1st Day Of spring Camp

[jbengals1]

now that the draft is over, time to talk some bengals camp football !!!bengals.com

[AGrizzlyBaer]

anyone watch the video of the training camp. one thing that really stood out is when the drill was over pollack went running over to the next one. ah that hustle is great

[brian5562]

Can someone copy and paste the article? Bengals.com is blocked at work for me.

[oldschooler]

First steps

4/29/2005 -

David Pollack (99) and Odell Thurman (45) particpate in drills during Friday's rookie minicamp. (Andy Ware/Bengals)

4-29-05, 3:50 p.m.

Updated: 4-29-05, 8:10 p.m.

BY GEOFF HOBSON

For the first time in the Marvin Lewis era, all eyes, mini-cams, and shutters were trained on the defense when the Bengals opened the first of their spring camps Friday afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium.

No. 1 pick David Pollack made his first drops as a NFL outside linebacker and said he felt like a fish out of water until he got his land legs back. Georgia teammate and middle linebacker Odell Thurman showed why the Bengals grabbed him in the second round with a Takeo Spikes-like presence at the rookie camp of about 30 on the stadium field.

“People have been doing double takes all day. You’re the fourth person today who said I look like Takeo,” Thurman said after this weekend’s first of five workouts.

For an All-American defensive end, Pollack looked pretty decent in his first outing at backer, but he knows he won’t feel right there for awhile.

“I felt like a fish out of water. I was lost this morning,” Pollack said of the walk-through. “I got better this afternoon. It’s going to take a little while. I’ve never played the position. Everything is new. The terminology, the technique. It’s never easy when you change positions.”

But coaches and observers thought he flashed enough to show he’ll make the transition. Linebackers coach Ricky Hunley made him do some drills over (“Let’s go. Get in there and do it again,” he urged Pollack after an agility drill over the bags. “You have to stick your foot in and go”), but came away encouraged.

“The guy asks a lot of questions. He wants to do it right,” Hunley said. “The most impressive thing was how they talked on defense. These are rookies, and the linebackers were communicating, and if they can do that, stay on the same page, I don’t care what kind of defense you’re playing, you can play it.

“For a first day of camp, I thought (Pollack) was impressive,” Hunley said. “He shows you some the same things he showed you playing end. You can see those things he’s done as a d-lineman. He’s got great hands, so if you can get your hands on him, you can cover him.”

Pollack knows he can cover receivers. He’s not worried about that.

“I’m pretty athletic. I can do that,” Pollack said. “It’s just I don’t know if I’m dropping in the right places yet.”

Hunley came out of it pretty well when it came to his coverage drops. But he is harping on Pollack not to back-pedal.

“He’s not a safety. We don’t want him to back pedal,” he said. “We want him to open up his hips and read the quarterback. That’s what you do when you drop in a zone. Make them check down in front of you so you can break down and separate them from the football. Sometimes he did it and sometimes he didn’t. But he’ll get there.”

He also has to learn a bunch of tricks. For instance, now that he’s standing up, Pollack is going to have to communicate signals at times and Hunley, a former NFL backer, showed Pollack how to show a fist.

“If you put it (to the side), no one can see it,” said Hunley, coaching him to wave it high.

At least one observer of Friday’s practice agrees with the coaches that Pollack should have a fairly smooth transition from end to backer.

“He plays low, he’s got an unbelievably explosive first step, and he’s quick as hell,” said Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham after watching the early portion of the workout. “He plays with good football leverage. Watch how he breaks down in football position. No wasted steps or false steps. He gives you the idea he’s going to be able to do it.”

But there is a learning curve, even with the drills. A tentative Pollack and Thurman got teamed up in one of the turnover drills, where Pollack has to come up from behind to strip Thurman of the ball, scoop it up, and head the other way.

“Do it again,’ said secondary coach Kevin Coyle, and Pollack responded with a more vicious strip.

Asked if he can be ready for Opening Day, Pollack shook his head.

“I’m going to be ready for tomorrow,” he said. “I’m not worried about the opener.”

Thurman admitted he also needed some time to get acclimated. But he hopes he can keep his No. 45 jersey, but he can’t. He has to have a number in the 50s when they start playing games.

“I’m thinking about asking Coach to put me down as a safety so I can keep it. Or even No. 33,” Thurman said with a laugh.

All but one of the 18 rookies participated. Only LSU center Ben Wilkerson, in the last weeks of knee rehab, watched. He’ll be ready by training camp. The Bengals also had six first-year players eligible for the camp work in wide receivers Jeremiah Cockheran and Matt Cherry, tight end Ronnie Ghent, tackle Pete Lougheed, linebacker Allen Augustin, and cornerback Brandon Williams.

Six free agents were also on hand for a tryout. Ohio State running back Lydell Ross, Massachusetts fullback Rich Demers, Georgetown College (Ky.) guard Clay Martin, Tuskegee defensive end Jordan Brumbaugh, Louisville defensive tackle Tyrone Saterfield, and Kansas State defensive tackle Andrew Bulman.

It’s the first time Lewis has pretty much kept the rookies together for an introductory camp. Last year, he wanted quarterback Carson Palmer to get some early snaps and let the veteran receivers mix in with the rookies for a day. Lewis felt no need to do that this weekend.

“It gives our guys an opportunity not to be overwhelmed at all. So everybody is on the same level,” Lewis said. “We may have to eliminate some of the team (drills). We knew it could happen. The main thing is for our players to have the opportunity to lay the foundation of techniques and fundamentals we’re going to ask them to do.”

Free agent guard Steven Viera of UCLA got “nicked up” Friday, Lewis said, which could take them out of team drills because of the lack of numbers.

OLD HOME WEEK: For a new group of guys, everybody seemed to know everybody. Besides the three Georgia kids _ Pollack, Thurman, and free-agent fullback Jeremy Thomas _ Wilkerson went head-to-head with Pollack and Thurman.

“Tell him he may have been the best lineman I faced all year,” Thurman said.

Then you have the fourth- and fifth-round roommates, center Eric Ghiaciuc and tackle Adam Kieft from Central Michigan. They roomed together this past year and are rooming together this weekend. They’ve got the cliché down pat.

“Still haven’t slept,” Kieft said. “He snores.”

Then there is UCLA wide receiver Tab Perry, the sixth-rounder. His parents are from Avondale in Cincinnati, and he used to spend summers here when he was small. In fact, he remembers staying about three blocks away from his favorite place, the zoo.

He says the monkeys were his favorite exhibit, but he hasn’t been back in some time. Before a pre-draft visit three weeks ago, the last time he was here was four years ago to visit relatives before he went to college.

It was also a reunion of sorts with Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Perry worked with him and Chad Johnson at a receiver camp in Los Angeles a few summers ago, and Houshmandzadeh hung around to watch a little of the practice.

“This guy’s a good pickup and I’ll tell you why,” Houshmandzadeh said. “He runs good routes. He’s got good speed, but if you can run routes, you can be a receiver anywhere.”

Is it any coincidence that Houshmandzadeh is a late-round pick (seventh in 2001) who runs crisp routes?

MILLER REHABBING: Second-year linebacker Caleb Miller is walking around with his foot in a boot. On Monday, he’ll have a matched set.

Miller said he had surgery on one ankle to remove a ligament and clean up some scar tissue. He said he’ll have the same procedure on the other one Monday, and says he’ll be ready to return by early June. He’s hoping the surgeries clear up his ankle miseries from last season.

“I never had ankle problems until last year,” Miller said. “It’s what kept me from playing and it will be great to get them back to where they were.”

[brian5562]

Sounds like a good start. I am anxious to see these rookies in action. You can just feel the buzz about this team right now. Do any of you feel Caleb might be in danger of being cut(maybe not this year) or is there to much upside with this young man?

[kingwilly]

Check the video. Mainly some walk-throughs and basic drills. BUT..you get to see the LB's, the O-line and the new WR's all doing something. You can see Bresnihan barking and whistling. It is just rawfootage so you can draw your own conclusions.

http://play.rbn.com/?nrl=nfl/nfl/open/beng...9.rm&proto=rtsp

[alleycat]

anyone watch the video of the training camp. one thing that really stood out is when the drill was over pollack went running over to the next one. ah that hustle is great

that was THE thing that jumped out to me when I watched, too.

[HairOnFire]

Anybody remember the pre-draft thread about Pollack being a freshman at college practice and the initially negative reaction his teammates had to his running 20 yards past the QB on every pass rush drill? They complained that he was trying to show them up...prompting him to run even farther on the following plays. After he earned their respect they just realized he was just being who he is and many of them began doing the same things he was. That being, always running around like their hair was on fire.

It rubs off.

[andybren]

Check the video.

Strange to see a right-hander wearing #7.

[schweinhart]

Anybody remember the pre-draft thread about Pollack being a freshman at college practice and the initially negative reaction his teammates had to his running 20 yards past the QB on every pass rush drill? They complained that he was trying to show them up...prompting him to run even farther on the following plays. After he earned their respect they just realized he was just being who he is and many of them began doing the same things he was. That being, always running around like their hair was on fire.

It rubs off.

Slash and burn in The Jungle