NECCO NFL Bengals Kickoff 2013 with Nick

Random photos found on Twitter. Thanks to Shane on Nickfantic

Nick Lachey KICKED OUT Of NFL Game ... for Talking Smack

One On One With Nick Lachey

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Written by: ThePostGame Staff

hePostGame caught up with the entertainer and super fan to discuss fatherhood, the Bengals and much more. Lachey has teamed up with Tide on the "Show Us Your Colors" campaign, a friendly competition among NFL fans to see which team has the most passionate supporters.

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ThePostGame: We know congratulations are in order (Lachey's son, Camden, was born in September). Are you getting any sleep these days?
NICK LACHEY: (Laughs). I'm getting sleep in little, small chunks. It's definitely changed with a newborn in the house, but he's a pretty good sleeper. So we're not doing too bad.

TPG: You've said it's important for you that your son grows up a Bengals fan, it looks like you've already got him in orange stripes.
LACHEY: Ultimately it will be his decision to make, and one day if he chooses to be a Bengals fan, great. But yeah, as a father I think you have this idea in your head that you're going to pass along the tradition to your next generation.

I remember watching Bengals with my dad when I was a kid, so it's exciting now to be able to pass those on to Camden and watch the games with him. So hopefully he'll be a Bengals fan, but at the end of the day it really is his decision.

TPG: What does it mean for you to be able to pass along that tradition of watching the games and wearing the team colors?
LACHEY: Football is a chance for families and fathers and sons to create those memories and pass along those traditions. With the "Show Us Your Colors" campaign, what we're encouraging people to do is to capture a moment in your team's colors when those colors really meant the most to you. For me it was the moment I watched my first game with Camden and put him in his onesie. So that was the picture that I uploaded.

Basically, capture that moment, upload the picture on Tide's Facebook page, and you're automatically entered for a chance to win a trip to the Super Bowl. It's a great chance to celebrate people's fandom, your team and your community.

TPG: Ohio is a huge football state, but neither the Bengals nor the Browns is in the top 10 of Tide's campaign. What's going on? 
LACHEY: I think Pittsburgh's in first place, and it breaks my heart to see that. I don't know, man, we've got to get the word out.

TPG: You're also a big Cincinnati and USC football fan, and last Saturday Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish beat USC to secure a berth in the national championship game. Is there still any animosity toward Kelly for leaving Cincinnati, or have those feelings faded?
LACHEY: No, I wouldn't say they've faded (laughs). I thought there was nothing that could make me dislike Notre Dame more than I already had, but then when they stole Kelly away I was proven wrong. There's absolutely no love in my heart for Notre Dame at all.

TPG: Sticking with college sports, what's your prediction for Cincinnati basketball this year?
LACHEY: Well, I think they've got a great team. We're a lot quicker. Yancy Gates was a good player, but he definitely slowed things down for us a little bit. From what I've seen so far, this is a team that enjoys playing defense, they play defense well. So far, they're shooting really well. I think it's a team that (head coach Mick) Cronin really likes and enjoys coaching, so I expect big things from them this year. I think they can make some noise.

Fans have until Nov. 30 to upload their picture to Tide's Facebook page. The winning team will receive a $15,000 donation to the charity of their choice

So I invited Nick Lachey to come to my tailgate…

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As you may know, with many of your folks’ help, I won tickets to the Super Bowl as a part of a blogger contest sponsored by P&G promoting their Fancestry site. (Yes, I’m very excited about this. Thanks everso y’all). The Fancestry site, which is still active, tells you what sort of fan you are after filling out some questions.

P&G is a great brand to work with because: 1. They give me great free stuff to give to fans, and great free stuff is always a good thing; 2. A number of their brands, quality ones I use every day, have an association with the NFL, and they give away cool NFL prizes like Super Bowl tickets. Win-win.

They also contact sports bloggers with emails like this, “Hey you want to interview Nick Lachey? He’s talking about Tide giving away Super Bowl tickets in our Show Us Your Colors campaign.”

Why sure!

Sports blogger life can sometimes a little random, “Honey, I got to go, I have a call I need to make to Nick Lachey.”  (Note to my female friends:  I do not have his number. It was a corporate conference call dial-in. That’s how these things work.  Besides, he’s married to someone likely way more hotter than you are. No offense but c’mon seriously.)

So the following is my interview with Nick Lachey (@NickSLachey), singer and the world’s most famous diehard Cincinnati Bengals fan.  The Show Us Your Colors campaign ends on Friday.  So do this right now! All you have to do is go to Tide’s Facebook page, upload a fan pic, and you are entered to win. Easy.

I’m a big believer in you can’t win anything in life unless you try, and so many of the best experiences in my lifehave come from that philosophy.

My Interview with Nick Lachey.

Me: So you are a diehard Bengals fan? In a wide open AFC, what do you think of your Bengals’ chances down the stretch?

Nick: “I am a huge Bengals fan. As we’ve seen the last couple of years, it’s how you finish the year. You know the Giants finished strong last year and obviously won the Super Bowl, the Packers did the same the year before, so I’m just hoping we can get on a hot streak here and get into the playoffs, and at that point, all bets are off, anything can happen. I like the way we are playing now. In past years, if the Bengals lost two in a row, they’d probably pack it in, and this year, we’ve kind of rallied and we got to keep playing well again.”

Me: So were you at the Texans – Bengals playoff game last season?

Nick: “I did not go to the game, I actually went to the game the month before when we blew the game and the Texans came back and beat us. That was an ugly loss for my Bengals, thanks very much for that Houston.”

Me: So if somehow, the Bengals and Texans meetup in the playoffs and have a game in Houston, do you want to come to my tailgate? Texas. BBQ.

Nick: “I’d love to. I’m a big fan of Connor Barwin. He went to school here in Cincinnati so I know him a little bit. I actually like the Texans. I like the team you guys have. My buddy Matt Leinart used to play for you the last couple of years as well so I kind of started following you.”

Me: So the Texans are your Plan B AFC Team?

Nick: “It is definitely my Plan B AFC team. I like them better than many other AFC teams, including the Steelers and Colts.” (Steph note: Well of course. If you aren’t a Steelers or Colts fan, you can’t be a fan of their teams one bit because their fans, as a group, are insufferable).

Me: So are you one of those NFL fans who goes to the Super Bowl whether your team is in or not?

Nick: “I’ve been lucky to go many Super Bowls over the years. I’ve been involved with a charity along with Jimmy Johnson so we went down there for that, been fortunate enough to be able to go. If I was waiting for the Bengals to go, it might be quite a few years. I can’t hold out for that, and I need to go when I can.”

Me: And New Orleans?

Nick: “This year should be a lot of fun in New Orleans. It’s actually a part of the promotion I’m doing right now with Tide, the “Show Us Your Colors” campaign, you actually can win a trip to the Super Bowl for two lucky people. It’s a great opportunity to get down there to New Orleans and have some fun.”

Me: My question with Show Us Your Colors is: Do you have any wild Bengals gear?

Nick: “I do have some wild Bengals gear. I actually took a picture of myself and my son Camden in his first Bengals’ onesie. That’s how this Show Us Your Colors thing works, we are encouraging people to post a picture of themselves in their team’s colors in a moment that was really meaningful to them. For me, it was the first time I put my son in a Bengals onesie, and we watch a game together. Whatever that moment is for you, take a picture of it, post it on Tide’s Facebook page, and then you are automatically entered for a chance to win a trip to the Super Bowl.

I didn’t put up this particular picture, but I do have a Bengals construction helmet. It is pretty atrocious.”

This is not Nick Lachey. This is a visual aid of a guy rocking some Zubaz pants. Also can double as birth control. (Picture via @SportzAssassin)

Me: Yeah, my picture is over there in the Texans section. I’m wearing my favorite red suede, fringe jacket my friend Houston artist Fletcher Stafford painted for me.  But what I’m wondering is whether you own any Bengals Zubaz pants? I think out of all the Zubaz, the Bengals’ Zubaz are the best. (Steph note: Look at them. Dare to disagree! “Best” of course means so bad they are awesome):

Nick: “I do not have any Bengals’ Zubaz, no. Zubaz are kind of a new thing, we’ve never really gotten in to Zubaz here.”

Me: No, I think they are old school,  an 80′s thing. (Steph note: They are! Zubaz FAQs)

Nick:  “Oh really, I don’t know. My Zubaz knowledge is fairly limited.”

Me: I think the perfect outfit for a Bengals fan who is also a singer would be a fitted suit made of tiger-printed velvet. (Steph note: What is the point of being a singer if you can’t wear completely ridiculous outfits on a regular basis? See e.g. Jagger, Mick).

Nick: “We have a local guy here in town who wears these kind of outfits, Bootsy Collins. He definitely has an all velvet Bengal outfit. He rocks it well. I stick with the Bengals jersey and hat.“

I’d like to thank Nick for being a part of  my top 10 random experiences being a sports blogger, at least of the experiences I care to discuss publicly.

If you want more random interview stuff, I suggest checking out the answers I gave to Zach Law which I thought was going to be a Texans Q&A but ended up being more of a philosophical, social media, product placement discussion.

Cincinnati Bengals Tv with Nick Lachey