The pads are on at Bengals training camp and we’re getting an up close look at the 2021 squad. There have been mixed reviews on both sides of the ball to this point—with the offense bringing more questions than the defense in the early going.
This week, we are extremely pleased to be joined by Hall of Fame offensive tackle and 2021 Bengals Ring of Honor inductee, Anthony Munoz. We’ll chat about the latest honor on his resume, what it means to be enshrined with the other members of the inaugural class and get his impressions of this year’s squad.
More importantly, we’ll hear about the great work The Munoz Foundation is doing in the Greater Cincinnati area. Check out www.munozfoundation.org for more info and please be sure to donate here for your opportunity to impact this charity.
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This endeavor is to honor the Ring of Honor inductees, as well as bring awareness and impact to the Munoz Foundation, the Ken Anderson Alliance and The Ken Riley Foundation. We want to make a sizable impact for all three charities and are close to our fundraising goal. When you donate, you are entered into our prize drawings for great Bengals giveaways!
When we talked to the greatest lineman in NFL history this week, the team’s inaugural Ring of Honor was a major topic of conversation. Aside from noting how the Bengals’ leadership staff called Munoz in to discuss the endeavor, he also stated how special it was to be inducted with Paul Brown and former teammates, Ken Anderson and Ken Riley.
“It really is a thrill, man,” Munoz said. “You look at Ken and Ken and Paul Brown—those three—is amazing for a kid out of Southern California, who a lot of people had written off after I played that one, final game at USC. A lot of ‘experts’ said that I may not play again after that Rose Bowl, but, you know, Paul Brown and his family gave me an opportunity...to go into the Ring of Honor with Paul Brown...No. 13 and No. 14, it really is exciting.”
Munoz also called Anderson and Riley even better people than they were professional players, which is truly saying something. All three players in the inaugural class of the Bengals Ring of Honor previously won the NFL Man of the Year Award.
When we asked him what he thought this would do for the push for Anderson and Riley to be placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he said he hoped it push more awareness to their deserving places in Canton. “No question”, was what Munoz said about his Ring of Honor comrades’ credentials.
As we moved to the topic of the current Bengals’ team, Munoz said he was extremely happy about the return of offensive line coach/run game coordinator, Frank Pollack.
“I’m really thrilled to see Frank Pollack back in Cincinnati,” Munoz said. “Three years ago when he was here, Joe Mixon had his best year rushing the football. Very technically-sound as a coach and he’ll get in your face. He had 8-10 years in the league, he knows what it takes, he has a Super Bowl ring, so I think right there, that’s pretty good credentials. Not only that, he’s an excellent teacher.”
Munoz added that what he witnessed on Tuesday in the team’s first day in pads from the offensive line was impressive. Technique and level of intensity were two things that stuck out to the Hall of Fame tackle in the one-on-one drills.
As for his chat with the Bengals’ offensive linemen this week? “I told them ‘don’t listen to all the noise outside, just listen to one guy and that’s your coach. He’ll teach you...just continue to work on the technique.’ And I said, ‘remain coachable,” Munoz said.
Also on this week’s episode:
- We relayed a story from our previous interview with Richmond Webb where it was an unspoken rule of the team to not wear jersey No. 78. This was news to Munoz, especially since his jersey wasn’t retired.
- John and I played a game called “Believe It or Not”, surrounding certain hype and panic points surrounding Bengals’ training camp headlines. Joe Burrow’s Tuesday struggles, the performance of the offensive line and edge players who’ve signed big deals this offseason were discussed.
- Could one of the young linebackers on the team be the next Breakout Player?
Our thanks to Mr. Munoz, the live listeners and those who have donated to our “Charity-Fest”. Thanks also to those of you who listen after the live broadcast by downloading it on your favorite audio streamer/YouTube!
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