DJ Reader on Health, Future and If He Wants to Re-Sign With Cincinnati Bengals
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00:00 What's the rehab process been like the second time around with this injury?
00:05 Not as bad.
00:07 It's moving good so I mean, the injury just sucks in itself.
00:13 But I mean, rehab hasn't been as bad this time.
00:15 What happened on the play that it happened?
00:17 Can you walk us through?
00:18 I don't know.
00:21 300 and something pounds been carrying around these quad tendons my whole life.
00:26 It was really double team.
00:30 I probably played it too heavy.
00:32 Cleek kind of got stuck in the ground.
00:35 And then Cleek didn't really move, no give.
00:38 You know, it's different.
00:39 But that's really what happened.
00:42 Foot just kind of rolled up and just fell and I felt it immediately and
00:47 that was really it.
00:48 You've obviously recovered from this injury before.
00:52 Does that give you confidence that you're gonna be able to do this thing?
00:54 Yeah, I don't got no, there's no doubt in my mind I'll be fine.
00:59 I'm gonna be like a thing for other people.
01:00 I don't really worry about that though.
01:02 Like it's just, it is what it is.
01:04 Injury's a part of the game, man.
01:06 But yeah, I got all the confidence and surgery went well.
01:10 I'm sure rehab will go really well.
01:13 Do you think at all about if you wanted to still keep playing?
01:16 I know how hard the first rehab was on you.
01:19 You know, at the beginning, I guess you had those initial thoughts.
01:23 Cuz it is tough to come back from, you know, people going in and
01:26 out of rehab all the time and always spending your time in that.
01:29 Doing that process is tough.
01:31 It can get mentally taxing.
01:32 But I think in my head, I just feel like I got a lot of good ball left in me.
01:37 I feel like this was one of my better years.
01:39 And I don't really want to end it that way.
01:42 So I think I got a lot left in me.
01:45 So just rehab, get it back.
01:47 How do you fight how mentally tough it is?
01:50 My thing is all about having a village.
01:52 I'm really strong in my faith.
01:53 Me and my mom, we spend a lot of time in our word just going through the Bible,
01:58 just talking about different things.
02:01 And then just spending time with my friends, my family,
02:04 everybody who really cares about me and just kinda being around them,
02:08 that good energy.
02:10 And then my dad had rheumatoid arthritis literally my whole life.
02:14 So I've watched, when I grew up, a person who I had to push in wheelchairs to my
02:17 football games or my basketball games or things like that.
02:20 And watched him literally fight with rheumatoid arthritis every single day just
02:25 to be here for me.
02:25 So it's just, I wouldn't say it's something that I wish on somebody.
02:30 I guess I would say I'm a little bit more mentally prepared for
02:33 it than a lot of people might be.
02:34 >> What has it meant to you, DJ, to be a leader in this locker room?
02:39 And would you like to continue?
02:41 >> It means everything, it means the world.
02:43 Especially when you come to something and
02:45 you feel like you've made it better while you've been here.
02:48 That's a huge part of my progression as a person.
02:53 Always wanna leave something better than what I found it.
02:55 So I always wanna be here, I really wanna be here.
02:58 Love the guys, love the locker room.
03:00 Obviously, it's been a great four years for me.
03:04 And then just being able to lead the guys and be around them.
03:07 It's awesome to see them grow, see them move around.
03:10 It's been a true blessing.
03:12 I think it's really helped my career a lot.
03:14 >> I know it's early, it's January.
03:16 >> Yeah. >> Is that goal,
03:17 to start the regular season, is that a realistic goal?
03:20 >> I guess, I don't really know.
03:21 It's super early, man, I couldn't tell you.
03:23 But don't worry about me, I'll be just fine.
03:27 I guess it's not something I worry about,
03:30 just whether DJ's gonna come back, be the same, this, anything.
03:34 I'll be better than ever, be back out here doing what I do.
03:38 >> Lou wasted no time to say he wants you back in this locker room.
03:42 What has your relationship with Lou meant to you?
03:44 >> Man, it's been amazing.
03:46 He's helped me tremendously grow as a player.
03:48 Having that player coach trust has been just amazing between me and him.
03:52 And just what I needed as a person at this time in my life, it was really good.
04:00 And just him having that trust in us as a player has helped me grow a lot and
04:04 really become more of a teacher and a student of the game.
04:07 I've had to hold myself a lot more accountable studying the game so
04:11 that I can teach the younger players about what's going on and things like that.
04:15 >> Do you anticipate the Bengals wanting to resign you?
04:18 >> I hope so.
04:20 It's always good to be wanted, I hope so.
04:21 But I don't really control those type of things and
04:26 I don't spend my time worrying about them too much.
04:29 There's always uncertainty in your mind, but I find peace in knowing that I'll be
04:34 exactly where God wants me to be.
04:36 >> So you hope to be back?
04:37 >> Yeah, I hope so.
04:38 >> Should Lou be a head coach next year?
04:41 >> I think so.
04:42 I mean, I feel like Lou deserves the opportunity.
04:45 He's been great.
04:47 And it'd be crazy for me to sit here and be selfish and say no,
04:51 because he wouldn't be around.
04:52 But no, he's been amazing.
04:54 He's done his thing and he's put the time and work in.
04:56 So I hope that he gets real consideration and I hope he gets the opportunity.
05:02 >> Yeah, there's been a lot of talk recently about just how much
05:06 the back end of the defense really missed Jesse and Vaughn this year.
05:09 From your perspective, how much did you feel like the lack of experience
05:14 at the safety position impacted the whole defense?
05:17 >> I mean, it happens.
05:18 You lose players, guys go on to do better things and do bigger things.
05:22 And sometimes just numbers don't work out.
05:25 That's just the way the league is.
05:26 But everybody deals with new players and
05:29 new people getting on the roster every year.
05:31 So those guys are young, they're growing another year.
05:34 And everybody might not be looking at it this way a year from now.
05:38 It's always different look at things in hindsight.
05:40 So I think those young guys will really have opportunity this offseason to get
05:44 healthy and grow and grow in themselves and
05:47 just learn what they need to do as better players.
05:50 In my opinion, they still had a good year.
05:52 It just wasn't a eight year guy and a year six guy you saw out there.
05:57 And these guys are young, they're in year one and two.
05:59 And they're gonna be back and they're gonna be better.
06:00 And I think they're gonna be great.
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