Jungle Roar Ja Marr Chase Down To Wire, Eight interesting Captains, Dax Hill, Trent Brown

all right skinny let's get right to it lots to cover first of all it wouldn't be a Bengals opening week without some contract drama and that includes this year one Jamar Chase everybody in their brother is wondering will Jamar Chase be on the field against the New England Patriots what's your take right now as as we sit here a couple of days before the week one opener all right so I'm of the ilk that a deal doesn't get done but it could I I don't think it's an impossibility but I don't think a deal gets done so then the ball goes into jamar's court and I wrote this over the weekend I kind of laid out why Jamar wants the extension now um you know why the Bengals don't have to do a deal now what's Pro what should happen and what likely happen I don't even know if Jamar knows the answer Mike and I don't know if you think the same way that that I mean let's just say this deal is not done and and we get to we get to Saturday night and he calls Zack Taylor and says you know I want to play tomorrow if if if possible um or maybe he just sticks to his guns and simply says you know what this is the leverage I got I'm not playing until I sign I don't want to risk injury until I sign and I honestly don't know if he even knows the answer to this yet Mike yeah it's a great Point uh skinny and unlike situations like T Higgins uh during obviously OTAs and even mini camp he was not technically under contract Jamar Chase is under contract and that is the difference that I think a lot of fans need to take into account here now it is hard for me to conceptualize even imagine a guy even a superior athlete like Jamar Chase getting up and hopping on the field on Sunday and playing legitimate NFL regular season snaps yeah I mean you know you hear it all the time there's there's in shape and there's football shape right and he's a freak athlete that part's a given and I I do I I've joked about this when this this started back in July that you know he could roll out at 12:55 and make the decision on Sunday September the 8th to play and still go out and ball and I believe that but you do also risk the injury Factor right you you haven't got yourself up to any game speed at that point you haven't taken game speed reps at that point and I think there is a big difference um you maybe don't take those in practice either but you at least come darn close certainly in those I think in those joint practices you sure do um or at least come darn close to that and he hasn't done any of that stuff so then you risk that possibility as well and this is a guy that wants a contract because he fears injury would wipe out the potential to have that big contract there are both sides of this and this is where everybody wants to take a side like you know Jamar you're under contract for two years you have to play um I understand that side but I also understand the side of the Bengals of no we control you at this cost where it is right now and we risk if we guarantee you money you getting hurt and we get stuck with the bill when we didn't have to so um I I I just think it's a very complicated circumstance and and to your point I I yeah I he would be the one rare exception to that but I don't think you'd see him out there for 100% of the offensive snaps either I think you'd see him out there on a partial basis absolutely not and I don't think there's anybody who would expect that I don't even really in his heart of heart thinks think that Jamar Chase uh believes that here here's my take on this if the Bengals want him longterm on their roster with Joe burrow you get the deal done now because it's only going to cost more and more as we move forward and there are skinny there are exceptions to every rule I know what the rule has been with Mike Brown and Katie Blackburn and the and the brown Blackburn family I get that I actually respect it a great deal but when you're in business there always comes along cases that make sense to make an exception to the rule to get the most out of your business to me Jamar Chase is that exception yeah I'm going to give two two to that I I the athletic did a really good p mik where they surveyed I think it was 31 different agents about various things and the wide receiver Market was part of that and one of the agents takes and they were all done anonymously was that he thinks the wide receiver Market has plateaued that it's peaked out that it's not going to raise the price of the Jamar chases of the world if you don't do it now and I think there's some truth to that I think at some point teams are simply going to go no this is we're not paying for that position this amount I do think the other part to the Bengals is I think they draw a line in the saying of this is what we think you're worth we're not paying above that no matter what you think think you're worth um and and hence that's where I think where we're at with this it's you know Jesse Bates thought he was worth a price the Bengals didn't Jesse Bates thenone else I would I'm G to jump in there skinny yeah because there are people who would say well they didn't think Jesse Bates was uh worth the price and it hurt them last year it significantly hurt their chances for even going to the playoffs would they have been able to sign Orlando Brown though if they had done so that that's the other part you gota look at entire roster construction too right you know this is the contracts that are coming for some of these guys and let's just say let's just say Jamar Chase gets done and Jo B get you're you're going to be on the hook for about $240 million of guaranteed money and let's just take the nuclear option of these two guys suffer catastrophic injuries how do you roster build from there well you don't and but that is part of the risk you take when you're running an NFL franchise I mean that certainly is a legitimate uh chance uh that Could Happen yeah but you don't have to take that risk for another year another offseason you don't have to take that risk right now if you're the Bengals you don't well you do if see and to me this is the heart of the matter do you want that player playing for you this year because Mike Hilton made reference to this and and I was in the group of reporters um last week and he brought up the name and he was a teammate of this player leam Bell and Bell was prepared and did sit out a season if is Jamar Chase willing to sit out a year that's a great question only he knows the answer to that I I think he would be that if he's saying listen I'm only risking a million dollars in base salary I've already got my roster bonus now they could probably find a way to go ask for that back um but let's just assume they don't do that route that they just you know he just doesn't get a game check when the game checks come I think he'd be more than willing to Forfeit a million dollars in base salary when the long-term gain in his mind is 100 million dollars guaranteed from somebody at some point yeah I I these are discussions that fascinate me on one level but if you're a fan oh I get it they're in it's infuriating because do you not want to as a franchise you have this window with Joe burrow do you not want to make the best run at winning your first Super Bowl if you're the Patriots Chiefs 49ers Cowboys whoever and you're in this POS you have a cache of Vince Lombardi trophies in the case you have that all already and you can I think psychologically with your fan base you come from a different point with the Bengals you don't you were almost there uh three years ago with burrow in Super Bowl 56 but you didn't get over the hump you didn't reach the top of the mountain now you have another chance with the best roster that you have had in terms of Versatility you do have t Higgins he's been terrific in Camp get Jamar Chase done and and I think your off offense and your potential Rises to that next level I am going to give you a precedent that you may not want to set if you're the Bengals and I'm sure we'll move on to some other topics yeah we will amarius let's assume amarius Mims pans out in in the best way possible as a player and he's into year three and the Bengals choose to put the fifth year option on him pick up his fifth year option which they've done with Jamar Chase and amarius Mims going into year for says no no no no wait a minute man I'm the best right tackling football um I I want to be paid like that you already did that with Jamar Chase do they do that then I mean how many more players do you capitulate to does Trey Hendrickson maybe see this and go about week five and say huh I got a little AE here you know if you guys want to give me some more money I'm here's my answer to that Jamar Chase is his own separate case and Jamar Chase is someone who can take your team with along with Joe burrow to that next level to the ultimate level and iang on can Justin Jefferson do that uh I think with the right quarter if you put Justin Jefferson on same team as Joe burrow absolutely no doubt about that the thing with rookie contracts though Mike that's so important it's the thing with rookie quarterback contracts right is it allows you to roster build around that well you're able to roster build around a rookie contract for Jamar chase at a controllable cost and I'm sorry if you if the player doesn't like it go to your union and tell the NFL PA let's get this crap done differently Let's do let's do two-year contracts and do this different let me get to my second contract faster maybe that's the answer but it is collectively bargained that here's the four-year rookie contract if you're a first- round pick they can pick up the fifth year option if they want to go another step they can tag you two more years I I'm not a player honk okay I know that and I understand I appreciate both sides on this I do yeah and and I don't normally take the player side because if you're under contract you're under contract but Jamar Chase has said well screw it I'm not I'm under contract but I'm not going to play I get and that puts the Bengals in a in a very difficult position so no we're in the game of chicken and Mike Brown doesn't blink very easily in the game of chicken no he never blinks yeah that I can can you remember a case of him blinking I really can't no I mean told Carson Palmer go retire man you want to quit go go retire I'm good I mean you know they didn't blink with Andrew Whitworth they didn't blink with Jesse Bates I don't blink I just don't know I I hope they do I hope Chase aside wherever the money is they come down to the level the Bengals feel comfortable but I don't know where that is is that in Justin Jefferson territory is that in CD lamb territory is that more in am St Brown ter I don't know where that territory really is all right we do have a game to talk about yes we do yes we do thank God uh against a team hey skinny did you know this I used to cover the New England Patriots no how long uh I think it was 26 27 years something like that six Super Bowls something like that was was Ron was Ron Meyer the head coach he was not and you know who else was not the head coach uh dick mcferson that was another good one yeah so I believe dick mcferson was the last coach before Bill Parcels uh arrived on the scene the same year I arrived on the scene 1993 you had a you've covered a couple of good ones up there for sure so uh this is uh a new era in Patriots football and that is of course Gerard Mayo uh the head coach former linebacker for the Patriots uh now with only five years of coaching experience being promoted by Robert Craft and the Patriots organization uh to head coach they are not starting their rookie quarterback uh Drake May their number three overall pick in the 2024 draft they are starting jacobe brassett a one-time teammate of new Bengals Captain Germaine Pratt how about that um I was going to get into the uh Captain stuff and I still will we still will uh skinny but I want to talk about uh two players who will be on the field Dax Hill and Trent Brown both were appointed starters by uh Zack Taylor officially on Monday uh after practice your thoughts on Dax Hill winning his battle and Trent Brown being appointed to take over for the injured amarus Ms yeah I I think about week two of camp that was trending in that direction right um and it felt like it was trending more and more towards Dax and and certainly as Camp was winding down it it almost seemed like he had a strangle hold on that starting job I do think you'll see some DJ Turner I don't know what role that would be is it to take some snaps off of Cam Taylor Brit to take some snaps off Dax Hill um to add another corner on the field when you need to add another Corner um but I do and Zach made that point yesterday that DJ is going to play and and and have some kind of a role but and I I don't think this is as much I think this is the good part I thought DJ Turner had a good camp Mike um I don't think this is as much DJ Turner losing the job as it really was daxil going out and winning the job and I think that's a good thing I I I also think skinny not that he didn't have to go out and win the job he did he had had to demonstrate his ability to cover yeah on the outside but I think it does it behooves the Bengals for the future of Dax Hill for for however long he's going to be in Cincinnati to have a starting role that engages him fully yeah in the defense as opposed to coming off the bench as a role player in that secondary yeah I I agree with that but I I think to your point I I don't think this was given to him by default I think he actually to his credit went out won the job yeah and I and I think what the Bengals are expecting from this secondary no question in my mind they are expecting more uh creation of turnovers that is something certainly was lacking last year and even you go back a couple of years they haven't created a lot of turnovers I think uh back in 2022 they were uh something like plus six plus seven which is good but I think uh Zack Taylor and Company expects this defense of you know engineered by Lan rumo uh to create more turnovers and I think Dax Hill has the potential uh definitely of doing that certainly with Gino Stone back there your thoughts on Trent Brown is he and I had a friend of mine from New England joke about this is he really going to be able to make it through whatever it is 70 or 80 or back a couple years ago against the Steelers remember it was a 100 offensive snaps Jamar Chase played every single snap um is Trent Brown going to be able to make it through the game on Sunday I think it's a legitimate question I don't think he can in fact uh I we do a thing just for full disclosure those of us on the beat beat we we have a some individual in-game we call it Bean pools like dollar dollar Wagers on different things and I joke with a couple guys yesterday at practice I said we need to have the first time we see Trent Brown puke as one of our one of our Bean pool Wagers because I mean no to answer your question M ke the good part is it's not going to be 92 degrees with 90% of humidity because I don't know how you would do that I think the good news is and we asked Zach this yesterday and and he gave us the hey we'll see how the week progresses and and that's a fair answer to what the question was about you know amarius Mims um he obviously named Trent the starter I think that's more again am marius's injury putting him back but I do think we do see amarius mims in someway shape or form um on Sunday getting some snaps you know maybe he doesn't progress this week but he's he's been back out there the last few days doing some stuff in individuals we don't get a chance to see the full practice right now we don't get a full practice report till till Wednesday tomorrow um and I would assume he probably would be limited I think the good thing would be if you don't see him on the injury report at all um that he does Go full I think that would Trend towards I don't think they'd fully split the Reps at right tackle Mike but they might um and at the very least you'll see a Marius mims in there some if again again we'll see how this week goes but even if not is it Jackson Kirkland is it Cody Ford somebody's gonna have to spell Trent Brown they're just gonna have to well I think it'd be Cody Ford until I see uh Marius Mims doing sled work with obviously all the offensive line uh offensive linemen do I'm not GNA I'm not convinced that he'll be clear Fair no that's fair I me he's got to be able to punch no question and and the punching is obviously probably how he um strained his PEC and why he's been sidelined and there's no in in my estimation there's no reason um to put him out there and risk with a high degree of probability reinjuring himself is Cody Ford able to play uh a serviceable right tackle I think so I mean people are going to say well it's Joe burrow you don't put Joe burrow out there with Cody Ford right I disagree I think they have enough confidence in Cody Ford that he can uh handle the job at right tackle without completely um endangering Burrow's Health yeah and the other part too Joe burrow sees that side of the field right I mean that that right tackle he can kind of adjust a little bit more than you can from the guy coming off your Blind Side so um would you want Cody Ford to be a ston wall absolutely but even if he he he isn't and and has some slippage and and doesn't perform 100% or 90% or whatever I think Joe bur is able to mask that because he can see it coming okay we have seen rooll reversal uh maybe a little bit in the NFL with the uh Patriots one time great offensive line and solid offensive line in front of Tom Brady really taking a hit and in my and the Bengals having a much improved offensive line in the last two to three years obviously the Bengals need to be able to get after jacobe per set that is a non negotiable on Sunday agreed um he's really good I think at getting the ball out of his hands quickly though um the times that the Bengals have played against him in different places um Indie uh Cleveland I I've always admired him for doing that I think he's he's he gets it out of his hand he's got some Mobility to him as well but I you know you you tried to upgrade yourself at the interior pass rush and I think this is a good time to see what it can do against the weaker offensive line can Sheldon rankins get consistent push um you know can can he and BJ Hill work in concert to do that and then you know what you're kind of getting from from the outside guys so yeah I I do I think your to your point I think this is a a precursor to see is this pass rush better than it was last year because it needed to improve I also think this is a really good opportunity to see the potential of Chris Jenkins Jr uh because against this kind of offensive line it sets up for him to really demonstrate his freakish athleticism that we've heard all about ever since he was drafted ever since we heard the nickname the mutant uh saw those incredible workouts on YouTube and whatnot this is a chance for Chris Jenkins I think as the third defensive tackle in would you say that's fair yeah yeah third defensive tackle in to uh you know really if not get to the quarterback be disruptive blow up their run game and yeah I was there you uh you were there right in New England uh Christmas Eve or were you not I was not that was one game I did not go to that year raand re Stevenson thanks to Von Bell yep who will be on the field on Sunday Von Bell forcing that fumble on Christmas Eve uh and handing the Bengals a hang on 2218 win was the last time these two teams met um the Bengals have to be able to stop and control rander Stevenson on Su yeah I mean you can imagine that's that's what New England wants to do as much as possible is run the footb run the football run the football shorten the game a little bit as well um but yeah to your point rre Stevenson when he's healthy he's been a a solid back and uh yeah and listen you talked about the pass rush one of the other negatives last year was the run defense and this is a good test to see where the run defense is right off the bat your thoughts on the eight captains we had uh I think a surprise in Germaine C uh Pratt being named a captain we mentioned that a couple of minutes ago but Germaine Pratt's a captain on the defense along with not surprisingly Von Bell and Sam hubber on the offense it's Joe burrow and two offensive linemen Ted Carris who returns as Captain and Orlando Brown Jr and then the Special Teams captains Evan mcferson along with aakeem Davis Gaither I it's an interesting eclectic mix skinny yeah um you know some of those guys are holdovers but there are four new captains pratts a new captain to your point he's been in the league now six years and and I guess that took me a little bit by surprise but uh but you know the locker room he's pretty well respected um he's very vocal on the field sometimes maybe too vocal but but very vocal on the field um teammates really respect his football intelligence and I think all those things wrapped into the package to have him voted as a captain um the two special teams guys are both new captain a keen Davis gather he he talked about how proud he was because his dad's a coach what that meant to him to be a captain his dad's a college coach at Virginia an assistant coach Evan's the one that interested me and I asked Evan this yesterday I said for a guy so quiet and reserved how did you become a captain and I asked Zach the same question of how surprised are you that a guy that quiet in reserve but I think it talked about Evan said to us a couple of us had talked to him yesterday about this of how he likes to be the guy to kind of set a positive attitude and be a guy that people come to when they when they have something that he's not as vocal uh you know rahah yelling you know talk calling out a teammate more of a guy that people can come and lean on and a guy who kicks in or has to play in really pressurized situations and to do his job you think that that's leadership as well is just going out doing his job and doing it well um so yeah he surprised me a little bit but uh you know eight captains was the most they've ever had and uh I think that Zack Kayer felt they were all deserving of it it may seem like a little thing but when Evan mcferson was starting to build up Ryan Rico late in Camp about he's done such a great job just getting the ball down get the ball down and I'll take care of the rest it's a very little thing a small statement but to me that's kind of what we're talking about that's why Evan mcferson is endeared by his uh teammates and why he was elected a captain agree and and listen that lets Rico know that that I don't have to be perfect and listen Darren Simmons will get on him for trying to be perfect and he'll work towards that but I think it allows him though to to not have to freak out about was the ball leaning a little bit this way too much a little bit that way too much to Evan just get it down now listen as time goes on they want to refine it they want it to be more perfect but I think he gives a kid like that less pressure because he's worried about punting too I mean been inconsistent punting when he's hit him he's hit him a mile but he's been inconsist so now he can focus on all right my holding duties is I just got to get it down because Evans told me that's all I got to do is get it down and then worry more about puning and uh let's move on to uh one of the other captains that kind of intrigued me Orlando Brown Jr first time in his professional career that he's been elected a captain and he made note of that uh with me on Monday afternoon and you could tell I mean sometimes guys just they say the right things they say some of the cliches about what it means to be a captain when he started talking about what it meant to be a firsttime captain in the NFL and having been around so long it struck me as like this actually really means something to him yeah I mean he's a guy that we go to a lot for quotes I I think there's something to be said about the leadership of that at times um that in losses who are the guys you go-to right Mike I mean we have call our go-to guys right there's the go-to guys that that win or lose are going to treat you with respect and I get the guys that get that don't want to talk after losses I feel no skin off my back but I think some of that's leadership too and I think teammates see that and and certainly um he's a big man and commands a lot of respect just just from his physical stature I think his dad would be very proud don't you I mean absolutely and and do not think that that thought didn't cross his mind uh either on Monday afternoon anything else you're looking forward to in this uh season with the Patriots on Sunday yeah I think the last thing Mike would be um how how are the targets distributed without Jamar Chase and even with Jamar Chase I mean who is the number three receiver is Yos shash the third targeted guy is Mike Kiki the third targeted guy is it Charlie Jones I think that's the other part to me that's interesting because well I think Yoshi kind of emerg as the third guy is that how it's going to play out as the season progresses and certainly we get a chance to see it for the first time in the open I'll tell you what's uh number one on my list offensively how do they handle short yardage situations and can they run the ball on Third and one and fourth and one agreed I I think that's a legitimate point but I I think we've seen that two tight end package with Drew sample and Eric all in there on running plays um I think that's where you're going to see the the rookie get get some snaps in some of the situations you're talking about um and I'm gonna guess Zach Moss is the third is that is that short yardage back for this team and I actually think we're GNA see a lot more expected of the rookies to produce uh in this heading into this season certainly amarius Mims probably won't play I'm guessing on H Sunday but when you go down the list of other rookies uh it fascinates me we already talked about Chris Jenkins Jr uh you mentioned Eric all Jr there is a lot of buildup with regard to him because I think he has had such a good training camp on an accelerated schedule there's no way in my mind I thought at the beginning of Camp he would be at this level where we're talking about about him being a integral piece of their short yardage offense agreed um and and I think that is that short yardage package him and Drew sample is a two tight end set and you know you can play action out of that you trust Eric all as a receiver I I I think he is certainly the the the best three down tight end on this roster not the best pass catcher overall um not maybe the best blocker but the best probably three down tight end and I think in the next few years you're going to see him become that guy the cliche we hear all the time is you never know about week one and Zach I I asked Zack Taylor about this on Monday and he said week one in the NFL is always about in-game adjustments how well are you able to adjust what you haven't adjust to what you haven't seen before and it's a great point he's absolutely right but I get back to this point skinny they cannot lose this game and to me you don't have to blow them out by 40 points but you have to really exercise your will you have you have to command your will over an inferior team they have to do that if they demonstrate nothing else aside obviously from the win they have to be able to show that they are better than an inferior team especially when you're playing at home and to me that's what I'm looking for I'm looking not only for the score uh for the Bengals to come out on top but I'm looking for them to demonstrate that they know they're a superior team go out and take care of business yeah this isn't college football buy game for an opener right I mean you're not going to have that discrepancy in points but to your point this is one of the two or three worst teams in the NFL on paper New England to yeah and if you think the Bengals are a Super Bowl contending team with or without Jamar chase you go out and and and impose your will I hope I'm not speaking out of line here but I have an announcement to make and I think it's going to be uh a great season an exciting season as skinny the skinny podcast and the jungle war podcast are teaming up post game following each and every Bengals contest home and away this year it should be really uh thrilling uh to work with the one and only Richard Skinner and uh I guess are we gonna take turns hosting and who's driving the uh car uh captaining the ship we can certainly do that but I like the way you Captain the ship Mikey I I do I I like I like to be the co-host I'm I'm not I'm not opposed to that my ego is not so big well I appreciate that skinny quite a bit but we're gonna look forward to having an enjoyable season an interesting season obviously we've already had an interesting preseason and training camp with the Jamar uh Chase situation I think we you know one thing we didn't talk about is we've gotten through we've gotten to the point where Joe burrow is second or third on the list of topics that we talk about every week I I assume he's ready to go don't you I assume he is too Mike but I'm going to cringe the first time he has to brace his fall with that he's gonna have to yep yep and it worries me yeah well uh he's a football player he's probably realizing that he's got to go through that himself he knows that at one point he's going to get hit he said that to us a couple of times during training camp so uh it'll be interesting to see how that turns out well we've got an interesting and very exciting 2024 Bengals season ahead of us uh certainly follow the skinny podcast uh skinny does a great job covering the Bengals for local12.com here in Cincinnati follow the jungle world podcast you can follow that podcast on all your uh typical podcast platforms and follow me on the YouTube channel that's youtube.com jungle Roar pod skinny it's going to be a great season absolutely Mike enjoy it and look forward to talking to you on Sunday