You can watch this podcast in its entirety below:

Below is a transcript of Coach Graham’s entire press conference today:

Q: Obviously, Cincinnati has some good players. Ja’Marr Chase, what kind of challenges does he present?

Coach Graham: “A few good players? Yeah, I mean, he’s one of the best in the league. If you want to say he’s the best, I don’t have a real good, strong rebuttal to that, between him, (Justin) Jefferson and a few other guys and on top of that, they have a whole team of receivers. They’re all fast, they’re all big, I think they’ve done a really good job in their department. from the personnel of how they shaped the team offensively Given the quarterback, who is elite, this is the first time I’m facing him, and I’m really impressed with the quarterback. in terms of toughness, you’re talking about the toughness he shows in the pocket, sitting there, moving the ball down the field, getting into throws, his intelligence there. You can see it. change the game and you can see they’re all on the same page, the receivers, the O-line, the backs. So, kudos to these guys for what they’ve done with the personnel department and bringing them together. I mean, you see, there are smart players, not just because they have the Ivy League guy, but there are smart players who are really talented and present a ton of challenges. So it’s going to be difficult.”

Q: I know it’s probably not exciting trying to prepare?

Coach Graham: “Oh yeah, it’s exciting. I’m a competitor.”

Q: I guess when you see a player for the first time like that, like diving deep into a guy like Joe Burrow, is that a fun challenge for you?

Coach Graham: “Yeah, it was fun. I mean, again, Monday, you hear us talking in the office like some of the guys had already gone against him. I’m sitting there and I’m like, ‘ Damn, this guy is good, ‘man’ and I’m smiling because of the challenge. I understand that it causes later nights and headaches, I guess, but I’m excited to face him. good player. And then the backs, really impressed with the backs, (Chase) Brown and (Zack) Moss, I mean, in terms of their ability to get in the hole, to get to the second level, I think they. have a good combination, again, I think the personnel department has done a good job of bringing this staff and this group together, and they’re obviously well trained.

Q: Yesterday, Antonio Pierce talked about Tre’von Moehrig and how playing in the box allowed him to make more plays with the ball. What happened to him in this transition? I know he had mostly been a security position in the past. What kind of level of play have you seen from him in the last two games?

Coach Graham: “Football is a big man’s game, and he’s a big man, so put him close to the action. And the other thing is he does both. He does both. He is in the deep part of the field, he’s down, it really comes from the position, especially in today’s league where you have to operate from a few split safety looks, drop it, stay in there. But I mean, Tre’s (Tre’von Moehrig) just grew as a football player I think GA (Gerald Alexander) did a really good job, Chris Ash, when we got here two years ago. , did a good job bringing him in, and now GA (Gerald Alexander) is here and he’s really growing up. And again, like I told you before, it’s a choice they make, one. choice that they make to say, “Okay, I’m a professional soccer player, I really don’t have anything else to do but be good at soccer,” and then you have to do this job. Really proud of what he’s done and he’s always had that skill level, and you’re just starting to see him reap the rewards of his hard work. I’m really proud of this guy. »

Q: Over the last few weeks, Maxx Crosby has obviously been dealing with an ankle injury. However, he is still statistically ranked among the best edge rushers in the league. Is it impressive to see him still making this effort? And what standard or message does this send to the locker room?

Coach Graham: “Well, I don’t talk about injuries as an assistant coach, but I’m always impressed with everything Maxx (Crosby) does. If you were around him as much as we were, you’d be impressed with everything. Whether it’s a birthday party for his daughter, the way he works in meetings, his preparation, his preparation for a meeting, his preparation step by step, I’m always impressed by what he does he can do whatever he wants on that pitch and the beauty of that is he’s always looking to get 1% to improve, when you have a top player. elite like that, who is eager to improve, who wants coaching and who wants to work on his craft, that makes my job easier.”

Q: As for Tyree Wilson, he had his first sack in the last game. Was it great to see him pull it off?

Coach Graham: “The thing is, when you’re dealing with young edge rushers or young rushers, D-linemen, again, in my opinion, unless you’re really, really like the speed of “Elite, we have to adapt to our game because they” I’ve never been blocked before. So, again, I’m patient. I can’t speak for everyone on being patient, but he worked hard to place his hands correctly and get his eyes in the right place. , playing with a good base, strengthening his base because he had to get a little stronger in his lower body, I’m just happy that he’s reaping the rewards, and for me, the rewards are about more than necessarily to bags. all the time. I get it because they’re on Twitter and people are talking, I get it, I mean, sacks are the sexy thing to get, but he’s been pressured, he’s fought off guards and centers during his time here . Of course, I love it when they get sacked. I know he would agree with me on this, but I love it even more if we win. That’s what we need to start stacking.”

Q: What was your relief when Robert Spillane was able to return to the game?

Coach Graham: “It’s no different whether it’s the fans, the players on the field, Spill (Robert Spillane) himself probably. I mean, you want the guy back, obviously. But nobody’s going to care of my feelings, so I’m not really carried away by relief, sadness or happiness I’m always happy to have the best players, and Spill is one of our best players, so I was just happy that. It’s okay for me, but a sense of relief, I mean, the game was going to continue, so Spil didn’t want me to sit there and worry.

Q: You mentioned that Andrei Iosivas was an Ivy League player. Do you really count Princeton as the Ivy League?

Coach Graham: “Yeah, HYP – I mean, it’s HYP; Harvard, Yale Princeton. But there’s only one that’s really the best. We all know who that is.”

Q: You talked about racking up wins and your defense is doing its part. What more do you think they need to do to help this team win?

Coach Graham: “Our role as a defense is to keep them from having fewer points than our offense. So that’s our part. So that’s all that matters, all that matters. This concerns Sunday. Between Sundays, it’s about improving and winning the day. So today we have a big day. There was great energy in the room today. There was great energy in the walk. I can’t wait to see how today’s practice goes and see how we win on Thursday today. And then attend the meetings later and win those meetings on the spot. But our job, and this hasn’t changed, is still to prevent the opposing team’s offense from having fewer points than our offense or the team’s points. So that’s our job. So this job description will never change for us. I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but that’s how I operate, not uptight, but that’s our job. I don’t care how many points we have to limit them.”

Q: The third-down offense requires a lot of attention, but how important will it be this week to limit Cincinnati’s success on those first downs, so you can put yourself in positions that actually free up defense?

Coach Graham: “It’s going to be critical. It’s going to be critical. You can see the effects. I mean, not to live in the past, but last week, when we didn’t get off the field, we made them take over -the, but we didn’t come off the field We took out the early explosives, but we didn’t do what we’ve been doing all year I’ve got to do a better job of calling, I’ve got to do. better job putting the guys in the right position but to go to 75% in third place last week, what they did, I mean, it’s unacceptable, I mean, you’re followed in the office. from the director about this. We can’t do that. No, no, no, it’s not a good ball.

Be sure to follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and GI @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know what you think when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK HERE.