Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Cincinnati Bengals' second string defense stands up to Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears | Preseason Week 2 Takeaways

Starting point is 00:00:00 Matt Lee got a start and the Cincinnati Bengals' second string defense held up against Caleb Billions and the Chicago Bears. Let's break down the takeaways from the Bengals game against the Bears in preseason game number two. You are Locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What up Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the Locked on Bengals podcast. I'm your host, Jake Liskow. host James Rupin. The Bengals have dropped another preseason game.

Starting point is 00:00:39 They're not a very good preseason game team under Zach Taylor. We're the lockdown Bengals podcast on the lockdown podcast network covering your team every day. We're on YouTube. We're everywhere you get your podcast. Thanks for making us your first listener. Shout out to all the everydayers out there who make us part

Starting point is 00:00:55 of their regular routine every day. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandul who is giving you three free weeks of a trial of NFL Sunday tickets. from YouTube and YouTube TV when you make a $5 bet. Visit fandal.com slash locked on to get started. James, the only potential starters that played in this game for the Cincinnati Bengals

Starting point is 00:01:18 were Daxhill and DJ Turner. They only played a couple of drives each, but were part of the Bengals' second string defensive effort that held Caleb Williams in that starting Bears' offense out of the end zone until late in the second quarter. And yet you lead with Zach Taylor being bad in the preseason. for Zach Taylor's job. Hot take Jake is in the building.

Starting point is 00:01:39 No, I'm just kidding. All right. I can't go farther than that. I almost catch you off earlier because of that. And wanted to talk about Zach and his preseason record. No, this didn't really feel like a game, did it? No. And yet early on, the second team Bengals defense,

Starting point is 00:01:53 which was like this hybrid of second and third guys, really, through part of it, they held up really well. And I think that's the takeaway. and the main theme from today. I know you teased Matt Lee and we can discuss it, but this defense that we've questioned, Daxill, DJ Turner that we've questioned, those guys held up their end of the bargain.

Starting point is 00:02:17 There was no DJ more stricking deep down field and Caleb Williams finds him. Keenan Allen didn't get free for a 35-yard gain. All of those things that were kind of scary sounding in the joint practice a few days ago, they were either cleaned up or adjusted or the Bears just didn't want to push it, which I don't think is the case because Caleb Williams played the entire first half. They clearly wanted to have some success on offense.

Starting point is 00:02:45 And so, yeah, I think when I think of this game from a Bengals perspective, the first thing I'm going to think about is Daxil and DJ Turner and how well they played, even if it wasn't a ton of snaps. Yeah, Zach Taylor said after the game, the plan was for them to play two drives, but he also said in like the same sentence that the conditions were not great, and there was some concern pregame, some comments from Bears media that their GM, Ryan Poles and assistant GM were down on the field looking at things.

Starting point is 00:03:11 They resauded the field within the last two weeks. So there may have been some issues with the state of the grass in Chicago. And Zach said because of those conditions, they didn't really want to risk things by leaving Dax and DJ in any longer than that. So that was probably a factor in addition to the, idea that Zach said they were only going to play the two drives. But you're right for the first three drives of the game, three and out, three and out, three and out for the Bengals number two is on defense against Caleb Williams and DJ Moore and Roma Dunzee and all these guys are going

Starting point is 00:03:42 to be playing significant snaps for the Chicago Bears. And while the national media is going to go crazy over the highlight reel that Caleb Williams put together against the Bengal second and third stringers late in the second or late in the second quarter, the last drive of the first half. Third stringers, right? I mean, I don't think there were, were their second stringers in still? I guess it depends on how you classify some of these guys. Yeah. I mean, I guess like Jalen Davis and Josh Newton are still in.

Starting point is 00:04:11 Those guys are probably third stringers, but like kind of on that fringe on that bubble. Yeah. But depth chart guy, like we're deep into the depth chart. Yeah. So much so that Caleb probably wouldn't be facing any of them if the game matter. just to clarify. It was definitely like third string defensive lineman that he made look like third string

Starting point is 00:04:31 defensive lineman, four string defensive linemen when they got into the red zone there. But for the first few drives of the game, they go quick game moving pocket early, do the Bears and none of that really works out for them. And then you get a nice return, by the way. Jermaine Burton out there returning punts early in this game.

Starting point is 00:04:51 The Bengals had a litany of penalties on special teams that need to be cleaned up. and that's something that is a note in and of itself. But then you get another three and out that includes a third and five stop, a nice tackle from Jalen Davis and Akeem Davis Gaither to keep Gerald Everett close or short of the first down marker and a couple of run stops there to start that drive. And then on the third drive, you got Muma Jong Mehta in the game already. So you've already got a list of subs coming in.

Starting point is 00:05:21 Zhang Meta makes a run stop on that second down to set up a third and two that leads. to Josh Newton absolutely clamping DJ Moore on a slant impressed man and just with a beautiful rap, beautiful pass breakup, his best play of the day. Then the subs get in to a greater degree. You get the DPI on Josh Newton grabbing Tyler Scott deep down field that sets up the field goal. After a Chris Jenkins sack, by the way,

Starting point is 00:05:48 on a really nice spin move that was reminiscent of a move we saw him put on Alex Kappa in camp that I noted at one point in a tweet. And then the third and four stringers get in and it goes off the rails a little bit. But when I reflected on the first half, I felt generally pretty positive about things for the defense. It wasn't perfect, obviously. They gave up 10 points late in the half,

Starting point is 00:06:09 but the start they have was very, very strong before they started subbing guys out. Yeah. The guys that are going to make the team in play week one played well, right? Or weren't suited up. and that's that's where I'm judging this because a lot of the the second half guys and I know it still mattered I tweeted about the running clock I'm sure a lot of people did and thought it they're not making the team they're hoping to make the practice squad like Muma Jong meta getting in that early drive three he's hoping to be the third string linebacker like hoping just so and he played well by the way let the team in tackles that's not me being disrespectful to him, but it just shows you how the Bengals were treating this and yet still having success. I also think the Josh Newton highs and lows, it's good because I think a lot of people have seen the highs from camp. We've talked about the lows, but you don't necessarily see him.

Starting point is 00:07:08 Well, now you see him. I was asked after he made that play on DJ Moore, like, hey, could he make a push for CB2? And I like the starting cornerback opposite Cam Taylor Britt. And I said, no, like, no, he's not going to do that. And I think that there are, people that have brought that up as a discussion. And I don't really think that's a discussion. And what we saw after that, the penalty and then getting beat by Pettis in the third quarter for the touchdown where he just didn't move. And whether that was just mental, I assume it was a mental thing, more than it was a

Starting point is 00:07:40 physical thing. But yeah, I think you see the highs and lows of a rookie that's going to learn from it. And that's what I like about Josh Newton. He'll give up a play and then he'll rebound or he'll make a play. And then it's next play he's thinking about. the next one. So it's, you saw the highs and lows, I think that Josh Newton's kind of working through right now. Yeah, it's hard to hold against him too much. The deep ball to Roma Dunsay on the sideline where Caleb Williams escapes a pocket. It's a great throw. It is a highlight throw.

Starting point is 00:08:05 That throw deserves accolades. It doesn't necessarily deserve. He's the next Patrick Mahomes kind of height, but that is a throw that Patrick Mahomes can also make. And so that's where those comparisons are coming from. It was a great throw. And it's a very long developing play. Newton's in good position there, but you do potentially see some of his limitation there, deep down field, trying to find the ball in the air on a vertical ball where he's behind the receiver, out of phase. That also leads to the DPI penalty where maybe it's a little tickey tack, and I saw some discussion about that not being past interference, but that gets called a fair amount of

Starting point is 00:08:40 the time when you put your hand on the shoulder and you see the receiver's path alter the way Tyler Scott's did. Those plays are two of them, and then there's a one you talk about the touchdown he gave up to Dante Pettis later. it did look like potentially a miscommunication. He maybe was speaking at the outside receiver. There was some conversation. You could see him trying to communicate just before the snap.

Starting point is 00:09:01 So it's potentially a miscommunication there. Hard to say what exactly happened there. But it was a mixed bag for him. And like you said, I think that shows why he has, one, outperformed his draft status, I think, as a day three corner. There's something there. There's something that could be a solid player for them in Josh Newton. and you take that for a day three corner.

Starting point is 00:09:23 But I agree with you. He's not pushing to start right now over the two other guys that have played well throughout this preseason up and down as well, but mostly played pretty well throughout this preseason and Daxil and D.J. Turner. Yeah, those guys. Again, big winners today. Dax L and D.J. Turner, what they did,

Starting point is 00:09:41 the battle goes on. And one thing, one of my pre-camp predictions, they don't all come true. But the fact that Dax versus D.J. would go into the final week, well, it's into the final week. Tuesday's joint practice against the Colts is going to be huge. We'll continue to react to this game. Bengals, Bears, Jake talked about Matt Lee.

Starting point is 00:10:00 He's been dying to talk about Matt Lee. We will talk about Matt Lee coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by eBay Motors. Passion, Drive, and Patience. The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance from superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED, headlights, and more,

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Starting point is 00:11:04 That is what we were hoping for for anyone who watched our most recent video for anyone who follows at Lockdown Bengals on Twitter. You saw the clip. I was very excited for this. He got to play the entire game. Trey Hill started a right guard. Jackson Kirkland starting at left tackle, Cody Ford at right tackle, and Nate Gilliam at left guard. So a bit of a different look for the Bengals here. And this is, of course,

Starting point is 00:11:30 with Amarious Mims injured, with Trent Brown injured. So they're thin at tackle. They're trying some new guys to tackle. And as a result, I think potentially shuffling some guys inside. Maybe if Amarius Mims is healthy, it's a different configuration. Maybe Jackson Kirkland isn't playing tackle or maybe Nate Gilliam doesn't get the start. They would probably have guys in slightly different positions along that line. But the configuration they go with sees Matt Lee play the entire game. And it wasn't perfect for Matt Lee, but I think he's the second best center on the team.

Starting point is 00:12:01 And I think that he should certainly be on the roster. And beyond that, there's some other takeaways for the rest of this offensive line group that we will get to. But of course, we're starting with Matt Lee because I thought he was pretty good. I thought he held up. I thought he showed his ability to move in space.

Starting point is 00:12:16 I thought he showed his ability to overcome his size limitations, with technique a couple of times in the past game. He got moved a little bit in the run game at times. That's going to happen for him. I think that that's his limitation. But for a seventh round center, sign me up. Very excited. Yep, yep, yep.

Starting point is 00:12:32 Everything you were hoping to see, he showed. And it was never going to be perfect. They know that. But you wanted him, and by the way, in the elements, which is a huge factor. And we don't know how he did in the joint practice. But now you're talking about multiple days in the element. for a center for a guy who's considered undersized. That's why he fell in the draft.

Starting point is 00:12:53 And you could say undersized, whatever, held up well, went up against first teamers, did his job. The offense moved the ball some. And in the reason why they, I don't think he's a reason why they couldn't push the ball downfield because this offense was awful today. Let's be honest. That's what it was. And there's reasons for it.

Starting point is 00:13:10 But Matt Lee wasn't one of them. And that's what you're looking for. Is a quality backup center, someone that you can continue to build and groom and he fell to the seventh round because of his size, but he's a perfect fit in this offense. You mentioned the run game. They don't run the ball. Even with Logan Woodside at quarterback, it's not like they were running the ball 30 times

Starting point is 00:13:33 today because that's not them. This is not a running team, Jake. And so it's like, oh, well, this center is just a really good pass blocker. Well, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's great. That's great. It's the Bengals offense.

Starting point is 00:13:46 That's what they're going to do. I mean, Logan Woodside threw the ball. Well, 20 times in the first half. 20. And I'm not complaining about it, but that's just what they are. And so I think he is exactly what you needed at center period. Max Sharping was their backup center last year. And so with him no longer in town, Treyhill had a chance.

Starting point is 00:14:07 And Treyhill let Matt Lee in. I mean, two weeks ago, Matt Lee wasn't even getting in on team drills. We talked about it. And now, and we set it going in, I was like, man, if he plays well today, he's probably the backup center. I don't really see a scenario where you could argue otherwise. And it's because he showed he's capable. He didn't have a ton of bad snaps.

Starting point is 00:14:30 There was a late almost penalty that actually didn't get called, but could have been on him. Something he has to learn from. Okay, fine, you're working with a quarterback that has no chance of making the practice squad, at least no realistic chance with Rocky, the best name in football. So I think Matt Lee, his stock continues to. rise and wouldn't shock me if uh or would shock me if he's anything but the backup center the other side of that coin is tray hill who had three penalties so and that's part of it too honestly i mean what do you want tray hill three penalties like he he heard his case i would say

Starting point is 00:15:06 to make the team he looks better at guard in his defense i would say that this is kind of always been the case for him looking a little bit more soon he looks like a guard He just physically looks like a guard in general. He doesn't look like a center. But the penalties have been an issue for him throughout his NFL career as well and have been one of the reasons he couldn't get on the field throughout his NFL career as well. You talked about the offense being pretty bad. We'll come back to Jackson Kirkland as well and Jackson Carmen not getting into the game

Starting point is 00:15:34 until they're about 10 minutes left and only really playing for a couple of drives at the end of the game, very short-lived experience for Jackson Carmen today. Zach Taylor in his press conference mentioned people were talking about the pressures the bears were sending in this game. And Zach's like, oh, they weren't really sending a bunch of different stuff. They sent the same nickel pressure four times in a row on second down. And we didn't pick it up once.

Starting point is 00:15:59 So there's that. I mean, Logan Woodside, I thought had a pretty good first quarter. After the first quarter, I did in tweet, like my first quarter overreaction stock report, Logan Woodside, yeah, pretty good, pretty good start. And then his spatal flaw showed up. He's a space cadet.

Starting point is 00:16:15 He's oblivious to nickel pressure. He got hit by, I mean, one turn, one interception, one sack, got absolutely blown up both times. Taylor said they didn't pick it up four times in a row. It was pretty frustrated with that. And it sounds like it was a protection call issue, hard to tell whether it was a tackle offensive line, tight end kind of issue or if it was a protection call issue. But I just wanted to point that out. Zach Taylor, not often getting into details, but gives us a little glimpse behind the curtain there saying, yeah, it was the same pressure four times.

Starting point is 00:16:45 and we didn't pick it up once, and it was really frustrating. And that was an interesting comment from Zach after the game. Yeah. And those, that's where days like today can be so beneficial. Let's say it's on Kirkland. Well, Kirkland got his first reps at tackle this week.

Starting point is 00:17:03 And it was on the right side, not the left side where Kirkland was playing, at least twice. Yeah, yeah, just in general, though. Like the benefit, or Ford, for that matter, right? The benefit of getting these guys out there is you hope you don't see them at tackle. The Bengals, if they keep Jackson, Kirkland, and Cody Ford,

Starting point is 00:17:20 they're not hoping to play either one at offensive tackle at any point this year. But you want to know that they can do it. And you want to know that they know that they know, and I'm not, again, I don't know if it's them. But that's the benefit of playing them today. Ford didn't play the entire game. Kirkland didn't play the entire game. I don't believe.

Starting point is 00:17:40 Kirkland might have kicked into guard, but I can't remember. Yeah. Either way, though, I think Ford, lock to make the roster, it would be your seventh. Lee feels like a lock now. And Kirkland, to me, clearly ahead of Jackson Carmen, who would be in our losers' bucket. I mean, the fact that he got in,

Starting point is 00:17:58 I saw him at first in the fourth quarter. I assume it was fourth quarter only, left tackle. He's about 10 minutes left in the game. When you're entering with Rocky Lombardi, and I'm not trying to throw straights at it feels like it. He's catching a lot of them right now. But that's rough for Jackson Carmen, a former second round pick. And we expected that.

Starting point is 00:18:16 We thought he was buried on the depth chart. And he is. I just think Kirkland looked good enough, serviceable enough at tackle, especially because he just got put there less than a week ago. I mean, there wasn't discussion of him playing tackle a week ago. And Jackson Carmen struggles against the buccaneers. And then they come back for practice on Monday, and we see Kirkland at tackle. And we see Ford at tackle because they want to see what Kirkland and Ford can do.

Starting point is 00:18:38 And so far so good, especially after losing Deonté Smith. they want to see essentially anybody besides Jackson Carmen, take that job. Totally. If I had to guess, the ninth guy to me is probably Kirkland right now, especially if they think he can play some tackle. I think you alluded to this as well. Can certainly play guard. That's where he's been playing for the Bengals.

Starting point is 00:18:59 And he was okay today, I think, on first watch. He seemed okay today. Cody Ford was up and down. He was Cody Ford. But, you know, you kind of underlined this point. not only are the Bengals playing a string behind on defense, like throughout the game, a string behind on offense throughout the game, the Bears playing some starters on defense as well, they're also playing guys that tackle that just aren't tackles.

Starting point is 00:19:22 Cody Ford is your tackle in a pinch, Jackson Kirkland, another tackle in a pinch, and beyond that, they got undrafted guys who maybe got in toward the end of the game. So they have guys playing out of position, they have guys playing to try to show they have some positional versatility. And I thought Kirkland was okay today. I thought that he did enough that I would consider him the third guy right now when the competition is like Jackson Carman and Trey Hill, who have penalty issues.

Starting point is 00:19:54 The only other one competing would be Nate Gilliam to me. Are you really trusting Nate Gilliam to be that guy right now? I think he's probably practiced squad guy. What really sucks is the Deonté Smith element here. I mean, I think he would have. We've had a real shot to make the team. And now he's out for the year. Chris Evans out for the year.

Starting point is 00:20:12 We haven't covered those, but we knew they were injured and really bad news for both guys. But we have a few more things to get to. We have a punter battle to discuss. Did Ryan Rico deliver? We'll do that plus any last notes we have coming up next. You've heard us talk a lot about Fandle because it's America's number one, not number two or three, number one sports book. Well, we have something a little different for you. through September 22nd, all Fandall customers can bet $5 and get a three-week free trial of NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV.

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Starting point is 00:21:26 Again, that's fandle.com slash locked on. James, let's talk punters and we'll get to the rest of our takeaways as well. of course Brad Robbins did not punt today. So when I say punter, I mean punter, not punters. Ryan Rico getting all of the work today. He didn't get all of the kicks that he should have gotten because the Bengals had some turnovers on offense. A Rocky Lombardi lost fumble, a couple of interceptions from Logan Woodside.

Starting point is 00:21:50 So we could have seen some more punts from Rico. He did not run away with that punter John today. He had an opportunity to do so. He had an opportunity to punt for this entire game. He had a successful hold in the operation of a 50-plus yard field goal for Evan McPherson. but his punting was inconsistent. His best punt, well, he had two good ones, I would say. One, he's backed up on his own end zone, like feet backed up to the safety line.

Starting point is 00:22:16 He hits a 50-yarder, leads to a negative return. And that's what you need from a guy in that spot. The other good punt, he pins the bears inside the 10 on a nice high, controlled kick, kicking from the 45. The other ones, low line drive issues, directional issues. His longest punt of the day, I think, benefited from a 15 plus yard bounce. And that was a short pun as well. So I didn't see from him the kind of power leg consistently that you would hope to see from him. And then on top of that, the directional issues and the inconsistency,

Starting point is 00:22:57 that battle will continue depending on Brad Roberts. Yeah, I think this is the one battle, well, corner two, but like offensive line wise, like there was clear separation right away. Trey Hill holding, Trey Hill, illegal man downfield, or not holding, false start, a legal man downfield, and Matt Lee's doing his job. With this one, it was like, yeah, Rico's been okay. Like the first punt wasn't great, I think 42, and then the next punt looks great at 56, but it bounced from your place in Vancouver Island, Canada, all the way to me in Cincinnati. I was a freaking bounce forever. And so it looks much better on the stat sheet than Darren Simmons or the coaching staff is going to feel. And overall, the numbers are fine, 46.2 yards, had the one inside the 20.

Starting point is 00:23:43 But to me, the one thing and the big thing, and I've harped on this because I know Brad Robbins is really, really good at it, he was the holder on the 54-yard of Raven McPherson. And so I think he helped this case today, Ryan Rico did, but I don't think he separated himself. I still, if Robbins is healthy, I think he can do everything Ryan Rico did today. And so that's what Rico has to overcome still. And he's got some time to do it, right? You have five days now, a five day stretch with a joint practice, a practice Monday, then a joint practice, and then obviously the preseason finale on Thursday night.

Starting point is 00:24:20 So it's going to be quick. It's got some time to do it. I think today was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't a 56-yard pun average, two inside the 20, one 70-yard or from the back of his ends. Like he didn't dazzle. And I think that that it's kind of a missed opportunity because I do know that he has that kind of leg and it didn't show. And if you're not going to show that, then it's going to be an uphill climb because

Starting point is 00:24:47 I think Robbins does the directional stuff. I think his leg is stronger this year than it was last year and we know what he is as a holder. Obviously the health part is the big question mark. Yeah, the one that I liked the most was one where he's backed up on the safety line or whatever that line is called, like the back of his own end zone. That was a pretty good kick for him. And that's something that-

Starting point is 00:25:07 And the coverage was awesome. Yeah. And that's something that Bengals fans are probably relieved to see a guy have that ability that was an issue where deep in their own territory, that's where Brad Robbins last year was not great. But unfortunate injury for Robbins would have been good to see him in that situation today. It would have been good to see those guys rotating again. but the amount of less than 50-yard punts,

Starting point is 00:25:30 like hitting the ground around 40 yards downfield besides the one that pins the bears deep in their own territory left something to be desired for Rico today. And so he would need to be more consistent, moving forward, need to find a little bit more control and more power consistently, if that's going to be his calling card to separate himself from Robbins. So we'll see what's happening with Robin's injury this week.

Starting point is 00:25:55 pretty quick turnaround like you said not sure if we will see robins in this next week or so so we'll see how that develops is that we do battle continues that it would be better if we do it'd be better to have that continued information i don't want either one to win by default no and and i think brad was ahead when he was injured when he got injured but now it's kind of weird like ryan was fine today right like he's fine but to your point like it there were multiple where it's like, ugh. There are a couple concerning ones. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:26:29 The second one was rough, the bouncer. His longest of the day was really, was a really rough one. That one in the low line drive in the middle of the field that was returned like 15 yards or whatever it was. He had one that was returned for a solid clip and the coverage had no chance. And it's in the middle of the field. And that gives you the flashbacks to the AFC championship game. Other standouts, Chris Jenkins mentioned that sack earlier. Chris Jenkins showing up in a positive way today.

Starting point is 00:26:54 nice to see him flashing in the right direction. Matt Lee, we discussed. Dejohn Anthony continues to work early. Any other notes from you on individuals? I mean, it's hard for these guys to show out in a strong way because even if they're playing... It was a weird game. You're surrounded by guys that are string behind.

Starting point is 00:27:14 Mubujong Mehta, you mentioned him earlier, continues to show in the run game. He's the one. Apparently had an injury on a punk coverage play. Don't know what's going on with him. Don't know why Jermaine Burton didn't play very much. I guess those are a couple of things. Why didn't Jermaine Burton play more?

Starting point is 00:27:31 But Mouujong meta, I think, despite his limitations in terms of movement ability, and that might show up a little bit in the coverage game. Nice downhill run defending kind of linebacking player. And he has a pretty good chance to make the team. Yeah. He keeps playing well. And he's just around the ball, made a special teams tackle, which is big, because that's what he'll be doing.

Starting point is 00:27:52 if he does make the team. Yeah, I think Mumajong meta, get used to him because I think you're going to be hearing about 45, certainly trending that way. Chris Jenkins also had a tackle for loss. So really nice to see him get a little bit because I think you can only build confidence

Starting point is 00:28:10 and push forward. Other than that, no, I think it was a weird game. It's a unique game. You don't really look at the score in this type of game. I think let's end where we started. Daxill, DJ Turner, it was the Battle of Camp coming into camp, and both guys played darn well. And the best case scenario is that both are ready to start.

Starting point is 00:28:31 And only one can, and they can both contribute. And who is it? I'm not sure, but that would be ideal for the Bengal secondary, no doubt. We'll get another joint practice this time in Cincinnati. We'll get another preseason game, although we'll see who is planning to play in that preseason game on a short week. That game on Thursday. Is that right?

Starting point is 00:28:49 I'm just not going to know the preseason schedule. Thursday. Thursday at 8, Paycor Stadium. We still need to find out why Jermaine Burton didn't get to play a whole lot in this game. That question lingers. We do not have that answer right now. Potentially may have suffered some sort of minor tweak of some sort, but don't know. We'll see.

Starting point is 00:29:10 Yeah, we don't want to, hopefully not. He still had his pads on late in the game because I posted video of Burrow in the rain, which I'm sure the ladies are going to love. The other part of it, one other thing I want to mention, And Charlie Jones went through warmups and then didn't play. But I love it. I love that he was back. I love that he looks like he's capable of playing.

Starting point is 00:29:29 And I also love that they held him out. I was like, man, is he really going to play? This dude was carted off the field nine days ago. Like, let's just not do it. There's no reason. You know he's your punt returner. So it was kind of cool to see Jermaine back there. Hopefully Jermaine's fine as well.

Starting point is 00:29:43 And we'll have those updates and much, much more on our next show Monday. Looks comfortable as a returner, did Burton. And if he needs to find a way to be active on game days, because maybe he's still behind as a wide receiver for now, that would be a good way for him to make sure that he's active on game days. Agree on Charlie Jones, by the way, if the field was suspect, that could be why you saw some precautionary moves like that one, potentially if that is indeed what that decision came down to. But you're right. We'll have some more updates for you all on Monday.

Starting point is 00:30:13 No episode coming on Sunday night. This will have to get you through until the next time the Bengals reconvene, and we hopefully can game. a little bit more information at that point in time. If you need a second listen, you can always check out Locked-on Fantasy Football or the 24-7 Locked-on NFL YouTube page. Until next time, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Hoodei and have a good one.

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