As reporters circled around Shawn Williams one day after he was ejected for a hit to the head of Andrew Luck, the safety was interested in reversing roles of the interview process.

“If you guys have any suggestions on what I can do to not get a flag and still do my job, then let me know,” Williams said.

He was the first player ejected under the umbrella of the new point of emphasis for illegal use of helmet. Williams will likely receive a fine and any potential suspension for Thursday’s game against Baltimore would be expected to be assessed at some point Monday. As of 5 p.m., the Bengals had not received word of any suspension for their starting safety.

“All I can do is go forward as the starter while I’m playing and they make their decisions,” Williams said.

How he plays will be a more challenging task. Williams said he’s very aware of the new rules and thinks about it to assure he plays within them. He said he was purposely trying to keep his head up while tackling Luck, who was running for a first down and also being tackled by Michael Johnson.

“All the onus is on me to understand,” he said. “I don't know if they want you to know what Andrew Luck is going to do. I don't know what he's going to do. If it was up to me he should slide and give himself up earlier, but he didn't.”

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Williams made contact with Luck’s helmet on the hit, though, he claims he wasn’t leading with it.

“I didn't use the crown of my helmet,” Williams said. “I didn't use my helmet at all. My helmet might have touched his incidentally. All my contact was with my shoulder and incidentally to his head. I don't know what they want me to do.”

Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin knows what he wants and that involves using better form.

“I don’t think it was meant with any malice,” Austin said. “I just think our technique has to be better. If our technique is better maybe there is an opportunity to avoid having to be judged by New York.”

Head of officials Al Riveron confirmed the referee's decision on the field to eject Williams from the game for the hit. Those replays slow down and show every angle of Williams and his intent. The safety runs in full speed and doesn’t see a small quarterback.

“If you watch him I don't know if he's getting ready to try to run me over,” Williams said. “Don't get it twisted. Andrew Luck is like 6-3, 240, 235. He's way bigger than a lot of DBs. I think he was going to dive, but he wasn't going to give himself up and slide. I don't know what else I’m supposed to do.”

Growing concern over Green's fumbles

A.J. Green has now fumbled eight times in his last 46 games after putting the ball on the turf twice Sunday.

The star receiver did his best to make up for the error by catching a 38-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton, but Marvin Lewis wasn’t giving his seven-time Pro Bowler a pass.

“He has to protect the ball,” Lewis said. “We are concerned about that. Anybody that touches the football carries all of us in this building with them. We have to make sure we protect the football. We can’t lose football games because we don’t take care of the ball.”

Green joked his next mandate would be for Tyler Boyd to follow him every time he catches the ball. Boyd saved the day by landing on Green’s second fumble, which would have nullified a critical Randy Bullock field goal to create a four-point lead.

“We’re taught to chase the person with the ball,” Boyd said. “My reaction, that’s my guy, he’s in my room. I’m going to help him up after the play, I didn’t never one time think he’s going to fumble. I was just in the right position at the right time.”

Boyd won’t always be there and a blip on his impeccable career stats grew larger after Sunday.

“I'm definitely disappointed,” Green said. “That's not who I want to become. I just got careless with the ball, a little loose. I've just got to tuck and get down when I need to.”

Injury look

Lewis issued the first weather report of the regular season in regard to injuries. When asked about linebacker Preston Brown, who left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, Lewis declared him “partly sunny right now” for Thursday’s game against the Ravens.

He did not participate in Monday's practice.

If Brown does have to miss, Hardy Nickerson could again see extra snaps. He filled in late in the game and was part of the decisive fumble by Jack Doyle. He played in place of Vinny Rey, who was still battling back from an injury that kept him out of the preseason.

Carlos Dunlap showed up on the injury report as not participating with a calf injury. Other than that, three players were limited: OL Clint Boling (foot), WR Cody Core (back) and CB Darqueze Dennard (neck).