Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: Joe Burrow says "THIS IS IT" for the Bengals to go WIN the SUPER BOWL

Episode Date: August 23, 2026

Joe Burrow did not hold back earlier this week when it comes to expectations for the 2026 Bengals. He says this is the year for the Bengals to go win the Super Bowl.   Alex Frank, Coach Art Valero, and Evan Stacy break down what Joe Burrow ACTUALLY means by "This is it" and how it is an evolvement in his leadership.   Wide receiver depth was a concern this offseason, even with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. After Saturday night, that concern has been turned into a strength with the performances of Dohnte Meyers and Colbie Young.   It's not only Joe Burrow conveying a sense of urgency this season. Zac Taylor also sounds different, and that's a good thing.   A lot of players boosted their stocks on Saturday night. Alex, Coach, and Evan give the players they though raised their stock and also those whose stocks went down.   Photo Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images   Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! Where you'll get updates directly to your phone and be able to text the hosts, check it out at: 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. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season.   KALSHI For a limited time,Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10.   Square Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/lockedonnfl! #squarepod   Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.   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.

Even with Jamar, Chasin T. Higgins, the Bengals wide receiver depth was a concern this offseason. After tonight, that has been flipped in a complete 180 to wide receiver depth being a strength on this team. We'll get coach in a minute back, but Evan, not only that, a lot of players raise their stocks tonight. Speaking of past catchers, Dante Myers and Colby Young both showed out continuing to boost their stock day in and day out. But some of the offensive linemen, Jalen Rivers, included, some stock down a little bit, which causes some questions about some of this offensive tackle depth for sure. Plus Joe Burrow, with a rather direct comment earlier this week. You may have heard it. 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. Just after 1040, welcome to the Bengals Squad Show postgame edition live on Lockdown Bengals and the Lockdown Podcast Network. The Bengals beating the Bears 27 to 9 tonight in game two of the preseason. We are presented tonight by Cal She for a limited time. Download the Calci app and use code locked on to get $10 off when you trade $10 with coach Art Valero and Evan Stacey, who runs our lockdown Bengals hit account. I'm Alex Frank host of the Bengals Squad Show. We got a lot to get to tonight.

wide receiver depth showing out tonight in spades. Joe Borough with a direct comment this week that had many people talking. We'll tell you what actually he means by that. Zach Taylor, higher sense of urgency, perhaps, and of course are stock up and stocked down with our players after preseason game two. But gentlemen, we begin with the fantastic performances by Bengals' wide receivers tonight, Dante Myers, and Colby Young showing out tonight. Tanner Hudson had a touchdown. So we come away from tonight feeling, I think, significantly

better about this team's wide receiver depth going into the regular season. I tell you, without question, you know what? And you mentioned it, you might have mentioned it earlier. What look like, okay, who's going to be those extra guys? There are people that are showing up. And two young ones, two guys that are just fresh to the team, they've coming in and they've made it. They've made plays and they made plays underneath which you know that sure key higgins and jemar chase can make but when you're running the top off the defense all the time it's nice that you can have somebody that can stop on a dime make a play and then make a play after the catch yeah this offense definitely needed to get a little bit more explosive i mean jimar chase is as explosive as you get

but dante mire's coming in and being that role when jama can take a break or a new wave of wide receivers is huge he's been great colby young is basically a t higgins clone at this point he's i think he's the same same size about the same way they said and i mean from the the catch he made today look very t higgins ask and and i'm i'm always down for adding more weapons to this offense with joe burrow and these two young guys uh have been showing out and it's been great to see and so i'm excited to see how this wide receiver three has been the talk of camp so far as this is one of the biggest position battles, how it's going to look with these two guys stepping up each and every day. Do you guys think the great thing about that too is, I'm sorry, because it didn't cost them a lot to get those guys.

And they came in and they played. They've been counting on others who at times show up, but it's been a little bit in concession. And these two young men and it doesn't matter which quarterback is in. they're going out there and they're shining when the opportunity, when the lights come on and the opportunities theirs, they're taking advantage of it. And that's something you really have to tip your hat at for them. Do you guys think the wide receiver three battle is now closer? Do you think it's now more palpable?

Is there one legitimately as we head towards the end of the preseason? Well, you know what? I think that with the other two, with the two new ones coming on with Myers and Young, you know what you didn't now you you kept yoshibosh on the sidelines with the other ones tonight there was no impact there you know you're you're letting those two young kids it's like okay we're going to hold off on you we'll give you the thing that you're a veteran like these other guys but we want to see these guys play and they went out and they played well so i think with

one week to go in camp um and the regular season just, you know, right around the corner, somewhat two and a half weeks away, three weeks away. I think it's those kids have stepped up to the point where it'll be very, very interesting to see this next preseason game, who gets a majority of the calls, which one is, is it the other one, you know, whether it be Yoshibosh, whether it be some of the other kids that are in that room, or do they continue to feed those two young men and allow them to really start to feel comfortable with the offense? It definitely has put more pressure on Yoshivas is back

because, you know, he had an up and down season last year, had some bad drops. And I think overall it's been about the same than can maybe a little bit better. But with these two young guys coming in and really pushing for the wide receiver three, which I don't think we've had in a few years, it's been Yoshivash's spot for the last few seasons. I mean, Mitchell tends to give him a little bit of a run last year, but he wasn't, like, fully in the offense, like each play.

But I think Myers and Young are both, you know, they bring different things, each of them, and they bring different things that Yoshavash can't. And so I think it is, it definitely puts more pressure on him because these young guys, each and every day, I hear something good that they did or a big play that they made in practice or in both these preseason games, they've both been really good.

So definitely a lot of pressure. for Fiosia Vash as well. And I don't know if it's, his job isn't as secure as it once was, definitely. Forget the fact that there may be a wide receiver three battle. I think what I take away coming out of tonight's game is the fact that you now have potentially waves in this wide receiver room that you can throw out opposing defenses. Look at what Colby Young can do in the red zone with that big frame.

Because Evan, you referred to him as a T. Hickens clone at this point. And, you know, there may be some truth and validity to that. You look at what Dante Myers working his way up to maybe being able to have a package of plays for him in regular season games. Who would have thought that at the start of training camp? Tanner Hudson with a touchdown tonight. And not only that, coach you coached tight ends before and that position has evolved so much

over the last 25 years. You're seeing that the Bengals can line up their tight ends, Tanner Hudson, Mike Cickey, as wide receivers. So forget lining them up on the line of scrimmage. They can line up on the slot. They can even line up outside. But you can use these receivers on so many different parts of the field and the route trees that they have.

Good luck to any defense trying to depend this offense. Well, you know, they're a matchup problem. You know, they truly are. And that's what we talked about last week. When you line up in 12 personnel or basically two tight ends, two whiteouts, it's a great neutralizer because you could get into any offensive set that you want. And is the defense going to play you in a base down defense or are they going to play you in nickel with five DBs? And if they play you in 5 dBs, you attach them to the box and you run the ball.

And if they want to, you know, play in base, hey, you go ahead and spread them out. And those guys can run routes, like especially underneath routes. They may not be able to take the top of it off, but they can do so much more underneath because there's a matchup issue with a linebacker or at times of safety versus that big old body of their. You put Gisiki out there, and it doesn't matter who you're going to put on him. He has got a definite height advantage over anybody. Plus, it gives great indicators for the quarterback if it's man or is its zone based on if the corners stay right and left. Or if all of a sudden they go inside on the whiteouts and they put either a safety or a linebacker on those big tight ends.

So I think it's something that you have and that Zach now has and Dan has in their in their repertoire, in their toolbag, that they can break out at any time. And you don't know as a defensive coach, because they have put it on film, you have to prepare for it. And what is your thought process? Now you put them in the box and you start shifting them out. and now you're caught as a defensive guy. You have to adjust. And I think that it's going to a different place. You know, it's going to a different place.

And I think it's awesome to see offensively. Yeah, I think coach is absolutely right. I mean, Alex, you talked about having waves of wide receivers. We have waves of tight ends as well. Giskei being the main one. But Tanner Hudson can come in and do a lot of the lining up outside stuff that Guseki does. and then you have sample and Cam Grady as the blockers and Eric All, if he can get it together, be fully healthy, he's kind of the do-it-all.

So there's all these tight-ins that can come in, Jack injuries as well, who didn't do a whole lot today, but obviously last preseason game, you know, had the one touchdown. I have a few big catches as well. So there's a lot of guys that can come in and, like coach said, come in different packages, come in, and really if Hudson comes in for Gaseki, the play doesn't drop off too much. If injuries comes in, you know, the wider seat,

he's really good at receiving sample and Grady both the same. And I think with them being under center more, I think, you know, the tight ends are huge in that as well. And so I think the wide receiver depth, I think, is as deep as it's been in a while and the tight end group as well. So it's been really fun to see these young guys come in and immediately progress and make differences in the tidying and wide receiver. I'll tell you what's going to be interesting. And they brought Duke Tobin on for a brief interview on the TV game. And they're in a great spot because of the fact that cut day, which is the worst day in football, is actually a good day. Now it's about making the right decision.

And then there's a lot of other teams because these guys are performing at a very high level. And other teams are going to say, you know what, we're not that good. Our threes aren't as good as their fifth, you know, and all of a sudden they say, you know what, can we, if they let him go, can we bring him in and we move our other one down to four and, blah, blah, by, the snowball starts to roll. And I think that's with both the receiver position and the tight end position. And I think it's, they've got a, they're going to have a very, very difficult decision making the final 53. Stats from tonight's game, Dante Myers, leading the team in receptions with five on 41, receiving yards, six targets. So he hold in five of his six targets. That's good. Colby Young, three for 48, and a touchdown long reception of 18 yards on eight targets tonight from Josh Johnson. And I don't remember if Young played in the second half or not, but eight targets for him. Kishon Williams, hold in all three of his targets for 42 yards. Charlie Jones, two for 35, Tanner Hudson, two for 17. Really good to see him. And what's so great about,

the touchdown that he caught, as I remember saying to my cousin and our friend, who's here with us watching the game, I was like, okay, this is where you can go to Myers or Young, maybe on an out route, maybe on a fade. No, they went to Tanner Hudson, just a simple pass into the slot to a tight end who was lining up as a slot receiver. That shows you how versatile this offense can be at the wide receiver position. Oh, absolutely. And you know what? On the touchdown catch to Tanner, I mean, there again is a big physical body that a nickel corner has a hard time getting between him and the quarterback. You know, because it was a simple slant, but you put that big body with great range. The quarterback doesn't have to be perfect.

The defender has to be perfect in order to stop it. And now if he jumps inside, well, you throw it outside, and now you got a great play. So, you know, very well designed, very good job of putting Tanner out there. And hey, throwing it to him, touchdown. Look at that. Two games and your tight end group has caught more than probably your wide out group has got. Is in terms of touchdowns or equal to. And I think the Bengals have a lot of guys who, like you said, coach, have wide catch radiuses who,

when they go up against the lineback or an undersized nickel, the ball doesn't have to be perfect on there. They can make a play. See Higgins is perfect. that Colby Young, I'm sure, can do that as well. And having these big matchup problems like Gaseki and Tanner Hudson, you can run up the seam or run slants out of the slot. It creates all these matchup problems. And with their big bodies and their good hands,

it really adds another level to this offense. And I think the tight-in room is just looking super good. And like you said, Coach, they're making all the plays. You know what the other thing that was I thought was really great is Josh Johnson, having, though, he is used to throwing to that, group of tight ends and that group of whiteouts and was very, very comfortable. Yeah. He knew he didn't have his favorites.

He spread the ball around because as a three, you're throwing to everybody. Joe's got his group. Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco's got his group he's been working with. And then Josh gets all the leftover guys, which is everybody. whoever's in line, and he's making those kinds of plays. He felt very comfortable, and it made him look good this evening. Now, you know what? And I thought that was really a great night for him as well.

15 of 23, 15-156 yards, two touchdowns. Looked so good on that first drive and that touchdown throw to Colby Young was really good. He made some really good throws. Like he, to your point, coach, did look really comfortable. And we're going to get to, of course, Joe Burrow and his direct comment. that he made earlier this week saying, and quote, this is it. What he actually means by that.

Coming up next on the Bengals Squad Show. Bengals Squad Show, postgame edition tonight, brought to you by a five-hour energy. You know, there are certain flavors that instantly feel like summer and a lot of people, for a lot of people, those classic red, white, and blue freezer props are right at the top of the list.

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That's okay as we approach 11 o'clock here on this Saturday night. Thanks to everybody who's hanging out with us tonight, Bengals, Watch a postgame edition on a winning night for the Bengals in game two of the preseason, 27 to 9 over the Chicago Bears. So Joe Burrow this week said, in quote, this is it, end quote, referring to the Bengals going for a Super Bowl title this year. here is what he actually means by that. Okay.

And this is coming from someone who's been at training camp practices, who knows the team because I live in Cincinnati. I've been a Bengals fan my whole life. I've had season tickets. I read what's being said. I trust our local reporters who are doing an excellent job covering the beat. Here's what Joe Burrow actually means by that. This is it.

He is validating everything he's. said during the offseason. To bring you guys up to speed, let's remember everything Joe Burroughs said this offseason, all right? We've got everything we need. We're going to go win the Super Bowl. I feel the same way about this team as I did about the 2019 LSU team. It's on us to go out there and deliver.

Tired of saying next year, manifesting this year, high sense of urgency, acknowledging that he's playing for his job, reaffirming everything that he feels. He did say that it feels like now or never. Now, does he really believe that? Maybe not. But he's reaffirming that this is it. This is the Bengals time to go out there and win a championship, a Super Bowl championship, a Lombardi trophy this year. That's what he actually means by that. Now, I'll get into what he doesn't mean by that coming up. But Coach Evan, your thoughts on what Joe Burroughs at Thursday following joint practice with the Bears. Well, from somebody that's nodded every day at the practice, you know what I, whether he be a very calculating speaker or not, five months ago, he claimed that he wouldn't have fun.

When before practice ever started, he started making all of these other clubs. I mean, they didn't even practice yet, so he didn't know. And then he comes out with this. When he's a very complex guy, as you know, Alexi. I mean, he's a different bird. And instead of coming around, it's almost encrypted when he speaks. And to watch everybody from the national media, and including the local media, ourselves included,

try to think of what he's trying to mean is nuts because it spreads like wildfire. Now, I mean, agree with Joe. And the team is taking his lead. You can see by how much fun they're having on the field, whether it's the ones or whether it's the fours who are fighting. for their professional lives, they are having fun.

Yeah. And that is why they're sitting in a three-game schedule, two and oh. Now, does that manifest itself into a 17-game schedule? We will only know. But by Joe making those statements, he is, I think that he is telling everybody else, follow me. Yep. I will take you where we, where we, not me, want to go.

Mm-hmm. Because you don't hear that conversation coming from anybody else on the team. It is his team. And even more so than the head coach, it's Joe's team. And now you're starting to hear a little bit out of Zach Taylor, following what Joe has been saying for some four months. He's been making those statements saying, you know what, put it on my back. I will take us where we want to go.

Just follow me. And I think that by him making those claims, because you got to remember, of the other 32 starting quarterbacks in the league, him and him and purdy are the only ones that are making a claim that they're pretty doggone good and they're going to get to that final game come February Valentine's Day. Which they've both like to. Nobody else saying anything. And so he's basically saying, hey, you know what? It's about time. When we do it, then it'll call all of those accolades will come back to me. And I will have stepped into that category that everybody else for years has been talking about,

where I've been on the, you know, on the outside looking in, from late January and early of February. And I think that, you know what, my hat's off to them. Because, you know what, very rarely in sport does anybody these days step up and say, follow me. they're always looking for another team it's always somebody else's fault and they're always looking for another team to win a championship they won't put the you know i speak of lebron james yeah how can you beat the greatest of all time when you bounce from game to team to team asking them to win a championship

yeah you're a part of it but you're not the reason a la michael jordan and i think that that's where joe is kind of leading this thing. I mean, phenomenal leader. And I think that, you know, just watching him over the last year and kind of adhering to what he says, you know what? I mean, it's, it is truly encrypted that you got to, I mean, not only you got to read between the lines, you might as well read it backwards and to get to where the final point is, because that's what, you know, ultimately, because no one ever asked what you tell exactly what do you mean, you know, It's funny that way, but I think that that's where he's headed with it. Yeah, I mean, whenever Joe talks, everyone listens, and we always pick apart every word he says and what does he mean?

Because like you said, he's cryptic. He never really goes out and says things like blanket statements. But I think Joe Burrow is extremely confident. He's confident in himself. He's confident as himself as a player. And I think this statement just shows the confidence that he has in his team and the sense of urgency that he wants to bring to this team. He knows that he's heading into year seven. He hasn't made the playoffs in three seasons.

He knows that this team is good enough to get there. He's seen in practice what they've done. And he's seen, he's been on a handful of great teams. He was on that phenomenal 2019 LSU team. He went to the Super Bowl with the Bengals, and immediately went to the AFC championship the year later. So he's been on great teams. So he knows what these great teams look like.

And I think he sees that. He sees the blueprint laid out what the front office. did, bringing in Dexter Lawrence and all these guys on defense and having, you know, uh, stability offensively with the offensive line with, with the, with the wide receivers, with the coaching staff. So I think he sees all these pieces coming together. And I think he was just trying to say, you know, we have the team now. This is it.

Like we're, we're going to make a run. We're going to make a push. We have, you know, we have guys who are coaching for their jobs, playing for their jobs. And now it's, like you said, coach, it's my time to step up. and to make things happen because he hasn't been, you know, healthy the last few years. And so, and when he is healthy, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league and can carry this team to us to the playoffs. And so I think he knows that this is, the time is now to do that. He's approaching 30 years old.

This is his window to really go out and get it. And I think he sees that. And I think it was more just a sense of urgency telling, like, like coach said, I'm going to take you guys here. Follow me. I know, like, I can do this. just get just to help help me out and I think before in other seasons we've been like oh well the front office didn't do this so there was an excuse or or you know joe bro is recovering from an entry so he didn't have a full training camp or whatever but there's no excuses this this off season

the front office did their job now it's up for the players and the coaches to get their stuff done i think joe joe sees that and knows that and says it's on us we have to go show up win games and get this thing back on track so I think it was i think it was just a really confidence statement and he was just trying to show everybody that the urgency is super high and being, like you said, coach, the leader for this entire team. You know, it's really, really great about there are no distractions in Bengals Camp this year, right? There aren't the distractions they were to Yerg or two years ago. Joe is becoming the distraction to take the pressure off of everybody else. So they're not

asking those questions to the rest of the team. Behind the scenes, don't fool yourself that Joe didn't have a major hand in picking those defensive guys and assisting

in recruiting and in term, I mean, now, the money-wise, that's management's. But don't be surprised if he didn't have a major say, hey, Do you want Dexter Lawrence on your team? Damn right.

Oh, yeah, you do. You want Boy Maffe on your team? Damn right. Do you want, because players talk in the league, and they know by talking to each other, what kind of teammate is he? What kind of do this? Will he do this?

So he had a major hand in the building of this football team. And so by making statements, as he's made and being quiet when he needs to be quiet, he's taking a lot of the turmoil that this organization has always found itself in during training camp to where they can settle in on their job, which is getting better as a football player, which is taking care of the details and which is going out and having fun. And it appears that that's what they're doing right now. Well, one of the great points that was brought up on the broadcast tonight that Joe

Daneman was alluding to when you talk about Joe Burrell, Jamar, Chase, T. Higgins and Dexter Lawrence, the Big Four, they're all on the prime of their careers. But you can really sense that there is authenticity right now at training camp. That's the one word Joe used tonight, authentic. There's an authentic belief within this team that they can achieve something special this year. Now, as this relates to Joe Burrow, you want to talk about evolvement as a leader. it is really something to watch Joe Burrow.

And what he says and what he does, his evolvement as a leader. Because let's think back to five years ago in 2021. Joe Burrow didn't really set any expectations in the preseason. I remember he did an interview with Jamar Chase during training camp on NFL network. And they were talking about how, well, we know that the Steelers and the Ravens are in our division. And the Browns made the playoffs the year before. And, you know, he basically was like, hey, you know, we're here too. But then as the season progressed, you heard him raise the standard with things like this.

If we win this division, the AFC North, we can win it all. We have bigger aspirations than beating the Steelers, my favorite borough quote ever. Took care of business on to the next round, said that after the playoff went over the Raiders to NBC's Catherine Tappen. This is now the standard from here or now, winning at least one playoff game. And then, you know how ZJ. Uzama was saying, why not us all year long? Joe Burrow said before the road playoff game of Tennessee, it is us. And he said after the game, I'm tired of the underdog narrative. We're coming for it all.

Whoa. And then next year, he said, the window is my whole career, the window referring to the Super Bowl. So here's Joe Burrow, a veteran who knows how good he is. And he's not afraid to, you know, show the cockiness that he has. And I'm okay with that. he knows what it takes to get to the top or the precipice of the top. Joe Burrow is saying with his comments, this is it. I'm tired of being nine and eight.

I'm tired of waiting until next year and wasting years of my prime. He's ready to unleash. And if this is his involvement as a leader, if he's saying, and he said this to Marty Smith, that he's playing for his job, now, is he really playing for his job? No. But he understands. He hasn't been on the field a lot the last three years at times.

He knows he has to be out there. He knows his role on the team and the city. He's socially aware. He knows his role. And you're seeing the team rally around him. It is powerful what's happening right now with Joe Burrow. And I hope everybody, Bengals fans, recognize what this situation is that's unfolding. Oh, absolutely.

You know what? on the head, Alex. He is taking responsibility for this entire organization that no one else will come out and say, my bad, or let the players have it. No one else ever steps up. So here it is, the marquee person, The guy on the marquee, he's saying, hey, I might be an employee of this team, but this is my team. And we're going to show everybody. We are tired of being everybody's whipping boy. And the city of Cincinnati, we're tired of being like Cleveland. We're tired of being like, I deserve a space in the Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen.

They are. And the Lamar Jackson, those guys, they are behind me when it comes to being an NFL quarterback who has like all the other ones. And I think that he has stepped up to the point that it's that. And my hat's off to him. It's about time you see somebody in the professional game, put the saddle on their back and say, follow me. $175 million up to that money he's making. And he's saying that, Evan. Yeah, I mean, I think, I think Rich Eisen talked about it.

He said, if I'm a Bengals fan, I take what Joe Brose side is exciting. I think it's exciting that he's saying, you know, I'm all in this year. We're going to go out and do it. Like, he said, I'm manifesting it. Like, I'm manifesting that we're going to go to the playoffs. We're going to win the Super Bowl. And that instills confidence into me as a fan. And I'm sure that he still is confidence into all the players as well.

Like coach said, I'm putting on the saddle. I'm going to, I'm going to carry us here. And I think from my quarterback. who every time I turn on my TV, I hear, when's he leaving Cincinnati? He needs to leave Cincinnati. And I don't know if he hears that or not, but he's like, all right, guys, it's time to put up or shut up. I'm going to go put it, make it happen and show you guys that I'm one of the best

quarterbacks in this league. And I think, I think exactly for him to be in those conversations with, you know, Mahomes and Allen, he's got to get back to the playoffs and he's got to make a deep run. And I think he sees that. He sees the urgency. And I think he knows this team can do it. Here's the other thing. And you mentioned Brich Eisen.

my all-time favorites. So here's another thing I took away from what Joe Burrow said. All right. The value of local sports reporting in a city like Cincinnati. Smaller market, mid-market, right? It's not New York, L.A., Dallas, Philly, Green Bay, if we're talking NFL. All right? And you want to compare Joe Burrow to LeBron in the sense that LeBron playing in Cleveland, he said in the 2016 NBA finals, that famous sound by before game three, follow my league. He put that team on his back. LeBron had to learn, I'm the best player. Follow me.

Let him to four NBA titles, maybe more. But back to the local sports reporting and why it matters. So Gabby Sorrentino, let me catch you up there, goes from Fox 19, good friend of the show. She posted a reel on her Instagram about what Joe Burrow said on Thursday. and she highlighted things that Joe Burrow did not say and is not going to do. She adamantly said, this is not Joe Burrough saying he's going to retire after this season. This is not Joe Burrough saying that this is it for him after this season. Bam, squashed any narrative that the national media may try to spin.

After everything the Bengals did this offseason, this was Joe Burrow saying the expectation is to win the Super Bowl this year. Then there's James Rupin. Good friend of this show, former host of Lockdown Bengals, now the host of First Word since he does a tremendous job. He's a voice of the fans. He's there in the Bengals building.

Well connected. Knows the team like the back of his hand. He tells you how you should interpret anything that Joe Burrough says. The point in this is, trust the Bengals beat. When it comes to a mid market and when it comes to a smaller market, This is where local sports reporting matters. They're there every single day. They cover this team 365, 24-7.

What we now know is that you cannot trust the national media. And look, there are some personalities that are really good. Rich Eisen, as Evan you alluded to. Adam Schein, you can trust him. Jordan Schultz. Others, though, I've spent years trying to justify what they've said about the Bengals. I've come to a point where it's like, why am I listening to them? Why?

They're just trying to make us think of a narrative that may not be true. They're not there. So that's why you should listen to Lockdown Bengals. You should listen to The Bengals Squad Show. You should listen to first word with James Rupin, Marissa Kantepelle, and Jacob Disset. We're rational. We're measured. We're knowledgeable.

We're right there on the scene. This is why local sports reporting matters. And this is what you should actually believe what Joe Burrow is saying. He understands he's from Ohio. He knows where he comes from. He understands the gravity of playing quarterback for the Bengals. He's not leaving. He's not going anywhere.

The only place he's going is L.A. and February again, this time with a different result. I absolutely. I agree with you 100%. And you know what? There was a podcast that we had who might have been during the season last year that this topic came up of, you know what? The local media because of the fact, you know what, and you've had Gabby on the show. She's incredible at her reporting. We've got Joe with us.

at least once a week. And Joe has done a phenomenal job. We've had Jake on. I mean, there is the knowledge of this, not only this football team, because it's ever changing, but of this organization and of the Joe Burroughs that have been here for eight years.

They've been here through the ups. They've been here through the downs, and their reporting stays consistent. Thank you. And honest. Yeah. They're not like the national media. They've gotten to the national media part of it for splash,

kind of the shock and awe because you haven't heard about the Bengals in a while. So let me tell you what Joe Burrow does, even though I've never met it. That's their attitude going into it. Hey, it used to sell newspapers, but there aren't any newspapers anymore. You know, but if you listen to the law, local guys. I mean, I learn something every day when I'm listening to yourself and to Joe. And when Gabby comes on, it's like, this is incredible. This is great. This is great insight that I wish I would have had or would have, I should have said, not had because it was probably there. I just never asked.

I was always told, hey, you know, those guys just walk by and say, hey, there's no comment, even though they didn't want to talk to you anyway. So, Yeah, no, the local media is awesome. Another guy, Mike Petralia. Absolutely. Incredible. Evan, real quick, your final thoughts on this, what's been a really riveting segment.

Yeah. I mean, I think echoing everything you guys said, the Cincinnati media, they do such a great job. And I listen to James Rapine every single day. I watch First Word, anything that I need to, when I'm doing research or need to know anything about the Bengals, I go to him first. And so after Bro made his comments,

first thing I did was watch this video on it and watched him clear it up. And so I think, you know, like you guys said, they're on the ground. They've been there for a handful of years. They know how these players interact and what they're actually doing. And the national media just looks at it and says, okay, how can we turn this into a social media hit? Or how can we make this into a viral clip? They don't look at the whole picture and try to, you know, see it from where the guys we are. So I think the local reporting is so huge.

And I think there's so many people like you guys all mentioned. that do such a great job. I could go on and on, but the great local reporters covering this team. And Fox 19, the flagship, they do an unbelievable job. Every news station in the city of Cincinnati, Channel 9, WLWT, where I used to intern and Local 12, they do an unbelievable job covering this team. And we are very thankful for that. Up next, it's not just Joe Burrow that's conveying a high sense of urgency.

There's also somebody else. I'll tell you who that is coming up next. Bengals, Watch, Show, Postgame Edition, tonight brought to you by Cal She. I can pull up the script here. There we go. Before the season even kicks off, everyone's making predictions. Who wins the division? Who makes the playoffs? Who's lifting the trophy at seasons? Well, on Cal She, which is America's number one prediction market platform, you can trade those predictions in a live market. So for instance, can the Bengals win at least 13 games this season? Spoiler alert. That's my record prediction for them. So Cincinnati is currently trending. at 21% to win 13 games, meaning a $100 trade pays out at $349.34. Corrections, a 29% chance with a $100 payout. You would get $349.34 if they've reached 13 wins. On Cal She, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there's no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position. Trade the drag. The game and more on CalShe.

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Zach Taylor, I really think, understands the gravity of the situation in this season. Listen to his press conferences. Listen to his interviews with Joe Danneman before halftime of the first two preseason games. He's not giving you any fluff. He's going into very minute detail, very specific details. I mean, he was talking last week in the locker about how they need to improve on four-minute offense. What they do this week, worked on four-minute offense.

he's showing his sense of urgency and I love it. Oh, you know what? And just like you had mentioned Alex right now is his sound bites are not coach speak. Nope. Any longer or I should say as he normally does this post game deals, it's like, oh, Humana, humana, humana next. You know, he is coming out and he is very, very deep. on exactly he is speaking to the team through the media, which the great head coaches do,

instead of just giving the company line, like ownership really wants you to do all the time. And I think that he knows that, hey, this too, and you can kind of see that he and Joe Burrow are on the same page. He's just not in a position to say it like Joe is, where Joe is. arguably the best quarterback in the league, he is not quite up there with the Sean McVease because he hadn't won. Yeah. And that's his only reason. So he has, he is coming out and he's a little bit sharper.

And I think that as you can see through two preseason games, that he has really taken the bull by the horns and decided that instead, I mean, just like this week. Instead of two days of practice, joint practice, he wanted one great work day. And regardless, he got it on film and used that to coach off of all of his veterans on the team in order that they can get better. And I think that that was very valuable to him. Yeah, I think he definitely feels the pressure. I think he said in some interview he said, you know, He feels the pressure of missing the playoffs for the last three seasons. He feels, I think he said he feels like the black cloud around him.

But I think it's good. I think you want your coach to be coaching with some urgency coaching that, hey, if I do put results in, this might be my last time as the head coach of the Bengals. You want that. You want him to come sharp as a play caller and as a leader. You want that in your locker room. And I think it's great. I think, you know, and I think some of Joe's comments as well also reflect off of

Zach Taylor and say, hey, this is it. This is the time we got to do it. I think Zach Taylor, like you guys said, is echoing that just in a different wording. And, you know, go ahead. No, no, you go ahead. You know, he had, you know, we've, last year with new coaching staff and everything, it was, you know, a little bit different.

But now he's got that same coaching staff there. So that builds confidence as well. Second year with Al Golden, they're good friends. So now kind of going back to what I said about there's not many excuses. There's really not many excuses for. or Zach Taylor if he can't execute this year? We all talk about Joe Burrow and the pressure that he's putting on himself and the urges that he's conveying.

Watching the game tonight, I'm like, Zach Taylor could be the X factor this season. Because as much as Joe Burrow feels that the Bengals haven't made the playoffs the last three years, he feels it too. And the Bengals opted for continuity when it comes to their coaching staff this offseason, while the other three AFC North teams did not. I think Zach Taylor realizes that. And I think he's saying, okay, the front office is really giving not only the players, but me, everything that I need to go out there and coach his team.

And you watch the joint practice on Thursday with the highlights that came out of it, the videos that you saw on social media, I was there. I can tell you there was a sense of urgency at that joint practice. I can tell you that I walked away from that joint practice feeling a lot better about this team than I did going into it. Okay? Because like Joe Burrow, Doc Taylor's been to the precipice at the top,

near the top. But he's looking for ways to get better. The confidence in him is growing for me. So this is really good to see. I mean, the fact that he wrote 6 and 11 on the whiteboard before training camp. And keep in mind, a lot of players on this team weren't here last year. But a lot of them were. He's pushing the right buttons right now.

He's the CEO of this team managing with all the personalities and all the alphas that they have. And through two preseason games, it's working. Absolutely. Hey, just look at the comment we made a week ago. You know, one of the big subject matters that came up was on fourth and eight, we decided not to let McPherson kick it and throw it. What do he do today?

He let McPherson kick it from 58. Excellent point, coach. Three points. I mean, that's like feeling the whole. whole game and saying, you know what, what other opportunities that young man have live to kick a field goal like that and let you place him in that? And he did it to the point where, hey, there's three more points. Take them why you can. And I think that that was a learning experience. And you say, you know, we should have that. No, that's the difference in football,

unlike any other sport, analytics don't necessarily matter because of the fact that every situation is different. There are no, you can't just, it's not cookie-cutter where you can do this and you have a, you have a stat on an individual,

well, oh yeah, he's three-for-four against this guy, and so I'm going to make him the guy. Well, no. Football is ever-changed. It's momentum. It's everything else. And that's what I think Jack is, or Jack, Zach has matured to the point as a head football coach, he feels confident in his staff. And he's saying, okay, boys, this is the plan. This is how we're going to win. This is what I want to see. Cut it loose. And I think that that's a good thing for Cincinnati, for the Bengals and for the fans of Cincinnati. Yeah, I felt like today he was aggressive when he needed to be. He had a few. you know, third and shorts and fourth downs that he, you know, attempted to go for. And then when he needed to, you know, pull back and be like, hey, let's just get some points on the board. He did that.

And I think, I think that's big. And that's something that sometimes at times we question, like, hey, does he really, he kind of, it feels like he's not confident in his decision. Like, hey, should we, you know, kick a field goal here or should we or should we go for it? I always look back at the Ravens game a few years ago where he ran in a bunch and then, you know, try to kick the field goal. Yeah. But I think, yeah, I think my confidence in him has definitely gone way up over this preseason in training camp. And I mean, this offense, I mean, Josh Johnson started this whole game and he scored 27 points.

So, I mean, that's with guys who are fighting to be on the roster and rookies. And, you know, he got a lot out of them. And so I think that's big that everyone's invested in that he's buying in as well. And that I think, like you said, coach, I think you can really see the maturity this year more than other years. You know what? And you look at the first drive of the game. You know, first of all, Chicago, they take it down there, and they're moving the ball. But they bent, but they didn't break.

Exactly. That was huge. Offensively, they got the ball, and there were some, excuse me, there were some mistakes, but he had confidence in the system. And the system continued to take them down the field. And I think that that was a good thing because there wasn't pretty. I mean, we had penalties. We had pre-snap penalties.

We had mistakes up front. There were all kinds of things. But the system allowed them not to be devastating. They allowed them to continue to roll because they hit those short underneath passes, those eight to tens. Didn't have to realize they were underneath. They were back off. And now no one talked about the under the center game because it was natural. It felt natural.

Even in the fourth quarter when the fourth team quarterback came in and he's throwing play actions. And they're moving the ball down the field without a lot of runs. Yeah. But they were working on the play action scheme of it. and they were getting chunks. And they kept it moving the ball because the system is starting to come together for them. And I think that is very good. My hat's off to them.

One of the notes I made in my notes for the show tonight is the fact that the Bengals bent but didn't break on defense in the first half. The Bears moved the ball. But unlike last year where the Bears finished a lot of those drives with touchdowns, the Bengals defense bowed up. Like they made the Bears work for their point. that kept him out of the end zone tonight. And that was important. And the joint practice, you saw the defense finish practice.

Dexter Lawrence with a pick. Jalen Davis with a pick. And for Zach Taylor, who has been very true to himself in terms of his positivity and believing that he knows what he's doing and the buttons that he's pushing, maybe it led to some Americans in 2024 when he decided to run the ball all those times that have an issue alluded to and then kick the field goal against the Ravens. I think Zach Taylor has reset himself this offseason coming into this season. He's still very confident what he's doing and what this team is doing,

but you're seeing the growth mindset that this team has, and that is going to benefit them incredibly this season. Up next to conclude the show, stock up and stock down. And I think you know one of the players that's going to be on this list. All right, both of you give me one word to describe Landon Robinson. Oh, wow. Wow. Yeah. I tell you what, that young man is bursting on the scene.

He has an energy about himself. And even though, okay, by no means is he the second coming of Jonathan Allen or Dexter Lawrence. But I'm telling you what, he is disruptive. and he's making plays. And my hat's off to him. Yeah, I mean, he was a beast tonight. He had, I think he had ended with a sack and a half. And, you know, he had a sack last game as well.

And the sack he had today was really impressive. And that got me energized. And yeah, he's just a big ball of energy. And every time he makes a play, he gets super excited. And another thing is, I think he's had like three or four holding calls being called on him. So he's, he's, you know, the offensive line guys are having trouble containing him. And for a seventh round rookie to come in and make this big of an impact and big of a difference

is huge. And I'm loving what I'm seeing from him. And I think he's been just great so far. Very easily on my stock up for players. I have a lot of players. Obviously, we talked about Dante Myers and Kobe Young in the opening segment. I thought Taj Brooks did some good things tonight. He's on my stock up.

Tanner Hudson. Obviously, he's been here a while, but had a good show. tonight. Josh Johnson. I mean, a rough first outing last week against Detroit, but tonight against the Bears, he was confident, he was accurate, and he was slinging it. Well, you know what? That goes from coming in in the middle of the third quarter as opposed to starting the game. Yeah. And he knew what the plan was. He prepared himself as the starter. And he felt comfortable with everybody were around him and he he just went about his business he showed that his comfort level and that he's a true pro yeah i mean he was making making all the right majority of the right

place getting the easy stuff the quick outs um and then when he needed to on third and 10 third to 15 putting the ball right where he needs to to guys like colby young and that that touchdown he threw to cobi young that was a beautiful ball yeah but uh my favorite my favorite player from him was he It was a read option. He kept it and juked out the Bears defender. At 40 years old, he still looks like he's got some legs under him. So that was good to see. Yeah, you know what?

I don't believe that is in the game plan. Yeah. The Reed part of it with either the other two quarterbacks. So that was, hey, Josh, show us what you got. And he went out and showed him. I thought that was great. He said Joe Flacco against Pittsburgh last year on Thursday night football when he ran for that first down. Kishon Williams, I think, is going to be really interesting to see where he ends

when it comes to cut down day next week and then Evan McPherson. I mean, what can you say about the guy? Like, he has had an unbelievable training game. He's only missed two field goals, and I was at the practice where he missed those two. All he did tonight was boom one from 58 yards. And here's the thing that is really promising. You knew when he was sent out for the kick that he was going to make it. Well, that's a good feeling to have.

Oh, yeah. When you've got a guy, you've got a weapon like him. Oh, and the punter as well. I mean, both of them. Those are weapons. And they are very, very sharp weapons and can create damage, very slow death if you put the game in Evan McPherson's hands. Because he is going to get points. And you may win a game all out of the bucks during the dungeon eras.

You may win the game nine to six, nine to seven. but it's a W. And that is key. Yep. Win's a win. I mean, it can't be stated enough. Any players that I have not mentioned that you guys had in Stockup, we got about three minutes before we conclude tonight's show. You know what?

Going back, reverting back, it was nice to see Taz show up again today. Yeah. I don't know what his mindset was like last week, but for him to uncharacteristically drop a pass. and today he reversed it and made yards after the catch. There wasn't a tremendous amount with that particular line in the running game, but he did get more than what was there. I thought that he made, definitely made a step up. I think we hit everybody.

I think, you know, Myers Young were obviously phenomenal. And like you said, Alex, when McPherson out there, I was like, he's going to make this. And that's a great feeling to have a new kicker, that supreme confidence that 50 plus he can nail it. And so a lot of good performances today. I was really happy with what we saw from these guys today. You know what? The other thing that if I may interrupt, I thought that the old line, the young guys in the during that played this game, they did a better job of protecting the passer than they did rushing the football.

The interior. And that is more natural because of the systems that they came from than the nuances with the running the ball game in terms of techniques. So I really thought that they did a pretty good job of that. I mean, you look at the first one. They brought, shoot, he brought 11. I mean, he brought every. It was zero coverage. And if it wasn't for the three technique and the safety being in the same gap and the.

and the left gore blocking two, they, that was certain death. And what happened? The completion of Meyer got a first down. Hey, keep the ball moving. Yeah, I don't want to spend too much time on the stock down. I'll just say my three real quick. Josh Newton allowed a big catch and obviously a rough training camp for him. Cody Ford and Jaylor Rivers tonight, not particularly great.

That's going to be a topic of conversation, backup tackle that we will talk about next week. I'll say two more on stock up. Zach Taylor and Dan Pitcher. Now, Dan Pitcher was calling the plays tonight. Consider that topic, A, on our show next week. Programming, no, we are going to do a midweek show next week before our post game show next Friday night, which Evan, you'll be with us after the Bengals Eagles game Friday night,

national televised game on CBS. So good to see the Bengals on national TV and the preseason. But on our show in the midweek, Dan Pitcher called the play tonight. What exactly does that mean, particularly for Zach Taylor, plus more on the backup tackle spot. And coach brought it up earlier. We'll talk about it. Just the preseason manifest in the regular season.

We'll kind of put a unique spin on that topic. Plus, Miles Murphy or Cassius Howell? Who starts in week one? That's going to get very interesting coming up next week. I got about a minute, Coach Evan. Final thoughts on tonight. A winning night for the Bengals 2 and 0 in the preseason. You know what?

My final thoughts was this game, more so than last week, was more entertaining. Because they looked like they were having a good time. They were having fun. And, you know, you didn't even notice. Usually you could tell when I kept looking, who is not in the game? Who has not taken a snap? and it was all the young guys that took it the entire game. It was nice to see Ivy back out there getting more reps.

It was nice to see that, but as far as I like to see the linebackers take more reps, I would have liked to have seen maybe a sprinkle of some other guys. But hey, it's getting to that point camp where they're all getting a little beat up. They deserve the night off. Yeah, I love seeing the. the defense been and not break against the first team offense for the Bears. I thought that was really good. Seeing a lot of these young wide receivers make a lot of big plays.

And whenever you put 27 points on the board and let the other team not score a touchdown, that's always a great day. So a lot of positives from today and was really, really happy with what I saw. And it was definitely a lot more of exciting game than last week for sure. Great finished by the defense too. Absolutely. Yep. I mean, considering what the Bears offense is, tackling tonight was really good.

I made that note in my notes, tackling tonight, rallying to the ball. was really, really good. That's going to do it for us tonight. Thank you for staying up with us. I know it's late 1141 on the East Coast and Eastern Times on Coach Arr-Belero. Evan Stacey who runs our locked-on Bengals hit account. I'm Alex Franki-Frekke-Endes-Gornetti. Join Jake Lisko and Joe Goodberry tomorrow when their post-game recap comes out,

as they will have plenty to say on tonight's game between the Bengals and the Bears. Coach, you and I are back midweek. Evan will see you on Friday night as the Bengals take on the Philadelphia Eagles and preseason game number three. We are the Bengals Squad Show, the twice a week long-form conversational supplement to the Daily Lockdown Bengals podcast, hosted by Jake Liscoe, and Joe Gober. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day, celebrating 10 years of being your team every day and the number one sports podcast, the American America and the world. Bengals win 27 and 9. Have a great rest of your weekend. We'll talk to you later this week on the Bengals Squad Show.