CINCINNATI -- In a wide-ranging conversation spanning 45 minutes, Trags chats up Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN and Prime Video about his career in broadcasting, his thoughts on Joe Burrow and Tom Brady and his remarkably unique path to a national broadcasting star after his career at Ohio State. It's all in the latest Jungle Roar Podcast.
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00:00Hey everybody it is Trags Mike Petralia back with the latest episode of the
00:04Jungle War podcast powered by CLNS Media and our great
00:09friends at PrizePix and the Game Time app. Well this is a
00:13special episode. Every episode is exciting and fun to do
00:17but this one truly is a special one for me
00:21on a number of different levels. It's the one and only Kirk Herbstreet.
00:26Of course you're very familiar with him on ESPN College Game Day.
00:30His work covering with working with Chris Fowler
00:34on ESPN and ABC does an incredible amazing job. I
00:39personally believe the best college football analysts
00:42out there beginning in 2022. Kirk went into the NFL and added the NFL
00:48to his expansive resume working of course with
00:53the one and only Al Michaels for Prime Video. He's
00:56entering if I've got this right the third year Kirk is that right?
00:59Yeah. But perhaps most uniquely and I want to start from a
01:07subject or on a subject. I don't know if a lot of people know this about you.
01:11I'm sure your close followers do. You are the voice
01:16of EA Sports College football.
01:21Yeah. That has come back since it ended in 2014. It is now back.
01:28How did that opportunity for you Kirk come about?
01:32Well I started doing it back in maybe 2003 or 4
01:41and so I did it every year for a number of years. I think till
01:442014 was the last year that the game was
01:49active and out there so when it stopped
01:53like you know it was I grew up my generation
01:57we grew up playing those games and so when they asked me to play it that was
02:01quite a thrill to be to be asked to be on that game because I
02:04love it like everybody else. So yeah that was
02:08that was pretty surreal. I did it for like I said 10 or 11 years
02:12and then shut down for the last 10 after the Ed O'Bannon case
02:17and then I'd heard rumblings the last couple years it was going to come back
02:20now the players could be paid and eventually they reached out to me
02:25and just wanted to see if I still had
02:27interest in in doing it. It's pretty tedious work to you know
02:32the amount of hours. I do it right now in
02:35this studio that I'm in here in Cincinnati.
02:37In the old days when I first did it for those 10 or 11 years I would have to
02:40every time I recorded I would have to go down to Orlando to their
02:44studios and do it down there so it was probably did over a couple
02:48hundred hours. It was much more convenient
02:51doing it obviously this time around than
02:55than the previous relationship that we had but
02:59I can't wait it comes out in a couple weeks and I think everyone's pretty
03:03fired up to see how the game looks. How did they come about
03:07selecting you just from your work on College Game Day?
03:12Or had you expressed a desire and interest in getting into it?
03:16Yeah I think initially like I said going way back it was just the fact that
03:21they asked me a guy named Brad Nessler and Lee Corso were the first
03:28three to be on the game and I think it had a lot to do with just
03:34people being familiar with our faces and our voices
03:38because of College Game Day and because of back then I was just calling
03:42Thursday Night Football with Mike Tirico and Lee Corso and I just think
03:47the Game Day brand probably helped elevate our exposure
03:52and then it just really in sync with the video game I went to work on
03:58ABC's primetime game at 06 with Brent Musburger and so I started to
04:03do a much high profile game and so if you're a
04:07college football fan I was pretty much calling the game of the week
04:11for several years with Brent and so Lee stopped doing it and Brad
04:17Nessler and I kept doing it and then as my career has continued to
04:22go they came up with a wrinkle this year
04:24because it's always just been me and Brad
04:26and Lee and then it was just Brad and I
04:30and then this time around they're trying to make it as
04:33real as possible so they have Rhys Davis
04:37and David Pollock and I think Jesse Palmer
04:42calling games and then if you advance to doing a
04:46a primetime game or the team that you are is playing
04:49you know a top 10 matchup that's when Chris Fowler and I
04:53you know just like in real life that's when we like and
04:56and do the game so we're not on
05:00if you're playing Ohio State and you're playing you know Youngstown
05:03State we probably wouldn't be on that that
05:06game calling it but if it's Ohio State Penn State or Ohio State Michigan or
05:11Georgia Alabama you know Chris and I would be on on that
05:15call so we'll see that's first time they've ever done that so I'm looking
05:18forward to seeing how that how that transpires
05:21you graduated from Ohio State with the degree in business administration right
05:25in 1993 you're an outstanding broadcaster and
05:29I just don't say that to toss bouquet of roses your way
05:34see what I did there with the rose bowl I just don't do that to
05:38toss bouquet your way I do that you're an outstanding broadcaster and I'm
05:45I've always thought this about you you have worked with some of the most
05:50elite broadcasters in the business and you just named
05:54a couple of them you've obviously worked with Al you've worked with Brent
05:58you've worked with obviously Chris Fowler we mentioned him Brad Nestler
06:04do you ever look back on your broadcasting career
06:07and say boy that I've been very fortunate
06:11in that regard because they've helped me help build
06:14what I've become in my career no question
06:17really every every step of the way for me
06:22I'm grateful you know every step of the way I've just been
06:26you know I started my the thing with me is
06:29I started just really young you know a lot of what I've experienced
06:34most people would have experienced that in their 40s into their 50s
06:38and I was experiencing that in my 20s my mid-20s
06:42and I was working I grew up with Mike Tirico you know Mike Tirico
06:46was as big of a coach and mentor a young Mike Tirico
06:53is anybody that I've probably been around when it comes to calling the game
06:57he and I were coming up together and I think I'd like to think he was learning
07:02from me some and I was learning from him and
07:04we had an incredible producer who was a veteran guy named
07:08Tim Corrigan and you know I did that from probably late 90s
07:14through 06 so probably seven or eight years
07:17and then I went right into Brent Musburger who I grew up
07:20watching you know you're looking live and I'm here standing next to him and
07:24he's probably at that point in his mid-70s
07:27and like I said we're calling the national game of the week
07:30every single week you know back then ABC went to this primetime window
07:35no one else was in that window so other than the SEC we were getting
07:40Pac-10 or now Pac-12 uh the Big Ten Big 12 ACC
07:45whatever the biggest game was we went and called that game so yeah
07:49to go from that to Chris Fowler who really hadn't done a ton of play-by-play
07:53work he'd done some Thursday night games uh and he and I still work together
07:58from 2014 to to right now um and then to go in the booth with Al
08:04Michaels I mean those are my four guys Mike Tirico
08:07Brent Musburger Chris Fowler Al Michaels that's it those are the only four I
08:11don't think any I don't think any color analyst in any
08:15sport can claim what you just I don't think so either
08:20and that to me is somebody who's always been
08:23kind of a nudge for uh broadcasting both in written you know
08:26I grew up with Marty Brenneman yeah me too yeah and he
08:30and I tell Marty this all the time he is the man he is the reason
08:34I do what I do today because I and I'm an electrical engineer by trade
08:39out of Villanova so I didn't start off in broadcasting either I didn't even
08:43start off in media but the way Marty could tell a story like
08:47the everyman and and I know uh you are in the
08:51documentary about Marty how much fun was that by the way
08:54oh it was amazing I you know I did radio when I got out of school you mentioned
08:58being a business uh major I was a business major I had a
09:01lot of opportunities in pharmaceutical sales
09:03Worthington industries there's a lot of more traditional
09:07routes that I my family my friends uh everybody wanted me to go
09:13and I took a twelve thousand dollar uh local radio job not knowing where it
09:19would lead had no idea no plan it just sounded
09:24like a lot of fun and if you've maybe read my book or heard me speak I mean I
09:28I am a very I'm kind of an outlier right when I was a teenager
09:31most people were into music which was great I was into 700 wlw
09:36so if you got into my car and we're on a Friday night I was either Marty and Joe
09:41call in the game or it was Chris Collinsworth and Andy
09:44Furman you know on the talk show and I listened to the post game you know
09:48and I would listen to uh extra innings with Tracy Jones or
09:52whoever would be on I mean I I was enamored without knowing it
09:57and I think I've been that way since I can remember my parents show me
10:01pictures of me five six years old and when I'm watching the
10:04game like I'm watching the game there are people talking about the food and
10:08whatever else and I'm like in the game I've just always
10:12been that way so I really I think subconsciously all
10:15those years there have been people who impacted me
10:19in such a way that it almost became my cheat code to allow
10:24me in my mid-20s to almost appear to be a veteran
10:27and I think it had maybe you can relate to this Mike it had a lot to do with
10:30just digesting Marty Brenneman that
10:33digesting Chris Collinsworth you know listening to Todd Blackledge call a game
10:39like I I really um I really thank those guys for
10:43paving the way I I you know I if I didn't have that and I
10:46just went down the normal route and listen to music and that wasn't my
10:51passion I don't know if I would have gone into it it's it's the most natural
10:56thing uh that I've ever done in my life more
10:59than playing sports themselves I just I think it had everything to do
11:04with when I get done talking to you I'm
11:06going to go downstairs I'm going to watch the Reds I mean it's just I wish I
11:10had more hobbies it's just that's all I've ever known it's all I
11:14ever do I was watching the College World Series last night enjoying that I was
11:18watching back over to the NHL playoffs listen
11:20to Sean McDonough and and uh Ferraro and and um watching their
11:25studio show with Messier and it's just it's not football it's like a
11:30it's just a hobby of mine that I I love you know and so I'm very lucky to be
11:35into something that I've put so much time into over the
11:38years I'm glad you mentioned Todd Blackledge because for a year I worked
11:41with him up at WHBC in his hometown of Canton I believe
11:46you went to North Canton if I'm yeah he did
11:48if I'm remembering that correctly but uh I mean
11:52at another salt of the earth guy and Todd Blackledge
11:55you mentioned the Reds I think people who know you know you're an avid Reds fan
12:00it began I assume with the big red machine and carried on
12:04absolutely I mean how can you be alive in southwest Ohio in this in the in the
12:10early to mid 70s especially as a kid and we didn't have a
12:14ton of games on back in those days so we all listened to Marty and Joe
12:18occasionally you get the rare you know game of the week
12:21now but I was a junkie I mean I I kept score games
12:25you know if Marty said if you're keeping score at home that's six to four to
12:29three to you know I was right there um I you know
12:33I wish I could find them they're probably in my mom's
12:35house somewhere but I have stacks of uh score sheets that I kept I knew every
12:41national league lineup for probably I don't know 10 or
12:4411 years and that was fun to me on a Friday night
12:48when I was in middle school I would back they started to come on TV a
12:52little bit more so I would turn the game on like a lot of people
12:55turn the audio down turn Marty and Joe on
12:58and just sit there order pizza and sit there and
13:02keep score of the game and had a time in my life doing it you know I was uh
13:07but yeah I I followed it all the way through and I'd become
13:11um I'm a big time reverse psychology uh Reds fan these last 10 years have
13:18have just beaten me I'm not gonna go you're not alone
13:24I'm not going away I'll never go away but I become very
13:27okay all right here we go again you know that that kind of way
13:31um you know I think the last team that I really felt really good
13:37about the team last year was fun but they were
13:40young the last team that I was like you know
13:43this team could make a run with Scott when Scott Rowland
13:46came into the clubhouse yeah and we had had
13:49Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr those big names and it just never quite
13:53materialized he had young Jay Bruce and and Scott Rowland came in and I don't
13:58know him I've never spoken to him I just watched him on the field
14:01he looked like just a badass and I think people were afraid of him
14:05yes and I think it really rubbed off on the team and I
14:08I just don't know if that still exists I don't know if you're allowed to have
14:12that but um they're very hot and cold they
14:15just can't can't seem to put anything together uh
14:20for for a week or two so I don't know they've had some
14:23injuries but this really started before the injuries
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15:54yeah so you know I tell Charlie Goldsmith because Charlie does kind of
15:58like what I do covering the Reds and the Bengals we
16:01both cover both clubs and I told him
16:06that in my estimation that's what the Reds need
16:11they need someone a leader who can come in
16:15and kind of be the no-nonsense leader what's acceptable the way you go about
16:20preparing day in and day out because in baseball
16:23sure you have that in football but in baseball it's a day in day out
16:27sport and games are played almost every day
16:31and people forget that that Scott Roland trade was made at the trade deadline in
16:3509 Red Sox I mean the Reds were pretty much
16:38out yet no nine they weren't going anywhere and people
16:42why did they go out and get Scott Roland who's
16:45you know approaching you know the latter part of his career why did they do that
16:49we found out in 2010 why they did that and I kind of think
16:54that's where maybe Nick Kroll could go with this
16:57club that would be in the second half of the
16:59season that would be huge I don't know who's out there that might fit that
17:04I kept hoping that India could become that guy I think he was in a better
17:07position last year Matt McLean doesn't quite have that
17:11personality obviously he's been out all year
17:13but I just looking at all this the young talent
17:17and not knowing him all that well yet Steer's a quiet guy he's an incredibly
17:23talented guy but I don't know if that's his role
17:26I don't know Matt McLean well enough when he played last year
17:30he you know everyone's talking about Ellie and I get it I mean last night
17:34another example of just a wow factor and I don't
17:37mean just the bomb the hustle you know going to second base I mean the
17:40guy the guy does everything but again he's just kind of young and
17:44I feel like you know Ron Gant kind of guy like it
17:51can you find somebody out there that can just come in
17:54like you said set an example this is how we travel this is what we do on the road
17:58this is how we take batting practice is what we do on deck
18:02you know these are all the things you do and hopefully they see that that's a
18:06need and David Bell is is I don't know David
18:09Bell I just watch him manage he seems like
18:12kind of this new era of a players manager he just seems like he's very
18:18he's very upbeat very positive towards them
18:21you know no matter what mistakes they make I feel like he's patting him on the
18:24back always with the media you know when they
18:27were going through that rut when they basically took themselves out of being
18:30in the brace you know every time I'd wait for him to
18:33like go Lou Piniella and throw something at somebody not going to do that
18:37no he's just we got to keep working you know and I'm just like man
18:41that's when you wish there was a guy in that clubhouse that would
18:45get in a fight do something like create some some
18:48some fire I talked to Rob Dibble about this
18:52the reason I think he is the ideal manager for the Reds
18:56is this team is so young they are not they're going to have ups and
19:01downs and when they go into a prolonged
19:04losing streak he's not going to panic and I think when
19:09they're going really really well he's not going to be
19:12overly enthusiastic he wants the team to stay with the process and I do think in
19:16this day and age that is very beneficial I want to go
19:20from second gear to fifth gear with you right here
19:24yeah your thoughts on Joe Burrow and what it's going to take for him
19:30speaking of leaders yeah I mean he is the most important
19:34athlete in the city well I've watched Joe for a long time
19:39you know and I I don't know if I've ever seen
19:42I've seen a lot of college quarterbacks but I don't know if I've ever seen a
19:46year that he enjoyed in 2019 in Baton Rouge
19:50and it wasn't just a national championship it was going to a Thursday
19:53practice and watching he and Joe Brady who was
19:56his young offensive coordinator at the time and Jamar Chase
20:01and you know Jefferson and Moss the tight end Clyde Edwards-Alaire
20:06the running back this is after practice on a Thursday
20:10another hour inside the red zone and Joe was just almost like a surgeon
20:18him and Joe Brady they would call something out and to watch you know the
20:22guys by dinner they weren't busting it but they were
20:26everybody was getting on the same page to the point
20:28that when they got into the red zone I felt like they could close their eyes
20:32and execute I mean it's it's the coolest thing I've ever seen
20:36because the amount of work that they put in and I love how Joe
20:39would get almost how dare you to a defensive coordinator if you try
20:45to fool him or blitz him or do something zero him yeah yeah like oh
20:49you're you're gonna do that like like dead serious
20:52right you're gonna do that to us okay okay
20:56and then come back you know with vengeance and so
20:59I remember walking with him on a we did a thing for the national championship
21:03and I was like I was like man I and again cynical
21:08so support the Bengals but I'm a cynical especially when I'm
21:12with friends and family I'm like you ready to go to Cincinnati
21:16yeah because I know it pretty well I was like you know a lot of guys go there
21:20it's like a black hole you go there right never to be heard
21:23from again he's like I don't care you know if I go
21:28there great you know you know how he is because
21:31you've been around and I go there great what's happened in the past and I was
21:35just taught we weren't on mic I was just BSing with him before we got
21:38started he just always had like I feel like I
21:41walked out of his career in college and I was like
21:44that guy and I've watched Brady I've watched everybody
21:47I was like that guy doesn't want to just beat you like
21:52he wants to steal your soul for having the audacity to challenge him
21:56like he he really has that in his his wiring
22:01and so when he went to Cincinnati I was like okay we're we're about to find out
22:05one of the greatest players I've ever covered
22:07going to a franchise notorious for just things not working out you know
22:15especially that position although Carson Palmer was great
22:18and you you watch him and then he's get the injuries they can't protect him
22:24you know even when he's I mean let's Super Bowl year go back and really watch
22:28some of the film of those games I mean what he did was amazing because that
22:32line wasn't probably even average by NFL standards
22:36and yet he's getting the ball out he knows exactly where to attack I feel
22:39like he and Zach they really understand each other I think
22:43Zach did a really good job of studying LSU to understand that to take what he
22:47had from the Rams and what Joe was really comfortable with
22:50kind of mixing that together and and putting it out there I can't
22:55imagine what Joe would be doing if he did have
22:57just an average to above average offensive line
23:01hopefully with the moves they've made on paper it looks like it'll be his best
23:05offensive line that he's had since he's been there
23:08um I went to dinner with him maybe a month or two ago with Sam
23:12and and uh another guy in town and you know the whole time I'd honestly
23:18forgotten what his injury was I have so many
23:21like data points of people I couldn't remember if it was a knee or
23:24whatever and you know he he just uh he was
23:28kind of kind of keeping things close to his vest but you could tell he was
23:32optimistic about being okay and and uh all the steps he
23:37needed to take he had checked all those boxes
23:40I haven't seen it since you know OTAs or their mini camps how things have gone
23:45I've seen some stuff you've done and Charlie and others have done I mean it
23:49looks optimistic the Tee Higgins drama
23:53hopefully will be put on the back burner for you know for a
23:56year uh they've got the pieces I love the kid
23:59Brown from Illinois I think he could give you
24:02a charge that they haven't had back there he's taken most of the reps
24:07so I I mean I love the pieces it's just a matter of can the guy stay healthy
24:12and if he can um I guess like you could say about Mahomes or any of these guys
24:18if if he's out there I mean they're definitely going to be in the post
24:21season mix and what is of getting hot at the right
24:24time what does Jermaine Burton mean
24:27potentially to taking the top off the defense you've seen him more than
24:30anybody else at Alabama what can he do well he's the
24:35real deal I mean he's very different than Tyler Boyd obviously they asked to
24:38do different things but for fans that don't really know much about him he is
24:41the he is the vertical threat he's got great
24:44ball skills of the ability to adjust back to the ball and either
24:48catch it or draw that interference which is a
24:51huge uh advantage uh in the NFL with all the you
24:54know before it's just 15 yards now it's spot of the foul
24:58um he's got a little bit of an edge to him that on the field if he can channel
25:02it in the right way it's great but as we've seen in
25:06Pittsburgh with George Pickens sometimes that emotion and that passion
25:10can go in the wrong direction and so that would be my one like
25:16asterisk I would put next to him tremendous upside
25:20what did he go third round fourth round I can't remember where he went
25:23he uh went third round and he was a project I mean the bengals
25:27he's a first round talent first round talent yes
25:31without a question the league just was like I can't do it let's go
25:38get this guy and it's probably why he go back and look at all those receivers
25:41now does he have the talent to sit there make a list of guys that
25:45went ahead of him and two years down the road three years down the road
25:49sit there and use that put it on his wristband and get motivated by that sure
25:52he's a freak I mean very gifted really live legs and like we talked about
25:58he's not just a deep threat I mean he can catch the deep crosser
26:01he's a complete receiver he just him and Joe got to get on the same page
26:06and hopefully Jamar or T somebody can put their arm around him and
26:11like we're talking about with the Reds just kind of show him
26:15the way of being a professional and if you're not getting the ball or you have
26:18two catches for eight yards and the team wins
26:21it's a good day you know and if you have 10 catches and 180 yards and two
26:25scores and they lose that's not a great day you know maybe
26:28internally you're okay with it but that's not a good day
26:31if he gets if he can get get in line with that mentality
26:34um then man it'd be exciting to see what he can do
26:38well this bengal offense if Burton it can be that guy Kirk this is the best
26:44offense Joe Burrow has had in terms of weapons and we haven't even talked
26:49about Mike Kosicki who is not your typical
26:53tight end he's not CJ Usama no he's and he's not um
27:00oh why am I blanking on the name of the guy who went to Carolina
27:04uh left the Bengals for the Panthers I'm completely blanking on the excuse me
27:09I think it's Hayden Hearst oh Hayden Hearst thank you
27:12yeah Hayden Hearst he's not that well those guys
27:16you know they're they're they're this guy's almost a receiver
27:20volleyball player playing tight end as you know I mean he
27:23he could be a real threat if they're worried about those safeties
27:26worried about T and Jamar and Jermaine Burton the middle of the field could be
27:31wide open for a bit I don't know how tall he is
27:33six five six six I mean he yeah he's a great threat down the middle of
27:37the field which again they haven't had since he's been there when uh people
27:42ask me what makes Joe Burrow a different quarterback than anyone
27:47else in the NFL especially when you're talking
27:50about the elites Patrick Mahomes Josh Allen
27:56um you name it yeah it's the processing and Zach is always
28:02talking about what makes Joe Burrow the different quarterback
28:06is his ability to process before the ball is even snapped yeah I think
28:12yeah pre-snap and post-snap is that what you see from Burrow is that
28:16what differentiates Joe Burrow and you how many years did
28:20you cover Brady so I covered Brady from his start in uh
28:252000 through uh 2020 we left at the same time Kirk
28:29that's awesome congratulations that's yeah I appreciate that
28:32what a run that was by the way so on Brady the the similarity
28:39the similarity I see between the two is their intense
28:43competitiveness spirit yeah no question they are both
28:48like that that anecdote that you shared uh during practice on Thursday
28:53that's Brady yeah that how dare you yeah that's Brady
28:56100 percent Peyton is great obviously Kirk
28:59there's a first ballot hall of fame nobody's sitting
29:02but totally different yeah in terms of the competitiveness
29:07and the edge and that's where I think also
29:10the reason I asked you about that the competitiveness without
29:13those two playing ping pong they should put that on pay-per-view that that would
29:17be great Brady against Burrow because of that
29:19mindset but to me Tom Brady
29:24because they drew Drew Henson and Tom Brady when we were covering in Michigan
29:27and Drew Henson was a 10-star quarterback Yankees he was like
29:32they took Tom Boyd Carr took Tom Brady off the field to play this freshman and
29:38Tom had to get through that but just to watch how he handled that
29:41and then watch how his career ended you know I couldn't have ever said Tom
29:46Brady's going to become Tom Brady but there was just something about
29:50his fire that you weren't used to seeing from any Michigan quarterback
29:54not many quarterbacks all like the head but like the intensity on his face like
29:59it was just I thought it was because he was so pissed
30:02off about Henson I didn't know it was just who he is
30:05right his wiring and how he competes I love that's my favorite thing about
30:09him but his greatest strength as as far as
30:14on the field besides this the spirit is what you just described
30:17about Joe to me his ability to process he did a uh a thing
30:22the other day with Colin Cowher and he was talking about
30:25you know the ability to see something pre-snap oh they're too high that means
30:28that he was just like like I just fired it
30:30away to me that's what Joe does you know
30:33that's that's exactly what Joe does and I don't know if Joe
30:36gets enough credit for being that guy because
30:43maybe it's because Mahomes is on top of the mountain
30:47maybe it's because when he interviews he's not always the most comfortable
30:51interview so he's he kind of solves great rocks Kirk you know what gray
30:55rocking is no what's that gray rocking my my
30:59lovely uh bride uh Debra Ann told me about
31:04gray rocking it's when you take all emotion out of an answer and don't
31:09give them anything and and obviously Bill would always say
31:12this in New England he would always say don't give them
31:14anything answer the question but don't give them anything that's what
31:18he meant and that's what Joe Burrow does he he'll
31:22be pleasant he will show a little personality here
31:25and there no question yeah but he will not feed in
31:29to a narrative here's what's crazy when he's when he's away from that he's
31:36the same way right he you know I think he's I'm not
31:40surprised by that by the way even with his
31:42boys I think he could be that way which Brady came across
31:48totally the opposite Brady came across like
31:52beers are chilling at my house great win see over there first one there
31:57jump in the pool like he that's how Brady came across
32:01that's where they separate like there's no way
32:05Joe is not in that world he'll go to a UFC thing
32:09he'll sit there with his shades on he'll be cordial to anybody that comes up to
32:13him he's not like get away so he's very but I just don't think he's comfortable
32:20you know I think he loves being in Cincinnati instead of New York
32:23let's put it to you that way I actually think it's a perfect fit
32:26yeah yeah because he can do his thing you know leave town have a little profile
32:34but it's NFL come back here and yes he's a superstar yes he's the
32:38man in Cincinnati but he can live I don't want to say an
32:42anonymous life that's not right but he can live
32:45a low-key life and Joe likes that yeah yeah if he's pumping his gas and he's
32:50playing in New York everyone's filming and pumping his gas
32:53you know it's like he he couldn't do anything in one of these
32:56big cities so I think his personality and his background fits
33:01perfectly with being in Cincinnati but hey let's
33:05knock on wood I think he could have a great year
33:08I know he's got a chip on his shoulder about how last year ended
33:11um and I think he's he's fired up and ready to go so
33:15anytime Joe Burrows fired up you know if that's your quarterback on your team
33:21get ready keep him healthy and he'll do some crazy things this year
33:26Mike Petralia trags here one of my very favorite summertime experiences
33:30happened 15 years ago when I took my two daughters Janie and Emma
33:34to their first Cincinnati Reds baseball game wasn't so much
33:38the game on the field that they were that interested in it was bugging good
33:42old dad to take them to the concession stand for
33:45that hot dog and yes that soda maybe watch the game a
33:50little bit here and there but really it was all about the
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34:58you know what I've always wondered about you Kirk Herbstreet
35:01I've wondered how you played in the best rivalry in American sports period
35:07end of story I don't want to hear Red Sox Yankees I just don't want to hear
35:10that's Michigan Ohio State when you stopped doing that and you
35:15became a national broadcaster and did all of
35:18these games and covered Michigan I believe you were in a
35:21at a photo shoot and at in Ann Arbor today right
35:24yeah that's where you were coming from yeah how did you leave your Ohio State
35:29days behind and morph into an objective
35:35broadcaster even when Ohio State's playing yeah
35:39that's a great question I I've gotten that a bunch over the
35:42years I'm sure you have you know I I feel like
35:4780 to 90 percent of Ohio State fans appreciate
35:51the objectivity and then there's that 10 to 20 percent that
35:56you know think I'm a traitor you know you got that
36:00I looked at people I respected on air you know and watched people that
36:07I wanted to listen to on a national level
36:13and I never heard them talk about we or their team or whatever it might be
36:18I just heard them talk about the game no matter who they were talking about
36:22and I think I always try to put myself at home with the viewer
36:26and try to understand what what they're seeking what they want to hear
36:31what what they may disagree with me but you gotta remember like I you know
36:36Desmond Howard won a Heisman he was a Super Bowl MVP
36:40David Pollock was a three-time All-American I mean
36:44Tony Romo played for the Cowboys Troy Aikman like
36:48most of these guys that are in my my space
36:52are really well known for what they did on the field
36:56and so my first of all I never wanted to be the way we're talking right now is
37:01how I talk on air I never wanted to have a schtick
37:04I never wanted to be a homer I never I just wanted to be
37:08I I I tackled no one knows who I am again on a national level
37:13no one knows who I am in 1996 no one and instead of being embarrassed
37:19about that I attacked it and I I thought okay
37:24no one's going to outwork me when it comes to my preparation for this
37:28broadcast whether it's studio or the game so I'm my
37:33my my brand is going to become I don't know who that guy is
37:37but damn he's got a lot of information and
37:41by chance we talked about all these other great broadcasters I worked with
37:44I sat next to the greatest entertainer in sports television history in 1996
37:51got him Lee Corso this is before you know social media and people that
37:58are now trying to be hot take people Lee was crazy like Lee said things
38:04that I would never say I thought they hired me to be a football analyst
38:07football football football and this guy's saying stuff like
38:11Arkansas Michigan pickup trucks against the Cadillac
38:14I'm going with the pickup trucks you know I'm like meanwhile
38:18I spent hours on that game trying to get a hold of Lloyd Carr and
38:22you know and this guy in 30 seconds and that's the most
38:25memorable memorable comment you can make but
38:28that happened every week every comment and so my point is I'm a football junkie
38:36that learned to whether it's Ohio State or Michigan
38:39I'm going to break it down I'm going to give you the way it is
38:42but I learned I can never be Lee Corso I can never be who he is naturally
38:48but what he taught me was I have a kind of a dry personality or dry
38:56I don't want to say personality but it's it's it's like
39:00if you get to know me I throw jabs and I and I was like
39:03right am I allowed to am I allowed to do that on air or this is you got to
39:07remember it's a different generation and I started to do that a little bit
39:11and I got more and more comfortable letting my personality
39:14out which is still respectful but fun and I just learned by sitting next to
39:20Lee again he he would talk about Florida
39:23State like he hate and he went to Florida State
39:26like he would he'd get mad at him he would just scold I would never do that
39:30like he would make it personal and attack
39:32but sitting next to him and hearing him how he talked about every team
39:36I just learned that last thing Michigan or Texas or USC people want to hear me
39:43talking about we are like I can't do that
39:47you know I'm going to talk about them like every other team
39:51and so I think what got lost in all that was
39:55I'm the biggest Ohio State fan my whole life I still am my kids are
40:00my wife is she cheered there my dad played there he was a captain
40:04no one's ever been a bigger Ohio State fan than me that doesn't mean I can't
40:08objectively break them down and pick against them if I have to and
40:13you wouldn't be doing your job if you didn't and that's what
40:17I mean I know a lot of Ohio State fans and like there's that
40:24section of fans that you described would absolutely be ticked off
40:28if you start criticizing them they'll take it personally I mean like
40:32this isn't personal it's my job to actually
40:35assess what I see from a professional perspective and deliver that to the
40:41audience but they're never ever it's go Bucs go Bucs go Bucs
40:47and I would say over the years that Ohio
40:51State not when I say this I don't mean all Ohio State fans
40:55because right that that 80 percent Ohio State fan
40:59when their team loses they're heartbroken
41:02they feel for the coach they feel for the players
41:06that 20 percent when the Ohio State loses they want to fire the coach get
41:09rid of the quarterback he's the worst the ref sucks find out
41:12where that ref lives like every fan base has a trigger
41:17every fan base has that 15 or 20 percent that's that's embarrassing
41:21to the loyal fans but they're angry those Ohio State fans are angry no
41:26matter what if they win they're cussing out the team online on
41:30some chat room that they beat making fun of them
41:33if they lose they want to fire Ryan Day and get rid of CJ Stroud and get rid of
41:38he sucks and it shows they're never happy so
41:41how can I if that person's never happy why am I going to spend one second
41:47worrying about that doofus right who's always upset
41:50about everything so I'm going to prepare like last year's Michigan team
41:55as a just a foot fan of football how can you not
41:59enjoy how they went about they don't have five stars everywhere
42:05they recruited they developed they had a senior class
42:08and they put a run together god bless them I mean I
42:12I enjoy watching teams that play for each other like last night we watched the
42:16Panthers I don't know if you saw it after the
42:18game oh yeah every player the coach got emotional
42:23talking about how I've been in a lot of different places this place is
42:26different man we care about each other these guys love each other and he's like
42:30I know everyone says that but it's like it's legit and when you watched how they
42:34celebrated with the cup I was like I don't know
42:37other than Bob Brodsky who used to be on my team the Blue Jackets
42:40other than that I just I that's what I love about team sports
42:44so I was like so proud and happy for the Panthers
42:48just because I respect what it takes to be a team and not be selfish and to
42:55come together for a common goal and to go achieve it so
42:58if it's Michigan so be it you know I I respect
43:02uh greatness and I respect teams that that uh
43:05put their selfish agenda behind them and focus on winning
43:08it's great certainly the Bengals have been impressed with Michigan over the
43:11last three years I guess I mean their
43:14defenses could have four to five starters
43:18yeah amazing blue uh what do you think of Chris Jenkins real quick
43:21dominant um you know dad played great hands great quickness
43:27um is a guy that's not gonna just be Aaron Donald and just like I'm I'm the
43:33baddest man on the field I get I'm the I'm the twitchiest the twitchiest player
43:38in the D line but if you spend too much time worrying about other guys
43:42and he gets a one-on-one opportunity uh he's dangerous but he's got great feet
43:46great hands and like you said about Michigan these
43:49players he plays with a high motor which you love to see his defense
43:53alignment we're gonna finish up with this I want
43:57you to talk about your sons and what it's like been uh what it has
44:01been like watching them play a sport you love
44:04a sport you study when you watch them as a parent
44:07how is it different well I'm like any other parent I'm terrified
44:12you know I'm worried I it's it's much easier to be on the field
44:18than to be in the stands watching it's it's uh
44:22on one hand it's it's great because that's what they want my dad taught me
44:26this how he handled me you know my dad played he played at
44:29Reading High School he played with uh Claude Osteen and he
44:34was great in track he played every sport back in those days
44:39he went to Ohio State he was a captain when I came up
44:43he was and I was pretty good at sports he was very standoffish he was not
44:48you're doing this the way parents a lot of parents are today
44:51he's it's like if this is what you want to do
44:54go for it and I'll support you and I really kept that I had four sons
44:58yeah I encouraged it when they were little yeah I introduced it to them when
45:01they were little but if they would have been like that I
45:03rather play the piano I'd have been like all right we're gonna go crush this
45:06piano let's go do that like so I was not pushing anything on them
45:11but once they kind of went down the path that they
45:13wanted to play I just supported them the coolest thing for me and ESPN's been
45:18great about this is I will you know I'll be Thursday night football
45:21I'll fly to game day and then I'll fly to wherever my son's but it used to be
45:26Nashville I'd go back to get back to see them in person
45:30so the thing I'm I just cherish instead of turning it on nowadays you can just
45:35put it on the laptop and dial it up I got to 99 percent of their games
45:40and I'm just so thankful to be in a position to do what I'm doing
45:45and get back like my son Chase he's going to be a senior at St. X
45:49and he's played the last couple years and you know here I am
45:52getting back to to see him and you know just being a parent just
45:57putting on my St. X half zip and hat on
46:02cheering for everybody and just trying to you know be there for him
46:06after the game win or lose give him a big hug and get on a plane and fly back
46:10to where I was and man I can't even describe I mean I
46:14love calling games it's fun with Al Michaels and all these guys but
46:17just to be able to be there and just sit there and watch
46:21like any of you or anybody else that's been able to do that
46:24with their kids those are the those are the memories
46:28that I'll never forget I mean those are the memories that are
46:32my favorite you know so it's been fun it's been a fun journey
46:36this has been a an incredibly fun discussion
46:39Kirk I really really appreciate it I appreciate you
46:42I have like a list of notes because like yourself I try to
46:45do my prep work before I uh before the mic comes on
46:49yeah and I didn't you know get to the last quarter
46:52we'll circle back if uh once the bangles pre
46:56I I'm doing the indie game I think that's an image that's the last
46:59preseason yeah that's correct so we'll hook up in a person there but if you
47:05want to do something um you know if the reds act the reds
47:08accidentally get into the wild card or um the bangles start things going in
47:12September be happy to hop on again I really
47:15appreciate because there's stuff there's one guy we did not get to and
47:21I want to dedicate and do the due diligence
47:24and and spend the time it deserves your dad's relationship with Woody Hayes
47:29I probably could do the whole podcast on that because I
47:33grew up look I'm a I'm a Woody guy I'm a Woody Hayes guy
47:38yeah and grew up with them and you know where I'm coming from
47:41but this has been a blast Kirk thank you so much of course
47:45yeah thank you and uh welcome back to Cincinnati and keep up the great work
47:49and best of luck I don't know when you're getting married but
47:52best of luck to uh you once we get the house situation settled because
47:57this day is the second day of our move oh
48:01town yes so we're trying to get settled Kirk
48:05and you were top priority I wanted to get the Kirk Herbstreet
48:09podcast on and then I'm making the time moving boxes but text me
48:16anytime you want to you want to get together again love to do it I really
48:20enjoyed it sounds good Kirk he is Kirk Herbstreet
48:24you can see his work all over the place on different platforms
48:29like ESPN, ABC, Prime Video and of course the voice of EA Sports
48:36Kirk Herbstreet thanks again you got it take care all right he's Kirk
48:40Herbstreet I'm Mike Petraglia-Trags want to thank everybody for downloading this
48:43episode of the Jungle World podcast powered by
48:46the Game Time app and PrizePix and thanks of course to the
48:51folks at CLNS Media talk to you next week
49:13bye