If Turner's not making any goals, Battle has revealed he'd like to be a captain. He's had some good ones to emulate, and he starts on his side of the ball with retired defensive end Sam Hubbard and moves quickly to quarterback Joe Burrow.
He also points to two former DBs in his room who led so well and didn't always wear the 'C' in cornerback Mike Hilton and safety Michael Thomas, as well as one who did, safety Vonn Bell.
"Sam's one of the main ones. A guy who did everything the right way. Speaks up when needs to. When things aren't going right," Battle says. "Joey B. is a great captain who probably doesn't say much around you guys (the media), but he says a lot to us in a team environment.
"Mike was more leading the DBs. Vonn was a guy doing the right things off the field and helping us that way."
Battle has taken a page from Turner's meditation routine, and says it's something that has to be done away from the stadium, where there's simply not much time.
"Practice at home or off to the side. Like everything else, it has to become a creature of habit," says Battle, who believes it's a good primer for stadium Sundays. "Not as much as (Turner). I do it a little differently. I'm trying to tap into the mind. I'm trying to wire my mind a little differently now that I'm getting a little older.
"The game is 90 percent mental. It's a mindset going into each game. Who are you going to cover? Who are you going to tackle? Who are you reading most of the game? Meditation helps with that. Helps you focus on one thing."
The best state of mind can also help choosing the right words at the right time.
"Being able to calm yourself with encouraging words. Not saying the wrong things at the wrong times and saying the right things at the right times and the thought behind it. Every situation, take a deep breath."
Yes, top draft pick Cashius Howell, the edge from Texas A&M, is learning those 3-4 linebacker drops. But, let's face it. The man is here to get low and bend the edge on the pass rush with his unique short space burst. And he's been talking to the vet rushers as much as dropping.
"Not anything ground-breakingly new, but I have good vets and good guys around me who are able to look at certain ways I rush and critique them in a very intentional way and hone in on the small details," Howell says. "Things like hand placement, false steps, get-off. The small things so I can be as much as a technician as I can." …
Howell signed his rookie deal last week and admits it's a load off. A long way from the Bowling Green days.
"It was a good feeling just to put it behind me and not have to worry about anything with finances," Howell says. "The mindset is still the same. Just come in and do my part every day. Being on time, making sure I've got attention on every facet of the game."
The money means he can buy one of the houses he's been looking at in the Cincy area for the past month. He's not looking for an apartment or a condo. A house.
"I've lived in apartments and dorm rooms since freshman year. From Bowling Green to A&M. I'm ready to upgrade and get a house and maybe try to get a dog," Howell says. "I didn't want to try and get a house and I'm not financially able to get it." …
Battle says he ate about twice as much as usual in Japan during his nine-day stay and ended up losing ten pounds: "It shows you how processed the food is in America." …