Bengals left guard Dylan Fairchild, ranked third this week among rookie guards and No. 42 among all guards by Pro Football Focus, wouldn't know it because he says he puts blinders on.
But he's making people notice. PFF says the third-rounder from Georgia is having a better year than Colts All-Pro Quenton Nelson, Browns Pro Bowler Wyatt Teller, and Alex Cappa, last year's Bengals' starting right guard.
Bengals.com, senior writer Geoff Hobson sat down with Fairchild before Thursday's practice for a wide-ranging interview in which he revealed a deep commitment to his faith, his wife, and a joyful obscurity on the offensive line.
**GH: You were a two-time state wrestling champ in Georgia. Were you ever beaten?**
**DF:** That's funny because there's like a false rumor that goes around that I was never beat. I actually got whooped a little bit my freshman year. A couple of times. It wasn't pretty, but that's part of the growing pains. I was 15 going against a 19-year-old that was 60,70, pounds heavier than me. And that's just part of it. You learn.
**GH: Was that a big point for you?**
**DF:** Oh, yeah, I hated it. I hated it. I hated it. I can't stand to lose.
**GH: How did they beat you?**
**DF:** Some of the guys were just bigger and stronger than me at the time. I was just a young kid. Some of them, just plain and simple, just bigger and stronger. Sometimes, there were really technical things that I could do to give myself a better chance to win … I was trained very well and by the time I was a sophomore, I mean, I felt ready to win a state championship. It didn't pan out. I do remember the guy that beat me. His name was Tomari Fox. He beat me in the semifinals my sophomore year. Played football at UNC,
**GH: What did you learn from that?**
**DF:** I learned that I was okay with that loss, which I never thought I would be okay with a loss. But I was because I had given everything. I did throw up, actually. I came off the mat and I profusely threw up in the toilet because I was so tired. I chugged so many water bottles after the match. Because I gave everything.
At the end of the match, I was seeing black everywhere. I mean, I gave everything I had. I think I lost like 6-5, or 6-4. It was a really tough match. He got up and I got up, and he gave me the little bro hug, and was like, 'You're the toughest dude I ever wrestled.' So I was like, 'Alright, I can take losing because I gave everything, and take it'. He was a football player. He was a big dude, really strong.
**GH: Did you use that loss to fuel you?**
**DF:** Of course. I didn't lose another one after that.
**GH: Junior, senior year unbeaten Georgia state champion.**
**GH: Is what happened with that kid your sophomore year kind of what you're going through now?**
**DF:** A little bit, yeah, a little bit. You live and you learn. You go through moments. Football is more moments to me. There are some moments that are great. There are some moments that are like, 'Oh my gosh what am I doing? I should have just done that.' And the next time that moment comes, you think back
and you're like, 'All right, I remember what happened.'
**GH: How do you think you're doing now?**
**DF:** I don't know. I put blinders on. Week to week, I put blinders on. In the game, I let it go, and then I'll watch the film. I'll analyze what I did right, what I did wrong, and then I'll put blinders on.
**GH: What do you think is the one thing you've improved on the most?**
**DF:** My recoverability, probably in the past game, is something that I've improved on just over time. And my balance. The ability to flip my hips back into square and recover. I think something I need to get better at is just the run blocking aspect of it.
I think all of us up front, we've got to continue to run that race and just chase down that path of greatness in the run game. Because that's ultimately what opens up the pass. It's going to help us a lot. That's something that I'm ultra-focused on is just getting better in the run game. Fitting up on these combos with the guys, and just being as good as I can be in all the aspects of the sport.
**GH: We briefly talked last week and you said there really had been no surprises yet in the NFL.**
**DF:** Right. It's tough. It's tough. Very hard.
**GH: What's the toughest game so far after four games in?**
**DF**: I'd probably say the Vikings game, yeah, just all across the board. It was just a tough game for us. I think we could have executed way better. I think that just up front, we could have had a bigger impact in the game. And again, part of being an O-lineman is putting stuff on your back and saying, 'It starts with us. If we're not good, then we don't give anybody else a chance to be good.' We have to do better up front. I've got to do better individually. And I'm sure a lot of the guys feel the same way, and that's what we've been really pursuing since the season started, just continuing to get better.
**GH: Do you think teams are trying to take advantage of your inexperience and rookie right guard Jalen Rivers' inexperience?**
**DF:** Probably. I come into the game knowing that, and I try to take advantage that they're trying to take advantage.
**GH: Overall, from Opening Day to now, where do you think you've improved the most?**
**DF:** I'd say just the feel of the game. (Left tackle) Orlando (Brown Jr.) and (center) Ted (Karras) have helped me a ton with that. Just feeling the game, and just kind of dialing it down in terms of the simplicity of it. It's a super detailed game, and you've got to lock in and key in on those details. But it's still football, you know? It's complex, but it's simple. You can make it simple.
**GH: Who's the best guy you've played so far in the four games?**
**DF:** I'd say Jonathan Allen or Zach Allen. Malik Collins is another one. He got me a little bit.
**GH: You didn't exactly get a break coming out of the box. Malik Collins was Opening Day.**
**DF:** And then Jonathan Allen Week Three in Minnesota. Arik Armstead was Week Two. Then we got Jonathan Allen, and then Zach Allen, and this week we've got big guys. Tyleik Williams. And Aidan Hutchinson is another really great pass rusher.
I think he's all over the line, really all over the place. Of course, they're going to want to rush him from all phases of the field. That's kind of how they do.
**GH: Anything you've taken away since Opening Day?**
**DF:** Fundamentals matter a lot, and I knew that coming in. You've really got to lock into your fundamentals on every rep. It only takes one rep, and your day is ruined. I always say that it's kind of like cops and robbers. The robbers have to get it right every time. Cops just got to get it right once. Your day's made if you get it right once, but we've got to get it right every time.