Bengals cornerbacks coach Charles Burks has photos of wordsmiths such as James Baldwin and Muhammad Ali on his office wall. But the quote that appears to have revived Cam Taylor-Britt’s season seems to belong to an anonymous coach Burks once heard or read.
"If you see a little, you see a lot. If you see a lot, you won't see anything at all."
Or, as Taylor-Britt said following his second interception in as many weeks in Nashville on Sunday, "That wasn't my man, but right spot, right time. I just made a play."
The anonymous quote could also apply to rookie Josh Newton, who grabbed his first NFL interception and the Bengals' fourth on Sunday after rectifying an early mistake.
Or, as Newton recalled the meatball of a check-down pass offered by Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph,
"I said, 'Go get it, go get it, go get it.'"
As Burks reviewed how his guys became the first Bengals secondary in 10 years to come up with four interceptions in a game, he kept going back to how Anonymous somehow gave a name to the life of an NFL cornerback.
Just in time because one of the name wide receivers is coming into Paycor Stadium Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in the person of Cleveland’s Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy, and not the Bengals' own Triple Crown threat Ja’Marr Chase, has the NFL's most receiving yards over the last month.
"What you saw earlier in the year is probably pressing too much to make a play instead of letting the game come to you, and that's what you're seeing right now from Cam," Burks says. "He's just going up, getting on the line, and letting the game come to him, and when the ball or opportunity comes to him, make a play."
Burks doubts he would have made that play last month and like Taylor-Britt simply says, "I'm playing ball now," for a secondary in transition.
That's because he's playing with the confidence that was lacking much of the season, especially against the Chargers last month when he allowed two first-half touchdown passes. The guy who was supposed to be headed to the Pro Bowl in his third season headed to the bench instead.
But cornerback DJ Turner suffered a season-ending injury moments later, and Taylor-Britt went back in and hasn't looked back.
"I don't think it was the benching," Burks says. "Ultimately, it was not playing at the level he knows he can play that that turned him around. It's not going to be a particular incident. You've got to self-reflect. Look at the truth, study the tape, I think that's what he did."
Burks has been pounding into Taylor-Britt that he has elite ball skills (his seven interceptions are the fourth most by a cornerback in the 2022 draft class), but he has to be in position to display them.
On Sunday, on the play before the first half's two-minute warning, his technique clicked into proper alignment, and his eyes were locked on Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in a 14-14 game.
While the FOX broadcast crew was mystified at where Titans quarterback Will Levis was throwing, it was clear to Burks. It was headed to old friend Tyler Boyd trying to get open behind Taylor-Britt as the former Bengals slot receiver worked against Newton on the sideline. Not so much a bad throw, Burks says, as much as it was an aware play and great leaping catch by Taylor-Britt coming off his own man.
Good technique. Good patience. He came back to the ball and made a play as arguably as good and as big as any in the game (with apologies to Sam Hubbard) because it allowed the Bengals to score the last 10 points of the half to take a 24-14 lead.
But Burks saw something just as encouraging from Newton on the same snap.
Just moments before, Boyd had taken the rookie to school for his longest play of the year, a 40-yarder that beat Newton badly across the middle. On that play, the Titans had played it stationery pre-snap with three receivers to one side.
Now, on the Taylor-Britt pick, the Titans presented pretty much the same route for Boyd, but they motioned to it with wide receiver Calvin Ridley from the opposite side of the field. This time, Newton was draped on Boyd.
"When you can make an in-game correction like that," Burks says, "that's what you want to see."
Burks goes to the clicker on his tape machine. Newton, the fifth-rounder from TCU, did more than that Sunday and showed the memory lapse every NFL cornerback must have.
On the snap before the Taylor-Britt pick, Newton looked bad again. This time on one of his two missed tackles when he came down in cover two on second-and-14 and allowed tight end Chig Okonkwo to get 12.
"Poor angle. Not able to get his feet set," Burks says.
Fast forward a dozen snaps later. Play 37. Bengals now up 17 in the third quarter and Titans have a second-and-eight.
"Boom," Burks says.
Newton comes flying out of the same coverage to drop Okonwko after a five-yard gain.
Fast forward 20 more plays. Snap No. 57. That's the one Newton had in his locker. Interception No. 1. Cover two again. Okonwko again.
It just so happens the play starts with No. 57. Linebacker Germaine Pratt. Second and four from the Bengals 27. Early fourth quarter.
"Pratt took away the dig route," Burks says. "The quarterback (Rudolph) came back to check it down. Overthrew it and 28 (Newton) is in good position."
There is no such thing as garbage time in the NFL. There are no cameras in dumpsters. It's kind of what Burks and Taylor-Britt have been talking about. The Eye is always on you.
"These offensive coordinators see what you're doing when the play is not going to you," Burks says. "And they're preparing for you hoping you won't be disciplined."
The Eye is definitely on a secondary that looks nothing like the one in training camp. When Taylor-Britt was slumping, Turner and Dax Hill were their two best cornerbacks. They're out for the year. Taylor-Britt looks to be back, and Newton is showing more of what they saw in camp as an emerging NFL regular. Sophomore Jordan Battle is playing ahead of vet Vonn Bell and at the other safety, free agent pickup Geno Stone has played his best ball as a Bengal in the last month after a slow start.
Along the way, they picked up vet cornerback Marco Wilson last month in the wake of Turner's injury. The quicksilver Wilson, a fourth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2021, already arrived with three picks and 19 passes defensed in 54 games. He took five snaps last Sunday, mostly against Ridley, the Titans' big-play guy who only got him for one catch for 14 yards.
Burks wanted Wilson's short-area quickness and speed on Ridley. He likes Taylor-Britt on the big-body guys, and Newton is the tweener who can do a little bit of everything.
"Marco has been a good addition. He's got a chance to make a statement here in the last three games," Burks says. "It creates competition in the room and it gives you more pieces on the chessboard."
Burks just wants them to keep looking at the board. He was talking about Taylor-Britt, but he could have been talking about everyone in his room.
"Big picture," Burks says. "You've just seen more of a consistent product because he's consistent day-to- day."
Sounds like a quote good enough to quote.
