The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off their annual Family Fun Day at Paul Brown Stadium on Saturday August 6th, which included a fun filled free day for who dey fans and their families.
There was no shortage of fun as the Bengals offered face painting, bouncy houses and blow up slides all free of charge. On the field, the Cincinnati Bengals hosted a “mock game” which is a glorified game of two hand touch. The Bengals players then did an autograph session for the fans in attendance and fans had a chance to interact with the players. Overall, it was a fun day at Paul Brown Stadium, and the Bengals once again exceeded fans expectations.
Okay, enough of the family fun stuff, lets get to the meat and potatoes of practice. How did the Bengals look on the field? Who is stepping up and who needs to go? Here is why we went to go see the Bengals practice, because like everyone, I care about season wins and losses, and postseason berths.
Overall, the Bengals look like how you would expect a team with 5 straight postseason appearances to look. Methodical, well oiled, and purposeful. The Bengals did not make many mistakes even with the 2nd and 3rd teams on the field. The first team offense completed a 98 yard touchdown drive with Andy Dalton completing a touchdown pass to 2nd year Tight End CJ Uzomah in for the injured Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft.
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The first team defense has also looked good all camp and Saturday was no exception. Pass break ups and what would be a sack during a normal game have been commonplace for the Bengals defense after being one of the top defenses in the league in 2015.
As far as who is having a great camp, I look no further than wide receiver Tyler Boyd. The 2nd round pick out of Pittsburgh is as advertised, and everyone looking on just says, wow. Saturday was no different, as Boyd used a double move, then tracked a 38 yard pass from AJ McCarron, catching the ball at its highest point and coming down in the end zone behind two defenders.
Wow, that is a touchdown in every league, everywhere. Number 83 looks awfully comfortable making the tough catches in his first NFL camp, and will be exciting to watch this season and many more.
Since the Bengals do a good job of shifting people around, it is tough to point out who really needs to step up, but one name just keeps coming to mind, Margus Hunt. The now 4th year giant from Estonia, and also the Bengals 53rd overall pick, is really on the fringe of making the final 53.
Hunt is a guy who just doesn’t seem to put it all together. For his size, he should be overpowering guys and making big hits, but he seems to be out of position and almost dance with the o-lineman more than make the right play. With so many other talented players competing for defensive line spots, including rookie Andrew Billings, Hunt might have overstayed his welcome in Cincinnati.
Next: Men In Stripes: Bengals Training Camp
Overall there is a lot to be excited about in Cincinnati. The Bengals are a well built, well oiled $200 million dollar team. The Bengals are more ready than ever this year, and it appears have not had a fall off at wide receiver like we all thought. With preseason game one coming up on Friday, and joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings, we will learn an awful lot more about this team by the end of the week.