Bengals Safety Geno Stone on Struggles, Bye Week, Mindset Moving Forward

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

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00:00What's been the toughest part of the season for you, do you think?

00:05For me, honestly, I mean, just winning.

00:07I mean, that's the only thing.

00:08Losing close games, you know, that's probably the biggest thing I would say for myself.

00:14You know, we're losing critical situations and they're self-inflicted,

00:19so that's probably the biggest part, I would say.

00:21It's like getting frustrated for me.

00:23What is the potential of this secondary now to reset, come back and be better?

00:28No, I mean, I feel like we got the guys, we got the talent.

00:31You know, I feel like we just shoot ourselves in the foot every once in a while.

00:35There's times where we look really good, really great.

00:38You know, I feel like we showed in the second half

00:40and it was literally the last, what is it, minute, 20 seconds, whatever it was.

00:44You know, we kind of gave up a little.

00:46It was really just two plays, but I feel like for the most part of the game,

00:50you know, guys are doing their job, but it shows when, you know,

00:53when guys are communicating or not on the same page or doing whatever their job is,

00:57you know, it can be really bad.

00:58How do you bottle that third quarter and most of the fourth quarter,

01:02the way you guys played defensively?

01:04It seemed like, and Lou said this last week,

01:06that you were all kind of connected and on the string together.

01:09Yeah, I mean, I feel like that's something that we've been doing all year.

01:13We have glimpses where we're all together, everybody's on the same page,

01:16and then, like I said, we shoot ourselves in the foot.

01:18Every one critical area where something happens,

01:20and then, you know, I feel like all the momentum deflates.

01:22And that's my whole message with you guys all the time.

01:24We've got to switch the momentum.

01:26They said that at halftime, and I think we came out with the right energy,

01:29the right juice, but we just got to be able to finish.

01:31What's one of the biggest messages from Lou over the,

01:33like when you all met in the meeting today,

01:35like what was the biggest point that he wanted to make to you all?

01:38Same, like, I mean, it's probably the same thing every week.

01:40You know, we got to be able to finish, and as it starts starting fast, you know,

01:44we kind of gave up to, what, 24 points, you know, coming out,

01:48and they really weren't rushing the balls as good as they were.

01:51And, you know, at the end of the game, it's always,

01:53I feel like at the end of the game, it's always a big run that hurts us.

01:55That's one thing we got to be able to stop and be able to finish.

01:58What about creating turnovers, Gino?

02:00What is the key to maybe getting that momentum going?

02:03Because that may be more than anything is one of the denominators

02:06that's been missing in some of these close losses anyway.

02:09I mean, you know, stabbing at the ball every time the runner is running,

02:13whatever it may be.

02:15You know, for myself, you know, I wish I could have seven picks,

02:17eight picks like I did last year right now.

02:19But, you know, it's hard for me to go get the ball

02:21whenever the ball's not in the middle of the field,

02:24as usually it was for me last year.

02:26You know, a lot of the balls are usually outside shots.

02:29So, trust me, I wish I could be doing what I did last year still right now.

02:33But at the same time, I just got to be able to do my job

02:36and depend on people to do their jobs.

02:38Has it been frustrating to hear the criticism of being a free agent?

02:40Do you know what you did last year?

02:42How hard has that been to kind of hear some of that chatter

02:44about kind of the lack of production?

02:46I mean, it is what it is.

02:47I mean, I can't.

02:48One thing I'm not going to do is go out there and chase plays.

02:50I mean, when I go out there to chase plays, it looks bad on me.

02:52You know, something goes wrong, it looks bad on me

02:55because I'm the last guy in the back end zones.

02:57So, whatever it may be, I'll take the criticism.

02:59You know, I get paid the big bucks to take the criticism.

03:02So, you know, one thing about me, I told the guys, you know,

03:06halfway through the year, I said at the end of the day, I'm here for them.

03:09I'll never point fingers.

03:10That's never what I'll do.

03:11So, I'll take the heat for everything.

03:12You know, I'm the last guy on defense all the time.

03:14So, if someone wants to blame someone, you can blame me.

03:16Is that part of just being a free safety?

03:17That's part of being a DB in general.

03:19It is what it is, you know.

03:20The ball's got to get past 10 other people before it gets to me.

03:22So, you know, when the ball's in the area, I do expect myself to go get it.

03:27You know, I definitely have plays where I wish I could take back.

03:30I mean, I probably had, like, one or two plays last game.

03:32So, you know, it is what it is.

03:34All the media want to do is, I feel like, all the critics out there,

03:38they want to, you know, talk about all the bad things that happened.

03:40But, I mean, they need to talk about none of the good things.

03:42So, that's what creates stories.

03:44So, it is what it is.

03:45They create their own stories.

03:46One thing that we've heard for about the last month here in the locker room,

03:49it's all there in front of us still.

03:51Do you believe that, that it's still, you know,

03:53if you guys play like you're capable, it's all there to make a playoff run?

03:57Yeah, definitely.

03:58I mean, we went out, you know, we go 10-7.

04:00You know, there's a lot of teams that make the playoffs going 10-7.

04:03So, I mean, at the end of the day, I mean, it's not like, I mean,

04:06if you look at our schedule, it don't matter who it is on the schedule.

04:08We've been able to fight with every team so far this year.

04:10We just got to be able to finish.

04:11I feel like it's only one game that we kind of laid an egg,

04:14I'd say now it's probably Philadelphia.

04:16But besides that, I mean, I feel like we go toe-to-toe to anybody.

04:19I know I trust Joe on the other side of the ball.

04:22I trust all the special team guys.

04:23I trust our defense.

04:24So, at the end of the day, we got to line it up and go prove it.

04:27Obviously, the ping pong tables are back in the locker room after the bye.

04:30Do you think there's like an intentional work towards culture

04:33coming out of the bye week?

04:34No, definitely.

04:35That's the main thing.

04:36I mean, we want to get that camaraderie going.

04:38You know, I feel like it wasn't lacking,

04:41but I feel like there wasn't enough of it.

04:44So, I feel like that's a great thing to try to get guys to talk to each other,

04:47offense and defense guys especially.

04:49So, I mean, I feel like it's a great thing.

04:51I don't know how much I'm going to be playing of it,

04:52but I feel like it's a great thing.

04:54How did y'all know they were coming back?

04:56I'm pretty sure they told us in the meeting the other day.

04:58So, we'll be for the bye.

04:59Did they give you a reason as to why?

05:01Or who said it?

05:02I don't know.

05:03I forget.

05:04I don't know the reason.

05:05I just know they're back in the table.

05:06Yeah.

05:07One of the things, Coach,

05:11is we're going to have a great time.

05:12We're going to have a great time.

05:13We're going to have a great time.

05:14We're going to have a great time.

05:15We're going to have a great time.

05:16We're going to have a great time.

05:17We're going to have a great time.

05:18We're going to have a great time.

05:19We're going to have a great time.

05:20We're going to have a great time.

05:21We're going to have a great time.

05:22We're going to have a great time.

05:23We're going to have a great time.

05:24We're going to have a great time.

05:25We're going to have a great time.

05:26We're going to have a great time.

05:27We're going to have a great time.

05:28We're going to have a great time.

05:29We're going to have a great time.

05:30We're going to have a great time.

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