Cincinnati Bengals players and coaches sure are talking about this weekend’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles like it’s a turning point already.
Coming out of a brutal Week 2 showing against Cleveland in which the defense missed tackles, took bad angles and generally couldn’t do much en route to coughing up 200-plus rushing yards and 35 points, the tones have been notably more combative in interviews.
Safety Jessie Bates, for example, issued a warning to his defense.
Bates has now also stressed a sense of urgency for the unit, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com
“I think the urgency to fix it and find the solution this year is a lot more urgent than it was last year. Like I said and told you guys, we have to find our identity, not just as a defense but as a full team, and play a complete game.”
From the sounds of it, the new additions to the locker room have seemingly stepped up and taken control with some tough love. Think veteran adds like Josh Bynes and D.J. Reader.
“I feel like there were conversations as a team that were pretty eye-opening for a lot of guys,” Bates said. “It hasn’t only came from Lou.”
As for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, he’s been candid this week that there were some uncomfortable talks in the locker room, both right after the loss to the Browns and over the course of the last week as a whole.
He says some of those newcomers have helped in a peer-pressure sense.
“I think the guys that we brought in and some of the guys that were here have really made their presence felt in that regard,” Anarumo said of peer pressure.
Members of the Bengals organization preached all offseason that the emphasis was on bringing aboard veteran leaders from winning programs. That applied to additions in free agency and the draft.
Long story short — onlookers are about to find out if the new faces can whip the old faces into fighting shape, changing the performance of the entire unit as a whole.
The defense again won’t have Geno Atkins in the middle against the Eagles. But talk from inside the locker room makes it sound like nobody will use that as an excuse if things don’t get better.
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