I get tired of hearing about the Bengals' draft picks, ... They talk about picks in the early '90s. If you look at the picks we have had since I've been here, myself in '96, Takeo (Spikes) in '98 - then you had Reinard Wilson (in '97) and Akili (Smith in
Quotes about takeo (5 Quotes)
You hate to lose a guy like Takeo Spikes , but it's just a time for me to step up, make the plays he was making and get this defense back on a roll. It is mixed emotions. But I believe he'd definitely want me to step up, replace him and get the job done.
When Takeo called me, it was like going along with what I had already prayed to God for. And to start the football game the way we started, I was laughing on the sideline because it felt like God was answering my prayers.
I can't be Takeo, ... He's a Pro Bowl caliber player and he's shown the kind of plays he can make. We're totally two different people and we bring two different things to the game. But I'm definitely going to go out there, play my game within the scheme of the defense, do my job and most importantly let the game come to me.
If something happened to one of those front-line guys, I'm not afraid to put them in because they know what we expect. A few years ago we had to go out and get the front line guys London, Takeo and Jeff. Now we've drafted our next wave of guys. Those guys are learning from three of the best players in those positions right now.