Q&A With Bolt Sports Network's Jacob Geiser

 Today Jacob Geiser from The Bolt Sports Network joined me to talk some Cincinnati sports.  We touched on just about everything from the Bengals draft to Bearcat football.  He also gave me his opinion on Mick Cronin and Luke Fickell.  For more writing from Jacob visit BoltSportsNetwork.com.  

The draft just finished up and the Bengals have been on a pretty good run of solid draft picks. How do you think they did this year?

JG: I think the Bengals did well. I think they addressed most of the needs that they had

going into the draft. I didn’t think they could go wrong drafting at 9. I normally have an idea as to who the Bengals will draft or what side of the ball. This year I had no idea. I thought drafting Ross at 9 was a little bit of a reach but his potential and speed is just too much to not be excited about. I think everyone could agree that the defensive side of the ball needed to be improved. When they didn’t go defense at 9, people were upset on social media, but what people might forget is that last year was the worst offense in the Dalton Era. The lowest points per game total in his 6 seasons. So I can’t be upset when they add a speedy wideout like Ross. I’ll address the Mixon pick later on, but from rounds 3-7 I think the Bengals got an A. Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson are two guys who have 1 st round talent and we got them in the 3 rd and 4 th rounds. Even Ryan Glasgow is another solid addition to the defensive line. I think the one thing the Bengals didn’t do a good job of is addressing the issue that is the offensive line. This year’s class was rather weak. I know they drafted J.J Dielman out of Utah but I still think that the O-line is the biggest weakness at the moment for the Bengals. Dalton was sacked a career high 41 times last year, that can’t happen again or else the Bengals will continue to struggle putting points on the board.

Who was your favorite selection? 

JG: I really like the selection of Carl Lawson. The guy is a freak. He was hurt for 19 games in his career at Auburn and blew it up in his final year as a Tiger. He has really good speed off the edge and plays with an intensity that I love. I know he trained with former Bengal Takeo Spikes, when he was like 11. Spikes was a freak and I can see where Lawson might have gotten that spark from. Lawson will either be a backup to Dunlap or play on the other side of him and that could be a scary one two punch.

I have been very vocal for my support of Joe Mixon on Twitter, what's your thought on it?

JG: I always had a feeling the Bengals would be a team to take a chance on Joe Mixon, and sure enough it played out. When you think of the running back situation, Hill hasn’t been the same running back since his rookie year. Gio will be coming off ACL surgery so drafting another RB after losing Burkhead makes sense. Mixon is controversial for obvious reasons but the Bengals have shown they love to try and give guys second chances and Mixon was right up their alley. I get the rage of drafting Mixon, but it isn’t Mike Brown’s job to draft nice guys. He is trying to win a Super Bowl. If Mixon helps you do that, draft him. You are trying to win at the end of the day and Mixon can flat out play. He is getting Le’Veon Bell/Duke Johnson comparisons, that is pretty good company. Those two are some of the best backs in the game. I think Mixon is a great football player, but I don’t have to like him as a person. What he did was horrible and he has already reached a settlement. So, if the US court system doesn’t have any issues with him then I don’t see why you don’t draft him. I think he has a long way to prove the people of Cincinnati he has changed. But his job is to play football and I think he will be pretty good at it.

Not many people know what to expect from the Bengals this year. How far do you think they could go?

JG: I think the Bengals have a very good schedule in the sense that they can make the

playoffs as long as they take care of business. I think some of the players came down to earth after not making the playoffs. That should help motivate the team. This team only goes if Andy and the offense goes. I believe the defense will right the ship but if Ken Zampese can’t capitalize with the offense that he has currently he needs to be fired. Last season the offense was painful to watch. The play calling was questionable too much and I think they need to realize that the running game won’t improve if they don’t fix the O-line. I want to see this team maybe focus more on the passing game because the weapons they have at WR and TE are too good. Green, Eifert, LaFell, Boyd, Ross, Hill,  Bernard, Mixon… That offense should put up a lot of points next season.

The Reds are starting to play like we thought they would.  Is there any reason to continue watching? 

JG: Yes, I believe everyone who cares about Reds baseball should watch the team all year. What they are putting out on the field is the future of this organization. Minus a few prospects in the minors still, but I find this team very exciting. They are young and inexperienced. I am interested in seeing how some of these rookie’s progress over the season. I think those first 8 games we got a glimpse at how good the Reds can be in the future. What people are seeing now is the team coming back down to earth. There will be growing pains with this young team, but this is part of the rebuild process that is going to be exciting to watch depending on how you feel about the process. I think Amir Garrett is fun to watch because he has all the makings of being an ace. Maybe not the #1 guy but a very strong #2. When the Reds were really dominant in 2012, they had a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos. I think Amir Garrett will be the #2 guy like Latos was. That #1 ace, is still in the air. The bullpen has incredible young arms in Iglesias and Lorenzen. I believe those guys will be the backbone of the bullpen for years to come. So, yeah I believe Reds fans have plenty of reasons to continue watching.

There aren't that many fans out there that have a positive or negative thought on Reds Manager Bryan Price. What do you think of him?

JG: I can’t say, I don’t think Price has really had a chance to show what he is made of giving the circumstances. When he took over that was the start of the rebuild. I think this year he is a different manager. The past few years he was playing it safe and managing cautiously, but this year he is managing to win. He decision making in certain situations has been impressive and unlike Price. I think the next 2 years I will be able to give a better answer but I personally don’t think he can do much about what has happened. When you trade away virtually every star player on your roster except Votto, I don’t think expectations can be high. You have seen so many big name players being traded for the pieces that will make up the future of the ball club, I don’t think it is far to be very critical of Bryan Price up to this point.

Assuming the Reds are out of playoff contention, who gets dealt at the trade deadline?

JG: I can see Cozart being traded away to a team trying to make a push for the playoffs who needs a good glove and solid bat. I don’t see anyone else being traded other than Cozart at this point.

UC Basketball had a very solid year.  With the losses of Troy Caupain and Kevin Johnson, do you think they can be even better next year?

JG: UC basketball had a great year, I still believe they got screwed in the NCAA tournament. I believe that team had the pieces to make a deep run in March, but they just didn’t get a favorable draw and that is how it is sometimes. I don’t think you can replace the shoes of Troy Caupain and Kevin Johnson. Those 2 guys were incredible for the program. Not just on the court but off the court. I do think that they will be a different team next year. I think they will play at a much faster tempo than this past year. I love what Cane Broome will bring to this team. He is crazy fast and can shoot well. I think he will do a great job of getting guys open looks. The projected starting 5 would be Broome-Cumberland-Evans III-Clark- Washington. That is a scary good offensive group. I believe this year’s team will have a better offense than last seasons. The defense won’t be as good this year but it will still be your stereotypical Mick Cronin defensive team (Top 20 defensively) I just think this group of guys will give some fans some flashbacks of those Huggins era teams that were just so flashy on offense. I can’t wait to see what next has in store for Bearcats fans.

Do you buy stock into the narrative that Mick Cronin can't win big games? 

JG: No. I don’t buy that because that noise comes from UC fans stuck in the shadows of

Huggins. I think seeing Xavier become a consistent Top 25 team has UC fans rattled. I think it is easy to say that about Mick and his postseason success but look at who he has lost to in these NCAA Tournaments.

- 2011: Loss to #3 seeded UConn 69-58 (UConn won the National Title that

year)

- 2012: Defeated #11 seeded Texas 65-59, Defeated #3 seeded Florida State

62-56, Loss to #2 seeded Ohio State 81-66 (Ohio State went to the Final Four)

- 2013: Loss to #7 seeded Creighton 67-63

- 2014: Loss to #12 seeded Harvard 61-57

- 2015*: This can’t really count against Cronin considering he was out.

Defeated #8 seeded Purdue 66-65, Loss to #1 seeded Kentucky 64-51

(Kentucky went 38-1 that year)

- 2016: Loss to #8 seeded St. Joseph’s 78-76 (AKA The Year from Hell)

- 2017: Defeated #11 seeded Kansas State 75-61, Loss to #3 seeded UCLA 79-

67

I can see people being upset with the Harvard loss but other than that I don’t think you

can be upset. The year Cronin took the Cats to the Sweet 16 they had the most wins

against Top 25 opponents in the country. Cronin can win big games. I would agree that sometimes he struggles to make some adjustments but I think he is a great coach.

Considering he took over a program that was pretty much left to burn in flames and has made them a consistent NCAA Tournament team I don’t think you can really complain about a coach like that. He is bringing in 20 wins every year and I think he is about to take the Bearcats to the next level with some of this upcoming teams. I have all the faith in the world in Mick Cronin. I don’t think any UC fans can complain about a guy who calls UC his dream job and consistently wins.

A lot of UC fans were not happy at first with the hire of Luke Fickell. Now he is killing recruiting and everybody seems to be on the bandwagon.  What was your initial thought of the hire?

JG: I liked the hire. I could see why people were skeptical with how he did at Ohio State in his one year. I didn’t put much worth into that. That was a crazy year for Ohio State and that is a big job to take over and I thought he did a good job considering how tough it is to be successful as an interim coach at a place like OSU. I liked that he was a defensive guy before offense. We know UC has had high powered offenses but the defense has always held them back, that won’t be the case under Fickell. I believe Fickell is a guy who buys stock in doing the little things right and he has shown that. I love the energy and excitement he brings every single day. He gave the football program new life and that can’t be overlooked. I think he has shown he is an incredible recruiter. He is blowing Tuberville and his staff out of the water. He is keeping big name local talent in Cincinnati and that Is huge. Mark Dantonio really started this trend and some coaches loved it and some didn’t. Cincinnati has some of the best high school football in the country and if you can convince guys to stay home and be a #HometownHero I love it. It has been working so well so far and I don’t think he is done. His recruiting has been so impressive. I really am in awe of how much different the program is in the span of 6-8 months. You wouldn’t even have known that this team went 4-8 last year. Fickell has got me hooked and I can’t wait to see the results on Saturday’s.

Who will be the starting QB of UC Football, Ross Trail, Hayden Moore, or Torrence Gibson?

JG: I think it will be Gibson. If he is eligible and has enough of a grasp on the offense he will be the starter. I just think he is more talented than Moore and Trail. I think Hayden Moore has shown flashes of being a good quarterback but he turns the ball over too much. Ross Trail did not do well in his time on the field last season. He was only a freshmen and it showed in his play. I think Trail may get the job if Gibson isn’t ready in time but I think Gibson will give them the better chance to win in the upcoming year. On top of that, he is a great runner and good passer who can add a different dimension to the team. He reminds me of Zach Collaros with his ability to beat you with his legs and with his arm. Collaros and those offenses were deadly back in the day and I think you can emulate that style of play with Gibson and Mike Boone.