Shaka Heyward on Cincinnati Bengals Debut
Shaka Heyward on Cincinnati Bengals Debut
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00:00 All right, Chaka, so something that I noticed on Friday
00:03 in the first preseason game was your energy.
00:05 Your communication really stood out to me from the press box.
00:10 Have you been like that your entire career?
00:12 Not my entire career.
00:13 So I started off at Duke as a wheel linebacker.
00:16 I kind of played right next to Kobe.
00:18 He would pretty much call the plays.
00:20 But the years after he left, I kind of
00:22 took that role as being the mic, being
00:24 the voice of the defense, just running the show.
00:27 I would say ever since my registered sophomore year,
00:30 that's when I kind of came to that role as the mic linebacker,
00:33 communicating to the defense and everything like that.
00:35 So pretty much, I would say, like halfway through my career.
00:39 Do you enjoy that role?
00:42 I mean, I definitely do what I have to.
00:44 When I'm out there, it really doesn't make a difference.
00:46 So yeah, you can say I enjoy it.
00:49 What have you been focusing on?
00:51 After looking at film from Friday,
00:53 what have you been focusing on that maybe you want to tweak
00:55 or continue in the game Friday against Atlanta?
00:59 Yeah, definitely-- not yet Friday,
01:01 but yeah, definitely just tightening up my feet,
01:03 making sure I'm not crossing over, just having good footwork
01:06 so I'm efficient in my movement, so I'm
01:08 able to be at the right places without taking too many false
01:11 steps and stuff like that.
01:12 Also, just adjusting my leverage whenever--
01:14 because I had a play out there on Friday
01:16 where the QB broke in 10.
01:18 I kind of lost my leverage.
01:19 So just working on those things throughout practice
01:21 and stuff like that.
01:23 What have you learned from guys like Jermaine Pratt and Logan
01:26 Wilson?
01:26 They are excellent at their craft, obviously.
01:29 What have you learned just being in film room
01:31 and studying with them?
01:32 Just the importance of film study.
01:34 They're out there calling stuff out for the defense.
01:37 So that way, the whole defense has a heads up
01:39 on what's coming next.
01:40 No one's on a different page.
01:42 We're all on the same page.
01:43 So we're able to play fast as a defense.
01:45 And it's just really helpful to have them as the leaders.
01:49 Do coaches value consistency at the level
01:52 that they say that they do?
01:53 Yeah, most definitely.
01:54 You got to be consistent.
01:55 You can't come in one day, be up here,
01:58 and then next day come down and be playing below the level
02:01 they're expecting you to play at.
02:02 So consistency, they're able to trust you.
02:04 That means they'll put you in more and stuff like that.
02:06 So yeah, consistency is a huge piece.
02:08 We described the difficulty of staying consistent day
02:11 after day, game after game, to make sure the coaches know
02:14 exactly what you can bring.
02:15 I mean, yeah, it's definitely a mental grind,
02:17 especially for a rookie like me.
02:19 Just going into a new system, you're not the starter.
02:22 So you're trying to capitalize on the reps
02:24 that you do have, just making the most of it.
02:27 But yeah, they want to see that you be
02:29 consistent in those areas.
02:31 So they can, like I said, be able to trust you
02:32 and put you in and just move your head in the depth
02:34 and stuff like that.
02:35 And Duke, OK, what were you studying?
02:38 At Duke?
02:39 Oh, yeah, anthropology.
02:40 So just like the history of humans over time.
02:45 So yeah, it's pretty interesting.
02:47 That's really cool.
02:48 What got you into that?
02:49 I kind of just shuffled around classes.
02:51 I didn't really know what I wanted to major in,
02:53 but stumbled across an anthropology class,
02:55 and I kind of liked it.
02:56 So I stuck with it.
02:57 I love that.
02:58 Thank you.