BENGALS POSTGAME QUOTES
AUG. 11, 2023
GREEN BAY AT CINCINNATI
ZAC TAYLOR
Head coach
Joe Burrow was on the field for pregame warmups. Was that a sign of progress?
"No. I think things are good, and he's progressing as he should."
What was the objective for Joe Burrow going out for pregame warmups?
"Just to get some throws in."
Did you get any impression of how Joe Burrow felt afterwards?
"I think everything has been positive."
I assume that that was not the first time that Joe Burrow has thrown since getting injured ...
"Yes."
Do you have any more injury update on Joe Bachie?
"Yes, I think we'll find more out about that later."
What is your impression of how Tycen Anderson played tonight?
"I think the turnovers were big. It should have created a lot of momentum for us. A pick-six and then another one, really, to put us in scoring range right before the half that should have been — at minimum — a 10-point swing for us. Walk away with a field goal because of the pick, or a touchdown ... Instead, we have the turnover and give it back to them. They score a touchdown, they're up 21-16 at the half. So — again — just didn't really complement each other in the different phases. Offense had a chance to go build a lead, go into halftime with some great momentum, get the ball to start the second half because the defense had gotten us some turnovers there."
What did you see from the quarterbacks, Jake Browning in the first half and Trevor Siemian in the second half?
"I saw some good things. They moved the ball at times. Ultimately, their job is to get us in the end zone. Offensively, we didn't get the ball in the endzone at all. Kicked some field goals, had the defensive touchdown. Ultimately, that's what we're judged on — protecting the football and getting the team in the end zone. Not enough of that tonight."
Dax Hill ... That was probably the most you've ever played a starter in the preseason. What was the thinking there?
"Just get him more reps. He hasn't been a starter yet on defense, and so just to get him in-game reps and get him in the group of things, I think that was good for Dax."
What led to the decision to put Jackson Carman back in?
"Those were just decisions we had to make up front."
How do you think Jackson Carman faired tonight?
"We'll have to watch the tape on that, for the offensive line."
What did you think of Chase Brown and Andrei Iosivas tonight?
"I thought they both showed good things. Chase had more of his opportunities in the pass game, so the rushing stats aren't going to be anything to write home about. I thought in the passing game, he did a good job being where he needed to be and making some guys miss. There was that big conversion he had. Then, Andrei ... I thought Andrei won some good, contested throws. One of them — the touchdown — was close. I thought he made a good play on it. Had some other good plays for us, really didn't go down at first contact several times. So, there was a chance for some yards after the catch. So, I thought he showed some good things."
Do you have any first impressions on Myles Murphy and how he did tonight?
"We'll have to watch more. I saw him in there making some plays in the run game. So again, we'll have a better understanding of the value of those guys as we watch the tape."
As the game unfolded, how much could you tell the confidence of the two quarterbacks in Andrei Iosivas to make a play?
"Yes, I think you saw that certainly when he had one-on-one opportunities. They found a way to target him, and that is a good sign of their faith in a receiver."
What are you looking for in the evaluation process of running backs in preseason games?
"Just the tempo of the run game, how we want it. Hitting it where we think we need to hit it. They didn't have a ton of opportunities. There were some run alerts where we threw the ball — rightfully so. That took the ball out of their hands. So, tried to get them the ball, and sometimes the defense, some of the fronts they were playing presented the quarterbacks with some throws that they rightfully took. So, maybe not as many opportunities as we wanted despite us trying to get it to them. They did pass protection — so again — we'll have the chance to evaluate what opportunities they had in pass protection. There may not have been many to see."
To that point, scripted practice might be a better evaluation than these games?
"It is — but again — as a running back we don't always go high every practice. We have one live period to see how a guy handles contact and keeps moving the sticks. You're going to see that a little bit better in the games."
Chase Brown isn't a very big guy, but he had a couple of third-and-one conversions. Were you impressed with the physicality there?
"That's good; that's good movement by the offensive line giving him that opportunity. It's good to see any of our backs in third-and-one. We expect those guys to be able to get us enough, and he stepped up and did that. That's not going to show up in the stats, either. That'll show up probably as two carries for two yards, and those are big runs for us in that game. So, that's a positive."
Did you see Andrei Iosivas do some of the little things, too? It looked like he had a nice block on Kwamie Lassiter's catch on the screen on the outside ...
"No, that one doesn't come to mind. I'm sure he did a good job."
What was your first impression of Brad Robbins?
"It's good to get out there in front of the crowd and get that first game under your belt. I'm sure that there are some things that him and Darrin (Simmons) will be able to work on, but it's good to get out there and hold — first of all — for some of those good field goals. I thought that operation was really good. Then, a chance to watch the tape and work on some of the things that Darrin wants to work on."
When will Drue Chrisman be able to get back into the mix at practice?
"I think this week we'll be able to get him back in the mix."
What is next for Joe Burrow now that you've seen him throwing?
"Just keep progressing the way that we're doing with the trainers and strength staff. Just keep progressing that way."
