New Bengals captain Logan Wilson, their sixth-year dean of the defense, heads into Sunday's opener in Cleveland (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's FOX 19) looking for his 12^th career interception that leads all NFL linebackers in the 2020s and trying to set the tone for new coordinator Al Golden’s turnover-driven scheme.

But before sitting down with Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson during lunch for a Week One conversation, Wilson was intercepted himself Wednesday. He received a fine from the Bengals strength and conditioning staff for conducting an interview in the weight room. The misdeed was done sitting opposite leg press machines.

THE CONVERSATION

GH: You usually have lunch in the office?

LW: Yes, I'm currently munching on an apple as we speak.

GH: Why do you feel so comfortable in here?

LW: These guys keep us healthy. They take care of us. They're good dudes. I like being around good people.

GH: You've got the apple. Who fixes your lunch?

LW: My wife.

GH: What do you have today?

LW: I've got some steak fried rice with some elk that my buddy shot back home in Wyoming. He gave it to me when I was back home this summer.

GH: How is this defense going to be different than it was last year?

LW: Everyone is going to be on the same page. Guys are going to be flying around. We're going to be a better tackling team this year. And we're always trying to find ways that we can affect the ball. That's why we practice it all the time. We didn't use to do that, where we practice that before pre-practice, working on it in practice, during the game.

When you're coming in on a tackle and someone's got them wrapped up, don't go in and try to get the guy down necessarily. Try to get him down while also making a play on the ball. There is literally a direct correlation with plus-two in turnover margin and how much you win. The more turnovers we have, the better our chances to win the game because it gives our offense more opportunity to put points on the board.

GH: Is it different because you're actually working on it in practice?

LW: We're talking about it all the time, so it becomes second nature when you're out there playing. You're not even thinking about it. It's like, OK, I'm running over here, the ball carrier has it high and tight. How do I affect this ball? You're not literally talking through all that. In terms of attacking the ball, you're kind of formulating a game plan with attacking it as you're running toward the ball carrier.

GH: That's the biggest difference?

LW: I hope so, based on how much we've harped on it. It has to be. We're too good of a team to have the record we've had the last couple of years. We just need to go out and show it.

GH: No surprise. It sounds like Al is making a big impact.

LW: Yeah, he's instilled a lot of confidence in us, making sure the game plan is calm. Everyone's good. Everyone is on the same page. That the rules are all crystal clear so there is just no gray area. It's just on us to execute more than anything.

GH: How much of that turnover emphasis is Al?

LW: Al, for sure. We used to do some of that stuff when he was here my first two years (as linebackers coach). When he left, we didn't do it as much. And then he came back. It's like one of the first things we do. I already pretty much knew how he wanted those drills done.

It's a big reason why the year we went to the Super Bowl we had so many turnovers in the playoffs. That's why we won those games.

GH: I'm looking at the man who had the big pick in one of them. (In the AFC Divisional in Tennessee, Wilson corralled cornerback Eli Apple's tipped pass at midfield with 20 seconds left to set up Evan McPherson’s winning field goal.)

LW: That was just a matter of a PBU and having the effort of just turning and running to the ball. That's how those PBUs can turn into interceptions. Just constantly finding ways to do that. We're going to get back to that.

GH: That doesn't count as one of your 11 career picks because it was in the postseason. I've read and heard where you didn't have the year you wanted last year. You lost the last month or so to knee surgery. What have you done to get back to where you were?

LW: For starters, the first part of the offseason I went to Tampa to train at a performance gym instead of going to Wyoming and training on my own. Trying to make sure this knee was right and I could just feel better so that when I came into OTAs, I was in the best shape at that point in the year than I would normally be, which I feel has helped propel me forward. I went right away in January and was there until early April. Brought the whole family. Got some warm weather.

I feel really good. Body feels really good. Just honestly, going out there and proving myself right. I don't really care what all the naysayers and negative Nellies want to say out there. It's just on me to go prove myself right, and prove people that believe in me right because I know what I'm capable of. Just going out and executing.

GH: When you guys played out in San Francisco in '23, one of the storylines was the matchup of elite linebacker groups, and you guys outplayed their guys.

LW: Just having that mindset. Trying to get respect of your teammates, your peers. Guys across the league. I know what I'm capable of. It's just a matter of going out and doing it consistently every single week.

GH: You sound a little like this team. You say this team is better than the record.

LW: Yes. We just haven't played how we are capable of, and part of that is shooting ourselves in the foot early in the year not starting off great. We have that mindset going into Cleveland. It's a business trip. It's a great opportunity for us to start off 1-0 in the division, 1-0 on the year. Just keep putting the right feet forward.

GH: It looks like head coach Zac Taylor has tried to do it differently this past preseason to prevent that. No joint practices. Morning practices. Playing the Ones more in preseason games.

LW: We don't have to do anything different anymore than we've already done. At the end of the day, we still have to go out and execute. Just do what we're supposed to do. Just find a way to get a win. Regardless of how it looks. As long as we get a win, it doesn't matter. Wins in this league are hard to come by. We understand that. I understand that having been in this league as long as I have been. Any way you can get a win is important.

GH: You got the captain's call the other day, but like we said. You were a captain for three years at Wyoming, and you were basically calling defenses since your second year here. Probably not that big of a change for you.

LW: No. it doesn't really change anything. You get the pride of wearing a C on your chest on game days on your jersey. I take a lot of pride in that. I'm happy I'm part of the captain crew. I'll do my best to lead the guys the right way.

GH: The two other defensive captains are guys like you in the same boat. B.J. Hill and Trey Hendrickson.

LW: Also first-time captains. And Ja’Marr (Chase).

GH: Guys who have been considered leaders anyway. You have to be happy for them.

LW: Oh yeah. We all congratulated each other after we got named, so it was pretty cool.

GH: How much of a lift does Trey give you guys as a defense with his emotion and playmaking?

LW: It's huge to have him back. We know the caliber of player he is. He creates havoc for offenses, and so when you have a guy like that on the D-Line that creates havoc for offenses, it helps us in the back end. Pressuring the quarterback's face is when they tend to end up making mistakes. You get a batted ball or you hit him as they're throwing, and they can't get everything on the throw, and that allows us to make plays in the back end.

GH: People talk about his intensity …

LW: He's very intense on the field. He sees red for a little bit. Just goes AWOL. Those elite players, a lot of times have something off about them. They have something that triggers them and gets them going and that's why they're elite at what they do. Sometimes, you don't recognize the Trey that you recognize now. That's just part of playing this game.

GH: I guess you like seeing that guy show up.

LW: Always. Every Sunday.

GH: No one knows the defensive huddle like you. Do you know when it's coming?

LW: I can based on how much he's chipping at the offense. If someone is getting after him, he's not going to let that happen again. It's just the motor he has.

GH: Never is there more adversity than in an opener. So many unknowns. What's it like?

LW: It's like the first week of guys playing a full game. There are a lot of different things. But you just have to adapt. That's how it is.

GH: What do you think about facing Browns quarterback Joe Flacco again?

LW: There's nothing he hasn't seen. He's still a good quarterback. He's started in this league for a very, very long time. He'll put the ball where it needs to go and it's just on us to go affect him and see if we can get some turnovers.

GH: If the game goes well for the Bengals defense Sunday, what is the one thing that has to happen?

LW: We need to go plus-two in the turnover margin.

GH: Sorry about the fine. It sounds like they make it up as they go. How can I help?

LW: Just bring in some coffee or something. Anything to offset the fine.