Of course, this is the game Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. would tie his father and play in his 129th NFL game Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12).
Naturally.
In Pittsburgh. An AFC North game between two teams from Orlando Brown Sr.'s 20th-century AFC Central.
"Of course," Brown said after Thursday's practice. "It would have been in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh ruined a lot of Christmases for me as a kid."
The late Orlando Brown Sr., the fan favorite "Zeus," of the Cleveland Browns who became one of the faces of the franchise when the Browns became the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, played right tackle across nine seasons with 119 starts before dying at age 40 six years after he retired.
His son makes his 122nd start in his 129th game Sunday as OB-2 also plays in his 48th Bengals game, the same number he played for the Ravens, his father's team that drafted him eight years ago.
"Such a blessing to be the starting left tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals and come into this locker room and come to work for these men, this coaching staff, this city, this organization. It's all a blessing," Brown said. "I wouldn't have it any other way (to tie) him as the left tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Steelers."
Of course, OB-1 hated the Bengals as much as he hated the Steelers.
"But," his son said. "he would now have a new love and appreciation for the Bengals."
The Bengals certainly love and appreciate his son as one of their leaders who stirs the straw of chemistry while playing one of the game's hardest positions. That was clear this week when quarterback Joe Burrow and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher leaped to his defense after what Brown called his below-standard game last Sunday in Houston.
"I think Orlando was pretty good. There were a couple of sacks that weren't in his control at the end of the day. There's a lot of different things that go into pass protection that's not just on the offensive line," Burrow said. "A lot of different things go into it that we would never explain to you guys. Then it's left up to interpretation. That's how football works. That's the O-line position at the end of the day. That is a thankless job from the exterior, so you try to pump those guys up as much as you can in the building. But I really think they were pretty good on Sunday. I could've been better in a couple of spots. They certainly could have been better in a couple of spots. And the guys helping them could have been better in a couple of spots."
Yes, Brown saw the comments.
"I respect Zac Taylor's opinion on me. I respect Joe Burrow's opinion on me. My teammates, our coaching staff, our front office," Brown said. "For me, that's where it stands, and I've got a standard of play that I'm looking to live up to and to shoot you straight, last week wasn't that. I don't have to hear that from anybody else. I'm thankful and appreciative of him. That's my quarterback."
That's why they love Brown. A straight-shooter with skins on the wall when it comes to Pro Bowls and Super Bowls.
More straight stuff. No introduction needed for this week's edge rushers, the future Hall-of-Famer T.J. Watt, with the fourth most active sacks, and Alex Highsmith, two away from 50 career sacks. If we're straight-shooting, Brown and right tackle Amarius Mims kept them in check last year when they combined for 0.5 sacks, and Watt had two tackles in the two games the Bengals and Steelers split.
"I call them in their primes. They're physical and fast," Brown said.
Brown doesn't have to go far to be reminded that it doesn't matter if you're playing the left or right side, the rushers are all big, fast, athletic. It's not 1985 anymore.
Brown just looks at the great ones his dad blocked on the right side, just as Bengals Ring of Honor member Willie Anderson was emerging as the dominant right tackle of the era when the perimeter became a double-edged left and right sword.
"Do we have to go down the list of Leslie O'Neal to Chris Doleman to Reggie White to Bryant Young to Michael Strahan?" Brown asked. "Hell, Deacon Jones rushed over the right tackle."
His 129th game could only come in Pittsburgh.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Brown said.
Another Title For Dex
As rapidly as defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II has changed the Bengals on the field, his ascension to team leader and captain has been just as quick and as impactful.
This week he added another job when the NFL Players Association says his teammates elected him their voting representative. It's a job, the NFLPA says, "to serve as locker room liaisons between their fellow players and the NFLPA. They play a critical role in making sure players have a voice within the union by gathering feedback and concerns from their locker rooms, sharing important NFLPA information and resources with their teammates, and helping connect players with the union when they need support."
Lawrence says it's the first time he's had the job during his eight seasons in the league and looks forward to learning and listening.
"I think it's just kind of natural," Lawrence said of the vote. "I treat everyone with respect and do my job."
At 33, incumbent Ted Karras stepped back looking at the 2031 expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, but he's staying on the executive committee.
"It's one of the better things we've done," Karras said of Lawrence's election. "I feel very proud of my service. I'm glad we've got a superstar as our voting rep. That will help in (CBA) negotiations. I don't know when that begins. But it's imminent."
The Bengals voted two newcomers, practice squad quarterback Sean Clifford and backup linebacker Swayze Bozeman, as first and second alternate, respectively, and cornerback D.J. Ivey returned to leadership as a third alternate.
Slants and Screens
Speaking of Ivey, he's had 13 snaps this year working out of the third-down dime package, and we'll see if he gets more Sunday as the designated tight-end defender with Bengals killer Pat Freiermuth on the field. In 10 games against the Bengals, Freiermuth has dwarfed his career totals against others with 49 catches for 619 yards and six touchdowns.
The 6-1, 192-pound Ivey knows the 6-5, 258-pound Freiermuth is a load. He's also impressed with how they use him.
"He uses his body well, and A-Rod (Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers) puts the ball on him pretty well," Ivey said. "They use him in so many different ways. You have to know what he likes to do on different alignments. They move him around. He's going to be motioning. He'll be in the stack, he'll be in the point of the stack, he'll be at the three (receiver), he'll be at the two. He does a lot of different things for his team."
Last Sunday in Houston, Texans tight end Dalton Schultz had 140 yards with most of his 12 catches coming on early downs. Pro Football Focus had Ivey not targeted in his seven coverage snaps …
In his weekly media meeting, All-Pro receiver Ja'Marr Chase addressed the loss of No. 3 receiver Andrei Iosivas by saying that rookie Colbie Young and first-year receiver Dohnte Meyers are capable of mixing with him and wide receiver Tee Higgins because of their versatility …
Chase said the most impressive compliment he got from his ridiculous touchdown catch in Houston came from former All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, a guy he liked to watch growing up.
"I met him once through a mutual friend," Chase said. "Pretty rough handshake. Mad strong." …
Chase may be calling on Lawrence here pretty soon in his new role after he and Higgins got fined for Sunday's celebration that involved straightening the elbow, which Higgins said was a nod to "The Rock."
With 49ers fullback Kyle "Juice," Juszczyk also getting fined for his celebrating by appearing to chug juice, Chase is looking for clarification and may be calling his player rep.
"I think this is where the superstars have to get in with the NFLPA and fight for our money," Chase said. "If (Juszczyk is) getting fined for doing a drinking gesture, a juice gesture, then I'm getting fined for an elbow … I can't really do much about it. We can't complain. I don't even think we can tweet about it, because we get fined for tweeting about it.
"We've got to have a superstar on the NFLPA to do something about it, help us along the way." …
