“I had a little matrix (moment),” Stewart said, showing how he bent backwards to make sure there was no contact. “I wanted no part in that.”
Stewart said he knew not to touch “the main guy,” Wednesday either, but he slipped and couldn’t keep himself upright. A tight end had “chipped” him into the game, and as Stewart looped around, the ground gave way under his foot.
All he knew at the time was that he was falling. Next time, Stewart said he will try to fall the other way.
The incident made him hold back a little at the start of practice Friday, trying to make sure nothing like that happened again. The “hit” on Burrow had led to a scuffle between him and Lucas Patrick, and then the offensive and defensive lines came together in the fracas.
“You never want to put the team in jeopardy by overdoing a play or just trying to finish a play, so you’ve just got to be smart about it,” Stewart said. “That’s the mentality I came in with today.”
Stewart said he wanted to make sure Burrow knew it was an accident and that there was no bad blood, so that’s why he went over to Burrow’s locker to talk with him after the practice Wednesday.
Burrow shook it off quickly, and they both moved on.
“I said, ‘You know, Joe, that was an accident, you know I never want to do that,’ and he’s like, ‘You know, it’s cool as long as you do it on Sundays too,’” Stewart said. “He kept it cool. It was short and sweet and we just forgot about it.”
The Bengals’ first-round draft pick still has much to learn. He will be the first one to admit that.
After missing the entire offseason workout program because of a contract issue, then finally signing three days into training camp, Stewart is having to work even harder to catch up in his first NFL preseason. He feels like he’s showed growth each day, little by little, mainly with his technique.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“Just knowing how to play the game very technical,” Stewart said. “Coming in, it was all raw talent and just going out there and playing. Now it’s like you’ve got to have technique to win consistently, so the technical part is on a different level here. We’ve just got to come in every day with the mindset I need to get my technique right, my eyes right, my hands right, my feet right because all those things work together and all those help you win the game.”
Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery is pushing him extra hard, Stewart said, but there’s also a balance of getting him reps and not overdoing it.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor has been pleased with how Montgomery is managing that and how Stewart is responding.
“We are well on our way there,” Taylor said. “I think Jerry has done a great job managing that and getting the reps where he can. There has been plenty of time since he has reported to this point to really learn the defense and get in and get extra time in there. I’ve been pleased with the process he’s been making, and we have plenty of time to be where we want to be especially Week 1 before Cleveland.”
Stewart said he feels like he is “not too far” off from being in game condition, thanks to improvements in his diet and watching everything he puts into his body. That’s made a noticeable difference since when he first arrived and was feeling worn out every practice.
Now he’s just trying to stack good days on top of one another. Stewart has been a standout performer these past two weeks, but says he’s not where he needs to be yet.
“I’m trying,” Stewart said. “Like I said, it’s hard. It’s the big leagues now, so every day I’m just trying to get 1 percent better. I’m not looking at the end goal. I’m just focused on now, focused on getting better in the moment, and hopefully in the end, I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
Monday’s second preseason game at Washington will be important for both evaluation and full-speed reps to get ready for Week 1. The third preseason game will mainly be for guys on the bubble and needing more reps to earn roster spots with Cincinnati or elsewhere.
Stewart has been getting first-team reps this week and could earn a starting role, but he said he’s not even thinking about that right now. Both of the starting edge rusher spots are up for grabs while Trey Hendrickson continues his hold-in and says he won’t play without a contract extension.
“My goal is to just get better,” Stewart said. “Becoming the starter while being what I am now, it’s not going to be the best outcome. I just need to be focused on my techniques and getting everything right, and one day I will become the starter and one day I will be what I need to be for this team.”
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