By ALANIS THAMES<\/p>\n
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Jordan Battle came away with some important details during last week\u2019s film study of the Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n
The Bengals safety said Thursday he had a tell on Malik Willis that he hoped would lead to success against the Dolphins quarterback.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a little slight little tap before every throw,\u201d Battle said this week, \u201cso I feel like we could use that as a key to break on the ball. He likes to tap the ball before he throws it, or he takes his hand off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley was asked about Battle\u2019s viral comments on Friday and indicated he wasn\u2019t worried, saying it\u2019s a common practice for quarterbacks before throwing the ball.<\/p>\n
Still, Battle\u2019s studies apparently worked. He intercepted Willis on back-to-back drives in the second quarter of Sunday\u2019s 31-24 win over the Dolphins<\/a> to help Cincinnati (3-2) snap a two-game skid.<\/p>\n \u201cYou study players and see things,\u201d Battle said after the win, downplaying his previous comments, \u201cbut it\u2019s just trusting the game plan and putting me in position to make plays.\u201d<\/p>\n Battle intercepted Willis after the quarterback\u2019s arm was hit making a throw early in the second and jumped in front of a pass meant for receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. on the next drive. Willis didn\u2019t appear to tap the ball before either play and said afterward that the second interception was the result of a scramble-drill mishap in which two of his receivers started running in the same direction.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not a tell. He got tipped balls,\u201d Willis said of Battle. \u201cI mean, good for him. That\u2019s what defenses are supposed to do at this level. They\u2019re a great defense, and they have a great front. We talked about that all week. They batted a ball down and the second one is a scramble drill mishap. That has nothing to do with tells. I don\u2019t think I patted either one of those. I don\u2019t think those are correlated.\u201d<\/p>\n Battle and the Bengals defense were able to take advantage of an uneven day from Willis throwing the ball. The Dolphins quarterback who signed a three-year, $67.5 million deal<\/a> this offseason started the game 0-for-4 passing and had just five completions in the first half.<\/p>\n Willis finished 15 of 27 with 137 yards. He had a touchdown pass and rushed for a score and lost a fumble at the Dolphins 9 with Miami trailing by 10 points in the fourth.<\/p>\n Battle had seven tackles and two pass breakups for the Bengals. The South Florida native said he gave the first ball he intercepted to his mom and the second one to his dad.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to think back to who got me here,\u201d Battle said. \u201cA great supporting cast. They come to almost every game. I thank them for that.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n