NEW ORLEANS _ Zack Baun, who in less than a year went from Saints' special teamer to the Eagles' Defensive Player of the Year finalist, returned to the Caesar's Superdome Monday to offer praise of his old position coach from a Super Bowl podium.

Mike Hodges, his coach with the Saints, is now the Bengals linebackers coach, and Baun says they've got a good one.

Hodges was in his fourth year with the Saints and first as head of the backers when they took Baun in the 2020 third round.

Baun ended up starting only 14 games in his four seasons in New Orleans, but he learned enough from Hodges that he crushed it in his first year with the Eagles: He started 16 games and made first-team All-Pro with the off-the-ball havoc of 3.5 sacks, four passes defensed, five forced fumbles and 151 tackles while playing 95% of the snaps.

And he has only good things to say about his first NFL coach even though he played only 27% of the plays as a Saint.

"He had a lot of influence on my game," said Baun from one of the coveted podiums during Monday night's Opening Night of Super Bowl week. "From the jump during COVID, he was helping me out, obviously making that transition from on the ball to off the ball. Great coach. Very detail-oriented and even better person. A friend for life."

So is Bengals backup linebacker Joe Bachie, classmates from 2020 when Bachie signed with the Saints undrafted out of Michigan State. Bachie found himself working with Hodges and Baun at odd nooks and crannies as the NFL dealt with that pandemic summer leading up to a late and truncated training camp.

"That was a weird time because of COVID," Bachie says. "Where ever and whenever we were allowed, Hodges, me and Zack would walk through stuff and I helped Zack out trying to learn how to play off-the-ball linebacker. He never did that at Wisconsin. We were kind of all working together trying to figure this out together."

Hodges did his job well enough that Baun went to the Pro Bowl off the ball this season in Philly after the Saints struggled with him primarily on the ball. Bachie says it's simply a prime example of a guy getting a shot.

"You can't really play Zack when you have guys like Pete Werner and Demario Davis playing really well," Bachie says. "When you've got two guys ahead of him playing well, that's kind of a hard spot to be in. But Zack went to a perfect spot and perfect fit for him, and I was super happy for him."

Baun and Hodges spoke as recently as the end of this past season, and it gives an insight on how Hodges wants to run his room.

"He just called on me to check on how I was doing as a person and how he's so proud of me and happy for me," Baun said. "He does a good job blending that coach to player with friend to friend. I really appreciate that."

Bachie, a free agent, hopes he'll be able to re-join Hodges in Cincinnati. He thinks Hodges' 38-year-old energy is just as good a fit with the Bengals as Baun is in Philly.

"I've always told my wife Hodges is one of my favorite coaches," Bachie says. "We had some good vets in the room, similar to how Cincinnati is with some of the group with guys who have played for a while. He wanted feedback constantly. He wanted to know what we thought or how we saw the game. He wanted to know to make him a better coach and get everyone on the same page."

Bachie still remembers after road losses Hodges making his way to the back of the plane and asking him what he saw and what he could have done better that day. That struck a chord with Bachie that still resonates because, "I was just a practice squad guy. I was an undrafted guy. He didn't have to ask me."

Of course, the irony is the Eagles plucked Bachie from the New Orleans squad late that rookie season and the Bengals, in turn, grabbed Bachie off waivers in the spring of 2021.

"I think Hodges can bring that younger feel. There's nothing wrong with the two LB coaches I've had here, so far," Bachie says of Al Golden and James Bettcher with the Bengals. "I think just a new fresh face, a fresh start in there for guys like Logan (Wilson) just to see and be around."

TWIN INSPIRATION

Backup safety Sydney Brown is here as an Eagles special teams stalwart and reports twin Chase Brown is on his way Thursday to watch him play in the Super Bowl to cap his watershed year.

Chase, the Bengals' almost 1,000-yard running back still miffed Sydney's Eagles got the better of the Bengals back in October at Paycor Stadium, thought it was going to be him and Cincinnati in here this week.

But these guys have always supported each other from Canada to Florida to Illinois. This week is no different, even if it is Sydney and not Chase trying to become the 18^th Canadian to win a Super Bowl ring.

During the Opening Night ceremony, Sydney, who has played five snaps from scrimmage this postseason, revealed Chase's breakout sophomore year has become his inspiration. The Oct. 27 loss to the Eagles was the last time Chase didn't have at least 90 yards from scrimmage until he missed the finale with a sprained ankle and stuck on 990 rushing yards.

"For me, it's inspiring. I know whatever he can do, I can do," Sydney said. "He took advantage of his opportunity. It was unreal. I watched every single game. If you look at what that guy did in the offseason to prepare his mind, to prepare his body to put himself in position; He turned his weaknesses into strengths and he's going to do that again this offseason. That's just how he's wired."

Sydney returned from an ACL injury the week before the Bengals game and didn't play more than 10 snaps in a game on defense until the Eagles rested their starters in the regular-season finale. But he knows he's also Chase's inspiration as the first of them to play in the big game.

"He's not a personal accolades guy. For him, it's not about reaching 1,000 yards," Sydney said. "It was hard to be with him (after the October game) because he was upset about them losing."

C.J. SIGHTING

Seen in the Opening Night swirl was old friend C.J. Uzomah in a maybe not-so-familiar setting. Yes, the Bengals' 2021 Super Bowl tight end was again coming into this game off injury.

But unlike the last time, when he injured his ankle in the AFC title game in Kansas City and threw down his crutches at the Paycor Stadium Super Bowl rally, Uzomah has played only five games this season for the Eagles. He caught one ball for four yards in splitting time with the active roster and practice squad. He's been on injured reserve and can return Sunday.

"We'll see," said Uzomah after conducting an interview in Spanish.

"No, I was just nodding a lot," Uzomah said. "I was telling them I wish I had studied Spanish a little harder before I started dating my girlfriend and had a nine-month-old who'll have bilingual conversations I can't understand."

Uzomah can't ever remember this happening on his Bengals' Super Bowl trip, the last one under strict COVID protocols. No interviews in Spanish. Just massive Zoom calls on a laptop as scrolled down a massive list of people and waiting for them to unmute. The only time they met the media in person was outside the Friday before the game in Los Angeles.

"This is a little more hectic. A little more freedom. We still have a strict schedule, but you can go out and grab some dinner," Uzomah said.

On Monday night he wasn't so much into the Big Easy vibes and the city's glittering cuisines as he was talking about his favorite Cincinnati eatery.

"Walt's Hitching Post. Best establishment," Uzomah said. "On the Kentucky side. Amazing."

He just turned 32 last month as his 10th season comes to an end. This week has him thinking about how close the Bengals were to getting the ring. A mere 39 seconds.

"My girlfriend is a huge Bengals fan. She brings it up all the time. Randomly," Uzomah said. "I say, 'Do you have to talk about that right now?'"

He keeps in touch with some of his old buddies. In the last year, it's been more new Titans wide receiver Tyler Boyd because Uzomah spends his offseasons in Nashville.

"Cincinnati is still close to the heart," Uzomah said. "Next to Nashville, my second home."

ALWAYS CHAD

Bengals Ring of Honor member Chad Johnson was jumping around the Superdome Monday night because he's always everywhere. One minute he was hugging Eagles safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, the next a lowly scribe.

Then he held court on Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s Triple Crown season.

"Winning the Triple Crown is an unbelievable achievement in any era," Johnson said. "It would be that much more difficult to do it in our era.

"With our style of football? With that kind of defense? Steelers. Ravens. Yeah, those rules. Hard to do in our era of football."

During Johnson's career, only Carolina's Steve Smith did it in 2005. But then, Johnson is the first player in this century to win four straight conference receiving yardage titles. Of course, he remains all in on Chase.

"Here's a guy who came in as a rookie and said, 'I'm going to break every bleeping record,' and he has," Johnson said.

Then he brandished his phone to reveal a DM message from Chase, a courtesy before he posted.

"This is funny," Johnson said. "He says, 'I need to be a 99 now (Madden rating). 'No debate. I'm letting you know beforehand."

Johnson-Gardner turned to Johnson and said, "That's my big cuz. I appreciate everything he tells me."

What Johnson tells him is, "There's a lot of guys in my position who take the NFL for granted. I don't want to be a statistic. I can overcome a lot of obstacles because I already have."

Gardner-Johnson is having his best year in his sixth season, 20 years after Johnson led the AFC in receiving yards for a second time.

"Me and C.J. are like this. It is so cool. I haven't played in so long, but all the players from today's game, we're like this," said Johnson with interlocking hands.

And then he was gone, still jumping around, a month after turning 47.