00:00:01
Speaker 1: It's a big cat clash, and the Bengals are on the prowl for a win. To get one, they'll have to jolt the Jaguars. And trust me, fur will fly. You might call it a pounce-a-palooza. It's spot versus stripes. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Coverage begins Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Stream for free on the new and improved iHeartRadio app or on ESPN 1530, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:00:29
Speaker 2: You know what's cool is when you get to the postseason, they actually play real baseball in extra innings, which is what's happening in Atlanta right now. And the Phillies, we've got back-to-back homers in the eighth. Just got a solo shot from Alec Boehm with still two guys on. Top ten in Atlanta. Phillies up 4-3. We'll keep you up to date. Kelsey Conway from TheEnquirer and Sensei.com. In 15 minutes, she'll sort through the mess of injuries the Bengals are dealing with in the secondary and also discuss what's up with Dalton Reisner, who popped up on the injury report today with a knee issue. That is just about 15 minutes away.
00:01:07
Speaker 3: But.
00:01:08
Speaker 2: With the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town on Sunday for a second consecutive year, it's an opportunity for us to bring in somebody who knows more about the Jacksonville Jaguars than anybody from 1010XL in Jacksonville, Lauren Brooks. Two years in a row we get to have a host of helmets and heels on that radio station. Hi, Lauren.
00:01:28
Speaker 4: Hello, how are you? I'm well.
00:01:30
Speaker 2: Give me a 30,000-foot encapsulation of the first three Jacksonville Jaguars games.
00:01:37
Speaker 5: Okay, it's nice and easy. Week one, butt-whooping.
00:01:40
Speaker 3: Week three, butt-whooping by the Jaguars.
00:01:43
Speaker 5: Both of those. Week two, Jaguars.
00:01:44
Speaker 3: Have a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter in Denver. Mile high going crazy. Jaguars obviously won there last year. Couldn't hold on to the lead, and Denver finished off that game good. winners 20 to 13 so Jaguars really felt like they let one go there but obviously it was a revenge game for Denver all.
00:02:03
Speaker 2: Right so when they've been really good and they have spent most of their first three games despite the loss in the middle being really really good what have they been best.
00:02:10
Speaker 3: At So offensively, Trevor Lawrence is playing at an elite level, kind of like how he finished the season with the one caveat being that's our outlier being that game, the wildcard game against the Bills. He looks a little off that game. But each game this year, outside of maybe a few throws.
00:02:28
Speaker 5: Here and there, he's looked fantastic.
00:02:31
Speaker 3: And he's finding multiple weapons, too, like we talked about, really all offseason offensively. who is going to be the leading receiver on this Jaguars team. Some people thought Parker Washington, some people Brian Thomas Jr. since his rookie season was so good. And then, of course, you just paid Jacoby Myers the soft season as well after trading for him last year. Then you've got Britton Strings and you draft two tight ends.
00:02:52
Speaker 5: And then, of course, the running.
00:02:53
Speaker 3: Backs and then they signed Chris Rodriguez from the commander.
00:02:57
Speaker 5: So Offensively, I would say they want to get the.
00:02:59
Speaker 3: Run game going more, but the passing offense has been elite. And then defensively, the run defense continues to be the best in the NFL. Deron Hamilton is, as Josh Heinz Allen says, the best nose tackle in the NFL, even though he certainly doesn't get the credit or national acclaim for that. And then as far as the secondary, it needs some improvement, but we are seeing more snaps by Travis Hunter on defense. So going to probably see a little bit more man coming up against the Bengals. But as you well know, it's going to be hard no matter what you do to cover some of those guys.
00:03:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, no question about it. You mentioned the secondary needs to improve. What is the biggest– either side of the ball, what's the biggest team deficiency?
00:03:40
Speaker 3: So I would say it's probably the– The passing defense, which, I mean, it gave up way too many yards to Jalen Waddell.
00:03:49
Speaker 5: Really, against the Browns, there was only the one.
00:03:51
Speaker 3: Touchdown that they gave up, so they played really well against the Browns, and then the Patriots didn't score a touchdown. So it's really hard to kind of nitpick, or I feel like I'm nitpicking. It's hard to say that there's a major deficiency, really, but at times.
00:04:03
Speaker 5: the opponents have.
00:04:04
Speaker 3: Been able to take advantage of maybe like a Buster Brown's lack of speed.
00:04:08
Speaker 5: He was also paid this offseason. He's really a good corner against the run.
00:04:12
Speaker 3: But at times, if there's an elite receiver, they're going to probably take advantage of that matchup. So we are seeing a little bit more of Jarrion Jones. And then, like I mentioned, Travis Hunter. So I think they're just trying to find their best guys there as far as the secondary is concerned.
00:04:26
Speaker 2: Lauren Brooks from 1010XL in Jacksonville. Based on how the second half of the season went last year, where they were offensively, in particular, an absolute wagon. They obviously lost in the postseason. We paid attention to that here. But just based on winning 13 games last year, the success the Jags had, what's the overall fan sentiment about 2026? Is it they've got to get to the AFC Championship game? Is it deeper than that? Is it Super Bowl and bust? Like, what is it?
00:04:55
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think it's a good question.
00:04:57
Speaker 3: Everyone believes certainly in Liam Cohen, but the Jags fan base is so scarred from all the other years of having one good season and then falling completely off. That happened after 2017's great run and it happened after the 2022 season. So I think the standard or the expectation right now.
00:05:16
Speaker 5: They fell short of doing that last year and I.
00:05:19
Speaker 3: Mean a lot of fans obviously thought that in media too honestly if the Jaguars had beaten the Bills they thought the Jags would be in the Super Bowl just the way that obviously everything shook out with Bo Nix and the Broncos his injury so and the Jags I think would have beaten the Patriots not as easily as they did this past Sunday but I think they would have beaten them so either way the i don't think fans are saying in year two under liam cohen they have to go to the fc championship game or they have to go to the super bowl but i think by next year that's certainly where the expectations uh will be but of course last year as you well know no chiefs no ravens no bangles so uh that's why it was your opportunity.
00:05:55
Speaker 5: Bills and they didn't take advantage of it and jags kind of feel like they let one.
00:05:58
Speaker 3: Slip but i would say uh The Jags fan base right now is just so thankful that they got to 2-1 because they were very afraid of going to 1-2 and then maybe losing to the Bengals and then going to London and losing either to the Texans or Eagles or maybe both.
00:06:13
Speaker 2: What we knew about Liam Cohen at this time a year ago when you and I talked one game into his head coaching tenure was he was highly regarded as an offensive mind and also he never stayed in one city for more than a year. That's obviously changed in his current capacity. Give me what his biggest strength is as a head coach.
00:06:32
Speaker 5: Yeah, he's able to find the edge with his team. He's very relatable. He holds them accountable.
00:06:37
Speaker 3: And there's something about, I think his age, like the fact that he's only around 40, that he really does connect with the players. But obviously the play calling, if you have a head coach that you fully trust as your play caller, you don't have to worry as much about if you lose your offensive coordinator, right? Like if that's the thing that I don't think the Jags had had such confidence in a play call in a long time. There was this whole controversy here as far as Zach Taylor's brother press was Doug Peterson calling the plays was press Taylor calling the plays at the end of the day. I think it was press Taylor all along, but the play calling just got stagnant. And so Liam Cohen is a mastermind when it comes to the different formations and catching defenses off guard.
00:07:17
Speaker 2: Awesome stuff, Lauren. I appreciate the time. Thanks so much.
00:07:21
Speaker 5: Well, absolutely. Hope all goes well this week.
00:07:24
Speaker 2: Well, from our perspective, yes. From the Jacksonville perspective, maybe not quite as much, but should be a fun game nonetheless.
00:07:31
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, so many injuries I know piling up for you guys, so good luck.
00:07:34
Speaker 2: A bunch of them. It's going to be interesting. Lauren Brooks, awesome stuff. I appreciate it. 1010XL in Jacksonville. She does a nice job. Helmets and Heels, two to four weekday afternoons. 13 after five o'clock, Bengals and Jags on Sunday. Bengals game plan tonight, starring Dan Hoard and Wayne Boxmiller. At 6.05, Kelsey Conway is going to join us in a few minutes. Bengals injury report has on it Dalton Reisner with a knee, which that's a surprise relative to, I think, what we were expecting yesterday. I think it's unsurprising. No Jordan. With Jordan Battle limited, Brian Cook limited, Kyle Duggar a no-go, Reisner a no-go with a knee issue. So we'll sift through all that with Kelsey in just a few minutes. Also, Taryn wants me to address... Some of the things happening on the chat on our video stream. Are they good? Are they things like, I'll ask you this. When I look at them, am I going to be mad?
00:08:30
Speaker 7: No, no, no, no. Okay.
00:08:31
Speaker 2: Are folks having fun?
00:08:32
Speaker 6: Yes.
00:08:32
Speaker 7: Just a lot going on in the chat.
00:08:34
Speaker 2: I got an email here from somebody who asked, I guess I mentioned this in passing a couple weeks ago. Am I ever going to tell my Chris Hammond story? Chris Hammond, the early 90s Reds pitcher. I don't think I can. I don't think I can do that. I don't know why I mentioned that, but there's a Chris Hammond story from my teenage years that I know. I like mentioning that I have a Chris Hammond story, but I don't think I could tell it. So I'll respond to that email on the air. I'm sorry I ever even mentioned that I had a Chris Hammond story, but no, I don't know that I can do that. 34 years have passed since the time of the Chris Hammond story, but the statute of limitations hasn't... hasn't expired yet. Uh, we got to talk to Kelsey because there's more important things than my Chris Hammond story. Kelsey joins us next quarter after five, uh, Braves have a guy on one out bottom 10 Phillies up for three. And the guy on actually got on because he earned getting on base. I am in favor of nearly all the baseball rule changes we've dealt with this decade. And I know, like, we just got done with year seven of the Magic Runner on second base and extra innings in the regular season. You know that rule stinks because they don't play baseball that way when the games matter the most. 4-3 Phillies. Bottom of the 10th inning, Phillies trying to even the series at a game apiece. This is ESPN 1530 Cincinnati Sports Station.
00:10:05
Speaker 3: Cincinnati's ESPN 1530.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: Traffic.
00:10:09
Speaker 6: From the UC Health.
00:10:10
Speaker 3: Join Wayne Boxmiller and me for Bengals game plan tonight starting at 6 on the official home of the Bengals Cincinnati's ESPN 1530.
00:10:20
Speaker 1: This is Football in the Natty, brought to you in part by Skyline Chili on ESPN 1530, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:10:31
Speaker 2: Very quickly, before we get to our friend Kelsey Conway, that game in Atlanta goes final. We had an ABS challenge, a successful ABS challenge that ended the game. with former Red Dominic Smith striking out, looking with two on and two outs. Bottom of the 10th inning, so the Phillies win that ball game 4-1. Decisive game three tomorrow. Also, the White Sox up early four in the first and still batting, leading the Astros four-zip game two there. Kelsey Conway is with us every Wednesday, 5-20, from the Enquirer and Cincinnati.com, host of the Beyond Sunday podcast. Who's going to play in the secondary on Sunday?
00:11:09
Speaker 4: You know, I actually just got done writing a story that will be up on the Inquirer momentarily.
00:11:14
Speaker 5: And boy, is it.
00:11:15
Speaker 4: You totally go through the depth chart because there's almost like a trickle-down effect for almost every single injury that the Bengals have in the secondary. And that's why it is a tricky situation that Al Golden and Zach Taylor are going to have to work through. Because when Jalen Davis went out, we haven't talked about Desir Taylor being on IR and how much... of an issue that is for them. So they're down their top two slot corners. So then, of course, that means Dax Hill, who wants to play outside, is better outside, has to move inside because he's.
00:11:50
Speaker 5: Their best option there.
00:11:51
Speaker 4: So then that leaves an opening opposite of DJ Turner outside at cornerback that will either be given to DJ Ivy or Takario Davis. Hasn't been a great showing for Takario Davis through three games, three costly penalties, little bit So they're probably going to go with DJ Ivy for the start. But you've seen DJ Ivy here now. He's in his fourth season. You kind of know what you're going to get. He's a guy who plays hard. But can you trust him that he's going to be able to lock down the Jacksonville receivers? And then we're not even talking about safety.
00:12:26
Speaker 5: Safety is almost.
00:12:28
Speaker 4: even more of a concern because Jordan Battle was limited today with a hamstring injury. Brian Cook didn't practice neither did Kyle Duggar. So then you're focusing on a player like Russ Yeast, who's currently on the practice squad. So they're going to give him some reps in practice this week. And they think if they have to go with him, they feel confident. about that. They also can go towards PJ Jules, but again, that's a player who is mostly on the team for what he gives them from special teams standpoint. So it's kind of a mess and they're going to wait and see how the rest of the week goes as far as Brian Cook is And Kyle Duggar, if they can get them to a position where maybe Saturday they gave them enough rest. Brian Cook's the type of player who I think could play at a high level if he doesn't practice. But it's a lot of moving pieces and it's not.
00:13:18
Speaker 5: Going to be pretty.
00:13:18
Speaker 4: And of all games, for them to not have their top players in the secondary, this one's a tough one because... They're not talked about that much because it's a small market team, but Jacksonville's got a really, really strong trio of wide receivers.
00:13:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, no question. Then I look on the report and there's Dalton Reisner. What's up with that?
00:13:37
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:13:38
Speaker 4: So I noticed that out of practice today because I try to take role of the attendance of the offensive lineman, and he wasn't out there. And he's had a bandage on his leg the last couple of weeks, I've noticed. So I don't know if something happened on that final play, obviously the game-sealing play.
00:13:55
Speaker 5: That he got beat on.
00:13:57
Speaker 4: But it is a little bit of a concern that he wasn't even out there at practice. But I did see him in the locker room come out of the training room. He looked like he was walking okay. So we will see if he's able to come back in practice, usually with a player like Dalton Reisner, who's a veteran. It's hard to gauge what what they could be because they are the type of players that can take a Wednesday off. So Thursday is going to be the really telling day for Dalton Reisner because Thursday is when they really put the entire game plan in and that's their heavy day of practice. So definitely keep an eye on the injury report tomorrow with Dalton Reisner. But yeah, not an ideal situation for the Bengals to be in with him being bagged up too.
00:14:39
Speaker 2: No, no, not at all. This team enjoyed such great health. Yeah, I know there's a lot there. This team enjoyed such great health that it's seemingly all come crashing down. What was the most damning thing that you saw on Sunday in Pittsburgh?
00:14:56
Speaker 4: The most damning thing I saw is, and it all goes back to this conversation about injuries, because no team, unless you're a unbelievable. Like it's going to go through a season where they don't have a few games where they just don't play their best. Like nobody and Dexter Lawrence said it, like we're not going to go undefeated without what that wasn't the goal. But what is concerning to me is that the way they played in Pittsburgh on defense wasn't great. And I, They still had a chance to win, and boy, it's going to be hard to say if the Bengals are going to win. They're going to have to play really, really well to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars with what they're dealing with in the secondary. But how much different would you feel if they had won that game in Pittsburgh? And they're three and one heading into a game against Miami that they should win. And then they, you know, have a chance to be four and one at the bye. I think what was concerning to me is that that was a game that the Bengals needed to win in Pittsburgh. They were definitely the better team. They just didn't show up on defense on all three levels. And that's what's concerning to me is because. If they do lose to the Jaguars, two and two is a very different look than three and one. And obviously it's still early in the season. I'm not trying to say like there's panic should be involved. But I think that's what's concerning is to me is because, you know, there's going to be games where you're not going to have your best players. And those are the ones where you can kind of live with a loss. The one in Pittsburgh, it's hard to live with because it should have been a win.
00:16:24
Speaker 2: What do we do with this whole they're 1-34 when they're trailing with less than eight minutes to go stat that everybody's obsessing over?
00:16:32
Speaker 4: You know, I think that's being taken out of context, and I was glad that Andrew Whitworth and Ryan Fitzpatrick talked about it on their podcast. I do think that it's misleading to some extent, but I get why it's being talked about right now. Listen, until Joe Burrow can stay healthy and until he can string together four or five games where he has game-winning drives, that narrative probably won't change. But I think as someone who watched that game in Pittsburgh, I remember going into the fourth quarter like, burrow has looked the best that he has looked all season today like i think to to even point out a negative he played really well in pittsburgh and again was far from the reason that they lost that game i think to point to those things with how well joe burrow has played over the last couple of years to me seems like a bit much but i i can see why it's you know, something that's swirling. But I think the bigger conversation is, is how many times did they put him in a position to have to win the game where there's times where if they would just run the ball and play for the time, but they put the ball in his hand so much that it's going to lead to conversations about, is it too much? Are they putting too much on him? So I always look at those types of stats with, you know, some perspective in mind because I think that's important because Joe Burrow played fantastic in Pittsburgh and it was not his fault that.
00:17:57
Speaker 5: They lost that game.
00:17:58
Speaker 2: We're on the same page there. Thank you as always. We'll talk next week.
00:18:03
Speaker 4: Thanks for having me on, Mo.
00:18:04
Speaker 2: That's the great Kelsey Conway from The Enquirer and Cincinnati.com and host of the Beyond Sunday podcast which focuses on the significant others of Bengals players. It's 5.30. We have the rest of the show is an open canvas, a blank canvas.
00:18:21
Speaker 7: Read the chat.
00:18:22
Speaker 2: I'll read the chat after sports headlines when we come back. 5.30, ESPN 1530, Cincinnati Sports Station.
00:18:30
Speaker 3: You've been listening to Football in the Natty on ESPN 1530, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:18:40
Speaker 4: Cincinnati's ESPN 1530.
00:18:42
Speaker 6: Traffic. From the UC Health Traffic Center, prostate cancer care should be as individual as you are. Find treatment options built around you at the UC Cancer Center. Call 513-585-UCCC. Police and emergency.
00:18:59
Speaker 1: It's a big cat clash and the Bengals are on the prowl for a win. Get one, they'll have to jolt the Jaguars. And trust me, her will fly. You might call it a pounce-a-palooza. It's spot versus stripes. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Coverage begins Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Stream for free on the new and improved iHeartRadio app or on ESPN 1530, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:19:31
Speaker 2: Sports headlines are a service to Kelsey Chevrolet, home of... Lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their family to yours for life. KelseyChev.com.
00:19:42
Speaker 7: What?
00:19:43
Speaker 6: Huh?
00:19:43
Speaker 2: What happened to me there? uh puberty i'm just going through it uh the bangles injury report are you ready Dalton Reisner is on and out today. Did not practice. Knee issue. Jordan Battle. Hammy Limited. Brian Cook. Ankle Limited. Kyle Duggar. Quad. DNP. More tonight. Bengals game plan starting at 6 on ESPN 1530. And the game is on Sunday at 1 o'clock on ESPN 1530. Make sure you join us on Sunday morning starting at 9 a.m. Tony and I fresh off a plane from Arizona. It's going to be fun. starting at nine o'clock at the Holy Grail. Tay Baker, Tay Baker is a significant figure in local college basketball history. He coached both UC and Xavier. He was an assistant coach on Cincinnati's two national title teams in 61 and 62. He would then go on to become the program's head coach, had a record of 125 and 60. Later on, he would go coach at Xavier for a number of years with a record of 70 and 89 and I think I've told this story before. His 96th birthday, he just turned 99 a few days ago. His 96th birthday, and I'm almost certain it was 96, there was an event at a church in Norwood, and Jim Scott, the legendary radio host, was supposed to emcee it. He had just been diagnosed with ALS and didn't feel comfortable, so he asked me to do it in his stead, and it was awesome. I got to meet Tay Baker, and it was this room full of players, men from the 61 and 62 team, and then a lot of players that he had coached at UC when he was the head coach, and a lot of guys that he had coached at Xavier when he was Xavier's head coach. Don Donaher was there, the legendary Dayton coach. That was an awesome event. At 96 years old at the time, he was very, very with it and very, very kind. That was really cool. Baseball playoffs, Phillies and Braves will go to a decisive game three. Alec Boehm with a home run in the top of the 10th inning. Phillies come from behind to win 4-3 over Atlanta. Right now, the White Sox and Astros are playing in the bottom of the first inning. Chicago put up a four spot. Houston has answered back, and it's 4-1 with the Astros batting in the top of the first inning. Jeremy Pena with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the first for Houston, but still some work to do down three. Later tonight in the Bronx, it's the Yankees and Red Sox game two. Game one of that series, a blowout. Cam Schlittler was terrific last night, and the Yankees with a 1-0 series lead after winning 9-0 in the Padres, winning 8-0 in game one last night over the Cubs. Game two is later this evening. 20 from 6 o'clock. Taryn, you want me to read the comments? In the chat for the folks who are watching on our video stream.
00:22:46
Speaker 7: Yes, make them feel like they're a part of the show.
00:22:48
Speaker 2: On Twitter and on YouTube.
00:22:49
Speaker 1: All right.
00:22:50
Speaker 2: Do you want to read them or do you want me to just sift through them in real time?
00:22:54
Speaker 7: You can sift through some of them.
00:22:56
Speaker 5: All right.
00:22:58
Speaker 2: There's a lot of them here.
00:23:00
Speaker 7: They've been busy.
00:23:01
Speaker 2: So if I scroll all day, there's a time. Okay, let's go.
00:23:04
Speaker 7: Let's go.
00:23:05
Speaker 2: There's a lot here. So far, here are the comments. Who day? I appreciate that. But are the comments going to be, I don't know. I mean, like there's not a lot to respond to. Like when someone says who day, it's like saying, hi, you just respond with a who day. So who day? Same person predicts the Bengals win the game on Sunday, 30 to 24. We got another who day. A lot of O's in that one. Hope the defense doesn't let up 20 plus again. I agree. The injuries plus this Jacksonville offense. I'm scared. I'm nervous. A little apprehensive. All right, Taren, I'm going to keep going here. Not that I don't appreciate the folks who have left comments.
00:23:56
Speaker 7: Here's one.
00:23:56
Speaker 2: Okay, thank you. Thank you.
00:23:57
Speaker 7: It says, Mo, do you agree or not? Less money on wide receivers and more money on the offense on the lines.
00:24:02
Speaker 2: I don't know. It's not like they haven't paid Ted Karras. It's not like they haven't paid Orlando Brown. I think they're going to have– Amarius Mims is going to be like the next guy to get paid. I mean– but until you have consistently good offensive lines, it's going to be hard to, it's going to be hard to like refute that. Now they have a, a former first round pick. They have a former second round pick both on the line right now. Dalton Reisner was, you know, a bargain free agent that, you know, him allowing contact on Joe Burrow, the pivotal one with the game last week, notwithstanding is, is kind of worked out, but like, I mean, they've gone heavy early in the draft. Jackson Carman was an early round pick. All those guys, Kappa and Lyle Collins. I mean, they've spent money on the offensive line. The fact that they've paid the wide receivers does not preclude you from spending elsewhere. They spent a lot of money on defense this offseason. They've invested heavy draft. If they're ever going to have an elite offensive line, it's mainly going to happen via the draft. I think we would all acknowledge that. And maybe there's some good long-term solutions with Brian Parker and Connor Liu. But I don't know that signing Higgins and Chase should preclude them from having a good offensive line. Could it keep them from getting the best of the best of the best guy, the most expensive free agent at one of the offensive line positions? I guess so. But when they got Orlando Brown, right now he's paid kind of like an average left tackle. He was not when they first got him. And again, like Amarius Mims, early round pick, Dylan Fairchild, early round pick. That's if they're ever going to have a consistently great offensive line, that's where it's going to come from. I just I think the money has still been there to invest in an offensive line. See that now, Taryn, that was better than me just sifting through this long list of people participating in that.
00:26:04
Speaker 7: I don't want the folks in the chat to know what they are seeing. We do see them.
00:26:07
Speaker 2: We see you like I'll keep going here. Uh, there's one person left a lot. Uh, Mo, my UC Bearcat brother. I like that.
00:26:16
Speaker 8: Yes.
00:26:16
Speaker 2: By the way, this is a golden opportunity on, on, uh, on Saturday for UC. Um, that was a good win over Kansas state. They fell behind 10 early. And then I'll stop short of saying they dominated the game on the ground, but Jabron pain and cold tab, cold tab. These last two games has been just terrific. They legitimately, I think, can run the ball well. The question is, when they are really, truly forced to have to throw it, are they going to be able to? And that's the skepticism. You can talk about skepticism, Satterfield, and the track record in November and stuff like that. What I want to know is, when they're in a game where JC French has to make throws downfield, the question is, can he, but also, will he be willing to? Because there's just, it feels like there's a gun shyness to him, an apprehensiveness to him. I don't think you could have that this week. Dan Hoard said this in the postgame show last week, that of all the losses the Bearcats incurred late last season, I think the one that stung the most was the loss to Arizona here. Their touchdown underdogs lost. I've said for a while, they need a win in the kind of game that they're not supposed to. Now, you could argue, well, wait a minute. They were five and a half or six and a half point underdogs against Kansas State. Okay, but that game was here. They need a make people perk up type of win. And playing Arizona isn't like playing Texas Tech. They'll get their shot at the Red Raiders in a few weeks. And I know the game is going to be close to midnight, but a win at Arizona... I think would make people perk up. Noah Fafita is a good quarterback. He's been at Arizona forever. He's a rarity in this day and age. Good player. They need a make people perk up type of win. And then if Rick is referring to basketball, I can't wait. Next Wednesday. I know it's an exhibition. I know we all wish that UC and Xavier and Dayton and UC and Xavier play each other and UD and UC play each other. I know there's this thought. I get it, man. Wish these were regular season games. I can't wait to see. That's the fun thing about this era we're in in college basketball, as hard as it is to follow the comings and goings. We get real exhibition games where you get a better sense, not a complete sense, but a better sense of what everybody has. I can't wait for that next Wednesday. I can't wait for college basketball to be here. All right, Taren, how am I doing addressing the comments in the video chat?
00:28:46
Speaker 7: That's good. I just want to show some love to the chat.
00:28:48
Speaker 2: Okay, well, we do see you. We appreciate you watching. Please subscribe to our YouTube. I've been told, got to do a better job mentioning that you have a YouTube channel.
00:28:56
Speaker 8: Yes.
00:28:58
Speaker 2: The Mo Egger Show on YouTube. One person says, fire Zach Taylor by the by. Fire Zach Taylor talk by the by. Dude, they lose this week and to Miami.
00:29:11
Speaker 7: Yes.
00:29:13
Speaker 2: That's all anybody's going to be talking about. I think the Dolphins are going winless, by the way. If you go to the game this week, or if you go downtown at the banks and you're walking around, you should ask random strangers, can you name a Miami Dolphins wide receiver? Can you name, now that Devon Achan has heard, can you name an active Miami Dolphins skill player?
00:29:39
Speaker 1: Uh....
00:29:41
Speaker 7: About this one? As a young listener, he really enjoys live streams. Well, thank you. How do you grade Zach Taylor so far this season?
00:29:52
Speaker 2: Boy, it's a small sample size, and so big mistakes matter more. The needing a timeout at the start of a drive with the game hanging in the balance is really unforgivable. So coach in his eighth year as the head coach slash play caller, you have the entire Pittsburgh offensive possession to kind of go through what now, obviously what you need and what you're going to do depends on whether or not Pittsburgh scores or And Zach took the blame for it. Said on Monday, that's on me. But like that, that cannot happen. And you could throw blame at Burrow if you want, fine. You could throw the pitcher or whatever. Dude, you're the head coach, play caller. You're in charge of the offense. That's lack of preparedness. It's situational football. Like he gets docked pretty heavily there. I haven't had a major issue with Zach Taylor's coaching in the first three games. Except for that, like Simmons is being beaten up for calling the fake punt. Not the fake punt, the punt block where said Johnson got dinged for roughing the kicker. I don't have an issue. Darren Simmons is a good special teams coach. Sometimes you're going to call that and it's not going to work because the guy screws it up. If he blocks the punt, it's a great call. I'm not crushing Darren Simmons for that. I'll crush the head coach slash play caller for needing to burn a timeout to start a drive with the game hanging in the balance. I'll go B-. I mean, like, up until that, I didn't blame Zach for the way things had gone. We'll see how this game unfolds on Sunday. That's a good question. That's a good question.
00:31:39
Speaker 7: Three minutes left in the show. How will you use them?
00:31:41
Speaker 2: Do we just keep looking at these chat comments?
00:31:45
Speaker 7: Or we can get to our guy who's been on the whole thing. Let's talk to Mike.
00:31:47
Speaker 2: Mike, what's up, man?
00:31:48
Speaker 7: How are you?
00:31:50
Speaker 8: Hey, thanks, Moe. Appreciate you. Did you get my email about my new treatment I'm getting?
00:31:55
Speaker 2: I did, and I've been thinking of you, and my apologies for not emailing you back, but as always, you're in my thoughts.
00:32:02
Speaker 8: Thank you, Mo. Hello to you, Taren. I never get to speak to you much anymore. Hey, did you hear the interview with Joey Votto yesterday with Dan Patrick?
00:32:11
Speaker 7: I did.
00:32:11
Speaker 2: It was terrific, as is his work on NBC.
00:32:15
Speaker 8: Yeah, he's special. I think this playoff format sucks. I'm sure you probably mentioned it, where you get the lesser of the better teams in the one bracket and the best teams in the other bracket. It just makes no sense. Why don't they just seed it? Top record gets the worst record team. Just go that way. That's the best reward.
00:32:38
Speaker 2: The traditionalist in me hates that idea. But we have watched– they have almost completely gotten rid of the line between the National League and the American League, which, as you well know, back in the day used to be entirely separate entities. We had a National League president and an American League president. We had– like they were two separate entities. Now, with year-long interleague play, with the fact that both leagues play without a DH– I actually think there's validity to that. And again, the traditionalist in me says National League over here, American League over here, and the respective brackets are what they are. But we have gotten rid of the distinction between the two leagues in every other realm. I actually think there's an argument in favor of just seed the teams according to best record. The Cleveland Indians get a bye with 85 wins. The Atlanta Braves have to play in the first round with 98.
00:33:35
Speaker 8: Yeah, and the Rays are doing the same thing with almost 100 wins.
00:33:38
Speaker 2: It's crazy.
00:33:40
Speaker 8: They've got to play the Yankees or the Red Sox. I know you've got to go.
00:33:43
Speaker 1: Thanks, Mo.
00:33:43
Speaker 2: Okay, Mike. Have a great afternoon. All right, we'll do more. We'll encourage folks to leave comments. But the show is better when you call it. So I don't want folks who are like, I was going to call Mo, but now I'm going to leave a comment on his video feed. But we do appreciate everybody. Any way you're consuming this show, I mean this from the bottom of my heart. I do appreciate it. Anything you may have missed on the iHeartRadio app, go check that out. Podcast thanks to Long Necks Sports Grill. Chad Brendel is in for me tomorrow. I'll be in Tucson getting ready for UC and Arizona.
00:34:19
Speaker 7: By a pool.
00:34:20
Speaker 2: By a pool.
00:34:21
Speaker 7: Yes, by a pool.
00:34:22
Speaker 2: Lots of time by the pool over the next two days. I got to get used to the time zone by the pool. Stick around. Bengals game plan is coming up next. Louis Breeden. Going to be the guest of Dan Hoard and Wayne Boxmiller. That will be awesome. And Taron Bland's awesome. We thank him for producing and thanks to you for listening. Have a great night. This is ESPN 1530 Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 1: It's a big cat clash, and the Bengals are on the prowl for a win. To get one, they'll have to jolt the Jaguars. And trust me, fur will fly. You might call it a pounce-a-palooza. It's spot versus stripes. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Coverage begins Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Stream for free on the new and improved iHeartRadio app or on ESPN 1530, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:00:29
Speaker 2: You know what's cool is when you get to the postseason, they actually play real baseball in extra innings, which is what's happening in Atlanta right now. And the Phillies, we've got back-to-back homers in the eighth. Just got a solo shot from Alec Boehm with still two guys on. Top ten in Atlanta. Phillies up 4-3. We'll keep you up to date. Kelsey Conway from TheEnquirer and Sensei.com. In 15 minutes, she'll sort through the mess of injuries the Bengals are dealing with in the secondary and also discuss what's up with Dalton Reisner, who popped up on the injury report today with a knee issue. That is just about 15 minutes away.
00:01:07
Speaker 3: But.
00:01:08
Speaker 2: With the Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town on Sunday for a second consecutive year, it's an opportunity for us to bring in somebody who knows more about the Jacksonville Jaguars than anybody from 1010XL in Jacksonville, Lauren Brooks. Two years in a row we get to have a host of helmets and heels on that radio station. Hi, Lauren.
00:01:28
Speaker 4: Hello, how are you? I'm well.
00:01:30
Speaker 2: Give me a 30,000-foot encapsulation of the first three Jacksonville Jaguars games.
00:01:37
Speaker 5: Okay, it's nice and easy. Week one, butt-whooping.
00:01:40
Speaker 3: Week three, butt-whooping by the Jaguars.
00:01:43
Speaker 5: Both of those. Week two, Jaguars.
00:01:44
Speaker 3: Have a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter in Denver. Mile high going crazy. Jaguars obviously won there last year. Couldn't hold on to the lead, and Denver finished off that game good. winners 20 to 13 so Jaguars really felt like they let one go there but obviously it was a revenge game for Denver all.
00:02:03
Speaker 2: Right so when they've been really good and they have spent most of their first three games despite the loss in the middle being really really good what have they been best.
00:02:10
Speaker 3: At So offensively, Trevor Lawrence is playing at an elite level, kind of like how he finished the season with the one caveat being that's our outlier being that game, the wildcard game against the Bills. He looks a little off that game. But each game this year, outside of maybe a few throws.
00:02:28
Speaker 5: Here and there, he's looked fantastic.
00:02:31
Speaker 3: And he's finding multiple weapons, too, like we talked about, really all offseason offensively. who is going to be the leading receiver on this Jaguars team. Some people thought Parker Washington, some people Brian Thomas Jr. since his rookie season was so good. And then, of course, you just paid Jacoby Myers the soft season as well after trading for him last year. Then you've got Britton Strings and you draft two tight ends.
00:02:52
Speaker 5: And then, of course, the running.
00:02:53
Speaker 3: Backs and then they signed Chris Rodriguez from the commander.
00:02:57
Speaker 5: So Offensively, I would say they want to get the.
00:02:59
Speaker 3: Run game going more, but the passing offense has been elite. And then defensively, the run defense continues to be the best in the NFL. Deron Hamilton is, as Josh Heinz Allen says, the best nose tackle in the NFL, even though he certainly doesn't get the credit or national acclaim for that. And then as far as the secondary, it needs some improvement, but we are seeing more snaps by Travis Hunter on defense. So going to probably see a little bit more man coming up against the Bengals. But as you well know, it's going to be hard no matter what you do to cover some of those guys.
00:03:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, no question about it. You mentioned the secondary needs to improve. What is the biggest– either side of the ball, what's the biggest team deficiency?
00:03:40
Speaker 3: So I would say it's probably the– The passing defense, which, I mean, it gave up way too many yards to Jalen Waddell.
00:03:49
Speaker 5: Really, against the Browns, there was only the one.
00:03:51
Speaker 3: Touchdown that they gave up, so they played really well against the Browns, and then the Patriots didn't score a touchdown. So it's really hard to kind of nitpick, or I feel like I'm nitpicking. It's hard to say that there's a major deficiency, really, but at times.
00:04:03
Speaker 5: the opponents have.
00:04:04
Speaker 3: Been able to take advantage of maybe like a Buster Brown's lack of speed.
00:04:08
Speaker 5: He was also paid this offseason. He's really a good corner against the run.
00:04:12
Speaker 3: But at times, if there's an elite receiver, they're going to probably take advantage of that matchup. So we are seeing a little bit more of Jarrion Jones. And then, like I mentioned, Travis Hunter. So I think they're just trying to find their best guys there as far as the secondary is concerned.
00:04:26
Speaker 2: Lauren Brooks from 1010XL in Jacksonville. Based on how the second half of the season went last year, where they were offensively, in particular, an absolute wagon. They obviously lost in the postseason. We paid attention to that here. But just based on winning 13 games last year, the success the Jags had, what's the overall fan sentiment about 2026? Is it they've got to get to the AFC Championship game? Is it deeper than that? Is it Super Bowl and bust? Like, what is it?
00:04:55
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think it's a good question.
00:04:57
Speaker 3: Everyone believes certainly in Liam Cohen, but the Jags fan base is so scarred from all the other years of having one good season and then falling completely off. That happened after 2017's great run and it happened after the 2022 season. So I think the standard or the expectation right now.
00:05:16
Speaker 5: They fell short of doing that last year and I.
00:05:19
Speaker 3: Mean a lot of fans obviously thought that in media too honestly if the Jaguars had beaten the Bills they thought the Jags would be in the Super Bowl just the way that obviously everything shook out with Bo Nix and the Broncos his injury so and the Jags I think would have beaten the Patriots not as easily as they did this past Sunday but I think they would have beaten them so either way the i don't think fans are saying in year two under liam cohen they have to go to the fc championship game or they have to go to the super bowl but i think by next year that's certainly where the expectations uh will be but of course last year as you well know no chiefs no ravens no bangles so uh that's why it was your opportunity.
00:05:55
Speaker 5: Bills and they didn't take advantage of it and jags kind of feel like they let one.
00:05:58
Speaker 3: Slip but i would say uh The Jags fan base right now is just so thankful that they got to 2-1 because they were very afraid of going to 1-2 and then maybe losing to the Bengals and then going to London and losing either to the Texans or Eagles or maybe both.
00:06:13
Speaker 2: What we knew about Liam Cohen at this time a year ago when you and I talked one game into his head coaching tenure was he was highly regarded as an offensive mind and also he never stayed in one city for more than a year. That's obviously changed in his current capacity. Give me what his biggest strength is as a head coach.
00:06:32
Speaker 5: Yeah, he's able to find the edge with his team. He's very relatable. He holds them accountable.
00:06:37
Speaker 3: And there's something about, I think his age, like the fact that he's only around 40, that he really does connect with the players. But obviously the play calling, if you have a head coach that you fully trust as your play caller, you don't have to worry as much about if you lose your offensive coordinator, right? Like if that's the thing that I don't think the Jags had had such confidence in a play call in a long time. There was this whole controversy here as far as Zach Taylor's brother press was Doug Peterson calling the plays was press Taylor calling the plays at the end of the day. I think it was press Taylor all along, but the play calling just got stagnant. And so Liam Cohen is a mastermind when it comes to the different formations and catching defenses off guard.
00:07:17
Speaker 2: Awesome stuff, Lauren. I appreciate the time. Thanks so much.
00:07:21
Speaker 5: Well, absolutely. Hope all goes well this week.
00:07:24
Speaker 2: Well, from our perspective, yes. From the Jacksonville perspective, maybe not quite as much, but should be a fun game nonetheless.
00:07:31
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, so many injuries I know piling up for you guys, so good luck.
00:07:34
Speaker 2: A bunch of them. It's going to be interesting. Lauren Brooks, awesome stuff. I appreciate it. 1010XL in Jacksonville. She does a nice job. Helmets and Heels, two to four weekday afternoons. 13 after five o'clock, Bengals and Jags on Sunday. Bengals game plan tonight, starring Dan Hoard and Wayne Boxmiller. At 6.05, Kelsey Conway is going to join us in a few minutes. Bengals injury report has on it Dalton Reisner with a knee, which that's a surprise relative to, I think, what we were expecting yesterday. I think it's unsurprising. No Jordan. With Jordan Battle limited, Brian Cook limited, Kyle Duggar a no-go, Reisner a no-go with a knee issue. So we'll sift through all that with Kelsey in just a few minutes. Also, Taryn wants me to address... Some of the things happening on the chat on our video stream. Are they good? Are they things like, I'll ask you this. When I look at them, am I going to be mad?
00:08:30
Speaker 7: No, no, no, no. Okay.
00:08:31
Speaker 2: Are folks having fun?
00:08:32
Speaker 6: Yes.
00:08:32
Speaker 7: Just a lot going on in the chat.
00:08:34
Speaker 2: I got an email here from somebody who asked, I guess I mentioned this in passing a couple weeks ago. Am I ever going to tell my Chris Hammond story? Chris Hammond, the early 90s Reds pitcher. I don't think I can. I don't think I can do that. I don't know why I mentioned that, but there's a Chris Hammond story from my teenage years that I know. I like mentioning that I have a Chris Hammond story, but I don't think I could tell it. So I'll respond to that email on the air. I'm sorry I ever even mentioned that I had a Chris Hammond story, but no, I don't know that I can do that. 34 years have passed since the time of the Chris Hammond story, but the statute of limitations hasn't... hasn't expired yet. Uh, we got to talk to Kelsey because there's more important things than my Chris Hammond story. Kelsey joins us next quarter after five, uh, Braves have a guy on one out bottom 10 Phillies up for three. And the guy on actually got on because he earned getting on base. I am in favor of nearly all the baseball rule changes we've dealt with this decade. And I know, like, we just got done with year seven of the Magic Runner on second base and extra innings in the regular season. You know that rule stinks because they don't play baseball that way when the games matter the most. 4-3 Phillies. Bottom of the 10th inning, Phillies trying to even the series at a game apiece. This is ESPN 1530 Cincinnati Sports Station.
00:10:05
Speaker 3: Cincinnati's ESPN 1530.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: Traffic.
00:10:09
Speaker 6: From the UC Health.
00:10:10
Speaker 3: Join Wayne Boxmiller and me for Bengals game plan tonight starting at 6 on the official home of the Bengals Cincinnati's ESPN 1530.
00:10:20
Speaker 1: This is Football in the Natty, brought to you in part by Skyline Chili on ESPN 1530, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:10:31
Speaker 2: Very quickly, before we get to our friend Kelsey Conway, that game in Atlanta goes final. We had an ABS challenge, a successful ABS challenge that ended the game. with former Red Dominic Smith striking out, looking with two on and two outs. Bottom of the 10th inning, so the Phillies win that ball game 4-1. Decisive game three tomorrow. Also, the White Sox up early four in the first and still batting, leading the Astros four-zip game two there. Kelsey Conway is with us every Wednesday, 5-20, from the Enquirer and Cincinnati.com, host of the Beyond Sunday podcast. Who's going to play in the secondary on Sunday?
00:11:09
Speaker 4: You know, I actually just got done writing a story that will be up on the Inquirer momentarily.
00:11:14
Speaker 5: And boy, is it.
00:11:15
Speaker 4: You totally go through the depth chart because there's almost like a trickle-down effect for almost every single injury that the Bengals have in the secondary. And that's why it is a tricky situation that Al Golden and Zach Taylor are going to have to work through. Because when Jalen Davis went out, we haven't talked about Desir Taylor being on IR and how much... of an issue that is for them. So they're down their top two slot corners. So then, of course, that means Dax Hill, who wants to play outside, is better outside, has to move inside because he's.
00:11:50
Speaker 5: Their best option there.
00:11:51
Speaker 4: So then that leaves an opening opposite of DJ Turner outside at cornerback that will either be given to DJ Ivy or Takario Davis. Hasn't been a great showing for Takario Davis through three games, three costly penalties, little bit So they're probably going to go with DJ Ivy for the start. But you've seen DJ Ivy here now. He's in his fourth season. You kind of know what you're going to get. He's a guy who plays hard. But can you trust him that he's going to be able to lock down the Jacksonville receivers? And then we're not even talking about safety.
00:12:26
Speaker 5: Safety is almost.
00:12:28
Speaker 4: even more of a concern because Jordan Battle was limited today with a hamstring injury. Brian Cook didn't practice neither did Kyle Duggar. So then you're focusing on a player like Russ Yeast, who's currently on the practice squad. So they're going to give him some reps in practice this week. And they think if they have to go with him, they feel confident. about that. They also can go towards PJ Jules, but again, that's a player who is mostly on the team for what he gives them from special teams standpoint. So it's kind of a mess and they're going to wait and see how the rest of the week goes as far as Brian Cook is And Kyle Duggar, if they can get them to a position where maybe Saturday they gave them enough rest. Brian Cook's the type of player who I think could play at a high level if he doesn't practice. But it's a lot of moving pieces and it's not.
00:13:18
Speaker 5: Going to be pretty.
00:13:18
Speaker 4: And of all games, for them to not have their top players in the secondary, this one's a tough one because... They're not talked about that much because it's a small market team, but Jacksonville's got a really, really strong trio of wide receivers.
00:13:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, no question. Then I look on the report and there's Dalton Reisner. What's up with that?
00:13:37
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:13:38
Speaker 4: So I noticed that out of practice today because I try to take role of the attendance of the offensive lineman, and he wasn't out there. And he's had a bandage on his leg the last couple of weeks, I've noticed. So I don't know if something happened on that final play, obviously the game-sealing play.
00:13:55
Speaker 5: That he got beat on.
00:13:57
Speaker 4: But it is a little bit of a concern that he wasn't even out there at practice. But I did see him in the locker room come out of the training room. He looked like he was walking okay. So we will see if he's able to come back in practice, usually with a player like Dalton Reisner, who's a veteran. It's hard to gauge what what they could be because they are the type of players that can take a Wednesday off. So Thursday is going to be the really telling day for Dalton Reisner because Thursday is when they really put the entire game plan in and that's their heavy day of practice. So definitely keep an eye on the injury report tomorrow with Dalton Reisner. But yeah, not an ideal situation for the Bengals to be in with him being bagged up too.
00:14:39
Speaker 2: No, no, not at all. This team enjoyed such great health. Yeah, I know there's a lot there. This team enjoyed such great health that it's seemingly all come crashing down. What was the most damning thing that you saw on Sunday in Pittsburgh?
00:14:56
Speaker 4: The most damning thing I saw is, and it all goes back to this conversation about injuries, because no team, unless you're a unbelievable. Like it's going to go through a season where they don't have a few games where they just don't play their best. Like nobody and Dexter Lawrence said it, like we're not going to go undefeated without what that wasn't the goal. But what is concerning to me is that the way they played in Pittsburgh on defense wasn't great. And I, They still had a chance to win, and boy, it's going to be hard to say if the Bengals are going to win. They're going to have to play really, really well to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars with what they're dealing with in the secondary. But how much different would you feel if they had won that game in Pittsburgh? And they're three and one heading into a game against Miami that they should win. And then they, you know, have a chance to be four and one at the bye. I think what was concerning to me is that that was a game that the Bengals needed to win in Pittsburgh. They were definitely the better team. They just didn't show up on defense on all three levels. And that's what's concerning to me is because. If they do lose to the Jaguars, two and two is a very different look than three and one. And obviously it's still early in the season. I'm not trying to say like there's panic should be involved. But I think that's what's concerning is to me is because, you know, there's going to be games where you're not going to have your best players. And those are the ones where you can kind of live with a loss. The one in Pittsburgh, it's hard to live with because it should have been a win.
00:16:24
Speaker 2: What do we do with this whole they're 1-34 when they're trailing with less than eight minutes to go stat that everybody's obsessing over?
00:16:32
Speaker 4: You know, I think that's being taken out of context, and I was glad that Andrew Whitworth and Ryan Fitzpatrick talked about it on their podcast. I do think that it's misleading to some extent, but I get why it's being talked about right now. Listen, until Joe Burrow can stay healthy and until he can string together four or five games where he has game-winning drives, that narrative probably won't change. But I think as someone who watched that game in Pittsburgh, I remember going into the fourth quarter like, burrow has looked the best that he has looked all season today like i think to to even point out a negative he played really well in pittsburgh and again was far from the reason that they lost that game i think to point to those things with how well joe burrow has played over the last couple of years to me seems like a bit much but i i can see why it's you know, something that's swirling. But I think the bigger conversation is, is how many times did they put him in a position to have to win the game where there's times where if they would just run the ball and play for the time, but they put the ball in his hand so much that it's going to lead to conversations about, is it too much? Are they putting too much on him? So I always look at those types of stats with, you know, some perspective in mind because I think that's important because Joe Burrow played fantastic in Pittsburgh and it was not his fault that.
00:17:57
Speaker 5: They lost that game.
00:17:58
Speaker 2: We're on the same page there. Thank you as always. We'll talk next week.
00:18:03
Speaker 4: Thanks for having me on, Mo.
00:18:04
Speaker 2: That's the great Kelsey Conway from The Enquirer and Cincinnati.com and host of the Beyond Sunday podcast which focuses on the significant others of Bengals players. It's 5.30. We have the rest of the show is an open canvas, a blank canvas.
00:18:21
Speaker 7: Read the chat.
00:18:22
Speaker 2: I'll read the chat after sports headlines when we come back. 5.30, ESPN 1530, Cincinnati Sports Station.
00:18:30
Speaker 3: You've been listening to Football in the Natty on ESPN 1530, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:18:40
Speaker 4: Cincinnati's ESPN 1530.
00:18:42
Speaker 6: Traffic. From the UC Health Traffic Center, prostate cancer care should be as individual as you are. Find treatment options built around you at the UC Cancer Center. Call 513-585-UCCC. Police and emergency.
00:18:59
Speaker 1: It's a big cat clash and the Bengals are on the prowl for a win. Get one, they'll have to jolt the Jaguars. And trust me, her will fly. You might call it a pounce-a-palooza. It's spot versus stripes. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Coverage begins Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Stream for free on the new and improved iHeartRadio app or on ESPN 1530, the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:19:31
Speaker 2: Sports headlines are a service to Kelsey Chevrolet, home of... Lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their family to yours for life. KelseyChev.com.
00:19:42
Speaker 7: What?
00:19:43
Speaker 6: Huh?
00:19:43
Speaker 2: What happened to me there? uh puberty i'm just going through it uh the bangles injury report are you ready Dalton Reisner is on and out today. Did not practice. Knee issue. Jordan Battle. Hammy Limited. Brian Cook. Ankle Limited. Kyle Duggar. Quad. DNP. More tonight. Bengals game plan starting at 6 on ESPN 1530. And the game is on Sunday at 1 o'clock on ESPN 1530. Make sure you join us on Sunday morning starting at 9 a.m. Tony and I fresh off a plane from Arizona. It's going to be fun. starting at nine o'clock at the Holy Grail. Tay Baker, Tay Baker is a significant figure in local college basketball history. He coached both UC and Xavier. He was an assistant coach on Cincinnati's two national title teams in 61 and 62. He would then go on to become the program's head coach, had a record of 125 and 60. Later on, he would go coach at Xavier for a number of years with a record of 70 and 89 and I think I've told this story before. His 96th birthday, he just turned 99 a few days ago. His 96th birthday, and I'm almost certain it was 96, there was an event at a church in Norwood, and Jim Scott, the legendary radio host, was supposed to emcee it. He had just been diagnosed with ALS and didn't feel comfortable, so he asked me to do it in his stead, and it was awesome. I got to meet Tay Baker, and it was this room full of players, men from the 61 and 62 team, and then a lot of players that he had coached at UC when he was the head coach, and a lot of guys that he had coached at Xavier when he was Xavier's head coach. Don Donaher was there, the legendary Dayton coach. That was an awesome event. At 96 years old at the time, he was very, very with it and very, very kind. That was really cool. Baseball playoffs, Phillies and Braves will go to a decisive game three. Alec Boehm with a home run in the top of the 10th inning. Phillies come from behind to win 4-3 over Atlanta. Right now, the White Sox and Astros are playing in the bottom of the first inning. Chicago put up a four spot. Houston has answered back, and it's 4-1 with the Astros batting in the top of the first inning. Jeremy Pena with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the first for Houston, but still some work to do down three. Later tonight in the Bronx, it's the Yankees and Red Sox game two. Game one of that series, a blowout. Cam Schlittler was terrific last night, and the Yankees with a 1-0 series lead after winning 9-0 in the Padres, winning 8-0 in game one last night over the Cubs. Game two is later this evening. 20 from 6 o'clock. Taryn, you want me to read the comments? In the chat for the folks who are watching on our video stream.
00:22:46
Speaker 7: Yes, make them feel like they're a part of the show.
00:22:48
Speaker 2: On Twitter and on YouTube.
00:22:49
Speaker 1: All right.
00:22:50
Speaker 2: Do you want to read them or do you want me to just sift through them in real time?
00:22:54
Speaker 7: You can sift through some of them.
00:22:56
Speaker 5: All right.
00:22:58
Speaker 2: There's a lot of them here.
00:23:00
Speaker 7: They've been busy.
00:23:01
Speaker 2: So if I scroll all day, there's a time. Okay, let's go.
00:23:04
Speaker 7: Let's go.
00:23:05
Speaker 2: There's a lot here. So far, here are the comments. Who day? I appreciate that. But are the comments going to be, I don't know. I mean, like there's not a lot to respond to. Like when someone says who day, it's like saying, hi, you just respond with a who day. So who day? Same person predicts the Bengals win the game on Sunday, 30 to 24. We got another who day. A lot of O's in that one. Hope the defense doesn't let up 20 plus again. I agree. The injuries plus this Jacksonville offense. I'm scared. I'm nervous. A little apprehensive. All right, Taren, I'm going to keep going here. Not that I don't appreciate the folks who have left comments.
00:23:56
Speaker 7: Here's one.
00:23:56
Speaker 2: Okay, thank you. Thank you.
00:23:57
Speaker 7: It says, Mo, do you agree or not? Less money on wide receivers and more money on the offense on the lines.
00:24:02
Speaker 2: I don't know. It's not like they haven't paid Ted Karras. It's not like they haven't paid Orlando Brown. I think they're going to have– Amarius Mims is going to be like the next guy to get paid. I mean– but until you have consistently good offensive lines, it's going to be hard to, it's going to be hard to like refute that. Now they have a, a former first round pick. They have a former second round pick both on the line right now. Dalton Reisner was, you know, a bargain free agent that, you know, him allowing contact on Joe Burrow, the pivotal one with the game last week, notwithstanding is, is kind of worked out, but like, I mean, they've gone heavy early in the draft. Jackson Carman was an early round pick. All those guys, Kappa and Lyle Collins. I mean, they've spent money on the offensive line. The fact that they've paid the wide receivers does not preclude you from spending elsewhere. They spent a lot of money on defense this offseason. They've invested heavy draft. If they're ever going to have an elite offensive line, it's mainly going to happen via the draft. I think we would all acknowledge that. And maybe there's some good long-term solutions with Brian Parker and Connor Liu. But I don't know that signing Higgins and Chase should preclude them from having a good offensive line. Could it keep them from getting the best of the best of the best guy, the most expensive free agent at one of the offensive line positions? I guess so. But when they got Orlando Brown, right now he's paid kind of like an average left tackle. He was not when they first got him. And again, like Amarius Mims, early round pick, Dylan Fairchild, early round pick. That's if they're ever going to have a consistently great offensive line, that's where it's going to come from. I just I think the money has still been there to invest in an offensive line. See that now, Taryn, that was better than me just sifting through this long list of people participating in that.
00:26:04
Speaker 7: I don't want the folks in the chat to know what they are seeing. We do see them.
00:26:07
Speaker 2: We see you like I'll keep going here. Uh, there's one person left a lot. Uh, Mo, my UC Bearcat brother. I like that.
00:26:16
Speaker 8: Yes.
00:26:16
Speaker 2: By the way, this is a golden opportunity on, on, uh, on Saturday for UC. Um, that was a good win over Kansas state. They fell behind 10 early. And then I'll stop short of saying they dominated the game on the ground, but Jabron pain and cold tab, cold tab. These last two games has been just terrific. They legitimately, I think, can run the ball well. The question is, when they are really, truly forced to have to throw it, are they going to be able to? And that's the skepticism. You can talk about skepticism, Satterfield, and the track record in November and stuff like that. What I want to know is, when they're in a game where JC French has to make throws downfield, the question is, can he, but also, will he be willing to? Because there's just, it feels like there's a gun shyness to him, an apprehensiveness to him. I don't think you could have that this week. Dan Hoard said this in the postgame show last week, that of all the losses the Bearcats incurred late last season, I think the one that stung the most was the loss to Arizona here. Their touchdown underdogs lost. I've said for a while, they need a win in the kind of game that they're not supposed to. Now, you could argue, well, wait a minute. They were five and a half or six and a half point underdogs against Kansas State. Okay, but that game was here. They need a make people perk up type of win. And playing Arizona isn't like playing Texas Tech. They'll get their shot at the Red Raiders in a few weeks. And I know the game is going to be close to midnight, but a win at Arizona... I think would make people perk up. Noah Fafita is a good quarterback. He's been at Arizona forever. He's a rarity in this day and age. Good player. They need a make people perk up type of win. And then if Rick is referring to basketball, I can't wait. Next Wednesday. I know it's an exhibition. I know we all wish that UC and Xavier and Dayton and UC and Xavier play each other and UD and UC play each other. I know there's this thought. I get it, man. Wish these were regular season games. I can't wait to see. That's the fun thing about this era we're in in college basketball, as hard as it is to follow the comings and goings. We get real exhibition games where you get a better sense, not a complete sense, but a better sense of what everybody has. I can't wait for that next Wednesday. I can't wait for college basketball to be here. All right, Taren, how am I doing addressing the comments in the video chat?
00:28:46
Speaker 7: That's good. I just want to show some love to the chat.
00:28:48
Speaker 2: Okay, well, we do see you. We appreciate you watching. Please subscribe to our YouTube. I've been told, got to do a better job mentioning that you have a YouTube channel.
00:28:56
Speaker 8: Yes.
00:28:58
Speaker 2: The Mo Egger Show on YouTube. One person says, fire Zach Taylor by the by. Fire Zach Taylor talk by the by. Dude, they lose this week and to Miami.
00:29:11
Speaker 7: Yes.
00:29:13
Speaker 2: That's all anybody's going to be talking about. I think the Dolphins are going winless, by the way. If you go to the game this week, or if you go downtown at the banks and you're walking around, you should ask random strangers, can you name a Miami Dolphins wide receiver? Can you name, now that Devon Achan has heard, can you name an active Miami Dolphins skill player?
00:29:39
Speaker 1: Uh....
00:29:41
Speaker 7: About this one? As a young listener, he really enjoys live streams. Well, thank you. How do you grade Zach Taylor so far this season?
00:29:52
Speaker 2: Boy, it's a small sample size, and so big mistakes matter more. The needing a timeout at the start of a drive with the game hanging in the balance is really unforgivable. So coach in his eighth year as the head coach slash play caller, you have the entire Pittsburgh offensive possession to kind of go through what now, obviously what you need and what you're going to do depends on whether or not Pittsburgh scores or And Zach took the blame for it. Said on Monday, that's on me. But like that, that cannot happen. And you could throw blame at Burrow if you want, fine. You could throw the pitcher or whatever. Dude, you're the head coach, play caller. You're in charge of the offense. That's lack of preparedness. It's situational football. Like he gets docked pretty heavily there. I haven't had a major issue with Zach Taylor's coaching in the first three games. Except for that, like Simmons is being beaten up for calling the fake punt. Not the fake punt, the punt block where said Johnson got dinged for roughing the kicker. I don't have an issue. Darren Simmons is a good special teams coach. Sometimes you're going to call that and it's not going to work because the guy screws it up. If he blocks the punt, it's a great call. I'm not crushing Darren Simmons for that. I'll crush the head coach slash play caller for needing to burn a timeout to start a drive with the game hanging in the balance. I'll go B-. I mean, like, up until that, I didn't blame Zach for the way things had gone. We'll see how this game unfolds on Sunday. That's a good question. That's a good question.
00:31:39
Speaker 7: Three minutes left in the show. How will you use them?
00:31:41
Speaker 2: Do we just keep looking at these chat comments?
00:31:45
Speaker 7: Or we can get to our guy who's been on the whole thing. Let's talk to Mike.
00:31:47
Speaker 2: Mike, what's up, man?
00:31:48
Speaker 7: How are you?
00:31:50
Speaker 8: Hey, thanks, Moe. Appreciate you. Did you get my email about my new treatment I'm getting?
00:31:55
Speaker 2: I did, and I've been thinking of you, and my apologies for not emailing you back, but as always, you're in my thoughts.
00:32:02
Speaker 8: Thank you, Mo. Hello to you, Taren. I never get to speak to you much anymore. Hey, did you hear the interview with Joey Votto yesterday with Dan Patrick?
00:32:11
Speaker 7: I did.
00:32:11
Speaker 2: It was terrific, as is his work on NBC.
00:32:15
Speaker 8: Yeah, he's special. I think this playoff format sucks. I'm sure you probably mentioned it, where you get the lesser of the better teams in the one bracket and the best teams in the other bracket. It just makes no sense. Why don't they just seed it? Top record gets the worst record team. Just go that way. That's the best reward.
00:32:38
Speaker 2: The traditionalist in me hates that idea. But we have watched– they have almost completely gotten rid of the line between the National League and the American League, which, as you well know, back in the day used to be entirely separate entities. We had a National League president and an American League president. We had– like they were two separate entities. Now, with year-long interleague play, with the fact that both leagues play without a DH– I actually think there's validity to that. And again, the traditionalist in me says National League over here, American League over here, and the respective brackets are what they are. But we have gotten rid of the distinction between the two leagues in every other realm. I actually think there's an argument in favor of just seed the teams according to best record. The Cleveland Indians get a bye with 85 wins. The Atlanta Braves have to play in the first round with 98.
00:33:35
Speaker 8: Yeah, and the Rays are doing the same thing with almost 100 wins.
00:33:38
Speaker 2: It's crazy.
00:33:40
Speaker 8: They've got to play the Yankees or the Red Sox. I know you've got to go.
00:33:43
Speaker 1: Thanks, Mo.
00:33:43
Speaker 2: Okay, Mike. Have a great afternoon. All right, we'll do more. We'll encourage folks to leave comments. But the show is better when you call it. So I don't want folks who are like, I was going to call Mo, but now I'm going to leave a comment on his video feed. But we do appreciate everybody. Any way you're consuming this show, I mean this from the bottom of my heart. I do appreciate it. Anything you may have missed on the iHeartRadio app, go check that out. Podcast thanks to Long Necks Sports Grill. Chad Brendel is in for me tomorrow. I'll be in Tucson getting ready for UC and Arizona.
00:34:19
Speaker 7: By a pool.
00:34:20
Speaker 2: By a pool.
00:34:21
Speaker 7: Yes, by a pool.
00:34:22
Speaker 2: Lots of time by the pool over the next two days. I got to get used to the time zone by the pool. Stick around. Bengals game plan is coming up next. Louis Breeden. Going to be the guest of Dan Hoard and Wayne Boxmiller. That will be awesome. And Taron Bland's awesome. We thank him for producing and thanks to you for listening. Have a great night. This is ESPN 1530 Cincinnati Sports Station.
