Hey guys, this is Renee all Day joining me now in the hot seat. Jordan Battle, Hi, how you doing good? How are you?
I'm great good.
We were just talking off camera before you sat down about entrance themes you would go with some Drake. Do you have like a it was there like a top five songs that you think kind of sum you up?
Yeah? You want so? You want five songs that you.
Think that just like that's me? Yeah, feel it on many different days.
Let me startry Kodak, probably because I'm from Florida.
Okay, Okay, scrilla, Okay.
Then we could go I'll go R and B.
Then I'll go get some emotion involved.
I gotta get some feelings my future, maybe like some solo.
Okay, Yeah, I didn't go.
Gotta go Drake really really, any Drake song for me? Drake's He's a Goat.
I mean, I'm a Toronto gal. So I love me some Drake.
Yeah. Recently he was just talking about it, Virginia Beach. It's a beautiful song, beautiful melody.
I'm glad you answered that. I feel like most people would maybe draw a blank on that, but you just knocked out five. You're ready for it. Yeah, of course, let's talk about your media training, because it seems like you're very smooth to be able to sit down here and do some interviews and step in front of the camera. Have you done a lot of media trains? You do that at Alabama?
Yeah? They As a freshman in Alabama, you couldn't even get in front of the camera because you got to do media training.
So what do they make you do for that? What does that look like?
It's like they have like former players come in and they have kind of like run a class for us and they give us like little tips on if you if you get this, if you get this question, how to answer it, or if you get this question you don't know how to answer it, just answer it and the way you want to, which is kind of what coach Saban does. He gets a question how he wants.
To or you like answer the question that you want to answer.
Yes, I hear you.
However, it's kind of like Duck and Dodge. Ye smart smart smart. Okay, So you are stepping into a huge role right now this season. How does it feel to be where you are right now with the Bengals.
Yeah, it feels great. The guy has been welcoming me in every day. It's been getting more and more comfortable
as we play more and more together. We're just trying to get the communication around the back back in so that we are on the same page and we could play winning football and lately a defense, I feel like we've been doing a pretty good job, you know, just trying to keep working on the things we can work on, like tackling communication, like I said, fitting fitting the right gaps, and I feel like it's always being for improvement and progression. And I feel like we're doing a good.
Job and you've just been kind of crushing it. I mean, you look at you have the most snaps in the last game. How does it feel to be just like locked in the way that you are this early on in your careerly NFL.
Yeah, I kind of kind of thanked BEMA for that because I had to be locked in my freshman year yep, freshman year going into BEMA, I got a chance to play early after a Duke game. I started the next game.
Duke was the first game. I called the interception in that game, but I came in like late in the game, so it wasn't It was really like garbage minutes, and then the following game I had to start, which was like kind of like nerve wrecking because I was a freshman and here I am at the best college starting
right away, and it was kind of nerve wrecking. But from there it was I had to I knew I had to go into a leader early, and it's kind of helped me here because now I have to go into a leader early in my rookie year and becoming the starter. The guy's going to allow me and I like that. I like the pressure being on me, and it's been fun.
What do you do with those nerves? How do you get yourself ready when you're feeling a little bit shake and walking into a situation. What do you do?
I feel like I just smile it out. I'm a guy. You always see me walking through the facility, probably talking to somebody, just just smiling or trying to make somebody else smile. That's the type of guy I am. Maybe crack a joke, maybe trying to brighten somebody's day. However I can laughter, yeah, laft laughter, or just just my smile. I feel like I have a great smile.
Did you have a nice smile? It's a great Smile Renee All Day is presented by Gellette Labs. Jellett Labs is not your dad's razor, It's Jellette's ultimate shaving experience. Talk to me about draft day because you had a hell of a party going on.
Yeah, it was. Draft Day was big for me, big for me and my family and my friends. I appreciate everybody for coming out that that came. It was fun. It was a little nerve wrecking, you know, sitting there waiting to hear your name called, waiting for that phone, getting that that ring, because obviously you have family friends calling you that day too, so.
You don't know who's got to commute everything. You guys, dont call me right now.
Yeah, yeah, you gotta answer every call because you don't know what call, what call it can be. But it was fun. I actually share my experience before getting drafted, like whenever somebody asked me about it, because I was sitting at the table just playing Uno with my friends with the draft on right behind, right behind us, and I got the call, and I remember everybody's faces, like when I threw the car down, I started talking on the phone. Everybody pick up their phone, just taking the
video of me. Yeah, the emotions in the room was just it was it was a fun moment.
Have you brought Uno into the locker room because you guys play a lot of different games in the locker rooms. Uno in the.
Mix I've never seen in the mix.
Okay, maybe it's time for you to bring it in.
Yeah, maybe I need to bring the big one though, to like a big call.
Yes, yeah, I think that it might not be a bad idea at all. Okay, So you talk about coming from Alabama here into the Cincinnati Bengals winning franchises. How much has changed from you from Alabama to what you're experiencing here.
Yeah, a lot, just responsibility wise, me being a grown man now. I mean I feel like I felt like, yeah, I felt like I was a grown man in college, but I'm really a grown man now. Yeah. Yeah, living on your own.
Just oh, is this your first time living on your own?
No? Yeah, but that's a lot.
It is a lot to like, come in now you have all these responsibilities, You've got different paychecks coming in, Like it's really prioritizing all those things.
Yeah, you gotta. I've been working on my credit score lately. I've never I've never looked at my credit score until until I got to the NFL. I'm like, okay, I got to really focus on this.
Yeah, you do not want that thing to dip, because no matter how much money you have in your bank account, you got that bad credit score and not bad news. Yeah, certainly.
So just the main thing has been like responsibility. Yeah, it's been going well.
So you went you went back and got your degree.
Is this true? Yeah?
I did me about that.
It was all right, so sorry, degree in human human environmental Science. Yeah, I was. So I was going to come out my junior year, but I had to get surgery on my ankle, and I wanted to do the combine and everything. Yeah, so, and I wanted to graduate because my mom wanted me to graduate. Shears big on that. So I was like, I can I can graduate next? Well, graduate early earlier than usual because my graduation date would have been May, but I graduated in December, so I
graduated a little early. So it was like more like three and a half more like three and a half years. But yeah, I decided to come back, had an ankle issue, came back played my senior year. Obviously, was host to win the national championship, but that didn't happen. But it was a fun year. I got my degree. It was tough, but it took extra work.
What would you do with the degree? And what is it? Human environmental science science.
Yeah, it's it's kind of broad. You can do a lot. You can do like financial planning, you can do yeah exactly. You could do like human relations, you could help people. Yeah, it's it's broad.
But yeah, I know absolutely. Hey, I don't have a degree, so hats off to you. Get after it. Be you? What does that mean to you?
Be me? Is just I feel like it kind of goes along the lines of me talking about my smile. Uh, just coming in every day, you know, not letting the circumstance outside of the facility dictate how much. Try how'ma come in and be today? Just try to be me, you know, come come out on the field. Somebody needs help. I'm the guy you can ask, even if I am a rookie. Try to cheat myself like I'm a vet because next year you're already a VET in your second year.
And it's kind of crazy. How how life, How life goes, Yeah, it comes at you very fast. And people have been telling me Mike. I talked to Mike a lot. Mike t twelve year vet in the end of the league. I talked to him a lot, and he's he's been on me, telling me not a Rocky anymore. Even though I still got these rookie duties on me. You go to wake games, I gotta bring bunt cakes. I gotta do all. Yeah, I gotta bring the bunt cakes. Wing stop. Yeah.
So even though I'm not, I'm not looking at as a rookie anymore, I still got those ricky duties to do.
Is there a more popular bunt cake for me? Sprinkles, that's a big one, right, Yeah.
The confetti, Yeah, the confetti is definitely a big hit. But my favorite is shrawberries and cream.
Okay, I only just recently had it for the first time. I did a I like the carrot cake and then a red velvet.
Yeah. My first time was Avenue when I got.
It's a thing of beauty. Certainly they love it. What do you do when you are having a rough day? I mean, yes, you are positive, You're very smiley. That is your thing. But we all have dates and we're kind of down on the dump, so you got to pick yourself up a little bit. What do you do in those moments?
Uh? Usually it's like play the game with my friends like from back home, or even you can even play the game with teammates. That's that's kind of very soothing because if you're on the mic, you guys talk about life while you're playing the game. You know, you got things you talk about in the party where people just go on tell the story and you guys are all laughing. It's taking you back to the old days when getting together.
So yeah, just kind of talking to friends and family is a big thing for me.
Who on the team is is your guide that you can kind of like shoot the breeze with the most moments like.
That, probably like h D j Ivy, Yeah, j Ivy from h he's from Florida as well. He's from Miami from for a Lot of Death. So we're not too far not too far apart. You're actually training together two of the same trainer on field trainer goldfeet. Yeh.
You credit your family a lot for this positivity and they kind of helped you prepare for the mental side of this game. How did they help you with all that?
Yeah, just from a kid growing up, my dad always either coaching me, my mom being there taking the stats of the game, coaching or coaching from the from the bench or from the crowd. I used to didn't. I didn't like that when she would be in the crowd and I'm on the court or I'm on the field and she's kind of like telling me what to do. It's like, Mom, I got it, you know, Like yeah,
But but them being on me, harping on me. My dad working me early as a kid, making me stay extra hours, making me stay the extra whether it was because I was a big basketball guy when I was young. That probably was my favorite sport growing up, but just staying after him, having me do make ten free throws in a row before we leave. It was something I used to cry about. But then I realized he was only doing it for the for the betterment of me, and as we grew up, he helped me and my
mom helped me. My brother was always very supportive as well. Yeah, he played football and went to college and played at Illinois State. Now he's in Kansas, living in Kansas, in the Bad City, Kansas City. Yeah, yeah, I still love him, but yeah, just just them having their support. Yeah, my entire life. Even my aunties, my cousins, they all very supportive.
Yeah.
Yeah, just knowing that they're they're watching, always watching. They always have my back and they're they're going to support me no matter what. It kind of helped me throughout my life.
It's so funny. I was just watching the Beckham documentary not long ago when he was trying about how his dad to keep him on the field, and he was like, you know, crying, the weather would be bad. He's out there playing soccer, he's crying, Like I think it maybe gave him a bit of a weird relationship with his dad. But to have the parent that does push you like that, even those times you said, like you're crying through it.
You don't want to go do it, but sometimes that is the thing that you need to really like walk into being that next level athlete.
Sure.
Yeah, it's it's crazy to think of like that, that level of tapping into those things. Okay, handshakes, You've got a handshake with lots of guys on the team. Is this true? This was my design? I know everything. I am an internet sleuth.
Me I got I got a lot of handshakes.
I like doing all the research and like listening to the other interviews and seeing what other kind of things you've been up to. What is the art of the handshake? How do you come up with the good handshake?
I don't know. It's kind of like off the It's kind of like off the doom, off the mines. Yeah, yeah, I mean usually usually it came some of ours came from my Rookie Talent Show?
What did you do for yours?
I dance but I got booed for it? But then they want to make a handshake with me doing the dance that I was doing that I got booed for.
Why would they do you for the dance? Why was gitting on the dance?
I'm no clue. And I have a handshake with Joe Joe Mixed and with Mike Hilton where I do the dance that I was doing in the Rookie Talent Show that I got booed for.
Wow, It's is crazy because it.
It feels like it feels like they like it.
But it's like a love hate relationship. We develop a little handshake right like right off the dome?
What would we right now?
Yeah, it's do you do it based off of the person? Do I have to give you a certain like energy or vibe for you to.
It's kind of yeah, now, yeah for sure. But yeah we can make one.
Okay, ready, Yeah, yeah, I'm ready. I mean you're leading the way, I'm following you.
All right, it's gonna go mm hmm huh. Come on, okay, okay, huh double double huh huh double double.
Because you want me to stop talking? No, okay, I can do that one. That's a good one, all right. I actually don't. I'm not a big handshake for something. Now, I got one. I got one going the family group chat? What do you call it? The battle gang?
Battle gang?
Battle gang? Am I freaking you out? That creeping you out? You're dead? You're dead? Who initiated the group chat? What is the photo? What goes on in the group chat?
The battle gang? I don't I think we. I don't know. Probably my brother. My brother probably initiated, probably started it, uh, probably around probably my first year in college, first year in college, or even my senior year of high school.
Uh.
I think the profile picture is like a picture of all of us. Yeah, so when we were younger. I think it's somebody's uh, somebody's birthday we went to red Lobster.
Hell, yeah, what's your red lobster order?
First of all, I don't eat see food. What I know, it sounds crazy. I'm from Florida and don't eat se food. I mean I do eat calm okay, which you guys probably don't even know what counk is. Do you know what counk is?
I feel like I've had that. What is that?
It's like it's a shell.
Oh yes, I guess I've had that.
But yes, it's very popular in the Caribbeans, like Bahamas, Jamaica. They like take the cunk down and they cook it like right in front of you. So yeah, I like I like cunk and calamari, but any other seafood I could like try it, but I can't have like a whole dish.
Okay, yeah, okay. So while I was preparing for this interview, I was watching an interview that you did with Uninterrupted, and you said that not a lot of people make it out Sorry what was the lion? Let me see where it is. You don't make it out of spot that many people don't? What do you mean by that?
So? I grew up in a lot of hill lotta hill Florida, like a small city, like full out of the area played football. There a lot of hill Lions. That was my little league football team. And I think maybe like two, maybe like five people like out of the whole time that that park started, I think like made it to like college, just in college, like for football. I know Salmon junior he played, we played UH at
the same part and he's now in the league. But him, that was really that was really it him Willis Mcgahey, I know for sure, And yeah, just not a lot of people. You know, it's a it's kind of a rough, a rough area. I mean not rough rough, but it's a rough area. Guys. Guys don't tend to make it, you know, they get to high school and then their mind goes everywhere. Sure, but yeah it was. It was
a rough spot. But just knowing that I prevailed, made it through, UH, which is what my parents come through. Come in, come in and play again, come in a part just them being able to stay on me. Uh, tell me get those good girls when I was a kid.
Uh, get that degree.
Yeah, tell me get my degree. My second second academic advisor when I'm in college. My mom, she used to be on me like I was like, come on, ma, I have have academic I have academic advisor.
I don't need you to be my renee. All Day is presented by Jillette Labs. The best of man can get keeps getting better? Look good, game good? Do you have your own day in your hometown?
Yeah?
What what is it called? Battle day? What do we call it?
Think it is Jordan battle to Day?
Okay, it's like, yeah, what do you do? How do we celebrate you? What is Jordan battle Day? What day is it?
I don't even know. I don't even know. I'm not I don't even know. Today I got to like I got the paper like the proclamation at home, but I don't even know the day by heart?
Is right? That is bad? Okay, you definitely got you got to memorize that one today.
I mean you only had like it just think I just got it like right, like right pre before the drive. Okay, yeah, so it's only I've only had it. I haven't even had to day. I don't think I've been able to celebrate a day yet. I think it's time, like it has to come.
It's not back around yet. Okay, So in February, Okay, how would we celebrate you. What would what would your like perfect day be of us celebrating Jordan Bottle mm hmmm.
I would need like a a big like gaming something to do with gaming, okay, like like competing with people or something like a big competitive gaming day.
Okay? What would be.
Like? Food wise?
Drink wise?
Chicken? Okay, a lot of chicken?
Okay?
What type of drinks you're talking?
Whatever you want, it's your day.
You have a cocktailberry lemonade, some lemon drops, and some tequila.
Perfect perfect U. Talk to me about your Combine interview because everyone was freaking out about how great your interview was, how quickly you were able to gel with the Bengals. What is your advice for anybody going into a job interview, trying to get a promotion, trying to land on that dream job. What advice do you have?
Yeah, it's kind of like we talked about. Just be you going to the going to the meeting, greet everybody, agreet everybody with a smile, Say yes, sir, say ma'am, because there a long way. Yeah, managers do go along with and your smile goes along way as well. You know, keep that smile on your face.
Being not like creepy, because sometimes you can oversmile and calmed.
A little bit. Yeah, it's just yeah, going there, going there be you trust what you know going in, going into it. You know you're a smart player, going there and show them that you're a smart player. You know that you're you're fast, you know that your physical be able to show it on the film because they will be they will be able to pull it up and they can see it and be truthful because that takes you a long way. And a lot of a lot of people talked about like my character, that was something
I worked on my whole life, just growing up. And my character I've been was was probably through the roof. I don't think, No, I don't think there's anybody in the building like who didn't like me or that's like.
That's really rare to be able to say that.
Yeah, but that's because I like go out my way to like speak to people, like just to make sure they're good, just check up on them. That's just that's.
Nick Saban sayings. I heard that you had already been talking about this a little bit. What are some like big Nick Saban says that stick out in your mind that.
Probably already heard the big one everybody. Yeah, yeah, but let me see if I got another one. Okay, because he was he was very he was very like funny but corny. It was like he'll say a joke like that jokes. Yeah, he'll say a joke and it's like, Okay, he wants us to laugh, so let's laugh, guys. Yeah, and it's like, uh, he'll use like old like southern southern jokes because he's from West Virginia, so he'll use like some some farm joke or uh cow joke or something. Yeah,
and it was. It was funny, but you know.
That's what he knows. That's his comfort zone.
Yeah, it was funny, but like, come on, you gotta grow up with the generations, learn some new ones fair enough, because he's he's alway getting his dB stands like, coach, you can't you can't guard nobody party, Misterry. I think miss Terry can catch.
The ball on them.
I think I think miss miss Terry is more athletic.
Wow, you've heard it here, everybody. I like that.
I would like to see that matchup too.
Bucket. Okay, you talked about the dancing. You did the dancing for the Rookie Talent Show. There was also a video of you at Alabama dancing. You've got some good moves, so I don't know why people were laughing at the dancing because it seemed like you're onto something. Do you think that you could choreograph something for the Bengals?
Yeah, we get some being guys and I can choreograph whatever. Guys from like the team, we can sure we could do we have a dance off, actually we go against the Bengals.
Okay, would you form in your group if you had to have, like, you know, a traditional boy band dance off, which that's like what five dudes usually?
Who would you who?
You would be front and center? Obviously?
To be honest, I'll probably go, like I'll go to dvre out for real, I'll go, look me, how many people have to be five? So all right me Cam, DJ Turner, who's a who's a big guy with hm hmm, I'll go I'll go BJ Hill and I'll go Cheeto. Okay, that's a great five. That is a great five. We win.
Oh, I love it. I wish we had space to put a dance together here, but we got a handshake so they don't need to go farther than that. I love it. There's a real closeness with the rookies, it seems. Talk to me a little bit about that relationship of you guys all being able to come in here together.
Yeah, it's like kind of day one, like walking in, just seeing the seeing the vets. It is kind of like funny to see, like people even be watching when you're coming out of the carriage, but just them greeting you from day one, no hesitation, like just welcoming you in, allowing you to be you be comfortable. It was just it was just fun and it was like pleasing to the I because it's like, dang, you think these guys
would be individuals, but they're not. They're really team players and at the end of the day, they're just they're one of you, and you got to realize that that they're not. They're nobody, you know, bigger than you. You know, they make you feel that way as well. They try to feel They try to make it seem like they're not bigger than you, and they try to make us feel comfortable.
Yeah. Was there somebody that you were the most kind of nervous to me? I mean, Joe Burrow, Yeah, I mean seems very stressful, honestly.
But I think like our first our first encounter, it was like I was like, how do you know? Like, how do you know my name? He was like what's up? He's like, what's up, Jordan.
I'm like hello, it means yeah. Yeah.
It was like it was like that is cool name. Wow.
Okay. So with the rookies, we got a little game here. Who had the biggest rookie mistake of the year so far?
Rookie mistake of the year so far? I mean, I mean I think we all, I mean yeah, we all did. It kind of happened at the same time. We are me, DJ and DJ ME, Ivy and Draco. We kind of forgot to get the dB rooms from Snacks.
Who had the worst talent show? I don't think it was you.
I don't think it was me either. Uh I was Jayalen Moody's not here, Jayleen Jalen Moody. Out of the ones who was here, though, I'll probably say Ivy and Draco.
What do those guys they did.
Their their step like they're they're in a fraternity.
Yes, yes, yes, yeah.
I feel like they didn't have enough, Like they didn't really represent like, Yeah, they're just up there going through the motions.
No emotion attached to it. You got to be invested in talent show, just going through the motions. Who has the worst game day FETs?
The worst on the team, like the rookies of the rookies worst game day fits. I'll probably go Charlie. Charlie's too basic. He just relies on his good looks. Well, yeah, his good looks. He thinks he's a good looking man, so you just have to put on anything for real.
Who's got the best outfits?
The best I'll probably say, uh, Drago.
Yeah, he's very Yeah. Yeah. Grooming wise, who needs to step up their game? Grooming wise? We have Gillette here, so we got.
To talk grooming wise. Wow.
Who needs to be hosed down and trimmed up?
Mm hm, let's see. Probably Jackson Kirkland, Probably Jackson. Yeah, he needs Yeah, he needs to good. I guess my barber, Yeah there go, there you go.
Do you have everything set up here in Cincinnati that you need? Now you've got everything and play?
Yeah, I got my barber, got my hair stylist does my hair? Uh, I haven't really found a nail salon.
Oh I have one. I just want, I got I think got you. It's fine. Yeah, yeah, no, it's a great spot. Well listen. Thank you for hanging out with me. Best of luck the rest of the season, and keep crushing it, keep smiling, keep being you.
Thank you. H