After the bye week, Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates made a pretty interesting admission — his lackluster first half of the season was, in part, due to his contract situation.
Bates didn’t get a big-money extension like some might’ve expected and he said it had a negative impact on his play.
Asked about Bates’ comments, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said the following:
“I think that players that are able to be accountable they’re usually the ones that are easier to deal with, because they understand the message that’s being delivered. Their hardest on themselves and that’s what makes Jessie such a great player is that he knows he capable of being one of the top safeties to play this game in a long time. That’s his standard for himself, so when guys like that feel like they’re not living up to their standard they’re hard on themselves. I didn’t hear what his answer was, but that’s why you like coaching guys like that, because they’re mentality is they’ve always got to get better.”
Bates is a pretty good example of the locker room culture the Bengals have been trying to build for the last two and a half seasons now. While his play hasn’t been great, the fact he’s willing to get in front of a mic and publicly own it says it all.
And the Bengals will need Bates to experience a quick turnaround if the team is to avoid its typical post-bye letdown that has a way of derailing seasons.
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