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The Football Diner Big Interview:
Ken Riley
interviewed by Sam Monson
5/10/2007
Ken Riley played his entire career at CB for the Cincinnati Bengals, dating 1969 through to 1983. He recorded 65 interceptions in his career, retiring 4th on the NFL’s all-time interception list. He established himself as one of the top defensive backs in Pro Football, recording 3 or more interceptions in all but 3 of his 15 seasons. In 1976 he set a franchise record with 9 interceptions, registering 141 return yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 fumble recoveries. Football Diner was lucky enough to chat to Ken about his career, how the game has changed, SB XVI and much more in our exclusive interview…
FD: Not only do you hold the team record for interceptions, but you also rank amongst the team leaders for longevity does the length of time you were able to play in the NFL mean as much to you as the stats?
I was real happy to have played that many years. I was a QB in college, Paul Brown made me into a CB. It took me 5 years or so to really learn the position. I played in a lot of games, only Ken Anderson played in more for the Bengals. I’m also happy to have 65 interceptions but if I had to choose between picks and longevity I feel happy to have played as long as I did.
 FD: How do you believe the game has changed for CBs today from when you were playing?
A CB back then was a complete ball player, he had to play everything, now you have specialties, tackling isn’t always important. When I was playing if you couldn’t tackle, you couldn’t play. You were the last line of defence, you had to get the guy on the ground. When I was playing you didn’t come out for turf toe! Mental toughness was there back in the day. If you didn’t play you were gone. Today you could be a backup and get a whole lot of money in Free Agency. Back then, you didn’t have opportunities to go other places, now FA you have much more flexibility.
FD: How has the change in schemes from more man to zone affected the cornerback in the NFL?
Back when I played we played a lot more man to man, you could bump a man all over the field, you could be much more physical, now you got to let him go. Biggest thing I can see now is the technique isn’t as good, the fundamentals, it’s not a knock, but it’s just different now. They play a lot of zone now.
FD: Just how good a coach was Paul Brown?
I have a Lot of respect for Paul Brown, he was a Great coach, small in stature, but he carried a big stick. He never raised his voice, but he let you know he was the owner of team, he said the buck stopped with him. I learned a lot from Paul Brown, he helped my career as a coach. I didn’t always understand then but now I know why he did a lot of what he did.
FD: How do you account for not a single pro-bowl appearance in your career despite some great years?
That’s something I don’t understand, a lot of people ask, I could say a whole lot of things, but ask some of the players I played against, and they’d tell you who the best players were. In 1976 I had 9 interceptions and played all year, but some guys went to the pro-bowl who had been out half the year and didn’t have as many interceptions. I can’t answer that question, 65 all time picks, that’s a lot of picks, you’ve got to be doing something right. It’s like Barry Bonds, and I don’t condone using steroids to make yourself better, but you’ve still gotta have the hand-eye coordination, you still gotta swing that bat. I just did my job, my counterpart was real flashy, I never was real flashy, I just played the game There’s a lotta guys who took a long time to get in, like Paul Krause, and he had 81 interceptions! Roger Wherli was a great player, but he wasn’t nearly where I was, he didn’t play in a SB, and he just got in. I hear that question a lot, and I just don’t know.
FD: Do you think if you’d been a more flashy type of player you might have had the recognition?
I always felt the way I was brought up that your deeds speak for them, you didn’t need to do that, a lot of people did, but it brings attention to you and you get blown up. I was never that way. My records speak for themselves, and some of the great WRs I played against, they’ll tell you who the best players were.
FD: Who was the best WR you played against?
I played against a lot of great WRs, one I respected and admired was Paul Warfield, poetry in motion, all his cuts looked the same, so he was very difficult to cover. Every route he ran looked the same. I played against Stallworth and Swann twice a year, Charlie Taylor early in my career, and I learned a lot when they beat me but I kept a book and when I got older and more experienced I came back and did a decent job. I’m just fortunate to have played against so many great players.
FD: Were there any other CBs you drew inspiration from or used to help you improve as a player?
Lamarr Parrish and I were roommates, 7 years with the Bengals, we used to study film of Willie Brown, and Lem Barney. They were great players. When you see a guy on film who does a great job on a receiver, you want to see how he had his success. You had to be mentally tough, if you get beat, you gotta shake it off and make a play. You also gotta hope you have a great D-line in front of you because if there’s no pressure, I don’t care how good you are, with enough time they’re going to beat you. When I had 9 picks Coy Bacon had 22 sacks. Technique has gone now, when I played I worked on fundamentals, now I see guys just turn and run, not keeping their cushion. I look at it and they get away with it sometimes, but get beat too.
FD: Who would you say are some of the most deserving guys who have been left out of the Hall of Fame?
Art Monk, Ken Anderson. I went against Isaac Curtis, everyday in practice, so smooth, the guy was a tremendous player, we have Chad Johnson now, I never covered Chad, but Isaac was sweet. Chad Johnson’s cocky, he challenged me right there on the field. I was down there on the field with Chris Collinsworth and Chad Johnson was there: ‘Oh You the great Ken Riley, put on your uniform and we’ll see who’s the best.’ I mean, that’s Chad. I wasn’t like that, I just did it on the field, Isaac Curtis was like that. It goes back to the great Paul Brown, you don’t spike the ball, hand it to officials, that’s class. He was classy old man. You play for Paul Brown you’re gonna know what you doing.
FD: You’ve been out of the league for over 20 years now, do you still miss it?
No. I had a chance to coach for a year with Forrest Gregg, he really prolonged my career, we had some bad years, we was like the Beg-gals, but he prolonged my career, we went to the SB because of him. Bill Walsh was there too, the Bengals had some great coaches.
 FD: Tell us about your SuperBowl experience.
It was good, near the end of my career and in my estimation we had the best team in the NFL. It was a devastating loss, we were blowing people away. We lost to the 49ers twice that year though. I felt we had better personnel, then in the SuperBowl Pete Johnson was like 270lb and we couldn’t get 1 yard, Collinsworth losing the ball on the fumble, just a lot of things going wrong, and we came back in that game, but we just ran out of time. I felt it was the best Bengals team there has been, and it was the best team I was on. It was such a grand experience that I just can’t put into words, but I think the best thing was getting there. When we played the Chargers, it was like 59 below wind chill, we went out there, ken Anderson played well, we ran well, the biggest thing was getting there. We had the team to have won it all and to lose it all… I don’t like watching SuperBowls even now. I felt we had the team to win but on that particular day 49ers were better team.
FD: Do you still follow the Bengals?
Yes, I still follow them.
FD: What do you make of the current Bengals much-publicised discipline problems?
Unfortunate, during our day it wouldn’t happen. There was leadership. Paul Brown takes no nonsense, you played out of fear, you had to do it on and off field, if you didn’t you were gone. Coach Lewis needs to deal with that and the players need to realise they’re professionals and high profile and if you make mistake its gonna be taken to extreme, like anyone in high profile positions, and until they learn that they’re gonna have problems. Right now they’ve got a no nonsense commissioner, and the message has to be getting across to carry yourself a certain way, whether you realise it or not you’re heroes to a lot of kids and when you do something you’re jeopardising that. Hopefully the message gets across.
FD: Does that fall on the Coaches, or the Team Leaders, or the Players themselves to realise?
Coach is only there a certain time. If you’ve got leadership on team it can curtail it. I know we did, I was captain for 8 years. We monitored each other. Like you say a lot of it has to come from the players themselves. NFL security comes by every year and gives you the speech about the dos and the don’ts, if you don’t listen you have to suffer the consequences. You need someone with leadership skills, if they don’t it’s gonna hurt the team. Players need to get across to each other. On the team I was on, we were close, and we did things together, that made a big difference, you can’t put it all on the coach, he’s not there 24 hours.
FD: What do you make of the NFL bringing a regular season game to London this year?
I think it’s great, I think it’s an opportunity for guys to go and play outside the US, football is the most popular sport here, I know soccer’s big there but now they get a chance to see and understand the NFL. It’s like soccer coming over here, we get a chance to learn more about soccer and they get a chance to learn more about the NFL, to see them live and enjoy it. Not that they don’t understand it, I know they had NFL Europa and the World League but this is the real deal.
FD: Having played in both, and coached in both, do you prefer the College game, or the Pro game?
It’s hard to discipline players now because there’s so much money. Back during the day I played in, you lose your playbook you get $500 fine, that was BIG then, now that’s nothing. Pro football’s a job, it’s your livelihood, in college there’s the enthusiasm. I mean you’re playing for a Scholarship or whatever, but it’s a little different. In the NFL if you don’t get it done you’re fired, in College you still get your education. To me that’s the biggest difference.
FD: Who in your opinion is the league’s best cornerback today?
I like the kid from, just saw play the other night, uh, there’s a couple out there, but I saw him the other night, and he got beat too. Name some Corners…
FD: Champ Bailey?
Champ Bailey! That’s him. He has pretty good fundamentals. I like to see a corner who does a great job defending the pass, but I like seeing a guy who can come up and make the tackle. Corners are paid to play pass D, that’s why they put you back there, but when called upon you have to do your part. A lot of teams are playing that Tampa 2 now, lotta zone, back in my day it was a lot more man, and we blitzed a lot more. Back when I played we did some zone, but we disguised it.
For more on Ken Riley be sure to read our History Section
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