Richard Skinner

rskinner@nky.com

Bengals veteran tight end Jermaine Gresham rarely grants interviews, but he agreed to speak with a handful of local media members on Thursday and spoke on a range of topics from his believing he's a "villain," in some people's eyes to his being compared to other tight ends from the draft Class of 2010 to how his role might change and expand with Tyler Eifert out due to injury.

He was at times funny, at times serious and at times self-loathing such as when asked what he wanted to be better at doing said: "Being a better person in interviews. I'm not a bad person. I'm just kind of private. Don't take offense to it."

Gresham has averaged 54.5 receptions per season in his first four seasons in the NFL and been to two Pro Bowls, but has been criticized in some circles for inconsistent performance and a belief that he has underachieved, especially when compared to some of the other tight ends taken in the 2010. Gresham was selected in the first round, while Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham were among those selected after him.

Gresham is also in the final year of his contract and took umbrage when asked if he liked playing for the Bengals and if he wanted to play here after this season.

"I've never gone into a contract thing really so I don't know how things go so right now they've got me signed so I'm happy with the Bengals," he said.

He also took blame for the Bengals not scoring a touchdown early in the second quarter of Sunday's 23-16 season-opening win in Baltimore, saying he didn't make the proper read on a play in which he stopped running a pattern across the middle and quarterback Andy Dalton's pass went incomplete. The play would have likely gone for an easy touchdown.

The following are the question and answer highlights from the 10-minute interview (some answers were shortened for clarity):

Question: How much do you see your role expanding without Tyler?

Jermaine Gresham: "I don't see much changing. We're just down one great player. Things are going to be the same. I don't see myself getting any more than I normally would or anything like that."

Q: People say he's a matchup problem, but you are, too, aren't you?

JG: "Tyler's a smaller guy and has a little more wiggle to him. He's a great player and I'm the other tight end who everybody hates. I'm pretty used to it by now. He's a great player. He brought something to the team that's definitely going to be missed. We just have to find it another way until he gets back."

Q: Do you think there's a wrong perception about you as a player?

JG: "No … it's just the situation of how I came in. There's a lot of great players in my class, and pretty much everybody is disappointed that I'm not what certain people are. It is what it is and I accept that."

Q: But yet, you've had a fine career in your own right. Have you come to terms with that?

JG: "I would like to do a lot of things. I would like to be loved by a lot more people, but it's just the nature of the sport. It comes and goes. I'm paid very well and I have no complaints about it. It comes with the nature of the game."

Q: Do you think it's possible to change the perception that's out there?

JG: No.

Q: Why is that?

JG: "I kind of accept the villain role, and try to be a leader to guys like Tyler who are learning on the way and make sure I'm good for them. As long as my teammates love me, I'm good."

Q: Who refers to you as the villain?

JG: "I don't know who. Y'all probably know better than me. I just try to stick to myself and just focus on the main things. Certain things cross my eyes, but I am human. I do read things."

Q: When you say you're the villain is it guys like us who write about the 2010 class; national media that write about the 2010 class?

JG: "I wouldn't necessarily say that. It's just that people want certain things to be a certain way and when things don't go a certain way they don't like and they voice their opinion. It's not the class. I had a great class."

Q: Does that (2010) class still drive you?

JG: "Oh yeah. Honestly as a human being and as a man you see it, and you know you have to put up with it and you have to keep up with that. It's driving me. I hold myself to a higher standard."

Q: What do you think people want?

JG: "For me to go for like 1,300 yards, 20 touchdowns and all the fans and people love me."

Q: Don't you think the coaches know what you can do and how valuable you are as far as being a two-way player (as a blocker and receiver)?

JG: "I would hope so, but more so as long as my teammates know that they can count on me to get things done to win football games that's all that matters, man. Not necessarily the coaches. I want to please them, because they're coaches, but really I want to be good for the guy next to me to make sure he counts on me to win the game."

Q: (You are a) pretty good player, right?

JG: "I'm all right. I'm OK. I'm below average." (Said with a smile on his face).