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