Orange Black game

[TJJackson]

I started a new job last February, and as I hadn't acquired any vacation time yet, the wife decided to take the kids down to Myrtle Beach and leave me at home to keep paying the bills. Kinda depressing at first, but then I realized i was free to go down and visit Bengals training camp for the first time ever.

It was a real treat, very enjoyable.

The game was a little disappointing because (and understandably) there was no hitting. I completely understand the need to minimize injuries, but of course Football without hitting is like a day at the beach wthout the water. Even with the minimzed hitting, 5th round draft pick Adam Kieft went down late in the abbreviated game with what i think was some kind of leg injury, and was taken off the field on a Cart.

On the other hand, it was quite enjoyable to watch the throws and receiving. Since this was a tag tackle game, the power running style the Bengals prefer was sorta useless, so I'd say there were 3-4 throws for every run attempted, and the wideouts and dbs got a lot of work.

4 players caught my eye

Patrick Body - the undrafted db from Toledo was left alone covering Chad, TJ, and Kelly Washington at varioues times, and overall I think did quite well. Didn't seem to get flustered, was willing to play bump and run, and ran well with the receivers. Seemed to have a good instinc to drop the receiver he was covering as soon as the ball was released in a different direction. This coming off some good comments about him over the Friday night scrimmage, which I didn't read about until after I got back.

Quincy Wilson - I keep hearing he's slow, and he's jus like Rudi 'cept not as good. Then all I see him do is produce, both running and catching, while Two Carry Perry rode the pine all day. I know it's still early, and we need to see the preseason games, but if i was running the show and had to cut to the base roster today, Perry would go on IR or be cut outright and Rudi, Kenny, and Quincy are my running backs for 2005

Chris Henry - he made good attempts to catch what I felt were very poorly thrown balls, and he seemed very sharp and professional out there. I was expecting to see a bit of the childishness he has been labelled with since the draft, the attitude that caused him to slide to the thir round, but saw none of that - he looked very professional out there. He did catch the balls that I thought he should catch, ie I personaly don't think he should be "credited" with any drops

Eric Ghiaciuc - ok, I probably mis-spelled his last name. Sue me :-) I liked the fact that I don't recall any flubbed snaps to Kitna or to Krenzel as the starting center on the "Orange" team, made up of backup players. I think all you want from a rookie center at this point is steady, mistake free work, and i think that's what you got from him. I think he will be a very, very good center in this league if he keeps improving.

Of note: Stacy Andrews got a TON of work at the RT spot in Willie's absence, which is great

Of note #2: Two Carry Perry was suited up but never got on the field, near as I could tell, which sucks.

That said, I stayed to get some autographs, and you know who i went to first. Clue: his smiling face is just to the left of this post. I found him to be very, very personable, told him that he should have been the afc's representative to the pro bowl as a special team's player, and told him I was looking forward to his play at safety this year. He replied that this is the year everyone will know his name.....and I don't doubt him. On a team with a better record he'd already have name recognition. let me add that he was one of the very first players to start signing autographs, and was the last (other than Marvin, as best I could tell) to leave the autograph line.

Anthony Mitchell was also very spirited and entertaining, jawing and joking with the crowd around him. I asked him if he planned on starting at strong this year, and he said "that's the plan" with a big smile. I wished him well

All in all, a great day at Georgetown.

Oh - one more thing - yeah, the bengals.com info says parking is 10 bucks, but there is plenty of VERY nearby offcampus parking for 5 bucks or less. I'm talking walking maybe 50 yards more, and pocket the 5 bucks savings.

[rizzy]

I was at the black-orange mock game today as well.

Carson is going to be really good this year with the WR we have. I was really impressed with Chris Henry and Tab Perry. They both looked like they will devlop into some great players. PDUB is going to be checking out if he doesn't start playing soon. He spent the whole day on the second practice field with a trainer running around the field and stretching.

I really enjoyed watching Odell Thurman. He was out there just having a great time. He was dancing to the music and talking to everyone. He always had a smile on his face. This kid is going to be good he is a playmaker.

Tight Ends need to get with it. They were dropping passes like it was there job. They would be wide open and no one around them and it would go in their hand and right out. Any pass to them made the qb look bad. From watching them at camp they are really going to need to step up to make this a complete team. Everyone needs to be able to do their job and right now none of them look like they can do it.

I think Bramlet is going to be cut and krenzel will get the 3 spot. He just looked better out there than bramlet.

That autograph session was crazy. I was right where CJ was and wow I didn't think I was going to get out alive. I took some pictures from the day I will post them up a little later.

The season can't get here fast enough now.

[membengal]

I guess I will pick TJ's thread to drop my two days of observations. Just got back to Memphis following the mock game and will try get some initial impressions here:

1. I have been as hard on K. Washington as anyone on this board, I suspect, but I came away from the two days of camp I saw (scrimmage and mock game) ready to eat at least some of my words. He looks a ton better, the lost weight is noticable. He moved really well, and was running some sharp routes. He caught everything thrown his way including a really nice back of the end zone touchdown. I will shut my mouth on him after seeing all that and let the WR thing play out. He really does appear to have risen to the challenge.

2. Despite TJ's Perry swipes above, I thought Perry looked pretty damn spry. He played quite a bit during the live scrimmage Friday night and took a ton of hits and wasn't the worse for wear. I got the impression they wanted to look at Wilson on Saturday. Understand also, that with no full pads and no tackling on Saturday, it really wasn't a day for any of the running backs. It was a passing day.

3. Chad Johnson is operating on another football level right now. It's unreal how good he looks. If anything, he seems to be in even better shape physically, and got open any time he wanted to. And, after catching the ball, showed several times the fruits of all of his off-season work on YAC. A 1500 yard season from him? I wouldn't necessarily bet against it.

4. Odell Thurman sure as hell looks the part of a football player, and he was making the defensive calls with ease. Pretty impressive for his late start in camp. The entire linebacking corp looked so far improved over what I saw last year at this time that to even think about the two is to laugh. Landon Johnson was all over the field, and the set of Johnson/Thurman/Simmons on Saturday looked awfully natural. Pollack really will have to do some work to break back in when he finally gets done damaging the first part of his career. I saw Tibor s**tting on Stevens somewhere else in another thread, but I actually saw Stevens, and he looks 100% better than this time last year. Our depth at LB is not a concern of mine anymore. Wilkins and Stevens are plenty athletic, and they seems very comfortable in Bresnehan's scheme.

5. Ah, Bresnahan's scheme. This year, as compared to last year at these two sessions, the D just looked like it "got it" for lack of a better way to explain it. They were getting consistent pressure from the front four, with Clemens, Smith, Robinson (several times), Geathers, Patterson and Moore taking turns making plays in the backfield or getting pressure. Stevens was all over the place, and Thurman knows how to find the football. They seem more sure of themselves and what they are supposed to do. It showed both days I was there, and, as you have read elsewhere, it was night and day from this time last season.

6. Stacy Andrews swallowed people for two days. If he let someone by him, I missed it. His footowork is unbelievably good for a man that size (he is just enormous) and he squared up every single time on his blocker. It was impossible to watch him and not get excited.

I guess that's it for now.

Generally, the word I came away from the two days thinking was "confidence". The team seemed to ooze confidence this year, as opposed to this time last season. The guys seem to know their roles and the task ahead of them. Plenty of good natured trash talking going on, and both sides of the ball taking pride in their unit. The D really does have a chance to be improved, and markedly so, and there is no reason to think the offense can be anything other than top 10. They have weapons all over the field.

This really should be a fun season. I got the impression they were more than ready to hit someone other than each other, first exhibition game cannot get here fast enough.

PS: I respectfully disagree with Rizzy, I thought Bramlet looked awfully damn good and Krenzel was lagging, but it is nice that the disagreements now are over who is going to catch on at #3 qb as opposed to who should start I suppose...

[The Big Orange]

Great, Great, Great job guys...in the 3 months I have been a part of this organization and the near 500 posts i have made, I have never seen 3 back to back to back such excellent posts.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your time and effort that you have put into writing all you have...this is as good as anything i will read from Hobson. It's posts like these that makes this site great.

It's like you are genuinely concerned and want to get the word out to the rest of us who are so hungering for news.

[Kazkal]

PS: I respectfully disagree with Rizzy, I thought Bramlet looked awfully damn good and Krenzel was lagging, but it is nice that the disagreements now are over who is going to catch on at #3 qb as opposed to who should start I suppose...

i thought the same thing but from the scrimm

[walshfan]

I too want to thank all of you for your astute observations....

Im excited about the play of Stacy Andrews.. the big guy can really contribute if Levi or Willie go down.

Good to know Perry is starting to find his niche and seems healthy.

I was down on Larry Stevens in another post...sounds like he's making the most of his playing time and the thought of him becoming a force out there is tantalizing...

[redsbengalsbucks]

Thank you for all the info on this years camp, I can't get away long enough to make the 4 hour drive to watch any of the action. It is great to have a few different views and opinions to read about the players. It is almost like a dream to see people arguing about players that will fight for the last spot on the roster at thier respective postions instead of who is #1 QB or #1 RB. Coach Lewis has surpassed my expectations so far and I hope that by year five he has still surpassed my expectations of 2 Super Bowl appearences and 1 Super Bowl win.

Again Thank You for the info.

[rizzy]

Here are some pictures from the day at camp I took.

Bengals Training Camp Pictures

[mtmeece]

Excellent posts about saturday's game. Justa couple of observations. Schoebel did drop a pass that was thrown at his knees but also caught a couple. Bramlet looked better to me than Krenzel. Crazy legs Kitna showed a couple of good scrambles for yards on blown plays and a very high degree of reading the defense on developing plays. and Chad Johnson looks absolutlely perfect.

[The Big Orange]

Great Pics, Rizzy...

You've got a helluva camera...

You don't have season passes do you? I'd like to nominate you for site photgrapher. Here's what I want you to do. Quit your job, be at every game (home and away) and take 20 pics per game. Try to sneak into a few practices as well.

Post your pics on here for free, but sell them to other sports outlets for their rights and you can pick up some flow that way. Buy a few lenses(so we can count the number of freckles on Carson's face) and make some fake press passes so you can get on the field.

If need be, win the lottery to make this possible

[dave]

Excellent reports, thanks.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Yep nice pics. Is it just me or does Rudi Johnson look even bigger this year? Dude is built like a brick sh$thouse for a 5'10"/5'11" guy.

[rizzy]

That would be a great job to be a full time photographer for the bengals. Wish I could do that.

[walshfan]

Ive seen where alot of sites list Rudi as 5'10" and 220 but Ive heard he weighs 233 now....All muscle too! He's pretty much sculpted....Another guy that looks like he's gained muscle in Caleb Miller......

[BengalszoneBilly]

this is as good as anything i will read from Hobson.  It's posts like these that makes this site great.ws.

I have to agree it's great to hear these insight from the members here. Especially for those of us who live outside of the Cincinnati area! But c'mon. IMO "Don't Push Me" posts better stuff than what Geoff "There's a silver lining behind every black cloud - Hope in the heart puts a smile on your face" Hobson usually writes! I want to hear it like it is. Not how it is through the view of his perpetual rose colored glasses!

He flat sugar coats it wayyy too much for me, and I admittedly lean towards the "Homer side! He ESPECIALLY does it after a Bengals loss. His "That's okay guys, you tried really hard! Well get 'em next time!" type of blather makes me want to grab the nearest bucket and empty the contents of my stomach into it! Just like Dr. Fake...er, I mean Dr. "Ultimate Weight Loss" Phil does.

I feel if some clown screwed up during the game and it cost the team something, then call his a** on it. LOUDLY! Let 'em know we don't want them developing that one mistake into a full blown bad habit, I don't care who it is!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

Even with the minimzed hitting, 5th round draft pick Adam Kieft went down late in the abbreviated game with what i think was some kind of leg injury, and was taken off the field on a Cart.

Guess it was pretty bad!

Kieft feared lost for year

8/7/2005 - 8-7-05, 9:10 p.m.

BY GEOFF HOBSON

GEORGETOWN, Ky. _ The agent for Bengals tackle Adam Kieft said Sunday night that his client’s promising rookie season looks to be finished just as he had emerged as one of the top young players of training camp.

Dave Butz said initial reports show Kieft tore the medial collateral ligament and the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee here during Saturday’s Mock Game, but there looks to be no reason he won’t be ready for the next training camp.

The 6-7, 330-pound Kieft, a fifth-rounder, played left tackle at Central Michigan before moving to right fairly seamlessly during the spring camps after the draft. Then he had an impressive stretch last week for a few days replacing left tackle Levi Jones in displaying his quick feet and hands.

Kieft, playing left tackle for the Orange team Saturday, was working on defensive end Duane Clemons in pass protection when Butz said he appeared to catch his foot in the ground and then twisted the knee.

“He’s obviously disappointed, but the good thing is that the rest of the knee looks to be intact,” Butz said. “He shouldn’t have any problems coming back for next season. The Bengals have told him that this is going to be his red-shirt year and they want to keep him around, have him go to meetings, and keep lifting, and he should still get a lot out of it.”

Kieft had been a roster lock for what looks to be nine spots on the offensive line. The injury would appear to clinch the back-up left tackle spot for staring left guard Eric Steinbach. But Pete Lougheed and Scott Kooistra, who play several different spots, may now get some more snaps at left tackle.

[rizzy]

Yeah I knew it was bad when he went down in the game. You could just see it in his face. As they were carting him off I could hear him whimpering in pain they took him right past my seats. He was holdin back the tears. To bad that he is gone. He was looking pretty good.

[TJJackson]

I'm not quite sure what this means, but.....

I suppose you all know that Kieft and Ghiaciuc (however it is spelled) were room mates at Central Michigan. So I'd tend to think they are close, that they are buddies.

When Kieft went down, Ghiacuic went back to the bench. He didn't stay in the area with his buddy to lend help or to at least show some concern - he went back to the bench. He didn't seem to be concerned......and it bothered me.

Maybe it shouldn't, but it does.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I'm not quite sure what this means, but.....

I suppose you all know that Kieft and Ghiaciuc (however it is spelled) were room mates at Central Michigan. So I'd tend to think they are close, that they are buddies.

When Kieft went down, Ghiacuic went back to the bench. He didn't stay in the area with his buddy to lend help or to at least show some concern - he went back to the bench. He didn't seem to be concerned......and it bothered me.

Maybe it shouldn't, but it does.

Maybe that's the kind of injury he fears so much that even though it's his old roomie, he still doesn't want to confront it. Those have ended careers before you know.

People have stranger aversions, and yes. It would seem strange to most.