CINCINNATI — A.J. Green didn’t need to duck yesterday. He also opted not to take any further shots at the Giants’ defense.
Green, the Bengals’ second-year wide receiver, said on WFAN last week the Giants have “a lot of holes in their defense.” It prompted Antrel Rolle to respond later that day: “I’ll talk with my pads come Sunday. … If he sees me, he better duck.”
Yesterday, though, Green destroyed the Giants, catching seven passes for 85 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown just 2:26 into the Bengals’ 31-13 victory over the Giants. After the game, Green was respectful and insisted his comment was misinterpreted, while Rolle said everything was fine.
“That comment was definitely misunderstood. The Giants are a great defense. I never said they had holes,” Green said, perhaps choosing to forget he did say it on the radio. “Definitely was taken out of context. I’m definitely not that type of guy to talk about the opponent. I respect everybody’s game and they all play hard like we do.”
Green said he and Rolle spoke after the game, and the Giants safety said there was no ill will.
“I dialed him up throughout the game, told him ‘good play.’ I respect players. I respect good players. I respect ballers. He’s a good player. He’s a baller,” Rolle said. “But at the same time, if an opportunity presents itself, like I said, I’m going for it. There’s no bad blood on his part. There’s no bad blood on my part. We just go out there and play the game. We’re competitors.”
Green was beyond a competitor yesterday — he was a monster. On the game’s opening drive, the Bengals ran five plays, and three were passes to Green. He caught all of them, including the 56-yard Andy Dalton bomb past Corey Webster for the touchdown.
On the play, Green made a move past Webster on the right sideline and was wide open down the field with no safety help. Rolle called it “a busted coverage,” and it appeared as if there was a mix-up with Stevie Brown.
“Just miscommunication, we gave up a 50-yard play,” Webster said. “We can’t have it. We’ve got to be great communicators on the field at all times and we weren’t on that play.”
Said Rolle: “Pretty much from that point on, it was just a lopsided game.”
With Green getting the upper hand.
— Additional reporting by Paul Schwartz