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Durham Smythe – September 26, 2022 Download PDF version

Wednesday, September 26, 2022

TE Durham Smythe

(What was your perspective on watching QB Tua Tagovailoa between having to exit, coming back in and then delivering in the second half?) – “I think, above all else, it’s what everyone else saw. It’s just that he he’s a battler. He’s going to battle for this team. Obviously if his back was aching or whatever it was, he fought through that and then came back and made some big plays for us in the second half. It’s a credit to him. I think, as the crowd got into it and everything, I think everyone saw that that brought a lot of energy to us.”

(There was a report before the game that as part of kind of the daily preparation this year, QB Tua Tagovailoa has been gathering the pass catchers post-practice, fine-tuning some stuff with the routes and the playbook and whatnot. What have you gotten out of that? And being someone that has been with Tua in the past couple years, how have you seen him really grow into that leadership role?) – “Yeah, he’s a smart guy, first and foremost. In referring to working with guys after practice and stuff, that’s a player by player basis thing. Dating back to training camp, if there was something that was a little off during practice, he’d pull you aside and get some extra reps at it. So he’s a smart guy in regards to that. And then in terms of him stepping up into a leadership role, he’s been on a pretty linear progression, I felt like, the last three years in terms of his performance in general. That’s something that kind of naturally comes. As you continue to grow and perform better and get older in this league, the leadership, especially at that position, kind of comes with it. So there’s not really anything that he has to do differently than what he’s been doing. It just kind of comes naturally once things start falling together.”

(How much appreciation do you have for a guy like WR River Cracraft, who obviously had to be disappointed not to make the 53, but he keeps working hard, gets elevated and all he has done is produce for you guys?) – “Yeah, I mean, you love to see stories like that. Obviously, he’s a great guy and he’s been through a lot in this league. He’s been cut a lot of times, has been on a few different teams, and he continues to perform for us. He does a lot of things that a lot of people don’t see. I mean, obviously he’s scored two touchdowns now. But he’s getting in there, he’s blocking guys, which a lot of guys in this league don’t like to do at that position. So he does a lot of the dirty work and obviously now it’s cool to see him get some stats in the stat book and a couple touchdowns. But I have nothing but respect for him and how he’s going about his business over the last couple of months.”

(Are you guys on offense doing anything special for these defenders that were out there for 80, 90 plays?) – “I actually didn’t even realize how wild the discrepancy was between how many plays we had and they had until this morning. We’ll give them a pat on the back and some extra rest before Thursday. We’re obviously proud that they’re out there for however many – 90 snaps? And they gave up 17 points. That’s impressive.”

(I guess, in that regard, just how critical is it to rest and recover on a short week and turn this around for Cincinnati?) – “Yeah, absolutely. Thursday games are definitely unique. And that’s really what it is. I mean, you got to get back right after the game and start the re-gen process and we’ll do that over the next couple of days. Hopefully everyone’s feeling up in terms of health and everything by Thursday and then we’ll get after it.”

(When you do have such a quick turnaround, you talked about the 24-hour rule and kind of cutting that. I guess at what point do you like start diving into Cincinnati film?) – “Yeah, this morning. I mean, that’s kind of how it is. Most Mondays are like that but specifically  on a short week, you enjoy the win last night and then this morning you got to turn the page quick because a Monday is like a normal Thursday for us on a regular week. So you turn the page.”

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