Willie Anderson continues to be on fire with his IG interviews. His latest was with a historical fan favorite, Jeff Blake. This 3-hour interview was awesome and it went over two hours. I pulled out all of the good stories and quotes for your reading pleasure:
- The players used to call Riverfront Stadium “the park” because it was nothing but green and there was no padding under the turf. “It was just rug and concrete.” – Jeff Blake
- The rumor in the locker room was that the Bengals were moving to Baltimore if PBS was not going to get built. Willie believes that the play of Jeff Blake was the reason the city built the new stadium because he started winning in 1994. (Reminder: David Klingler was the #1 pick in 1992 draft by the Bengals.)
- Blake was OC Bruce Coslet’s guy but David Klingler was Mike Brown’s guy. In 1995 Blake had to win the starting job. Blake had such a long career because Coslet focused on teaching him how to read defenses before he ever focused on the offensive playbook. Blake was “Bruce Coslet’s project” to make “a black kid a NFL quarterback.” The Bengals won 7 games in 1995 but had the top 3 offense in the NFL…..the defense was terrible.
- Willie was drafted to play RT to increase the Bengals ability to run the ball. He was moved to LT because of injury.
- In 1997 Blake felt like the “administration was pulling away from him” when Boomer Esiason came to the Bengals. Blake was pulled halfway through the season and then Blake got his job back when Boomer was hurt and he balled out.
- It was clear that Blake was a little bitter that the Bengals never really wanted to pay him.
- Boomer and Blake both told Willie that he would not allow sacks because they knew how to throw it away. Neil O’Donnell would give up sacks to keep his passing numbers up. (I think Big Willie doesn’t like O’Donnell)
- Big Willie and the whole team felt uncomfortable when Akili Smith was drafted because the Bengals had a young hot QB but a Pro Bowl QB in Blake. If Akili Smith “was managed different” he would have had a more successful career in the league. It was management’s idea to play Akili Smith right away and Blake asked for a trade. Kenny Anderson and Bruce Coslet made the argument to Blake for him to stay in 1999.
- Carson Palmer did not like sitting a year behind Kitna but it was good for him according to Big Willie.
- East Carolina was the only Division 1 school to offer Jeff Blake a scholarship when he was ranked #2 in the entire state of Florida.
- Blake and Carl Pickens had a love/hate relationship and he had to manage Pickens’ rollercoaster emotions. After practice is where Blake, Pickens and Darnay Scott would create their own plays/language. Anything over 40 yards was for Darnay since he was so fast.
- Big Willie wants to see more Bengal alum brought back because the generations of players have never had the chance to meet or get to know each other. (helloooooo Ring of Honor!)
- “The job of the QB is to ignite and bring the guys around him together. If the linemen don’t like you (it’s important).” Big Willie sees it when linemen don’t help their QB up, he used Cam Newton as an example.
- Blake’s best game as a Bengal was a loss against the 1998 49ers. Blake threw 5 TDs. (note: it was actually 1999 and the Bengals won 44-30)
- Jeff Blake has been running a QB academy for the past 10 years in Houston, TX.
- Almost every team Blake left, a black QB replaced him: Akili Smith (Cincinnati), Aaron Brooks (New Orleans), Anthony Wright (Baltimore).
- “Can’t nobody stand him, that’s why he doesn’t have a job now” – Jeff Blake about former Ravens HC Brian Billick
- Baltimore offered the league minimum and an incentive based contract with no signing bonus to be the starter in Baltimore and would let Kyle Boller sit for a year. Billick said that if Blake talks to another team that they would rescind the offer. Blake said “I ain’t his bitch” and told his agent to decline the offer.
- Blake was a little upset he wasn’t voted in the Bengals top 50. Big Willie said it was a fan vote.
- The reason Blake did not have his own radio show is because Mike Brown told him that he was “not allowed to promote or market himself and could not have a tv or radio show.” They put it into Blake’s contract. The reason is because of the previous QB, Boomer, messed that up for him. Mike Brown was anti-player’s union and Boomer was a big advocate for the ’87 strike and used his platform to talk about the owners.
- Jeff Blake said that “Joe Burrow can ball. He is kind of reserved but he is not cocky, he is confident.” What Blake does not wish for him is to “fall into the Bengal quarterback trap. It’s been a graveyard of quarterbacks. One thing the Bengals have never done is do not draft the players to compliment their quarterback.”
- WIllie told Carson Palmer “you need to tell Mike Brown who you need around you” to be successful. That year Carson had a conversation with Mike Brown and should have listened to him on some things.
- Palmer’s elbow started deteriorating in 2009 but nobody but the players knew about it.
- When Carson demanded the trade, he got into a big argument with Mike Brown about asking for “a few things”. Willie was unwilling to discuss what those demands were.
- Willie drives around with his Auburn and Bengals playing cards in his vehicle for when he gets pulled over by the police. Marvin Lewis brought the Cincinnati Police Department in to talk to players and credits him with this to keep him on the right side of the police.
- “Joe Mixon is not Corey Dillon, but he is close. They won’t give him 20 carries though. Give him 20 carries and that offense looks a lot different.” – Big Willie
- Jeff Blake tried to get into coaching but was told he did not have coaching experience. “We coach and train two positions that African Americans are not allowed to coach.” -Big Willie
- “Because we played for so long in the NFL we cannot teach it” – Willie Anderson being told why he can’t coach in the NFL.
I think that I can speak for all Bengals fans and say “yes Jeff Blake, we love you still.” As fans we would love to see you guys back associated with the team and we also think that upper management needs to wake up and honor you guys.