Cincinnati Bengals High 5: Five questions with Rex Burkhead

One of the biggest surprises of the season for the Cincinnati Bengals has been the play of Rex Burkhead on special teams after Pro Bowler Cedric Peerman suffered a broken arm in the third preseason game.

Already a key contributor on special teams during his first three seasons with the team, Burkhead slid into the more impactful roles Peerman had on the coverage and return teams and has been “outstanding,” according to coordinator Darrin Simmons.

Burkhead, who had almost no special teams experience coming out of Nebraska as a sixth-round pick in 2013, leads the Bengals with nine tackles on special teams to go along with a forced fumble.

In addition to his play on the field, Burkhead has been active in numerous charitable endeavors, highlighted by his creation of the Team Jack Foundation after his relationship with young cancer patient Jack Hoffman led to a viral video, a close friendship and a trip to the White House to meet President Obama.

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Burkhead sat down to talk about his charity work, his role on special teams and a hypothetical trip through time for this week’s Cincinnati Bengals High 5:

Q: How is Jack doing these days?

A: He's doing good. His last MRI was really look. It looked like it had shrunk a little bit, the area there, which is good. He's still in remission, still fighting. The foundation is doing great. We've raised over $3 million now and we're actually hosting an event in April at my high school after the season is over that I'm pretty excited about.

Q: You ever sit back in awe of how one simple gesture to reach out to a fan has led to all of this?

A: Yeah, it's crazy. Jack's dad and I have said many times that we never saw when we first met how big it could grow. Just the support now, even in my home town to let people know we're having this event, seeing how many people want to jump on board and help out the cause is just unbelievable.

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Q: I know your charity work pre-dated Jack. Where did that passion come from to get involved and help others?

A: Just the community gave so much to me when I was a kid. My mom is a teacher, and she was involved with her school and the community as well, and my dad was, too. I was just given so much that I've always wanted to give back. I remember when former players from the high school or other people came back to speak to us, I just thought how cool that was and I always to get something from them to take into my life. That's why I try to do my best at that.

Q: Your degree from Nebraska is in history. If you could go back in time and have dinner with any historic figure, who would it be?

A: Oh, man. That's a good question. There's so many. I think George Washington would be a cool one, just because he was the first president and started a whole new country. It would be really interesting to pick his brain. Of course, Jesus. He's the greatest person that ever lived. Talking to him would be cool, too.

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Q: You've been asked to play an even bigger role on special teams this year with Cedric Peerman out, and last week you took over the team lead in special teams tackles. What is it about special teams that you enjoy and what, in your mind, makes a good special teams player?

A: It's fun. When I first got here I didn't know what to think about it because I hadn't done much of it before. Now I love it. You're a unit. You're working together to get tackles, to help each other out there. And being able to hit someone else and not taking the hits is always cool, too. It's something different and something I've really had to learn. It didn't come easy at first. Now I feel like I have a good brain for it, but I still have a lot to learn from it.

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