Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: JOE BURROW and the CLUTCH gene; is Burrow UNLUCKY? CONTRACT Restructure

Episode Date: June 12, 2026

Joe Burrow is one of, if not the best, quarterbacks in the NFL. When it comes to Burrow as a clutch quarterback, that's when the conversation gets really interesting.   Alex Frank and Coach Art Valero discuss Burrow's play in high-leverage moments and on the NFL's biggest stages. They also discuss how for those that argue he's not clutch that maybe he's actually just unlucky.   Burrow's contract was restructured this week, and it's yet another modernization by the Bengals' organization since they drafted their franchise quarterback. More importantly, the Bengals continued to solidify their all-in approach to this season.   Is there any way Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase can be better in 2026? Alex and Coach break down how that could happen with the NFL's best quarterback-wide receiver combo.   Photo Courtesy: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports   Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengals   Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everyday...   Find and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0l...   Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...   Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-...   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started now.   Square If you’re starting a business, or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Alex Frank. There's absolutely no question. Joe Burrough is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and you want him with the ball in his hands in key moments. When it comes to Joe Burrow being clutch, that's a complicated conversation. Today, it's the Bengals Squad, everything Cincinnati Bengals every week. Breaking down all the big hits and game changing plays from the Queen City, the way only the locked on podcast network can. From the jungle to the playoffs, the Bengals Squad show. starts now. It is Friday, June 12th. Welcome to the Bengals Squad Show. We're live on lockdown Bengals and the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast, network in America and the world,

your team every day. For more on the Everydayer Club, this is Lockdownpodcast.com slash everydayer. Coach Arifallero, joining me, Alex Frank, today on this World Cup Friday, the U.S. playing tonight in Los Angeles against Paraguay, 9 o'clock Eastern, 6 o'clock Pacific on Fox.

It's going to be an incredible night. I'm looking forward. to it. We've got so much Bengals conversation to get to between now and four o'clock. Joe Burrow and the clutch gene. It's a, it's an article I read two years ago. I reread it this morning and it regenerated some, some thoughts I've got. Coach has got his. Joe Burrow and the unlucky word. Yeah, we'll talk about that. Plus, he got his contract restructured. It's just another feather in the cap of the Bengals doing things differently this offseason. And then what to watch for a training camp. You know, Coach, the Bengals release their training camp schedule today. This is a big deal, coach. We're getting there.

We're almost there. Can you believe it? Hey, for them to release it now is great. People can start making their plans. The players understand exactly when, where, how. And so they're off and rolling. It's great to see it. And it's exciting for all the Bengal fans to get out there and watch some practice. Absolutely. You're going to come down for a practice. I'm going to be at a lot of them because I live right near at the stadium. Wednesday, July 29th, my grandmother's birthday and the season tickets and my family started with her and my grandfather. So that's the first day, Wednesday, July 29th, Thursday, July 30th, both practices open to the public. They started at 10 a.m. Gates open at 9.30 a.m. So morning practices once again. We'll get to that in segment four, Joe Burrow and the clutch

gene. So this was an article inspired by the athletic NFL writer Mike Sandow does a terrific job. He does his quarterback tears every season. He's been covering the NFL for almost three decades. Now he's covered every non-pandemic Super Bowl since 1998. That was the year I was born, by the way. Joe Burrow in the clutch, Coach, there's no question that you want him with the ball when the game is on the line. I mean, you look at what he did early on in his career. The game winning drives against Kansas City and Tennessee in Jacksonville and Minnesota. And even in 2022, when he had those game winning drives against New Orleans in week six,

that's 60-yard touchdown in Jamar Chase. the clutch moments he's had since then. Game winning drive against Dallas, Denver and 24. In the last 17 games coach in the fourth quarter, ready for these numbers? In Joe Burroughs' last 17 games in the fourth quarter, he's completing 68.9% of his passes for 1386 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Sounds clutch to me, right? Phenomenal. That I tell you what, the numbers speak for themselves. Unfortunately, in the last 17 games, he either A, was injured and didn't have an opportunity to, or B, they weren't very close where he had a chance to drive it down and win the game. And I think that now that

they've kind of restructured the defense and offensively, they're as powerful as they've always been, I think you have an opportunity to see more of those clutch fourth quarter drives or even second half or excuse me, second quarter drives late to steal some points and go in on top into the halftime. And I think that it's a good balance. It's a good balance. How about a drive late in the third quarter that kind of puts the game away? Like how about Chase Brown runs the football? The Bengals run the football. I mean, this is a pass heavy offense.

You and I both know that. But what if the Bengals have the ability to run the clock out? What if they get the ball late in the third quarter and they eat 10 minutes of that clock? Suddenly, coach, you're up what, double digits or 14 points with seven minutes to go. You put that opposing offense in a really tough situation. And you talk about that restructured defense, that revamped defense. It's just all about complimentary football for me. Is some of it on Joe Burrow?

Maybe we'll get to that here in just a few minutes. But it's not all on Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow has proven time and time again. And yes, Coach, he has been injured over the last 17 games. The last 17 games, though, he's played in in the fourth quarter, whether it be in Baltimore or L.A. against the Chargers, or whether it be in Buffalo, where he threw for two touchdowns,

or whether it was against Denver in 24 when he threw for two touchdowns, actually threw and rush for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and then threw a game-winning touchdown in overtime to T. Higgins. not to mention the throw to T. Higgins that set it up. When the game is on the line and you need a throw to be made with the accuracy and precision Joe Burrow has, why wouldn't you want the ball in his hands? Oh, no doubt. You know what?

Not only is as accurate as he is, when he breaks the pocket, he is equally as accurate. I mean, so he can create things providing the balls in his hands. And I think that's the great thing. And I think that everybody kind of overlooks the four-minute offense scenario is you would much rather be in a four-minute office than in a two-minute office. And now it comes down to the coaching staff and the players on the field to say, hey, we need two first downs. We need to keep the clock rolling. We need to force them to call timeouts. So now, you know what, you're crossing the 50 and now you get.

give those big legs of a white or you know whether you want to you know try to uh kick a field goal late not too far back but you to put it out of reach and i think that that's the important thing that i think this bengals team has a chance to do you know there was an article i was reading also this morning by paul daner jr and the athletic prior to the 2023 season of how the bengals have not been able to finish in the playoffs okay now this was after they come off their second straight AFC championship. They obviously haven't made the playoff since. But these numbers are interesting.

And again, this is not on Joe Burrow. Not all of it is. Is some of it? Yes, coach, you know this. He's the quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals. If you're a quarterback of the team that's in the news that is on national TV a lot in prime time, you're going to get criticized. That's just the nature of the beast.

As unfortunate as it is, life's not fair. So this was a stat that I saw this morning that really stood out to me. Paul Danner Jr. says, quote, the thing boils down to what I'll dub clutch drives. There are 14 consecutive Bengals drives in the playoffs that started in the fourth quarter or overtime of playoff games, while the margin was within one possession either way, so it could be leading or trailing. Zero of those drives coach ended in a touchdown. The last seven in a row, starting with the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 56, failed to net a point. when you hear that what goes through your mind that the overall finish part of it whether be in the

locker room or in the coaching staff room did not fulfill their obligation to be able to finish the game and believe me i'm well versed on teams that have not finished games and that's the the thing that you have to start early and you make your, you show your iron through the course of the season of finishing games and finishing them strong. When lose or draw, you have to show your kids have to show that they're resilient enough to get over that hump on both sides of the ball and in special teams. And I think that that is probably something that Zach Taylor is preaching at this point in time, and he is probably, even though those teams, some of the players weren't there, the finish mentality starts in OTAs, mini camp, carry it over, and they're probably

running some kind of drill, both offense and defense, to signify that, hey, they're going to finish it. Well, some days, defense may win. some days offense may win but they're learning how to perform in that particular scenario so i'm gathering when you were coaching with john gruden and p carroll that they were emphasizing finishing games and running two minute offenses four minute offices five minute offices like how much time would you spend on that in o tas and in minicamp before you got the training camp in the season oh you know what every ota is segmented and even though there's a lot of individual work and that's the stuff

you see on reels. There is a lot of situational football that is being performed, whether it be third downs, first and ten, two minute, oh, four minute oh, you know, rushing field, you know, the special teams have a, have a format that they're going through. And you know what, as big as situational football is in the national football league, and basically everywhere. You have to be working out there. You can't just play football and run off of a script. Well, that's why head coaches are often referred to as CEOs, because they have to have control of the game,

not just the XS&Os, but the flow of the game, the situation aspect of the game. And that's become more and more of a talking point. I think over the last 20 years, you hear conversations about clock management from Andy Reed, whether it be from Bill Belichick or Doug Peterson, just to name a few head coaches in recent years. that has become a crucial part of the game, and it's all in the finer details.

And coach, you know this. When they say every play matters, that's what they're talking about. In two-minute offenses, four-minute offenses, if you're running the ball on first down, what does that mean? Every play gets dissected, and you never know which play is going to be the play. So that leads me to this stat that I saw this morning, and it still holds true. Joe Burrow only has one win when trailing in the last eight minutes of the game. That was in 2022, and I was at this game in New Orleans. For what it's worth, it was a one-play drive, 60-yard touchdown, Burrow to Chase.

That means when Joe Burroughs had the ball in the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter, he has not led the Bengals to a victory. Now, I say he has not led the Bengals to a victory, but again, coach, is it all on him? I think you're going to say no. Absolutely not. It is everybody. And it is the O line, the running backs when you're trying to work it down, are your protection sound, are the whiteouts getting open, or is he forced to throw a pick?

Why? Because the whiteouts weren't supposed to be there where they were going to be. then it happens on the defensive side. Why did you put us in that situation? Why coaching staff are you calling the plays that you are? Are you taking gambles or is it a proven fact of something that Joe Burrell feels comfortable with and he knows the reeds in his sleep? So it's the entire offensive side of the ball that has contributed to that number.

and that's where, you know, you run drills in the offseason in order to get it. No better time for Dan Pritcher to start calling plays not off of a script, but just dialing them up based on situation football. So he himself, being the coordinator,

can look and value, okay, you got so much time left on the clock. You're trying to do this. You're down by whatever. It allows him to practice his, And I think that's important. And it allows Zach Taylor to take a step back and say, you know what? I am the CEO.

I want to see on both sides of the ball what they do. Well, Zach Taylor is still a call on plays. But Dan Pitcher also has a big part. And in the collaboration of calling plays throughout the week. And then on game day, it's in the hands of Zach Taylor. But it's so interesting when you talk about football being a team game, it's not just the guys on the field. That's why coaching matters so much in football. You can debate if it matters in the NBA.

You can debate it matters in the NBA. and the MLB, spoiler alert, it does. But in the NFL, it absolutely matters with how many ways you can play the game of football coach. Like, you know this. Football's in every evolving game. Any coach would tell you that, I guarantee you would probably say it. I heard Luke Fickle say when he was in Cincinnati, the Bearcats.

It's in every evolving game. Every coach is going to have a different philosophy. And it's just about getting guys in from diverse backgrounds to form a team that goes out there, wins games, and wins championships. When it comes to... You know what? You have to drink the Kool-Aid as an assistant. And I mentioned that, hey, give damn pitcher an opportunity to call place.

We all know the Zach Taylor is. But it's also good for them to sit down with that piece of tape and watch and say, okay, this is what I called? What would you have called? And work it back and forth. So now you really know that they're on the same page. And give me the circumstances and the reasons why you called that particular play. I know this, working for an offensive-minded coach, you know, for six years,

you really never questioned his play calling, but sometimes you wondered why in that situation. You know, what was he thinking? Well, he never divulged it. So we couldn't grow. And we couldn't know going in, hey, this is his first two-minute call. This is his third along call in that situation. You know, every team has them. Every team starts a game with it could be between 12, 15, some teams go 20 plays to start the game.

How many times do you go all the way through it? No situational football changes those. And when you get rolled up in the game, half of those that you practice, you didn't even run. So it's good to be all on the. same page and get yourself in there. So now we as the assistants can say, here's what's coming next. Here's what's coming next. And now you know you're in fine tune with the play caller, which happens to be the head coach. And everybody is good about it because that's what you've worked on. And it is very, very important that those guys, and, hey, you know what? It's good to have

Dan as the coordinator, but allow him to do some other things that are coordinator-ish. Yeah. You know what I mean? Not just organizing the staff meeting. You know what I mean? That's a great point. I'm sure we'll talk about that more throughout the summer and the dead period of the offseason.

From what you're saying, coach, and what I'm gathering is we know football is a complicated game, but you know what? If you have your first 12 to 15 play scripted and then you've adapt to the situations that are being presented to you, you're going to be. going to have success. You know, those 12 to 15 plays, that's designed to get your quarterback and offense into a rhythm. And getting Joe Borough and Jamar Chase and T. Higgins into a rhythm, that's what matters. And that's just about adapting. You got playmakers. Playmakers make plays. You got to put them in positions to win. And in the clutch, it so matters. I saw Joe Burrow do it

in 2021 when he led the Bengals to the AFC title in Kansas City, down by 18 in the second quarter. And then all those scrambles for first downs in the fourth quarter, the game winning drive in overtime. He did it against Tennessee despite taking nine sacks. He did it against Kansas City in the regular season. That six-minute drive that he led 15 plays, that third and 27 past Jamar Chase. I saw him do it against Jacksonville, that game winning drive, five-minute offense, game winning field goal on Thursday night football. I saw Joe Burrow doing it at week one against Minnesota that year. That touch pass to fourth and inches to CJ Usama. Coach, you know, a quarterback built his reputation and his standing in the quarterback hierarchy of the NFL within his first three seasons.

And Joe Burrough's first three seasons, he take away a 2020 season that was heavily plagued by COVID and an injury for him. In 21 and in 22, the Bengals were in the AFC championship. In 21, they were in the Super Bowl and they were this close to winning it. And those two seasons, Joe Burrow put himself in the category of, I can win games when the game's on the line for the Bengals and I'm one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The last three seasons, if you want to say he's not clutch, I would strongly suggest to think about the circumstances. that he was in. Absolutely. I mean, there's no question.

He doesn't have the amount of game winning drives as the Lways as the probably the Josh Allen's and those kind of because they haven't been close. He hasn't had that opportunity. And talking about just a play calling in those situations, Joe Burrow is as familiar as both Zach Taylor and Dan pitcher. I'm sure he has a major say, and it would be very interesting to find out, okay, hey, Joe, you're in this situation. Are you overriding them at any time because of what you like and what you see? Because you're the one that's performing. You're the one that sees it in real

time. It's easy to second guess when somebody else who's standing on the field and doesn't have the view that that quarterback has are making the calls. And so I'm sure Joe has a big, big part of situational football. And then coming down to it, I'm sure he's with Dan on the sidelines saying, hey, you know what, I think we got this. They're playing quarters. They're playing, you know, single high safety. I think we can do this with this because this is how I see the linebackers are playing.

and the depth that they're getting. And that's important because you got to remember on offense, really there's only three sets of eyes, right? Or, yeah, there's Joe, there's Zach, who's calling it, and Dan. And they are responsible for the overall offense. Yeah, you're going to listen to some of the others. Every White House is going to tell you they're wide open all the time. So you take that with a grain of salt.

But the quarterback knows, the quarterback totally feels it. And Joe's to the point, I mean, he's elite. Yep. Allow him to be elite. F of Jamar's down there somewhere. I mean, you have a quarterback with the smarts and confidence that Joe Burrow has and understanding you talk about this coach that he's a son of a coach.

He's smart. He's not just a really talented quarterback. He's smart. There's a reason he's so accurate and so precise. Let him cook in those situations. And yes, he has turned the ball over times in key moments. Yes, the Bengals defense hasn't gotten stops. And yes, there have been missed kicks from Evan McPherson,

but that all confirms that Joe Burrow may actually be unlucky. That conversation next on the Bengals Squad Show. This episode of the Bengals Squad Show is brought to you by Indeed. Workplace chaos can show up fast. The problem is that finding the right candidate can take a lot more time than most businesses can afford. That's where Indeed, sponsor jobs come in. Indeed, sponsor jobs help you reach candidates who actually fit what you're looking for based on skills, experience, and location. So finding the right person can make all the difference,

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Start your seven day free trial right now and get closer to your team without the interruptions. click the link in the show notes or go to lockdown bangles dot supercast.com to claim your free trial. With Coach Arfallaro, I'm Alex Frank, Jake Liscoe, and Joe Goodbarianna, Simon, Jake. We'll be back with us on Tuesday. Joe Danneman joining us next Thursday programming. No, we are going to Tuesdays and Thursdays for the rest of the offseason. And then we get into, obviously, the regular season. Coach, I meant to ask you this question on Tuesday.

And it's a complicated question, I think. And it relates to the complicated conversation we're having right now about Joe Burrow. Russell Wilson just retired. Is he a pro football Hall of Famer? I would think he has to be. All right. You know, what he did in Seattle. He's at minimum, he's in the conversation and a great conversation. You know what? He went to Seattle as a third rounder. No one expected anything. And he basically, they chose because they had a playmaking quarterback and an outstanding defense that even though, and it was included when I was there before Russell got there, they didn't have a great offensive line, but they had a good one.

And what he was able to create when they broke down and the running. game in which they were able to have. You know, he led those things. I can remember probably the most vivid comeback that Russell Wilson had was the one against Green Bay in the playoffs. Oh, gosh, yeah. I mean, if that right there doesn't really elevate you, because he, like we were talking about earlier, he was clutch.

He was truly a clutch football player. Now, I know there's a lot of great quarterbacks that are still out there still waiting, but in the modern era, Russell has done a great job. I'll say this. I think the Hall of Fame is going to have to ask themselves one question because if you ask yourself if Russell Wilson was a special player, that's where it might get a little hairy. So if the answer is no, are you going to let a player who was terrific in the prime of this career? I'm seeing one, two, three, four, four thousand passing our seasons.

in Seattle, led the NFL in touchdown passes with 34 in 2017. He had 35 the next year. He had 40 in 2020. Over 37,000 passing yards in 10 seasons with Seattle. Are you going to let him in knowing that he played with several other great quarterbacks who were in the primes of their careers? Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees. That's what you're going to have to ask yourself.

Ben Rafflesberger is another one. So interesting, complicated discussion. back to... I think that. What you just mentioned, they won't all become eligible at the same time. So...

That's the other thing. So he might end up getting in. No question. He played quarterback. He won Seattle their first Super Bowl, should have won them a second. I think he will get in. And I think he should get in

because he was tremendous as a quarterback for 14 seasons. End of the career, maybe not as great. But boy, in his prime, that moon ball to he threw, Same thing with Aaron Rogers, same thing with Ben, same thing with, you know, Drew B's, that's a slam dunk to me. Yeah.

You know, I had to play him and had to play Aaron Rogers, had to play Big Ben. Those were slam dunks. Yeah. By the way, congratulations to your former colleague GM, John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks on receiving their Super Bowl 60 rings. This week, they look fantastic these Super Bowl rings. I mean, I looked at some images today. Oh, my gosh. they look incredible. Hopefully the Bengals will have one at this time next year,

if they can create their own luck. So you and I are in agreement that Joe Burrow is a clutch quarterback, number one. Number two is he's not the main reason the Bengals have lost close games in the last three seasons. And I'll argue on top of that coach that he shouldn't have even been in a lot of those moments where he threw a pick or fumble or, or or what have you. Because, coach, when you ask your quarterback to be perfect, you get into these outrageous situations. And then guess what, coach? When it comes to, well, is Joe Burrow or is he not? You know what you're doing? You're nitpicking at situations he never should have even been in. You're trying to find holes, you know? I mean, you look at it and he has not, and that's the great thing about a team.

You've got a leader, and you've got a leader in Joe Burrow. You've got an, and he's a leader. player in Joe Burrow. Now he's going to make normally in a 60-minute game, he is going to make those around him great or better than what they are, whether it be the guys up front, whether it be the tight ends, whether it be the running backs, you know, and of course the white outs are great players anyway. But in those situations, it's a team game. He's just your marquee player and the guy that is pulling the trigger, so to speak, on each of those plays. And is everybody else in line? And if that's the case, Joe would have many more than what he's currently has.

And again, last year, I felt like he was in a situation. He forced a lot of throws because that was the cross that he buried. Yes. because in an app defense. You know, he had to score and he had to make plays because the others, we don't want the other team to have the ball. Correct. And so I think that some of those situations weren't, it was him just trying to be great. Joe, beat Joe.

Yes. And you are great. But Joe is also smart to realize that he couldn't be that the last two years because of how bad the defense was. Absolutely. Like watch any of the, watch any game the last two years that the Bengals lost where Joe Borough was great. And you'll see, yes, he may have made a crucial mistake. The first game against the Ravens where he threw that pick to Marlon Humphrey when the Bengals were up 3835. It never should have been 3835.

It never should have been 3835. If Sam Hubbard could have gotten Lamar Jackson down or if Gino's don't do where the ball was going on Lamar's crazy touchdown to Isaiah likely, coach, if you hold him to a field goal there, you're not throwing. throwing to Barland Humphrey there to try and go down closer to get a touchdown, you're running the ball to kick a field go go up by 10. Like that changes the whole complexity of the game. Correct. I mean, even if you looked at even last year's Buffalo game,

who scored first, the Bengals came out hot. Yep. But it was as if they were always playing from behind, even though they weren't. Because you never knew when that bomb was going to blow up. And, you know, his two picks, one was a tip ball and the other one, he was just trying to make a play. But it shouldn't have been close. It never should have been in that situation.

If you hadn't allowed the bills to score that quickly when it was 2818 and they make it 28, 25, like he, that little, you know, lob pass he was trying to throw whatever it was to chase with a pick six play. He was trying to get the ball out quick to get some yours, keep the clock moving. If you let the play develop, maybe you hit a 10 or 15 yard play down field. Not only do you move the chains coach, you got the clock moving, you got the clock working for you, not against you. So all these little things that add up. And not only coach when a quarterback feels the pressure to be perfect, so too does the team. I go to the Chargers game in 2024. When Evan McPherson missed those two field goals, you hadn't normally seen that from him.

Evan McPherson is one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL. Look at all the game when he kicks he made in 21 and 23, but the miss kicks he made in the miss kicks he had rather in 24. He makes two in the fourth quarter against San Diego, or LA, excuse me. Joe Barrow was incredible in that fourth quarter. He was weaving through traffic. He was making incredible throws, but it never should have come down to that. If the Bengals defense, excuse me, had shown up in the first half,

or gosh forbid, they haven't fallen behind by 21 points. All these things, I don't want to catch you off there. All these things add up. It's not all on Joe Borough. The fumble that he had against Kansas City. Could you maybe stop an offensive lineman from catching a touchdown? I mean, in the third quarter, could you maybe have covered Rashi Rice, Camtler, Britt,

who all you said about Xavier Worthy the week of the game was that he can run straight, then their other receiver burns you? I mean, seriously, coach. Like there are so many things that contributed to the Bengals' losses. It's not that Joe Burrow missed a two-point conversion door against the Ravens. It never should have been in that situation anyway. If can't their brittles on to a pick,

if the Bengals can get Lamar Jackson down, well, before he has that crazy run, and they have three guys surrounding him. That's where we're getting, coach. That's called being unlucky. It's not called being not clutch. Well, yeah, yeah. You know what?

Joe is, I don't want to use the term unlucky as much as I would say, hey, he's unfortunate. He's been throwing in some situations and some things that have happened that don't normally, that are not Joe Burroughske. And when I say that, I mean, throwing it to sure-handed receivers and them putting it on the ground. Trying to run the clock out and all of a sudden your six blockers up front, perhaps seven, don't allow you to get a first down.

being backed up on a goal line and not getting out to get a first down. You know, those are all on other people and they're on a team. You know, and you don't want to pinpoint the person, but unfortunately or unfortunately, Joe's name's on the marquee. He is the face of the organization. And so he's easy pickets. He is easy pickets when he probably doesn't deserve a lot of that stuff. Well, he's the quarterback, and he obviously puts himself out there when he's at all these offseason events.

That's a great point. But you have to understand. And this is why there's such a disconnect sometimes between the local media and the national media. Now, the national media doesn't know the Bengals as well as the local media. That's partially because for 31 years, they never want a playoff game. So as the Bengals have gotten really good and have been on national TV more often, the national media therefore sees them. But they don't know the whole story. Now, some national media members do. Jordan Schultz, very good. There's other people like Peter Schroger or the McCordy's. They understand what the Bengals are like. There's some other people that I can't name out the top of my head. I lost my train.

I thought there. But at the same time, you think about the games that the Bengals have been in the high scoring games. If you're in those coach once a season or maybe twice like a 38, 35 game, all right, you know, crazy games are going to happen. Football's a crazy game. You and I both know that. But if you're in 3833 and 41 38 and 3534 or 3427 or 4438 in one season, you cannot sustain winning.

You just can't. You run out of time. You know, it's almost as if instead of having the scoreboard at Paycor, you're bringing it over from University of Cincinnati's basketball gym to put on there because that's what the numbers are going. I mean, it's great. You can't outscore everybody. You would try and you would love to, but like I said, last week, I've been in 653 games. I've never lost a game zero, zero. Never lost a game zero, zero.

You've coached 653 games. Yes. You know that exact number? Yeah, you know what? It was funny as one of Anthony's things this year sees your moment, right? And so we were on a bus ride, and I was. coming back and I went through and I went oh geez I've never done this so through 46 47 years however it's been I went through each uh thank God for for the web uh the and I went through and

I put them all down I don't know the scores of them but I added them all up at the end and I'm going dang I'm just 653 yeah wow how about that A lot of football games. Needless to say. I don't know if I don't even know if I've seen 653 Bengals games, whether in person or on TV. Oh. You know what?

And the tape that I've watched games and watched on television, I'm sick. I'm a sick human. Well, your wife, Alicia, once said that your brain is shaped like a football, and I certainly do not doubt that. That's why very few hats. fit me. Okay.

Where do this conversation go? The point is, it's not all. Joe Burrow has gotten unlucky so many times. I mean, the performances that he put up in 24 that the Bengals lost in, if you want, you're nitpicky because he never should have been in those situations. If the Bengals' defense had just been average, if they had made a few plays, if they had been able to stop Lamar Jackson, Coach, you may have seen this. I know you weren't with us in 24, and we didn't, we weren't doing the show.

But the game at Baltimore on Thursday night football, when Lamar Jackson threw like a little short out route to Thailand Wallace, and he takes it down the left sideline for a touchdown. And the poor effort on the tackling, get him out of bounce. Because then what you do, coach, you make the Ravens run another play. And that could be your play when you take the ball away. Like, you know what? I saw virtually the same thing against Pittsburgh this year. Oh, gosh. Yes.

Just get him down, you know? Yeah. But yeah, no, no, there's some, I'm telling you it. It is a team game. This is the last real true bastion of team sport. And it takes every, all 53 that are dressing on game day, it takes the coaching staff to go in with one heartbeat and go in there and play for each other. and I know, and, you know, everybody wants to talk about salaries and everybody wants to attack draft picks.

But you know what? When it comes down to it, and we talked about it during the season, it's not your 10 most high players. It's the other 43 that help you win games. Exactly. And that is the key that the Bengals have to find those other 43 guys. You know Joe Burrow is who Joe Burrow is. You know T. Higgins is who he is. You know, Jamar Chase is who he is.

You know Dexter Lawrence, who he is. Jonathan Allen. You can name them all. Yep. Boy, Motho. Brian Cook. Oh, geez. You can name them all.

That's okay. How about the other ones? Yeah. That's why I sent to that text today. I'd love to figure out who they're working in the slot right now because that's going to be, it's kind of trial and error right now. Let's see who we want to go into camp, being that. that third corner.

Perhaps that's a thesis, which you're going to be watching in training camp when that starts on July 29th. I mean, like that's why they want to sign Jazeer Taylor and Kyle Dugger, you know, to add depth. And you never know if those guys are going to play huge roles. It's also why they, you know,

still have BJ Hill and T.J. Slayton, perhaps. It's also why you draft guys like Jack Andrews at tight end or even the guy like Landon Robinson at defensive tackle, seventh round pick from Navy. But he's made of the right stuff. I mean, that is so true, coach. Like, you know, when people say the words five on five or 11 on 11, you can easily overlook those. But coach, when you talk about the finer details of the game, 11 on 11 with everything that is happening on the field on a given play,

there's so many minute details. And if you get one step wrong, the whole play blows up. Five on five, yeah, it's five on five. That's only five players. Baseball, it's the batter versus the pitcher. or it's the pitcher and catch your battery versus the batter. Football's 11 on 11. That is a lot happening.

And you know what? Both offensive defense and special teams is very precision in nature that everybody has to do their job in order to have success. Now, you can have, you know, somebody. get beat, then it's the responsibility, not necessarily the responsibility. It's the characteristics of the quarterback, the wideouts, whomever it is, to make a play, something that they were not necessarily on target to make. And that separates the good ones from the great ones. Yep. Final point I'll make on this. Look, the picture about Joe Burrow was a quarterback. We know what he did his first three seasons. While he is one of the best in the NFL,

and has already accomplished a lot. He's been to a Super Bowl. He's, you know, led the NFL and passing yards and passing touchdowns. He's done a lot of great things. But the picture, bigger picture, still feels incomplete. Now, again, it's not because he's not clutch. It's because he's been unlucky, whether it be with injuries, whether it be with the defense, whether it be missed calls, whether it be missed kicks, et cetera. The picture feels incomplete when it comes to Joe Burrow. That's what makes this year so important. But something else the Bengals did, to perhaps give them a better chance of winning in 2026. They restructured Joe Burroughs contract.

We were pounding our fist for the Bengals to do it, and they've done it. So just how significant is it? That conversation next on the Bengals Squad show. Well, coach, you said, show me. Here's a restructured contract for Joe Burrow. Deferring money to later years. Another edition could be made.

This is the organization still modernizing and doing things that we have been begging for them, to do for years. It feels good to see it. Oh, it feels great. You know what? When I heard that the other day, I went, whew, twofold. I was, like, extremely excited for the Bengals, and I was also like, what took you so long? Yeah. But what it told me is they, after going through the OTAs and the off-season camp that they did, that they've still, they put them, they ended up. And it, And it was great that they saved that opportunity to restructure. They've got their eyes on somebody.

And they need the funds to be able to pay that particular somebody and or trade and then inherit his contract to be able to play, which I think is great. Now, which position it is, I've got my fingers crossed on one. But hey, we'll see what they do. Yeah. I mean, at least you at least you think, okay, they're going to do something. whether it is a linebacker or maybe it's another addition to the defense. Now, Coach, I text you this this morning. I think it kind of relates to what we're talking about here.

How much can you really glean from what you see at OTAs and off-season organized off-season activities before mini camp and training camp? Like how much can you really get from those practices? You know what you can gain, you can gain a lot of knowledge of your current football team. You're going to see who came in with the. Attitude A, that you all seek as an organization, you're going to see the skill development of on those exit meetings from a year ago, who actually work those to task? Have certain guys gain weight?

Have they gained strength? Have they gained speed? Or were they at home eating chips? And I think that that's the important thing that OTAs do. you're bringing the band back together and now you're trying to see exactly what you have in that particular team.

You're also developing leadership on both sides of the ball. You've got an awful lot of new leaders on the one side of the ball. So now it's their football team. Those holes are still there. Let's see what the improvement is. Yeah, we can all do it in cellophane,

you know, running around in shorts like a gym class, but you're going to see instincts. You're going to see, okay, as the coaches staff, who are we think is going to be our slot? Oh, we don't know. Is it somebody currently on the team? Well, we'll try them all out. Okay, is it the young rookie? Can he be a corner and move Dexter inside or Dex, Dax inside?

Yeah. Maybe let's see how that fits. Is he capable of being, because he is a veteran, is he capable of playing both secondary and linebacker because that's what that position entails. So you're going to find out an awful lot about yourself before you get into that mini-camp where you're actually going to see physically who can go out there and bang it up. Yeah, because in training camp you don't want to have too many questions. No.

No, you want that group. You want to work on that group. Yeah. And you want to work on this is your role, especially nowadays. since most of the defenses, Seattle, Baltimore, for that matter, you take those things in there both laying a nickel all the time. So they can adjust, and you have to be able to adjust. There are different calls.

So is that guy that is in the slot, is he mentally capable of doing all of those things? Is he physically capable of doing all of those things? And so that answer needs to be done before you get to training camp so that young man can come in and say, my view is extremely myopic. Here's where I'm at. This is what I'm going to be. I need to get all the information I can to be excellent at that job for this football team. We're 47 days away from training camp getting underway.

Okay. And you mentioned leadership on defense. Well, there's a whole new infusion. of leadership and talent on that side of the ball. It's really great to see. I mean, you're hearing Dexter Lawrence and you're hearing even Shemar Stewart, I think he's matured a little bit. Not a little bit.

I think he's matured a lot this offseason. So it's going to be really interesting to see what that looks like come training camp. Because come training camp, when you have fans there, when you have the media there, you want to show the fans, this is who we are. This is what you can expect. If you're ironing out a few minor things, okay, that's understandable. You're not going to be perfect by the time you get the training camp. But two things.

Number one, you know what you're going to be on the field. Number two, you know what you're going to be off of you. You're not going to have a guy standing in a golf shirt holding a press conference away from right where practice is happening. Golf coffee, if you know, you know. I mean, that's why this year, this offseason felt so different. When it comes to Joe Burrow restructuring his contract, like this is just a modern business.

practice. If you feel like you can add something to a team, and I'm sure Joe Borough has for this. He said this offseason needed to be different. It has been. Paul Danner Jr. wrote this in the athletic this week. Never in the Cincinnati Bengals history had they restructured a player's contract to push money into future years. Never in the Bengals history had they traded the first round pick for a player. Times are changing in Cincinnati. Oh, does that feel refreshing to see? And read and here. Absolutely. You know what? I mean, Dexter Lawrence is the real deal. And for him to be your first round drop choice, he provides immediate dividends, not waiting two or three years down the road, but immediate dividends and where you needed it most. And for going out and getting, you know, Cook and the seconder, immediate dividends. You could have went out and you got a guy, Caleb Downs. there's a part of the line. Yeah, college football players oftentimes don't understand the leap

that they are now involved in. Yeah. From a physical standpoint, from a mental standpoint, and from a competitive standpoint, the National Football League is its own animal, and it jumps. And then once you get into the playoffs, it really does. jumps. And I don't know how many young college players understand that. And I think that that's something that they have to be educated on. Yeah, I mean, it's a totally different world. I mean, the NFL, I'm sure you'll breathe me on this coach. It's a survival of the fittest. It's a survival of the fittest in terms of the physical nature of it, the mental nature of it, because if you don't carry yourself like a pro's pro, it will catch up to you. It will. I mean,

you can't be out there, you know, partying on Saturday nights and then expect to play on Sundays. At my work in the NBA, it might work in MLB or the NHL, but the NFL has so many details and the pressure that you feel, knowing that it is the most watch sport in America. Now, going back to the Bengals front office, it's awesome and exciting for me as a fan and you to see the Bengals doing these things. Get uncomfortable a little bit. Hold yourselves accountable. Understanding what's at stake in a Super Bowl window with Joe Burrow, with Jamar, Chase, and Dee Higgins,

understand that, yes, fans want to Zach Taylor Fire next year, but do you want a coaching change next year? Do you want to coach and change next year? Let coach, here's be really cool. Can you imagine if the Bengals win the Super Bowl and Joe Burrough said, we're going to go win the Super Bowl? Can you imagine if they do that this year, go into their 60th season next year,

and to kick off that year with a celebration of winning a Lombardi trophy, what it would do for this city? Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine what it would do. Oh, you'd have to board up downtown, you know? It would go absolutely crazy. Oh, gosh. And they have earned it. Those loyal Bengal fans have earned the opportunity to stick their chest out, which is great, which is, you know, really, I mean, fabulous for the city. But going back to, okay, do you want a new head coach in a year? You absolutely don't. And I can tell you one thing about a football coach

and is they never feel as though they're on a hot seat, but they never cherish a two or a three-year contract either. They know their job, and they're going to go out and perform it the best that they can. and let the chips fall where they may. But like right now, I mean, that's wishful thinking down the road maybe or bad thinking down the road. That's not even in their mindset. They're inside as Joe wants it to be, and he's voiced himself very, very clearly during the season and offseason from a year ago.

The time is now. And we have now the front office has given. us great chess pieces. Now let's go put it all together as soon as we can, build this team mentally, and let's go out and perform. And it goes from the football is an entertainment business to, you know what, men, it's still a football business. It is a football business. And I think that that's the important thing that all those young people need to understand. You only get 17 games. Yeah.

And all of them are high leverage. It doesn't matter if you're playing the fourth place team and the NFC that isn't in your conference. Darn it, it still counts as a game. It doesn't matter if you're playing the Cleveland Browns on a Sunday in December, week 13. It still counts as a game. And you never know what, I mean, when they say any given Sunday, there's a reason they say that coach or any Monday, Thursday, any given game.

If you're not performing at your best, you're asking to get beat. And by the way, don't put it. yourself on the schedule. I truly think last season, go ahead. I was going to say, you know what, every player has got their name on their back of their shirt. And it's exactly the same one, the same name, that signs their checks. Represent, not only that, but the jersey that you're in. Yeah. And, you know, put it all out there. The last game's lost against Cleveland, against Cleveland, come on, man, really? Yeah. Well, anyone can say, well, didn't mean anything. Yeah, it did. Yeah, it did. It meant something. To me, it did. To you, it did. And I'm sure to Joe Burrow it did. And I truly think that last season, particularly with the way it ended, as you just brought up, coach, I don't think it's Sackwell with Mike Brown. I think it changed the way he did business this offseason. Same with Katie and Troy. Same with Duke Tobin. The front office, as Joe Burrow says, they have put aside a lot of criticism that they've gotten. And now it's up to them to go out to compete.

So it is so true that I firmly believe that. All right, we're learning more about this front office, by the way, this offseason in the last few seasons, partially because the fan base has never been more invested than it is right now in this era of the Bengals. I mentioned we're 47 days away from training camp. So what are we going to watch for at training camp? I'll be there.

Coach will be there. What are we going to be watching for that conversation next on the Bengals Squad show? By now you should know, coach, and for those of you listening, that I value originality. It's one of my core values. And I pride myself on being an original. So I feel like a lot of fans, maybe media members, when they get asked what they're going to watch for in training camp,

they'll probably say, and again, I don't know for sure if they'll say this, but I would guess they would say the trenches, battles, the linebackers, Dexter Lawrence. For me, I'm going to be watching the receivers against the Bengals secondary, especially coach if DJ Turner gets the contract extension. Let's see how he performs now that the bangles have made a huge investment in a rising potential all pro corner.

You know what? I think you're exactly right. You know, I want to see their secondary in how they perform and how they work together with both under zone coverage and man coverage and the communication within. The other key thing is, and I hate to beat it. I mean, I've been, this horse is long dead. This horse is at the glue factory by now.

But I'm being, I want to look at the linebackers. I want to see how there's in seven-on-seven, how their production in both zone coverage and man coverage. And I want to see an inside run drill, how they're stepping up and how their reeds are in a limited space. Yeah, how's their tackling. Exactly. I want to see how much tackling are they working as a defense. Because that was, you couldn't see it last year, really. And then I want to be able to go up front.

And the defensive line, phenomenal. Phenomenal. I want to see how the old line works against them. Yeah. And I want to see how are they, it's a movable object versus irresistible force, who comes out on top? Day to day, today. It was particularly the interior because you think about Donne Reisner extended.

Ted Karris back for another season. He got extended last offseason. And then Dylan Fairchild, second year coach. How does he look? Now with a much improved offensive line around him. This is the first time the Bengals have the same offensive line returning next year in the Joe Borough era. Is it going to be, you know, like riding a bike, business as usual?

Or are guys like Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen going to push them around a little bit? And that could be a good thing too. Oh, absolutely. You know what? And the other thing to keep an eye on is the pass rush one-on-one battles, the tackles in particular, against these edge rushers in waves. There's not just one you have to go against. there's not that guy that is waiting and everybody's fighting to go against him because it looks good off him. They've got waves of prospects to be the guy.

And let's see the old linemen, the offensive tackles, step up and protect because that is going to be vital to key Joe upright and healthy. Is Amarius Mims as good as we think he is? We hear he's gotten really good. I believe he is. you believe it too. Let's see it against Boy Maffa. Let's see it against Cash's Howell. Let's see it against Miles Murphy. And then, oh, by the way, coach, does Orlando Brown Jr still look like he's on, you know, the youthful side as opposed to, you know, the twilight of his career? Because if it's the former, you got something really good at left tackle out there.

Iron's going to sharpen iron a training camp. That's going to be one of the common themes of this training camp, hopefully for the Cincinnati Bengals. But here's the other thing, too, coach you talk about the waves that the defensive line can come at you. What does the, or what do you like, let me a phrase that, excuse me, I want to see what guys like Connor Lou and Brian Parker the second. What are the offensive linemen they drafted look like against the waves of Bengals pass rushers? Because that's going to show you how much depth you really have. Absolutely.

You're going to see those two young men who are, they're very adapt to going anywhere. Yeah. So, you know, they are going to get a handful out of those edge rushers, and then they've got their handful with the interior guys, but not only the interior guys, but those guys that are behind them who are fighting for a position. They are so deep at defensive tackle. Somebody, you know two that are going to stay, probably three, maybe four. Now, who's going to get that fifth spot? You've got a whole slug. loo of bodies that are going to be in full compete mode. And it's good to see those interior three offensively, including the young guys, step up and battle with them. And see if the future O line of the Bengals down the road, maybe two or three years from now, what they look like. You're going to be able to see and uncover a lot of things this year

that are not only going to help you this year, but also in future years. last year because you had so many questions and distractions, felt like you were just trying to get through it. Don't do that this year. Like this is going to be one of the more normal training camps that Bengals have had in a long time, a very long time. Maybe even the first in this act of the era. That's a conversation for another show.

But back to what I was saying earlier, coach, how does the chemistry look for Joe Burrow with Jason Higgins early on? How does Andre Yoseboshe look? You know, he's at great training camps the last two years. hasn't materialized into the regular season. What are they doing at Slav Receiver? Are they using Chase Moore there? What are they doing at Slot Corner?

Jalen Davis, Jazeer Taylor, guys like that. Is the secondary as good as fans are hoping it can be with DJ Turner? We know he's good. What does Dax Hill look like? What about Jordan Battle? Like, what is it going to look like now that we know the Bengals don't have that liability in Gino Stone? Like, what does Brian Cook going to do to help the secondary? There are going to be some epic battles at this,

training camp. I'm excited for this. Oh, which is. You know what? It would be great because of all the new additions on defense and where they see the defense going is to get one of their, the first two weeks of training camp against another opponent to practice against not just the same because you get tired of it as a player. They get tired of banging on the same bodies. Now you get to see them against somebody else, which you don't have a game plan. And so you basically have to just play football. That would be exciting to see because now you've really be able to see that transformation of who the good ones are, who's on the come, and who's still not ready for prime time.

Yeah. What does Sicario Davis look like? So if he's a hit, your cornerback room suddenly is really good, really strong. But the Bengals identity is a wide receiver. That's why I want to watch. them against the secondary to see what those battles look like. The edge is up front. Like I like to watch the outside.

The inside part, yes, but it's kind of tough to watch with the angles that we have that we're going to have at training camp. So now, I'm sure we'll be able to see some of it. But for me, I want to see if Carter and Knight, how far along are they? Just as simple as that coach, how much further along are they just knowing what to do on the field? because if you can execute the fundamentals, you'll make place. You'll be in the right place at the right time. Your instincts will take over, right?

Yes. Yeah. You know what the great thing about it too is that there are no absent Bengals. This is voluntary, but yet they're all there. Yep. That's big. That is huge. It is.

There's a commitment to winning. Everybody is united on winning. No contracts, this. No accusing each other of this. No, no, no, no. We're here to win. Coming up on Tuesday, a special 10-year anniversary locked-on special where we will reveal our top 10 Joe Borough and Jamar Chase Games.

It's been fun compiling the list today. Jake Liska will be with us on Tuesday. And then Joe Danneman joins us on Thursday. I may be in New York or next Tuesday, coach. I mean, if the next win the NBA finals tomorrow, game five, heck, I might even, even if they don't win tomorrow night, I may go to New York for game six on Tuesday. And don't worry, France plays Senegal in New York and the World Cup on Tuesday.

So I may have a little fun getting around the city that never sleeps. Coach, let me ask you this. What's the biggest comeback you've ever had that your team won in your coaching career? Whoa. We were down. And again, this is not in the NFL, but in the XFL. We were down by 15 with like a minute and 30, and we ended up winning it. Wow.

And we scored some points, got a fourth and 12 pass to keep a drive alive and scored. And so there's been some, hey, this game's over. And I was in, hey, we're in it. It's why you never stopped playing. Look, when the Knicks were down by 29 on Wednesday, I said, all right, I'm going to go into my bedroom. I'm just going to do some work during the game. I'll have it on just in case they hit a few shots, start to come back. My cousin literally texted me, are you sleeping?

And I'm like, no, I'm watching the game. I'm like, you never know. And there was a time where the Knicks made a shot, I think to cut it's like 19. I close my laptop because I'm like, don't worry about that. You can go back to it after you watch this because you never know what's about to happen. And then when the Knicks started cutting it to 10 and then five, four, and then Jalen Brunson hits that three over a eight foot outstretched Victor Wembenyama. I'm like, they're winning this game.

I mean to tell you, Madison Square Garden, you could hear it through your TV. That's how loud it was. I'm serious. You know what? Isn't it the great? Aren't the finals great? Because you know what?

At the beginning of the season, nobody picked them. And now they're the diehards, the old Nick, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusher, Bill Bradley. Those guys are now stepping up to the plate, all of those fans and saying, hey, we're back. Yes. This is great. They sat on their hands for a long, much too long. But they kept coming because they're loyal.

So I can expect for you if you do go to New York, you're going to be at one of those watch parties, either Central Park or someplace. That could be nuts. Central Park or one of the bars. I mean, look, my uncle lives in Manhattan. I'm sure he's got connections. I could end up at the game for all I know in game six. That might be a sketch.

We'll find out there. USA plays tonight in one of your, one of your. next of the woods in southern California against Paraguay. Do you think the U.S. comes through tonight gets off to a good start in the World Cup coach? You know what I'm hoping? You know, like we talked about last week, you know, I don't know much about the game of soccer, but any time that America is represented by a bunch of young guys running around that have a vision, I'm all for them. And I'm going to go over and buy myself a t-shirt. So they better win tonight. 9 o'clock at Sofey Stadium in Los Angeles on Fox coverage starts 6 o'clock on Fox.

Here's a good thing to end on and also kind of a funny thing to end on. So Lindy's magazine, they came out with their NFL preview issue. I'll tell you this, though, Coach, NFL preview magazine shopping for me is my version of Black Friday shopping. Okay. So I go into, where did I go yesterday? Target. No, Meyer, excuse me. I went into Meyer yesterday, and I got Lindy's preview magazine.

One, they picked the Bengals to go to the Super Bowl. I'm not kidding you. They picked the Bengals to go to the Super Bowl. They have them beating the Broncos in the AFC Championship. But they don't factor in trades or player acquisitions or transactions past May 17th. So Miles Garrett is on the cover of this issue with Joe Burrow in a Brown's uniform. Hashtag, hashtag oops. perhaps you're going to see some changes to the editorial process over in lindy sports magazine it's

not their fault they couldn't have predicted that but just kind of funny to look at miles garrett still in a brown's uniform well you know what it's crazy is i can remember when all those magazines would come out in mid to late july and that was like when i was coaching in colleges like oh they're out let's see where they picked us let's see who's hot let's see who's whatever And this seems like early June, hey, they're trying to get a rush on it. They are. It's come earlier every single season. So yes, the Bengals have been picked to go to the Super Bowl.

That'll be a talking point on a future show. Don't forget, as I mentioned, next Tuesday, our 10-year anniversary special with coach, Jake Liscoe, and me, Joe Daniman will join us on Thursday. We're going Tuesday and Thursdays for the rest of the off season into training camp and then leading up to the regular season. Have a great weekend. Enjoy the World Cup. Go USA and go Knicks tomorrow night, game five of the NBA finals down in San Antonio. Don't forget for more on how to become a member of the Everydayer Club at Locked-on Podcast Network. Out the Lockdown Podcast Network is at Locktown Podcast.com slash Everydayer. The number one sports podcast, network in America and the world, your team every day. I'm Alex Frank. He's coach Arfallero. He's got some honey-do list things to take care of or maybe he won't. We'll find out.

We'll talk to you next week right here on the Bengals Squad show, part of Locktime Bengals and the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.