Rueben Bain Jr.

But we're, we're defensive guys, and we know how important the Bengals' defensive competence is.

We also know potentially how much better the Bucs defense could be with the young guys, headlined by Reuben Bain, who has looked like a killer through training camp.

Which defense do you think is gonna be more important this year, the Bucs or the Bengals?

Yeah, uh, uh, I might, it might be a counterintuitive take, but I would definitely say the Bucs.

I think they could end up being competitive, like, contenders.

Of course, they don't have, like, the s- the superstar quarterback, so maybe you would consider them a dark horse, but I think this defense is going to carry them, and particularly the defensive front with, um, Vea, Diabi, Kansey, and, um, Clancy, and, uh, Vita Vea.

Or, oh, and I left out my man, Reuben Bain.

Yeah.

Like, that's...

Well, enjoy Reuben Bain and Vita Vea and Kalijah Cansey and company.

I get it.

I...

So I think he's something to watch.

It's interesting to roll it out Sunday.

You know, here we were for weeks sweating over the arm length of Reuben Bain.

And now you might get a guy in there who...

And they came with attitude and they came with size and there was a specific set of criteria.

And then they draft Reuben Bain Jr., which falls to them remarkably.

You get Josiah Trotter, who's a starter as a rookie, like really addressed it as well as hiring, you know, or firing four different coaches on the defensive side.

And you're going up against one of the best offenses in the NFL and certainly one of the best passing combinations, bar none.

at,

you know, while I think the Bucs have done a lot on defense, and I really do love their changes, I do.

You're so lucky to have a Reuben Bain Jr. right now.

Josiah Trotter, as Baker called him, he's an animal.

And I wish I maybe would have thought about that a little bit more.

I'm going Reuben Bain.

Yeah, that's the fun one.

That's the fun one.

So if they're healthy, they're going to be able to score points.

And if the defense has all of their key parts, if Kalaja Canty is healthy, Vita Vey is motivated after the new contract, and then you've got Yaya Diaby and Ruben Bain getting after the quarterback, I mean...

If you squint, I do see Tampa Bay having a path to the Super Bowl through winning the NFC South, hosting a home playoff game, and going from there.

So I don't think it could happen, but I do think there's a path for both teams to go on a deep playoff run.

Yeah, you lost a lot of pieces.

You know, you lost Mesidor and Reuben Bain, Keontae Scott, and most of the guys on the defense.

Of course, you can't forget our guy, the center, Maui Noah, you know.

So you lost a lot of guys, but you also got better at a lot of positions.

We were going crazy.

And it was just so cool to see all the supports that this team had.

I think even we talked about the guys from last year, Reuben Bain and Mesidor and Keonta Scott.

I think they were all there.

I feel like they got a lot in there with Igbuka as well.

And adding Reuben Bain to that defense is going to be a big difference as well.

I like a lot of points in this just purely for the fact that there's a huge amount of talent on that field, not even the quarterbacks.

We're talking about other guys too, but I'm going to have to take the Bengals just because they're at home.

Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins are both on the injury list for Cincinnati, but they're both full participants right now.

On Tampa's side, rookie Reuben Bain Jr. is limited.

So is Jalen McMillan, that wide receiver as well.

So we'll have to see overall what's going to happen here to this game.

And it's not only that.

they would, the first sack, they put Akeem, they have Akeem, Mesidor, Reuben, Bain, and I think it was Lightfoot, three defensive ends on one side of the field to that right side of the Ohio State offensive line.

And that was that first sack on Julian Sane.

I'm telling you as an offensive lineman, if I have Akeem, Mesidor, and a four-eye, which means he's kind of right on the tackle, but that's a wide set for a guard.