250th Celebration!!!

Happy 4th of July Who Dey Family!  

The Who Dey ALL Dey podcast is back and here to keep the Patriotic MOJO going!

ESPN has the Bengals offense as the 3rd most explosive.  Bergs, Brian, and Brant discuss. 

DJ Turner looks to get his bag and Josh Newton takes over the 3rd CB role. 

What position battle are the Fellas most looking forward to at Training Camp. 

Finally, with the electric crowds at the World Cup, it got the Boys thinking.  What Bengals game had the best atmosphere they have attended?

God Bless you all, our Bengals, and the USA!!!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Lady gentlemen, happy July 1st, 2026, and welcome to the Hood All Day Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Bergs, in beautiful, carefree Arizona. Not as hot as northern Kentucky. Brent, you doing okay there? You you all right?

SPEAKER_01 0:59

I'm melting a little bit, fellas. It's uh it's toasty around here. Yeah, if you're uh if you're out in the Cincinnati area, stay hydrated. It's uh it's real. It's real out there.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

So stay hydrated, find those basements, stay cool, don't move too fast. Brent, northern Kentucky. I mean, Utah, excuse me. How are you doing? You wish you were northern Kentucky.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

I'm doing fantastic. Uh excited to be with you guys. What a great week as we get ready to roll into the 4th of July weekend. Always a always a great holiday, obviously a huge year. Uh being uh 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence and uh telling those red coats to take a hike. You're well, you're welcome. Uh England, you you you snuck in another win today. You were you were on the ropes a little bit there for a while, so you can stick around for a little while and and watch uh your uh former compadres celebrate our our freedom. Uh and big night tonight, so chance of USA, USA are are in order, but excited to talk a little Bengals football before we turn our attention to the uh the US men's uh national team here in a couple hours. So looking forward to talking with you.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

A little bit of shout out to Brandt, Utah State, got my jersey on officially today, a member of the Pac-12. Big name for us, Utah State alum. Pac 12 dark is back. Those two, 3 a.m. uh college football games for you. Get ready, Brant. You're gonna get all the Logan Utah you want.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Heck yeah. Now I got a reason to stay up. Well, with all you heard that news, congrats, fellas.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Thank you. Uh, with all of that going on, we still have four downs. Uh, first down, we're gonna talk weapons. ESPN has an article that's out. They had us third as the most explosive weapons in the NFL. We'll talk. Second down, Josh Newton had quite the uh quarterback from TCU in his third year? Third year, third year, uh, out of TCU, had a wonderful OTA mini-camp and has now shot up the depth chart behind DJ Turner, who sounds like he's about to get his bag. We'll talk about that. Third down, I want to get a little preview. I know we're focused on 250 on World Cup, but training camp's gonna be here in about three and a half weeks. And so I want to know which position battle group you are most looking forward to. And then fourth down, again, with the World Cup being here, crowds have been electric. People have been pumped, supporting USA, a lot of patriotism, but it got us thinking what was the most electric Bengals crowd you have been a part of. So, first down, Brian, kick us off. Weapons, ESPN. What do you think about the article? What do you think about where they got the bangles?

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Uh you know, decent, decent art article, good summertime article to to remind people that the NFL is uh 12 months a year, uh get people talking. So I the ranking some is somebody's opinion. So rather than saying, oh, I've I I mean I'm I'm a homer, I'd you know put the Bengals first. I talk about some of the things I can get to I can get Detroit. Uh I think they've got because they use the term explosiveness. Uh they're explosive at receiver, Laporta when he's when he's on. Took a little bit of a dip. It felt like it took a little bit of a dip last year until the end of the season. He's he's uh one of the better all-around tight ends in the league. Obviously, Jamar Gibbs, arguably, maybe the most electric running back in the league. Um, and their offensive line helps those weapons tremendously, but just focusing on the weapons. I can get I can get behind Detroit being ahead of the Bengals. The Rams, I don't get. Kyron Williams is a great running back. Uh Puka's a great receiver. They've got some other good receivers there. But I I wouldn't label Puka as explosive. He's always open. But Jamar Chase is probably the most electric wide receiver in the league. Like once he gets the ball in his hands, defenses know they have to get that guy on the ground, or they're gonna watch him hit the gritty in the end zone if they don't get him on the ground quick, or hopefully they can push him out of bounds, whatever it takes. Uh T hit the size advantage. I swear you put it high if Joe just puts it high enough, he's the only one that's gonna catch it. And uh Chase Brown doesn't get the necessarily get the love that other other running backs, but he's always a threat uh to to bust one. He's got speed for days. So I don't get the Rams being up there. I actually think there might be some other teams that you could put above them besides the the Bengals. Um but it's at the same time, I'm not gonna hate on it because being in the top three of anything is you're getting recognized. Uh and the fact is, and out of and I will just end with this. I know we're talking about the weapons, but somebody's got to stir the drink. You know, someone's got to set the table. And out of those three offenses, there's one quarterback that's better than better than the other two. And it's not it's not even close. I uh sorry, Mr. Jared Goff. You got a hot wife and you played pretty well in Detroit, but you are not in the category, you're not even in Stafford's category either. Sorry. So it's a good thing you got a good offensive line and and a great coach.

SPEAKER_02 6:45

So look, I I know Stafford was the MVP, but if you were to ask general managers, coaches, NFL executives today which quarterback you would want, Matt Stafford's one hit away from probably make calling a quits. And while he again, reigning MVP has been playing fantastic football at the end of his career, people would pick Joe Burrow. Great take breaking those down, but you're right. I think it just shows how explosive this offense can be if people were already seeing it now, and we haven't really had it together like we're about to. Brant.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

So just to confirm, the article had the Rams number one, Detroit number two, Bengals number three. Yep. Yeah, so I'm I'm a little I'm gonna differ a little bit with Brian here, and I think I am gonna agree with the Rams being number one. I'll tell you guys real quick in a second. I'm gonna have the Bengals two, and then I would actually move Detroit to three. So my big reasoning, and I don't, you know, I can't honestly remember uh most of the article here, but uh if you're if you're adding in play calling, I think that is just you know, maybe an underlying thing that yeah from McVeigh standpoint, you know, that guy is just on another level. I mean, he can remember calls he made, you know, 10 years ago. Uh, you know, maybe what I think he was with the Washington uh you know commanders at that point, or maybe wasn't even making calls, but he remembers the call uh as the quarterback coach or whatever he was doing. So uh that guy is just phenomenal at just you know dialing up the right play at the right time. That's why, like Brian said, Puka Nakua just seems like the dude's open all the time. I think he gets schemed open by McVeigh. Uh so uh I just collectively that group, I think you know, Stafford had an excellent year last year. If you can keep him healthy, he's a stud. Kyron Williams, I think, is super underrated. Uh I'll admit he's been so much better uh in the NFL than I thought he would. I wasn't honestly impressed while he was at Notre Dame. I thought he was a solid running back, that he was a really good pass protector, but I just didn't see him growing into the you know complete running back that he is. But I think, you know, I think you got to respect Devontae Adams. I thought he didn't have it much anymore, but he found himself again with the Rams. Uh and then you had you know Kobe Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, a tight end for them. So they just got a solid unit, but McVeigh really puts him over the top for me. But I I still I'm not picking uh, you know, I agree with you guys, I'm not picking any of these wide receivers, even if you you look at Detroit's wide receivers, Amon Ross St. Brown and and uh and Williams up there, or even in Dallas, right? CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens. I I would probably rank them second behind our receivers at Dallas, but I'm still taking you know Jamar and T any day. I think T we we keep saying it, but T's the number one receiver on more than half the league uh on the T on their teams. So I uh he needs to get more respect. His stats over the last you know two years have been unbelievable. But yeah, I think I'm going again. It's still the Rams for me. Then the Bengals, then Detroit. Uh love what love what Chase Brown brings to us, but but yeah, I think collectively the Rams they got they got a solid group.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

Good takes on that. I'm actually gonna go Bengals one, Rams two, excuse me, Lions two, Rams three. Uh while again, Stafford's the MVP. I think Jameer Gibbs is just such a playmaker at running back and their tight end Laporta when he gets going. Uh Jared Goff, I think, is a very solid quarterback. I think it's Andy Dalton with really good weapons and not scared of a messy pocket, uh, and has a lot more confidence maybe in his personal life than Andy Dalton. Nothing personal. Uh but with the Beckles, I I know we're all biased here, but again, when you have Joe Burrow as your explosive quarterback, the the guy, the other thing too is we're seeing talks about us running. I love Joe kind of going through the offenses and why they did it and what the defenses they saw over the last couple of years when he was at minicamp and explaining kind of the thought process. There's going to be a lot more under center this year, which is going to lead both, both of you hit it about Chase Brown. Chase Brown's going to have a ton more opportunities to be explosive because the defense is not going to know what's coming. They're going to be so scared of Jamar and T that it's going to open up other guys to be able to make plays, and Chase Brown is that playmaker. I love Brian, you hit the nail on the head when you said this is great summer talk. We're three and a half weeks away from camp. This is the kind of stuff. But the fact that we're in these dialogues, the offense is going to be fun. Unlike the Cincinnati Reds, like we talked before, we jumped on this podcast. Right, exactly. Them just death by a million scratches. This is going to be super, super fun. So second down, let's talk corners. All right. So for uh DJ Turner's definitely our one. Dax Hill, the two. Josh Newton's moved up to the third spot. Brand, we got some news coming out. It looks like DJ Turner is going to get paid, not a done deal yet. And Josh Newton has moved up to the third. Want to get your take on both of those.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Yeah, again, who are these Bengals? Like, if they lock up, you know, DJ Turner early. I mean, traditionally, right? Like that week right before the season starts, that's when we were even, you know, what was it, the day before the season started a couple years ago, that's when we were finally extended Joe. Uh, but I I just love the Bengals getting work done early so they can keep checking the boxes on things they need to do to keep being a successful team. So this is the right move. DJ, you know, behind a very, very mediocre to suspect, you know, defensive line and linebacker core last year. I mean, put up Pro Bowl numbers. So I mean, if you're just using common sense and projecting with the improvement that we should have in this defensive line this year, should be just you know, just take off and at least produce what he did last year. So I love the move. Lock him up. He needs to be our number one. Uh, and then second, you know, with Josh Newton, uh I would love for him to take that third corner spot. I mean, word out of OTAs is that he was extremely solid, in the right spot, jumping routes. There was the you know, the play that you know, Joe doesn't give away a lot of interceptions in practice. And Newton jumped this route, I think it was on T. Higgins, and uh, and just took it the other way. And you just see, I mean, if he can play like that consistently and take that next step, that would be huge because it's not gonna that would help, especially to Cario Davis, from not having to step into that role as a rookie, and he can kind of grow and have a little bit more time to develop. So I I love the idea of Josh Newton. My last point with him being the third corner, you know, we keep hearing more and more about you know the the different weapons that we have on defense now, and now Al Golden can really be more multiple, and guys can be versatile, right? So Josh can actually play a little bit of nickel too. So if you had DJ running with a receiver, or if you had Dax running with a receiver, and you know, Josh ends up being in that nickel spot, you could it's just it creates a lot of interchangeability with all three of those guys. So I would love that with his experience already in the slot from last year and in the year before that, even as rookie. So uh I hope Josh seizes the opportunity like he has, and it can only make the defense take off more from here.

SPEAKER_02 15:02

Love that you bring up a great point about Al Golden. This is where I think it'll be he'll have no excuse. Maybe he wasn't ready last year, maybe he knew and saw the writing on the wall with the youth and the explosion of youth there, but Al Golden's gonna be able to put these guys in situations. I love the example of Takario Davis. Instead of him having to play and be a playmaker, you've got somebody that's been in the system for three years that is now going to get his opportunity. Brian.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

Yeah, I love I love hearing that uh, you know, there's there's starting to be a little bit of a some smoke around DJ Turner getting that done ideally before camp would be fantastic, definitely before the season. Take a meaningful snap. Um, but I love what DJ Turner brings to the table. I want to touch on that real quick. I feel like he is a crazy competitor, and uh I I think back to that uh Grandpa Flacco's first win as a Bengal against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and to me, DJ Turner changed that game. He got he got beat, I think, on Pittsburgh's first series by DK Metcalf. DK beats a lot of corners. Uh not a problem there. But after that, that fairly you know long catch by DK, I don't remember him doing much the rest of the game. And that pick before halftime where DJ Turner did not quit on the play, you know, was able to snag the ball before falling out of bounds with with the monster Metcalf was unbelievable play. And I felt it that really changed the changed the game. Uh and gave it felt like it Bengals were already starting to roll, and it felt like it gave that Bengals confidence, like, yeah, we're gonna win this game tonight. So love love hearing that uh, you know, keeping homegrown talent when you when you hit on a draft pick and they they proved their worth and their value. I love the fact that we try to keep them in the building. That's great. And then with with Josh Newton, the thing that I love about it is he I going into his final year at TCU, you know, there was talks of him going in the first round. Uh, maybe that final year at TCU wasn't what he wanted. He dropped a little bit, but he still got talent. I know he took a ton of snaps in the slot at TCU. So if he wins that slot position, he's he's your nickel. That's that's fantastic. I think they want to keep Dak on the outside. Uh that lets him do that. And then it lets you, like you guys said, it lets you bring Takara, you know, in slowly. I think what they've got planned for him for his rookie year is him maybe covering tight ends because of his size. And if you're able to do that and ease him into that, that's fantastic. Um, and he like like Brandt said, the versatility it gives you on the defense is even better. So love what I'm hearing. Love that it's not like set in stone, so there's still a competition. It's uh it may be Fig's job at the moment, but if Jalen Davis or others, uh, come in and outperform him in camp, it'll you know it'll be short-lived. He's got the talent, so hold on to that, hold on to that job and make us better, Josh.

SPEAKER_02 18:09

If you were uh if you didn't know Josh Newton that well until now, I would highly recommend looking at some of his college tape at TCU. Super impressive, very aggressive, one of those dogs we need on defense. Brant talked about it earlier because of the moves we made up front, Dexter Lawrence, other uh Boye Mafe. That is gonna just do nothing but help these guys on the back end. So super excited for that. Third down, position group battles. We are three and a half weeks from training camp. Brian, which group today are you most excited to see get rolled out there come training camp at the end of July?

SPEAKER_00 18:51

So the one I'm most excited about, because I think there's an opportunity there to at least get some snaps. Um maybe this is more about a player because the the the depth chart might be kind of set in stone. But I'm really hoping Mr. Brooks from Texas Tech can have a great camp, show why we drafted the kid, show what he did at Texas Tech, and and press Pirine for snaps, press Chase Brown for snaps. Uh we need a I love I think we all love when P Rine gets a chance to tote the rock because he's a bulldozer, and I think Brooks is the same way with maybe a little bit of a little bit more lateral quickness. So I'd love to see him push that room. Uh any of these guys that are you know undrafted free agents or in the running back room, I I hope Brooks can say, hey, you know, welcome in, pay attention, don't fall asleep in meetings, but that third spot is is securely mine, and I'm gonna get reps as well. So I'm excited for for him. Uh plus in in preseason games, there's a toward the ends of the games, there's a lot of carries given out. Uh, and so he's gonna get the opportunity. So I'm excited for him, and hopefully, if he can if he can press those two in front of him and steal some of their snaps, then things good things are happening uh as far as talent across the board.

SPEAKER_02 20:18

Love that. Big fan of Taj Brooks, same back with the Josh Newton comment. I would do the exact same and look at him at Texas Tech. Definitely carried that team, Brandt.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

Yeah, I feel like you guys have been a big influence on me over the years, so maybe you'll you'll like this pick. Uh, I'm gonna go with the swing tackle position.

unknown 20:38

Good.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Uh I love Cody Ford as our uh third slash fourth wide receiver, but he's gotta he's gotta still produce as our swing tackle. And I think he's gonna be pushed this year. Uh, I'm really interested to see what Andrew Coker brings uh in that in that uh roster spot battle. Uh Javon Foster as well, the the pickup that we got from I think he came from the Jaguars. Was that early last year, right? They had cut him after they had that kind of their uh front office regime change. Uh and then I know he played a lot of guard in OTAs, Brian Parker, but I just I would still get him some reps on at tackle just because the kid is super smart. He's that's where he played mainly in college at Duke. Uh I think he could be like your just super sub. Just put him at any of the five spots, you know, if you have anybody go down, and you're not gonna miss a beat with uh just his uh intelligence and his skill, quite honestly. Uh as I just like what he offers in Pass Pro. So, but uh Cody Ford's gonna have his work cut out for him. Uh but if we can get Cody a few more passes though this year, that might that might put Cody over the top.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Don't forget uh our boy Christian Jones, the rookie from San Diego State, monster of a kid as a project.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

I'm very excited to step up too.

SPEAKER_02 22:08

I love that room because you're right. There are you could make a case for a ton of these guys because they all come from different backgrounds. Either they were injured, either they went undrafted, either they got something to prove. I do love Brian Parker. I agree. I think he could be might be the best out of this draft class, overall, the most consistent on this team. I'm gonna go tight ends because we've got seven in the room, and we're we've been dying for that guy that we can count on, like an Eric all that both can block and pass catch. Because back to what I was talking about earlier with Burrow being under center and not being as predictable when you're in the shotgun, defense pretty much knows what's happening. Bryant, Brian, you both have been screaming about it. When Drew Sample's in, we're running. When Gasecki's in, we're throwing. And so I want to see which of these tight ends can do both, step up and open up the offense. Because look, we've had a lot of great moments with the offense. And I'm glad we talked about this on first down about where it ranks in the NFL. It should be first. I don't think we've been in explosive offense yet. I think we've had moments, and you saw Burrow play well enough to be an MVP candidate two years ago. Jamar Chase, of course, winning the triple crown, but it still can be a lot better and a lot more explosive. And to me, piggybacking off what Brandt's talking about with that swing tackle and securing up the line, it's that tight end. And again, just being unpredictable. Fourth down. Let's get out of here. We got some soccer to watch. USA. Uh Brandt. World Cup's hit awesome. I love the videos of everybody just soaking up everything about the United States that we just probably take for granted on the everyday that we just get to love and enjoy. But the crowds have been amazing, energetic, electric. Give us your best bangle moment that you had the opportunity to attend, or game, I should say.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

Oh, uh, I think you guys will like this one. I think I was with both of you guys. I it doesn't to me, you can't top it. The feeling, the atmosphere, uh, the 2021, getting the monkey off our back, the playoff win at home against the Raiders, playoff P sealing the deal, and it just that last play, fellas, like just how nervous I was, even whatever it was, five, six beers deep, like, and still like the nerves were hitting me. Yeah, it might have been more. Who knows? It's cold. It's cold. Uh it was just that that I and I mean this, like the weight off my shoulders, and I think collectively, the city of Cincinnati, you just saw everybody's face, just it was pure joy, pure happiness. Hugs, like high fives, it just the cold, the the atmosphere was just you couldn't ask for anything better, and then to enjoy it with you two guys. Like, I you know, I couldn't have wrote it any better. So uh yeah, that that one definitely sits at the top for me.

SPEAKER_02 25:23

You know what's so awesome about that one? Not obviously all the great things that you talked about, but usually it's like a play or it's like the lead up to the game. I remember at the end it being like emotional and just electric and loud and just people like crying, just like it's done. Okay, let's put that behind us. 30 plus years. So absolutely agree with you, Brian.

SPEAKER_00 25:48

Yeah, I would that one came that one definitely came to mind when we posed this question. Uh, you know, like Brandt said, the monkey off the bat back. Uh, I think at times during that game, uh, the crowd wasn't so much electric, they were on pins and needles, especially as we got into the late fourth quarter and the Raiders made a little bit of a run and made it interesting. Uh, really interesting coming down to the final play of the game. But but yeah, once that monkey was released and and playoff P made the play on fourth down, it it was pretty nuts. But uh I'm gonna go back further than that, and it's kind of when the the Bengals from the 90s it started it started to change. Uh credit to Marvin Lewis and his and his crew. And his first year uh as head coach, uh we were uh I think we were three and five, maybe going into the game, uh playing the un at the time the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and Mr. Chad Johnson, he added to the electricity in that, putting out a guarantee that we were gonna win that game. And from from the initial snap through the whole game, that crowd was nuts. I don't know if I've been at a Bengals game that has been louder than the moment that Mr. uh P dub Peter Warwick took a punt. Uh, all the talk was about Dante Hall, Dante Hall, and how the Bengals got to be all over him on punt and kickoff coverage. And then Mr. Peter Warwick took one back to the house uh on that Palmer turn, and it was it was it was nuts. Um, and it it had been the first time in a long time that like sure, there's been games where you cheered and had fun and they got had a W, but it felt like hey, the bank the Bengals Marvin Lewis is bringing some pride and and real football to Cincinnati and and what an electric game. Beating an undefeated team in the NFL and and sending Trent Trent Green and Mr. Dig Romille packing with an L was was fantastic. So that one that one lives in the memory bank for a long time. That was that was uh that was for you fans that are listening, that was uh you know, in the timeline, that was uh pre uh pre-brand that meeting Brandt. So that was back in 2003, if I've got my year right.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

Brant, you would have been with us uh had like uh had Marissa gotten going and figured it out and found you earlier, you know, you definitely would have been there with us. But I remember Brian, I was so proud that he came all the way out from Utah. I was living up in Chicago at the time and drove down for that one, but I just remember it absolutely electric. People were falling down. They were so excited because they were like, this team is actually relevant. And it had been so long, and it did. Besides 1988, that was probably one of my favorite seasons, was the 2003 season for a lot of different reasons. But yeah, that was one of the moments that was special on top of the uh the playoff game in 2000, uh January 2022. I'm gonna go January 6th, excuse me, January 8th, 2006. Though we lost, it was the Stellars Bengals playoff game where Carson Palmer got hurt. It was a beautiful day. My brother and I had the opportunity, we're sitting about 50-yard line, way up top, might have been the top row, but we were 50-yard line, but it was a beautiful day, picturesque. January, it's like 60 degrees. That place was ready to go. When they played Welcome to the Jungle, I have never heard words come out of our brother Lee's mouth that I'd ever. It was like all of those years of anger directed towards the Steelers came out because we should have beat them. Now, that team did go on to beat this, win the Super Bowl, beat Seattle up in Detroit in the Super Bowl. That should have been a Bengals team that we get this done. And again, it adds to why these memories are so great because we all think that those that that's it. This is it. This is where we we get going where we should be. I love that we have three different memories like that. I think that's what's been so fun about the World Cup is no matter who you're cheering for, which game you have the opportunity to go to, they're all special. Soak it up, enjoy it. The 4th of July is going to be amazing. Light off some fireworks, grill up a dog, enjoy some sports, and most of all, get ready. Three and a half weeks away. Hoodet all day.