Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - FIRST LOOK at Bengals-Bucs: Joe Burrow & Bengals OL vs. Vita Vea & Rueben Bain HEADLINES Week 1

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's finally time to preview a week one NFL game. It's a new look Bengals offense with play action wrinkles and a new look, Tampa defense in week one. You are locked on NFL crossover. Part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day. What up and welcome to a crossover episode of the Lockdown Bengals and Locked on Buccaneers podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:33 Locked on Bucks host James Yarcho with me. Let's go host of lockdown Bengals here to get you ready for week one of NFL action. We'll be talking big stories, big matchups, what each team needs to do to be victorious. You'll get a feel for what's going on behind enemy lines in this one. And James, as always, we start with these crossover episodes with the biggest stories for each team. And to me, from the outside, looking at the bucks, I'm just excited to see Ruben Bain. that matchup with the Marius Mim should be a heck of a lot of fun. Before the Bengals traded that 10th overall pick for Dexter Lawrence,

Starting point is 00:01:11 Ruben Bain was draft target number one for me for the Bengals. And now we get to see him on the other side in week one, but I'm not sure that's the biggest story going on for Tampa. Tell me what you're thinking about as it pertains to this big week one matchup. Well, of course, I mean, the biggest story in Bucksland is Baker Mayfield getting some Joe Burrow money. But as it pertains to being on the field in week one, the biggest story is this new look defense that they will be trotting out there. You have your staples, guys that Bengals fans already know, Vita Vaya, Ait, Veya, Antoine Winfield, Jr.,

Starting point is 00:01:43 yeah, yeah, Diabi, and Colizha Cancy to an extent. But the Bucks put tremendous focus on adding size, speed, strength, and violence to this defensive front. Rubin Bain, as you mentioned, then Aishon Robinson, Josiah Trotter, Alex Anzalone, this defense upgraded at all three levels this past offseason with the headliner being, Bain who fell to the Bucks at 15. And while I was down at training camp, I came away telling locked on Bucks listeners, this was the best defense that I have seen in Tampa since 2021, back when the Bucks had Sue and JPP, Jack Barrett, Levanti David, Devin White before his epic falloff.

Starting point is 00:02:23 This is not the same defense that was getting beat repeatedly last season or was among the worst in the Todd Bulls era at stopping the run. So we do have proof of concept that Bulls' defense. So we do have proof of concept that Bulls defense works and can win championships, but now they have to actual, they have the actual pieces that they need in order for the defense to operate the way that it's intended to. So the improved coverage at the linebacker position over last year, the improved natural pass rush is going to allow Bowles to really let his playmaker sit back and make plays instead of having to send multiple blitzes on a regular basis just to generate some pressure. Now they'll be able to generate pressure and sacks with just that natural pass rush. So coverage

Starting point is 00:03:02 and the secondary will improve by default, you know, it's a heck of a lot easier to defend against Jamar and T when you only have to do it for two and a half seconds rather than four and a half. And then Antoine can kind of go back to that guy. He was in 2023 when he was in the running for defensive player of the year. When you think about the most significant change this year from last year, from a personal and scheme perspective, maybe the personnel is affecting the scheme, what is the single thing that you think is going to transform this Tampa defense the most? And how do you think that will play out in terms of how Bowles wants to use those guys. Oh, it's 100% the pass rush.

Starting point is 00:03:38 Their pass rush rotation looks completely different than it did last year. You have Yaya Diabi, yeah, sure. You have Anthony Nelson as kind of a rotational guy. But you get David Walker, who was a draft pick last year that Tours ACL on the first day padded practices missed the entire season. You've added Ruben Bain. You've added Al-Qaedaeen Muhammad, who was a double-digit sack guy last year in Detroit, as a situational pass rusher.

Starting point is 00:04:05 And then you have a healthy Colise Cancy. You have a happy Vita Vea thanks to his extension. And then A. Sean Robinson. So the entire front has been upgraded. And it's the edge rushers that are really going to be able to drive this thing. Like I said, when you look back at 2020 and 2021, when the Bucks had one of the best defenses in the NFL, because they had Shaq Barrett. They had Jason Pierre, Paul.

Starting point is 00:04:28 And then they had Vita and Indomac and Sue to get. everybody right now wants to copy the Seahawks and throw waves of defenders at opposing offenses of Bengals very much in the same boat. James, before I tell you what I think the biggest story is for the Bengals, as I talked about Ruben Bain being one of the most interesting things in this game from my point of view as somebody who covers the Bengals every day, what do you think from the Bengals side interests you the most going into this game? I'm interested to see the Bengals defensive front because I do think Dexter Lawrence being the addition there is certainly going to make their defensive front a lot. better. But one player can't change the entire landscape of the defense that struggled last year. So how big of an impact will he really make is kind of what I'm most interested to see?

Starting point is 00:05:17 And that's going to be a season long thing. That's not going to be something that gets answered immediately in week one in my opinion. Yeah, and the Bengals added guys outside of Dexter Lawrence as as well, so if you're not aware, as a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan listening to this episode, Brian Cook brought in to replace Gino Stone, perhaps the biggest individual upgrade at one skill at one position in the NFL going from Gino Stone's tackling to Brian Cook's tackling and Gino Stone now I think on the Bill's practice squad. And Dexter Lawrence is obviously a big addition. Jonathan Allen also joins the defensive tackle rotation where BJ Hill will be quality

Starting point is 00:05:48 depth as well. They add Land of Robinson in the seventh round. He makes a team. May not be active on game day, but Bengals fans are excited for his pass rushing upside in particular. But in addition to that, Bois Amafé coming from Seattle, where he was a situational player and getting a bigger role in Cincinnati. They're hoping to repeat the Trey Hendrickson experience where he was more of a situational

Starting point is 00:06:07 designated pass rusher type for the Saints where he had that breakout for Sacks. The pressures weren't necessarily there to back it up and then he became the player that he's known as today and got that reputation as a big pass rusher. But to me, James, the other big story for Cincinnati is around the topic of how quickly this offense will start. It's been something that we've talked about in Cincinnati for seemingly the entire Zach Taylor, Joe Burrow era, especially after those first couple of years where even when they got to the Super Bowl, even when they got to the AFC championship in the next year, there were some slow start issues. And you've been able to write that up as Joe Burrow had a calf injury.

Starting point is 00:06:43 Joe Burrow had an open appendectomy in training camp and he needed to get back from those injuries or he's coming off the ACL or he's coming off the wrist or it's coming off the COVID season. And there have been all these different reasons that we've been able to talk about. And now not as much of any of that going on this training camp, a healthy training camp. camp for Joe, no weird issues going on in the off season for him or the Bengals where the vibes are high. The big question will be how well is this play action game integrated into the offense, which has been a big focus for this Bengals offense during training camp, getting under center. And to the point where Joe Burrow and his press conference today, as we're recording this on Wednesday, was asked numerous times, hey, how comfortable are you under center?

Starting point is 00:07:22 Has that comfort level reached a higher level from the beginning of training camp to the end of training camp? And Joe says, yes, we'll see. Joe's one of the few quarterbacks in the NFL with negative splits when he gets to that play action under center game. And that's something that we'll need to reverse course with the point of emphasis. It seems to be for the Bengals this year. Yeah, and that is something that I've talked about a lot on my show is the slow starts during the Taylor Borough era. But one of the things that I've kind of stressed to Buck's listeners is just because they've started off slow in the win column, that doesn't necessarily mean they have started slow on the start.

Starting point is 00:07:59 scoreboard. So when you take a look at all the things that have transpired over the course of training camp and with Burrow and what is expected to be one of the biggest and most high octane offenses in the NFL, you know, what is it about this team that can be different now that can get them off to a faster start, especially against a team that does have the weapons to kind of go toe to toe if this gets into a shootout. Yeah, it'll be really quite a fun matchup looking at it. And it's one of those matchups that Joe and I've been talking about on lockdown Bengals is one of the more difficult ones on the schedule.

Starting point is 00:08:34 The Bengals have a tough start to a relatively easy schedule after that. It opens up after their early by. But to me, the big question, it remains how effective is a play action early? Something that we're theorizing about on Lockdown Bengals is maybe they can throw a bunch of unscattered looks out there early with the work they're getting undercentered, all the additional undercenter play action stuff that hasn't been a part of this offense for years past. And if they can get defenses guessing with more misdirection, more play action game early that they haven't shown a whole lot of in their past, we're wondering if they can steal some points, steal some drives, steal some wins early in the season before they get comfortable.

Starting point is 00:09:12 Because Joe Burrough is a self-proclaimed rep's guy. We know how good he can be. Often it takes him a couple weeks to get to that point where he is operating at peak borough efficiency. And I think that'll tie right into some of the biggest matchups in this game. When I look at it from the Bengals side, I'm always looking at the corners on the other side of the field and how they're going to match up with Jamar Chase and T. Higgins because that's a tough ask for anyone. I think that's a tough ass for the bucks. We'll talk about that matchup and more coming up next.

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Starting point is 00:12:29 Is Jacob Parrish going to be able to transition to the outside after having a phenomenal year as the nickel corner last year? If Benjamin Morrison gets on the field, is he going to be on the outside and they're going to move Jacob Parrish back to the slot? So there's a lot of different combinations here. And I think what's going to help the secondary out, I kind of mentioned it at the top of the show, if the pass rush is going the way that we believe it can go, now all of a sudden, those corners are not left on an island for extended periods of time. They're going to have help over the top with Tyke Smith, who was absolutely outstanding and very easily overlooked on a bad Buccaneers defense last year. And then, of course, you have an all pro in Antoine Winfield, Jr. So it's not an easy match.

Starting point is 00:13:14 I don't know if there's a team in the NFL that can really match up with both of those receivers in terms of being able to cover both of them. One of them is going to be open at some point. So you have to mitigate the risk, right? You have to make the Bengals one-dimensional, which sounds kind of crazy. But if Burroughs having to drop back repeatedly, it gives your pass rush more opportunity. You just have to, you know, you have to bracket them. I think is really the only way that the buck's,

Starting point is 00:13:44 corners are going to be able to get through this game. Is that something that you think is the go-to answer for Bowles? Is it like the Cloud Corner trying to keep those safe or the cloud safety is trying to keep the safeties over top on either side, have the corners underneath the safeties over the top on the outside? Probably. I mean, it worked pretty well. The last time Bowles faced this Bengals offense, but, you know, that was also a time

Starting point is 00:14:11 when Jamar Chase said that Carlton Davis was the toughest corner he ever went against. Carlton Davis isn't on the team anymore. This is a completely different secondary. So you have to give them as much help as you can, which means that your natural pass rush is going to have to be able to take advantage of that Bengals offensive. So not looking like a big blitzing game. If you were to try to predict,

Starting point is 00:14:30 like the approach from a blitz percentage standpoint. No, it'll be pretty low because I think you're going to have to have faith that Bain and Diabhi and Kansi and Vita are going to be able to do their jobs the way that they need to be there. Really fun game for nose tackles. We've mentioned Vita Bayes name a few times. We've mentioned Dexter Lawrence's name a few times. I don't think it gets better for a defensive,

Starting point is 00:14:52 for a nose tackle matchup anywhere in the NFL with those guys out there. And one of the things that on the Bengals side of the ball, we're going to be looking at this offensive line. And one of our listeners kindly inform me that, James, you told your audience that the Bengals offensive line is the worst unit on either side of the field in this game. And look, I know that there are narrows. out there about this Bengals' offensive line, but they got significantly better in the back

Starting point is 00:15:18 half of last season returned all five starters. And the upgrade that happened at Wright Guard from Jayland Rivers to Dalton Ryzer was like a 14% pass block win rate change from 80% up into the low 90s for Dalton Ryster. That's a huge difference. Marius Mims. Bengals fans are expecting to see take a huge step toward Pro Bowl or maybe even it's a little lofty, all pro status. If he can get there, he has all of those tools. The bag is a young and developing player. There's some questions about Orlando Brown at left tackle. And so the matchup that I'm circling here is obviously got to deal with Vita Vaya.

Starting point is 00:15:54 There's going to be a lot of attention given there. But I talked about at the very start of the show, Ruben Bain Amarius Mins. To me, this is a strength-on-strength matchup, but Amarius Mins is a giant. And everyone didn't want to draft Ruben Bain because he has T-Rex arms. I was not part of that group. I think Ruben Bain is an awesome player who's going to be excellent in the NFL. He looks that part so far, but that matchup is one that I'm immediately circling because to your point, James, when the Bengals do need to drop back, something that they've been able to do at a level that the rest of the NFL typically can't, outside of just a handful of teams is when they need to drop back. And you can't do the fancy play action stuff.

Starting point is 00:16:30 You just need to straight drop back and beat the team on the other side of the field in a drop back passing offense. Joe Burrow, T. Higgins, Jamar Chase can do that. But you can't do that if you're getting hit a second and a half after you take the snap. So one of the best past rushers in this game, I think, is going to be Ruben Bain. One of the best past protectors for the Bengals is going to be in Mario Svins. That matchup should be a lot of fun. Yeah, and I do have to say that I stand corrected. I had a guy on my show earlier this week.

Starting point is 00:16:57 He said the Bengals linebackers are the worst unit on either side of the field. I'll have to agree. And the offensive line, to your point, did show improvement late in the season. However, what you have to remember is that it is not going to be Bain versus. as Mims all the time. Ruben Bain will be lining up against Brown Jr. Yeah, they are going to move those guys around. So there will be times that it's Bain going up against the left tackle and Yadiyadh,

Starting point is 00:17:23 Diabi going up against the right. And I think that's where the Bucs defense is really going to be able to gain an advantage. Because at that point, I think we can agree the left side of the Bengals line is the weaker of the two sides than when you're overloading that with Rubin Bain and Colisey Cancy, plus you have Vita Vaya in the middle taking up a double team and you can send a linebacker like Josiah Trotter. That pass rush is going to get back there in a hurry. So I'm really interested to see how Bowles approaches this chess match in moving these pieces all over the place in order to take advantage of what he can against this Bengals offensive line

Starting point is 00:18:02 and put the pressure on Joe Burrow and try to keep him on the ground as often as possible. I was curious about how much Ruben Bain was going to move. So that's a good answer to a question that I was going to ask because he played, well, I can't actually remember. He played mostly on overwrite tackles at Miami, but I know he did move around some. So I was curious to know how they were going to integrate him into the NFL level defense. Yeah, I think that trench matchup will be very important for the Bengals, obviously.

Starting point is 00:18:30 But another thing that's going to matter a lot in this game, I think, is how well the Bengals run the ball early. Vita Vea is obviously a beast in that regard. You've got to deal with that. But the Bengals seem to be committed to staying under center. And I want to know how much leash that has in this game. Something we've talked about a lot on lockdown Bengals is they found a way to get efficient last year in the run game. The counting stats weren't there.

Starting point is 00:18:52 But when you look at EPA per play, when you look at success rate, the Bengals were actually top three, I think, if not top five in the NFL in those metrics as a running team last year. And if they're committed to that, if they can get those results under center, then you can start to pressure that defense and force them to play a little bit more honestly. And then this whole chess match takes on another dimension. Yeah, and I know your viewers can't see it, but over my shoulder, I have a block eye that was given to my granddad when he went to the University of Illinois. Chase Brown is my dude. I love that guy.

Starting point is 00:19:27 I love watching him play. I need him to average like a yard per carry in this game because the bucks have to make the Bengals one-dimensional. I'll get a little bit deeper into that when we talk about how each team is going to win this game. But you cannot allow the Bengals to operate on all cylinders offensively if you want this defense to stand strong and be able to pull off a road upset. You cannot be in a situation where you're kind of back on your heels a little bit because now you have to worry about Chase Brown or Chase Brown clipping off five, six, seven yards per care. We'll do that next. We'll wrap up this crossover with what each team, needs to do to come out victorious in week one. Welcome to your most rewarding NFL season ever only on Fandul. How rewarding are we talking? More rewarding than a touchdown with time expiring.

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Starting point is 00:21:53 organizations win because operations matter. That's why you should get Odu, the one, all-in-one platform to manage, grow, and scale your business. Try for free today at Odu.com slash lockdown. That's O-D-O-O-O. dot com slash locked up james the focus of this episode has largely been on the bengals offense being on the field the buck's defense being on the field we've hardly talked about the buccaneers offense of bengals defense there's been a little bit of discussion around dexter lawrence but when you're

Starting point is 00:22:23 thinking about this game that's one of the ways it starts but when you think about it for the bucks how do they win this game well i i think they have to do two things and i'll go back to the defense real quick they have to keep pressure on joe burrow offensively they have to take advantage of of the middle of that Cincinnati defense. So I know it sounds like playing with fire, but I think the Bucks packed a victory is to remove Chase Brown as a threat and make the Bengals one-dimensional. Yes, Burrow dropping back 40 or 50 times is a scary proposition,

Starting point is 00:22:54 but I think Bowles is good enough to take advantage of that weak left side of Cincinnati's offensive line by moving guys around and overloading. Then you got Vita in the middle collapsing the pocket, which he's known to do. It's going to make a tough for Burrow to step into his throws, and that could lead to mistakes. That's where you have to take advantage. On the row team as an underdog, you have to be able to take advantage of mistakes.

Starting point is 00:23:17 Then offensively, it's all about the middle of the defense. This is not a game where Zach Robinson has to get cute or has to go for the highlight real play. And, you know, as we've talked about the linebackers in Cincinnati, not exactly great. So with the bucks being loaded with pass catchers that take advantage of the middle of the field, Chris Godwin out of the slot.

Starting point is 00:23:39 You have guys like a Buka who's going to be the Z receiver, but a speedy Tess Johnson can catch and run in open space, but it's the running backs. I think that's really where the Bucks can win this game. And Kenneth Gainwell is a perfect example. Last year in the second meeting between these two teams, between the Steelers and the Bengals, Gainwell had seven receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

Starting point is 00:24:00 He and Bucky Irving are extreme threats out of the backfield as past catchers, and they are dangerous with the ball in their hands. so they don't have to have Baker take seven-step drops and air out a 60-yard bomb to a Mecca, Abuka, or Ted Hurst. Dink and dunk all the way down the field and just keep chipping away with these 12, 13, 14 play drives that wear down Cincinnati's defense. On the defensive side of the ball for the Bengals, I think that the challenge is going to be how well they can tackle this year, especially if the Buccaneers idea of a game plan is going

Starting point is 00:24:34 to be to try to involve those running backs, try to involve the middle of the field, these linebackers need to show that the Bengals trust in them to remain the starters in year two. After relatively disastrous rookie seasons is a step in the right direction. There is a big schematic change coming for the Bengals defense. They will be a three, four base defense this year and how much they're in the base versus how much they're a nickel will remain to be seen. I think the Bengals do have a bit of a question mark in the slot where Jalen Davis, who's been a career practice squad player for the Bengals, will be their starting slot corner this year. There's not a whole lot of depth there where I'm really confident.

Starting point is 00:25:06 confident in the Bengals on the outside at corner in DJ Turner and Dax Hill. I think those guys are awesome. I think they're underrated. I do have questions about the slot corner and the linebackers. But Brian Cook stabilizing the Bengals and safety and the addition of Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye-Mafe, adding waves to the Bengals defensive front is something that I need to, I need to see the Bengals tackle so much better in this game. I need to see Dexter Lawrence be the game record that he's been in training camp,

Starting point is 00:25:34 and that includes a joint practice against the Chicago Bears where he made it really hard for the bears to operate at times. That being said, it's really hard to go from being one of the worst defenses ever for the first 10 or 11 weeks of last season to being a solid defense the next year. The Bengals were better over the back half of the year. Don't get me wrong. We've talked about that a lot. We've talked about reasons for optimism for this defense. Now they just have to go show it. And it's a tough test to start.

Starting point is 00:25:59 I think the Buccaneers offense is underrated because of what happened last year. But when they're healthy, and I think both of these teams look to be very healthy entering week one, that could be a big difference compared to last year as well. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball for the Bengals, as I talked about earlier, James, I'm just dying with curiosity to see how the Sunder Center game is going to play out because it's something that we haven't seen the Bengals commit to. And in the past, it's been Zach Taylor will run it out there for like the scripted drive, right? And then maybe they'll even score a touchdown. It'll look great. We'll be like, oh, yeah, loved all that motion they were doing. and love the play action.

Starting point is 00:26:34 They incorporated it on that drive. And then the second drive, they're just in the shotgun. They're static. They're straight dropping back. There's no deception. So to what degree they're able to maintain that level of misdirection in their offense and to what degree they're successful with the under center part of the playbook will be a huge factor in this game because of some of the things you've talked about with this Tampa defense and trying to neutralize that pass rush.

Starting point is 00:26:59 The other thing that we're going to get an answer to, I think, pretty quick here. And obviously it takes a long time to get an idea over the course of a season, how an offensive line is going to perform. It's a tough test in week one, tougher in week two, where the Bengals go play the Houston Texans, and they're disgusting defensive front. But Ruben Bina Vita Vaya, Yadiyabi, Kalaja can't see, nothing to laugh at. So seeing how the Bengals answer that test, seeing if Orlando Barn is actually on that downside of his career, that's going to be a significant factor in this game for the Bengals. but I mean, if you're talking about individual players,

Starting point is 00:27:34 I'm thinking about Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, Dexter Lawrence, three most important players in this game for the Bengals. Who are the three most important players to you, James, from the buck side of things? I guess it's Baker Mayfield, it's Vita Vaya, and then it's Josiah Trotter, the rookie second round pick at linebacker there next to Alex Anzolone. I think he's kind of that wild card.

Starting point is 00:27:55 He's going to be the guy that you have to entrust to help shut down that run game. and be kind of that spark, that that guy that can get into the backfield in a hurry, get tackles for loss, can get sent on blitzes and really spark this defense. Yeah, it's, it's interesting. Obviously, the quarterbacks are always going to be super important, but both of us looking at those nose tackles as being vital to the success of either team because of their role in trying to collapse the pocket,

Starting point is 00:28:24 take advantage of offensive lines, and get pressure on these. And allow you to play light in the box. I think for both teams, and this is something that I've talked about with the Bengals. One of the things that they were so good at last year is getting light box opportunities to run against. But when you have a Vita Vaya or Dexter Lawrence or a prime DJ reader to go back a few years for the Bengals when he was just an incredible run defender for this team, it allows you to play light in the box and get that advantage elsewhere.

Starting point is 00:28:48 I think that's something that the bucks probably will try to lean on and it will be on the Bengals to prove that, no, you actually need to put another guy in the box. You can't devote that safety to staying over the top because if you, do, we're going to run for six yards of carry. Now, whether or not that's something they can execute on Sunday, that's something we'll find out. Whether or not Josiah Trotter has the same experience that the Bengals have with their rookie linebackers last year, I know Tampa fans will be hoping that is not the case and we'll begin to get those answers on Sunday. We'll also have you covered on lockdown bucks and lockdown Bengals going into these games after the games, everything

Starting point is 00:29:22 you need to know about week one right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day we'll wrap this crossover there and we'll see you next time

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - FIRST LOOK at Bengals-Bucs: Joe Burrow & Bengals OL vs. Vita Vea & Rueben Bain HEADLINES Week 1

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