Player of the Day
MLB Barrett Carter
Told he had won the coveted Bengals.com Player of the Day Tuesday at training camp, Carter was decidedly unimpressed.
"I don't want that," Carter said. "I want the AFC Player of the Week."
Like defensive coordinator Al Golden said after practice above the roar of downtown construction matching what he's been doing to this overnight new defense ("This is like working Temple," he said of a stint as a college head coach), his linebackers, Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr., have something to prove and are playing with an edge.
It was Carter who had a day Tuesday, playing downhill and, for the most part, helping bottle up an inside running game that had gouged holes the day before. Featuring some collisions with tight end Erick All Jr. as fullback. Knight was good, too, but Carter is the guy talking to Golden in his helmet before every play and getting them lined up.
"Nothing bad, but still room to improve. The physicality was good," said Carter of the steps between Monday and Tuesday. "We just need to keep improving being gap sound, being disciplined."
Of course, nose tackle Dexter Lawrence could have been Player of the Day, too. The way quarterback Joe Burrow has dominated some camps, Lawrence has been the defensive equivalent on some of these days.
"That's typically what a nose tackle does. I'm supposed to make life easier for (Carter)," said Lawrence, which seemed to happen Tuesday.
Last week, Carter talked about what a difference a year makes in recognizing and calling defenses. On Tuesday, it also translated into him playing as fast as his calls.
Bryan Cook, the Chiefs safety who signed a three-year deal in the offseason, began counting after practice. He figures he'll be playing those three seasons with Carter.
"I can see him grow much more than today," Cook said. "He's setting his foundation … He's willing to learn ,and he's willing to teach me. And as far as being a man for the defense, it's one of the toughest positions with both coverage and rush."
Lawrence is making guys like edge Boye Mafe better. Cook is making the safety next to him, Jordan Battle, better. But the guy reaping the most benefits may be the man in the middle. Carter.
"My head is usually buried into blocks, so I can't see everything … I need to watch the tape to diagnose it," said Lawrence, who is quite aware of Carter's pedigree as a fellow Clemson product. "Greatest university in the world."
What he can see about Carter is this: "He's flowing, playing confident. Second year in the defense, so he's understanding it a little better. That's a lot of credit to him."
The big thing, he says, is the big-picture mindset.
"It starts with that. Just keep building off each day. No telling where it can go," Lawrence said.
It's going right where they hoped it would be going after last year's rough rookie season as Golden talked about the difference in his linebackers.
"Just their command. Command is night and day," Golden said. "Control on the line of scrimmage, getting us in the right checks, getting us in the right fronts. We call it empowerment. Having the freedom to, if you see it, get us aligned the way you want, or get us in a stunt the way you want. I think that's been significant. I think they're playing downhill. I think they're playing a lot faster."
Carter feels like he's getting downhill because he's got more faith in his calls. Even though Burrow is throwing a myriad of motions and sets at them. "Star Wars," before every snap," Golden says. "Nobody does it better than them."
And yet Carter has calmly cut through the chaos and has them playing what Cook calls "stingy," defense.
"One thing about our defense is if you see something, you say something. Don't keep it a secret. Whatever you see. You might even be wrong," Carter said. "We're talking more, and the more we're talking, the better will be.'
It's no secret. Player of the Day.
"I want to be MVP of the Super Bowl," Carter said.
Remember this day at the parade.
Play of the Day
S Bryan Cook
Yes, the pick-six on the ones' last play of team drills. Cook breaking out of the top of quarters coverage, stepping in front of wide receiver Mitch Tinsley and taking it to the house, aided by Mafe's hellacious rush on Burrow.
But go back to seven-on-seven about a half-hour before. In the traffic at the goal line, Burrow whizzed a ball right through Cook's hands.
A microcosm of what Cook has seen from this defense in the first week:
"Able to come back from adversity."
"Closest I'd been to the ball all camp," said Cook, still amazed at the drop. "They were giving it to me. Calling me, 'Butterfingers,' and all that."
Cook has been giving it to guys all camp: "We need those."
He got his share. Slot cornerback Jalen Davis shook his head as they passed on the sideline. "Got to have it, Cook."
So naturally after the pick, and with Cook on one knee, he gave it back to Davis.
"We need it and we got it," Cook said. "Watch, they're going to come now. Floodgates."
As much as the pass rush has changed, Cook's leadership has changed the secondary.
"He's been very versatile. In his career he's made plays coming out of the post, the hash," Davis said. "And he's a former cornerback, so he can go against anybody one-on-one."
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Everything. His explosiveness, his competitiveness. When he came out and said the '7-11' thing. I'm young so I think that's super cool. But then the next game, he goes out and proves it. That's awesome."
Reds red-hot rookie Sal Stewart, wearing a Ja'Marr Chase jersey, on what he likes about his game.
Slants and Screens
Jalen Davis is making plays amid the competition at the first-team slot, where he's been sharing snaps with Ja'Sir Taylor. They also like what Bralyn Lux is doing after last year's stint on the practice squad, and Golden says he'll get a look with the ones, too …
Golden also says that third-round pick Tacario "Bobo," Davis has earned a shot on the corner to go against Chase and Tee Higgins. His 6-4 fluidity has people buzzing.
"He's long. Sometimes you can pigeonhole guys because they're long or they're a long strider," Golden said. "But he's got lateral quickness. He's got tremendous reach, so he can play big at the line of scrimmage. He's got catch-up speed vertically, and he's got ball skills. So I'm excited about him, and we're going to continue to give him opportunities, especially to go against Tee and Ja'Marr before too long and keep it rolling. But I'm very excited about him, and he's a smart kid." …
Golden summed up the intense pass rush as well and as succinctly as any scribe: "I think the middle push is making the tight turn a little bit easier on the edge, and that's really helped us move the quarterback back, and he can't step into throws as much." …
