BENGALS POSTGAME QUOTES
ZAC TAYLOR
Head coach
What did you like most about the opening drive?
"Scored a touchdown and were two-for-two on third downs, which was key. I thought there were some positive things from our offense and our defense, those two starting units. Our defense got three-and-out, up seven on the board. We did a good job setting the tone. Really, defensively, I thought they finished the half well. The second drive wasn't great, but they did a good job after that. A lot of energy and fixing some corrections, but offensively we couldn't get anything going. It was ugly and didn't really give us an opportunity to showcase our skills."
How did you think Joe Burrow looked?
"I thought he looked sharp. We'll watch the tape, but I thought he was in control and saw the defense well. We're not sitting there digesting all of the tape to make sure we can attack them, but I thought that he handled it real well and those guys made plays for him."
What was the objective on the script for the first drive?
"There's a mixture of things. We had some runs and different types of things mixed in. Ultimately we wanted to protect him, of course. We didn't want to put him in harm's way and do too much drop back. I thought we did a good job getting everybody involved, so everyone was able to kind of touch the ball on that first drive and get in the end zone, and get those guys out of the game."
Did the first drive go as you envisioned?
"It did. We were able to hit on a couple things. Really, the only one that got sideways on us was the screen against the safety pressure. We had to burn it but other than that, I thought it was really efficient."
Do you have an update on WR Charlie Jones from Thursday?
"He'll be week-to-week. He banged knees with one of the DBs on that play. He'll be kind of week-to-week with that."
Chase Brown played at running back in the first half. Was that the plan not to play Zack Moss?
"He (Zack Moss) got sick last night and didn't feel great today, so it didn't make sense to get him around the guys."
What were your impressions of Dax Hill at cornerback?
"I saw him around the ball a lot today, and so now we'll just look at it. You know, take the next step and go get your hands on it and go take it away. He got close on one. As we saw the replay, we didn't think they were going to give it to us. It felt like they probably made the right call there. Some of the ones are just close. That's him. He's already around the ball, ready to make plays. Now as he just gets more comfortable every week, another week under his belt, I think his aggressiveness will continue to increase. That's why he's out there, so there's a lot of positive things to build off of there."
Jermaine Burton didn't play early. Was that the plan and what were your thoughts once he got in?
"There's just zero rhythm whatsoever (in the) second quarter midway through the third quarter to where we weren't focused on just getting guys in there — we focused on getting first downs so we could run the ball and call some stuff off of it. We were able to get him in there late in the game and target him a couple times. The quarterback did a good job finding him and he did a great job when the ball went to him. That's what we want to see from him."
Is it too early to tell and give your impressions on Amarius Mims?
"For me it is, yeah, just calling the game. We'll be able to regroup and watch it tomorrow and have a better feel."
What were your impressions of Josh Newton?
"Very active. Loves ball. He's around the ball quite a bit. He's has done a couple different things for us I think as a rookie. He's had a good start and now it's just a consistency. I think I've said that a lot about all these rookies. It's just consistency. You can't have a splash play and then have a negative. You have to play with that consistency on every single snap. I like his personality. I like what he brings to the defense. He's got great energy. He loves ball. That's a good starting point."
You had a chance to see some situational football. What were your thoughts on that?
"The end of the first half, I would have loved to steal another five yards. You're in regular season mode with your starters and the things you've worked on. I think in the regular season, I probably would have banged a time out with eight seconds there and try to steal five (yards) on the sidelines instead of kicking a 58-yarder. We've put Evan (MacPherson) in a lot of really tough spots and expect him to come through for us, but that's a long field goal there. There's some situational stuff that's good for me to refresh myself on. I'm getting good feedback. It was good that stuff happened at the end of the first half. It could have happened at the end of the second half. I had to manage the time outs in the second half. I know it's a preseason game, but we also want to win, so there was a time where we would have been more aggressive as they had the ball to keep time on the clock for us to go win it in two-minute. So, it was good for all of us, players and coaches."
Do you think Joe Burrow throws that deep ball to Tee Higgins into double coverage if this was a regular season game?
"That's an opportunity that not a lot of bad can happen when you put it out there like he did. Really, how different is it from than the catch me made against the Ravens in 2021 here? We've seen him make that play, so when the quarterback sees one of our guys in that position, put the ball up and let them go get it, which is what he did. I think their DB did a good job just getting their hand through there to knock it down. I expect our guys to throw that ball a hundred out of a hundred times, and more times than not our guys will make it. I thought their DB did a good job getting it out."
JOE BURROW
Quarterback
How are you feeling?
"Feel good. Good to be back out there."
How did you feel about your first snaps back?
"It was good to be back out there with the guys. Nice to get some reps in the game that didn't count towards our record. Still some work to do. It's nice to get back out there."
Was there a series of throws you felt best about?
"Felt good about all of them."
What was your main objective?
"Get out there with your team. Get the feel of getting out there again. Get the feel of playing a game again. Getting to play against the clock. Getting to play against the defense. Getting hit again at some point though I didn't get hit today, which is a good thing."
Zac Taylor said you looked sharp out there, did you feel like you were sharp?
"Yeah, it was a good performance."
Would you like to get hit soon?
"I wouldn't mind getting hit before the first game. We'll see."
Does that mean you'll be playing more in the preseason?
"We'll see. That's a Zac question there. He'll make that decision. We'll see where that goes."
Are you looking to get hit once in the preseason?
"Maybe once before anything. Just get hit one time before getting out there for the first game."
Are you looking to get hit once in practice?
"That's not going to happen."
You didn't play with Jermaine Burton while you were out there, but what do you feel like he needs to do to get out there earlier and be a factor?
"He made some really good plays there at the end. He just needs to keep working hard, getting in his playbook, continue to build and grow as player and as a person. His future is bright and just needs to keep working hard."
Is there anything you felt like you accomplished that you wanted to get done?
"Not sure I necessarily had a list of things that I wanted to get accomplished. It was nice to score that touchdown, had a little help, but it was a nice start."
Did you try to make a more concerted effort to drive the ball down in the first series?
"No, I don't really think about it that way. Just throw to where the defense tells me to."
You've said you wanted to get into a rhythm. Have you felt like you're taking a step in the right direction?
"Yeah, I'd say that. It's always nice to get the feeling of a real game out there. Go through your pregame routine, pregame warmups, run out with the team, be in front of fans. It was a nice start."
Was there a bit of an adrenaline rush when you got out there for the first time since November?
"Not really a bit of an adrenaline rush, not like Week 1 will be. I knew I wasn't playing a ton, but it was nice to get back out there."
What did you see on the deep ball?
"The guy made a good play. I put it where I wanted to. I had another option in my head of where else I could have put it. I don't know, he made a good play."
JOSH NEWTON
Cornerback
How big of a thrill is it to get an interception in your first game?
"It's a blessing, man. (It's a) dream come true. (It's) the first of many, the first of many."
What did you see on the play?
"We were in man-to-man (coverage). He gave me a certain stem and I knew he was going to run back outside, so I just ran outside, made sure I turned my head and the ball was just right there."
That was a big play, obviously, but how do you feel the rest of the night went for you?
"I feel like it was great. I'm getting better and better as the reps go ... it's all about just getting comfortable."
Did you just get the wind knocked out of you earlier in the game when you went down a spell on that play near the goal line?
"Yes. Yes I did. But I'm all right."
After so many training camp practices, how nice was it to be out there and play against someone other than your own teammates?
"It was very nice. It was a beautiful thing to just be able to see our togetherness, all the hard work that we're putting in (with) each other, and go do it against other teams. It's a great thing."
CHASE BROWN
Halfback
After so many training camp practices playing against your teammates, how did it feel to go play against someone else?
"Yeah, it was about time. If you were there for those last practices, we were ready to go play somebody else. The first preseason game is always good. You get out there, you get your feet wet a little bit and you get to compete against another person in a different jersey. It feels good."
How do you feel like the game went for you tonight?
"It was good. It was just a quick little drive at the start of the game, but (there was) definitely a lot to take away (from it)."
What did you like from the team in general tonight, watching from the sidelines and seeing some of the younger guys play?
"No. 1, the way some of these guys stepped up. No. 2, the way that we reacted throughout the entire game. I thought that we were poised and with all the penalties and all that. I like the way we reacted today."
JERMAINE BURTON
Wide receiver
You had three catches for 82 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown and a 38-yard reception. What was going on there tonight where you were able to have such success against Tampa Bay's cornerbacks?
"Yeah, ultimately (it was) just being able to compete with my guys in real live action. Of course the other team has great competitors, but we've been working really hard this offseason, trying to connect and get a chemistry down with all the quarterbacks and just trying to make a play when your number is called."
You've played football at a high level in college. To play like you did in your first NFL experience, was it not surprising to you?
"It just comes with work. As long as you continue to put the work in and stay ready, you don't have to get ready (really). So pretty much, any moment I was placed in tonight, I was prepared for it and ready to attack full throttle. The fact that it was able to happen (tonight) and come to life, it's amazing. I'm just going to keep on working."
What did wide receivers coach Troy Walters have to say to you on the sidelines about the big plays you made?
"He was good. He just congratulated me, but there's a lot more work to do. You can celebrate — 'good job, good catch' — and then keep on moving, because I wanted to make a lot more plays. I still want to make a lot more plays, so I'm just going to keep on working and see where it takes me."
