Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Trey Hendrickson Could Be Finished with Cincinnati Bengals, and the Jermaine Burton Experience Ends In Release

Starting point is 00:00:00 Trey Hendrickson is opted for a surgery that will shut down his season. Does that mean he's played his last snap as a Cincinnati Bengals? Certainly possible. Let's break that down. 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 Lockdown Bengals podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:33 Now the number one sports podcast network. in the land. Thanks to you, the everydayers, those of you who make lockdown Bengals their first listen. He's James Rapid. I'm Jake Lusco, and we've been locked on Bengals since 2016. Your best one-stop shop for all things, Bengals, online.

Starting point is 00:00:50 And it's not a day of good news today. I'll tell you that from the jump. If you came here looking for a pick-me-off, it's not going to be a theme throughout this episode, at least for my end, James. Maybe you'll be the optimistic side of today's episode. We got Trey Hendrickson shutting his season down, getting that core muscle surgery on Tuesday, the Bengals cutting, Jermaine Burton, after he was suspended for Sunday's game. T. Higgins is back in the concussion protocol.

Starting point is 00:01:18 It's just like thing after thing. It felt like on Monday that we're now going to discuss in this episode. And the last shout out here before we dive into the Trey Hendrickson topic to start is we did just launch the Everydayer Club. I've been talking about it kind of as a as just a side for a while, but it's now a real thing. If we're your first listen to the day, if we are your everyday routine, well, you can take it up a level and go ad free.

Starting point is 00:01:45 If that's something you really want to do, you can join the Everydayer Club. You can get locked on Bengals with no interruptions, members-only Discord access, and more is just $5 a month or $50 a year, save a little bit of money if you go for the full year. You can check the link in the show notes to learn more. You can check out social media to learn more.

Starting point is 00:02:02 There are a lot of ways for you to get into this. There are some ways for you to get it for free to try it out for the first month that are out there on social media that you might be able to find. That might be gone by the time you hear this, but it might not be. That's a limited time opportunity. But James, let's dive into the Trey Hendrickson News. Monday a report that he was going to go see a specialist after Zach Taylor said he was going to go see a specialist. And then Adam Schefter saying he's planning to get a surgery. It's going to be a six-month, six-week, sorry, six-week.

Starting point is 00:02:30 recovery and that's going to shut down the season. Yeah, well, hold on now, pessimistic Jake. If they make the playoffs and they wouldn't, no, I'm just kidding. Yeah, Trey Hendrickson's probably not playing for the rest of this year. And it just continues the odd situation that is. And I'm going to tell you what I think, purely think. This has nothing to do with what necessarily happened. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:02:58 Zach Taylor obviously tight to the vest. heard from Trey since before the deadline. But as a, as someone that talks Bengals every single day, I'm comfortable saying this. And if I'm way wrong, Trey, sorry. If I'm way wrong, Bengals, sorry. I think the Bengals kept Trey off of injured reserve because they thought he was going to be able to come back and play through this core muscle injury, whatever other ailments that he was dealing with. And Trey on the other side said, I'm not cleared or I'm not comfortable to play or whatever the case is with his camp. And it drug out and drug out and drug out and it was weird.

Starting point is 00:03:33 And Zach Taylor didn't feel comfortable because he didn't want to misspeak. And so he just didn't say anything. And so the team thought he could play. He didn't think he could play. And ultimately he goes and sees a specialist because it's not getting better, a new specialist. And it's like, it's time to undergo surgery. I don't know if any of that's true.

Starting point is 00:03:51 That's what I think happened. Just looking at this 50,000 feet. And look, we haven't heard from Trace since before the deadline. That was a long time ago. That was six weeks ago, right? What we asked Zach Taylor constantly about Trey Hendrickson, and I could tell you that behind closed doors, he's not saying anything either to people that would be in the no.

Starting point is 00:04:11 So this has been a really weird process, but ultimately this probably means that Trey Hendrickson, and there's an off chance that it's not the case, but probably means Trey Hendrickson played his last down as a Bengal. I'd say arguably the best free agent signing in Bengals history, probably the best free agent signing in Bengals history. Four sacks this year, I don't necessarily see them using the franchise tag on him now. Much more risky to do it versus doing it if he had 10 sacks, 12 sacks, 15 sacks.

Starting point is 00:04:43 He had four sacks this year, obviously missed the majority of the season due to injury. Feels like he's going to get to free agency. And if he does, I think he ends up signing elsewhere. Yeah, I think fair to say, best free agent signing in Bengals history. I mean, it's an all pro. I don't know how many free agents they've signed that have gone on to be all pros. He is pretty high up on the Bengals all-time sack leaderboard and did it in like half the games of the next guy. I'm embellishing a little bit there, but his sack rate per game is astronomical when you look at Bengals history.

Starting point is 00:05:17 You're going to go down as one of the best pass rushers in Bengals history. The thing about this whole situation that I keep coming back to, James, is that we just don't know what, happened. The injury was a back injury and then he got hit in the back and it looked like he was in a lot of pain after he came back too early, took a blind side shot to the low ribs to the back when he was already engaged on a play and got up and was hardly able to walk off the field. And then we saw the injury classification change over time, back, hip, pelvis. Then the report about the core muscle surgery. We've talked about this before. The everydayers have heard me go through this timeline before. The injury classifications changed over time. We got some additional information over

Starting point is 00:06:07 time that this is going to eventually cause Trey Hendrickson to need a surgery. Then there's this idea that he's trying to let it get better without the surgery because maybe he can get back faster that way, right? Maybe he can play through this thing. Maybe they don't know that it's a core muscles thing at first. So the timeline that is, I think, the most generous reading of this for Trey is that initially they thought it was whatever his back injuries have been in the past that he has been able to play through, maybe miss a game here or there, but it's played through in the past. And then they realized a couple weeks into this thing when they didn't put him on IR, oh, there's actually a need for surgery to repair this core muscle injury. And then they

Starting point is 00:06:53 realize, but maybe if you give it a couple more weeks and do this physical therapy and rest this way, maybe you'll be able to get back. And then they gave it those couple of weeks and it didn't work. And they kept giving it a couple of weeks and discovering new things. And it just kept not getting better. And then you just decided to go for the surgery now because maybe this is the amount of time they said, like, if it's not better by December 9th, you better get surgery. Maybe.

Starting point is 00:07:21 we don't know. We haven't had the information along the way to suggest that that's exactly the case, but it's plausible to say that that's what happened is that they just kept learning a little bit more and a little bit more as things went because if they'd known right away, this thing's going to require surgery after the season.

Starting point is 00:07:41 Could have just gotten the surgery right away. And hindsight, obviously. Benefit of hindsight saying that. But if he gets that surgery right away and then takes six weeks, it's probably playing right now. Now, it doesn't matter. I don't know, but could have gotten the surgery right away if they knew right away.

Starting point is 00:07:57 Sure. And core muscle stuff is weird. It is unique. I know of multiple players that have ultimately had core muscle surgery where the initial injury feels like it's somewhere else. And it takes some time to evaluate it and find it and all of those things. And it can be unique as a high-level athlete especially dealing with something like this. And just diagnosing it and finding it.

Starting point is 00:08:20 And that might be why it was different on the injury report. Look, at this stage at 4 and 9, I'd probably get the surgery too. I want a fully healthy offseason. I would, I think this, I think Logan Wilson was in this position last year. And after they fell to 4 and 8, he had the surgery. It might have been a little before that. But it's one of those things. And I know this, Trey will tell you, and this is just from covering him for the past

Starting point is 00:08:52 five years. Trey will tell you, oh, I'm going to do everything I can to play. And so whatever the case is, sucks because this is probably it for him in Cincinnati. I think things could change. Some circumstances could change, or maybe that doesn't happen. It's December. March is a long way away. But as of now, it feels like he's done in Cincinnati.

Starting point is 00:09:12 And it just sucks that this is how it ends. It wasn't a sack in the playoffs to get them back to the AFC championship game or the Super Bowl or something like that. It's against the Jets and the first half. And who knows with all these one score games, if Trey makes a difference, he probably does in some of these, but it leaves at the end of the first half.

Starting point is 00:09:36 And maybe we never see them again in stripes. Bit of an iconic game, at least, for Trey Henderson to go out in for the Cincinnati Bengals, for all the wrong reasons in 2025. But one of the- Lacko-Hurt, Trey-Hurt, meltdown late. Like that Jets game is just a nightmare. nightmare terrible uh and one of the themes of the season one more point on t henderson

Starting point is 00:09:58 henderson that i want to dive into a little bit more james after this in a minute here is just there are a lot of people asking does this make it more likely that tray returns to the bengals does this make it more likely and you've alluded to it a little bit here but let's dive into that a little bit more a little bit more directly and then we'll get to the germane burton release we'll get to t higgins going back to the concussion protocol those topics coming up next You know, there's no reason to let big wireless drain your wallet, especially during the holidays. Right now, Mint Mobile is running their best deal of the year. All of their unlimited plans are 50% off.

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Starting point is 00:11:38 when the network is busy, capable device required. Availability speed and coverage varies. CementMobil.com. So the question is, Trey Havison didn't play a whole lot this year. how does that affect his price tag? How does that affect his market league wide?

Starting point is 00:11:59 How does the league receive how Trey Hendrickson has gone about this season with just even if he did everything right, being unable to play? Having another injury on the wrong side of 30 now, unable to put together another season like we've seen from him. I will say that when he was on the field, when he was healthy early in the season, season it looked like try hendrickson but when you miss most of the season that can impact your market and so the question then becomes does he suddenly become more affordable for the bengals does he become a candidate for a bet on myself prove it year one-year deal kind of thing for the bengals that is not something i imagine tray wants to think about that's more for players coming off their rookie contract, but these are the questions that people have been asking a little bit in the

Starting point is 00:12:56 wake of this news, James. Yeah, and I get it. I do. I think if the relationship, because it has gotten strained, you can tell it's gotten strained. If that can smoothen out some, then maybe there is a path. Now, over the past eight months, nine months, no, it's eight months, probably we've had tray go on national shows we've had tray show up at practice in may late april early may i think was early may and and say how zach taylor's message bothered him about minicamp like there was a lot here it was emotional mike brown even saying how emotional tray can be when it comes to this stuff so can they get past that the bengals are emotionless they're a robot so possibly possibly they can will tray or is he like man i am out of here you know i i think he loves the fan base

Starting point is 00:13:56 he loves being a bangle but i think the past couple of years have been frustrating for him and so i would never say never jake especially when it comes to something like this because it can change very very quickly i we were a year and like a week removed from joe burrow keeping t higgins in place right after that dallas game he's like oh i'm gonna Make sure T. Higgins is here long term. And we're going to talk about T coming up. But like these things can change in a hurry. And so who's making the decision?

Starting point is 00:14:29 Who's around? Who's not? What happens to the final four weeks? What is Trey open to? What are the Bengals open to? There's so many questions. So I wouldn't completely rule it out. But it does feel unlikely.

Starting point is 00:14:40 Yeah, I think never say never is about the right, the right place to be here. Like it's possible. Yes. But it does not feel like. likely yeah it'd be fun maybe fun can you imagine dray andrickson signs a two year fifty five million dollar deal with the pay or whatever they're gonna get to a point where they're going to to need to need a pass rush for this off season and that's where the scenarios come up like what better way to

Starting point is 00:15:07 spend your money you got a guy you're familiar with a guy that can be productive a guy that is probably the best on the market and so that's where i think people are coming from here like what else are they going to do you're going to you're going to bring Joseph Osai back and bank on Shemar Stewart figuring it out after a lost rookie season for the most part, dealing with his own injuries. Going to draft another one? I'm hoping we get good news on Shamar this week and he can play. I don't know if it's going to happen, but I would love for it to happen. He needs it.

Starting point is 00:15:35 It needs it. It needs it. Yeah. What happens between now and the off season? Another huge factor, as you point out. Yeah. Hard to predict, but doesn't feel remotely likely right now. It feels like the way this season went, the way last offseason went,

Starting point is 00:15:53 the way two off seasons ago went, the way three off seasons ago went, this thing is going to be very difficult to mend the relationship between the team and Trey Hendrickson. The relationship that was unable to be mended between the team and the player involves Romaine Burton, who has had more than his share of issues with the team, missing meetings over his time in Cincinnati and eventually get suspended last week a couple days ago for the game in Buffalo and the Bengals just move on on Monday, James. One of the worst picks in the draft in the Zach Taylor era, one of the worst picks ever for the Bengals.

Starting point is 00:16:39 They've certainly had significantly worse in earlier rounds. Don't get me wrong, but... This staff at least had a pretty strong track record of getting it right with offensive skill players. And they were unable to corral Jermaine Burton and point him in a direction that would make him a productive football player on Sundays. Yeah. Look, a lot of people are going to say, James, what happened? We don't know the Jermaine Burton story. And we do.

Starting point is 00:17:06 We do. We don't need every detail. It's not this big conspiracy theory. It's not this big. Oh, well, one, no one wanted Jermaine to be right more than. And Zach, after he's caught pounding on his chair and looking more like a kid on Christmas getting a Super Nintendo, a five-year-old James getting a Super Nintendo on Christmas. Best Christmas ever, by the way. Like, that's what he looked like.

Starting point is 00:17:29 And it was one of the biggest swings they've taken. And everything you got with Germain and Year 1, you got in Year 1, it was just less loud because everyone had grown sick of it. You didn't get as much reporting on it because it was the same stuff. It was showing up late and missing meetings and missing planes and missing this. and miss that's it and if you go back to the draft that the nick sabin clip right after he's drafted he's like germane just needs to be consistent it's it's the same issue that he's always had maybe he'll figure it out because i get why the bengals took the risk they said all right well we may need to replace t higgins and this guy can play in the slot he can kick outside he's got unique rare

Starting point is 00:18:07 downfield ability where his hands are just super strong downfield and contested catch situations and he might be able to develop into a real dude opposite Jamar Chase. And then he got here. And they were like, what the bleep? And it never felt good, ever. That's why he was running with the third team in the preseason and out there as a rookie late in those preseason games when he put up those numbers. Last year, obviously showed up late multiple times right before he's about to get a ton of targets and he's in the game plan and all of those things. Like back to back days.

Starting point is 00:18:42 I'm not even sure that was officially. reported I can now why not what's it going to hurt he's just been that way the whole time and i i mentioned to someone when was it when tea was out no when jamaar was suspended i was like oh is this germain's time and it was not a coach it was a player and the player was like like laughed about it like this wasn't like the coaching staff just hated germain and he's like a martyr or something you know the sacrificial lamb because they're fresh no like no one in the building respected his work ethic or his dedicate like nobody and that to me is telling like it wasn't like a player was like oh he can ball he's doing the right things i haven't heard that once this year like once since training camp started and i think that's important because you would hear that i i don't think it would take long for me to hear that about Mitch tinsley or kendrick prior or whoever regardless of skill set regardless of talent level There's a little bit more here.

Starting point is 00:19:45 There's the Joe Burrow comments that were, what, the beginning of training camp is probably the last time we heard an endorsement. Sure, right at the beginning, which you, that's when you're at the beginning. It's like, man, yeah, yeah, hopefully he could keep it up type thing. And that's when it gets hard is when training camp starts. Yeah, it's a consistency, right? And there's the offseason decision to keep Remain Burton. There's him sticking around until now. There's what's going to happen if he catches on to one of these other teams.

Starting point is 00:20:14 it's desperate for wide receiver help, like in Kansas City or something like that. They obviously have no issue taking on some challenges at the wide receiver position. There's a little bit more in Jermaine Burton. T. Higgins is back in the concussion protocol. How are T. Higgins and Jermaine Burton related? That's another topic I'll throw out there. Their cousins? Not familiarly, but relationally.

Starting point is 00:20:39 It doesn't really help define it, I guess. Related? A little bit more. Cousin. And then on the T. Higgins topic here coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by Fandall. Fan dual is a one-stop shot for all

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Starting point is 00:22:16 Yeah, I called him a roster lock at one point in camp. Roster lock. It did not work out that way. Didn't have the best preseason on the field. And as a result... Great in practice. Great in practice. Yeah, it was great in practice.

Starting point is 00:22:30 I mean, in the games and the things that you got to play well in the games, right? You've heard this coaching staff say it before. You've heard every coaching staff say it. You can be a great... You've heard Joe Burrough say it. You know, you can be great in the classroom. You can be great on the practice field, but you've got to be able to do it in games when it's real football. and Isaiah Williams has been a contributor for the Jets,

Starting point is 00:22:49 not a very good football team. Isaiah Williams is making plays over there. The Bengals made a decision to keep last year's third round pick that didn't really have a lot of support in the building then either. No. But had some. There was some positive momentum for Germain at the beginning of training camp. I mentioned Joe Burroughs comments.

Starting point is 00:23:09 And let Isaiah Williams walk. And now Germain Burton is also. gone just kind of too bad in hindsight it's it's a little bit of hindsight but not entirely hindsight this wasn't unpredictable at the time it's worst case outcome i think but but not outside of the realm of possibility at the time either just something that uh didn't really want to acknowledge as a possible path because it's the worst case outcome it's just unfortunately it was realistic then and and it's what's happened this is why you don't invest a third round pick in a guy that you think has this floor like it was such a huge swing where it's like if everything goes right

Starting point is 00:23:54 he can replace t higgins right if it goes half wrong then maybe he's a serviceable deep threat if it goes all the way wrong he doesn't make it through year two and i don't think they felt like there was a scenario where with jamar chase t higgins Troy walters their culture that it go this wrong and some guys just they're not built for it and maybe germane who's young and talented figures it out but the germane they received with the 80th pick in the third round there was there was just no shot it was just never going to happen i mean this is it's a pretty easy landing spot to come in man player friendly coach offense that loves to throw the ball you don't have to be the one or the two and all the basic stuff that you would expect anybody to do as an adult,

Starting point is 00:24:48 certainly an NFL player. It just, it was a struggle. So, yeah, the Isaiah Williams part of it is painful, especially because he did make it to the practice squad. And then he got picked up when the Jets made their move. They, their punt returner flumbled, what, week one, week two, something like that early in the season. And then they moved on and they went and they get Isaiah Williams.

Starting point is 00:25:09 And he was someone I was excited about. And that's how it works. That's how the cookie crumbles, Joe Bro, quote. But when you invest as high of a pick as you did in Germain, you can't give up after one year unless it's just catash, like even more so. Like I don't blame the Bengals for doing that because they had already invested too much. And that's the problem. That's what it goes back to to me is you're already two in on a stock that was very, you knew at the time could bottom out. And you could be left with nothing.

Starting point is 00:25:40 And so you had to kind of hold on and hope that it rebounded. And obviously he didn't. I mean, we've seen them do this with Jackson Carmen. We've seen them do this with Zach Carter. And Carter was, you know, on-field performance reasons that they end up moving on there. But yeah, I mean, they give these guys. And most teams give these guys multiple chances. It's just a shame that, you know, it didn't work out the fit between Burton and the organization,

Starting point is 00:26:09 whether the organization did enough or not, there's a lot of speculation on both sides of how much support the Bengals provided to Jermaine Burton, whatever it was. It didn't work. What's up? I don't know. I just, yeah, I get that.

Starting point is 00:26:26 I get why people look at it that way out. Oh, yeah. I don't have anything to tell people about that. I just know that it is speculative in all directions. T. Higgins is back in the concussion protocol, James. There were many speaking of speculations, speculating that after T reached for his head, at least twice after it hit the ground hard on different plays in that game, that he was concussed again, managed to get through the concussion evaluations

Starting point is 00:26:56 on the sideline from the independent evaluator on Sunday, reported symptoms after the game, back into concussion protocol this week. this is just one of those you hate to see it kind of moments right he he gets cleared for the concussions he's double catching the ball the entire game both before he hit his head the first time and after makes a sick one-handed touchdown catch deep downfield after returning after two different evaluations but man in hindsight it sure does look obvious that when you reach for your head after your head hits the ground you probably shouldn't go back in the game yeah it's it's not a very good feeling to know that he's back in concussion protocol

Starting point is 00:27:43 people have invoked to a tung of a loa and him returning too soon and i do see the parallels i hope he gets right i hope he gets better i wonder if there will be an investigation into what happened it sounds like i mean the nfl p a and the nfl issued a joint statement saying that he cleared protocol twice so maybe that's it there's no there's no investigation coming but it's one of those moments for brain safety that just like for this league in the last few years it just looks real fishy like something something went wrong in the process is what it feels like today well clearly the protocol is in exact it is it 100% uh the t higgins the the first time the independent and it's independent it's not a team doctor someone like that evaluating it's someone that is

Starting point is 00:28:28 just there to evaluate head injuries um said all right t come on and and what's through protocol. Second time, T was like, yeah, can you check me again? And apparently got checked again. So two different times was evaluated during that game, passed both. Look, it's tough. And I get it. I get it.

Starting point is 00:28:52 I hope we don't see T. Obviously, this way, I really don't because you just don't want to risk it again. And it's weird how much we've seen him hit his head now for two weeks. Like it just seems like you do. at once as a receiver and now you're in these awkward spots and it's just it almost seems like it's just more likely to happen right now. So you want him to get right because he's 25, 26 years old and I think 26 now and just, you know, football is football. And here's the other thing. It wasn't the Super Bowl. It was a big game for the Bengals for sure and he was awesome. I actually don't even

Starting point is 00:29:29 know how he made the one-handed catch. But after he came out and was evaluated, the first time he had two drops kind of wasn't on the same page with with joe on the one like you could just kind of see it's like has doesn't feel like t and the drops were like him pushing the ball down when he when he goes to catch it you know it just seemed a little bit more double catching it the reason i brought that up is because he was doing it before the the first had bang on the ground too like he he was having issues all day so it didn't get better obviously but uh he was having that issue before the first head bang to from what I recall. Yeah, and who knows, right? But it's just you want him to be good. And I talked to, I did talk to him late in the week before he talked to

Starting point is 00:30:14 reporters and he felt good. The doctors, you know, felt good about where he was at. And, you know, it's just two concussions in two weeks. I know I saw some speculation that that could cost him multiple games, maybe the season. We'll see if that's, if that's the, the case. So I hope whatever it is, whenever he comes back, he's just fully healthy because you don't want, you don't want to keep playing with this

Starting point is 00:30:41 this issue. And by playing with this issue, I mean trying to suit up when you're taking this risk. You take this risk all the time anyway as a football player, but it's obviously much bigger when you're already dealing with a head injury. It's been

Starting point is 00:30:57 a pretty tough season. and T. Higgins, if this is it for his season, because why would you bring him back? I mean, I guess it depends on what you do. They might win the next two. I guess it depends on how it shakes out, but yeah. T right now has played in 12 games, same amount of games as Jemar Chase this season. It hasn't had any of those lower body soft tissue injuries this year, now dealing with concussions.

Starting point is 00:31:24 But again, it's going to be a season that's cut short for T, 667 yards on 466 catches. nine touchdowns leads the team in touchdown catches by nearly double what Jamar has this year. I mean, didn't get to see him much with Joe, didn't get to see the triumvirate that is supposed to drive this team together for more than a handful of snaps this year. And when they were together,

Starting point is 00:31:47 it looked great. So, unfortunate in that regard, but yeah, more than anything, if there's not a real good reason and he's not feeling great, I'm going very cautiously with tea sure the rest of the season

Starting point is 00:32:04 because he's a building block and it's yeah it's no different than any of your other building blocks and it's a scary head injury this isn't an ankle spraying that you brace up it's not it's not uh you can't put a steel plate in his shoe to protect the toe you know like you can with joe burrow returning from the turf toe thing I wonder if he'll wear one of the the big caps the guardian cap yeah I was going to say the big head things but yeah yeah good good good right well some players just opt to wear those. And I wonder if you even notice them if they're on.

Starting point is 00:32:34 I know he's worn them in practice, I think. Romeo Dobbs is one that I remember just from a team that Bengals have played against us here. There are a couple of players on the Packers that wear them. And I would kind of say, why not unless it's noticeable and a detriment, you know, to wear it to the player if you feel like it's going to affect your performance. But the other side, and I don't know, the other side of it is there is mixed evidence as, their effectiveness. Like, I don't think it hurts,

Starting point is 00:33:03 but there was a big review of, like, high school players wearing them that found that it wasn't necessarily as effective as hoped. So I think mixed evidence as far as how helpful they are, but it couldn't hurt, right?

Starting point is 00:33:15 There's also the neck brace thing that people wear, not like the neck roll that, like, old school linebackers were, but like it kind of puts light pressure. I was reading about it yesterday. It puts light pressure on your jugular to increase blood flow.

Starting point is 00:33:29 Yeah, it's just hard. Yeah. Yeah, it's like a small, small thing, yeah. The idea is that the increased blood in the head can reduce the impact of some of the head blows. Kind of weird when you think about it that way, but hey, if it works, it works, as long as there's no downsides to it. So we'll see what T thinks about in the future, what all these players think about in the future, but just an unfortunate situation that T now finds himself in. And look, the season goes on, the Bengals played Baltimore this week.

Starting point is 00:33:57 They're technically not dead in the water. Just feels like the real dead in the water at this point. But they can put a real dent into Baltimore's playoff hopes. We see if the no team winning the AFC North for three straight years, magic in the air continues this year. And we'll get to that matchup with a crossover very soon. That's our next episode, then a game preview after that. That's going to do it, though, for this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast.

Starting point is 00:34:24 Until next time, thanks for listening. Bouda and have a good one.

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