Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Cincinnati Bengals "intensified" efforts to extend Ja'Marr Chase, and we answer your questions about Joe Burrow ahead of Week 1

Starting point is 00:00:00 It is officially week one. Where's Jamar Chase? Will the Bengals get the deal done? Let's get into it again. You are Locked-on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What on Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the Locked-on Bengals podcast. I'm your host, Jake Liskow.

Starting point is 00:00:31 He's your host, James Rapine. Week 1 is here, and so is Locked-on Bengals. the lockdown podcast that we're covering your team every day. We're on YouTube. We're everywhere you get your podcast. And if you're new to the show, you can always subscribe to make sure you don't miss a thing as we cover the Bengals throughout this 2024 season and, of course, beyond. Welcome back to the everydayers.

Starting point is 00:00:53 And shout out to all of you who make us your first list. And we appreciate every single one of you so much. And today's episode is sponsored by PrizePix, the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports right now at prizepix.com. slash locked on promo code locked on NFL will get you $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive that $50 bonus at prize picks where you can run your game. James, we've got a mailbag for the people today. We haven't done them for a while.

Starting point is 00:01:24 And with week one here, practices starting on Monday in full effect, regular season schedule and everything. Well, we figured we can take some questions. the first of those questions comes from Lalyn at El Nye the Cy guy on Twitter. And Layland would like to know what our thoughts are on the chances that we witnessed Mike Brown in the front office get a deal done

Starting point is 00:01:48 for Jamar Chase before week one. And further, is there a chance that Jamar is stubborn enough to sit out this season? He also thanks us for our Bengals contributions. Well, thank you for listening, chiming into the mailbag watching. And look, do I think

Starting point is 00:02:05 it's more likely than not that Jamar Chase is in uniform when Dan Hurley is leading the Houdet Chan as ruler of the jungle. I do. I think Jamar Chase is more likely to be in uniform than not. Is it possible that he misses some time?

Starting point is 00:02:21 I'm not going to dismiss that or rule that out if something doesn't get done. And I think that is probably the Bengals approach as well. And why we are where we are here with as we record one week, literally almost one week where it's 1240 Eastern time right now on Sunday as we record this so 20 minutes

Starting point is 00:02:41 away from kickoff a week from now so literally a week away and look I think Jamar is certainly preparing to play mentally you have to right at the same time the fact that he skipped practice didn't participate in practice skipped is the wrong word didn't participate in practice after returning last week for a couple of sessions that weren't open to the media, message sent. It's very clear what he wants and he's serious about it. I mean, that was a huge thing to do in that situation and to miss both of those practices to not be suited up, to not be participating. So do I think there's a chance that Jamar misses sometime?

Starting point is 00:03:27 Yes. Do I think he sits out the entire season? No, zero chance. So it depends on how you want to look at it that way. at the same time, from a deal standpoint, I'm cautiously optimistic that they can get something done. And what I keep coming back to, Jake, when I think about this scenario, because you can look at it a bunch of different ways. And everyone has at this point, if you're listening, you've thought about it. If you're watching, you've thought about it.

Starting point is 00:03:51 You have your thoughts on, he has two years left. Maybe the Bengals should do it because he's Jamar Chase and we know how valuable he is. Or he has two years left on his deal. He should honor his contract. Like, you feel how you feel by now. But I do think that Mike Brown and the Bengals know there is a difference between Jamar Chase, Joe Burrow, and the rest of the roster. Like, those two dudes are your dudes. And this idea that veterans aren't going to understand it or they're going to want this or they're going to want that or it sets a precedent, that sounds good.

Starting point is 00:04:27 But literally no one that you take in the draft, I mean, who knows. knows what happens in the future. Amarius Mims isn't going to be Jamar Chase. He's not. He might be awesome, but he's not. Dax Hill is not Jamar Chase. Miles Murphy is not Jamar Chase. So this idea that it sets a precedent for future first round picks to sit out after three years and enforce a deal, I don't think it necessarily does that. I think Jamar is that dude. I think Mike Brown knows he's that dude. And Jamar certainly knows it. And so that's why I do think there's some optimism, at least on my end, that they get something done before the start of the regular season. A few things that I wanted to add.

Starting point is 00:05:05 One, is it even a bad thing if it sets the precedent for doing deals after year three if you have a player that's good enough to justify that kind of expenditure? Sure. Probably not. That's probably not a bad thing. There's a reason perhaps that this has become a trend in the NFL in 2024 with a number of first round picks who were very, very good, top of their position, got those early extensions.

Starting point is 00:05:28 And that even went beyond the first round, which is where it makes more sense because you don't have that fifth year of team control. Second thing, you mentioned Jamar Chase mentally preparing to get ready for week one. And Zach Taylor talked about this as mentioning he's been mentally engaged in all meetings as normal. We also had the report in training camp where we saw him heading out with Freddie Knighton to the practice field with, you know, football helmet to get some extra work in. Apparently in the indoor facility, we had a report from Laurel Fowler on August 20th. 9th. She was still in the locker room. Jamar Chase just walked into the locker room. She tweeted with cleats and gloves in hand well after the other players arrived. She said appears he got some work in. So we've seen him continuing to get small individual workouts and even though he's not there for the primary practice, which could be part of the reason Zach Taylor and the players remain publicly behind and I believe privately behind and in support of Jamar Chase as they've worked through the business side of things. And then you have the Jeremy Fowler report.

Starting point is 00:06:34 And this happened over the weekend. Jeremy Fowler said the Bengals were, quote, intensifying or they had, quote, intensified their efforts to get a deal done with Jamar Chase. He said there was, I don't remember if he said cautious optimism, the way that you did, James, but he referenced optimism in the building that things could get done. Also referenced a complication that this is a deal with two years left on it. And that is something that is unfamiliar territory for the Bengals, certainly, outside of Chimborough.

Starting point is 00:07:05 And in addition to that, as we all know, it's coming down most likely to issues around guarantees, to issues around structure. These are, again, unprecedented territory for the Bengals to deal with in non-quarterback situations. And so those are the hurdles for the Bengals, but Jeremy Fowler usually pretty in touch with what's going on with this team as far as the national reporters go. And I think you can take that report that the Bengals had intensified efforts, at least somewhat seriously,

Starting point is 00:07:37 as we're really in crunch time here. If Jamar Chase doesn't practice Monday, doesn't practice Wednesday, then you kind of get a feel for what his stance is as far as participation in week one if he doesn't have the deal. Yeah, yeah, I think we're going to certainly know this week how close things are, Because if he practices, that probably means, one, he's preparing to play. Two, there's at least some trending in the right direction.

Starting point is 00:08:09 And if not, then I'm uneasy for a bunch of reasons. One, I don't want Jamar just trotting out there. Even if he's working out on the side, in this practice, practices this week aren't going to be crazy intense. They aren't. Now, you have install Wednesday, but you want them out there. but I think the walkthroughs are important too and the good thing is

Starting point is 00:08:28 is he can participate in those and hide from the media because those aren't open to the media and so we won't know exactly what he's doing unless Zach is willing to offer that and share that. So there's a ton of a ton of things that go into it. I do want to dismiss one thing.

Starting point is 00:08:44 And no, I'm not, I don't have access to Mike Brown and the Bengals bank accounts. But there's this weird narrative that are we sure they have the cash flow? and that's just out there. And yes, they have the cash flow. Like, I promise you that is in it.

Starting point is 00:09:02 It's the business side of things of finding the sweet spot guaranteed money-wise, finding the sweet spot years-wise, which at this stage, I think, has to be for if they get something done, which makes the guarantees even tougher, I would say, than if you did a three-year extension. But obviously, there's reasons why that would make sense.

Starting point is 00:09:21 And you've hit on this, too, a bunch. It makes sense. Even though the market for wide receivers is set, and I say set in quotes because Garrett Wilson could crush that. What if Garrett Wilson pulls a CD lamb and has 1,700 yards this year? He could reset the market next year. The Jets might have to go that route, right? And so this idea that the market is set, well, yeah, it's set for right now.

Starting point is 00:09:45 And so if the Bengals can get something done with Jamar right now, it would make it easier to spread that money out, to give them future flexibility. and that's why you do the deal like you did with Joe Burrow and he gave you five, asked Jamar for four, spread it out over six. Hopefully we're talking about that at some point this week, Jake. Speaking of Joe Burrow, his contract extension was announced as the chiefs took the field for Thursday night football last year. We'll see if that happens again or not for Jamar Chase this year.

Starting point is 00:10:14 But we have some questions about the Bengals franchise quarterback, including how the Bengals may or may not protect him differently going forward coming up next. Today's show is brought to by Game Time. Game Time is the app you need in your life right now because it's Game Week. It's Bengals, it's Patriots. You're probably thinking of going to Paycourt Stadium. Maybe you don't have your tickets yet. That's fine because game time is going to make it easy.

Starting point is 00:10:43 The new feature they have is called Game Time Picks. And it makes getting tickets for your favorite live events like Bengals games, like a Bengals opener against the Patriots, that much easier. They filter out all of the fluff to show you incredible deals. on great seats so you don't have to waste your time searching through thousands of tickets. They have all in pricing that shows the exact amount. There's no hidden fees. And by the way, you're going to see the exact view that you're going to have from your seat

Starting point is 00:11:08 with their panoramic views right from the app. So you have to get in on the action right now with GameTime because you're going to want to go to Bengals games this year. And the way to do it, the easiest way to do it is with GameTime. So take the guestwork out of buying tickets with GameTime by downloading the GameTime app, creating an account and using code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N-N-N-FL-N-FL-N-FL-FL-N-FL-FL-N-FEL.

Starting point is 00:11:36 What time is it? Game Time. This episode of Lockdown-Bengals is also sponsored by BetterHelp. And if there's something you would love to learn, because as an adult, it can be hard to make time to learn new things, learn new skills. We've maybe lost that childlike sense of wonder in some cases. We know kids are always learning and growing, and it can be hard. Maybe it's gardening.

Starting point is 00:11:58 Maybe it's a new language. Maybe you want to finally beat your friend at the bowling alley. Well, therapy can help you reconnect with that sense of wonder because your back-to-school era can come at any age. Better help can help you get there by targeting specific goals with a licensed therapist, and it makes it really easy, suited to your schedule, flexible, all online. All you have to do to get started is fill out a brief questionnaire, and you will get match with a licensed therapist. And if that therapist is not the perfect fit for you, you can switch it anytime for no additional charge. Rediscover your curiosity with BetterHelp. You can check it out

Starting point is 00:12:33 at BetterHelp.com slash locked on today. You'll get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, help.com slash locked up. From Jamar to Joe. The Bengals are hoping to go from Joe to Jamar when it comes to a long-term huge extensions for their stars. But we're going to go from Jamar to Joe because White Tiger Zord at Tiger Zord 555 shout out to White Tiger Zord. Power Rangers for life, baby. He says Joe Burrow is the best player on the team. We want the ball in his hands, but a healthy running game limits his long-term exposure to injury. Do you think it's time this team attempts to be balanced or is it going to be full-on air raid?

Starting point is 00:13:18 I think that there is merit to improving the efficiency. of the running game. And we've seen that in the past. This team has generally not prioritized the running game very highly. We see them getting cheaper running back this year, not really investing beyond running back to this year. They bring in Kendall Milton, of course, to the practice squad. And we talked about that last week,

Starting point is 00:13:43 if you're interested in our thoughts on some of the external practice squad guys. But there's no indication this year that there is going to be a huge effort to be more balanced, quote unquote. This is a team that will continue to use a screen game as an extension of the running game. This is a team that still wants the ball in Joe Burroughs hands. I don't think we've seen any indication that that is going to change. So one thing, and we'll get to this in segment three, that I think we will see change. And there's a question about things that we've seen in the off season that we're excited to see translate to the regular season is I think we'll see more

Starting point is 00:14:17 under center game. And so we'll see some diversification of the run game this year, where under center gives you access to some run concepts that are just, much easier to run there, most prominently of which is outside zone where the angles just make a lot more sense when you're handing off to a running back from under center alignment than from a shotgun alignment where you're on one side rather than behind the quarterback, you get more two-way goes with the running back behind the quarterback. So you'll see some diversification in that sense if we see more of the undercenter game. And we'll talk more about some of those wrinkles we're expecting to see from the team this year,

Starting point is 00:14:51 translate from the offseason to the regular season. But I think for the foreseeable future, this is still a team that wants to throw the ball at time with Joe Burrow. Now, long term could that change? Could they go through transformations and iterations the way that the Kansas City Chiefs have, for example, with Patrick Mahomes where still on offense, they want to put the ball in Patrick Mahomes hands, but maybe there's a little bit more of a concentration on the running game in defense right now, or at least last year, maybe not so much this year.

Starting point is 00:15:18 Because of the personnel on that team, the personnel at some point will dictate. what you do from an offensive perspective. And I think we've seen that from the Bengals as well, where they will adapt as a coaching staff, their offensive approach based on what personnel are available to them. But this year, they are stocked for pass-catching weapons. Joe Burrow had a full, quote-unquote, healthy training camp, and we believe no reason not to believe that it was a healthy training camp,

Starting point is 00:15:43 the most normal training camp he has had, certainly. And they've added pass-protecting offensive linemen. they've got continuity on the on the offensive line as well. So certainly this year, I would say I'm expecting a heavy, heavily slanted passing attack from this Bengals offense. Yeah, absolutely. It's what they do. It is what they do. It's what they plan to do.

Starting point is 00:16:09 It's what's scariest for other teams. If you're the New England Patriots, and obviously we'll have plenty of time to talk about the matchup, but you know what you want the Bengals to do? Run the ball 30 times. You would love for the Bengals. to come into this game and say, yeah, we're going to run the ball. And we're really going to try to establish the run. And we're going to treat Joe Burrow like a guy who's coming off of the wrist injury and throw 30 times. Now, will there be some games where that happens?

Starting point is 00:16:35 Of course. And we've seen that, by the way. We've seen games where the Bengals go on the road. I'm thinking that Denver game a few years ago in the Super Bowl year, where they know it's just going to be a grinded out game. I'm sure there's going to be weeks like that. And that's why you have a two-headed monster that you do that is probably a better fit, at least on paper with Zach Moss and Chase Brown or Chase Brown and Zach Moss, than you've had in the past where these guys can run out of the gun and they're comfortable with it.

Starting point is 00:17:05 And they're comfortable doing all the things you're going to ask the running back to do. At the same time, we know the bread and butter. And the bread and butter is the guy that's making 55-milly per year with that contract extension, the wide receiver that's likely going to make 36 milly per year on an extension, and a guy in T. Higgins, who had the best training camp of his career. Those are your guys. And those are the guys you lean on. Those are the guys that I expect to put up huge numbers.

Starting point is 00:17:32 T's going to have a huge year, by the way. My expectations for T. Higgins are huge. Part of that is because I think this Bengals team is going to throw it a lot. So hopefully they can be more efficient, more explosive on the ground. But I never really think. that in this iteration with these weapons on the outside, that they're going to be a balanced team where they throw it 30 times and run it 30 times. There will be some weeks where that's the case, but that's not something that I would expect, even with this new look offense, with Joe's injury

Starting point is 00:18:04 history. I think that's why they go out and they get the pass blockers they've gotten. And you get a guy in Trent Brown, who's comfortable just pass blocking all game, if that's what you need him to do. Amarius Mims the same way from what we've seen. So I think that's part of it as well. I think the ideal is you throw the ball 30 times to start the game, you run the ball 30 times to finish the game. And that's a good way to get to 30 and 30. But that is not what people mean. I'm not bad.

Starting point is 00:18:28 How about that? On the same lines, at some point, Joe Burrow will get hit. And Michael Snyder at Soccerbees 515 on Twitter has the question, how concerned are you for that inevitable hit when Burrow will need to break his fall and put his hands out to catch himself? Throwing and gripping is not a concern for Michael Snyder, but the falls are a little bit concerning for him. And we've referenced this.

Starting point is 00:18:55 It's not something you can really train. It's not something that has happened to Joe Burrow, as far as we know in the preseason. So the first time he gets hit and goes to the ground, you're going to hold your breath a little bit? Yeah, of course. It's the one box he hasn't checked. I've seen him throw it deep.

Starting point is 00:19:11 I've seen him throw it short. I've seen him practiced well and joint practices. I've seen him play well in a preseason game and throw a touchdown pass and throw it deep to T. Higgins on a ball that was really close to being a deep touchdown. Like we've seen all of that. We haven't seen him get hit pop up. And that's the one box he has to check. He's going to check it on Sunday. And when he does, I think everyone's going to go, ah, and then we're going to keep moving forward.

Starting point is 00:19:36 But yeah, that is a box, much like it was in 2021 coming off of the ACL. Or you just, you have to check it. It's going to happen. And once it happens, I'm sure everyone will be like, all right, let's roll, including Joe. Imagine it doesn't happen week one. We'll be ecstatic. That will be a great thing for the Cincinnati Bengals. Yeah, he just doesn't get touched.

Starting point is 00:19:55 Just doesn't get touched. That's actually a better, that's a better plan. Let's roll with that one. We'll see that theory put to the test maybe like week 10. Until then, he's just not touched. Coming up next, some questions about week one. We shift our attention to that week one matchup a little bit and some expectations for how this regular season could start for the Cincinnati Bengals to finish the show. Prize Picks is America's number one daily fantasy sports app with over 5 million active members.

Starting point is 00:20:28 Prize Picks is the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports because it's you against the numbers. All you do is pick more or less on two to six player stat projections and watch the winnings roll in. Maybe Caleb Williams passing yards gets you one win on prize picks every week in September, by the way. So the number one overall pick, you can go with Caleb Williams. And if he gets one yard, he gets you an automatic win every football weekend in September. Four weeks of free Ws, don't miss this deal with prize picks. Now that we're in September, you got to get in on the action and download the prize picks app and use code locked on NFL to get $50 instantly when you play $5. That's code locked on NFL on prize picks to get $50 instantly when you play $5.

Starting point is 00:21:16 You don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus. It is guaranteed. Prize picks run your game. Longtime listeners of the Locktime Bengals podcast have heard me refer for at least one year, if not two, to week one weirdness. And that is the proclivity for week one in the NFL to produce results that are not predictive for the rest of the year. and don't really show up in large ways for the rest of the year.

Starting point is 00:21:44 Sometimes you see things in week one that are sustainable and dictate and predict the rest of the season for various teams, but a lot of times you see stuff that's just plain weird and doesn't recur for the rest of the year. So Drew at Drew Crabtree 12, someone who's listened to this show in the past, clearly. What's your concern level is a question for week one weirdness against the New England Patriots?

Starting point is 00:22:08 well it was much higher pre christian barmore injury and i hope you get get well soon uh with with what he's going through with the blood clots and then uh the matt judon trait i mean because if if you have those two guys you're talking about two guys that can impact that past first plan you're talking about a secondary that has christian gonzalez who i think is a heck of a player and a head coach, year one, there are things that you just don't know what to expect. So you have enough talent on defense plus all of the things that still exist from a weirdness standpoint. And then you also have Joe coming back from injury, Jamar coming back from not participating

Starting point is 00:22:52 in training camp, like all of these factors. Some of them will still be factors from the week one weirdness standpoint. But no bar more, no judan. I think that does alleviate it some at the same time. A lot of what I just said is still true. They have a new coach. There's a lot of unknowns with this New England Patriots team, young players that you should be able to handle, right, and handle your business against at the same time. Are we sure, Javon Baker, your guy from the draft doesn't get open and find his way for a deep touchdown?

Starting point is 00:23:26 Are we sure that that Patriots offensive line is going to be as bad? And everyone in New England thinks so. It is going to be as bad as what's on paper, or can they hold up a little bit against this defensive front? We'll see. But I think that that's a bunch of factors there, but that's one. And then the other factor here is Ramadje Stevenson got paid. You want to talk about 30 runs. Maybe he carries the ball 30 times.

Starting point is 00:23:51 Maybe the Patriots go that route. And can the Bengals stop it? So there's some weirdness. There's some concerns like there is every week. But not having Judan, not having Christian Barmore. I think that's a huge factor. Yeah, I think the teeth are largely out of this New England Patriots team. And obviously, there will be challenges to overcome, stopping the run, chief among those.

Starting point is 00:24:11 If the Patriots are going to do anything on offense, an offense led by Jacoby Brissette, Tyquan, Thornton, KJ Osborne, DeMario, Douglas with Jalyn Poulkin, Javon Baker, currently behind those guys on the depth chart of wide receiver. I would expect to we'll see both of them play. Hunter Henry is the scariest wide receiver currently at the top of their depth chart. And we'll see about Polk and Baker, of course. Like, that offense, if they can't run the ball, is not striking fear into the heart of defensive coordinators. And yes, there are questions about the Cincinnati Bengals secondary.

Starting point is 00:24:43 Can they have the bounce back year with the veteran safeties back there? And Dax Hills moved to outside corner. A good first test, to be sure. So the weirdness there could come from, can they not handle the run at all against a team that clearly, I think, is going to want to run the ball, given their quarterback, given their weapons? Do they have issues with a tight end in Hunter Henry? And Bengals fans love to point out the team's rough history of defending good tight ends. And I don't think that should be an issue this week, but you never know it could be. I would say that my concern for weirdness would be much higher if Drake May was starting.

Starting point is 00:25:20 But as of now, that's Jacoby Brissette. It's not going to be the rookie, very talented quarterback because, well, that quarterback could be more of a hit sponge than a quarterback in this game if the Patriots have to throw the ball. So that's part of the decision calculus there. And I agree with a lot of what you said on the defense. The big question would be the secondary, I think, is good for New England. And so if Mark Chase isn't out there, then things could definitely get weird as far as guys getting open consistently for this Bengals offense. Yeah, I think it's a game they should win. We'll discuss it from every angle this week.

Starting point is 00:25:58 But there's still an opportunity for weirdness. the Jacoby Percette thing he's honestly he's in that position where he's showing or trying to show everyone that he isn't a clipboard holder and that's like if if he gets benched say week three

Starting point is 00:26:14 that's it he's going to be a clipboard holder holder for the rest of his career and so that's what he's trying to stave off a little bit longer and so we'll see but I like a lot of their young pieces I just think they're there are ways away and they know it

Starting point is 00:26:29 and when Christian Barmore went out They were like, okay, let's trade Matt Judon instead of pay him. Let's reset a little bit. To me, not rolling with Drake May, it's another example of let's protect him and look to the future because of how bad this offensive line is. So, yeah, there's always a chance for things to be weird, but this is also a game that Bengals should win, even if the weirdness does happen. Even if crazy stuff does happen, the Bengals should win it. And by the way, I'm sure a lot of our listeners are cringing from that thought. Or if you're watching on YouTube, you're like, oh, man, I just don't like that feeling.

Starting point is 00:27:05 And I get it. But that's the reality of where this team is versus where the Patriots are. The thing about week one weirdness is you usually can't predict it. That's what makes it weird. It's hard to, hard to anticipate it. If we can anticipate it, it would be much less weird. Next question here comes from Matthew Duffy at Matthew J. Duffy 22 on Twitter. what are you most excited to see translate from the off season to the regular season for this team?

Starting point is 00:27:32 To translate. I mean, to me, I think it's the versatility, or at least the idea of versatility on offense, where they can do a bunch of different things. Because if this team is going to reach its full potential, part of it is, oh, well, they can beat you going under center. They can beat you shotgun. They can beat you with Mike Asicki leading the way out of the slot. They can beat you if you double Jamar and T because both guys are just awesome.

Starting point is 00:28:07 They can beat you in all of these ways on offense. And I think over the past, I would say a year and a half, we haven't seen as many explosive plays. It certainly hasn't felt that way. Part of it is because everyone knew or had an idea of what their goals were on offense, what they were trying to do. Joe's still awesome. this offense was still really good, especially in that five-game stretch

Starting point is 00:28:30 where Joe looked like his normal self last year. At the same time, I want to see that evolution, and I'm excited to see it. And I think that's what needs to translate for them to reach their full potential. Is this offense hitting a gear that we really haven't seen?

Starting point is 00:28:45 Because even when they've been at their best over the past couple of years, it's been inconsistent. And so I think that there's a chance that it's much more consistent because of all the wrinkles, because of the ways they can evolve mid-game, depending on what defenses are doing to them because of their personnel and how unique it is this year. Yeah, I think the influence of Justin Ruscatti and Dan pitcher is what I'm interested to see there.

Starting point is 00:29:08 The additional emphasis on under center work, the additional emphasis on pre-snap motion, motion at the snap from this team could be steps toward, quote-unquote, modernizing the offense out as a trend that I'm interested to see. but on the other side of the ball, the emphasis from the coaching staff, from players on the defensive side of the ball, all offseason has been, the return of Von Bell, the addition of Geno Stone, have solidified our communication, and that has made a significant impact on the defense.

Starting point is 00:29:38 I want to see that translate to the regular season, where we're not holding our breath on every single slot-fade, offenses try to run against the Bengals, where we're not seeing them get gashed by the run for an entire game. I want to see that impact on the defensive side of the ball and the solidification of that of the defense this year and the return to form because that is something that we saw in training camp and we saw at times in the preseason from even the second stringers

Starting point is 00:30:05 so if we're talking about something translating from the offseason from training camp to the regular season that is most prominent in my mind is this defense has been very successful in this preseason process and let's see if that goes to the regular season. Yeah, I think I'm not really concerned about the secondary element, or at least the safeties. I'm just not. I think Von Bell, by the way, Von Bell a little lighter chatted with him about that because I was like, man, Von looks, and it's just a few pounds, but he kept the strength up.

Starting point is 00:30:38 And when you do that in one of these athletes, that's why we're seeing so many past breakups in camp. I mean, he had multiple. And in Gino Stone, they just have the confidence there. So I think that that's something you want to see and I expect to see, quite frankly, because they're two veterans. The defense, obviously, the running game thing is just going to be a conversation all year with that defensive front. But can Dax translate?

Starting point is 00:31:03 That would be the big one for me. Because if he can, if what we saw in games is what we see and he continues to develop, well, then the Daxel conversation changes in a big way. and it's for the good, of course. So I think that would be huge for this defense. You want to talk about best case scenarios? Can you imagine if Dax just continues their trend upward, upward, upward? It looks not just confident at corner because I think he's already there, but just

Starting point is 00:31:31 exactly how you would expect a first round corner to look in your three. That's probably unrealistic, but I'm excited to see it because there's a real chance that he does become a key piece moving forward. And I think a lot of people coming into training camp kind of dismissed him and thought he would be out of here after next season. Last one, James, real quick. Snap answer. What comes to your head first?

Starting point is 00:31:57 What comes to mind first? Tony P. missed a popping fresh. Who scores the first Bengals touchdown of 2024? T. Higgins. I was on T. Higgins or Zach Moss? I wasn't sure between those two guys. Mike Gissicki would be another one that I think. It's going to be hard to prepare for it for teams.

Starting point is 00:32:14 I was also thinking about like Logan Wilson as a real wild card. Dax Hill. That would be fun. That would be fun. Oh, well, that's going to do it for this episode of the lockdown Bengals podcast. The Cincinnati Bengals are back to practice on Monday as they get ready for week one.

Starting point is 00:32:32 Zach Taylor will meet with the media Monday and Wednesday this week. And of course, we've got crossover Thursday coming a little bit later in the week for all of you out there who enjoy us talking to the hosts. of the teams, the Bengals will face in that given week that's coming up this week as well as we get ready for week one. It's officially week one. And boy, are we ready. Until next time, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast, Hoodey and have a good.

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Cincinnati Bengals "intensified" efforts to extend Ja'Marr Chase, and we answer your questions about Joe Burrow ahead of Week 1

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.