"Just his background with players who fit with my build. Philosophically, he sees leverage points and hand usage. I think that's awesome because the first contact at the line of scrimmage is really important."
Patrick, an undrafted free agent out of Duke, was drawn to campus out of Brentwood, Tenn., by the mix of academics and sports. A history major whose focus was the post-Enlightenment period in Europe, Patrick has an excellent read on the Burrow Era in Cincinnati.
After all, Patrick played the first five seasons of his career with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. In that last season of 2021, Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams had to go overtime to beat quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins here at Paycor.
"(Rodgers is) an elite quarterback and No. 9 seems to be in that air, if not, then something special in his own right," Patrick said. "Obviously, Ja'Marr and Tee are the best one-two in the league right now and you could argue even beyond that. That's exciting. Just watching film this morning of Chase Brown. He looks to be an exceptional back. He's pretty shifty.
"And the guys up front. I've got a lot of respect for (center) Ted Karras, his career, and how he's played. (Left tackle) Orlando Brown is just a proven winner. (Right tackle Amarius) Mims is a special young talent. This is an exciting offense to join."