Bengals Booth Podcast: Crushin' It

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Hi again, everybody. I'm Dan Horde, and thanks for downloading the Bengals Booth ORG podcast, the And I'll be crushing it. Edition, as we take an in-depth look at the three players selected by the Bengals on day two of the draft, Chris Jenkins, Jermaine Burton, and McKinley Jackson PERSON. Coming up, you'll hear from that trio as well as Bengals ORG coaches. Then I'll discuss the picks with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham and look ahead to day three.The Bengals ORG Booth podcast is brought to you by Paycor, proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider. By Alta Fiber ORG, future-proof fiber internet, designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a new level. And by Kettering Health ORG, the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official health care provider of the Bengals ORG. Now, here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered. Write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts.It's the greatest thing since. The Key Lime Crumble Chobani Flip PRODUCT. If you've never had a Chobani Flip PRODUCT before, it's a snack that comes in a small plastic container with two compartments. One has Chobani PRODUCT brand yogurt in it, and the other has goodies that you mix in by flipping that compartment upside down. Thus the name Chobani Flip PRODUCT.Well, on Friday night before day two of the draft got underway, several members of the local media took advantage of the key lime crumble flavor that was available in the Bengals ORG' dining room. It features key lime yogurt and then you mix in gram cracker crumbles and chunks of white chocolate. In the words of a draft expert, it's a can't miss snack with tremendous upside. So if you're putting together your snacking big board, the key lime crumple Chobani flip is a sure-fire first-round draft pick.Now, let's get to day two of the draft. After addressing offensive tackle in the first round with a selection of Amarius Mims PERSON, the Bengals chose a defensive tackle in round two in Michigan's Chris Jenkins PERSON. He's not a DJ-Reeder noseguard type who will clog the middle. He's a penetrator, who served as a team captain for the national champion Wolverines ORG. It's no secret that the Bengals ORG need to beef up their depth in the middle of the D-line.And Cincinnati got Dane Brugler's third-rated defensive tackle with the 49th overall pick. Here's Zach Taylor PERSON.

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It was a priority position. But again, we weren't just going to take anybody, and we were very fortunate the way it fell. We had high marks on Chris PERSON, and so thank goodness he was there. But it was a priority position for us, but at the same time, we weren't just going to take anybody, and he was one that we specifically had targeted, and so we were happy he was there at 49.

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Jenkins PERSON lacks ideal size. He's 6-2-299 pounds but he's an excellent athlete who earned the nickname the mutant from his strength coach at

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michigan our same coach coach heard gave it to me because i just went above and beyond in the weight room and i did some things that you know people looking at me wouldn't expect me to do and he said my mentality you know how i looking at me wouldn't expect me to do. And he said, my mentality, you know, how I carry myself, how I pushed through adversity, injury, anything, is a mutant mentality. And that's where he gave the name to me my sophomore year, and it's stuck ever since.

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The mutant is the son of a four-time pro bowler.

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His dad, Chris Sr., spent 10 years in the NFL with the Panthers and Jets ORG.

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In the next round, the Bengals ORG picks were announced by former Pro Bowl receiver T.J. Hushman Zada PERSON. And it seemed like fate when T.J. announced the Bengals' first third round pick.

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So this pick means, this pick means something to me, as I've been training this kid for a long time, and now he's going to be drafted by the Bengals ORG. So with the 80th pick in the 2024 NFL ORG draft, the Cincinnati bingo select Jermaine Burton, wide receiver, Alabama GPE.

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Burden spent his first two college seasons at Georgia before finishing with two years at Alabama GPE. He's six feet tall, a solid 196 pounds, and ran a 44540 at the Combine. In his college career, he averaged 18 yards a catch. Here's offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher on how Burton will fit with Jamar Chase and T. Higgins PERSON.

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He'll fit great. I mean, he's explosive. And so that's really our job now as to how do we mix and match those skill sets. But what he brings to the table with regard to the threat he's going to pose to the defense, how they're going to have to respect all three of those players and the explosiveness they bring. We'll figure that part out.But he'll take care of the hard part, which is separating from defenders and catching the football.

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As for that Hushman Zata connection, Burton says that it's crazy that T.J. PERSON announced his pick and that he's going to his former team. You know, it's honestly

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amazing, you know, having T.J. trained me, you know, throughout these past few years of, you know, even going into college, you know, working with him, it's, you know, it's honestly great. It's just to know his history and his background with the game of football and his knowledge on it and, you know, to see the way he thinks and, you know, the way he puts it into the drills and, you know, the way he talks to you and his terminology, you know, it's just, it's a, it really helps me. And, you know, we also develop a relationship, you know, to the point, you know,we talk about other things and, you know, just life things and, you know, just a lot of maturity growth.

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With her second pick in the third round, number 97 overall, the Bengals doubled down on defensive tackle and chose McKinley Jackson out of Texas A&M, who addresses the void left by the departure of DJ Reader PERSON.

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He's a guy we've talked a lot about, you know, he fits a good spot for us, you know, a 330-pound noseguard. There's not a lot of those in the draft. He's a guy that we had rated highly, and he was sitting right there for us in the third rounds was the right spot to take him. I don't think you ever go wrong adding to your defensive line. You know, as a head coach, as an offensive play caller, that faces these guys every week, and you have to prepare for them. Depth at defensive tackle, defensive end is critical.And if you don't have it, if all of a sudden you come up short, it doesn't matter what's going on behind it. So I think that's the number one thing to take the pressure off the back seven is to continue to add to your defensive line. We had the opportunity to do that today and makes me sleep a lot

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better at night. Jackson was a two-time captain at A&M and says he'll be a fit on the Bengals ORG defense.

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You know, I play football. It don't matter what it is. What system it is. You know, I come in. I do the

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dirty work. I'm ready to get in the playbook. And, you know, brands the championship.

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The Bengals ORG booth podcast is brought to you by Paycor, proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider.

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By AltaFiber PRODUCT, future-proof fiber internet, designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a new level.

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And by Kettering Health ORG, the best care for the best fans.

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Kettering Health is the official health care provider of the Bengals ORG.

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Now, time for analysis of day two, and a look ahead to the final four

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rounds of the draft with my broadcast partner, Dave Lapham PERSON.

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All right, Lap, let's start with the Bengals' second round draft pick, defensive tackle,

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Chris Jenkins out of Michigan, a captain on a national championship team, the son of a four-time pro bowler, and obviously somebody the Bengals ORG are going to be counting on this year to be an important part of their defensive tackle rotation. No question. You know, this kid is

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six two and a half, about 300 pounds, runs a sub 540. He's got, you know, good arm length of 34 inches, wingspans almost 80 inches. You know, the thing that's been impressive to me, and with the liberalization of the rules, and everything in athletic starts with your feet and ends with your hands, all of these guys that the Bengals ORG have drafted in the interior of the defensive line and the offensive line,have big, strong, massive hands. And that hand strength is a big deal. I mean, your feet get you in the position. Now you're allowed to get your hands within the framework of the body, clamp on them, those big, strong muckers that these guys have and control people. And he really does a nice job with his hands.There's no question. He's got excellent functional football strength, in my estimation, powerful, athletic. He's more of a three technique. He'd slide out to a five technique occasionally, you know, very physical at the point of attack. He keeps his pad level down. He's a damn good football player. He's got lateral movement skills that are solid. You know, he's not knocked off his feet. He can stack and shed people pretty darn well, good pursuit angles to the football. He's an excellent football player. You know, like you say, grew up around the game with his dadplaying at the high level that his dad played at. And, you know, he's definitely, he's, he's got, you know, quickness to get around the blockers, if need be. So he can change that up. He can bull rush you. I mean, he's got a myriad of ways to pressure the quarterback, too. He is more of a three-technique kind of guy, though. He's not the nose-tackle kind of guy, and the Bengals did address that, you know you know later on in the draft but he was on the board at that spot he was obviously the best guy on their board and they stayed true to their board and they go and they get you know a guy that is very very consistent in his effort there's no no doubt about that He's a solid NFL ORG prospect.But I do think he plays the run better than the past at this point in time. But that's what's asked of him in Michigan ORG. You know, that's basically the way they have their defensive lineman play and their front seven play. So I think he can be, you know, developed, I think, pretty quickly and effectively is a little bit better pass rush than he showed in college.

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He's not a gigantic man like Amarius Mims, who we met earlier today. Chris Jenkins PERSON is about 6'3, weighed in at 299 pounds, but the old Michigan strength coach who followed Jim Harbaugh PERSON out to the Chargers ORG nicknamed him the mutant when he was a sophomore in college for his performances in the weight room and his attitude, you know, when times were tough. So sometimes you don't have to be 320 pounds to impose

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your will on the defensive line. Yeah, absolutely. And he's, you know, he can probably, you can get a little bit bigger as he matures, you know. I mean, he's, he And he's, you know, he can probably even get a little bit bigger as he matures, you know. I mean, he's, he's got that, like Randy White was the master, part man, part monster. That's what I think Jenkins aspires to be, you know. And honestly, the Bengals ORG, the way they are, you know, addressing things with the offensive line is the land of the Giants ORG, and they're trying to compete with that title with what they're trying to do on the interior.And are all these guys going to be starters? No, not necessarily. Will they be in a rotation? Hell yeah. I'll be in a rotation in some way, shape, or form. Eight guys all made, eight rookies last year, they all made the football team.It all had a role initially, expanded upon those roles. And the three guys they've drafted in the first two rounds, in this, in this draft in the national end, first three rounds, I should say, the first four guys they drafted, I think we'll all make the football team and have a significant role. So that's their last 11 draft picks. You know, they've done a damn good job. And honestly, the way the National Football League is today, when you're paying your quarterback big dollars and you're going to pay multiple receivers,potentially big dollars, you have to put the bat on the ball. You have to have rookies that can contribute because, you know, they're under rookie contracts, and that's the way you can control that salary cap. So the draft becomes more and more important. And I think it's very easy to have a great draft like they did in 2020 when they had the first pick in every round.

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There's no doubt about that.

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And honestly, I think the closer you get to the end of the round, like when they went to the Super Bowl EVENT, I think that is a good spot to be too, because you can always pick up the guys that slid. Oh, man, this guy's still here? Oh, my God.We didn't expect he'd be here before he slides the second round. Let's clean this up. And you do that every round. I think you can set yourself up for a decent draft. I mean, Kansas City's made a living on it. But if you're in the middle of the round, now it's like, do we contribute to the slide of this player? Or should we end the slide?Or do we have somebody, you know, a little bit better on our draft board? It's so not a need. We don't want to go there. I mean, I think the middle of the round can be almost one of the more difficult spots to pick, and I think they're doing a hell of a job of picking quality flares at that point.

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Let's jump to the third round and actually go to their second third round pick since they doubled down at the defensive tackle position and selected McKinley Jackson number 97 overall. According to Dane Bruegler of the athletic, he had a sixth or seventh round grade, so maybe the Bengals ORG took him a little bit higher than some of the experts expected, but this is more of a DJ reader type replacement.This is a large man, 325 pounds, two-time captain at Texas A&M. Lou Anirumo PERSON told reporters after the selection that he is a close to the ball, nose tackle, shade type guy.

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Yeah, I mean, he's a zero technique, a one technique. Compilation of mock drafts that I saw, I had him as the third rounder. You know, it was, I don't know, I mean, everybody has differences of opinion. That's what makes the draft so beautiful because it's totally non-scientific. But the Bengals obviously had him rated decently on their board into the third round, because I thought, wow, it might go exactly as I had hoped.You know, you start out with an offensive tackle, and then a receiver is picked, a defensive tackle is picked, then a receiver is picked, then they double down on defensive tackle because more cornerbacks were off the board. They had the defensive tackle in this case, McKinley Jackson PERSON rated higher than the remaining cornerbacks on their big board.And, you know, it's like he's basically a zero technique in the yard fronts. I mean, he's the nose tackle they're looking for. And for a guy, you know, that's going to play that. He's six, one and a half. You know, he's got decent height. He's got long arms, though, man.He's a burly dude, man. He's put together. But at 326 pounds, he's almost got a 34-inch, you know, length to his arms. He's got a 10-inch and a wingspan of over 80 inches. So they're doing a tremendous job of, you know, a guy with that type of body is one of those dudes that can tie his shoes without bending over. You know, he's going to be able to control you with those long arms and those strong hands.He's an impressive athlete for his size. You know, there's no question. I mean, he has quick feeding. He plays low. When he doesn't, he's going to have issues. There's no question about that. I mean, I know I've seen him get moved pretty well on some double teams, but he's got a lot of mass, and if he handles it right, he's a damn good two-gap defender. There's no question about that. He's got strength. He's got athleticism. You know, he'll, he does have like, he'll snatch you and swim a little bit. You know, he's a, he's a, he's a great strength kind of guy, you know. He's, he's a, he's a, he's a strength kind of guy, you know, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's a, he'll, he does have like, he'll snatch you and swim a little bit.You know, he's a, he's a, he's a, he's a, he's a, and it's not like he can't play a defense where it's a penetration into gaps. He's got the versatility to do that. I will play both in a one gap and a two gap kind of scenario. So he gives Lua PERSON and a Rmo some versatility in that regard. And again, talking about the hands. He's got violent hands.I mean, strong lower body, strong motor, second effort guy. Sometimes, you know, he's got his nose over his skis and he ends up on the ground a little bit against single blocks which, you know, that can be corrected very easily. So he's, I think he's, you know, he looks maybe he's a little bit tightness, yes. That might be the only, you know, knock that you can throw out there with him. But again, I think they gave up 82 plays of 20 yards or more. And if you havetrouble stopping the run and give up big plays in the running game, you're going to get crushed in the passing game. And some of it was getting beaten physically. A lot of it was, you know, mental mistakes hit wrong gaps and breaking down in coverages and that sort of thing. But what you want to do is rectify any of the problems that you have from the physical standpoint. And you lose DJ Reader PERSON, you've got to do something, man. You've got to get some people that you can rotate in there and plug up that running game, particularly in this division.And it was amazing to me to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers almost duplicate every position group that Bengals ORG took. They took one. It was unbelievable. Bengals take an offensive lineman, they take one. Bengals ORG take an interior defense of the line and they take one. You know, Bengals ORG take a wide receiver.They seemed to, it was amazing. So Baltimore ORG, I think, did their solid job. Cleveland ORG didn't have a whole lot of picks in the initial stages, but in thisdivision, you have to be able to be big, physical, and run the ball with a modicum of consistency and stop the run with a bigger model of consistency.

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So in between the two defensive tackles selected, there was a wide receiver, Jermaine Burton, started his college career at Georgia, spent two years there, finished it at Alabama, spent two years there, and averaged 18 yards per catch, playing four seasons in the SEC ORG. The word explosive jumps out when you watch the tape of Jermaine Burton PERSON.

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Jermaine Burton PERSON is a dog. I mean, there's no better way, and I mean that in a good way. If we're a starter, you said, in Georgia for a couple, then's no better way. And I mean that in a good way. A four-year starter. You said in Georgia ORG for a couple. Then he goes to Alabama GPE. I mean, this guy is, you know, he averaged a career high 20 and a half catch yards per catch.Last year, number one, in the SEC ORG. We're talking SEC ORG. We're talking Georgia ORG. We're talking Alabama GPE. He plays with definitely a swagger. He plays with the toughness, he'll work the middle of the field and be physical in that area of it. He can get vertical in a hurry.He's got speed and he's a quality route runner. He can, you know, with that speed, he can sink his hips and get in and out of cuts. He's got an extremely low drop rate. It's the most the lowest in this class of wide receivers. And, you know, he had some off-the-field issues. I think part of that was due to his competitive nature to be, I guess, kind about it. But that's a matter of maturity, a matter of growing up a little bit. And I think that it's not like they feel like he's, you know, he robbed a bank or he's got an alcohol, a drug problem, whatever.This locker room is solid. I mean, it's got a lot of high-quality guys in it. And I'm sure they feel like the wide receiver room and the coach of the wide receiver room was a former player himself. And they feel like they can receiver room and the coach of the wide receiver room was a former player himself. And they feel like they can probably help this guy in that maturation process a little bit. Again, we talk about hands.His hands were oversized in his frame for his body type. And he statses that football pretty down, darn effectively. He plays through contact and the dude is fearless. There's no doubt about it. Like I said, I mean, he's a dog. I thought, okay, well, man, in the corner of it,and then it's like Burton PERSON, he's, he's the best. He's the best. He's got the most talent that's left on the board, put up, you know, significant numbers against the best players in college football. In the best conference that college football has to offer. So I like the pick, man.I'm excited to see how he blossoms.

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And the Bengals ORG definitely vetted his character. They took one of their visits that they're allowed to have with players at the combine and used it on him. Then they used one of their 30 visits in Cincinnati GPE that they're allowed to have on him. So they used one of their 30, you know, visits in Cincinnati that they're allowed to have on him. So they took a couple of opportunities to talk to him to get to the bottom of some of these things that happened, including a post-game incident in a game against Tennessee. And they came away from those two meetings thinking, you know what, this is a goodperson that's made a couple of mistakes and he's going to fit in nicely here.

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Right. You know, competitive nature, losing the temper, you know, confrontation with a fan. I mean, those are things that you want it to be something that happens with any kind of regularity? No. I mean, do you think possibly he may have learned something? You know, maybe, maybe, you know, Alabama GPE can help him get some counseling.Maybe the Bengals ORG can help him get some counseling and control his temper a little bit. But part of that is what makes him such a good football player. Man, the dude is competitive. He is a D-A-W-G dog.

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Well, he spent the last few years training in the offseason under T.J. Hushman Zada, another guy who could be described as a dog in his playing days. And, you know, if he's got T.J. PERSON's stamp of approval, I'm okay with that.

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I hear that, you know, here's a guy that, you know, 4, 4, 5. You know, and his arm's 31 inches. I mean, his wingspan's almost 75 inches. You know, and a little over 6 feet, 196 pounds. I mean, he's got a lot of traits. They drafted guys with measurables and a lot of traits that in, you know, everybody's estimation could lend itself to success in the National Football League ORG. And I think I trust the fact that they feel like they can control and handle any issues that he may have. And he'll be a big contributor for him on the football field.All right.

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Let's quickly look ahead to day three. The Bengals have six picks left. They've got a fourth, a fifth, two sixth round picks and two seventh round picks. I think a couple of those picks will probably be used on cornerbacks. That's cornerbacks, not quarterbacks. I wouldn't be surprised if a pick is used on a punter to compete with Brad Robbins PERSON. Maybe somebody who had experience as a kickreturner in college, since you've got the new kick return rules in the NFL ORG. I'm sure they're thinking about somebody that can do that. Any other thoughts for you on position groups they'll be attacking on day three?

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You know, I agree with you, Dan PERSON. I mean, you have to address the corner position. And in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh round, you're looking at 26 draftable players. You know, I mean, there are 41 draftable corners overall, and over half of them are going to be in day three of the draft. So that's why, you know, it's like there was a run-on corners. You know, let's double down at the interior defensive tackle position. That's an area that we need to address.So I have no problem with them doing that. And I do think they will attack that cornerback position. And then after that, it's like, okay, well, do we double down at the offensive tackle position? Do we address the interior of the offensive line? offensive tackle position? Do we address the interior of the offensive line? When you're talking round six, four through six, you're looking at 19, 19 or 20 candidates in those rounds. So it's a deep draft. I mean, there's not, you know, in my mind, in talking to people aroundthe league, there's not a big difference in pick 70 to pick 150 with a lot of people. I mean, a lot of teams around the league have similar grades. It's not like there's a huge disparity of a major drop-off from an 80-pick scenario in this draft. So, you know, that bodes well. I do think some of the position groups that the Bengals ORG will address and double down on, there's depth in those rounds.And, you know, T.J. Hushman PERSON's out as a great example. You know, he's a seventh round pick. Look at how his career turned out.

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Excellent call on interior offensive linemen. I think there will definitely be at least one of those guys selected as well. It's after midnight. You've been talking for a long time tonight. I appreciate you spending a few minutes with us, and I will see you tomorrow. Yes, sir, Dan PERSON.

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Get a good night's sleep. I know when my head hits the pillow, and ain't going to take long until I hit Z-Land.

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I'll have another edition of this podcast following day three, and then on Monday, I'll get the front office perspective as I'll be joined by the Bengals Director of College Scouting, Mike Potts PERSON. That's going to do it for this episode, brought to you by Paycor ORG, proud to be the Bengals ORG official, HR software provider. By Alta Fiber ORG, future-proof fiber internet,designed to elevate your home, business and community to a new level. And by Kettering Health ORG, the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official health care provider of the Bengals ORG. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast. And if you have a minute, give it a rating or share a comment. That helps more Bengals ORG fans find us. I'm Dan Horde PERSON.And thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast ORG.