PLAY OF THE DAY
For the Bengals’ new-look defense envisioned by new coordinator Al Golden, Wednesday morning was not the first practice of training camp. Even though it was, as a robust crowd could attest at the Kettering Health Practice Fields in a pleasant 82ish degrees.
“We wanted to treat it like it was day 20 because we had 19 in the spring,” said linebacker Logan Wilson after whatever it was ended “Pick up right where we left off. The team can build off it, and I feel like we did that.”
Wilson, an early frontrunner to be a defensive captain in his sixth season, agreed that you could feel his defense is different this season as Golden inherits a unit coming off a 25th NFL ranking while losing four games their offense scored at least 33 points during a season they missed the playoffs by a game.
“I felt it all day. From the first period to the last period,” said safety Jordan Battle. “The energy was up. Guys were moving around. Guys were talking a lot more. It was a good day.”
Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow confirmed it, saying the secondary won the day, and that included Stone’s expertly disguised blitz that became emblematic of the defense’s dominance on the first day of what they hope is their revival.
As Golden called in the play on the sideline, he told players and onlookers that the key was Stone having poise and not tipping the offense too early. As Stone lingered in his normal spot 10-12 yards off the line of scrimmage, running back Samaje Perine went in motion, and that was Stone’s key. He bolted to the line and Burrow basically had to check it into the ground.
“Freakin’ perfect, Geno. Freakin’ perfect,” said Golden as he jogged on to the field while Stone closed in on Burrow. Walking off the field after practice, Golden observed, “He has poise. It’s really important to play with poise. He’s getting a different cadence up there. He’s looking either at the clock or a trigger. And he did a great job being where he needed to be on the snap.”
Battle led a screaming defense back to the sideline.
“This year there’s a big emphasis on holding disguises as long as possible,” Battle said. “There’s a big emphasis on signals. Communicate across the field. Get it to the corners. Talk to the linebackers. Make sure everybody is talking. Even the twos and threes are talking.”
Yes, Stone thought. A sack in a real game. Crazy, he said. He’s been in 68 NFL games for the Ravens and Bengals with no sacks. But that would have been it.
“A weak-side blitz. I’ve been telling them all year I’m waiting for that blitz because every time they call it, it’s always on Jordan’s side,” Stone said. “I’m happy they’ll let me blitz this year a little more. I feel like this defense allows everybody to do lot. So everybody is tied into it. I feel like at any moment you can blitz from any position.”
If it looks like the defense was in Burrow’s head, they were. Golden said his best day of the spring was when Burrow came in to talk with the defensive staff for a couple of hours.
“It was cutups. I’m not sure how many plays, maybe 50 to 70, or something like that,” Burrow said. “I was just talking through what I’m seeing, who I’m looking at, who I’m keying in, certain coverages, certain teams, who’s giving it away, all that good stuff.”
Both sides of the ball seem to think Golden has brought some of that good stuff to the defense.
“I thought they were really sharp today. I thought their energy was great,” Burrow said.
Last season at Notre Dame, Golden molded a pressure defense. When Stone led the AFC with seven interceptions for Baltimore in 2023, the Ravens led the league in sacks. Stone said all spring what Golden does reminds him of the steady pressure Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald supplied as the Baltimore DC.
“I love his attitude. I love what he brought here. It’s the kind of a defense I’ve been in my whole career,” Stone said. “I think I’m a perfect fit in it. I think a lot of guys are adjusting to it and we’re having a lot of fun with it.”
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