Garbage time, you say. And yet, how many times have you rooted through the garbage to find something precious?

But before that, Bengals safeties coach Jordan Kovacs, son of a coach, is grinding tape and shows you this first.

It's been 24 hours since Jordan Battle "took it when he could take it," and stoned Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell for nothing when it was still nothing-nothing.

Still, Kovacs can't help but allow a yelp of delight since the tackle at the line of scrimmage is so textbook, right down to Battle disguising his run through the box long enough to keep the Baltimore interior at bay. This is where the guy really excels, Kovacs says.

"When he's in the phone booth or in the box. I mean, he arrives with violence here," says Kovacs, clicking the remote to and fro and watching through the reaction. "Great play. Good energy right here."

Another tackle for Battle, who leads all NFL defensive backs with 109 of them. "An ascending player," Kovacs says. The only player in the league with four interceptions and 100 tackles. "His body of work this year, his trend has been very, very positive and very, very steady," says defensive coordinator Al Golden. "He's grown as a leader." Another sure hit six weeks after Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland bounced off him in the last minute and ran the Bengals into the bye and Battle back into the lab as one of the league leaders in missed tackles.

Pro Football Focus says he has two misses in the five games since the bye.

"Probably a little better," says Battle with the discerning eye of another coach's son about his play the last month. "As far as tracking and tackling the ball carrier. As of the bye week. Working more in practice, whenever I get extra time. Working my angles. Working with JK. Changing up our drills. Running out of the post, tracking the ball carrier. Going against the scout team and tracking the ball carrier. It's carried over to the game."

The play that Kovacs really wants you to see is the last one of Sunday's long, frozen day. The play after the two-minute warning, the one before the kneel-downs of 24-0. Garbage time, you say. No such thing for coaches' sons.

Mitchell, a 4.3 guy, gets a toss left out of the I formation, squeezes past the block of fullback Patrick Ricard on the edge, jets into the open field and down the left sideline for what looks to be a 31-0 game. Until Battle yanks him out of bounds after a 22-yard gain.

"That play means a lot to me because some people would say it's a meaningless play," Kovacs says. "But just the pride that he plays with and our defense plays with to finish the game the right way."

It's also the tackle they've been working on since the bye. Well, the only way you can work on tackling during the season. "It's been a point of emphasis," Kovacs says. Kovacs simulates a play not all that different than this one. He tosses it to one of the other safeties. Battle works on the angle, preventing the cutback, spilling it outside.

"He's always been pretty damn good in the box, when things are between the tackles," Kovacs says. "Now it's just taking that next step and becoming a really good space tackler, which is not easy when that ball is out in space. And he's getting better there.

"The hard part, when you're in centerfield, is you don't know where the ball is going to hit. So you're always just trying to stay on the back hip."

Kovacs is looking at the play and shaking his head. "I'll put Jordan exactly like this right here. So this is really damn near our drill."

Kovacs freezes it as Mitchell suddenly pops out of the bodies, and Battle is racing from the middle of the field trying to cut him off. He unfreezes it. Battle has prevented the cutback.

"This whole thing is just about angles," Kovacs says. "Jordan just takes his angle out of the center of the field and stays on the back hip and tags off at the last second."

The back hip. Kovacs means the near hip. Now it's just a foot race. Battle knows he has to stay inside-out and get his head across the ball.

"Nice play," Kovacs says, "because that's not easy."

He flings the remote back to the nothing-nothing play. Kovacs likes this one, too. The product, he says, of Battle's prodigious game plan preparation. "He's seen this play before."

Actually, it's the play right before the Ravens score their first touchdown of the game. Second-and-seven from the Bengals 30 as the first half ticks to five minutes left. A gap run with Mitchell behind pulling left guard Andrew Voorhees and trying to take advantage of linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr.’s blitz.

"When he comes here on Wednesday, he's already looked at the game plan, he's answering all the questions, he knows the tendencies," Kovacs says. "He feels the pull here. He fits right, exactly where he needs to fit, just a hell of a job here."

Since Battle has held his water, Voorhees doesn't go up and get him, and stays on his doubling of defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. Then Battle makes his move.

"With these pressures, you don't necessarily know where the ball is going to spit," Kovacs says. "So when he gets this pull here, he just does a hell of a job of fitting off the pull, keeping the ball on his inside pad here. Right foot, right shoulder contact. Foot in the ground. Arriving with violence. Playing with some juice there."

Battle knows when he's coming down from centerfield like that on a run in the gap, he's got to deal with a "crack," block. Here is Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers coming after him. If Flowers gets there, Battle knows he has to protect cornerback Dax Hill on the outside so he can make an easier play.

But Battle beats Flowers with his instincts.

"Rule number one. If you can make it, take it. So right here, he feels like he can beat the crack," Kovacs says, freezing it with Flowers nowhere close enough. "He doesn't need to address the crack. If I can beat him, make it, take it … He just shot his gun. Played off his instincts."

This is what Kovacs, the coach's son, loves about Battle, another coach's son.

"When you're a coach's son," Kovacs says, "you appreciate a coach, and you like to be coached hard."