# Charlie's Chalkboard The home for Charlie Goldsmith's breakdowns of the Reds and Bengals, game analysis, deep dives into the film and opinions on the moves they're making and the directions they're heading. Page: Feed: --- ## [Sal Stewart does it again](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/sal-stewart-does-it-again) _2026-08-20 · Charlie Goldsmith_ For the first time in years, the Cincinnati Reds have a hitter who’s even better than Elly De La Cruz. ## [A unique experience for Joe Flacco, the 19-year vet](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/a-unique-experience-for-joe-flacco) _2026-08-19 · Charlie Goldsmith_ Joe Flacco still finds himself “overwhelmed.” And it’s a feeling that he craves. ## [Now, Jordan Battle just gets to play](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/now-jordan-battle-just-gets-to-play) _2026-08-19 · Charlie Goldsmith_ The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense was out on the field early before practice on Tuesday. ## [Reds notebook: Terry Francona on Elly De La Cruz, and Noelvi Marte gets sent down](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/reds-notebook-terry-francona-on-elly) _2026-08-18 · Charlie Goldsmith_ One of the overarching lessons of this Cincinnati Reds’ season is how important Elly De La Cruz is to the team. ## [Tyler Stephenson was the Reds' hidden hero in a walk-off win](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/tyler-stephenson-was-the-reds-hidden) _2026-08-18 · Charlie Goldsmith_ A long day for Tyler Stephenson paid off in the end. ## [Breaking down the biggest thing the Bengals' offense needs to do better: The four-minute drill](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/breaking-down-the-biggest-thing-the) _2026-08-17 · Charlie Goldsmith_ Zac Taylor made a point to address the importance of this area after the preseason opener. ## [Héctor Rodríguez's approach to a career-starting slump, and the Reds' outlook in right field](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/hector-rodriguezs-approach-to-a-career) _2026-08-16 · Charlie Goldsmith_ Héctor Rodríguez is two-for-24 at the plate to start his young big league career. ## [Parsing through the Bengals' depth at wide receiver](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/parsing-through-the-bengals-depth) _2026-08-15 · Charlie Goldsmith_ Projecting the Cincinnati Bengals’ depth chart, a few questions remain at the wide receiver position. ## [Nick Lodolo's process figuring out a new breaking ball grip](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/nick-lodolos-process-figuring-out) _2026-08-15 · Charlie Goldsmith_ Nick Lodolo debuted a new grip after returning from the IL. ## [Chase Burns reaches the next, next level](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/chase-burns-reaches-the-next-next) _2026-08-15 · Charlie Goldsmith_ Over the last 50 seasons, six big league pitchers who are 23 years old or younger have finished a season with a 2.47 ERA or lower as well as 150+ strikeouts. ## [Generate Viral Hot Takes (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/66eMyy8lB19I) _2026-08-15 · **Sponsored**_ Get platform-optimized hot takes and rebuttals to spark debate and engagement ## [A Cincinnati Reds' farm system deep dive](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/a-cincinnati-reds-farm-system-deep) _2026-08-14 · Charlie Goldsmith_ Profiles on notable prospects in the Reds' system and how they're doing this season. ## [The Bengals are much deeper, and it showed in the preseason opener](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/the-bengals-are-much-deeper-and-it) _2026-08-14 · Charlie Goldsmith_ Dexter Lawrence wasn’t planning to be the player who led the Cincinnati Bengals out of the tunnel on Thursday before the preseason opener. ## [The growth of Rhett Lowder, and more Reds news and notes](https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/the-growth-of-rhett-lowder-and-more) _2026-08-12 · Charlie Goldsmith_ The payoff was on a bit of a delay, but pitching out of the bullpen for a week in July was an experience that helped Rhett Lowder find what he needed on the mound.