, you
don't have to wait until. We'd said this in baseball,
right when the Reds were still clinging and around, we said,

(01:41:22):
you don't have to wait until the deadline. You're you're
allowed to go do it now if you're the Bengals,
Why why is it put an emphasis on getting to
five and four? Why not make the team better to
help get to five and four.

Speaker 2 (01:41:33):
Yeah, there's some validity to that. By the way, the
trade that I referenced isn't anything that's gonna, you know,
cause tremendous reverberations across the NFL. But the Jags are
sending defensive tackle ray Roy Robertson Harris to the Seahawks
in exchange for a twenty twenty six sixth round or
a good player and heads to Seattle.

Speaker 3 (01:41:52):
And you start to look at teams like that, who
is underachieving and going nowhere that maybe you can pluck
someone for a little bit more of a value. Yeah,
Jaguars are that type of team.

Speaker 2 (01:42:01):
And defensive line is where you would look first.

Speaker 3 (01:42:03):
Right, Offensively, I'm good, I like where they're at. You
couldn't convince me of an upgrade offensively unless you're like
bringing in a all pro guard right right, Because there
are times where Vulcin and Kapa I'm like, uh yeah,
I don't know night, but I'm going defense. I would

(01:42:25):
prioritize edge because I just can't imagine what a capable
edge rusher opposite of Trey Hendrickson would mean. Like I
like BJ Hill up the middle, Like I saw the
stat today.

Speaker 2 (01:42:38):
Isn't that guy supposed to be Miles Murphy?

Speaker 3 (01:42:40):
Well, so I saw the stat today. Out of sixteen
edge rushers drafted in twenty twenty three, Uh, he's dead last. Yeah,
and and win production he's won. He's won three pass
rush snaps out of forty four.

Speaker 2 (01:42:54):
You do not notice him?

Speaker 3 (01:42:56):
You don't.

Speaker 2 (01:42:56):
I mean he we made.

Speaker 3 (01:42:58):
We didn't notice and we're like we have to notice Murphy, right,
and we're not.

Speaker 2 (01:43:02):
When Miles Murphy is on the field. Nope, you do
not notice him.

Speaker 3 (01:43:05):
That's a problem.

Speaker 2 (01:43:06):
That's a big.

Speaker 3 (01:43:07):
Problem because he's supposed to be the guy opposite of
Trey Hendrickson. Yeah, so if another week or two go
by and you don't have that guy, what are you
waiting on?

Speaker 2 (01:43:13):
Exactly?

Speaker 3 (01:43:14):
What are you waiting on? Because the crazy thing about
like so let's say tight end, or let's say you
go and you get a guard or a receiver. It
helps that specific spot.

Speaker 2 (01:43:23):
You got to address your biggest need.

Speaker 3 (01:43:25):
But a defensive end addresses pass rush. It addresses the run,
and it addresses the secondary because they don't have to
cover as long. It's just it encapsulates everything, and that's
your biggest need.

Speaker 2 (01:43:36):
I mean, upgrading your offense is like if you have
a bad pitching staff and it's your glaring weakness and
you trade for a short stop. Yeah, I mean, like
we could help you, but it doesn't it. You gotta
address your biggest weakness, and their biggest weakness is still
getting after the quarterback. But I do feel like, you know,
we talked about last night being something you can build upon,
not just the the production, not just the seven points

(01:44:00):
given up, but who they put on the field and
the number of bodies they could use on the defensive
line that could be built upon.

Speaker 3 (01:44:07):
I mean, Miles Murphy I think played forty percent of
the snaps last night, So that's telling in itself. But
BJ Hill's playing more, Sheldon Rankins is getting healthier. J
Hill was awesome, Chris Jenkins has had some really good flashes,
and I think McKinley Jackson had his best game as
a Bengal last night. So give me those four in
the interior. Rotate him how you want. Gotta find me

(01:44:27):
an end because again and said like Lewis Riddick said it,
Trey Hendrickson is the most underappreciated elite player in the NFL,
and he's doing it with nothing around.

Speaker 2 (01:44:40):
It is it is remarkable as you read that, before
you know, you think of like TJ Want everybody knows
who he is, Michael Parsons, everybody knows who he is,
Max Cross, Miles Garrett, Miles Garrett, everybody knows who those
guys are. And I will be the first to admit,
like Trey is not quite in that group. But man,
it's not that far off. And if you watch last
night you would think he was. And if you watched

(01:45:01):
him against the Kansas City Chiefs, like he's that far away, right,
But if you could get him a little help from
a productivity standpoint statistically, you know, maybe he maybe he
kind of jumps into that company a little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:45:15):
So NFL right now, Aiden Hutchinson, who's out for the
year seven and a half sacks, right, Dexter Lawrence, which
an interior defensive lineman having seven sacks through six games
is unbelievable. Kyle van Noy's been really good. Max Crosby,
but Max Crosby has a half sacked more than Trey Hendrickson.

(01:45:35):
Trey Hendrickson On this season has more sacks than TJ Watt,
more sacks than Miles Garrett right now, so he's out
performing them. Will Anderson, who's one of those guys that
the Texans fleeced off the Browns, he has five and
a half. But right now, Trey Hendrickson's tied for seventh
in the NFL and he's a sack and a half
behind Dexter Lawrence.

Speaker 2 (01:45:56):
Yeah, that's incredible and you wouldn't know it.

Speaker 3 (01:45:59):
No, and eight and Hutches. That's a good defensive line.
Baltimore's got a good front. Trey Henderson is doing more
with less than anyone else on that list.

Speaker 2 (01:46:08):
And it's not you know, it's not just the sacks.
If you watch him against Kansas City, completely disruptive.

Speaker 3 (01:46:12):
I know, it's a pipe drink. Like imagine though, that
they get a Max cro They would get a Max
Crosby type player. Dude, how much does the conversation around
the Bengals change? Yeah, Like, holy cow, how do you
prepare them for that? That's the thing, because we talked
about preparation. Right outside of Trey Hendrickson, now like.

Speaker 2 (01:46:30):
Suddenly you sit down to game plan against him, and
you go, we can't let these two guys dislock everything.

Speaker 3 (01:46:36):
Yep, good luck.

Speaker 2 (01:46:36):
All right, we're late twenty one away from six o'clock.
We're a twin Peaks and Florence, Tony and Moe Football
Show on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (01:46:45):
You've been listening to Football in Minetti on the official
home of the Bengals, Cincinnatis, ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (01:46:54):
ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:46:56):
Sports That lines are a service of Kelsey Chevrolet Lifetime
powertrain Protection and guarantee credit approval from their family to
yours for life, Kelsey chev dot Com. Bengals laying four
and a half on the road Sunday against the Browns.
Deshaun Watson's gonna play for Cleveland. Joe Burrow is gonna
play for Cincinnati. Bengals now two and four after last

(01:47:18):
night's win on the road against the Giants. The game
on Sundays on ESPN fifteen thirty at one o'clock. Pregame
coverage starts at nine a Monday night Football tonight. We
both liked it. We both like the Jets. We do
interim head coach Bounce for New York tonight throw at
home against the Buffalo Bills. College Football You Sees Jake
Golday named the Big twelve's Newcomer of the Week. Texas, Oregon,

(01:47:42):
Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia one through five in the
AP Top twenty five College Football Poll, Indiana sixteenth. The
Mark Stoops Radio Show is tonight at six on ESPN
fifteen thirty Kentucky with a disappointing loss at home to Vanderbilt.
College Basketball You See is twentieth in the Top twenty
five preseason Poles behavior just on the outside looking into

(01:48:03):
twenty eighth, Kentucky twenty third, Indiana seventeenth, Kansas, Alabama, Yukon, Houston,
and Iowa State one through five. Bad news for the Musketeers.
Lissina Treori, who is a big six ' ten kid
who played last season at Long Beach State averaged a
double double, will miss the season with a knee injury

(01:48:25):
that according to Sean Miller, who would know, Shawn joins
me tomorrow at four to twenty. They're going to the
bottom of the fifth inning. In Los Angeles, Mets have
a six to nothing lead over the Dodgers. In Game
two of the National League Championship Series LA one Game
one last night ALCS starts tonight, Guardians and Yankees in
the Bronx.

Speaker 3 (01:48:44):
Canna make one other comment about the bearkat.

Speaker 2 (01:48:46):
You can do whatever you want.

Speaker 3 (01:48:48):
A lot was made early in the season and even
last year. Is Scott Saderfield the guy?

Speaker 2 (01:48:53):
Uh huh?

Speaker 3 (01:48:53):
And I think you can still reserve the right to
judge Dott aspect of it. Yeah, what this team has
done in the freshmen they've brought in and what they've
done in the in the way they've handled the portal
can't be questioned. Agreed, They've hit home runs in the portal,
and they're getting more out of their true freshmen than
a lot of other teams across the country. Those two
things you could talk about in game, or you could

(01:49:15):
talk about to see the right man. But what they
did in the portal and what they've done from a
recruiting standpoint needs to be applauded.

Speaker 2 (01:49:22):
Okay, in game or no in game can be questioned.
So really quick for Saturday, Yeah, game taking the delay
of game.

Speaker 3 (01:49:31):
With three timeouts because I'm so usually I going sideline,
I get behind, I just switched and I'm always currently behind,
and I'm standing back there and I'm like, like, could
you see the flag? And it seris like, oh, they
got the time out in before it and I look
over and like nothing's happening on the sideline. And then
I'm like, I'm like looking where I'm out on the

(01:49:52):
field because I'm like, I don't feel like we're like
toward midfield where it was just a oh, the five
yard helps the punter. I thought that was weird. And
then we talk a lot about clock and you know
the end of the Ohio State game, there was a
play towards the end of the half where you see
complete a pass, they go spike the ball and one

(01:50:14):
of the defenders wasn't back on side for UF five
five yard penalty. They clock bought it, and then the
clock starts and they'd lose a bunch of time. And
I think Scott Saudery was losing mine because you didn't
even ask me if I wanted to decline it, because
at that point you'd probably take the dead ball over

(01:50:35):
more time running off. So I thought that was a
unique wrinkle. But people can question have things got away
during games or in call, but they should be applauded
from the scouting and recruitment in the NIL world and
the transfer portal, and and some freshmen because they're getting
so many big contributions from either freshmen or guys that

(01:50:57):
they landed in the portal.

Speaker 2 (01:50:59):
I think with look, the idea is to have a
team and have a program that's competing for a national championship.
It's to make the playoff. That's the goal for every
power for a team. I don't know that I feel
like Scott's the guy to do that yet, but I'm

(01:51:20):
also not one of these folks. I feel bad for
him from this standpoint. I think there are people who
when he was hired, hated it so much they're not
going to give him a chance. So what they'll do
is bang on him when anything goes wrong, but not
recognize what you just said. This team is better than
last year's team.

Speaker 3 (01:51:37):
And they brought him what forty seven new scholarship players.

Speaker 2 (01:51:40):
Forty seven new scholarship players. I think you have to
acknowledge how impossible it was for almost anybody. I said
this to you a thousand times. It's never been more
difficult to take over at a new place. It's because
the kids can just leave, and a bunch of them
did leave. You add that on top of who he
was replacing in the caliber of coach, and then the

(01:52:00):
uptick in competition that job last year. At one point
during the season, I looked at every program in the
country that had a new head coach. I think two
of them had winning records last year. Deion Sanders, Yeah,
whose team is he's got? I think the best two
players in college football right now. But they're better this season,

(01:52:21):
but they were not good last year.

Speaker 3 (01:52:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:52:23):
So I think there is a reluctance by some to
admit that almost no coach would have succeeded last year,
and then those same people will not admit, you know what,
they have a big twelve team this year. They look
That was our takeaway after the Texas Tech game. They
looked like a big twelve team. So what have they done?
They looked at last year's team. The players who are

(01:52:44):
backer better from a physical, physical fitness perspective. Brendan Sorosby,
Joe Royer, Tony Johnson. Yeah, any number of players on
defense a new second, it's better. Yeah, it's gotta it's
gotta be better a year from now.

Speaker 3 (01:52:57):
But it's progress and the offense under sadder Field has
been phenomenal. Yeah, outside of UCFY, they compete against Texa
Tech with their fistring running back guys banged up. Their
offense is going to continue to get better. I love
what the defense is doing real quick. Dan Hort tweeted
this out today. Second the Big Twelve in sacks, Antwine
Peak Juniors graded fifth among safeties and Pro Football Focus

(01:53:17):
Dante Corleone tied for third and quarterback pressures among defensive tackles,
and Jake Golday is up the number twenty three from
a linebacker great and as great as rising every week.
They're getting significant production from guys that they brought in
this year. Nippert Stadium's gotta be rocking when we host
a playoff team right now, right now. To two Big

(01:53:40):
twelve teams projected in the in the twelve team field
right now according to different outlets, Okay Athletic, I believe
Okay good b YU and Iowa.

Speaker 2 (01:53:51):
State Yeah uh win on Saturday five and two should
set up a fun game against Colorado.

Speaker 3 (01:53:57):
They went on they went on Saturday, Yeah, and you
and I on the following Friday in Boulder, look out,
had we at a bar or restaurant somewhere. We'll talk
ourselves into Oh.

Speaker 2 (01:54:09):
We'll talk our domin and if they win that game
noon on Sunday with you and I operating in like
three hours. Sleep, good luck. Yeah, we're done. We're back
in Westchester next week. We want to thank the folks
in Florence. Will come back here on the fourth.

Speaker 3 (01:54:27):
Thanks for the couches.

Speaker 2 (01:54:28):
Yeah, light the couches. We're back here on the fourth,
which is after the Raiders game next two Mondays in
west Chester. Thanks to Mike Mills for producing on site
tearn Back and Kenwood Marks Tubes. Radio show is next.
Have a great night. This is the Tony and mo
Football Show on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station. Hey

(01:54:49):
it's Moleger. There's only one way to say

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