FLOWERY BRANCH -- Falcons safety Jessie Bates saw the Bengals rise from last in the division to best in the AFC during his five seasons in Cincinnati.
Now that he’s in Atlanta - and the Falcons will face the Bengals Friday in the preseason home opener - it’s only natural to ask the former All-Pro if he notices any similarities in the two franchises. Two specifics stood out to Bates - building a strong foundation and trusting the coaches.
He sees both on display big time in Flowery Branch.
“That’s what we are building here,” Bates said. “There are not a bunch of star guys all over the field on our defense. But we are going to be a very smart team, very aggressive and a team that plays for one another. I think that’s going to be special and that’s how you build something special.”
The Bengals won a combined 12 games in Bates’ first three seasons before going 10-7 and eventually winning the AFC in 2021 and 12-4 in 2022. The Falcons have had five consecutive losing seasons - the last two under the franchise rebuild by general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith.
The Bengals did draft quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver JaMarr Chase to jumpstart their turnaround. But they needed a defense to beat Derek Carr (Raiders), Ryan Tannehill (Titans) and Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) to reach the Super Bowl.
“The guys in the room, we believed in our coaches,” Bates said. “We were very detailed and we knew exactly what to do. Whether if that was on first, second, third down or in critical situations in the red zone. I thought that we were really good with the details.”
The Falcons have spent their last three first-round draft picks on offensive players, but have heavily invested in defense - Bates’ $64 million free agent deal is proof of that. So, can a similar turnaround take place in the A?
“Different teams, different people, but the same recipe works,” Bates said. “Get a group of guys, a group of men that believe in one another and believe in the coaches and the scheme that we are running, the sky is the limit for this group, our offense and our special teams.”
Cornerback Tre Flowers, who is working with the Falcons’ first-team defense in place of the injured Jeff Okudah, was with the Bengals for the Super Bowl run and last season.
“We won a lot of games,” Flowers said. “We got hot real late. Winning games. Winning fixes everything. Anytime that you’re doing that. The organization looks good. The players look good. We were a great team.”
Flowers picked up his AFC championship ring.
“Yeah, I got it (the ring), but it wasn’t the Super Bowl (ring),” Flowers said. “I gave that to my Mom.”
Flowers started his career with the Seahawks, who converted him from safety to cornerback. He enjoyed is time with the Bengals.
“Great team, led by a great quarterback,” Flowers said. “Great defensive players. I feel like a lot of people on that defense didn’t get a lot of shine. Just play-makers that understood their role on the team. Nobody trying to do more. Just wanted to do what’s best for the team and try to make the team better.”
He feels the same energy with the Falcons.
“I look at my teammates every day, knowing that I know everybody wants to get better at something,” Flowers said. “You just feel it. It’s contagious. It makes you go harder.”
The Bengals started to believe when they upset Tennessee, who was the No. 1 seed in the AFC after the 2021 regular season.
“A lot of stuff happened before, but that (Tennessee) game, Jessie picked off the first pass of the game,” Bates said. “I ran on the field, and I told him, I’ve never seen that. It was contagious. I was trying to tell everybody in the secondary, one person makes a play and you want to get yours and you feed off each other. It’s draining for the offense.”
