NFL Broadcaster Cris Collinsworth Part 2 | Cincinnati Bengals 2024 Schedule Prediction

thank you for joining us in the trenches with Dave lapen brought to you by first star Logistics once again and we've got Chris Collinsworth part two and we talk schedule with Chris Collinsworth of course Sunday Night Football Bengals have one they go to New York and play the Giants on Sunday Night Football they've got five nationally televised games though a couple of games at 425 we talk about uh the the Bengals schedule how fair it is and everything you need to know basically about what the Bengals will face on a week- toe basis in the 2024 season courtesy Chris Collinsworth all right you made a very very wise decision you joined us in the trenches with Dave lapen brought to you by first star Logistics to join us for Chris Collinsworth part two we're talking about the legendary player the legendary broadcaster and too which I I appreciate and I know a lot of you do too husband father grandfather I don't know Chris I don't know how 24 hours in a day is enough for you my man it's like what the heck everybody thinks they have busy schedules I'm telling you if you want to know what a busy schedule is talk to this man Chris Collinsworth all good that but the the good news is both both my daughters are pregnant so grandbabies four and five coming up so that's the good sweet that's awesome man I real quick is there anything better than being a grandfather I got four grandkids myself I'm telling you what man there is nothing in the world better than being a grandfather I it's it's it's cool because they still you only hang around long enough for your energy to remain high enough that they think you're fun and cool every time you come over no question and then you leave and you go immediately go home and go to bed because that you got nothing left that's it that's all I got no overtime man just four quarters that's it you know four quarters all right so in this little uh little addition time spent with the man chis Collinsworth we're going to talk about schedules and I guess real quick are you uh are you excited about your Sunday night package that you know you guys you guys get some pretty good uh pretty good uh SK matchups and you have the Bengals let me see where the the B fall in this one don't even start with me the idea that we're going the whole year without a Bengals home game is still making me insane oh there you go yeah it's on the road you're right like against Washington on the road H it's it's oh that's Monday night Sunday night is it's the Giants yeah one in New York That's it man a chevit unbelievable well I mean that'll be that'll be an interesting match up but talking about the angle schedule the as we know a problem they've had Chris is is getting off to tough starts you know it's like losing having a losing record at after the first month and maybe in there there's a division loss or two you know so not only are you behind the eight ball man the tiebreaker within the division you're behind the eight ball this schedule they open up they got New England at home Kansas City on the road that's a beast that's a 425 kick on the road Washington at home Carolina on the road so home away home away three out of the first four games are against teams with new head coaches and they've got young quarterbacks a couple of them I'm not saying they're going to start these rookie quarterbacks but one of them might so you know it takes a little while for a new head coach to get his system indoctrinated and all that the Bengals have three times the only uh game that they don't AR won't be facing a new head coach and staff and all that is Kansas City and we know that's going to be tough that's crazy isn't it three new head coaches in their first four games it it's it's crazy but it also it you know right now you've got to win they've got to win three of the first four I mean you you go in and knock off Kansas City in Kansas City which is personally when I would rather play Kansas City early in the year you know I that team gets better as all teams do but um that's definitely a team that gets better as as they go along um but I mean you got to be right you got to beat Drake May and the Patriots in the opener I I mean there's just you've gotta win that game Kansas City we talked about uh Washington uh with Jaden Daniels you gotta win that game you you you know new head coach uh you got to win the game and then you play uh play Carolina I mean those they've got to be three in one coming out of the first at least three in one if not they don't knock off Kansas City so even more emphasis I think on Joe burrow the wrist you know exactly you know what what all what what all the new season entails but that that opening month September's a got to have it for the Bengals no question couldn't agree more and you know the first division game isn't until you know October 6 week six and it's home against Baltimore so you know that that's a plus and then the very next uh uh game is is the New York Giants Sunday Night Football 820 kick out there in New York the thing the thing that I I think this schedule is very fair because the Bengals never have they don't have three straightaway games no more than two straightway they don't have three straight home either but I mean it's like Home Away Home Away back to back away back to back home they were very fair in that regard and the only area where you know you think boy travels this is going to be a tough travel scenario uh they go to the West Coast to play the Chargers in in uh November November 17th but they have a Thursday night game against Baltimore on the road on Prime uh on on the seventh and then they have the mini buy and travel to the Chargers then after the Chargers game they have their buy week so I mean boy they get a mini buy before they have to take that trip they get the bye after that trip and the byee is in like week 12 that's I think the second latest in franchise history so I think overall the NFL was very very fair to the Bengals I mean Pittsburgh they're talking six division games in their last eight weeks Chris what I mean Tom saying what did I do to the league what's going on here I think this is extremely Fair the schedule I I I it's it's as good as it can be and remember the Bengals really benefit from finishing last in their division so they get other bottom tiered teams I mean you know you hate to put it that way but it really has helped them I mean they get Charlotte they're you know they're they're getting the the teams I'm you know I don't I'm trying to think who the variable teams would be um on down that list but you know even Nashville is not overwhelming if you're going to play the Cowboys play them in Texas stadium why not you know I mean the the tough games uh you can be anywhere but you know the the the kicker is playing the the East obviously the NFC East so you get Philadelphia you get Dallas in in the mix with that but you also get the Giants in in Washington so you know that it's it's a very good division on the top end arguably maybe two of the best teams in in uh the NFC this year but not teams that the Bengals if they're right if they're if they come out of the box I mean I I I just think that when you go if you go to Baltimore on October six three and one and then you come back no matter what happens there you go in and play the New York Giants the next week um that you know that's that that you're you have to they're three in one there the Bengals are going to just be a factor throughout the course of The Game season because there I mean who is it that you just go oh they have no chance right you know you got all the division games of course but the Giants and then you got the Eagles and then you got the Raiders um you you go down chargers they can beat them uh Tennessee you know I mean it's it's Denver you know that's the benefit so in my mind I thought the Bengals were going to win the Super Bowl last year I I'll tell you straight up I you know of course had no idea Joe's going to get hurt sure but it was I thought that was the year the last year they were going to have that Core group of receivers together and before somebody had to go away and I was afraid two of them were GNA have to go away and I didn't know what would happen with the offensive line but it was you know that it was so it didn't happen for whatever reason it didn't happen and then I got back and I looked at this schedule and I go man I you go put anybody else's schedule you want to even within this division up on the screen and you're going to see the Bengals have the best the best schedule I mean they have a real opportunity if they just get back to their level of play that we've seen since Joe Burrow's been here and there's no reason they don't either win the division or at the very least make the playoffs and have a chance to to have a real run five nationally uh Prime Time games two on Thursday night first time in franchise history two Thursday night games Joe burrow is undefeated on Thursday night 2-0 he's undefeated at payor Five-0 under the lights so you know they've got uh two home games of the five on Prime Time are at home and the interesting thing too is I mean they've got two 425 starts Kansas City we talked about and Philadelphia at home I'm glad Philadelphia's at home that that's the best home game on the schedule in my mind the Eagles coming to Cincinnati that's a hell of a football team but talked about the three new head coach the first four weeks they got five new head coaches they're going to be facing New England Washington Carolina the LA Chargers Tennessee um of course you know Brian Callahan intimately familiar with uh that's GNA be great isn't it I mean to get Brian back in here you know every time an offensive coordinator leaves now the debate starts like who is more important right you know and then all so I but I'm really happy for Brian I mean Brian was a great first lieutenant he just was you know he was he was a guy that that understood his role he didn't stick his chest out he didn't you know say hey what about me you know that sometimes can disrupt and now he's got a shot and and they're rebuilding a little bit in Tennessee but I think that he and Bill are going to do really well down there they're at their core they're going I'm sure going to be you know Dad wants to run the ball behind the offensive line the the whole time that he's there and the sun has this little uh little back skill set really of of what's going on in the passing game so I'm anxious to watch Tennessee I I think that it may not happen this first year but I think you're going to see an uptick down there too I I agree I agree 100,000% the Callahan fatherson uh that that's G to be just a blast to watch I agree with you how much air miles the Bengals have the second fewest Air Miles schedule wise in the league Chris Washington is the only team that has fewer and they only have fewer by what less 250300 miles so and the Bengals they have 10,000 or 10,000 uh 500 611 Air Miles the Chargers for example 2683 I mean it's like night and day as we know where we're located here it's not a ridiculous flight anywhere big a deal is that as the season wears on do you do you believe that that's a factor um well I don't think they have an international game this year right that's not do not not do not so that helps um because now you get to throw your bye I think you were saying you know before after the uh the trip to Los Angeles so you know and I think that don't want to give away all our secrets but you know you you fly home after the game and of course they're not serving you drinks or anything on the airplane that the team but you know every once in a while there'd be some little side slot in your bag that you could you could put something in and but you fly back you're completely dehydrated you have a little cocktail or two on on the way home and if you have four or five instead and you're completely dehydrated you hear that scream from the back of the airplane somebody cramping up like and everybody running and laughing at them and you know I mean it's just it's part of it but you add three or four of those cross country trips and probably the bigger issue is what happens to the coaching staff yeah so the coaching staff if you go west to east you know whatever and you've got a five hour flight and you get home and you've got a Sunday night game so you're already behind the schedule now you got a Sunday night game and you don't get on the airplane till 3: in the morning and then you get all the way home and at you know 8 in the morning or whatever now your coaching staff has to try and go put together a game plan when they're completely out of their minds like they haven't even watched the game film that of the game they just played to gain any Edge over that and you got to put together this thing on 17 cups of coffee just trying to stay awake so it is it is is I think as hard as it is on the players it's much tougher on the coaching staff trying to prepare for the following week opponents if you're not getting home until you know crack it on no question let me get you out of here on this one stud how difficult a job is it to make an NFL schedule I mean everybody you know wants to have some national coverage uh the networks want the best teams how do you how do you juggle all that kind of uh deal and how how how long does it take do you think to determine an NFL schedule for 32 teams they've got it going on um Hans is is taking over and he's he's trying to do the best that he can with this whole thing but you know that probably you start with what the teams don't want but then that you got to go through what the networks don't want I mean they've paid billions of dollars for the rights to to broadcast these games yeah and as soon as we get our schedule you go okay there's the five good ones and then what are we going to do with these other ones some times you know so it's it used to be that we got our choice of uh the best teams whoever that was and I'm just GNA say the Dallas Cowboys because that's the number one draw in all of football it always seems to have have been uh we could get them five times now I think we're down to we can get a couple of teams three times maybe and everybody else you know so what what's interesting for me is I see much more of the league than I used to in the past um but you know getting ready for all those other teams and it's great to see Cleveland and it's great to see you know New Orleans or whatever but they're not the national draws that the Cowboys and the Eagles and some of these teams are um but In fairness you know who would have ever we've got Houston on our schedule uh two or three times this year and who would have ever believed that at the beginning of last year so what what you see out of the NFL is that I think is unlike other sports you can make a case that teams that finished last a year ago could win the Super Bowl this year and that's what makes in my mind at the best of the leagues better than baseball better than basketball hockey or whatever is that you you do get those stories every single year somebody coming off the deck no doubt about it it's uh there's no nothing better than the National Football League and and the numbers show it I mean you know the NFL draft and the schedule release got bigger numbers than NBA playoff and NHL playoff games NFL is a 500 pound gorilla it's a monster man it really is and they know it and they know it but it's a um it it is it's it's a it's something we all have in common in this country I I've I've sat down at tables with politicians and actors and all different and everybody it always starts with the NFL like everybody has a favorite team everybody has so and I'm like oh my God I can't believe I'm sitting here with somebody who's making the laws that are changing our country and somebody who's made this movie that I absolutely adore and that it's the greatest thing and I'm going to be talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers like what what are we doing here there's something wrong but uh it's it's amazing that it is it's so necessary almost in this country it is a common bond in a in a time when we don't have many common bonds it seems like well I'm uh I'm gonna be waiting for the documentary on Chris Collinsworth life because you have had one hell of a life sir there in no ways about that well we'll uh we'll see which three people come to that one but you're the best appreciate you carving time because I know there is no busier man on planet Earth than my man CC always got your back brother always will you're the best thanks for everything see you Dave Dave La here and every day I am grateful for my experience to have played professional football as a player I realize self motivation leadership and appreciating your teammates are key at first star Logistics you can use those same attributes to create the life you want for you and your family build your future by working hard like I did you'll see results both on and off the field call first star Logistics today and be part of our winning team OPP