‘Why the F— Didn’t You Slide to Me?’ – Sheldon Rankins Cracks Up Bengals Coach Zac Taylor

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals officially announced the signing of Sheldon Rankins today, and minutes later, the defensive tackle was at his introductory news conference detailing what motivates him.

And it’s not success.

While discussing his three-sack game at Cincinnati in Week 10, Rankins did a deep dive on the plays he failed to make, saying it should have been a six-sack game.

Sheldon Rankins Jabs Bengals in Introductory Presser

He offered a blunt assessment of Bengals right guard Alex Cappa — “kicking his ass all day” – and the scheme utilized by Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.

But it wasn’t the first time Taylor heard Rankins question the team’s game plan that day.

Sheldon on why he chose the Bengals:

1. Feels like home.
2. "We got all the makings to make that kind of run again." 😏 pic.twitter.com/pTjbtJVWTI

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 18, 2024

“The first question I asked Zac when I met him, before I said ‘Hey, how you doing?’ or anything else, it was like — excuse my French; I speak freely, guys — I said, ‘Why the f— didn’t you slide to me?’” Rankins said. “And we just kind of laughed about it.

“I even asked (center Ted Karras) like midway through the game, I was like, ‘This is what ya’ll … this is the game plan? Cool. I’m not gonna ask again. I’m not gonna make y’all overthink it. If this is what you all want to do, let’s do it,’” Rankins added.

“I was very pleased with coach Zac Taylor’s decision to leave me one-on-one all day. It made for a great Sunday in Cincinnati.”

But not great enough. Even with three sacks and four quarterback hits, Rankins felt as though he didn’t deliver the way he should have. Even four months later, he was able to rattle off the details of the three sacks that got away.

“I spend most of my time watching all the ones I didn’t make instead of the ones I made because the ones I make I truly expect myself to make those plays,” he said. “Everybody I know is super excited about a three-sack game, and I was sitting on the plane or sitting on the bus thinking, ‘I really should have had six today.’ And that’s all I could think about.

“My family and stuff, they get pissed at me sometimes,” he continued. “They’re like, ‘You played good. Be happy about [it].’ And I just can’t. That’s just not the way I’m wired. Maybe when I’m done playing, I can sit back and smell the roses, so to speak. But for now, I gotta keep going. There’s more plays to make, and I’ve got to make them.”

The Rankins recall files were not limited to Houston’s 30-27 win against the Bengals in November. He’s played Cincinnati four times and has five career sacks and several other pivotal plays.

“Who Dey has been kind to me, whether they meant to be or not,” Rankins said. “They’ve been really kind to me. Now they’re kind to me now, I appreciate it.”

It’s a two-year, $24.5 million contract for Rankins, who said he thinks he’s playing his best football heading into his age-30 season.

SCOOP & SCORE FOR SHELDON RANKINS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/8wEbGIsA2C

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 31, 2023

While talking about the perceived up-and-down nature of his career, Rankins pointed out that he had to recover from two Achilles tears in 2020.

And recovery was only the halfway point of the process in his mind.

“As hard as it is to get back from one of those, I had to get back from two of those as well as get better in the process,” Rankins said. “A lot of people don’t understand how hard it is to come back from injury to get to the level you were at. But also to have to get better.

“I just think being able to be healthy the last few years has really allowed me to just attack my craft and hone in on the things that I feel like I need to do to get better to really be the dominant player I know I can be,” he added.

“I feel like when I watch last year, I had a really productive year but there is still so much more left for me to do. I feel like I am still ascending as a player.”

KEEP READING: Cincinnati Bengals News March 18

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