TJ Slaton and Ted Karras on Cincinnati Bengals Practice Fights

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

Transcript

00:00Shamar and Lucas, what'd you think of?

00:02I want to talk, you know, we can't talk about them like that out there.

00:05I don't know what happened.

00:06I was blind to it.

00:08I couldn't see, you know, it's just, you know, teammates.

00:12That's why I say it was just a lot of love out there.

00:14It was a lot of love out there, man.

00:16You know, everybody just wanted extra hugs and stuff, you know.

00:19That's all it was.

00:20You surprised it took 14 practices to really have that kind of situation occur?

00:24Man, it's getting, man, man, it's getting hot, man.

00:27I just want to let y'all know that it's getting hot.

00:29It's hot out there.

00:30I don't know why it's so hot up here, but it's hot out there.

00:33Yeah.

00:34Do you think Shamar's, like, attitude and his intensity could be something

00:39that you guys really benefit from as a defensive line?

00:42His energy, most definitely.

00:44His aggression, his attitude, that's all on him and how he approached the game.

00:50And as you can see out there, he has real love for the game.

00:53So, as long as it's controlled aggression, hey, we'll use it all day.

01:00Is that a good sign, TJ, to see, for lack of better words,

01:03a lot of dogs on that defensive line?

01:05Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:06I'll be one of those people that be trying to play angry,

01:09but sometimes it narrows your sight a little bit.

01:11So, it's always good to be, like, calm or, like, in the flow, you know what I'm saying?

01:15So, you can be able to see everything on the field of what's going on.

01:18You know, playing angry always has a good side and it has downsides, too.

01:22You said there's a lot of love out there.

01:23How do you all balance that, like, the aggression that happens out there

01:26sometimes between guys but still, you know, being a team?

01:30Sometimes you got to let somebody know, like, hey, man, you know,

01:33at the end of the day, it's just football.

01:34Like, I ain't got no beef.

01:36We're not taking it off the field.

01:37It's just football.

01:38So, whatever little scuffle or little discomfort that starts right here

01:43is going to end right here.

01:44Did it get to that point today where you had to let any of your teammates know that?

01:48No, no, no, no, it's just, like, it's just football, man.

01:52That's why I say everybody, for some reason, everybody just needed an extra hug today.

01:56So, you know, they all got up in one little huddle and we just all hugging each other.

02:00So, you talked about the pick sixes you had against Aaron and Jordan.

02:04Did you ever accidentally bump them?

02:05No, no, I ain't never bump them like that, no.

02:09What do you think about the defensive line as it kind of takes hold?

02:12Obviously, you were able to see a little bit of game action from the starters,

02:15but can we just get your thoughts on how you feel like the group is taking shape?

02:18We're coming together well.

02:20We're getting better every day.

02:21We're learning each other.

02:23Well, I'm really learning a lot of them.

02:25But I think we're coming well.

02:27This week was a great, you know, form of communication.

02:30A lot of us was on the same page.

02:32I feel like today in practice we held the offense to where we needed to be.

02:36And then I feel like just looking over today

02:39and we figure out exactly what our standard is and then we're going to go from there.

02:42From an energy standpoint, is this the norm for you?

02:45Obviously, you're new to us or we're new to you.

02:47Have you been a leader in years past?

02:50I would say I lead by example.

02:53I'm not a big vocal guy, like standing in front of the team and talking.

02:56But, you know, maybe one day I might get to that point.

02:59But right now, you know, I'm still trying to, you know, find my footing here.

03:03So, like, you know, I'm just being that good teammate

03:05and just being that guy that just be happy and, you know, have good energy around the guys.

03:10And then maybe, you know, once that role is, you know, really showing itself to me, I'll take it on.

03:17Giving out free hugs.

03:18Yeah, exactly.

03:19You know what I'm saying?

03:20You feel me?

03:20Like somebody getting mad.

03:21Like, hey, man, it's like, come on, man, just give me a hug.

03:24Give me a hug.

03:24We can squash this.

03:26That's all it is.

03:28Do you understand that pick, TJ?

03:30Oh, most definitely.

03:31But I'm going to tell you.

03:32So, this right here, for whoever got a camera on me,

03:35this right here is the reason why I didn't catch that ball.

03:38So, okay, my thumb is a little messed up right now.

03:41I had this on with extra tape, and it just didn't work out.

03:45So, it hit you in the neck and then?

03:46Oh, yeah, yeah.

03:47If I didn't have this on, it was caught, most definitely.

03:50So, you said it hit you in the neck.

03:51So, it hit the neck and then came down to your hand.

03:52It hit me, like, right here.

03:54And then I tried to catch it, and then it hit my thumb, and then it fell.

03:59So, hey, you know, it's all right.

04:02But, hey, I've had one every year I've been in camp.

04:07So, trust me, that was just the op.

04:08It's coming back.

04:09Well, I think we got a little loose from an O-line perspective today.

04:15And I think just some things transpired that warranted a response,

04:18and Lucas delivered that.

04:21I thought we handled it well overall.

04:22It wasn't like a shut down the practice type of scuffle.

04:25And it's probably about time we had one of those.

04:30What is the fine line, Ted, in determining you want to be nasty,

04:34you want to protect each other, but you don't want to let it get out of control?

04:37TJ was talking about that today.

04:39Yeah, I think, honestly, the guys handled it well today.

04:42I thought we let out some aggression.

04:45There was things that needed a response to warranted a response.

04:48It was responded.

04:49There was a couple scuffles.

04:51At least we got some work in.

04:52It wasn't like a total shutdown of the day.

04:55How many times have you seen a quarterback get bumped in a practice?

05:00Not many.

05:03And that is what it is.

05:04We got to be better up front.

05:06Is that warranted the response?

05:08Yes.

05:09I mean, obviously you don't want what happened today or anyone to touch Joe,

05:13but overall do you like the kind of edge Shamar brings to the defensive line?

05:18Hell yeah.

05:19Just be smarter.

05:21It's a great rush.

05:22I'll have to see it.

05:23I was on the other side of the line of scrimmage, but great player.

05:27But come on, man.

05:27That's all our hopes and dreams right there.

05:30We got to be better, too.

05:31That's on us.

05:32Are you surprised you took 14 practices for something like that?

05:37I think one thing about this team, Zach said this in the spring,

05:43that he wants us to be the closest team in the NFL.

05:46I think we've really taken that.

05:48I think more so than any team I've been here in the past,

05:52there's a lot of across-the-ball relationships,

05:55and I think we have a lot of really good pros,

05:57and we've put out really efficient, good practices.

06:02But today the D kicked our ass, and we had to respond a little bit.

06:06We had some fire.

06:07It was in a way that we were still executing plays,

06:09but there were some scuffles at the end.

06:11I'm not surprised it took 14.

06:12I don't think that's like an indictment on everyone's passion.

06:15I think it's more of a trait of the fact that we have such good relationships

06:23across the ball.

06:26Thanks, guys.

06:26It's kind of a group effort, isn't it?

06:28I mean, it did look like it was kind of everybody.

06:31It was kind of a thing.

06:33A little bit, yeah.

06:35Yeah, I guess a little bit.

06:36But, I mean, everyone came out healthy,

06:38which is always the goal when you go into something like that.

06:41And I thought Lucas did the right thing.

06:46I thought, you know, offense had to respond somehow.

06:50So it would have been nice to get another touchdown after that.

06:53But we're going to go take our licks here in the meeting room here in about an hour.

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